Huh...I managed to get this chapter done before New Year's. That's good, then. It was killing me on the inside, cause I had so much stuff to talk about in this chapter, and it all revolves around Hayate, the perverted obsessed psycho that is my OC. However, some of you may be surprised with him, as you will find out more about him in this chapter.
Oh...and also...some of you may hate me forever after you read this. It's just a little warning for what happens later in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or its characters
~?, Late Evening~
Everyone met up at the apartment where the younger generation (and Ryoji) were staying at during their stay in Iwatodai. Most of them had solemn looks on their faces. Fuuka and Rise were concentrating on trying to find Hayate. They focused as their Personas began scanning the area.
"Juno couldn't sense anything." Fuuka sighed.
Rise sighed as well, and seemed tired. "Kanzeon couldn't detect anything, either."
Junpei looked downward. "This...this doesn't sound like Hayate. I mean, sure he just got yelled at after...what he did. But he usually bounces back after something like that happens."
Souji looked at him. "If I may add something, he seemed...desperate."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean by 'desperate', Souji-kun?" Yukari asked.
"I mean..." Souji looked serious. "...he seemed like he was desperate to make a move on Naoto-kun. As if he was afraid that something might happen if he didn't."
"To hell with that!" Kanji yelled. "That damn bastard needs to pay for what he did!"
Everyone looked at Kanji with sad looks on their faces. Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.
"...As much as I want to agree with Tatsumi..." Shinjiro said. "...I say we sort this thing out and talk some sense into him."
Akihiko stepped forward. "Shinji's right."
Shinjiro looked at him, almost surprised that Akihiko backed him up, after the silent treatment he's been giving him.
Akihiko continued. "Instead of beating the crap out of him, we should first find out why he did what he did, and what he's hiding."
Naoto nodded. "I agree. We should keep looking for him."
"Is there any place Hayate-san might have gone that we haven't checked, yet?" Yosuke asked.
Fuuka sighed. "We checked basically everywhere around Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island. I even checked the Moonlight Bridge not too long ago."
"But it's not like we can find him with our personas...he's neither a shadow, nor does he have a persona of his own!" Rise yelled.
"...Have you checked Gekkoukan High?" Yosuke asked.
Rise looked at him. "Why would we check there?"
"It's just...something's been nagging me all this time." Yosuke had a pained look on his face.
"Oh right, Brosuke told me about this not too long ago." Junpei said. "He thinks that Hayate might accidentally wander into the Labyrinth of Memories."
Everyone gasped.
Fuuka frowned. "But like Rise-chan was saying...why would he wander there? He never went to Gekkoukan..."
Junpei sighed. "I...might have told him something..."
Yukari looked angry. "Stupei! What did you tell him?"
"I didn't tell him about the Labyrinth!" Junpei yelled. "I just told him that back when I was high school, I used to go up to the rooftop in order to collect my thoughts. Sometimes it would soothe me to just look over all of Iwatodai from there! That's all!"
"So...Hayate-san might have gone to the school's rooftop in order to...collect his thoughts?" Aigis asked.
Chie gasped. "But...that's where...!"
"...The Labyrinth of Memories appears every night..." Yukiko finished Chie's sentence, frowning.
*Ring ring* Akihiko's cell phone began to ring. He looked at the caller I.D: Mitsuru Kirijo.
"It's Mitsuru." He told everyone and answered his phone.
"Mitsuru?" Akihiko answered.
"I...I'm sorry for calling you so late. I assume that you are all getting ready for another mission?" Mitsuru sounded glum.
Akihiko sighed. "Yeah, but we have another problem on our hands right now."
"...Oh?" Mitsuru sounded like she knew something. "They might be related somehow..." She said to herself.
Akihiko looked confused. "...Excuse me?"
"...The reason I'm calling you is because we have detected that someone broke into the school grounds without authorized permission." Mitsuru said.
"What?" Akihiko yelled.
Mitsuru was quiet for a while, then continued. "We recently found out that this unknown person went to the rooftop, and stayed there. But his signal recently vanished. I'm afraid that he might have wandered into the Labyrinth of Memories..."
Akihiko sighed heavily. "...Thanks for the info, Mitsuru. I'll tell the others." Akihiko hung up his phone.
