Thursday, August 28th, 2014 - 08:54
Bishopmill Academy
Class 5-B Registration
"Hiya Yuuki!" said Rebecca cheerfully as Yuuki stepped inside the room.
There were a number of students other than Becky and Senga present despite registration not scheduled to begin for another six minutes. Yuuki walked over towards her friends and offered them a wave. Before she could say anything she was handed a piece of A4 paper.
"Take a read at this!"
Vandalism and the Curfew
It has not escaped the attention of school staff the recent increase in acts of vandalism within the Greater Bishopmill area. These incidents are being fully investigated by the police who will find the culprits. I remind students that if they are implicated in such acts, or are found to have broken the 9pm curfew, then they risk immediate suspension or expulsion.
Mrs Simpson
Head Teacher
"Do you think they think it's us?"
"Keep your voice down Becky," growled Senga before regaining her composure, "no-one else knows about the 'other world'. They're just assuming its school kids because they don't know who else to blame."
"But they're right."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Yuuki looked over the leaflet again while her friends argued. They needed to reduce the amount of destruction caused to stop this becoming an issue, but they never committed wilful damage. Well, except when she tested Monkey for the first time.
Considering things from a more philosophical viewpoint Yuuki tried reassuring herself that they could never be proved guilty. She interrupted her friends' discussion.
"Even if they thought it was us I doubt Mrs Simpson could do anything."
"Actually," replied Becky tentatively, "this is technically a private school; we can get kicked out at any time for any reason."
"Private school?"
"You didn't know? The school's owned by the MAD group, Milan Aeronautical Development, but they wave all the entrance fees and let anyone enter. That's why everything's so neat and tidy. You didn't think all the schools in this country were like this did you?"
"No," answered Yuuki, "well…maybe. But why would a company own a school and let anyone in, that doesn't make any sense."
"The head of MAD is Annalisa Milan," interjected Senga, "she likes the good publicity. She's got more gold than Fort Knox; a school like this is loose change to her."
Yuuki was intrigued. She was about to ask more when the teacher stepped into the classroom. Her questions would have to wait as everyone took their seats.
aaa
Friday, August 29th, 2014 - 00:00
The 'Other World'
Moray Street
Gabriel Caldwell was to be tonight's target.
Yuuki and her friends were standing outside her home looking for a way in. Breaking down the front door was an option but a less violent method was available to them.
124 Moray Street, like the surrounding homes, was a 2 storey semi-detached house. Brown slate tiles lined its roof and different coloured bricks were used around the front door. On the 2nd level there was a small landing with an open window above. Rebecca smiled and looked towards Yuuki.
"Do you think we can get up there?"
Yuuki gazed upwards. The biggest problem was finding places to grip onto, but otherwise it should be fairly easy for them. She confidently nodded back.
"Alright, once you get inside go down the stairs and open the front door for us."
"Eh…me?" asked Yuuki.
"You can do it!" cheered Becky, "I believe in you!"
"No I mean why me?"
"Senga's scared of heights, you wouldn't make her do it would you? Don't worry we'll catch you if you fall."
That wasn't very reassuring.
"Fine," sighed Yuuki wearily, "I'll do it."
She climbed onto a window frame and stretched up.
Once she made it onto the landing Yuuki opened the window as wide as she could and squeezed herself inside. It was a bedroom and there was one person sitting stationary in front of a television screen, a video game controller in her hands. It had to be Gabriel Caldwell. She walked past the girl and out the room.
After letting her friends inside the trio went to Gabriel's bedroom. Immediately Becky saw a motionless figure next to a widescreen TV.
"Hey it's Gabby. Look she's got the new Soul Hackers game! I thought it wasn't due to be released for another month. Oh it looks so cool, how could she not have told me she got it?"
Becky proceeded to open the 'Soul Hackers' case and started reading the instruction manual. Lying on the ground with a torch in her hands she seemed contented. Senga strolled over to her and tapped her shoulder.
"Rebecca, aren't you forgetting anything?"
"Huh…oh you're right, we can't start playing until the other world ends."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Yuuki sat down on at the edge of the single sized bed. Although everything was calm, she knew the shadows would soon be coming.
aaa
"What the hell is that?"
Yuuki looked where Senga was pointing. Entering the room and floating marginally above the ground was a purple coloured creature with blue armour. Its eight tentacle legs dangled freely below and a golden coloured crown was suspended above its masked face. A second similar being followed closely behind, only its armour was green.
"Are these shadows?" asked Becky.
