A/N: (Hey, everybody. I know it's almost been two months since my last update. I'm sorry, I've been terribly busy so it took me forever to finish this chapter. But I finally finished it tonight so I figured I wouldn't let you guys wait any longer to see Ryuta's awakening. I really like his design a lot so I'm sure you all will too, a big hand for Constant-Daze for creating him. Now unfortunately, I don't know when I'm going to be back as finals are in two weeks so I need to worry about those before I can even think about writing for fun, so hopefully this will satisfy you until then. I'm going to try and have a few chapters done by the end of May and post them on May 29th in celebration of this story's one-year anniversary. But we'll see what happens. Anyways I hope you enjoy this.)
The one they call Ryuta Yanasai. Yes, I can sense it clearly now. His fate is definitely tied to that of our young hero's. Just what kind of aid will he provide our hero with in his quest to restore the balance of life and death. Only time will tell.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.
Chapter XVIII: Scarecrow, the Reaper of fear
Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school
About an hour later, Takuya and Shinichi were in Shibuya searching for the location of Yoshiaki's that Noriko Kirishima had given them before. The boys had gone straight from Classroom 2-C to the train station, so Takuya was still wearing his school uniform and was carrying his school bag. As Kirishima had instructed them to do, they walked five blocks east from the north exit of the train station to find Ryuta's place of employment. At the time they were still under the impression that Yoshiaki's was a restaurant, but that quickly changed when the two boys finally stumbled upon the place in question. Yoshiaki's was a red, one story building that had various artistic murals decorating the outside of it, and that was crammed between two large buildings. Out front was a small, white picket fence and behind that was a large sandy playground, which currently was overrun with elementary schoolers and preschoolers.
"This doesn't look like a restaurant," said Shinichi.
Takuya saw a small sign in front of the picket fence that read, in silly, childish writing:
歓晃 の 認可保育所
(Yoshiaki's Daycare Center)
"No it's not, Yoshiaki's is a daycare," Takuya replied.
Shinichi sweatdropped. "Funny, the one who everyone calls a monstrous killer works at a daycare."
The sounds of laughter and children at play echoed throughout the air as Takuya and Shinichi observed the goings-on of the daycare center. Then Takuya's eyes landed on an employee of the daycare, who was watching the children from the edge of the playground. She was a girl who appeared to be around Takuya's age; she had gray eyes that were hidden behind a pair of black, square-framed glasses, porcelain skin, and long brown hair that was worn in a single braid that cascaded down her right shoulder. She wore a green apron with a floral pattern design on it, which Takuya assumed was part of Yoshiaki's employee uniform, over a white blouse and a pair of blue jeans; she also wore a pair of comfortable black shoes, and a multi-colored beaded bracelet on her left wrist. "There. If Yanasai does work here, then his fellow employees should know him," Takuya said to Shinichi. Takuya called out to the daycare worker. "Excuse me, Miss?!" he exclaimed while waving her over.
When the daycare worker noticed Takuya she came over to greet him. "Oh hello there," she said in a meek tone. "Are you the elder sibling of one of the children here?"
Takuya shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I saw you over there and I just wanted to talk to you."
The daycare worker blushed in embarrassment. Then she started to nervously rub her left arm. "Oh, I…I see. Umm…I'm sorry, you seem very nice but…I'm kind of interested in someone else so…" Takuya cut her off when he realized her mistake.
"Oh no, no, it's nothing like that either," Takuya replied. "I wanted to ask you if a friend of mine worked here. I had heard that this was the place, but I just wanted to make sure. His name is Ryuta Yanasai."
"Oh!" The girl seemed even more embarrassed. "I…I'm so sorry for jumping to conclusions." Then she meekly smiled. "So you're a friend of Yanasai-san? It's nice to meet you, I'm Madoka Ikari."
"Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya quickly said as his introduction. "So Yanasai does work here?" Takuya replied. "He was supposed to show up for work today, right?"
Madoka nodded. "Yes, Yanasai-san was on shift today. He was actually supposed to be working with me, but he never showed up. Has something happened to him?"
Takuya sighed. "Actually, I don't know. I came here hoping to find him but it looks like you haven't seen him either. We go to Yousha Academy together, we're actually neighbors in the same dorm. And for whatever reason, he never came back last night."
"Oh no, Yanasai-san is missing?!" Madoka exclaimed in an alarmed tone. "Ms. Yoshiaki, our manager, said that Yanasai-san was supposed to work yesterday too but he never came then either. She just assumed that he had come down with a cold and had forgotten to call in sick. But to think it would be something so serious."
"I got worried when he didn't show up for classes today either, so I thought I'd go looking for him. That's how I found out about this place actually," Takuya replied.
"Oh dear, I hope nothing bad has happened to him. Have you called the police yet?" Madoka asked.
Takuya shook his head. "No, I wanted to see if I could find him first before getting the police involved. I wouldn't want to have them running around looking for him if it really turns out to just be nothing. I haven't heard anything back from his family yet, so for all I know he just went back home and didn't say anything. Tell me, did Yanasai have any places that were special to him that he would go to occasionally?" Takuya made his best effort to try and calm Madoka's nerves while he pumped her for information. He knew where Ryuta really was after all, but in order to find him in Limbo he needed to know as much about Ryuta as possible.
"I'm afraid I don't know," Madoka replied. "Yanasai-san was never really that forthcoming about himself. It took a few weeks before I even learned what school he went to."
"Big Bro Ryuta didn't really get out that much, he told me the only place he came to frequently was here," said another person. Takuya and Madoka saw that three kids had approached them and apparently they had been eavesdropping on their conversation. There were two boys and one girl. The boy on the left had short black hair that was parted on the side, blue eyes, and pasty skin and freckles; he wore a blue hoodie over a white T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red and black shoes. The girl on the right had short, neck-length light brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin; she wore a sleeveless green and white striped T-shirt, a pair of black Capri pants, and a pair of pink and white shoes. The boy in the middle, who was the one who spoke up, had spikey brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin; he wore a red and white sports jersey T-shirt with the #1 on it, a pair of green cargo shorts, a pair of white and black sneakers, and a pair of blue sports goggles which were worn on his forehead. "Is Big Bro Ryuta really missing?"
"Ryo-kun, you know it's not nice to interrupt people when they're talking," Madoka scolded the boy.
"But if something happened to Big Bro we have the right to know," the boy named Ryo, replied.
"Did something bad happen to him?" the other boy asked.
"Is he in some kind of trouble?" the girl asked.
"Kenta-kun, Hiyori-chan," Madoka said the kids' names out of concern.
"Huh, looks like Yanasai was really well-liked here," Shinichi replied, though of course only Takuya could hear him.
Takuya decided to address the kids. "Do the three of you know Yanasai really well?"
The boy named Kenta, nodded. "Big Bro is awesome. He always plays whatever we want and even if he gets really tired he never lets it show, he just laughs it off and continues playing with us."
Takuya chuckled. "That sounds like Yanasai alright. Ever the jokester that one."
"But Big Bro's also really kind and gentle too," the girl, named Hiyori added. "One time a bird injured one of its wings and crashed down into the playground. Nobody knew what to do to help it, but Big Bro said something similar happened to him and his little sister once and he learned how to help. He showed us how to nurse it back to good health and mend its wing and then a week later he set it free outside and it flew again."
"He's the coolest," Ryo added. "I'm an only child and my parents both work a lot, so I'm almost always alone. And because I got so used to being on my own I was never really good at making friends. Big Bro, he was kind of the first person to ever really get me to come out of my shell. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met Kenta or Hiyori here. To me, he's like an actual big brother. Which is why I can't just do nothing if something bad has happened to him."
"…" Takuya was silent for a moment before he nodded in understanding. "Yanasai seems to mean a lot to you all. I bet it's the same for a lot of other kids too."
"It is," Madoka replied. "I've only been here for about two months but Yanasai-san has been working here at Yoshiaki's since he first came to Tokyo. Ms. Yoshiaki always says that he's the most popular attendant here. He really is amazing." Then she frowned. "And it pangs me to find out that he might be in trouble."
"Please Onii-san, you have to find Big Bro," said Ryo. "Promise you'll find him and bring him back to us. Please."