"Wh-What did Mitsuru-senpai say?" Yukari asked.
Akihiko looked at everyone. "...I think Junpei's right. Hayate might have gone to the school's rooftop."
Once again, everyone gasped.
Akihiko continued. "Mitsuru told me that someone broke into the school grounds without permission."
"Come on, then! We have to hurry, or something bad might happen!" Junpei yelled and ran out the door.
"Junpei, wait!" Yukari and Fuuka ran after him. Soon, most of the others ran out the door as well. As Shinjiro was about to leave, Akihiko stood in front of him.
"...What is it, Aki?" Shinjiro looked at him straight in the eyes.
Akihiko looked sad. "...I wasn't being fair to you...constantly ignoring you and giving you the cold shoulder and all."
Shinjiro's eyes widened, then quickly returned to normal. "...It's no big deal. You had good reason to."
Akihiko shook his head. "No, I didn't. I was mad at you for something that happened two years ago." He looked down. "And when I DO find out what happened during that incident that you feel the need to withhold details about, then I'll decide whether or not to hate you...but until then..." He extended his hand. "How about we return to the way things were...you're my best friend, afterall."
Shinjiro looked at Akihiko. '...I feel like I've been going through this sort of thing a lot, lately...' He reluctantly shook Akihiko's hand, a faint smile appearing on his face in the process.
"Let's get through this together...Shinji." Akihiko punched him in the shoulder, and walked out the door.
Shinjiro winced and rubbed his shoulder. 'Even when he doesn't do that to knock some sense into me, his punches still hurt...' Shinjiro walked out the door as well.
~Gekkoukan rooftop, late evening~
The entrance to the Labyrinth of Memories was right in front of everyone. Hayate was nowhere in sight.
"So then...Hayate-san wandered into here?" Chie asked.
Aigis looked at her. "I think that the most accurate answer, is that he was here when the Labyrinth appeared. He was probably curious, and wandered inside. Because the door closes once someone enters, he's probably trapped on the other side..."
Fuuka summoned Juno, and Rise summoned Kanzeon.
"...!" Fuuka looked shocked. "I'm sensing multiple shadows inside the Labyrinth!"
"What?" Yukari and Junpei both yelled.
"I figured that this would get more complicated." Souji said.
Aigis nodded, then turned towards Shinjiro. "It is now too dangerous for all of us to enter at one time...I think it would be best if we stick to a four-person exploration team from now on..."
Ryoji nodded. "I agree. I have to go with you guys to guide you, so I'll be a fifth person. I can't fight the shadows, after all."
Yukari turned to him. "Why not just turn into that Nyx Avatar again and wipe them all out? Then we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble again."
Ryoji cringed. "...That's not funny, Yukari-chan. Besides...I lost all my power the minute that you all beat me."
"Anyway, we should hurry up and find Hayate-san." Souji said.
Shinjiro nodded. He began looking at everyone. "...Aki, Ken, and..." He looked at the younger generation. "...Shirogane." Naoto nodded and stood next to Shinjiro.
"woof woof!" Koromaru barked.
Shinjiro looked at Koromaru. "...What is it, boy?"
Koromaru began wagging his tail. "bark!"
"Koromaru says that he wants to go, too." Aigis said.
Shinjiro looked at her. "But I already have five people." He looked down at the Shiba Inu. "Sorry, boy..."
However, Koromaru began running around Shinjiro, then stopped in front of him and whimpered.
"I don't see why we can't take him along, too." Ryoji smiled.
Shinjiro sighed. "Fine..."
"Woof!" Koromaru looked happy.
Akihiko smiled, and put on his 'Golden Gloves'. "We'll find Hayate, don't worry."
Ken was holding his spear, ready for battle. Naoto loaded her gun. Shinjiro had his Celtic axe over his shoulder, and along with Ryoji and Koromaru, they all walked into the Labyrinth.
~Labyrinth of Memories~
When the six of them entered, the place looked completely different. It looked like a huge hotel, with many flashing neon lights.
"...Is this a..." Akihiko cringed. "...A l-love hotel?"
"Wh-What is going on?" Ken yelled.
"This place must have changed to match Hayate's true feelings, just like how it did with Junpei." Ryoji said.
Naoto began thinking some things over. "This place...it's just like the TV World, after all..."
