( Hey guys Alexrusso89 here and Elia41 had the idea for Kawakami to have a persona i liked the idea so i borrowed it anyway enjoy guys :) )
17 April
Sadayo Kawakami had spent the last few days in her standard depressive funk. Her mind kept replaying the video of Kamoshida's attempted rape on Jessikah and the bitter taste of shame hadn't left her.
How could she? How could she still call herself a teacher after that? She had let this man, that monster abuse her students for so long! And why? Why had she remained inactive? Why hadn't she opposed the man when the abuse began? Why hadn't she brought the matter to Kobayakawa? She should have done something. Instead, she had simply stood and watched.
If Kamoshida had succeeded in raping Jessikah, would she have tried to commit suicide? Would she have died? This would have been another student death that she could have avoided, had she done the right choice. But Jessikah had lived, saved by the actions of another student. What did they mean raped again as well?.
She saw Kamoshida greeting students at Shujin's entrance. Cold rage brewed in her chest. Before she knew what was going on, her hand was stinging and the PE teacher had stumbled back.
"Kawakami-san, what was that for!?"
"You know what it was for." Sadayo said coldly. "Tell me, do you still have trouble sitting or has your ass recovered from being clawed by a cat? Yes, I know what you did. No need do play dumb, Suguru. And I hope you rot in hell."
From afar, Ryuji, Jessikah, Ann and Morgana had missed nothing of the scene.
"That was beautiful." Morgana purred.
"Damn." Ryuji grinned. "I have a newfound respect for your homeroom teacher."
Ann balled her fists.
"I wanted first blood."
Jessikah shrugged.
"About time someone decided to do something about him. This doesn't change our plans. After school, we hit the castle. I retrieved the guns from the shop on the way."
"Yeah, they're in our bag. Best not have an inspection 'cause we're in trouble if the teachers find them. Those things look more real than the original."
They didn't have an inspection, and nearly everyone had caught Kawakami decking Kamoshida in the face. It was the talk of the school. Sadayo felt oddly satisfied with herself. She wasn't one to advocate violence, far from it. But everyone had a breaking point, and she had reached hers. Idly, she wondered how Ryuji and Mainly Jessikah were doing. If the video was anything to come by, they were gathering evidence on Kamoshida's abuse. She was curious to know how far they were into their plan.
So, quite naturally, as soon as classes were over, she decided to find them. She didn't expect them to gather in the alleyway facing the school, nor did she expect the air to shift when she got too close.
Then she turned to the school and gasped.
Gone was the school. The building before her was a castle, and three teens with a cartoonish cat had snuck in by the airshaft.
None of the thieves noticed their teacher had followed them into the Metaverse. Instead, as they headed to the airshaft, they explained to their new comrade how they worked and tried to find a code name for her.
"Let's see." Jessikah hummed. "Your costume is cat-themed. Maybe catgirl?."
" You are not calling me that!"
"It's also neon red. So much for stealth!"
"Yes. That's going to be a problem…"
"It's also skin-tight and with a large window above the chest. Dayum…"
"Ryuji!"
"Sorry."
Jessikah smiled at the banter.
"Joke aside, you need a cat-themed codename. Or, at least, something based on felines…"
"Panther."
Ryuji and Jessikah looked at Ann.
"Panther?"
"Yes. I am not a cute kitty-cat, that would be Morgana. Panthers are huge, they are vicious and ferocious."
"I agree with the last two." Ryuji gulped. "I still remember how you roasted those Shadows when you got Carmen."
Morgana smiled.
"Alright, that's decided. Joker, Skull, Panther, let's infiltrate Kamoshida's castle."
As it turned, for someone with a bright red cat suit and high heels, Ann was surprisingly furtive. They crossed the armory, took their breath in the safe room, crossed the kitchens and went up a floor through a ruined staircase, going unnoticed all the way. Jessikah would lie to say she didn't enjoy it. Ryuji would lie to say he didn't like pulling a haymaker on the Shadows they couldn't avoid.
Morgana followed them with pride in his heart.
'My little thieves, they are growing so fast.'
As for Ann, she took her fun times robbing anything that looked remotely valuable and wasn't nailed down. Fortunately, their outfits' pockets were bottomless.
"What are you gonna do with that junk?" Ryuji eventually asked.
"I'm gonna pawn it, of course. More money's always welcome, right?"
"Right." Jessikah nodded. "Iwai, the owner of the airsoft shop, said he'd buy some of the loot we got. He didn't ask where it came from when I showed him, just how much he'd give."
"Then it's settled. Joker, once we're out, you sell back the loot."
They eventually stumbled upon a particularly precious treasure: a map of the castle. Ryuji took a cursory glance.
"Well, that settles it. The castle and Shujin got different layouts."