The creature created a block of ice which struck Senga. The attack had little effect. Rebecca summoned her persona and immediately retaliated, causing the blue crown to evaporate. She tried to do the same to the green shadow but it wasn't destroyed.
The remaining enemy twirled around before an olive coloured squall flew in every direction. Yuuki couldn't avoid being hit. The attack momentarily threw her off balance but didn't cause her much pain. She steadied herself and decided upon which persona to summon.
Using Ukko would be dangerous, since it was vulnerable to wind. Yuuki chose instead to call forth Monkey. When the persona appeared it leapt towards the shadow and struck its armour forcefully. The green crown jarred backwards, but wasn't destroyed. Senga tried attacking it next. Ice had the same effect as the physical attack; the shadow was hurt but still fighting.
Electricity, physical and ice attacks had all failed. Wind wouldn't work since that was the source of the green crown's power. All that remained was fire. Yuuki recalled Monkey and replaced him with Pangu. Now that she had the correct persona she felt confident they would win, however the shadow reacted faster than she could.
A powerful gust crashed into the trio, causing Becky to fall over. Yuuki responded by instructing Pangu's blue dragon to attack the shadow. The resultant fire instantly annihilated the green crown and ended the battle.
Yuuki felt Becky place a hand on her shoulder, a contended expression present across her features.
"I think it's safe to say they were shadows."
Yuuki simply smiled in response. The other world was due to end in five minutes and the three persona users had defeated eight shadows, although the two they just faced were unlike anything they had encountered previously. The thought that these things could take different forms was slightly concerning but she was too tired to think about that right now. It had been a long night and they were unlikely to face any more enemies. Yuuki hoped they had done enough to save Gabriel Caldwell.
"Do you have any friends?"
The random question from Becky took her slightly by surprise. Yuuki blinked in response.
"Apart from us I mean. I haven't seen you talking to anyone."
"Well, sort of."
"We'll help you meet some people. Hmm, I'm trying to think who you'd like. Do you know anyone Senga?"
"There is Terrance Clyde. He's harmless, well mostly harmless," Senga turned to face Yuuki, "he's in our English class, the big guy with ginger hair. I'll introduce him to you but…he's 'well known' if you know what I mean."
"Oh, sure I get it."
Yuuki didn't understand what Senga was implying but pretended that she did. The rest of the night passed quietly and Yuuki returned home.
aaa
Friday, August 29th, 2014 - 09:10
Bishopmill Academy
Senga and Yuuki left their registration class together and headed for room W26. Stepping inside they noticed that their English teacher, Mr Anderson, had yet to arrive. Before Yuuki could sit down she felt herself being pulled towards a plump man wearing an orange t-shirt under his school uniform. He smiled cheerfully when he saw them appearing him.
"Terry," said Senga with her arms hugging her body, "I want you to meet someone."
The man stood from his seat. He was short for his age, around the same height as herself and much shorter than Senga. He had new, brightly coloured trainers on his feet and the smile on his face changed to a smirk.
"Meow, your girlfriend is hot."
"SHE'S JUST A FRIEND YOU MORON," replied Senga angrily. "Yuuki, this is Terrance Clyde, full time jerk, part time prick and occasional idiot."
"Erm…nice to meet you," said Yuuki politely. After that introduction she wasn't sure what else to say. Terry nodded.
"Don't listen to Senga, I'm really an amazing guy, known far and wide for my-"
"Fat and wide butt?"
"Just because you don't have any curves doesn't mean you should take your frustrations out on those of us with normal physiques."
"There's nothing about you I would consider normal."
At this moment Mr Anderson walked into the room. Yuuki dragged Senga away from Terry, worried about what she would do to him if they continued arguing, especially with so many witnesses present. The rest of the dull lesson proceeded as normal.
When first period came to an end Yuuki said goodbye to Senga and headed for drama class. This was her least favourite subject because neither of her friends would be there. As she was walking to room E12 she heard someone calling her name. She turned and saw Terry jogging slowly towards her.
"Phew, you don't have to power walk around the school."
"Oh, hello Terrance, is there…something I can help you with?"
"Huh? We're going to the same class we may as well walk together. Being seen with someone as popular as-"
"We're in the same class?"
"YOU'VE NEVER NOTICED?" exclaimed Terry, "wait; don't tell me you're like Senga."
"Like Senga?"
"Never mind."
aaa
Friday, August 29th, 2014 - 16:27
High Street
Yuuki had mixed feeling about the day just past.