Shinjiro looked at her. "TV World...?"
"I'll explain later. First, we must find Hayate-san..." Naoto told him.
With Shinjiro as their leader, they began running down the halls.
"Grrrr..." Koromaru growled.
"What is it, boy?" Shinjiro asked. Just then, some Mayas appeared.
"Shadows!" Ken yelled.
"Be careful!" Fuuka's voice chimed in. "These aren't like the Mayas we fought back in Tartarus! They're stronger!"
"Got it!" Akihiko yelled.
"Fuuka, do an analysis on them!" Shinjiro yelled.
"Right away!" Fuuka yelled. In the meantime, Shinjiro ran towards the Mayas and swung his axe at them. The Mayas blocked the attack.
"Damn, physical attacks are out!" Shinjiro yelled.
Akihiko grabbed his Evoker. "Caesar! Maziodyne!" Caesar summoned Lightning from the Heavens and unleashed it upon the shadows. Once again, they blocked the attack.
"Kala-Nemi! Hamaon!" Ken yelled. Kala-Nemi casted Hamaon upon one of the Mayas. It sent the spell back on Ken. However, Ken managed to block that attack, thanks to his persona.
"Nothing's working on them!" Ken yelled.
"I'm done with the analysis!" Fuuka came in. "It appears that these shadows block Strike, Slash, Pierce, Agi, Bufu, Zio, and Garu skills, and repel Hama and Mudo skills!"
Akihiko's eyes widened. "Then how are we supposed to beat them?"
Naoto grabbed hold of her gun, and a blue tarot card appeared in front of her. "Go, Yamato Takeru!" She shot the gun, and Yamato Takeru appeared behind her. "Megidolaon!" Her persona flew over the Mayas, and unleashed a huge blast of light that completely obliterated the whole area. None of the shadows remained.
"Good job, Naoto-kun!" Fuuka praised her.
Everyone else's eyes widened more.
"Wh-What was that?" Ken asked her.
Naoto re-loaded her gun. "Megidolaon is a move that deals Almighty damage. It bypasses all of the strengths/weaknesses of an enemy. However...it also wears out the user more quickly, and doesn't do a lot of damage."
"That's amazing, Naoto-kun!" Ryoji smiled.
"Woof!" Koromaru agreed with Ryoji.
Shinjiro picked up his axe. "...C'mon, we're wasting time." He took off down the hall.
"Wait up, Shinji!" Akihiko yelled. They all began to run after him. As they headed further into the Labyrinth, the scenery around them got more strange by the minute. More Maya's began to appear, as well. Naoto kept on using Megidolaon to get rid of the enemies, but she was getting worn out.
"You okay, Naoto-san?" Ken asked.
Akihiko stopped running. "...Shinji, maybe we should wait for her to catch her breath."
Naoto shook her head. "I'm fine...let's get going." She stood back up and continued walking.
Shinjiro looked at her, then pulled something out of his pocket. "...Here, eat this." He handed her a weird looking item.
"What is it?" Naoto asked, observing the item in her hands.
"It's a Precious Egg...I found it in a treasure chest on the previous floor." Shinjiro told her. "It'll restore all the energy you lost."
Naoto nodded and swallowed the Precious Egg. In no time, she could feel her energy being restored.
"Thank you, Aragaki-san." Naoto bowed.
Shinjiro looked away from her. "...Yeah."
They managed to find another staircase, and proceed to walk up it. However, when they got to the next floor...
"...Brother...?" A voice called out.
"?" The exploration team got their weapons ready.
"...Why are you mad at me, brother? Is it because I'm..."
"Where's that voice coming from?" Ken began looking around.
"That sounds like Hayate-san..." Naoto pointed out.
Akihiko began scanning the area with his eyes. "I don't see anyone. Does this mean we're hearing his thoughts, as a result of him being in this place too?"
Naoto shook her head. "...His shadow probably manifested. What we're hearing...is Hayate-san's true self...his shadow..."
"What?" Akihiko yelled.
Naoto looked at him. "If one enters an area such as this, then their true self develops into a tangible being called a shadow. You're shadow will then manipulate your own feelings, causing you to possibly feel the worst emotional pain you can ever endure."