"Please, this place won't be the same without him," Kenta pleaded.
"You have to find him," Hiyori pleaded.
Takuya nodded. "Alright, you guys have my word. I'm going to find him and bring him back. And I'm sure when I do, he'll be more than happy to play with you all again."
Ryo held out his right pinky finger. "Pinky swear?"
Takuya reached over the fence and interlocked his right pinky finger with Ryo's. "Pinky swear, I'll find Yanasai and bring him back here to play with all of you again."
Ryo nodded. "Okay, you promised, Onii-san. No takesies-backsies." Then Ryo released Takuya's pinky. "Come on guys, Big Bro wouldn't want us to sulk. Let's all stay positive until he gets back."
"Yeah," Kenta and Hiyori both replied. Then the three kids ran off to rejoin the other children on the playground.
"They're all really sweet kids. I don't have anywhere near as much pull with them as Yanasai-san does though," Madoka joked. "Things just won't be the same here without him. I really hope he's okay," she said in a worried tone.
"Hey, you should take a page out of the kids' book and stay positive. Don't worry, I promised I'd find him, so I'll find him," Takuya simply replied.
Madoka smiled. "Thank you so much, Miyazaki-san. Please bring him back to us safe and sound."
"You've got it," Takuya replied. Madoka nodded before returning to the playground to keep an eye on the children.
"Well it's official now, we can't turn our backs on Yanasai. You made a pinky promise with that kid after all," said Shinichi.
"Yeah, but finding Yanasai might be easier said than done. This place was our last lead, and according to that kid Ryo, Yanasai only ever really came to this place outside of school. He could be anywhere at this point."
"…" Shinichi went silent and simply stared at the daycare center.
"Shinichi?" Takuya called out the ghost boy's name.
"…" but still he was silent.
"Earth to Shinichi? Anyone home?" Takuya replied.
Shinichi realized that Takuya was talking to him. "Oh, umm…sorry, I guess I kind of zoned out there for a second, eh?"
"What's the matter?" Takuya replied.
"I…I don't really know how to explain this but…I feel like there's something else here," Shinichi said as he motioned to the daycare center.
"There's something else here? What do you mean?" Takuya replied, not fully understanding what Shinichi was talking about.
"It's just this weird feeling I have. There's negativity and darkness deep at the heart of this place, I don't know how I know, but I do. I can sense it somehow," Shinichi tried his best to explain things.
"Is it anything like what you said before when you sensed me and Yanasai?" Takuya asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. But whatever it is, it has a much darker feel than you or Yanasai. I think it's something else altogether," Shinichi replied.
Shinichi reached out and touched the air and then suddenly he felt something solid press against his hand. "There's something here, right in front of me." Shinichi tried to walk forward towards the small front gate of the daycare center and a few moments later he immediately stopped. "It's something solid like a wall."
"What are you talking about? I don't see anything but air in front of you," Takuya replied.
"I'm not making this up. There's something really big and sturdy right in front of me," Shinichi replied. Shinichi continued to touch the invisible barrier. "I can't get through no matter what I do. Something's really weird here." Then he turned back to Takuya. "We have to go into Limbo, right here, right now."
"What? Wait, what's the rush?" Takuya replied.
"Trust me, this is something worthwhile, I know it." Shinichi stretched out his hand and motioned for Takuya to take it. "Grab my hand."
"…" Takuya was hesitant at first, but soon he sighed and then accepted his friend's request. He grabbed ahold of Shinichi's hand and then suddenly the two of them disappeared into thin air.
Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school
Takuya opened his eyes and then saw that he was once again back in the mysterious world of Limbo. The sky was now an ominous dark gray, and the sun was only a slightly brighter gray so it was really hard to make out. The sun was also in the western part of the sky, a direct opposite to its true eastern position in the living world. The buildings surrounding Takuya were now pure white in color, and the once bustling, busy streets of Shibuya were now dank and barren. Not a soul was in sight. Takuya looked down and saw that he was once again wearing his Grim Reaper outfit. Takuya then looked to his left and saw that Shinichi was now back to his Phantom form. But despite his obvious height advantage over Shinichi, the ghost boy managed to stay at eye level by floating in mid-air. "So this is how you come to Limbo? You don't even need to use a key?"
Shinichi shook his head. "I've never had use for one before. You and Yanasai are the only people I've actually ever seen who use those tattoo keys to come here," Shinichi replied in his now childish-sounding voice. "But more importantly, check this out," Shinichi replied as he motioned for Takuya to look straight ahead. Takuya did as he was instructed and saw that a large black iron spiked gate was blocking their way. It was standing in the place of the small picket fence gate that Takuya had seen not a few minutes ago.
"Whoa! Where did this thing come from?" Takuya replied in surprise.
"Don't know, but if I had to guess this was what I was sensing back in the world of the living." Shinichi reached out and touched one of the bars of the gate with his small right hand, and then a shiver ran up his spine and he immediately withdrew it. "Boy this thing is bad news, I can feel it."
"And I think I know what it's here for," Takuya replied. Takuya pointed upwards, to a black iron sign that hung over the gate. It read:
Here lies the final resting place of Ryuta Yanasai, R.I.P.
"That doesn't bode well for Yanasai. He has to be behind that gate but I can't sense anything beyond it," Shinichi replied.
Takuya looked confused. "What do you mean you can't sense anything?"
"I mean I see that the daycare lies beyond this gate but for some reason I can't sense it. It's almost like it's not really even there. It's really weird, I don't think I've ever encountered anything like this before." Shinichi looked back at the iron gate. "This gate must have something to do with my sensory ability being blocked." Shinichi tried to hover into the daycare grounds by going to the left of the gate, but he was immediately met with resistance. "Ow!" Shinichi replied as he yelped in pain and rubbed his forehead. "I should have guessed; this gate is definitely supernatural in origin. It's completely blocking off the daycare from our reach. We're not going to be able to go inside and investigate until we unlock it."
"So we can't get in anywhere but through the gate, eh?" Takuya replied. He looked down and saw that a large brass, skull-shaped lock was keeping the gate locked. "I wonder," Takuya simply said as he walked forward. Then he stretched out his right arm and pointed it in the direction of the lock. His right arm began to glow brightly, and his bright blue skeleton key tattoo appeared. It glowed bright enough to make out its form even beneath Takuya's hoodie. And then a loud unlocking sound filled the air, and the skull-shaped lock fell off of the gate and then disappeared before it hit the ground. "Ha, thought so. Looks like the only thing that can open these gates are Grim Reapers." He turned to face Shinichi. "Seems like you're going to have to use your key after all."
Shinichi chuckled. "Not if I have you lead the way all the time. Nice work, partner. Now let's go check and see if Yanasai is really in there or not."
Takuya nodded and then he turned back to face the gate. "Alright, here goes nothing." He pushed open the gate and then suddenly a bright white light enveloped the area.
Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school
When the light faded Takuya and Shinichi were not prepared to see what lay before them. Shibuya was now gone, and so was Yoshiaki's daycare center. The two Grim Reapers now found themselves in a surprising location; they appeared to be on a small, deserted tropical island. "What the hell?!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise. "Where are we?! What happened to the daycare?!"
"I…I don't know!" Shinichi exclaimed in surprise. "We opened the gate and then suddenly we're here. We must have been transported here or something." The boys briefly looked around their new surroundings; it appeared that the island they were on was completely surrounded by water and any other stretch of land was far beyond their eyes could see.
Takuya crouched down to the ground and shoveled some sand into his hands. "This is too freaky," he said as he examined his handful of sand. "This is actual sand." Then he dropped it back onto the sandy beach. "And that smell, it's definitely sea salt. And the sounds, those are real waves. We're actually on an island."
And then an out of place sound echoed from across the water. Takuya and Shinichi recognized the sound, both of them having heard it quite recently. It was the sound of children at play. "Takuya, do you hear that?" Shinichi asked.
"Yeah, I do. It's the kids from Yoshiaki's. I can still hear them," Takuya replied. "But how?"
"…" Shinichi stayed silent for a moment and then an idea came to him. "Wait a second, I think I understand what's going on here. We didn't get transported to another location when we opened the gate, we just entered the area on the other side."
