Wednesday, November 4th, 2009, Early Morning
Minato had expected to be too tired to do more than sleep, after the climactic battle at the Moonlight Bridge. They'd all been exhausted, when they finally made it back to the dorm; the euphoria of finally defeating the final irregular Shadow—and, theoretically, Strega—had faded quickly in the face of sheer fatigue. The team had split up to head for the own rooms with as much haste as they could muster.
I didn't even have a chance to get my coat back from Kirijo-san, he thought, swinging his legs off his bed with a yawn. Not that he begrudged the loan. Chivalry aside, he still was not prepared to deal with Mitsuru having a wardrobe malfunction; time had dulled the embarrassment Tanabata left behind, but the way things had been changing around them since Shinji's death had turned memory awkward again.
Regardless, Minato hadn't gotten as much rest as he'd hoped. He'd slept, certainly, but that sleep had been filled with vague premonitions of disaster, and visions of blood and fire that he'd done his best not to remember for nearly three years now. Instead of the rest of a job well done, he'd been left with a formless dread, one that hadn't entirely disappeared with the dawn.
It took him a few moments, in his bleary state, to realize what part of his unease came from: a recognition that he wasn't alone.
Not Aigis, as it had been that one morning. When Minato cleared sleep from his eyes, he found himself looking at a familiar figure in a striped shirt, eyes as bright and eerie as ever. "Pharos…?"
"Good morning, Kyousuke," the boy said warmly. "This is the first time we've ever spoken outside the Hour of Darkness, isn't it? It's a good day for it, though. The weather is nice this morning."
Slightly unnerved, Minato glanced out his window. As Pharos had said, the sky was clear, letting unfiltered sunlight stream in through the glass. "It is," he agreed warily, grasping at the mundane to chase away the formless anxiety the boy's unexpected appearance had brought.
"A brand new day," Pharos mused, moving to sit at Minato's desk. "A new dawn… for both of us." At Minato's cautiously-lifted eyebrow, he continued, "I'm finally whole again, you see, Kyousuke. All the fragments of my memory have returned… I remember who I am, and what my role is. It's time… and so, painful as it is, there's something I must tell you."
Unease mounting, Minato tried to keep any trace of it from his face or voice. "What is it, Pharos?" And why do I not like this talk about his "role"?
Looking as sad as Minato had ever seen him, even more so than the time the boy had worried about Minato not remembering what he did, Pharos said, "I'm afraid this is goodbye, Kyousuke. I want you to know that our friendship has meant everything to me… It truly has been a miracle. But even miracles don't last forever, do they?"
"I can't think of anything that does," Minato said honestly, thinking back over the times that had changed everything he thought of as the bedrock of his life. That terrible New Year's Day, and before that, the vague, confused memories he had of his parents' deaths; both days that had nearly destroyed who he had once been. "Nothing in this life is eternal."
"…I guess you're right." Pharos sighed. "And even if there were, how would we ever know? We can never see beyond this very moment; eternity is little different from oblivion."
Well. That's an uplifting comparison, isn't it?
Maybe Pharos realized how he'd sounded, because now he smiled. It was a small smile, but genuine to Minato's eyes. "Well, even if this is our final meeting, Kyousuke, I shall treasure every conversation we did have. And if anything is eternal, it's the bonds of friendship." He faded from the desk chair, and when he reappeared by the door, he seemed less solid than he had before. "It was fun while it lasted… Farewell, Kyousuke."
This time, when he disappeared, it was with a distinct sense of finality. Minato didn't know what made him feel that way, other than Pharos' words, but he was somehow sure this truly was the last time he'd ever see Pharos.
He'd never figured out exactly who or what Pharos was, in the months he'd been acquainted with the boy. The Velvet Room, Minato had finally decided was the instrument of some kind of higher power attempting to provide some aid to humanity, despite some unknown limitation. It was a mystery he hoped to investigate in greater depth someday, but he knew enough for his own satisfaction.
The Shadows were even less a mystery to him now, with even Tartarus explained well enough. The connection between it, the Dark Hour, and the twelve irregular Shadows was logical enough to be merely a matter of routine extermination, by the end.
But Pharos… Even now, Minato wasn't even completely convinced the boy was real. Knowing the fractured shards that were his numerous Personas, he wasn't prepared to rule out the possibility that Pharos had merely been a hallucination, the boy's insights a product of his Id picking up on things his Superego missed. The fact that the contract Pharos had presented him with had appeared in the Velvet Room in no one disproved the idea, given the nature of his first visit there.
Now, Minato wasn't sure he'd ever know. Was Pharos a figment of his own mind, whose purpose had been fulfilled with the destruction of the Twelfth Shadow? Was he somehow kin to the Residents of the Velvet Room? Or was he something else entirely?
Right now, Minato would've been lying if he claimed not to hope, just a little, for the hallucination theory. Better, in some ways, for Pharos' creepier comments to just be the stuff of his own nightmares.
