Author's note: LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! IN COMMEMORATION OF OUR LONGEST CHAPTER YET, I GIVE YOU CHAPTER 11! Big shout out to Coldman9 for beta-ing and writing several (Really large) parts of the fight scene! MAN I LOVE YOU! (Hypothetically) Heh. Hope you guys get a kick out of this chapter!
Chapter 11: Insecurities
Junes Food Court
The rag tag trio met up at the table Yosuke had told them about earlier that day. They had first gone home to change into their uniforms and then stuffed their weapons in their clothes and finally waddled uncomfortably to Junes. And in Souji's case, his waddle was between hilarious to slightly disconcerting.
"Are you sure you're okay, bro?" Yosuke asked with a small smirk on his face. He had almost forgotten that the silver-haired teen had a bad foot and was actually a little worried for him. How was Souji going to help out in the TV when he could barely stand up on his own?
The slightly taller teen shrugged lightly as he fiddled with the hilt of the katana poking out from his pants. He also had a grey duffle bag slung across his chest and it looked suspiciously heavy to Yosuke. Souji muttered to the two standing in front of him, "We really stand out, don't we?"
"Tell me about it..." Chie sighed discretely. She felt that if she spoke any louder, the cops would jump out from the artificial flora surrounding them and arrest them. "I mean... We are in our uniforms on a Sunday."
Yosuke huffed tiredly and glanced towards the small crowd of people gathered around the food stalls near-by, "The sale should end soon, so that would help get rid of some of the people around here."
"I guess," Souji nodded solemnly. He then tugged at his duffle bag, "Your stuff is in here. I can't find a space in my pants to hide those without the fear of cutting myself. I'm worried enough with the katana."
Both Yosuke and Chie laughed, but tried to keep their volume low. Suppressing their laughter made their faces turn an unnatural shade of pink and some kids from the small crowd started to gawk. Souji tried distracting himself by rotating his ankles and concentrated on not to lean too much on the injured foot. The injury wasn't a big deal, but it would take at least 3 days for Souji to walk normally again.
Soon enough, the small crowd had dispersed and Yosuke nodded his head towards the elevator. They arrived at the electronics department and as usual, there was nearly nobody around except for one or two wandering souls. Souji and Chie waddled uncomfortably while Yosuke strolled on in a care free mood. Finally, they arrived at the large TV set that they used the last time they were here.
After checking to make sure that they were completely alone, Souji lifted his left leg into the TV and slipped in easily. Though his landing was less than graceful, he did have a sword shoved down his pants after all. Yosuke glanced towards Chie with a worried expression and touched her shoulder, "You know, it's not too late to—"
"I'm going," she glared angrily at the fluffy haired boy.
Yosuke sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, "Fine. Just don't push yourself too hard."
He then grabbed her hand and lifted his leg into the TV screen and waited. As the portal opened, Chie walked over and she swung her left leg in, her hand was still clasped in Yosuke's. She lifted her right leg up and swung it over as well and quickly let go of Hanamura's hand and slid down into the TV world. Yosuke looked around the vicinity to make sure that they weren't seen and slid down as well, trying to ignore the bottomed out feeling of his stomach. This was a bad idea.
TV world
They landed on the stage, rather unglamorously one might add, with Yosuke crashing right on top of Chie and Satonaka very nearly received her first kiss. After kneeing Yosuke in his nether region twice in quick succession, they noticed Teddie rolling on the floor. Back and forth, back and forth, the trio watched with amused expressions until Yosuke decided to halt the oversized bear with his foot. After a few bad bear puns, Teddie revealed that he had been thinking a lot about himself. About where and how he came about, after what they had witnessed the other day with Yosuke.
"No need to think too much, Ted," Yosuke shrugged, "I've seen the inside of your skull, and it's safe to say that it's literally empty. Although, I gotta hand it to you, Ted. I'm surprised that you've been able to survive on your own this long with an empty head. Must've been real breezy inside."
Teddie lifted himself off the floor and bared his teeth, "How rude!" He then sighed, "But it's true though. I thought and I thought, but nothing comes out from my head. It's like I'm reaching into a black pond, and everything memory I can grab slips out of my grasp."
Souji smiled uneasily and wondered if he was even involved in this conversation anymore.
"This creature seems to have quite an effect on you", Izanagi's voice rang out, "Maybe it's for the best you made that agreement with it."
"Augh... I could've done without the 'effect'", Souji thought almost sourly, "But I guess you're right about the agreement. There's something about Ted that just seems...wrong."
The boys chuckled among themselves and Chie furrowed her brows. She placed her hands on her hips and shouted angrily, "Will you guys shut up! We have more important things to do here! There's someone in here, isn't there?" Chie turned to Teddie.
Teddie looked up at Chie, wide eyed, "Wow...! There's a girl with a better nose than me? What's your name, miss?"
"H-huh? Miss...? I-It's Chie... But never mind that! Tell me more about that someone!" the brown haired girl exclaimed worriedly. The more time they wasted, the more likely Yukiko would be... She stopped the thought in its tracks before it got too far.
"Well I think it was a little after I talked to you guys, then I felt like somebody was here. It's a little over that way," Teddie said, "I can take you guys there if you want."
Yosuke glanced towards Chie and found her distracted. She had most probably not heard the part where Teddie offered to take them there as she ran off on her own. Yosuke growled softly, he knew this was going to happen. He saw Souji running after her as he slipped on his glasses, his left leg pumping harder than his right to compensate for the injury.
Souji could already tell, just from how Chie tames Yosuke, that she had a lot of strength in her legs. And it was only more apparent in the way she managed to quickly put distance between them. Granted, Souji wasn't at his best, but he was still doing pretty well given the circumstances.