"What are you talking about? The daycare was on the other side of the gate, not an island. Do you need to get your eyes checked?" Takuya replied.
"No, you're not understanding me. This is the daycare; we've gone on the other side of the gate. This is why I couldn't sense the daycare with the gate keeping us out. Somehow it's become a sector in Limbo that's separated from everything else," Shinichi explained.
"Wait, so we're still at the daycare, and this is just what it looks like in Limbo?" Takuya replied.
"Not exactly, I've explored a lot of Limbo and I've never seen anything quite like this. This place is special somehow, that must be why it looks so odd. It has something to do with that gate. I'm sure of it; I'm just not sure how it all fits together. I mean of all things it could turn into, why an island? It doesn't really make sense," Shinichi replied.
"It must have something to do with Yanasai, right? If we believe what was written on that gate, he's here somewhere so we have to find him. After that, maybe we can start to piece things together. Can you sense him now?" Takuya asked.
"Let me see," Shinichi replied. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, and after a moment or two of silence he opened his eyes again. "Yeah he's definitely here, but the signal I'm getting is much weaker than it was yesterday. And I'm also picking up something dark that's slowly getting stronger not that far from him. We have to move fast; I don't think he's going to last much longer."
Takuya nodded. "Okay lead the way," he replied.
"Got it," Shinichi replied. Then he hovered a short distance away from Takuya and began to concentrate again. Then he pointed forwards, "He's this way, follow me," Shinichi replied as he began to quickly fly off towards the direction Ryuta was in. Takuya quickly followed after him, and the two Grim Reapers began to trek across the surface of the island's beach. And after a few minutes of tracking Ryuta, they came across yet another odd sight. There was a boy who was standing on the beach with his back turned to them. He appeared to be looking out at the horizon over the ocean. "Hey Takuya, check it out," Shinichi whispered. "Is that Yanasai?"
"I don't know, he looks younger than Yanasai," Takuya replied in a whisper. "Could he be a ghost? You said they just stand motionless like that, right?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't feel like a ghost to me. I sense something else from him," Shinichi replied in a whisper.
"Hey kid?" Takuya called out to the boy.
"…" the boy stayed silent and just continued to stare out at the sea.
"Kid?" Takuya called out to the boy again.
"…" It was a few moments before the boy first spoke. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Huh?" Takuya replied.
"You don't belong in this place. I'm the only one who's supposed to be here," the boy replied.
"We sort of came here by accident, we're looking for a friend of ours," Takuya replied.
"A friend?" the boy replied in confusion. "Well there's no one like that here. I'm the only who's on this island. You shouldn't be here for that matter either. Leave now."
"We can't go, not without our friend," Takuya replied.
"You have to go, it's not safe here. If you don't leave you'll probably die," the boy replied.
"Why? Why are we going to die?" Takuya replied.
"…" the boy was silent. Then after a few moments he sighed. "If you stay, I might end up hurting you. I hurt everyone I come into contact with, that's why I exiled myself to this island. I don't want to hurt anyone else so I want to be left alone here forever. That's why you have to go now, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."
"So you're just going to stay here forever? All by yourself?" Takuya asked out of concern.
"It's better that way. As long as I'm here, people don't have to be afraid that I'll hurt them, and I don't have to concern myself with their fears. This place is serene and peaceful, far away from any pain. Why wouldn't I want to stay here?" the boy asked.
"Geez, somebody really did a number on this poor kid," Shinichi whispered to Takuya.
Takuya walked closer to the boy out of concern. "Nobody wants to be alone. Human beings can't properly function in that kind of isolation. It's against our nature to live all alone in the world. You don't really want that do you?"
The boy scoffed. "What do you know about what I want?" Then he turned around and faced the Grim Reapers. Takuya and Shinichi were both shocked to see that the boy was indeed Ryuta Yanasai, or at least a younger version of him. He had black hair that was neatly brushed to the right side of his face and a pair of dull, empty golden eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the two top buttons undone, emerald green pants, and a pair of black socks which appeared to make up part of a school uniform. The boy was sporting bruises on his jaw and forehead which appeared to be from a recent scuffle, and there was blood splatter on his right cheek and on certain spots on his clothing.
"Takuya, those eyes," Shinichi said out of concern.
"A Shadow. It's Yanasai's Shadow," Takuya said as he nodded in reply.
"Who are you guys anyway? Who are you to tell me what I want? I know what I want, I want to live in total peace and solitude, in a world without pain," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"Yanasai, or Shadow Yanasai, you've got to listen to me," Takuya replied. "We came to get you out of here, this place is dangerous, you're not safe here."
"Not safe?" Shadow Ryuta replied and then scoffed again. "For the first time in years there's no one who's whispering behind my back, or giving me those cold, frightened stares. I don't have to concern myself with those people anymore. Here I can be at peace, why would I want to give that up?"
"Look, I don't know what exactly happened to you, but I've been through my fair share of hardships too. Some very similar to yours. So I know how you feel, I used to just want to disappear from my life too. But I've realized that's not the right way to deal with the pain. You have to face it head on, that's the only way you're ever truly going to heal," Takuya explained.
"Face the pain?" Shadow Ryuta shook his head. "No. Wh-Why would I want to do that?" he asked in a scared voice. "I've tried to deal with it before; I've even tried to just ignore it. But no matter what I do, the pain is still there. The fear, the hatred, the despair. It won't go away."
Takuya walked closer to Shadow Ryuta and then he put his hands on his shoulders and crouched down to his level. "Yes it will," Takuya replied in a confident manner. "You've got to look past the bad, and focus on the good. You are stronger than you think you are." He tried to get Shadow Ryuta to look at him. "I know it's hard, but you have to try. Think about all the people who are most precious to you; do you just want to leave them all behind? If you stay here, you won't escape your pain, instead you'll be stuck with it. Because that's all there is on this island, you and your pain. Please, let us help you. Let's find your other half and go back to the real world."
"…" Shadow Ryuta was surprised by Takuya's words. For a moment, it looked like Takuya had won him over. And then the painful whispers that Shadow Ryuta wished to escape appeared and began to weigh heavy on his heart.
"Your dad's gonna pay for what he did to me! Because of him I lost my job, my home, and my family! Let's see how he likes it when I take away his family from him!" an angry masculine voice shouted over the water.
"Y-You, shitty bra-brat. God-Goddamn y-y-you," the same voice responded in a weaker tone.
Next, two different masculine voices could be heard. The first sounded scared and concerned, and the second sounded gruff and serious. "Sir, what should we do about the boy? He's admitted to killing the suspect, but he claims that he was just trying to defend his sister. The evidence at the scene supports his statement, but…" "It was still a gruesome killing. A deep slash to the throat, instantly fatal. If these were normal circumstances there would be no question of innocence or guilt, but the victim in this case is a disgruntled former employee of the boy's father. He broke into their house and threatened the boy and his younger sister with violence." "So what do you think we should do?" "Hmm, talk to the boys' parents about therapeutic treatments. It may just be a one-time lapse, but if another hostile situation like this arises the boy could get into even more trouble. His name's Ryuta Yanasai, right? From here on out, it would be best to keep a close eye on him." "Yes sir, right away sir."
Then, the voices of two gossiping women could be heard. "Did you hear what happened to the Yanasais?" "I know, it's awful, isn't it? I don't even know how they'll be able to live in that house anymore." "I can't imagine what their poor daughter must be going through. From what I heard that man was trying to…oh it's just too horrible to even think about." "And then what she saw after that. Did you know her older brother ended up slashing that man's throat?" "No, I didn't hear that! Are you saying that they're still letting him live with them? Hasn't their poor daughter been through enough? Each time she looks at him, she'll probably be reminded of that horrible night." "And just the anger that boy must have had inside of him to do that. If I were his parents, I wouldn't even think twice about sending him away to a psychiatric hospital. There could be something really wrong with him." "You know, my son is actually in the same class as him at school. Maybe I should ask the school board if there's any way to get him transferred to another class. Just to be on the safe side."