She was happy to have made a new friend in Terrance Clyde. Drama was much more enjoyable than it had been and she felt herself warming towards the others in her class. Even Miss Richardson, her teacher, seemed to be acting more kindly than before, although she was sure this was her imagination.
However her mood darkened after lunchtime. She found out from Senga that the next target for the shadows had moved to somewhere in England and had not come back. If what they knew about the shadows was true then she would be murdered tonight in a far away place and there was nothing they could do to prevent it.
The first feeling Yuuki experienced when Senga told her they couldn't save Barbara Cox was relief. She imagined lying in her warm bed with her blankets wrapped tightly around her. Immediately she felt guilty for thinking this way. After school she avoided cycling home with Daigo or talking to her friends. She wanted to be alone for a while. She strolled aimlessly along Bishopmill High Street. There were many shops approaching closing time but she didn't care. The feeling of being anonymous in a crowd made her more relaxed.
Rather than worry about why she didn't care about someone who she knew was about to die Yuuki searched for a distraction. She glanced towards the shops around her. This was the first time she had been on the high street alone and it gave her a chance to explore. A check of her purse proved she had a little spending money available and she decided to waste some time here.
The two clothes shops she spotted looked appealing, but they were both approaching closing time. The same was true with the flower and perfume shops. The Karaoke bar was only open at night, which made her a little disappointed. Singing for a couple of hours would have raised her spirits.
Finally she saw a hair and beauty shop called the 'Grateful Head'. Yuuki instinctively twirled loose strands of her long black hair. The split ends she had noticed before were getting worse. Perhaps a change of look would help take her mind off things. She entered and decided to accept whatever suggestion the hairdresser made.
Twenty minutes later, and after hearing the life story of the young woman who cut her hair, Yuuki left the beauticians. The fragrant smell from inside was replaced by exhaust fumes, but it didn't bother her. She was feeling much better. She bounced her now short hair gently with her hands whilst gazing at her own reflection in the shop window. A pixie cut ready did suit her, she thought to herself. After realising how vain she must look Yuuki started walking home, a smile now retuned to her face.
aaa
Saturday, August 30th, 2014 - 00:00
The 'Other World'
Hermes Street
There was no-one to rescue tonight.
The next target, Barbara Cox, lived too far away. It would be impossible for her to be saved from the other world. Yuuki's only hope was that the shadows would be limited to murdering people in Bishopmill but she wasn't confident.
Her intention had been to rest however she decided to see what other personas she possessed. This might be the last chance before the 'central shadow' appeared and it also helped to ease her conscious. Yuuki stood in the darkness outside her home on Hermes Street. No sound could be heard, no breeze could be felt, and everything was still.
She quickly reviewed in her mind what she knew. Pressing 1 on her phone summoned the versatile, but weak, Pangu. 2 called forth Monkey while 5 evoked Ukko. Tonight she would discover what other personas she could create. Yuuki selected 3 and all of Hermes Street was momentarily bathed in blue.
When the cobalt tower of light faded she saw her new persona. It was a hideous beast. Snakes adorned a physically massive female form with skulls and human hands wrapped around its neck like a fashion accessory. Its feet had talons and its hair was long and thin. In a crackly voice it spoke.
"Mother of the gods, goddess of fire I, Coatlicue, will walk this path with you."
Yuuki took a moment to catch her breath. She had forgotten how much effort it took to summon a new persona. When she regained her composure she gazed at her latest creation. She could feel its strength. Having something which specialised in fire would be very useful. It was an ability which neither of her friends possessed and was required often. She retracted Coatlicue and pressed the number 4 on her cell.
Once again her surroundings became brightly illuminated. However the image that appeared was not that of a demon, but rather a beautiful woman. All of Yuuki's senses were attracted to its presence. The sweetest scent radiated in the air and its eyes stared deep into hers. Yuuki heard her calm, soothing voice as she spoke.
"I am Tamamo-no-Mae, font of all wisdom. I shall be courtesan to you from this day forth."
Unlike Coatlicue, which immediately broadcasted its abilities, Yuuki had no idea what Tamamo-no-Mae could do. She asked the recently created persona to attack a nearby lamppost. It did nothing. Confused, and starting to feel weary, Yuuki decided to call forth one more creature.
She pressed the number 6 key on her phone. After the blue light that signified the birth of a persona had faded Yuuki saw a white anaconda hovering above the ground. On its back and wrapped partly around its body was a multicoloured snake. The larger white creature opened its mouth.