"Not like I don't have enough to worry about for real," he muttered aloud, pushing himself off the mattress at last. "Not everything is done yet…"
Yawning again, he headed off to get a shower and some coffee. There was a celebration to be held that night, and he intended to enjoy it as much as anyone—but first, he had a phone call to make.
Cleaned up, dressed for school, and fortified by coffee, Minato left his schoolbag on his desk for just a little longer, reaching for the flip phone sitting next to it instead. Hitting one of the speed dial keys, he perched on the edge of the desk and waited out the ringing on the other end.
It wasn't a long wait. He'd expected no less. "Yes, Shirogane," the weathered but strong voice said. "I was wondering if you'd call this morning, but you're up earlier than I might've expected, Kyousuke. Especially after what must have gone down last night."
"Nightmares," Minato answered with a shrug. "Probably nothing serious. Assuming nothing insane happens tonight, I'll probably sleep better then." He hesitated. "Do you have a few minutes, Grandfather?"
"For you? Always, Kyousuke," Johei said warmly. "In any case, I have nothing particularly pressing today; I'm expecting a report to be delivered, but not likely till after lunch." His voice sobered. "Did last night's operation go smoothly? I understand it was supposed to be the final one, and I remember what happened last month…"
"Nothing like that, Grandfather," Minato assured him, suppressing a shiver at the memory of the horrid morning of October Fifth. "No, we succeeded, and with only relatively minor injuries to the team; we're all pretty much healed by now, in fact."
"Such healing measures are a blessing," his grandfather mused. "I can think of a few times it would've been of use in the past… Ah, well. I managed. So. It's over, then? What Kouetsu Kirijo set in motion ten years ago."
"We killed the twelfth irregular Shadow last night, anyway. Going by Ikutsuki-san's data, that should be the end of it. Finally." Even now, it didn't quite feel real to Minato. It had only been seven months, less time than he'd spent ghost-busting with the North High Irregulars, but it had been such an eventful seven months; the time he'd spent in the Dark Hour was impressed more vividly on his memory than almost anything else in his life.
He'd have been a liar if he tried to claim he wouldn't miss it, on some level. Contrary to Jin's claims, though, it's denying it that would be hypocrisy, not the fact of it. It's not hypocrisy to want something evil, and refuse to reach for it; it's basic human decency.
Johei heaved a long, heavy sigh. "Ten years… Hardly a fraction of my own life, but I admit it's weighed heavily on me, as well, Kyousuke. Ever since I came to find why your parents were late, and found Takeharu standing over his father's body with a pistol. It's a relief to know it's finally been put right."
Kirijo-sama killed Kouetsu? Kirijo-san never mentioned that—but then I guess it's just as likely she never knew. He probably doesn't like talking about it any more than I do what happened to the Kisaragi family.
"I wish I could say all the loose ends had been cleaned up, though," Minato said aloud. "The Hanged Man and its minions weren't the only opposition last night."
He could see his grandfather's understanding nod in his mind's eye. "Strega was there, as expected. Twisted, those children… would that I'd known about them years ago. No sense in dwelling on that now, however; perhaps it's not too late for Yoshino, at least… One of the others escaped?"
Minato winced. "The problem, Grandfather, is that I'm not sure. I hurt Takaya badly, and then both of them took a dive off the Moonlight Bridge; by rights they shouldn't have survived hitting water from that height, but…"
"No bodies, then."
"I didn't have time to check last night," he admitted. "It was dark, and we were all dead on our feet. I'm going to take a look after school, before the party tonight, but…"
"Even if they are dead, they might well have washed out of reach before you could have reached the base of the bridge even last night," Johei finished. "And if they're not, likewise. I see your dilemma." He sighed; Minato wasn't sure if the sound was thoughtful or sad, though if the latter it wasn't as forlorn as he'd often heard out of Takeharu Kirijo. "Just how badly did you manage to hurt Sakaki? I recall you have had… issues with that in the past."
Tsuruya had been keeping him up to date, then. Or Takeharu; or quite possibly both. Minato wouldn't have been surprised either way. "He killed Shinji, Grandfather," he said quietly. "That provided—incentive. Even against the mental block." He hesitated; sighed, realizing he was stalling. "I may have gotten his spleen, and I did set him on fire. Ah… kind of a lot."
Understatement, Master, Pixie whispered in the back of his mind. No offense, but I'm really glad it's sushi tonight, and not, say, roast pork.
Minato remembered the smell, and had to swallow hard against the sudden pressure in his throat.
"Steel and fire… Yes, that's very like you, Kyousuke. I suspect your reflexes are still somewhat slowed by past events, however, if your aim was that far off. Three years ago, you killed three very skilled swordsmen when you were… sufficiently provoked."
Johei's tone was clinical, observant; not the heavy sadness that permeated Takeharu's very being any time the idea of killing Strega came up. Minato wasn't sure if he was glad of that or not. For all his own determination to finish Takaya himself, intellectually he recognized "justifiable homicide" wasn't supposed to be an easy topic. Especially not for someone his own age.