Then, the voices of several teenage boys could be heard. "Did you hear? Yanasai killed a guy!" "For real?!" "No way, you've got to be making that up, Ryuta wouldn't harm a fly." "No, it's true, I swear. Apparently it was a home invasion gone wrong, and Yanasai ended up brutally slashing the guy's throat." "Geez, guess you can't judge a book by its cover." "Do you think we should still ask him to hang out with us this weekend?" "I don't know, if what you say is true he clearly has a nasty temper. And people might stare at us if we act so casually around him." "Seriously? That's really heartless, you guys." "Are you saying you wouldn't feel awkward hanging out with him after learning about all of this?" "W-Well, I guess it would feel a little weird but…he's still Ryuta…right?"
Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Then he pushed Takuya off of him and onto the ground. "You can't fool me! You're just like everyone else! You say you'll help me but deep down you'll be afraid! They're always afraid!" A large kitchen knife that was caked in fresh blood, suddenly appeared in his right hand. He looked completely crestfallen. "They fear me, and they're right too. I'm a killer, there's no escaping that. I've taken a life, justified or not. Who knows? I could end up snapping again and take another life. Leave now, before I can hurt you."
"That's not true, you don't have to be anything you don't want to be. Don't let them tell you that you're something you're not," Takuya replied while seated on the ground.
"I said…leave!" Shadow Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs. Then suddenly darkness began to blanket the sky; and it was only a matter of moments before the bright sun overhead was completely engulfed by it.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Shinichi exclaimed in terror. "It's like he's completely lost control of his emotions!"
"Go away! You'll leave me alone if you know what's good for you!" Then Shadow Ryuta started running off in the same direction that Takuya and Shinichi were headed in before.
"Hey wait, come back!" Takuya shouted as he got up off the ground to head after Shadow Ryuta.
"Takuya, w-wait for me!" Shinichi exclaimed as he flew as fast as he could to keep up with Takuya.
After a few minutes of running, Takuya had nearly caught up to Shadow Ryuta. But just before he could get him to stop, he was blocked off when a horde of Shadows suddenly rose from the darkness to protect Shadow Ryuta. "Out of my way!" Takuya shouted as he summoned his scythe and began to hack and slash at the Shadows as they surrounded him. Takuya managed to take out quite a few of them while they weren't in their true forms. But it appeared that the Shadows would not stop coming and soon that had gotten the upper hand on him. "Enough of this!" Takuya shouted. "Come forth, Zenbyou." And then he summoned his Persona, Zenbyou, and fought side by side with him. "Soul Collector!" Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou's scythe to grow five times in size and glow an exuberant bright blue. They appeared to be making a significant dent in the Shadow forces, but it still wasn't enough. They wouldn't stop coming. "Dammit, there's too many of them!" Even by using his own attacks in tandem with Zenbyou, Takuya was still not able to get rid of them.
"Hang on, Takuya!" Shinichi shouted from behind. "It's my turn to help out! Rise from the ashes, Hitodama!" Shinichi shouted as he summoned his Persona, Hitodama. "Get ready for a power boost! Go, Fighting Spirit!" Hitodama snickered in delight before his flames grew in size and intensity, and then suddenly a flaming blue aura began to cloak Takuya's body.
"Oh yeah! Talk about a pick me up!" Takuya shouted. "Zenbyou, Garu!" Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at dozens of Shadows. But even with Shinichi's support, the Shadows still did not dissipate, and a few more minutes passed before Takuya was starting to run out of steam again. "Ugh, there's no end to this! What's going on?!" Takuya shouted.
"The Shadows must be really agitated! They won't stop appearing!" Shinichi replied.
Takuya slashed another Shadow into pieces before pulling back. "This is pointless; we've got to try something else."
"The time has come, Phantasm. Unleash my true power," Hitodama whispered in Shinichi's ear.
"Takuya, Hitodama has an idea! We'll use his last resort skill!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"Last resort skill?!" Takuya replied.
"According to him, it can only be used in dire situations because of the strain it'll put on me! But if there was ever a time to use it, it's now!" Shinichi replied.
"Then what are you waiting for?! Do it!" Takuya exclaimed.
"You've got it!" Shinichi exclaimed. Then suddenly the little ghost's eyes began to gloss over and he puffed up his cheeks, and Hitodama's flames began to roar with a newfound intensity and he began to puff up his cheeks as well. Hitodama began to grow at an exponential rate. He grew, and grew, and grew even more until he was the size of a ten-story building.
"Geez, he's freaking huge!" Takuya exclaimed in disbelief.
Then finally Shinichi released his breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Spirit Bomb!" Hitodama's flames began to roar even more, and suddenly they turned color, from blue to a fiery red.
"Wait did he say bomb?!" Takuya exclaimed. In Takuya's shock Zenbyou disappeared, and Takuya tried to get to the cover of the island trees as fast as he could to escape the predicted blast. Hitodama began to rumble and shake with the intensity of an earthquake and then suddenly everything went white. Then a few moments later an earsplitting explosion echoed through the air and a destructive burst of energy swallowed the beach whole, completely destroying every Shadow that came into contact with it. The earth rumbled and shook for a full minute before there was complete silence once again. Takuya peeked out from his coverage in the island's foliage, and he saw that all the Shadows were now gone and in their place was a colossal crater which scorched the sand black. And in the center of the crater was the fallen body of Shinichi. "Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed as he raced to his friend's side.
Takuya turned Shinichi's little ghost body over and then shouted in his face out of worry. "Shinichi are you okay? Are you still alive?"
Shinichi stirred and then opened his eyes. "No, I'm not alive, dummy. I'm a ghost, remember?"
"Shinichi!" Takuya exclaimed as he pulled his friend into a vice-like hug.
"Ow! I'm in…great pain…right now!" Shinichi exclaimed in a grated voice.
"Oh sorry," Takuya replied as he let his friend go. "I thought I lost you for a minute there. That was some serious destructive power. You wiped out all the Shadows in one fell swoop."
"Yeah, but Hitodama wasn't kidding about the draining cost of it, I don't even think I can keep myself afloat anymore," Shinichi replied in a weak tone. And then he slowly started to descend to the ground. It appeared that he could no longer hover in the air anymore. "Go on without me, I'm of no use to you in this condition."
"Not a chance, I never leave a man behind," Takuya replied with a chuckle.
"What are you now? A soldier?" Shinichi replied in exhaustion.
"Come on little guy," Takuya replied as picked up Shinichi and placed him on his left shoulder. "There. You think you can hang on?"
Shinichi nodded. "Yeah, I should be able to handle that much at least."
"Alright, you just rest and conserve your energy. I'll find Yanasai." Takuya turned back to face the direction that Shadow Ryuta went off in. "His Shadow went this way so it stands to reason that the real Yanasai is this way too." Takuya nodded as he thought over his assertion. "Hang on tight buddy," Takuya said to Shinichi. Then he began sprinting in the direction that Shadow Ryuta ran off in.
A few minutes later, Takuya and Shinichi finally reached the edge of the island where the beach began to circle around to the other side. And positioned in front of the foliage was an ugly wooden shack that appeared to be decrepit and abandoned. "This looks like the end of the line, unless he did a full circle around the island, I think it's a safe bet that he went in there," said Shinichi. "What do we do now?" he asked.
"If Yanasai is in there we have to save him from his Shadow," Takuya replied.
Shinichi shivered. "I'm getting a bad vibe from this place."
"Be that as it may, we're not leaving without him. Brace yourself," Takuya replied before heading inside of the shack.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE FOR A WHILE AFTER THIS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE THE GAME NOW?
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Yes.
Monday, 4/13 20XX, After school
What lied inside the shack was something Takuya and Shinichi did not expect; as far as the eye could see there was blood, gore, and carnage. The color red caked the floor and walls, the scent of rust, death, and putrefaction was overwhelming, and they could even hear the buzzing and squirming of numerous bugs and maggots. Knives and weapons lined the walls and carcasses of God knows what hung from chains dangling from the ceiling. "Wh-What is this place?" Shinichi replied in a petrified tone.
Takuya's expression stiffened and he simply replied, "It's a slaughterhouse." Takuya walked further into the slaughterhouse while Shinichi cowered and cover his head as he held on to Takuya's shoulder. "It's a little unnerving that this place would be part of that peaceful island scenery, eh?"