Ken's eyes widened. "What happens after that?"
Naoto frowned. "...If you don't accept your true self...then your shadow will...kill you."
Akihiko and Ken looked shocked. Ryoji frowned. Shinjiro had a pained look on his face.
"We need to find Hayate-san before that happens." Naoto told them. They all nodded, and proceeded to find the next flight of stairs. They managed to get to the next staircase without anymore shadow attacks. When they went up the staircase, Hayate's voice spoke up again.
"I feel so alone...I wish that I never existed in the first place...I wish that my life would end...maybe then Brother will be happy..."
Akihiko frowned. "These are...Hayate's true feelings?"
Ken looked down. "He sounds so depressed...kind of like..." He closed his eyes.
Shinjiro knew what Ken was thinking about. He frowned as well. "...C'mon, we have to find out where Hayate is."
"W-Wait!" Rise's voice yelled.
Naoto looked up. "What is it, Rise-chan?"
"I sense that there's a huge concentration of power on the floor you guys are on!" She told them.
"It must be Hayate's shadow." Ryoji said. "Hayate must be on this floor, too."
"Well then, let's find him!" Akihiko yelled. Shinjiro nodded and they began running down the halls. A few more Mayas appeared, but Naoto quickly defeated them. At the end of one of the halls, there was a door.
"That's where the power is coming from. Hayate-san's shadow must be behind there!" Rise yelled.
"Be ready!" Fuuka's voice came in.
Shinjiro looked back at everyone else. "You ready?"
They all nodded. Koromaru barked. Shinjiro then opened the door, and they all ran inside...
...
...
When they entered the room, Hayate was standing in front of another version of Hayate. The other Hayate had an evil aura around him, and his eyes glowed yellow. He was also bleeding from his chest.
"Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled.
The real Hayate turned around. "N-Naoto-kun..."
"My my my...look at the huge crowd!" Shadow Hayate yelled.
Shinjiro got his axe ready.
Shadow Hayate grinned. "Now even MORE people will be able to hear the truth! How...fabulous!"
Hayate turned to look at his shadow. "Shut up! What the hell are you talking about, anyway?"
"Oh come now..." Shadow Hayate sneered. "Don't you want everyone to know of your dirty little secret?"
"Hell no!" Hayate said angrily. "I gave up that part of me years ago!"
Shadow Hayate began laughing. "Are you sure? Cause your obsession with the 'ladies' has grown...almost as if you're...desperate!"
"...!" Ken's eyes widened. "Didn't Souji-san say something like that before we left?"
"That's right...!" Naoto said.
"See? Even your buddies are beginning to catch on with you!" Shadow Hayate yelled. "Why don't you tell them! Tell them about how you REALLY are...about how you're...!"
"Pl-Please...! Don't say it...!" Hayate pleaded, clutching his chest.
"What?" Shadow Hayate was enjoying the moment. "Say what? About how you're GAY?"
At that point, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wh-What?" Akihiko yelled.
"...The hell?" Even Shinjiro didn't see that coming.
"..." Ken and Ryoji were too shocked to say anything.
Hayate's eyes filled with tears. "How...how could you?"
"Hayate-san..." Naoto frowned.
"Hahahahaha!" Shadow Hayate laughed maniacally. "You're a fuckin' homo! You don't like that about yourself, so you try and desperately latch onto a girl! So much so, that you even try to have your way with them against their will, just so you can prove to yourself and everyone that you're not gay! How pathetic! No wonder your brother hated you so much!"
Hayate's eyes widened with horror. "Wh-What?"
"Don't go denying it! That's why your brother died, so he wouldn't have to deal with the shame you've put him through!" Shadow Hayate snickered. "You've put him through hell, so he committed suicide by cop, it's that simple! I know this cause I am you, and there's no point in denying it!"
Hayate looked down, and balled his hands into fists. "...That's not true..."
"What was that...? I didn't hear you!" Shadow Hayate yelled.
Hayate looked up, his face full of anger. "I said that's not true!" He looked at his shadow. "There's..."
Naoto knew what was coming next. "N-No! Don't say it!"
Shinjiro, Akihiko, Ken, and Ryoji looked at her, confused.
Hayate didn't listen to her. "There's no way in hell that you're me!"