The tone was mostly an afterthought, though, pushed aside by the content of the words. His grandfather had never before said anything specific about the events at that Inaba warehouse; certainly nothing like this. "I don't actually know how much of that was me, Grandfather," he confessed, forcing the words past the memories that threatened to choke him. "Saya was—"
"Berserk. I know. But I was there at the last, Kyousuke. I was the one who pulled you and Detective Dojima out, before the warehouse burned to the ground. I didn't have time to check thoroughly, but believe me, I know the difference between your swordsmanship and hers. Especially when you're protecting someone."
That hurt. "I didn't exactly 'protect' anyone, Grandfather," Minato whispered, closing his eyes as if he could shut out the sight that wasn't actually before him anymore. "All I could do was try and stay alive, and… do what was necessary."
"Mm. You accomplished more than you may remember now, Kyousuke. But that is a story for a different day." Before he could begin to press him on the matter, Johei continued, "For now, Grandson, enjoy your victory. I'll put out some feelers about Shirato and Sakaki; this isn't something for the regular police, but I do have other avenues." He paused. "I have but one piece of advice, should they indeed be alive, and show themselves before you again: Soku. Ryu. Geki."
Speed, flow, strike. The essence of Shirogane Niten-ryu. A central tenet that always seemed to slip Minato's mind, when faced with Takaya and his silver tongue. "I'll remember, Grandfather," he promised.
"You do that. Now," Johei said briskly, tone lightening, "you'd best be on your way to school. Today, of all days, I don't think you ought to be keeping a girl waiting."
You, too? Again? Fingers clenching hard enough to make his phone creak, Minato said tightly, "Kirijo-san is not my girlfriend, Grandfather."
"I didn't say anything about a girlfriend, did I, Kyousuke? For that matter, I don't believe I specified which of the many girls that you seem to attract I was referring to…"
Laughing lightly, Johei hung up before Minato could even begin to think of a clever retort. Dammit.
Heading for school with Mitsuru's injunction against traveling alone made moot by the previous night's events, Junpei felt a definite spring in his step as he left the monorail station. He'd thought he'd felt on top of the world in the lead up to the previous night's operation, but right now he was feeling even better. The feeling of having done the impossible—there just wasn't anything like it, in his experience.
Okay, so it's not one-hundred-percent "Hell, yeah!" he admitted to himself, turning the corner to head for Gekkoukan. Strega might've been crazy bastards, but they weren't all wrong; it does kinda hurt, knowing that the battle's over, and I need to find somethin' else to do with myself.
But damn, if we didn't finish with a bang!
If Junpei had to name one problem he had other than that, it was that he'd decided it was a bad idea to go see Chidori just yet. With how she'd been about the Dark Hour, even if she had been loosening up lately, he figured he ought to give her a few days to get used to the new normal before he dropped by again.
Even so… Just knowing she was there was a big part of what was keeping him so upbeat, after losing what made him special. He could live with waiting a little while.
Coming up on Gekkoukan's gates, he spotted a distinctive shock of blue hair, and picked up the pace to catch up. "Hey, Fearless Leader!" Junpei called out, falling into step with Minato. "Great day, isn't it?"
"Not a bad start," Minato allowed, not turning a hair at the goateed one's appearance despite the music obviously keeping the outside world from his ears. "I just hope it stays that way."
"Got the 'too good to be true' feeling, huh?" Junpei nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I was wondering earlier if the other shoe was gonna drop on our heads. But eh, that's just being paranoid." He started to flash a grin, then paused, noticing the swordsman's shinai bag still had the heavy look that suggested he was carrying more than bamboo. "Oh, come on, man, you can't tell me you really are that paranoid! We got the bad guys, remember?"
"No body, not dead," Minato replied succinctly. "I'm going to check under the Moonlight Bridge before I go back to the dorm after school." He grimaced. "I don't expect to find much either way, but I might pick up some clues, at least."
Junpei glanced around at the crowd of students, lowered his voice, and leaned in closer. "Dude, you stabbed the guy in the liver, set him on fire, and watched the both of them fall off a bridge. What more do you want? An autopsy?"
"Preferably." Seeing the look on his face, Minato cracked a small, amused smile. "You think my stories are crazy, Junpei? Remind me to tell you about the tall tales my grandfather has. If there's even a little bit of truth to them, there are 'humans' out there who'd hardly notice a fall like that."
"Whatever, man. Just try to relax for one night, okay? We beat the bad guys, saved the universe, and now it's time for the heroes' reward… why are you looking at me like that?" Junpei stared suspiciously at the laughter he swore was hiding behind Minato's bland look. "You know what? Never mind. Do what ya want. Just make sure you don't eat too much before tonight, okay? And if you do find something, don't get your nose too close. Mitsuru-senpai's treating us to sushi tonight, and from her, it's gotta be the good stuff!"
"…I guess you're right," Minato admitted, as they passed through Gekkoukan's wrought iron gates. "I probably won't find anything tonight anyway, and I've got someone I trust on the case… I'm still going to check, though."