Yosuke chased after them. When he finally caught up with Souji, he was already panting like a dog. Souji was staring straight front. There was a large, red brick castle with a blood coloured portal on the front gate. If memory served Yosuke right, this was the very same backdrop to Yukiko's TV show. The same fact wasn't lost on the silver haired teen, although the thought only sent the shocking images racing through his mind again.
"...Does that child do this kind of things often?" Izanagi chimed in, a hint of terror in his voice.
Souji immediately felt a hot blush flash on his face. The thought of Yukiko doing this kind of things, even in the privacy of her own room, was a little too much for Souji's heart. He quickly shut out the images before Izanagi could intercept them.
"C-Course not!" Souji snapped harshly, "Amagi-san definitely does not have a princess fetish."
Souji could hear Izanagi chuckle softly in his head, thoroughly amused, "Of course not." And the awkward conversation ended there, much to Souji's relief.
Yosuke glanced around furtively to see if there was anybody filming them right now and found only Teddie running after them.
"D-D-Don't run off without me!" the over sized mascot shouted as he finally slowed to a halt next to Souji.
He then stared up at the castle and gulped. Yosuke suddenly felt a cold chill blow across the courtyard and shuddered involuntarily. He turned his head to Ted and asked shakily, "You're absolutely positive that there was no one behind the camera for that bizarrio midnight program?"
The mascot looked over to Yosuke, a quizzical look on his face, "Program...? I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe people from your world can see stuff over here. It might be that."
"I can't explain everything about this world," Ted continued wisely as he scratched his chin. He then spotted Yosuke shooting him an unconvinced glare and Ted stared back at him, "What? You mean you can explain everything about your world?"
"Well . . . no . . . " Yosuke answered awkwardly, "But everyone already knows a lot about it already. You barely know anything about your own world."
"Who said I'm from this world too?" Teddie smiled strangely at the two boys, "Maybe I can from a completely different world than the two of you."
"I doubt that." Yosuke grumbled, "You're too strange to be from any world but this one."
The trio sighed heavily and Chie started to pace the courtyard, "Ugh... Yukiko was saying all sorts of weird things like 'scoring a hot stud'. T-That's not like her at all . . . Do you have any idea how her parents would react if they heard her say something like that?"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either," Hanamura said softly as he glanced towards the glowing red portal, "Yukiko-san would never say anything like that. You'd almost think she was a different person."
Chie's pacing started to get faster and faster. Souji was watching the red portal this whole time and began to wander, what if this was exactly like what happened to Yosuke the last time? Shaking his head slightly, he un-slung his duffle bag and took out a pair of Kunai from the bag. Inside were also his old dumbbells. It was just in case he was home later than his uncle Dojima and should the older man ask, he could at least try to convince him that he was working out at a friend's.
In your school uniform... Yeah nice try, Seta. Maybe you should've thought this through?
Yosuke, not noticing his gloominess, spotted the kunai on Souji's hands and perked up immediately, "Hey, are those for me?"
Souji glanced up at the fluffy haired teen and smiled, "Yeah. 5300 yen. But since I'm such a nice guy, I'll absorb the 300 yen."
Hanamura laughed, "Thanks!"
Chie silently glared at the two idiots, she was starting to get impatient as she stopped pacing and went over to Ted, "Do you sense Yukiko in there?"
"Huh? Yeah, I do sense someone in there..."
"I'm going in," Chie announced haphazardly as she stormed straight into the portal without looking back. There were some things that Yosuke and Souji didn't understand, and her close bond with Yukiko was one of them. While they dilly-dallied and played around, throwing jokes at each other, Yukiko was inside, probably half scared to death. Chie couldn't let them do this to her. As she ran, memories of when Chie first made friends with Yukiko flooded her mind.
She was sitting there with her ivory black eyes cast downwards at the river. She held in her arms, a small white dog that nuzzled her every now and then. 7 year old Chie Satonaka knew her from school, and obviously, she knew who she was, but it would've came off as creepy for somebody you never spoke to suddenly knew your name, so she merely walked up to her and asked if she was alright.
"They... They told me to abandon it," Yukiko said in a small voice. She huddled the puppy closer to her as she sobbed quietly.
Chie frowned and walked over to her. Yukiko was sitting on the gentle slope down to the river bed as she continued softly, almost not loud enough for Chie to hear, "They said that I can't keep it because our house in an inn... But I pitied him, so I ran away from home..."
"...Then why not come to my house? My parents won't mind," Chie said with confidence in her voice as she hovered over Yukiko. She reached out with a hand and a huge grin on her face, "I'm Chie. What's your name?"
Yukiko looked up at Chie, wide eyed, "Chousokabe."
Chie giggled and shook her head, "I mean your name, not the dog's."
Something seemed to hit home in Yukiko's head as she managed to crack a smile and grabbed Chie's outstretched hand, "... I'm Yukiko... Yukiko Amagi."
Chie nodded wisely as she pulled Yukiko up from the slope, "Yukiko huh? That's a nice name." She then rubbed the puppy's head, "But that Chou-something... That's kinda weird. I'll call you Muku instead."
Yukiko pouted a little, "But I like that name..."
Yukiko must've thought that Chie hadn't heard her as the two walked back to the Satonaka House while chatting about all sorts of things .Chie's mother was quite perplexed when she demanded that they let Yukiko and Muku stay. The older Satonaka smiled, amused by her daughter and agreed to let Yukiko and Muku stay if she cleaned up her room. And for the first time in Chie's 7 years, she sped to her room and started to clean. The next day, Yukiko's mother came by to pick up her daughter. Muku stayed though, and from then on, Yukiko and Chie had been inseparable.