Right then, the evil aura around Shadow Hayate grew. "Hahahahahahahaha!" And then, Shadow Hayate turned into a huge centaur type creature. He had a sword going through his neck, and carried another sword in one hand, and a shield in the other. Every part of his body was covered in armor with the exception of his neck. The force from the Shadow transforming threw Hayate backwards. He hit his head on the ground and lost consciousness. Shinjiro, Akihiko, Ken, and Naoto stood in front of the shadow, while Ryoji dragged Hayate's unconscious body to safety.
"I am a shadow...the true self...If you think you can beat me, then take your best shot!" Shadow Hayate yelled.
"Grrrr..." Koromaru growled.
"We have to beat you, there's no 'ifs' about it!" Akihiko yelled.
"That's right! We have to win for Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled.
"Hmph..." Shinjiro grabbed his Evoker.
"Then bring it on!" Shadow Hayate sneered.
"Fuuka, analyze the enemy!" Shinjiro yelled.
"I'm on it!" Fuuka yelled back.
Shinjiro looked at Ken. "Focus on healing the team, for now!"
Ken nodded, and stood behind everyone else.
"Let's do this, Caesar!" Akihiko yelled and summoned his persona. "Ziodyne!" Akihiko ran towards Shadow Hayate, and punched at him. Caesar summoned lightning that hit the shadow straight on. Shadow Hayate was unfazed. He hit Caesar with his sword, causing Akihiko to stumble backwards.
"Akihiko-san!" Naoto yelled.
"I'm all right!" Akihiko rubbed his cheek.
Naoto summoned Yamato Takeru. "Tempest Slash!" Her persona flew around the shadow at blinding speed, slashing it in the process. Once again, the shadow didn't falter.
"This is child's play!" The shadow yelled.
"I'm done with the analysis!" Fuuka yelled. "It nullifies Strike, Slash, Pierce, and Hama attacks, and reflects Agi and Mudo attacks!"
"Tch." Shinjiro readied his Evoker. "Norn, Phanta Rei!" He summoned Norn, and it unleashed a massive vortex of wind on the shadow. It seemed to do massive damage, as the shadow winced in pain and staggered.
"When did you get that persona, Shinjiro-san?" Ken asked.
"I decided to visit the Velvet Room earlier today!" Shinjiro yelled. "Let's focus on this battle for now!"
Ken nodded.
"Aroooooo!" Koromaru summoned Cerberus, and it used Masukukaja on the team.
"Thanks Koromaru!" Akihiko yelled. "Caesar, Ziodyne once more!" Caesar unleashed Ziodyne on the shadow. The shadow seemed to be getting weaker.
"Hahahahaha! You fools haven't seen anything yet!" All of a sudden, Shadow Hayate held up his sword, and it began turning a blackish color. It looked warped, and the air around everyone began getting heavy.
"!" Fuuka sensed something. "Everyone, be on your guard! I sense that the next attack is going to be powerful!"
While Shadow Hayate was charging up, Naoto decided to use that time to her advantage. "Megidolaon!" Yamato Takeru used Megidolaon on the shadow. It staggered a bit, but quickly regained its balance.
"Kala-Nemi, Ziodyne!" Ken summoned his persona, which unleashed Ziodyne upon the shadow. It hardly did anything.
"Get ready, you're all about to fall by my hands!" The shadow screamed.
"E-Everyone! Call off your attacks!" Fuuka yelled.
"...Tch." Instead of guarding, however, Shinjiro ran towards the shadow.
"No, Aragaki-senpai!" Fuuka yelled.
"Shinji!" Akihiko yelled at him.
Shinjiro grabbed his Evoker. "Norn, Phanta Rei!" Norn used Phanta Rei on Shadow Hayate, but the shadow dodged it. The shadow then swung his shield at Shinjiro, which caused Shinjiro to drop his Ekoker.
"Here I come!" Shadow Hayate yelled. "Death Seeker!" A huge mass of dark energy came from the shadow's sword and headed towards Shinjiro. Shinjiro didn't have any time to grab his Evoker. He just stared as the attack came straight at him.
"SHINJI!" Akihiko yelled.
"Shinjiro-san!" Ken yelled.
"..." Koromaru ran towards Shinjiro.
"No!" Naoto yelled. "Koromaru!" She tried to stop him, but to no avail.