"Sssss, father of Loa, creator of water, ssssss, Damballa, ssssss, I am yours alone."
By this time Yuuki was beginning to tire. She tested Damballa's abilities against a wall and found it capable of using ice. Recalling the persona she let out a sigh. The personas behind numbers 7, 8 and 9 would have to wait for another time. At least now she was better prepared for the central shadow than before.
Although she still didn't know what to expect.
aaa
Saturday, August 30th, 2014 - 07:51
Hashimoto residence
Yuuki was in high spirits. It was the weekend, the sun was shining and she was feeling refreshed. A night away from fighting shadows was exactly what she needed. She was sure her friends felt the same. Humming gently an old melody she prepared a traditional Japanese breakfast for herself and Daigo. Hot steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles and some dried seaweed were placed around the kitchen table in two even portions.
While she waited for Daigo Yuuki switched on the radio. An overly enthusiastic male voice that never seemed to pause for breath came booming towards her as a song faded into the background.
"-present's still the best of all.
You're listening to Buzz FM; the number one most listened to radio station for our listeners, we're gonna go dosey doe on over to Knoxy for the news headlines, Knoxy.
'Thanks Jazz. The main story is that murder in Colchester last night. Police are remaining tight lipped but it has been revealed that the teenaged victim's name was Barbara Cox. That's all for now.'
Scary stuff Knoxs but not as scary as the hit line up we have for you today here on Buzz FM where it's buzz time all the time and burning up the charts it's the return of Gas Chamber with their-"
Yuuki switched off the radio. It could have been a coincidence but hearing that Barbara Cox had died proved there was nowhere safe from the shadows. No-one could escape from them. Yuuki decided she would call her friends later that morning to plan the next rescue.
As Yuuki finished eating she noticed her little brother staggering into the kitchen. He sat down after making an indistinguishable grunting sound. His eyes struggled to stay open and his body swayed from side to side.
"Did you have a good sleep?" asked Yuuki with forced enthusiasm.
"The cat wasn't sure what to do."
"Eh?"
"I said here, here, but he ignored me."
"I…see."
Daigo started eating some of the breakfast Yuuki had prepared for him. It always annoyed her when he didn't say thank you or appear to appreciate what she had done for him. She sat down opposite her younger brother and watched him eat. Without warning he looked up at her.
"What happened to your hair?"
"YOU JUST NOTICED!"
aaa
Saturday, August 30th, 2014 - 10:59
Maine Road
Mocha's Chocó's
Senga and Becky were waiting inside for her.
Yuuki had phoned her friends earlier to arrange a meeting. She wanted to talk about the other world and the next expected victim, Christopher James. Stepping inside Mocha's Chocó's she was met by the smell of coffee, a generic pop song playing in the background and the greetings of her two friends, although Rebecca appeared to be distressed.
"Yuuki what have you done?"
"What is it?"
Becky's eyes were watering.
"Your hair, its, its…"
"Oh yeah," replied Yuuki whilst bouncing her pixie cut fashioned hair, "it was annoying me when we were inside 'that' place. Besides it'll be easier to manage like this."
"But your hair was so pretty. I wanted to see what it looked like if you had it styled the same way as mine."
"Don't be depressed. It'll grow back."
The trio sat down at a table and one of the waitresses came over to take their request. Senga ordered for all of them as Yuuki tried to stop Becky from crying and playing with her hair.
"If you two are quite done" snapped Senga, her voice stern, "we know it doesn't matter to the shadows where someone is at midnight, we can thank Barbara for telling us that one. If someone's on the list then they are certain to be attacked. The next target is Chris. He lives at 94 Grant Street, that's not far away from you Yuuki. We should-"
"Hold on a second," interrupted Becky, "how do you know where he lives?"
"I know where everyone on the list lives," said Senga dismissively, "we'll meet up on Grant Street during the other world. Yuuki, keep an eye out for shadows until we get there. It shouldn't take us long to arrive. Once we're together we'll prevent the next attack."
The waitress returned to place their drinks on the table. Yuuki watched as Senga picked up a coffee.
"Your hair looks nice by the way."
"Did you say something Senga?" asked Becky, an evil grin appearing across her face, "I didn't know Yuuki was your type."
"IT ISN'T LIKE THAT!"
aaa
Sunday, August 31st, 2014 - 00:00
The 'Other World'
Grant Street
They were inside Christopher James' bedroom waiting for the shadows.