-0-
She looked so sad. Her ivory black eyes were so downcast that Chie thought that she might never come back. That was when Satonaka knew that she had to protect her. She had to protect Yukiko. She had to protect the snow child from anything that tries to harm her. The determination to protect was the only thing in Chie's mind, letting her quicken her step against the burn of her tired muscles, not really noticing her surroundings. She must've climbed up at least two flights of stairs until she came to a large chamber.
Chie surveyed her surroundings carefully, sensing a foreboding presence build up from darkest corner of the chamber. It was hard to ignore, in fact it was almost as if it wanted to draw attention to itself. And Chie couldn't deny that a part of her was curious to see what it was. Then there was a voice. It clearly belonged to Yukiko, but Chie was alone when she glanced around anxiously, looking for the familiar raven haired girl.
-0-
Yosuke Hanamura knew what was coming when he let Chie come with them. She was the kind that never listened to you, even when you warned them, and when something goes wrong, you're the one at fault. Chie was just like that. But he could never get mad at her because she was... well, Chie. How could anybody get mad at Chie? She could get really annoying, but in the end, you can never get yourself to stay mad.
She wasn't a looker like Yukiko or Ai Ebihara from 2-4, but she was pretty in her own way, not that Yosuke would ever admit that in real life. She wasn't smart, she had a bad temper and she always liked to freeload off of Yosuke, plus she was as tom boyish as a girl can get, but she was Chie, and these were the very qualities that made Chie Chie, and Yosuke genuinely liked her. Yosuke started to realise that he actually felt responsible for Chie's well being.
There was a reason why he'd send jokes to her every other night, knowing full well that she'd be planning to go to bed by then. There was a reason why he'd make comments on other girls while making sure that it was loud enough for Chie to hear. And suddenly, Yosuke realised that Chie was part of the reason why he had swooned over Saki-senpai like a love sick child.
He knew that Chie would get mad at him for sending her dirty jokes in the middle of the night, because in the mornings, she would storm over to his table and give him the 'Good Morning' beating. He knew that she hated it when he made those lecherous comments on other girls, but he did it anyway, just to get her fuming. And last of all, he realised that whenever he talked about Saki-senpai, Chie would have that glint in her eye before she teased him feebly. He was doing all this, just to get her attention.
Yosuke growled lowly as he summoned Jiraiya, cutting through a group of shadows. The survivors of his attack were quickly attended to by Souji. Despite this being their first time fighting together, the two had worked out a solid and easy battle plan. Souji was going to fall behind with his injury slowing him down. So instead of holding back with Souji, Yosuke would go in first, using his speed, and attack the Shadows, leaving Souji to get them while they were down. It worked especially well when they caught the enemy by surprise.
Unfortunately, this time their plan had fallen through. The two were surrounded by Shadows, each baring down on the two like wolves to inured prey. Yosuke jumped in the air, cutting through his card and freeing Jiraiya to blast an enemy with Garu. Souji summoned Izanagi as well, the deity slicing through another Shadow as Souji buried the end of his katana in another. He suddenly felt something collide with his back and turned to see Yosuke had intercepted a Shadow for him. The two turned back to the battle, quickly unleashing their Personae again, tearing through the group of Shadows.
Yosuke sighed when the last of the enemies faded away. The thoughts about Chie were starting to cloud his mind. They were fighting Shadows, and Souji had been trying to pull both his and Yosuke's weight as Yosuke's focus drifted off to Chie every once in a while. Izanagi stood proud and victorious behind Souji before it disappeared while the black bubbling goo on the floor indicated that the battle was over. The sound of Chie's footsteps had long disappeared out of earshot while they got caught up by the Shadow. Yosuke bolted off as soon as Souji gave him the nod to go.
Chie was a fast runner, thanks to her soccer training. The Yasogami female soccer team was barely a legit team but they trained vigorously and was the only other sports team that actually brought home a trophy or two. Yosuke could still remember last year when Chie was been so caught up by her excitement upon making the team that she'd ran into Yosuke's bike as he tried his damnest to avoid hitting her. Chie came out of the rubble totally unscathed, but Hanamura's bike had not been the same ever since. He wanted to laugh at the memory, but once again, he lost sight of Satonaka and he spat frustratedly.
Stop running dammit! I can't catch up! You're always ahead of me, so why won't you just do me a favour and wait?
"Is it just me, or are you in really bad shape?" The familiar voice of Jiraiya interrupted Yosuke's personal thinking space, "Heh heh... I see... So this is how it is eh? So what, you can't catch up to a girl, now?"
Yosuke rolled his eyes as he snapped back at his persona mentally, "You are one sexist little bitch, you know that?"
"I was a bitch as a shadow, and I'll stay bitchy as a Persona", Jiraiya guffawed loudly, his laughter ringing in Yosuke's head, "and what's that thing about me being sexist? Back in the day, guys were the alpha males and girls... well, they cook, they clean and some of them look good. No chick I know ever did anything physical... except for se—"
"SHUT UP PLEASE", Yosuke growled. When he mentioned to Souji that Jiraiya could be a little bitch, he was making an extreme understatement.
Teddie panted from behind them as he tried to catch up, "She hasn't gone on that far yet!"
Souji could hear Yosuke grumbling angrily, "Dammit... I knew this was going to happen." The fluffy haired teen twirled his kunai as Souji stepped away slightly, a little wary of the flight trajectory should Yosuke lose his grip on the kunai. Hanamura started to run off again, "We have to find her, and quick. I can't let anything happen to her here. Can't let her end up like Saki-senpai."