"DIE!" Shadow Hayate yelled. Shinjiro closed his eyes, ready for the impact of the attack. However, he felt nothing. When Shinjiro opened his eyes, the attack was gone.
"...What the...?" Shinjiro looked confused. It was then that he looked down, and saw Koromaru on the floor in front of him, bleeding profusely from a gaping wound on his side.
"*whimper*" Koromaru began panting.
Shinjiro kneeled next to Koromaru. "Koro-chan!"
"...!" Shadow Hayate began holding his head. "Tch. ANOTHER one decides to ruin my plans! Damn you!"
"Ken!" Akihiko yelled.
"Right!" Ken readied his Evoker. "Kala-Nemi, Samarecarm!" However, when that spell was cast, it did nothing. "Wh-What? Why won't it work?" Ken yelled.
Shadow Hayate snickered. "Death Seeker is a move unlike any other! It's an Almighty move that instantly kills anyone that's not guarding with a weapon! And it bypasses ALL strengths!"
"N-No...Koro-chan!" Ken yelled.
"Koro-chan!" Fuuka's voice yelled.
Koromaru was still lying on the ground, blood continuing to pour out of him. He lifted his head slightly to look up at Shinjiro. "...woof..."
Shinjiro looked at Koromaru, and patted him on the head. "...It's alright, Koro-chan...you did well..." Tears began forming in Shinjiro's eyes, and he smiled.
"woof..." Koromaru yelped, as if to thank Shinjiro for everything. Then...Koromaru put his head back down, and all the life faded from his small body.
"...Koromaru..." Naoto's face saddened.
"Damn it!" Akihiko yelled. "You'll pay for this!" He yelled at the shadow.
Shinjiro stood up then, and his eyes filled with anger. "Damn right he will!"
Akihiko and Shinjiro both ran towards Shadow Hayate.
"Don't you get it yet? Physical attacks are useless against me!"
"Shut up!" Akihiko summoned Caesar. "Marakunda!" Caesar weakened the shadow.
"Wh-What is this?" Shadow Hayate yelled. "I feel...weaker somehow!"
Shinjiro readied his Evoker once more.
- - Persona Change - -
"Satan! Black Viper!" Shinjiro yelled. Satan appeared, and used Black Viper on Shadow Hayate. There was so much power in that one move, that the shadow fell backwards and turned into his human form.
"This...can't be..." And with that, Shadow Hayate was defeated. He just stared blankly into space. By that time, the real Hayate had regained consciousness and walked towards his shadow.
"So...this is what you're reduced to..." Hayate said, a bitter smile forming on his face.
"..." His shadow stared at him.
"I...I may not like it...but..." Hayate bit his lip. "I now know what really happened all those years ago...and I get it...all these years I've been deceiving myself. I'm gay, and nothing will change it..."
"...My brother...hated me for being gay...that's why he ignored me..." Shadow Hayate whimpered. "He got himself killed...so that he wouldn't have to deal with the pain I caused him..."
Hayate shook his head. "That's not true..." He reached out to his shadow. "True, Ryuuto-nii did ignore us once he found out...but he didn't hate us. When he died, his last words were that he didn't hate us for being who we are..."
Shadow Hayate looked up. "Is that...true...?"
Hayate nodded, and smiled. "Yeah...he loved us. And now that I know that...I can live life my way...our way. Cause you're me...and I'm you...and I promise that I will never forget that."
Shadow Hayate nodded, and a pillar of light surround him. It then turned into a warrior wearing a Trojan helmet and carrying a huge sword, with a shield on his back. He was wearing armor that glowed like it was from the heavens. His face was void of any emotions.
The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest...
Hayate has faced his other self...
He has obtained the facade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Hector!
Hayate smiled, then fell down, completely drained of energy.
"Hayate-san!" Naoto yelled. They all ran to him.
Hayate looked up. "N-Naoto-san...I'm..." He began to cry. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." He held onto Naoto's arm, his head hanging low. "I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, Hayate-san...I now know why you did that...and I forgive you..." Naoto said to him.
Hayate looked at her again, smiled slightly, then closed his eyes. He fell to the floor, unconscious.
"That must have really done a number on him..." Akihiko said, scratching his head. "We should get him outta here before any more shadows come for us."