"Tch. Workaholic! Y'know, maybe you should be a detective; just about everybody calls you that already anyway." Junpei shook his head again. "You'd think you had a Kindaichi in your family tree or something… Okay, what the hell is that look for?"
Evening
Mitsuru was only mildly surprised to find Arisato was late, when evening came. She'd timed the sushi to be delivered just after her estimate of when most of SEES would return, so that it would be ready by the time they'd put away their school paraphernalia; most of them arrived more or less right when she expected, too, coming straight home from school this particular night.
Arisato had, as nearly as she could tell, returned somewhat ahead of the others, before immediately leaving again. Only as the rest of the team was coming back down to the lounge did the detective come back through the front doors, wearing his armored duster and a mildly disgruntled expression.
She had a feeling she knew why. "I take it you were checking the bridge," she said softly, walking over to meet him. "No luck?"
As Mitsuru expected, Arisato shook his head. "Almost didn't get to check," he murmured in reply. "The place is cordoned off right now; police tape and everything. Something about an assault gone bad, from what I gathered. The fact that they couldn't find any victims was driving them nuts."
She nodded, a small, wry smile crossing her face. They knew perfectly well what had happened, and why there were no traces of the "victims". And "assault" is putting it mildly. I wonder what they think of the explosion and bullet damage to the bridge itself?
"I've heard the Moonlight Bridge will be closed for some time for repairs," she said aloud, as the rest of the team began to filter down from the dorm's upper floors. "I assume you did find a way to investigate regardless?"
"The ends of the bridge are closed off. Nobody was paying any real attention to the underside of the span." Arisato smiled, obviously pleased with himself; but the expression was fleeting. "I got down to the bridge supports easily enough, but there was nothing much there. A bit of blood at the base of one, which may or may not have come from Jin or Takaya; that was all I could find."
"As I expected, to be honest." Actually, Mitsuru wasn't especially concerned about the matter at all, given the height, Takaya's injuries, and the fact that Jin had still been recovering from several direct hits from lightning bolts. Even Arisato had only survived falling from the bridge by virtue of a device she'd seen no sign of Strega possessing.
And even if they did live, what more can they accomplish? The Dark Hour is over. Even if they retain some power, they can no longer use it with impunity. Nor are they likely to survive much longer, anyway. She winced at that thought, realizing the implication extended to Chidori Yoshino, who remained a sensitive subject with one of their own. There's still time, though. We might yet find a way to mitigate the effects of the suppressants.
An exclamation from Iori cut off her dark train of thought. "Whoa… Very nice, Senpai! I haven't seen sushi this good since… well, ever!"
"And so much of it," Takeba agreed, sounding awed. "There's enough to feed an army!"
"It's over now, Detective," Mitsuru said under her breath, turning toward the students now clustered around the lounge table. "Try to enjoy tonight, at least."
She caught a glimpse of his rueful smile out of the corner of her eye. "Acknowledged and understood, Kirijo-san."
"Hey, enough chitchat, you guys! Minato, you really gotta loosen up and remember the important thing: food!" Iori gestured grandly at the mountain of sushi spread across the table. "C'mon, I haven't eaten all day! Can we dig in now?"
"Not everyone's here yet," Amada pointed out; though Mitsuru noticed he looked as eager to get started as any of them. "Where are Ikutsuki-san and Aigis-san?"
"Ikutsuki-san took Aigis to the lab," Akihiko replied, eyeing the food in a manner Mitsuru found uncomfortably akin to a starving wolf. "Something about making sure she came out of that last battle okay. Guess he figured she deserved to be in top shape after everything she's been through… They're supposed to be here later, though."
"I think the Chairman just can't stand to be away from the lab for too long," Yamagishi said, giggling. "Some 'chairman'; you hardly ever see him at school at all!"
Mitsuru was inclined to agree. Ikutsuki was certainly capable in his position as Gekkoukan's chairman, being a proven administrator, but she'd realized long before that science was the pun-happy man's real love. Not that that was entirely a bad thing, being as his research had given them the assurance that defeating the twelve irregular Shadows was the key to finally ending the Dark Hour, but it certainly had caused problems were personnel management was concerned.
At least he seems to have finally realized it. I don't think he's done more than sign off on our internal decisions since the matter of Amada nearly turned into a catastrophe.
Well, after this Ikutsuki would be free to spend all his time outside school affairs studying whatever arcane matters remained after the destruction of the Dark Hour. His position as "advisor" to SEES was, finally, no longer required.
That line of thought, too, was interrupted, this time by the sound of an engine coming to idle just outside the building, then shutting off entirely. "That will be my father," Mitsuru said, turning back to the door with a heartfelt smile. "He did make it."
Not that she'd expected otherwise. Not tonight, of all nights.
The look on Takeharu Kirijo's face, when he and two of his aides came in the door, made Mitsuru's night. He looked indescribably weary—yet also the closest to truly happy that she could remembering seeing him outside of dim memories of the days before her grandfather turned on his own family. The smile on his face was small, but she could see from the way his muscles twitched that it was as much from lack of practice as anything else.