Souji felt a little befuddled by the way Yosuke said Saki Konishi's name just now. Usually, he would say he name as if he was cooing it, or more recently, like it was the saddest thing in the world, but just now, he was saying it like it was secondary. Shrugging lightly, Souji decided to just follow behind Yosuke as they ran. The corridors weren't a huge puzzle. A few dead ends here and there and a couple of rooms with chests, locked or otherwise, all in all, not too bad and Souji could still manoeuvre around easily. Not to mention the strange, but surprisingly helpful, items they found in the chests. But of course, he didn't physically fight as much as he would like, instead, relying on Izanagi and a new persona that he'd found, Angel. Using the personae made him extremely tired, mentally, but Souji could manage.
"You're certainly a determined one", Izanagi commented.
"I may not know Yukiko-san or Chie-san very well but it's the least I can do to help. This place is dangerous and it's my fault that Chie-san was even in here in the first place. I could've made her stay outside, but I let her in," Souji mumbled to himself, soft enough to not let Yosuke hear him talking.
A heavy sigh on Izanagi's end, "again with the blaming. If you hadn't let Satonaka-san in, then she would've pestered Hanamura and surely that boy would comply. Her reasons for entering were fair and you could only hope as much that she would listen and not run renegade. How is fate's work your fault, child?"
Souji was silent for a while. Izanagi made sense, and the self beating was starting to get old. He could deny everything the persona had said, or he could man up for himself and accept that not every bad thing was his fault. They had thoroughly warned Chie-san about the dangers and she still insisted on coming, so it's not his fault that she decided to screw their warnings and run off now, was it?
"...Fine then", Souji concentrated on the uphill battle ahead of him, "I'm not fighting to amend. I'm fighting because they're my classmates and I won't just stand on the sidelines when I know I have the means to save them. I won't be like a spectator in a car crash."
Izanagi seemed pleased enough as he chortled, "Well said!"
"Courage and bravery to tread into even the most dangerous of places. Truly the Lord guides you with strength and wisdom", Angel said, obviously approving on Souji's new direction.
"Uh, thanks?"
Finally, they found the stairs. Running up two to three steps at a time, they came to face a large door that occupied the entire wall. Souji stood in front of the door and stared incredulously. Again, Teddie gushed as he tried to keep up, "Wow sensei! You're really good at fighting, even when you run a little funny. Compared to you, Yosuke SUCKS!"
Hanamura growled angrily at the bear, "Shut up, Ted!" Yosuke then calmed down and sighed. He turned to Souji and shrugged lightly, "But I gotta admit it, you really got a knack for this stuff. Our plan got us safely through most of the place. Nice thinking."
Teddie's voice perked up again, "Wasn't it? So you should be the one giving Yosuke orders during fights!"
Yosuke nodded his head, almost ruefully, "It ticks me off to hear Ted say that, but I don't wanna cause any trouble doing my own thing on the field. It's too dangerous to let our egos get in the way or to throw childish tantrums so don't hesitate to order me around." He gave Souji a pat on the back and smiled, determination in his eyes as they both glanced towards the door, "I'm counting on you."
Souji nodded. He felt a large amount of pressure and stress build up in him, but didn't want to discuss this right now. He had never really been the leader type, and now he was suddenly responsible for everything, it felt a little disconcerting. They ran up to the door and could hear Ted announce that he had sensed Chie inside. The boys steeled their beating hearts, Yosuke took a deep breath, trying to prepare for anything that could come their way, and ran in.
She could hear the door burst open behind her and sighs of relief from Souji and Yosuke, and she could hear the sound of Teddie's suit running up behind them. She thought she heard Yosuke calling her name and asking if she was alright, but Chie wasn't really paying attention. Yosuke called out again, this time a little softer and a little more concerned.
They all fell silent when the voice of Yukiko Amagi floated through the air. Chie had been listening to the voice the whole time while the boys ran after her. Yukiko's voice was just as soothing and gentle as they had all remembered.
"She said that red looked good on me..." Yukiko said softly, fondness in her voice. Then it became a little sad and spiteful, "...I hated my name... Yukiko... 'snow'..." The voice became floaty and a little unreal, "Snow is cold and it melts quickly... It's transient... worthless..."
There was a small, sad snicker, "But it's perfect for me... Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless..." They could almost imagine Yukiko saying these things, the voice so clearly hers that it spooked them. "Still... Chie told me that red looks good on me."
She could hear the boys behind talking among themselves, but Chie shut them out as she tried to listen to what seemed like Yukiko's inner thoughts. "Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning... She's bright and strong and she can do anything! She... She has everything that I don't."
"Compared to Chie, I'm... I'm..." the voice trailed off, "... Chie protects me... She looks after my worthless life... But I don't deserve it... I don't deserve any of it... Chie... She's so kind..."
Chie felt a sharp jab in her chest. Hearing all those things, coming from Yukiko's thoughts, it stirred something within her. Her chest hurt and a throbbing pain was thumbing against her rib cage. Hot tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but Chie forced them back. She wasn't prepared to be so humiliated as to cry in front of Yosuke again. She had to be strong. She had to protect Yukiko. She was the only one who could.
"Really now? The only one who could protect Yukiko?" a familiar voice mocked, "Oh please."
The trio turned to look at the person who had said such a thing and came face to face to Chie Satonaka.
No... It's not her!
Yosuke glanced immediately to the real Chie. Her mouth gaped slightly as she tried to make sense of it all. It was just like the time he awakened to Jiraiya, and Yosuke cringed at the memory of his Shadow revealing everything to Souji and Ted. Every little secret would be put out for all to see. All his deepest, most shameful thoughts laid bare. He had never felt so vulnerable. But Yosuke felt safer now. Jiraiya was here. The very same Shadow and enemy had become his shield. He watched Chie carefully. He knew that she was feeling the exact same feelings as he had when his skeletons in the closet were about to be flashed to the world.
Chie's trial had just begun.