"The map is incomplete." Jessikah noted. "Bah, this will do for now. I don't expect to find the Treasure today. It's not like we're on a deadline."
"But the more we do the better." Ann retorted. "I'm itching to rip into Kamoshida."
"Let's explore until we find the next safe room." Jessikah said.
"Okay."
They found themselves on the second floor of the Central Hall. The path was blocked, but Morgana noticed a path up the rafters and on the chandeliers. Jessikah couldn't help but question the architecture.
"If he's trying to stop us, he's doing a shit job." She noted as she found a new access point. "This castle is a shit, in security and in design."
Ann grinned.
"His loss."
They found a safe room shortly after. The three teens stretched.
"So far so good. We found a new access point close to the safe room, so coming back there will be easy."
"Still." Ann hummed as she watched the map. "We got a whole wing to explore. You're sure you want to stop now?"
Jessikah closed her eyes, weighting the pros and cons. She was about to make her mind when she heard a scream of pain. The voice was familiar, somehow…
"You… asshole…"
Jessikah and Ann looked at one another.
"Sensei!"
Down the Hall, Sadayo was still not regretting her decision. The moving armors had given her a beating and the golden-eyed alter-ego of Kamoshida was towering above her, but she had no regret. She had explored the castle as well, stumbling upon the volleyball slaves and the room with the female volleyball players. She didn't know how it was related to her coworker, but it disgusted her to no end. She glared at the man.
"You are a monster, Kamoshida."
"Silence, wench! I am the king of Shujin. I do within its walls as I see fit."
"You are not a king! You barely even deserve to be called human. I don't know what this place is to you but – Gah!"
The teacher held her face. Kamoshida had violently punched her and the strength had sent her reeling.
"Kill that eyesore. Anyone who contests my authority shall die."
"Die…" Sadayo winced.
"Yes. You foolish monkey you got in my way and Now you will be killed for it. Such is the fate that awaits all those who cross my path."
Sadayo struggled to rise.
"Then I shall die as well… but not without a fight. I already lost a student out of cowardice. I refuse to let my students suffer without doing something to protect them!"
An armor went to her, sword in hand. She took one of her shoes. She prepared to strike…
A bladed heel tore through the armor, turning it into red and black goop. A teenager dressed as a ringmaster jumped to her side.
"Sensei, are you alright?"
The voice was familiar. She looked at the teen's face. Messy long brown hair, blie eyes… Even though she was wearing a mask, she could still recognize her student.
"Shiomi-kun?"
Jessikah turned to her Persona.
"Penthesilea, Show no mercy!"
Penthesilea grinned dangerously. An armor exploded into a two-horned horse, only to be dissolved into goop by a burst of lightning from a boat-riding pirate.
"Blast off, Captain!" Ryuji roared as he jumped to the floor.
Captain Kidd went to Penthesilea side. The pair began methodically shooting down Shadows, soon joined by a cat-woman in black. Ann leaped to the boys' side.
"Dance, Carmen! Burn them to ashes!"
Carmen laughed. Sadayo watched as a cartoonish cat joined them, calling the power of a top-heavy swashbuckler.
"Slice and dice, Zorro!"
Sadayo recognized them. The girl dressed as a ringmaster was Jessikah. The skull-masked biker was Ryuji. The cat burglar in red was Ann. The three teens were fighting the Shadows with reckless passion as Kamoshida backed away, growing more and more scared. The teacher shook her head.
"Once again, my students are doing my job for me. And, once again, there's nothing I can do about it. This is starting to get old."
"Except, this time you're genuinely powerless, Sensei." Jessikah dryly noted. "This place is where we work to make Kamoshida pay."
Sadayo balled her fists.
"Well, I have enough of it."
Jessikaj was about to retort something when she noticed the blue flames surrounding the teacher.
"Everyone, back off! She's Awakening her Persona!"
"What?" Ryuji turned to the teacher, taken aback. "Kawakami-sensei's got one too!?"
Sadayo didn't hear him. All she heard was a voice in her head and the violent pain that shot through her body, as if her very nerves were on fire.
About time you stopped telling yourself lies, the voice echoed harshly. How long were you going to let this stand? You knew what he was doing was wrong, yet you said nothing and watched, watched as he tore your students apart, as he broke their bodies and their hearts. All the while telling yourself stories about being powerless, about it being the way of things. Do you still believe it?
"No…" Sadayo panted. "Not anymore."
Good. Now that your eyes have opened, we can finally make a deal. I am thou, thou art I. No more standing on the sidelines making excuses for yourself. You have the means to end it, the means to atone for the student you lost. No more telling stories. It is time you faced the truth and took matters in your hands, as you should have done from the start!
A veil of with what looked like a gold pharaoh mask appeared on her face, covering her now-golden eyes and her nose. She ripped it off, taking the time to feel the thick red liquid cover her face.