"Welcome, Father," she said, smiling in return. "We've been waiting for you."
He inclined his head, and took a moment to puff on his ever-present cigarette. "So. It's finished at last, is it? After all these years."
"Yes, Father. We did it."
As the rest of SEES pulled themselves away from the food, gathering around their leaders, her father swept his one-eyed gaze over them all. "Congratulations, all of you," he said, voice weary but genuinely warm. "I cannot express to you my gratitude for all you've done—or my condolences, for everything you've lost along the way. You were forced to bear a terrible burden, but you bore it magnificently.
"History will never know what you've done, and that, too, is a crime—but whether anyone knows it or not, you have accomplished a truly monumental achievement."
Mitsuru had always known that her father appreciated her efforts, and those of her comrades. Even so, hearing him say it now made her feel a deeper warmth from him than she had in a long time. Perhaps, she thought, because some of the weight he himself had labored under had finally been lifted.
He stepped forward, now, and after squeezing Mitsuru's shoulder he came to stand in front of Takeba, whom she thought looked a little anxious at being singled out. "To you," her father said, taking Takeba's hand, "I owe a very special thanks. For lending us your power to the very end, when you had every right to turn your back on us. Thank you, Yukari Takeba."
Blushing, Takeba looked away. "I-it's nothing, Kirijo-san. I couldn't have done nothing…"
"Yes, you could. It's a testament to your character that you believe otherwise." The elder Kirijo stepped back again. "Ten years ago, those twelve Shadows were released into the world by my father's folly. Now they have finally been destroyed, by the efforts of you brave few. This burden should never have been yours, but by your own hands you've ended it. Now, you are free to experience the joys of youth, unfettered by monsters in the dark.
"So. As of tonight at midnight, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be officially disbanded. No longer will you have to risk your lives on the battlefield. From tomorrow onward, you are ordinary students once again."
The strange silence that followed that surprised Mitsuru no more than anything else had that evening, though she doubted her father understood it. They'd all commented on it, at one time or another; she knew some of her comrades felt it more keenly than others.
Iori, at least, had been buoyed by the strange dynamic he had with Chidori Yoshino. Akihiko, she was sure, would find a new challenge to strive against. And Arisato…
Our Detective will find chaos somewhere, Penthesilea commented wryly. If that emerald-haired spitfire is to be believed, he is to drawn to it by instinct.
Too true. I just hope… it doesn't lead him to change schools again. The very thought prompted a pang in Mitsuru's chest, which she didn't even try to deny at this point. Well. I suppose I'll just have to find a deep enough mystery to throw his way, won't I? I'm sure Father will have some ideas.
Said personage was now looking quite distinctly perplexed. "…Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing, Father," she assured him, shaking her head. Turning back to her team, she threw off thoughts of "tomorrow", and gestured toward the table. "Well, everyone, I think it's time to celebrate. Your feast awaits you." It took no effort at all to summon a smile, now. "No need to hold back; there's plenty for everyone."
Any trace of unease disappeared from Iori's face in an instant. "Alright! That's what I've been waiting for, Senpai!"
Hm. I don't believe we've seen him move like that since he made his escape at the end of summer school… Perhaps, Mistress, we should examine the carpet for damage, later.
Fuuka couldn't remember a time when the dorm—and the team—felt more relaxed. The previous day had been tense, with what promised to be the final battle looming; tonight, she could hardly believe that tension had existed in the first place.
Not that everyone present was perfectly calm, admittedly. As she dug into the salmon roe—which, she'd discovered to her delight, was unquestionably the best salmon she'd ever had in her life—Fuuka took in the varied emotions of her friends and their visitors. Koromaru, unsurprisingly, did feel utterly unconcerned, his emotions as typically uncomplicated as any dog. Junpei was probably the most relaxed after that, his jovial attitude hiding only a small sliver of doubt, which she attributed to let down and the possible repercussions with Chidori.
Yukari had the feel of someone recovering from illness or injury, returning home after a long time; relieved, but not quite the same as before. Given her father's role ten years prior, Fuuka wasn't especially surprised. She was glad to see, though, that the archer was burying the trace of melancholy in tuna and some lighthearted sniping at Junpei, not dwelling on the unchangeable past.
Akihiko and Ken, she thought, felt like people who had just escaped a collapsing building, and weren't quite sure if a wall was going to fall on them on the way out. Probably, she suspected, for the same reason that Minato's aura had an underlying layer of unease. Fuuka knew the swordsman was unconvinced that Jin and Takaya were truly gone, and it wouldn't have surprised her if the other two were similarly concerned. They'd been hit hardest by Shinjiro's death, after all.
After all this time, it actually seemed strange that Mitsuru, of all people, had the greatest feeling of unalloyed cheer. When even Minato had been relaxed, in the past, the redhead had always had a core of melancholy; now, she felt to Fuuka like someone released from prison, enjoying true freedom for the first time in years. I guess she is, at that, if she got into this as early as she's said… But now, it's finally over, for all of us.