The clone had a smug and evil grin on its face as her yellow eyes glistened slightly, snickering and snorting in a voice that belonged to Chie. Yosuke turned to Souji and grimaced and Seta did the same. They knew what was coming next.
"She lost control over her suppressed self...!" Teddie exclaimed huskily as he hid behind Souji, "Now it's a shadow!"
The shadow didn't seem to hear Teddie as she giggled constantly, "Was that what she said? That she was worthless? That I was protecting her?" the Shadow's malicious laughter filled the foggy air, "Yeah, that's how it should be, right?"
Chie was positively mortified as she took an involuntary step backwards. This girl looked just like her. From her light brown hair to the exact same badges and buttons that she wore on her green jacket. She was a clone, an evil twin she never thought she had. And she was saying some really nasty things while Souji, Ted and Yosuke listened from behind.
"W-What are you saying...?" Chie said breathlessly. It was supposed to be angry and menacing, but her voice had somehow escaped her.
The Shadow rolled her eyes and her voice became sarcastic and mocking, "Yukiko's soooo good looking, sooooo fair-skinned, sooo feminine. She's the one all the guys drool over! When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy..." The clone spat, "Man, did I get a kick out of that one."
The words were hitting home in more ways than one as the clone continued to dish out accusations. Chie had never been so humiliated in her life as the clone began to speak as though it really was Chie. The Shadow left nothing alone, bringing light to everything that Chie had always pushed down.
"I-I've never thought that! Never! Don't you dare say such things!" Chie cried out. A lump was forming in her throat as she tried to think of ways to debunk the clone's accusations. She could hear the boys moving in closer to her from behind and Chie quickly spun around. She could handle this own her own. She had to. "No! Don't come near me! D-Don't look at me!"
Yosuke took another step forward, a thin frown on his face, "Chie! Calm the hell down!"
Satonaka shook her head frantically, she wasn't ready to let Yosuke see this side of her as she tried to hide her teary eyes away from him, "N-No! It-It isn't me! Don't listen to it!"
"W-Wait, stupid!" Yosuke growled frustratedly, "Don't say anything else like that!"
The clone giggled from behind again as Chie's words hummed in its ears, "Hahaha...! I know Yukiko depends on me, when I'm just as pathetic and helpless. That's why I'm never ever letting go of my grip on her. She's the one who has everything, the princess of Inaba. How could I ever let go of something as nice as keeping her on a leash?"
Chie spun around and glared at the clone, her eyes watered considerably, "No... No! I would never think that of Yukiko! You..."
"No don't say it damn it!" Yosuke yelled.
Chie shook her head, confused and angry, "You're not me!"
The Shadow seemed pretty content with Chie's outburst. Giggling and chuckling away as the black mist that surrounded it grew darker and thicker. Its giggling grew louder and deeper as the mist quickly engulfed it. There was suddenly a large thrust that shoved Chie away from the black mass and crashing to the ground. "Augh!"
The boys watched in horror as the black mist dissipated and in its place was a tall, grotesque entity. There were three, dull grey 'Chies' that struggled to hold up a yellow hooded, raven haired 'woman' that sat at the very top, holding a whip that seemed to be caked in blood. The woman somehow reminded Souji so much of Yukiko that he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it.
The 'Chies' each seem to be wearing different uniforms. The bottom most was in elementary school clothing, the middle one was in her middle school uniform and the top most was in Chie's trademark track jacket. Souji felt perturbed as he recalled Yukiko telling him that she and Chie had been in the same school and class since elementary school.
There was heavy symbolization. The 'Chies' supporting the dominatrix-Yukiko lookalike was a symbol of how Chie felt as if she had been inferior to Yukiko, ever since elementary school. She was the one supporting her from her shadow. Without her, Yukiko would fall. At least, this was what it looked like to Souji, and it unsettled him considerably.
"I am a Shadow," The yellow hooded 'woman' called out arrogantly as she whipped the blood caked whip at the ground just an inch away from Yosuke's face, "The true self."
"What do you think you guys are doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me?" She mocked with a haughty chuckle, "Just try it! I'll make you regret ever coming here."
Chie never wanted things to turn out like this. Her Shadow, as it called itself, was just like a really deformed Yukiko sitting on top of mini versions of her. It was the sickest joke she had ever seen. The Shadow was whipping the long rope around with complete disregard. It hit Souji a few times as the silver-haired teen couldn't exactly dodge in his current condition with his injured foot and Chie wanted so much to apologize to him.
Then there was Yosuke. The fluffy haired teen had the most serious expression on his face that Chie actually wanted to laugh out loud. The way he summoned his power wasn't as impressive or stylish as Souji, but it was the sincerity behind his eyes that made Chie look at Yosuke in a different light. He seemed more grown up. He glanced over to her and his lips moved, but Chie couldn't hear his words. "Hang in there." He mouthed.
The first thing Souji and Yosuke made sure of was to get Chie out of the way of the fight. Teddie was quick to help the girl to her feet, and guide her away from the field as Souji and Yosuke drew the Shadow's attention. Yosuke didn't have such a hard time dodging the creature's attacks, his speed and agility kept him a step ahead, only getting small cuts and scratches here and there.
Souji didn't have such an easy time. His foot prevented any fast movement on his part, and he found himself taking the brunt of most of the Shadow's attacks. There was a particularly nasty cut bleeding across his cheek, and his grip on the katana was loosening as his arms took some hits.
"Don't let this creature keep you on the defensive!" Izanagi's voice rang out," You must attack!"
Souji saw Chie and Teddie out of the corner of his eye, taking shelter behind one of the pillars in the room. With a deep breath, Souji pushed most of the pain to the back of his head, and stepped to the side as another whip attack came at him.
"Izanagi!"