"I have blood on my hands…, forgive me. My being passive ends today."
A blue pyre engulfed her. When it faded, rather than her yellow shirt and denim skirt, she was wearing black pants with gold trims and leather sandals, with a black bolero that showed her midriff and covered her arms and thorax. Her gloves were an teal color and went upto her elbows.
In her back, her Persona was sitting lazily, a Sitar in hand. She looked like a Hi du princess,. Her skin was a light green she was wearing something similiar to Kawakami only the pants were white and top was blue with no gloves and a gold head dress.
"I won't be an accomplice anymore." The woman said coldly. "From now on, if I have the power to protect someone, I will. Now, Sarasvitar , let us stop this monster of a man."
Sarasvitar laughed.
Right. Enough chit-chat. Time to let your fists do the talking!
Sadayo drew her weapon, a cutlass sheathed at her waist. The sound of metal ringing echoed across the room. She didn't say a word as she walked toward Kamoshida. She didn't speak when a Shadow stood in her path and was cut down without a flinch. Another tried to get her from behind, only to be impaled by Penthesilea . Sarasvitar grinned, extending her hand. More Shadows came and were struck by the white light ice attack the Persona summoned. Finally, the teacher reached the Shadow king. Kamoshida gulped…
Sadayo sheathed her cutlass and kicked the entity in the balls as hard as she could.
"Let's get out of this place. I'm starting to feel tired."
"Awakening your Persona is always exhausting, Sensei." Jessikah explained. "Come with us. We know the exit."
They left the castle by the airshaft. From there, they left the Metaverse altogether. Sadayo fell in the first bench she found.
"What was this place? And who was that golden-eyed Kamoshida? I knew he was horrible, but what I've seen in that castle…"
"Is how Kamoshida perceives Shujin."
Sadayo turned to Jessikah.
"What?"
The teen explained.
"The place you visited is called the Metaverse. It is a realm parallel to ours, shaped by the hearts of all of mankind. When a particularly strong heart becomes twisted by desire, it creates a Palace, a place akin to the castle we visited. The Palace is ruled by the Shadow of the man who created it, the darker, nastier side of a person they keep hidden or that they are unaware of."
Sadayo nodded.
"So… that golden-eyed Kamoshida was in fact Kamoshida's dark side, so to speak."
"Pretty much."
Sadayo bit her lip.
"I knew it. This man is a monster. How do we take him down?"
"That's what we were working on." Ann sighed. "We need to steal the source of the corruption, the thing in Kamoshida's heart that keeps twisting his desires. In a way, it's like cancer, except it corrupts the heart rather than the body."
"Once the source of the corruption is stolen, Kamoshida's heart will stop being so twisted. He will feel intense guilt for his actions and surrender himself to the authorities."
The teacher nodded.
"This sounds like a plan. If it works, Kamoshida will give himself on his own. I like that thought."
"Still." Ryuji crossed his arms. "It doesn't explain how Sensei got into the Metaverse. You used an app, or…"
"I was going to ask what you had in mind to deal with Kamoshida. Ryuji-kun showed me the video about Jessikah's rape attempt. I guessed you were planning something and, now I'd set my mind, I was going to find you and ask you how I could help. I noticed you standing in an alleyway, but when I got close, the air shifted and I found myself in this place."
"You got too close." Jessikah understood. "The same happened to Ann. I'm sorry we didn't notice you sooner. We were a bit too excited about exploring the castle."
Sadayo nodded.
"I did a bit of exploring on my side. There was something off with this place and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I got into the dungeons… I saw the members of the volleyball team, and the girls as well. How much of this is real?"
"Did you try to interact with them?"
"No. I remained hidden as long as I could. They only found me when I spent too long being shocked at the sight of the volleyball girls being so indecent."
"I see. Well, for your information, we and Kamoshida's Shadow, his dark side, are the only "real" people in this Palace. Everyone else is sort of an illusion. They are how Kamoshida perceives the others to be."
"They are how he sees them… Slaves and whores. This man is absolutely disgusting. Sarasvitar was right, I should have acted sooner."
Ann smiled kindly.
"You can act now, Sensei. You have a Persona, your True Self, so to speak. You can accompany us without fearing the Palace's threats."
Sadayo closed her eyes.
"Stealing Kamoshida's desires to force his guild and drive him to confess…. I like this plan."
"We were originally going to record his abuse and post it online." Ryuji admitted. "We still got the idea, just in case. But, right now, the Palace's our priority."
The teacher nodded. The teens had a backup plan in case things went wrong. This was clever.
"There's more to it, but we will explain the rest tomorrow." Jessikah offered. "Right now, you must be tired, Sensei. Let's go our way and take some rest."
"When's the next meeting?"
"Tomorrow, after school. We have a hideout on the rooftop."
Sadayo nodded.
"Then we will meet tomorrow after class."