Ryoji nodded. "I agree...luckily, the door should open since we defeated a powerful shadow."
"Ummm..." Ken spoke up. "Wh-What about Koro-chan...?"
Akihiko looked at Koromaru's lifeless body. "...He's dead..." He bit his lip. "But we can't very well leave him here..."
"I say we have a proper burial for Koromaru...he deserves one after sacrificing his life like that..." Naoto said.
Shinjiro had a pained look on his face as he stared at his fallen companion. "...You protected me from something that would have killed me...If I wasn't so reckless, this would have never happened..."
Akihiko put his hand on Shinjiro's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Shinji..."
Ken looked saddened. "...Koro-chan didn't regret what happened. He's glad that he sacrificed his life in order to save yours...just like how I'm grateful that you saved mine, Shinjiro-san..."
"...!" Shinjiro looked at Ken. He smiled slightly, then picked up Koromaru's body. "...C'mon...everyone's waiting for us..."
Persona Info:
Name: Hector
User: Hayate Yamamoto
Arcana: Strength
Strengths: Agi (Absorb), Physical (Resist), Mudo (Repel)
Weaknesses: Bufu, Hama
Initial Techniques: Agidyne, Deathbound, Primal Force, Power Charge, Mudo Boost, Mudoon, Invigorate 2, Regenerate 2
History: Hector was the greatest warrior fighting for Troy during the Trojan War. During his final battle against Achilles, Athena turned into his brother in order to delude him, which caused the battle to turn into Achilles's favor. Having a strong will, however, Hector continued to fight, and proceeded to try and pierce Achilles with his sword. Achilles, aware of Hector's weak point at the base of his neck, stabbed Hector before Hector could get close to him. Hector's last words were to ask for an honorable burial for himself. However, Achilles left him there to be eaten by scavengers. Hector then dies, foreseeing that Achilles would die next.
*Sob* Koro-chan... I'm sorry I had to kill you off, it's just that I didn't know how to incorporate you into the story. You were just there taking up space...and I needed some sort of heroic sacrifice...WAAAAAH I'M SO SORRY! *crawls into emo corner*
All that sadness aside, this was my attempt at making the Memory Retrieval missions more interesting. I was kinda avoiding that until I got the hang of describing battle scenes, but...just tell me what you think and what I need to improve on.
And then the big boss fight! What did you think about Hayate's other self? Did it give you any second thoughts about Hayate other than the fact that he was a pervert? I hope so, cause that means I accomplished that part. I plan on going more into detail about Hayate's past with that whole "gay" thing and his brother in the next chapter. :D
I hoped you liked this chapter, and please review! I love all the reviews so far! Special thanks goes to my Sensei, LadyStarwing, who gave me the awesome ideas on which persona to give Hayate, and gave me a thumbs up on my "Hayate's true self" scenario! So thank you so much *hugs*! I would also love to thank SharkOfJade, who gives me tips on how to improve my story. I hope you liked this one! Let me know what you think! Once again, I hope you liked this chapter, and please review!
PS: I just realized something...I didn't add any dialogue for Teddie in here...oops. ^_^;; Sorry about that...I'm still improving on getting ALL the characters involved. I'll just make up an excuse saying that Teddie couldn't go cause he was sick or something, kinda like how it was in Persona 3. Once again, I apologize for that.
SharkOfJade: Yeah, I thought that Naoto was a bit out of character in that scene...I realized that after I posted the chapter. So sorry...it's just that I needed that to happen in order to make sense of Hayate's "true self" that was shown in this chapter. I'll try and improve on characterization. As for the whole Akihiko/Shinjiro dispute...yeah, I'm tired of it, too. I decided to put them on a mutual friendship level like how it was before, until a certain memory pops up. Then expect Akihiko to go berserk when he finds out...not really, but he will still be very pissed off xD. As for Shinjiro's personality...really? Cause some of people that reviewed said that they didn't like the fact that Shinjiro wasn't acting like how he did during those parts of the game. Whenever I tried to improve his personality to make him more interesting, some people complained that he seemed to OOC... And don't worry, I'll improve on Shinjiro's "leading" abilities after this chapter. Koromaru's sacrifice inspired him, let's just say :D