Souji crushed the card that floated down in front of him, the black clad diety appearing before him, regal and imposing. The Persona shot forward, twirling his blade through the air as it closed the distance and sliced the Shadow.
"Jiraiya! Garu!" Yosuke yelled from the other side of the Shadow, using its distraction to his advantage.
It seemed to work better than usual. The wind blew from below the bottom most 'Chie' and made the poor, grey doll stumble. The yellow hooded 'woman' screamed and cast her blood red gaze towards Yosuke.
"You're gonna pay for that, Hanamura!" the Shadow snarled. The voice was feral and the anger was so raw that it stunned Yosuke. Swallowing hard, he steeled his resolve. He had to keep reminding himself that fighting this thing wasn't going to hurt Chie, even if the brown haired girl sitting just a few feet away was flinching with every hit Yosuke had on the monster.
Souji and Yosuke caught sight of each other, and instantly had the same idea. The two rushed towards the Shadow, their Persona behind him and ready to attack with them. Just as they were within attacking range, the blades attached to the hair of the Shadow seemed to come to life. The blades shot out, Yosuke managing to stop with only a cut to his cheek and shoulder. Souji wasn't as lucky.
The silver haired Fool had Izanagi intercept what he could, and blocked the ones that came through with his sword. He didn't see the one that managed to make it through, burying itself into his leg. Souji barely had time to yell as the whip followed, snapping across his stomach and throwing him back.
Souji called out Izanagi as he flew back, and the persona soared behind him. With a flick of its wrist, a thundering lightning bolt crashed against the shadow. It screamed painfully and swung its whip at Souji. The sound of the blood caked length of rope sliced the air around him, but didn't seem to hit him, at least until Souji felt a sharp pain across his chest.
"Souji!" Yosuke yelled, having Jiraiya hit the Shadow with another wind spell before he dashed over to his injured friend, "Dia."
Jiraiya appeared over Yosuke, his hands outstretched as a soft glow encompassed Souji. All the pain except for his foot left him, and Souji quickly discovered his injuries had closed up, though blood still stained his cloths. Yosuke held out a hand and helped Souji up, the two turning to watch as Chie's Shadow finished pulling itself back into an upright manner.
"Go any plans Leader?" Yosuke asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Souji glanced around the chamber, trying to find something to help with the disastrous battle. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing. Unlike the Konishi liquor store, there weren't any barrels of alcohol or a weak wall or a conveniently dug hole around. Souji was on a really tight leash here. Summing Izanagi time after time was really starting to squeeze him dry and the Persona was getting weaker and weaker as well, as if sharing Souji's fatigue.
"We have to finish this soon." Izanagi said huskily, "I am withering. My powers are weakened. The shadow is failing as well, but not before I do."
"And what exactly do you suggest I do!" Souji mentally snapped.
"After getting to know your enemy, it is always best to fortify your strength or defense."
Souji prepared another snappy retort, only to fall quiet as he felt Izanagi reveal three new skills to him. Rakukaja, Rakunda, and Tarukaja. Without even asking, Souji knew what each one did. Souji thought through their situation quickly as the Shadow brought the whip back for another hit, this time its hair and blades were prepared as well.
"Yosuke, do you remember that unconditional favour you owe me? I have an idea." Souji said, "But I need you to draw its attention."
"Unconditional? What the—" He suddenly remembered the time when Souji tried to convince Chie and him that he could put his hand through the Tv at Junes. He'd laughed at Souji then, but laughter became a horrified yell when he really did shove his hand through the screen. Yosuke gulped, "Right... L-Leave it to me."
Hanamura quickly ran over to the opposite end of the chamber and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, looky here ya piece of shit! You want Chie? Then you gotta get through me!"
The shadow turned her head to Yosuke and glared angrily, her blood red eyes seemed to see right through his soul. With a flick of her wrist, the shadow brought her whip snapping down at Yosuke, "I'm not gonna let you go this easy, Hanamura!"
As if on cue, Jiraiya spun out from behind Yosuke and quickly, with loud clap, conjured up a strong garu spell that knocked the shadow to the side, the bottom most 'Chie' barely withstood the attack and her legs start to tremble violently. The whip almost fell out of her hand, but after stabilizing herself, she glared even harder at Yosuke, she let out a painful scream and lunged towards him, completely forgetting about Souji.
Seta took a deep breath as he called Izanagi out, whatever energy he used to fuel the spells was almost out. He had to get this right, or they'd be in major trouble. His thoughts were distracted as Yosuke let out a cry of pain, one of the blades from the Shadow buried in his shoulder and holding him still. The rest crowded around, like snakes preparing to strike.
"Rakukaja!" Souji yelled, not thinking as he sent the protection spell to Yosuke.
A purple light illuminated the Junes kid for a moment before the blades struck. Souji wished he could look away, but was glad he didn't. The blades still hit home, and still cut, but not as deep as they could have. Instead, Yosuke was left with multiple shallow cuts all over his body, as if the blades had only just got past an invisible layer of armor. The Shadow was apparently just as surprised as Yosuke, though the fuzzy haired boy took the time to have Jiraiya fire another wind spell, and then used the distance to heal himself.
Souji let out a breath of relief. Izanagi looked at him, and Souji quick set to work. Another light illuminated Yosuke, this time yellow. Souji was quick to cast Tarukaja on himself as well. Finally, he cast a Rakunda on the Shadow. This was it, their best shot at winning.
"Yosuke!" Souji shouted, catching the boy's attention, "Follow my lead!"
The silver haired Fool received a nod and a look of confusion in return. Souji nodded back and braced himself for what was about to come. The Shadow righted itself again, only to have Izanagi barrel into it, drawing its attention over to Souji. Shadow Chie roared in rage, bringing her whip back and forward, slicing through the air.