The other world was less than thirty minutes old but Yuuki knew it wouldn't be long before they made their appearance. She stood near the open doorway staring down a short corridor. Senga was close by and leaning against a cream coloured wall populated with numerous movie posters. She was resting her eyes serenely. Becky meanwhile sat on the double bed next to Christopher and was using her index finger to prod at his face.
As Yuuki's concentration was beginning to wane she spotted something. It was a white glove that was using its 'fingers' to run towards her. The creature was roughly one meter tall and had a roman numeral tattooed onto its body. She pulled out her phone.
"Senga, it's a shadow."
The glove moved quickly giving Yuuki little time to think. On impulse she pressed 3 and summoned one of her new personas, Coatlicue.
The female persona generated a powerful burst of fire, filling the doorway and the corridor ablaze. Yuuki's eyes tried to determine if the shadow survived. She watched as the flames died down. The glove was still moving. It bounced onto its wrist and clicked its fingers.
Immediately Yuuki was engulfed in fire. She used her arms to cover her body however she felt no pain. The flames didn't even irritate her. The shadow repeated its attack but once again she felt nothing. It was as if she was unaffected by fire. Yuuki wondered if her persona was protecting her.
Following the shadow's second attack Senga stepped out in front of Yuuki and summoned Freya. She ordered her persona to use ice against the glove. Her first attempt missed but eventually the shadow failed to dodge the frozen spears being thrown towards it. The glove dissipated into the air. The first battle of the night was over.
Yuuki sat down at the edge of the Christopher's bed and breathed a sigh of relief. Both Rebecca and Senga were hovering over her, each with an expectant expression on their face.
"So when were you going to tell us about that persona?"
"I-it was something I came across last night."
"That's our leader," said Becky knowingly, "never rests, never sleeps, always striving to rid the world of shadows. But you really should've taken the night off. All I did yesterday was sleep."
She closed her eyes. Becky suggestion of sleep sounded appealing to her now, but they still had another twenty minutes until the end of the other world.
While the trio were talking another shadow entered the room. It was a Maya type with a yellow mask. Yuuki remembered that this form was weak against physical attacks. She was about to summon Monkey when she spotted Becky holding a wooden softball bat. She hit the shadow cleanly, destroying it instantly.
"Fore!"
"Wrong sport," said Senga with little enthusiasm, "you say fore in golf."
"I thought you say in baseball too."
"Why would you say 'fore'?"
"I don't know," replied Becky as she played with her hair, "maybe when the bases are loaded?"
"Do you even know what that means?"
"I'm not sure, but it sounds fun."
Yuuki listened as her two friends continued to squabble. It seemed to her that Senga really enjoyed arguing with people. She was the same with Terry when she introduced him to her. Even though she appeared annoyed it must have been like a game. Yuuki flinched when she saw Senga looking at her.
"Do you have any other personas we should know about?"
"Two, Damballa, which uses ice and one that doesn't do anything."
"Doesn't do anything?" responded Senga, her face slightly screwed, "show it to us."
Yuuki was hoping to rest for a few minutes but agreed to Senga's request. She flipped open her phone and pressed the number 4 key. The scent of Tamamo-no-Mae filled her nostrils. The sweet fragrance made her feel calmer as the attractive figure revealed itself to her friends.
Suddenly Yuuki felt coldness approaching. It was outside, no less than twenty meters away. She ran over towards the bedroom's only window and spotted a green crown drifting towards the house. Past encounters had taught her that that type of shadow was vulnerable to fire, but she could also vaguely sense something else. She tried concentrating.
Tamamo-no-Mae's appearance started to change. The harder Yuuki focused the more her persona faded. She closed her eyes. Abruptly she was able to detect everything about the shadow. Its strength, its resistance to wind and all its capabilities were revealed to her. This was the true purpose of her persona.
Opening her eyes Yuuki saw a nine tailed red fox floating before her. She was momentarily startled. Its fur coat was perfectly manicured and its eyes were focused solely at hers. Yuuki forgot about the green crown outside and immediately the fox reverted back to Tamamo-no-Mae. It seemed even her personas could hide their true natures.
For the rest of the night every shadow that approached was easily detected by Yuuki. It was a great advantage and prevented them from being surprised. Unfortunately for Yuuki it also required a great deal of energy and concentration. Using Tamamo-no-Mae throughout the other world proved to be exhausting for her and she struggled to return home following the rescue.
It was an ability which was too useful to ignore, but caused a stress too great to endure. Yuuki fell asleep in her bed without deciding how best to use her new persona.