Chatting quietly with his daughter, Takeharu Kirijo didn't feel so upbeat. Fuuka felt a pang of sadness at that, but she wasn't surprised, all things considered. The man was obviously deeply relieved by the completion of SEES' mission, but it was obvious he'd never fully recover from the emotional wounds the crisis had inflicted on him. Clearly, Takeharu would always hold himself responsible to some degree for his father's actions.
For all that, though, it really was a good night, Fuuka thought. They'd done a good job, there was good food, and there were no battles left to fight. And it wasn't like they hadn't gained anything, over the months—and for some of them, years—of battle. They'd all grown as individuals, Junpei had something going with Chidori, and she certainly hadn't missed the fact that Minato and Mitsuru were sitting rather close together tonight.
All in all, she didn't think they could really ask for more.
Well, except for Shinjiro-senpai to be here. But… he went out happy, and we've finished the job he left us. It's good enough.
Well into Fuuka's silent contemplation, after much of the sushi had been eaten, Junpei abruptly stood up. Considering that he'd been eating enthusiastically and without any sign of slowing down, she was momentarily surprised; nonetheless, he had the look of someone with a plan, and he didn't leave them waiting for an explanation. "I almost forgot," he began, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "I had an idea, guys… How 'bout we take a group picture? Y'know, since we've finally won the war and all."
Mitsuru folded her arms, looking thoughtful. "That's not actually a bad idea," she admitted.
"Right? Actually…" He chuckled ruefully, pulling a camera out of his blazer. "I was gonna do it last night, but I forgot the camera wouldn't work in the Dark Hour. And, well, we were all so beat by the time all the fires went out, and there was all that smoke…"
"That happens when you've got an arsonist leading the team," Akihiko said with a smirk. "Speaking of, Detective, do you really have to set everything on fire?"
"Is it my fault it tends to work?" It was Minato's turn to look sheepish, though, directing his gaze toward an apparently fascinating wall. "Truth is, I got it from Tsu-chan. Fire burns, she told me once. Natural or supernatural, unless it's specifically warded against it, fire burns."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Mitsuru said, shaking her head. "Just how many of your bad habits can we blame on her, Detective? No, on second thought, don't answer that. If you have more I don't know about, I would prefer to keep it that way."
Fuuka giggled, trying to keep the sound as low as possible. She had to wonder if Mitsuru had realized yet just why it was she tended to be so annoyed by Minato's ex. Hm… actually, I think maybe she has. That's something good that's come out of all this, anyway.
Junpei rolled his eyes. "Y'know what, I'm not surprised either. That girl is at least as crazy as you are, Minato." Shaking his head, he turned to one of Takeharu's aides, whose only contribution to the evening thus far had been quiet contributions to the decimation of the sushi. "So, can you give us a hand here?"
Nodding amiably, the man took the camera, and gestured for the team to gather by the front doors. Fuuka was pleased to notice Takeharu joining them; deep as his regret might have been, she felt the triumph belonged to him as much as it did them.
"I feel kinda like a tourist," Yukari muttered as they lined up. "Still… I guess it would be nice to have a picture to remember this by, wouldn't it?"
"We'll have to do it again later, though," Junpei said, snapping his fingers. "I forgot, Ikutsuki-san and Aigis aren't here… But it's a start, right? Practice."
"Is everyone ready?" the aide asked, when they were all in position.
"You betcha!"
"Knock it off, Junpei."
"Aw, it was just a little joke, Senpai…"
"Junpei, you're going to ruin the picture. Stop fooling around."
"Yeah, just settle down—hey, watch it!"
CLICK.
Well, Fuuka thought later, when she saw the final picture, I guess it is more memorable this way, isn't it? She was sure Junpei would remember the bruises from falling on his head, anyway, a moment immortalized on film just before he dropped out of the camera's field of view. I didn't know Kirijo-sancould look that surprised, though…
Even Iori turning a commemorative photo into a comedic pratfall couldn't dampen Mitsuru's mood. Her team was together, healthy and whole, and her father was with them, looking happier than she could remember. While most of the students in the group focused on food, her father was quietly discussing technical details with Arisato, the swordsman having been curious about the means through which the Kirijo Group had kept the crisis out of the public eye.
No doubt looking for hints on how to see through such coverups, Mitsuru thought, smiling to herself. Fortunate for us that our Detective doesn't regard the rule of law and justice as one and the same. He may want tips for investigating other groups, but as far as we're concerned he's more likely to help us than turn us in.
An odd attitude, for an heir to the lineage that produced generations of Raidou Kuzunoha, but she wasn't about to complain. Any other aspiring detective she'd be uneasy having in the same room; Arisato, she was more than comfortable sharing a couch with. They weren't quite touching, not like how she'd leaned on him in the aftermath of that last battle, but they were… comfortably close, she thought.