"I…I don't like it here," Shinichi replied. "Can we…can we go back?" he asked in a stuttered tone.
"Not without Yanasai, he's in here some…" Takuya was cut off when he heard a terrified scream.
"Did you hear that?!" Takuya replied.
"Was that a girl?!" Shinichi replied in an even more terrified tone.
"Leave her alone, you bastard! Ugh!"
"That bastard Yanasai, he took everything away from me! I'll make him pay! I'll make him pay if it's the last thing I do!"
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Onii-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"
"I'll take away everything from him! Then I can die happy knowing I tore his life to shreds!"
"Stop! Onii-chan, save me!"
"Stop shouting you little bitch! Keep quiet or I'll kill you, your brother, and your whole family! I'll burn your damn house to the ground!"
"No! No! Noooooooooooo!"
"Stop it! Enough with this shit!" a familiar person shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Takuya, that's…!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"Yanasai!" Takuya replied. Then he ran deeper into the slaughterhouse and eventually he came to a dimly lit area. Ryuta Yanasai was on all fours on the dirty floor, sweating profusely and looking extremely exhausted. Meanwhile, his Shadow stood above him in silence, with a sympathetic look in his eyes.
"Please, stop this," Ryuta pleaded. "I'm begging you, I can't…I can't take anymore. Get them out! Get these horrible memories out of my head!"
"Yanasai?" Takuya said to himself as he watched the interaction between Ryuta and his Shadow.
"I wish I could help you forget. But I can't. This night is a part of us, like it or not," Shadow Ryuta replied. Then he looked up and saw Takuya and Shinichi. "You two again? Why are you still here?"
"Huh?" Ryuta replied in confusion and turned his head to see the people who his Shadow was addressing. "Who…who are you guys?"
"Yanasai, we've come to help you," Takuya replied. Then he pulled down his hood and showed his face to Ryuta. "It's me, Takuya Miyazaki."
"M-Miyazaki?" Ryuta replied in a weak tone. "What are…you doing here?"
"It's a long story, I'll explain later. For now, we have to get you out of here. This place isn't safe," Takuya replied.
"No, he can't leave," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"What do you mean he can't leave?" Shinichi replied.
"This is the best place for him, you guys keep saying that it's not safe here. But you're wrong, it's the outside world that's not safe," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"What?" Takuya replied in confusion.
"Fear always follows me wherever I go, whether I'm deserving of it or not, whether it's directed towards me or created by me, whether I'm the cause of it or an effect of it. There's nothing but fear." Shadow Ryuta looked down at his host. "You understand what I mean, don't you? For the past two years we've dealt with fear on a daily basis. People stare at you when they think you're not looking, whisper behind your back, spread awful rumors about you without a second thought. Fear is to blame for it all. Stupid, irrational fear. Don't you agree?"
"…" Ryuta was silent.
"You moved away from your home in Nagoya and abandoned your family because you didn't want them to suffer on your behalf. But even after coming to a new school and putting your past behind you, this night still haunts you to this day," Shadow Ryuta explained. "And now everyone knows the truth, Ryuta Yanasai is a killer. It doesn't matter if it was justified, it doesn't matter that you were trying to protect your sister, it doesn't even matter that before that night you were an ordinary kid who hadn't ever so much as gotten a single tardy. Because of that one night, you are a killer and nothing more." Shadow Ryuta scoffed. "It's not fair. It's completely unfair. Why do we have to suffer like this? Why? Why can't the world just look at us like it used to? Why can't we just go back home and start over?" Shadow Ryuta seemed to be getting more and more upset. "Don't you wish that everyone would just disappear? Don't pretend, I know deep down you do."
After a little hesitation, Ryuta admitted that there was some truth to what his Shadow was saying. "Yeah, I do sometimes."
"Then why do you have to go? Why can't you just stay here with me? If you let me in, then I can take you away from the pain. There's a whole other world outside of this dark and bloody place. You're a killer, this is true, but it's not all you are. Don't let people keep telling you that. You're so much more than just a single bloody act of violence," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"Why?" Ryuta asked himself. "Why do I have to live like that?"
"Why indeed?" Shadow Ryuta replied. "Come now, don't you want to be free from your pain? If you accept your moniker and choose to stay here, you won't ever have to deal with that rotten outside world ever again."
"I…I won't?" Ryuta replied in confusion.
Then the voices of the past began to echo throughout the slaughterhouse again.
"Stop! Onii-chan, save me!"
"Stop shouting you little bitch! Keep quiet or I'll kill you, your brother, and your whole family! Then I'll burn your damn house to the ground!"
"No! No! Noooooooooooo!"
"We didn't have a choice in the matter. He was going to hurt Natsu, he was going to hurt our little sister," Shadow Ryuta explained. "Why doesn't anyone understand that we did what we did to stop a real monster? Why do we have to be the one who is branded as a monster? It's not fair, the world isn't fair. It's a rotten cesspool of filth where people are controlled day in and day out by fear. But if we stay here, we don't have to worry about them ever again. We don't have to worry about keeping control, if we really are a monster we can finally be free to roam as we please."
Ryuta got up off of the floor and stood up right again. "Maybe, maybe you're right. Maybe, I am just a killer. Maybe, I should just stay here for the rest of my life. To protect myself and to protect those close to me."
"Yanasai, think about this!" Takuya exclaimed. "Is that what you really want?!To remain alone in this darkness for the rest of your life?!"
"What do you know?!" Ryuta turned around and shouted back at Takuya. "You barely know me! You have no earthly idea what I've seen, what I've gone through!"
"That's right, he doesn't know. He doesn't care. Don't fall for his tricks," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"That's not true! I do care about you, Yanasai! And I may not know all exactly what happened to you but I do know that I went through something similar!" Takuya shouted.
"Takuya," Shinichi said softly.
"I felt alone too. I felt completely lost. People who I didn't even know seemed to hate me and loath my existence. I wondered what I could have possibly done to incur the hatred of those total strangers. And it got so bad that I had to move away just so it wouldn't affect my family. That's the real reason I moved back to Tokyo after all these years. Like you, I was running away from the pain," Takuya explained.
"…" Ryuta was silent as he listened to what Takuya had to say.
"But look what happened? The pain followed me, now like you, everyone at school knows my past too," Takuya replied. "I've learned since coming back to Tokyo that you can't just run away from the pain, it will find you no matter where you go." He scoffed. "When it comes down to it, there's really only one thing you can do. Face the pain, face it head on and fight. Prove to everyone, and to yourself that you're more than that broken individual. That pain, doesn't have to define you but it is a part of you. This fear you say you inspire in others, it's a part of you. And the only way you're ever going to feel whole again is if you embrace it."
"Face the pain? Embrace the fear?" Ryuta replied in confusion. Then suddenly his eyes widened and his face went pale. Then he collapsed to the ground and started screaming in agony as he held his chest tightly.
Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony as well. "No, no…I can't, it's too much! The pain is too great!"
"Wh-What's going on?!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it definitely isn't good," said Takuya.
A voice whispered in Shadow Ryuta's ear. 'You can take it. Remember what you told me? You don't just want to be free of those awful people who scorned you, you want to make them all disappear. The power is within your grasp. Give in to your bloodlust. Claim your vessel's soul as your own and you can obtain the power needed to make them all pay.'
Shadow Ryuta's eyes flashed a dark golden and he slowly began to regain his composure. He began to snicker. "That's right. That is what I really want. Why should I care if I hurt others? They all deserve to suffer. They want me to be a killer, well then fine, I'm a killer. I've accepted it," he said.
"What the…?! It's like his Shadow's done a complete 180!" Takuya exclaimed in surprise.
"This is just like what I saw yesterday…" Shinichi replied.
Flashback:
Ryuta's eyes started to change from bright violet to a bright gold, and a malicious grin took hold of his face. A dark aura began to surround him and soon he started to cackle manically. "You're right! What the hell am I doing whining about how pathetic my life is?! That's exactly what those bastards want me to do! They think I'm a monster, well then I'll show them a monster! I'll make every single one of those pieces of scum pay for throwing me away like trash!"