Souji raised his katana up, feeling the end of the whip scratch at his face as it wrapped around the metal blade. The Shadow was surprised at the move, and even more so when Souji raised the sword and brought it to the ground, Izanagi appearing over him and helping to hammer the weapon into the ground, holding the Shadow's whip with it.
"Now to switch out." Souji grunted, "Angel!"
The persona switch was quick as Souji crushed the card in his palm and felt the presence of Izanagi fade away into his psyche. In his place was Angel. Angel wasn't as powerful as Izanagi, who'd seem to grow at the same pace as Souji himself, but she had the wind skill, Garu, that seemed to work well against the shadow Chie. Smirking to himself now, Souji huffed and shouted as loud as he could, his voice confident, "Now Yosuke!"
The brown haired teen didn't need another prompt, instantly catching onto his friends plan. Yosuke rushed at the Shadow from behind, Jiraiya appearing behind him as he ran. The wind in the room picked up as both Yosuke and Souji sent their spell at it.
Angel floated up behind Souji and soon a strong gust of wind blew from below the Shadow, making the bottom most 'Chie' fall hard on the cold floor. The dominatrix screamed, the wind continuing on as it cut against the Shadow. Yosuke jumped from the floor, and found himself caught up in the wind as well. It sent him into the air, high enough to come face-to-face with the Shadow. There was only a moment of hesitation, seeing the fury and rage in those red eyes, before Yosuke buried his kunai into its chest.
The wind stopped, and a strange calm settled over the area. Yosuke's grip on his kunai slipped, and he quickly met the floor. The Shadow was left to fall back, nothing more than a jumbled mess now. Slowly, Yosuke sat up. He glanced over to Souji to make sure that he was doing alright. The silver haired teen was limping badly now, but aside from a few cuts here and there from the whip, he looked fine. Chie was still lying limp on the floor, her eyes wide as she watched in disbelief. He'd caught her staring at him a couple of times during the battle with her Shadow.
Souji limped over and helped Yosuke to his feet, a smile plastered on the silver haired boy's face at their victory. Before anyone could begin any celebrations, a loud hissing sound sounded behind them, bringing everyone's attention back to the Shadow. Only it wasn't moving to attack them anymore, it was shrinking, seeming to melt away, until the only thing left was the copy of Chie from before, standing up and staring blankly ahead. Yosuke's kunai lying at its feet.
Yosuke, Souji and even a terrified Ted all heaved a loud sigh of relief when they saw Chie crawl up to her feet on her. The battle worn boys limped and staggered tiredly over to Chie with wide smiles on their faces, however, Yosuke seemed to be the most anxious.
"Chie!" he yelled as he staggered over as quickly as possible, "A-are you okay?"
"Yeah... Yeah I just..." She trailed off uncomfortably. She caught sight of the clone staring back at her, panting heavily. Chie sighed, "What's the matter...? Got nothing to say anymore?"
Yosuke closed in on her and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it lightly, concern in his voice, "Stop it, Chie. It's alright now."
Chie looked up at Yosuke and furrowed her brows. He smirked. Souji nodded from behind as he winced slightly from the cuts, "We understand."
"What are you..."
"I've been through the same thing," the fluffy haired teen sighed. Chie could see a hint of regret and pain when Yosuke said that but he quickly masked it with a grin, "I know how you feel. I can understand... I mean, everyone has a side like this. A side they don't want anybody to see."
Chie stared at Yosuke for the longest time. The way he looked at her... It made her want to cry. He wasn't looking at her with pity but with understanding. He knew exactly how she felt right now. All the embarrassment, the feeling of helplessness and the regret, all of it, Yosuke had once shared the same pain. Chie nodded surely and shrugged off his hand. She walked over to the clone and cleared her throat. It felt weird to talk to herself, face to face.
"I... I kinda get it now," she pursed her lips, "You... You're me. A side of me I-I couldn't forgive... Th-that I tried to ignore..."
"But you still exist," Chie sighed as she watched her clone do the same, "You're a part of me. All those ugly feelings, they're in here somewhere and I couldn't forgive myself for even thinking them. But you're there, and I'm not saying I'm any prouder, but I acknowledge you."
The clone looked over Chie and finally, nodded surely as she disappeared in a bright, blue light. The light gave way to a tall, floating entity. A steely grey mask, yellow jumpsuit and a skirt of armour, the persona wielded a long, double ended naginata as it seemed to smile down at Chie, its unmistakable long raven black hair whipping around.
"I am Tomoe Gozen, the samurai of Minamoto." the voice announced as it faded away into her psyche, "We will work well together, Chie Satonaka."
Chie felt a little light headed. A Persona in the form of THE Tomoe Gozen, one of the rare female samurais in the male dominated Minamoto clan. Chie might have shut out most of history class, but at least little basics in girl power went into her thick skull. The boys had flanked both sides of Chie as she turned around to face them.
She looked over them. Teddie was fine, hiding behind while the two high school students fought, but it wasn't his fault; he couldn't defend himself after all. Souji was a little battered up though. Blood stains on his shirt were evident of that. There was a cut right below his left eye that was still oozing red and Chie had to look away. Blood really wasn't her thing. Yosuke was a whole lot sweatier than Souji, but only because he was rolling and running around, trying not to get hit. He had cuts all over as well, but not as much as Souji. Chie had to apologize for causing them trouble.
"I... Um, well... It's true that part of me felt that way," Chie started, "but I definitely wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko."She added with a nod.
Yosuke chuckled, alongside Souji and Ted, as he folded his arms across his chest, "Like we didn't know that already."
Chie grinned and a soft laugh escaped from her lips, but soon everything started to blur. Her knees buckled and she was kneeling on the floor, head light and chest empty. Yosuke cried out her name as he quickly grabbed her shoulders, trying to hold her back straight. Chie shook her head as she shrugged off Yosuke's hands, "Yeah, I... Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you all had to go through all that because of me. A-And I'm fine... Just a little tired."