Not a thought Mitsuru would have expected to ever have, when Arisato first walked into the dorm with forged papers and a concealed aptitude for mayhem. Seven months in, she was more than willing to see where that thought might lead. Especially now that she knew his pedigree was one even the Board of Directors couldn't possibly question.
No need to rush, though, she thought, leaning contentedly into the couch. We've plenty of time, now. Time enough to make sure this isn't merely emotion stirred up by the stress of the situation and enforced proximity of being the leaders in a secret war.
Mitsuru didn't think it was. On the other hand, she was completely out of her depth in matters of the heart, and she suspected Arisato's emotional scars still ran deep enough to be unsure of his own feelings. Better by far to take things slowly, in their own time.
Engrossed in the discussion with Arisato and her father, Mitsuru didn't really notice when the meal started to wind down. She'd eaten her fill and then devoted herself to conversation, and paid little attention to the others' eating until Iori spoke up. "What, don't tell me you guys are done already? There's still food left!"
Starting, Mitsuru glanced at the table and found Iori was correct. Technically, anyway; she was actually surprised by how little did remain. She'd made sure to order extra, in case of additional guests—on a night like this, she wouldn't even have been surprised if Tsuruya had appeared out of nowhere—but even with her father and his aides joining in, she hadn't expected the sushi to disappear quite so emphatically.
"If I eat another bite, I'll explode," Takeba said, rolling her eyes. "You must have an extra stomach to still be hungry, Junpei."
"Yeah, I'll be doing some extra training tomorrow just to make up for this," Akihiko agreed, slumping in his seat. "You want more, Junpei, it's all yours."
Iori shrugged. "All right, suit yourselves… Oh, hey, boy," he said, noticing Koromaru walking over with a hopeful look. "You hungry?"
"Don't give Koro-chan raw fish," Takeba scolded. "You'll make him sick!"
"We should probably save some for Ikutsuki-san, anyway," Yamagishi pointed out. Mitsuru thought she looked a bit green; evidently even she'd overeaten tonight.
"Good point," Iori admitted, as Koromaru whined in disappointment. "Speaking of, I wonder what's takin' him and Aigis so long? It's almost midnight."
Good question. Mitsuru wasn't too concerned, though she was puzzled herself. If she knew the eccentric Chairman, he was probably neck-deep in analyzing data from their completed mission. Even with the Dark Hour a dead issue, there was enough Shadow-related data to keep a scientist busy for decades.
She was about to say as much, but Arisato's phone interrupted her, playing a ringtone she didn't recognize. The detective frowned, but pulled it out readily enough. "Yeah, Arisato," he said, obviously puzzled. "Grandfather—?"
The voice on the other end was loud enough for Mitsuru to hear, close as she was sitting to Arisato. "Where's Ikutsuki, Kyousuke?" the voice demanded, sounding tense and hurried.
"At the Port Island lab, as far as I know," Arisato replied, frown deepening. "Grandfather, what's—"
"There's no time! Kyousuke, he's—!"
Without any warning at all, the lights went out, and Arisato's phone died in the middle of the caller's sentence. Water in cups on the table shifted from clear water to the red of blood; from the windows the moonlight turned from pale white to eerie yellow.
Flanking Takeharu Kirijo's chair, the two aides flickered, warped, and were abruptly replaced by coffins, floating in ominous silence.
If the change had literally turned Mitsuru's blood to ice water, she didn't think it would've felt any colder.
"The hell—?!" Iori yelped, over Koromaru's sudden barking. "Hey, Senpai! What the hell's going on here?! I thought we finished off the Dark Hour last night!"
Mitsuru shook her head, feeling dizzy. "I don't know," she said, bewildered and suddenly very, very uneasy. "I have no idea either, Iori."
"I thought this was too easy," Akihiko said grimly. "I wondered, when it didn't just end the moment we killed the Hanged Man."
Beside her, plastic creaked under Arisato's fingers. "'It's drawing near,' he said once," he whispered, almost too low for her to hear. "Is this what he meant…? I knew something wasn't finished."
"He", who? Mitsuru wondered. He didn't seem to be talking about his grandfather… Before she could ask, though, a new sound broke the silence. A distant, high-pitched ring. Then another, and another still. A sound she'd heard the likes of before, and yet—not.
"Is that a bell?" Takeba wondered aloud, face pale. "Where?"
"Hear it not," Arisato whispered, "for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven, or to hell…"
When Mitsuru looked back over to him, he was looking as pale as Takeba. Pale, and shivering, looking more unnerved than she'd ever seen him before.
"Did I hear something about Ikutsuki?" her father demanded, in the silence Arisato's Macbeth quote left. "Where is he?" He pushed to his feet, face congealing into a cold, frightening mask. "He has Aigis with him, doesn't he?! He should be here by now!"
Mitsuru bit her lip. It was true, Aigis had taken very little damage, comparatively, in that last battle; even if Ikutsuki did have a mountain of data to analyze, surely he could've dropped her off at the dorm by now. If nothing else, Aigis herself would likely have reminded him.