"What the fuck?! What's happening to him?!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"The answer is yes, yes a million times yes! Give me the power! Give me the chance to make those scumbags rue the day they ever crossed me! They want me to be a killer?! Well fine! I'll kill every last one of them! I'll make this world suffer as much as I have suffered!" Ryuta shouted.
"No way, I've never seen anything like this before," Shinichi said to himself as he began to cower. "What is this power that I'm sensing?"
"I'll use the fear that people have of me to kill all the scum of this earth! Along with anybody who gets in my way! So show me how I can make that dream into reality!" Ryuta shouted.
"But based on what we've witnessed from his Shadow so far…" Shinichi continued.
Flashback:
"…" It was a few moments before the boy first spoke. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Huh?" Takuya replied.
"You don't belong in this place. I'm the only one who's supposed to be here," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"We sort of came here by accident, we're looking for a friend of ours," Takuya replied.
"A friend?" Shadow Ryuta replied in confusion. "Well there's no one like that here. I'm the only who's on this island. You shouldn't be here for that matter either. Leave now."
"We can't go, not without our friend," Takuya replied.
"You have to go, it's not safe here. If you don't leave you'll probably die," Shadow Ryuta replied.
"Why? Why are we going to die?" Takuya replied.
"…" Shadow Ryuta was silent. Then after a few moments he sighed. "If you stay, I might end up hurting you. I hurt everyone I come into contact with, that's why I exiled myself to this island. I don't want to hurt anyone else so I want to be left alone here forever. That's why you have to go now, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."
"So you're just going to stay here forever? All by yourself?" Takuya asked out of concern.
"It's better that way. As long as I'm here, people don't have to be afraid that I'll hurt them, and I don't have to concern myself with their fears. This place is serene and peaceful, far away from any pain. Why wouldn't I want to stay here?" Shadow Ryuta asked.
"I can say with some certainty that something's off about him," Shinichi explained.
"How do you mean?" Takuya asked.
"From what I saw yesterday, Yanasai has a deep-seeded hatred of the people who've scorned him over the years for this murder he's committed; on some level he wants each and every one of them to just disappear, and to prove to them that they're right and that they should be afraid of him by threatening to kill them. But at the same time, he doesn't want to hurt anyone else and has a strong desire to protect those around him from himself as he feels that he is indeed a monster like those people perceive him as. He's not the only one who's in conflict, I think his Shadow is in conflict too. He wants to inspire fear in others but at the same time he's afraid of hurting anyone. This island must represent that internal struggle he's facing," Shinichi explained.
"So this island itself is meant to protect Yanasai from the fear that he inspires in others and at the same time contain his fear of hurting others by protecting them from himself," Takuya replied. "And this slaughterhouse represents his dark desires of making those who've scorned him pay."
"That would be my guess, yeah," Shinichi replied.
Ryuta reeled from the pain he was feeling in his chest. "My heart, it feels like it's going to explode!" he shouted in pain.
"This is just like what happened to me, his Shadow's killing him from the inside out," said Takuya.
Shadow Ryuta cackled mischievously. "That's it, just a little more! Come on, give it to me! Give me your soul! Let the darkness flow through you! Embrace your bloodlust! Give in to the rage that you're holding onto deep inside! Let that hatred burn those insignificant gnats who ever dared look at you with such dread in their eyes! They want to be afraid! I say we give them something to be afraid about! We'll kill them all! Every last single one of them!"
"Wh-What's…going…on?" Ryuta replied in a weaker sounding tone.
"Yanasai!" Takuya exclaimed as he rushed over to his side. "Yanasai, are you okay?"
Ryuta looked up at Takuya in confusion. "Mi-Miyazaki…what's happening…to me?"
"You're dying, you insignificant worm, dying so that I may take control of your spirit and enact my vengeance upon all those who've ever done us wrong," Shadow Ryuta replied. "I'll kill them all, every last single person who dared scorn me and cast me aside without a second thought."
"That's not how you really feel! I know it's not! You're just upset, but we can help you! You and Yanasai!" Takuya shouted at Shadow Ryuta.
"I'm getting sick of your meddling in my affairs," Shadow Ryuta replied. "As far as I'm concerned, either you're with me, or you're against me. If you're going to choose to side with those miniscule insects, then I'll have no choice but to crush you too!"
"No!" Ryuta exclaimed with as much will power as he could fester. "I won't let you do this…Miyazaki is right…I can't just let what others think of me…define who I am for the…rest of my life."
"How could you say that so casually? After everything that pitiful world has done to you? Even your own family tossed you out like you were garbage because they couldn't stand to look at you, even Natsu betrayed us!" Shadow Ryuta exclaimed.
"You take that back!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow. "Natsu would never…do that!"
"We left her behind for her own good, so she wouldn't have to deal with the stigma of being associated with a murderer! And she took our kind gesture and threw it back in our faces! Even she abandoned us! She's an ungrateful bitch!"
"Shut the hell up!" Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs, making him even weaker and forcing him to his knees. "Natsu is not…that kind of person. She's kind…and thoughtless…and earnest to a fault. She's the best little sister…ever, and if anything I'm a moron…for trying to push her away…for her own good. Natsu is and always…shall be…the most precious person in my life. And I won't…forgive anyone who belittles her like that. Even if they do…share my face." Ryuta began to pant profusely, he was starting to lose his breath. "I know for sure now…anyone who would talk about…these kinds of things, and especially anyone who disrespects Natsu…they could never, ever be me."
"No, Yanasai, don't! It's what he wants!" Takuya tried to warn Ryuta, but it was already too late.
"You hear that?! You're not me!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow.
"…" Shadow Ryuta was silent for a moment, but then he started to let out a wicked cackling laughter. A dark aura began to surround him, which continued to grow in size with each passing second. "I guess you're right, if you're not willing to do what must be done then there's no way I could ever be you. No, I'm no weakling who's too afraid to admit his true self. I'm a blood-thirsty monster!" Then the dark aura swallowed Shadow Ryuta whole and when the aura dispersed again his true form was revealed. Berserk Shadow Ryuta was a large monstrous-looking centaur that donned a black hood identical to that of a medieval executioner. His muscular human torso was heavily scarred with barbed wire wrapped around it haphazardly several times. The lower half was a horse with black fur that was burned and singed in numerous places. The barbed wire was also wrapped more tightly around the horse half of Berserk Shadow Ryuta, biting into his flesh and causing blood to pool around his wounds. He also wielded a giant meat cleaver that had freshly caked blood coating the metal blade and dripping profusely onto the floor below. "I am a Shadow, the true self!"
"Wh-What…?! What is that thing?!" Ryuta exclaimed in terror.
"It's the Shadow of your heart, a manifestation of all the negative emotions that you keep bottled up inside," Takuya explained as best as he could. "And the only way to get out of here is if we beat it." Takuya turned to Shinichi, who was still resting on his left shoulder. "You think you're up to fight again now, buddy?"
"I'll manage somehow," Shinichi replied. Then the little ghost floated off of Takuya's shoulder and hovered in front of Ryuta. "You attack directly and I'll stay back here and protect Yanasai and provide support as best as I can."
"Got it, I'm counting on you, Casper," Takuya replied playfully.
"For the last time, it's Phantasm!" Shinichi exclaimed in anger.
"Whatever," Takuya replied before summoning his scythe and brandishing it threateningly. "Stay sharp, this doesn't look like it's going to be easy."
"What the hell?! Where did that scythe come from?!" Ryuta exclaimed in disbelief.
"We'll explain later, for now just stay on your toes. I don't know if Takuya can hold back your Shadow on his own," Shinichi replied.
"Meddlesome cretins! You will pay for standing in the way of my vengeance! Prepare to die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted as he brandished his cleaver threateningly.
"I'm not going down without a fight! Hyaaaaaaaaa!" Takuya shouted as he rushed towards Berserk Shadow Ryuta while swinging back his scythe and preparing to attack.
"Weak little insect!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared as he swung back his cleaver and prepared to counter. "Bloody Butcher!" A red aura enveloped the cleaver and Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung it down as hard as he could. Takuya's scythe blade clashed with the cleaver's blade, creating a fierce flurry of red sparks.