"Tsk," Hanamura rolled his eyes as he slipped under her left arm and pulled the arm over his shoulder, pulling a reluctant Chie up, "Fine my ass. You look terrible. We gotta get you outta here."
Ted and Souji both agreed quickly and rushed over to open the large doors that had shut themselves when the shadow appeared. Chie struggled against Yosuke's grip, "H-Hey! We can't go yet, I have to get Yukiko!"
Souji shook his head slowly, wiping at the blood on his cheek, "I'm pretty sure you can use the same power as us now, but you're too wasted right now. You have to take care of yourself before you can protect others, Chie-san."
Chie looked his she was about to protest again when Yosuke tugged her close and interrupted her, "It's not that we think you can't, Chie. It's just that we have to get Yukiko-san, no matter what. And now that you have the power, you can fight with us."
"WHEN you have all your strength back," Souji added wisely as he cast a quick Dia to close off the wounds. He cast one on Yosuke and Chie as well and they both grunted their thanks as they felt a wave of cool sensation sooth their aches and pains.
"But Yukiko's still in here isn't she?" Chie exclaimed, as if Yosuke and Souji's suggestions were the craziest things she's ever heard, "I-If those were Yukiko's true feelings, then I have to tell her some things!"
"It was because she was with me, because we were always together that I was able to act that way... If we weren't I'd..."
Teddie interrupted her with a stern nod of his head, "Well you need to get your strength back, and then you can tell her."
The high school students all stared at Teddie. He glanced towards the opposite door, "Yuki-chan's normal, and shadows don't attack normal people. Um, at least until the fog lifts."
Yosuke asked as he furrowed his brows, "So Yukiko-san's safe until then, right?"
"I'm positive!" Teddie exclaimed confidently.
"The weather here is the opposite of our own world," Souji said sagely, "When the fog sets in our world, it lifts here. That's when the shadows attack their victims."
The silver haired teen urged Yosuke and Ted to start walking back as he continued to explain to Chie, "So we can leave for a while to recharge, and Yukiko-san would be completely safe. We have until the day the fog sets. It was exactly the same as with Miss Yamano and Konishi-senpai."
"It was foggy in town when they died," Yosuke added as he tugged Chie along, "don't you remember?"
Chie felt her eyes widen, "You mean they were killed by their other selves...?"
"It's safe to assume that," Souji nodded, "Well, fog comes after several days of rain. The last time I checked, it's gonna be sunny for the next week or so. We still have plenty of time until it sets."
Chie suddenly stopped walking and struggled against Yosuke, "Damn it, we can't just leave yet! Yukiko's still in there! She's probably scared stiff!"
Yosuke snapped angrily as he tugged at Chie, "Then you tell me how much further we gotta get to Yukiko-san? Who knows just how much stronger the enemy might be up ahead? If we push ourselves too hard and get wiped out, who would come down here and save Yukiko-san, huh?"
"We all want to save her, Chie-san," Souji said softly, "but we have no choice but to go back."
Chie glanced between Souji and Yosuke as Ted watched from behind the silver haired teen. She wanted so much to run off on her own again, but what good would that do her? What Yosuke said was right. Who knows how much further did they have to go until they reached Yukiko? It could be just a few more levels up, or it could be hundreds more, nobody knew. She nodded slowly but reluctantly and sighed, "... Alright... I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry about before... If I hadn't rushed in on my own, I wouldn't have caused so much trouble."
Souji's eyes widened slightly. It felt weird for a tough girl like Chie to apologize so much in one day. He then smiled bashfully, "We'll come in together next time."
Yosuke chuckled softly as he tugged at Chie again, "No worries. We're definitely gonna save Yukiko-san, right?"
Chie grinned, "Right."
Author's Note: Woot! Yukiko didn't appear here, so I kinda miscalculated or something like that. Been a while since I played that dungeon heh. Anyway! Shouting out to Coldman9 again! He's been a really, really, REALLY big help with this chapter! I love this chapter. I really do. I feel proud. Anyway! In the next chapter, Chie rests and the team returns to the castle to rescue the princess! Stay tuned!
Review replies:
devilhamster: Thank you for the kind review! :D hope you enjoyed this chapter too!
arkee: Thanks! And well, there's not much Souji/Yukiko since it's Chie's shadow, but there should be some in the next chapter! Stay tuned!
Coldman9: Thanks a bunch for your help! And if you still have any comments on the changed I made to the chapter, feel free to do so! And I hope I'm not asking too much of you but if you could, I would really appreciate it if you could beta for the rest of the story! I really liked what you suggested and I think if you continued to beta, then you could really help to make the story a really enjoyable one! Do consider it!
Xoraan: It's not time to save the princess yet, but he'll do it (probably) in the next chapter! Woot!
Heroheart: Naw, I'm not a genius! There are plenty of other fics that let their personae talk! But thanks anyway! :D
SpecialAgentOrange: I'm glad you liked the story so far! First off about Souji's personality. I was actually thinking to develop his personality such that he is stubborn and slow to catch on and maybe a little mean and cold, but eventually he'll get around to accepting the people around him and not shut himself out like he usually does. Secondly, the dialog. Hahah! Wow, I'm flattered that you think so highly of my writing, really. Never had my work complimented like that. :D Thirdly, yes, yes they'll be going back! Plot devices my friend. Eh heh heh heh. Fourthly, wow... I love your review. It makes me all fluffy and fuzzy inside. Heh. Thank you! And I hope you get a kick out of this chapter as well!
princesskisara: Hope you're satisfied with this chapter! :D Heh.