Takuya struggled to maintain his block of Berserk Shadow Ryuta's attack, the Shadow was clearly overpowering him very easily. Try as he might, Takuya was not able to push back the cleaver; eventually he lost his grip and Berserk Shadow Ryuta was able to finish his attack. The cleaver came down to the ground and split the floor, forming a large fissure that soon ruptured with the same red aura cloaking the cleaver. The shockwave of the rupture knocked Takuya off of his feet and made him fall flat on his back. He struggled in trying to lift himself up. "D-Dammit," he cursed.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta chuckled. "That was just a mere taste of my fury! Feel my wrath!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta began to trot slowly, and then he broke out into a fast run and began wildly swinging his cleaver about. "Carnage Charge!" It appeared he was mere moments away from trampling Takuya and chopping him to bits.
Without any hesitation, Takuya summoned his Persona from his indisposed position. "Come forth, Zenbyou!" And Zenbyou appeared behind Takuya the very next moment. "Shinigami Shroud, now!" Takuya shouted. Zenbyou then summoned his dark aura force field to protect Takuya from Berserk Shadow Ryuta's head on attack.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta collided with Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud, creating a massive shockwave to fill the slaughterhouse. Shinichi and Ryuta, not being protected by Takuya's Persona's force field at that time, had to brace themselves to not be blown away by the impact.
"Th-This is insane!" Ryuta exclaimed after the aftershock had died down. "What the heck is that thing with Miyazaki?!"
"That's Takuya's Persona," Shinichi replied.
"Persona?" Ryuta replied in a confused tone. "What the hell is a Persona?"
Berserk Shadow Ryuta began to furiously hack away at Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud. "Shinichi, I need a weak point I can exploit, now!" Takuya shouted while trying his best with Zenbyou to keep the force field up.
Shinichi nodded. "Hang on, I've got your back!" Shinichi shouted and then prepared to summon his Persona. "Rise from the ashes, Hitodama!" Then Shinichi's Persona, Hitodama, appeared behind him and let out a mischievous cackle.
"An-Another one?!" Ryuta exclaimed at the sight of Hitodama.
"Here we go, Hidden Insight!" Shinichi's eyes began to glow brightly and his Persona's did as well. He started to examine Berserk Shadow Ryuta's body for any weak points that Takuya could exploit to bring the battle to a turnabout. "Umm, okay! Try to take out his legs, he should be easier to take down if you don't have to deal with him charging around like that!"
"What about the barbed wire covering him?!" Takuya replied. "How the hell am I going to get close enough to damage his legs without getting cut up?!"
"Sorry, you're just going to have to figure out a way around that! I can't tell what kind of elemental attacks he's weak to!" Shinichi exclaimed.
"Dammit, fine then! It's trial and error time!" Takuya exclaimed. He then quickly sidestepped to the right just as Berserk Shadow Ryuta managed to slice through Zenbyou's Shinigami Shroud. Takuya jumped up in the air as high as he could and then ordered Zenbyou to attack. "Garu!" Zenbyou then created a series of green whirlwinds with his scythe and fired them at Berserk Shadow Ryuta. But just before the attack could make contact, Berserk Shadow Ryuta quickly turned around on his hind legs and managed to block all the whirlwinds by swiftly chopping them up with his cleaver.
"You cannot stop me! My bloodlust will devour you!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared. "Bloody Butcher!" A red aura enveloped the cleaver and Berserk Shadow Ryuta swung it down as hard as he could.
"Two can play at that! Go Zenbyou, Soul Collector!" Takuya shouted, causing Zenbyou's scythe to grow five times in size and glow an exuberant bright blue. Then Zenbyou left Takuya and charged at Berserk Shadow Ryuta, successfully stopping the Shadow's cleaver attack with his scythe's blade. And this time it appeared that Takuya was managing to hold his own against Berserk Shadow Ryuta's broad strength, the Shadow's arm was actually starting to tremble from the pressure of the resistance. "Nice job, buddy!" Takuya shouted at Zenbyou. "Now it's my turn!" Takuya brandished his scythe threateningly and charged at Berserk Shadow Ryuta again. "Hyaaaaaaaaa!" he exclaimed as he swung his scythe back. He ran past the Berserk Shadow Ryuta and left a deep slice in his front and back right legs.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta screamed in agony and let out a high-pitched horse neigh. "You damn brat!" he shouted in anger. Then he lost his concentration and allowed his cleaver arm to falter in his struggle against Zenbyou's Soul Collector scythe. With that opening, Zenbyou managed to land a critical slice on Berserk Shadow Ryuta's upper torso. And the Shadow once again screamed and neighed in agony. With his job done, Zenbyou went back to Takuya's side.
"Alright! Way to go, Takuya!" Shinichi shouted.
"Wow, that was unbelievable," Ryuta said in disbelief. "Miyazaki, he's something else." Then a horrid sight caught Ryuta's eye. "Miyazaki! Your arm!" Ryuta called out to Takuya.
"Huh?" Takuya was confused at first but when he looked down he understood what Ryuta had meant. His right arm was pouring blood out all over the floor. He had been wounded pretty badly and hadn't noticed until that very moment.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta chuckled in amusement and turned around to face Takuya. "And with that our game is at an end! You lasted longer than I expected you to! So congratulations are in order! But I'm afraid that your defiance has proven to be all for naught!"
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Takuya replied in confusion.
"Can't you feel it?! The fear, slowly eating away at the inside of you?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.
Zenbyou and Takuya's scythe disappeared and then it began. "Fear? What do you…?" Suddenly Takuya's eyes went wide and his face went completely pale. He began to hear a loud thumping sound which got ever so louder with each passing second, it only took him a few moments to realize that this was his heartbeat. He began to tremble and shake, and his mouth started to hang agape. Then Takuya's world began to spin, it twisted all around and churned inside out until he couldn't tell up from down. His vision blurred and then intensified and then blurred again with each passing second.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta walked closer to him. "Can you still hear me?!" he exclaimed. Takuya looked up at Berserk Shadow Ryuta and then he fell to the floor as he cowered in fear. "What's the matter do I scare you?!"
"…" Takuya couldn't make a sound, it appeared that he was too petrified to respond.
"Takuya!" Shinichi exclaimed in concern.
"This wire doesn't just hurt me! It hurts anyone it comes in contact with! And not only does it hurt like hell, it fills whoever gets cut by it with such unimaginable fear that in mere minutes their brains are completely overloaded with sensations to the point where it becomes impossible to function anymore! Then your heart gives out from the tremendous about of adrenaline pumping through it! And ever so slowly and painfully, you die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta showed off the barbed wire on his front right leg. "And it looks to me like you got a pretty deep cut earlier! So you must have gotten a very concentrated dose of my Terror Toxin!"
"Miyazaki?! He's been poisoned?!" Ryuta exclaimed in terror.
"Takuya, snap out of it! You've been drugged! None of what you're seeing is real!" Shinichi shouted.
"…" But it was no use, at that moment Takuya didn't look like he could project any rational thought. His mind had been poisoned by fear.
"Yes, just lay down and die, you worthless little bug!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted. "But now that I think about it, letting you die like that would be too easy, and not nearly as fun!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta raised his cleaver over his head. "What do you say we speed up your death a little?! By chopping you up into little tiny pieces!" There was nothing Takuya could do to defend himself, he was completely incapacitated. "Die! Die! Die!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hyaaaaaaaaa! Hitodama, Fighting Spirit!" Shinichi used Hitodama's energy restoration power on himself and then flew as fast as he could to aid Takuya. He quickly grabbed ahold of Takuya and lifted him to safety just moments before Berserk Shadow Ryuta's cleaver came crashing down to the ground in the same area where Takuya's right arm was before. Shinichi panted in exhaustion. "Takuya…you're heavy," Shinichi said to his fallen friend.
"What's this?! A lost little spirit?! Come to join your friend's demise?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted with an added cackle.
"Leave him alone! This has gone on far enough!" Shinichi shouted at Berserk Shadow Ryuta. "What's wrong with you?! You say that all you want to do is get away from the pain that people forced upon you, but now you just want to make others feel even more pain?! That's horrible! If you make others feel as afraid and suffer as much as you did, then you're no better than them! Don't you see that?!"
"…" Berserk Shadow Ryuta stayed silent and let the little ghost speak.
"You're not a monster! You never were! You're not even one now! You're just hurt! You've been carrying all of your pain for so long that you've completely forgotten what life means to you without it!" Shinichi sighed. "I know that sometimes it might be tough to face the pain, but if you don't deal with it then you're just letting it and the people who made you feel that way win. It's like Takuya said earlier, just because you're broken, it doesn't mean that you have to stay that way forever. If you want, we can help you learn to forgive and forget, to take that pain and turn it into something good. I know there are a lot of people out there who would be sad if you just disappeared. Your friends at school, the kids you help take care of at the daycare, your family, and especially your little sister. And I think they would be even sadder if you returned to them like this. Take it from someone who doesn't have people like that to think of when things get too tough; being alone, suffering alone, it's the worst kind of pain imaginable, much worse than the pain you're holding onto right now. Please, just let us help you."
Ryuta looked to Shinichi and then to Takuya. "They really want to help me?" he asked himself.
"Why?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.
"Huh?" Shinichi replied.
"Why do I have to forgive those shitty people?! They're the reason I'm like this! The world's the whole reason I'm like this! I don't want to be a monster, but it's what the world made me into! So I'm going to destroy that world like the monster I am! Screw all those people! If worst came to worst, they would be abandon me too without a second thought! You lie! You two, you'll just abandon me too! I want to be alone, so just fucking die already!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta roared and then swatted Shinichi away with his right hand like he was nothing more than a fly. Shinichi landed hard onto the floor not that far from Takuya.
"No!" Ryuta exclaimed.
"Now then, where was I?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta shouted as he stood over Takuya once again, and readied his cleaver for another attack.
"Hey ugly, back the fuck off!" Ryuta shouted at his Shadow.
The Shadow locked eyes with his host. "What did you just say to me, you pathetic little worm?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied in anger.
"You heard me! I said back the fuck off! If you lay one more hand on my friends, you're dead!" Ryuta shouted in fury.
"Is that so?! Looks like you've finally grown a backbone! That hate, I recognize it all too well! You had the same look in your eyes on the night I was born! You look like you're ready to kill, now that's the face a monster should wear!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta replied.
"Oh shut the hell up already! Killer, murderer, monster! I hate those words so much! I admit it, it's true sometimes I'd wish all those people who dismiss me as evil so easily would just disappear! I've been angry, sad, and alone for years now and I…! And I…! And I don't want to feel that way anymore! I'm sick of it, you hear me?!" Ryuta shouted.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta cackled. "So that's your answer, is it?! You're still determined to turn a blind eye to the rage inside of you?!"
Ryuta shook his head. "No, you're right, that anger is a part of me. It's a part that I'm ashamed of, but it's part of me none the less. But there's more to me than that. I realize that now. That anger, that hatred, it may be dark in origin, but I can still use it to do good. The first time I let that anger show, I used it to save my little sister, from a true monster who broke into our home and tried to hurt her. This fear I inspire in others and myself, it can be used for good. I know it can. And I'm going to use it to defeat you," Ryuta said confidently as he clenched his fist and glared at his Shadow. Then Ryuta's eyes turned to the shade of blood red and a dark purple aura began to envelop his whole body.
Then a dark and serious voice whispered in Ryuta's ear. "The time has come for us to meet at last young child of man. Fear not, I am on thy side. I have always been hidden away deep within thy heart, and thy words just now have stirred within me a newfound resolve. I have great powers of darkness to bestow on thee, if thou art willing to accept the responsibility that follows them. My powers are not to be taken lightly, darkness can be a terrible thing when wielded by a person who is unworthy of its power. Normal men can be driven mad just by gazing upon it. But thou, who hast proven that they will stare deep into the abyss in order to protect thy loved ones, shalt be a fair master of them. However, if thou art ready to accept my power then thee must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Thine own life shall hence be forfeit as thou truly becomes one with the darkness. Dost thou accept this bargain?"
"Yes, if the darkness can help me protect the ones that I care about then I'll gladly give into it," Ryuta said confidently.
The mysterious voice chuckled. "Very well. Then the deal is struck. I am thou, thou art I. The world is made up of both good and evil. It is time to show which side thou firmly standeth for! I, Kuebiko, shall leadeth thou down the path of darkness and help thee unleash the power that dwells within!"
Then it appeared, Ryuta's Persona, Kuebiko. He had short golden hair, akin to straw, and a face that was covered in a burlap mask. The only thing on the mask were two eye holes which allowed two shining, fiery red eyes, similar to actual burning flame, to be seen. He wore a royal purple dress tailcoat, lined with golden threads and adorning buttons that were also gold; though the coat itself was tarnished and heavily worn. The buttons on the coat no longer shined and the overall color has also faded, and small tears were present in various places on the tailcoat. His cuffs were entirely stained in a rich red color, presumably blood. His dark hands were thin and stick-like with his fingers taking the form of small but sharp blades. A thick noose made of rope loosely hanged around his neck. And his torso beneath the coat was entirely black while the remainder of his body was covered in dirtied white plants. He had small, old-style wooden wheels bolted to his ankles, two per foot, with the wheels attached on either side, instead of actual feet. "Now then the time has come. Any last words?"
"Show me. Show me just how strong the darkness can be when it's used for good!" Ryuta exclaimed.
Kuebiko chuckled. "Very well then." Kuebiko raised his right arm up in the air and then quickly lowered it. Then suddenly several sharp knives appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Ryuta. Each one deeply impaled him, and the final knife pierced his neck and cut his jugular vein. A few moments later he collapsed to the ground on his knees. Kuebiko's eyes grew even brighter. "Through death comes rebirth." Kuebiko then raised his left arm in the air and quickly lowered it. And then a large murder of crows appeared out of nowhere and in mere moments covered up Ryuta's body completely. They pecked and cawed until there was nothing left of the boy beneath. Then they flew up into the air and a large object was left behind in their wake. It was a large wooden cross, and tied to it was a boy who wore a white dress shirt, a purple tie, and a black vest; he also wore a bright red muffler that obscured the lower half of his face. And finally he wore a pair of purple gloves, a pair of faded jeans, and a pair of smart black shoes. "Protector of the innocent, smiter of those that wish to bring harm to others. The time has come for thou to arise and take up thy duty. Let us strike fear in the impure hearts of this world so they know that such misdeeds will not be tolerated! Take heed of thy true calling, Scarecrow!"
Then the boy raised his head and revealed himself to be Ryuta, recently reborn as a Grim Reaper. Ryuta pulled his arms forward and broke the ropes that were keeping him tied to the wooden cross, and then he fell down to the floor below and landed gracefully on his feet. Kuebiko disappeared along with the wooden cross, and Ryuta was left alone to stare down his Shadow.
"I see that I'm not the only one who's evolved! But I doubt you could hold that much power in such a scrawny body! Do you really think you can stand a chance against the likes of me?!" Berserk Shadow Ryuta mocked.
Ryuta scoffed. "I said as much, didn't I?" Ryuta replied in a cool manner.
Berserk Shadow Ryuta growled. "That newfound cockiness of your's pisses me off!"
"Is that so? Well then…" Ryuta stuck his right arm up in the air and then suddenly a weapon appeared out of thin air. It was a naginata that had been altered to have blades at both ends, it had a black shaft and thick purple blades at either end; the sharp ends of the metal were stained red as though the blades had already tasted blood. "Why don't we find out if this cockiness I have is just for show or not?" Ryuta spun his naginata around in a threatening manner and then held it at his side as if he were a soldier. Then he raised up his left arm and revealed his summon tattoo. It was purple in color and glowed so brightly that it could be seen even under his shirt sleeve. The tattoo design was a silhouette of a simple scarecrow (sticks formed as a "t" with a round head and a tattered cloth hanging off the arms), and the ends of the arms were replaced with the blades of Ryuta's dual naginata. And a dark liquid surrounded the base of the scarecrow, this was presumably blood. "Let's see, who's darkness is stronger. Shall we?"
A/N: Two powerful dark beings going head to head, quite an interesting development. Will this so-called Scarecrow be enough to quell the unbridled fury of this monstrous Shadow? Stay tuned to find out.