And the call, cut off by the Dark Hour, from Arisato's grandfather…
Also, the direction of that bell, Penthesilea murmured uneasily. Something is deeply wrong here, Mistress. I can feel it. Tartarus is waiting.
"Mitsuru," Akihiko said quietly. "What now?"
Rising to her feet, heart beginning to pound, Mitsuru looked over her team. "Get your gear, everyone," she said, forcing calm into her voice. "Weapons. Armor. We're going to Tartarus. Be ready."
"Um… ready for what, Senpai?" Yamagishi asked nervously.
"A fight," Arisato replied for her. Standing up, he still looked pale, but there was a look of resignation more than surprise in his eyes. "That bell is at Tartarus, and something—or someone—is ringing it. I don't know about you, Fuuka, but I don't think it's a friend."
"Strega?" Amada wondered aloud, looking at least as pale as the swordsman.
Arisato exchanged a look with Mitsuru, and shook his head. "I think it's worse," he admitted. "I hope I'm wrong."
"As do I," her father agreed. "But I fear you are not." He, too, came to his feet, and withdrew from his jacket a small but high-caliber pistol. The sight of it alone was enough to add another level of tension to the room; not because of any fear of weapons, but because of what this particular one signified.
A mere pistol, wielded by someone without the power of Persona, was useless against Shadows. The same was not true of machines… or human beings.
Dark Hour
Minato had been feeling a formless dread all day, since the moment Pharos appeared to him in broad daylight. He'd been able to push it aside most of the day, telling himself that it was just his uncertainty regarding Strega—certainly Pharos' own words, as final as they'd seemed, had really been less ominous than much of what he'd said in previous encounters—but it had been there in the back of his mind regardless.
He still didn't know exactly what his grandfather had been trying to tell him, before the Dark Hour cut them off, but he could at least make one guess, and combined with the return of the Dark Hour itself and the ominous bell, he didn't think it was good.
I don't remember the last time I was this afraid. Was it that night in the warehouse, when Saya went berserk…? No. This is more primal. I haven't felt this way since… the last night I was here, ten years ago. I don't remember the accident well, but I remember the fear.
…There's one thing that reminds me of New Year's Day, after all. The feel that something's gone horribly wrong—and somehow, it's my fault.
Hurtling down Port Island's streets with his team at his back, Mitsuru at his side, Takeharu Kirijo at the other, Minato didn't know why he felt that way, but he did. It was the feeling of a terrible mistake having been made, which only multiplied the dread that solitary bell instilled in his bones. Somewhere, sometime, the wrong choice had been made. He was sure of it.
He wished he could say he was surprised by what awaited them, when they reached the gates of Gekkoukan High. They'd already seen Tartarus' twisted shape reaching toward the huge yellow moon, confirming that it, too, still existed, despite their efforts. The two figures who stood at the mouth of the Tower of Demise itself were, if anything, less of a surprise.
Less of a surprise, but more of a punch to the gut.
"You came as promptly as I expected," Shuji Ikutsuki said, his voice bearing an affability at odds with the circumstances. The way the moonlight reflected from his glasses, giving them an eerie, gleaming opacity, fit the situation far better in Minato's mind. "Of course, this was the obvious place to find answers, wasn't it?"
"Ikutsuki-san," Akihiko bit out. "What's going on here?" He looked past the Chairman, to the figure Minato had already seen. "And why are you with him, Aigis?"
Aigis made no reply. Standing in Ikutsuki's shadow, she only stared at her comrades, eyes eerily blank. She looked more like an emotionless machine than Minato had ever seen her, from the day he first encountered her on the Yakushima beach. No expression, no motion; no reaction at all to Akihiko's query.
"What have you done, Chairman?" Minato demanded, the burn of anger starting to smolder at the core of the ice in his gut.
"Don't be so dramatic, Minato-kun," Ikutsuki said calmly. "Aigis is a weapon—you, of all people, should understand that she isn't human. All I've done is make sure she's properly prepared to carry out the role for which she has always been intended, from the very moment she was made."
"What are you talking about?!" Yukari burst out. "A weapon—what do you mean, her role?!"
"She's supposed to be an Anti-Shadow Weapon," Akihiko said, gazing flickering between the man and the android. "That's what you told us—but you also told us the Dark Hour would end when we defeated those twelve irregular Shadows. That's why we've fought so hard… why we've sacrificed so much!" Leather creaked audibly as his hands clenched into fists. "But that's all a lie, isn't it?"
"You knew this wouldn't be the end," Mitsuru said, picking up the thread. Her voice was beginning to shake—from fear or anger, Minato couldn't tell. Probably both, he thought. "From the very start, you knew that wasn't the way to end this, didn't you?!"
"Very astute, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki acknowledged, sounding strangely proud. "Yes… Of course I knew that destroying those Shadows would not end the Dark Hour, nor destroy Tartarus. Of course not. If that were a possibility, I would never have sent you after them to begin with. They are, after all, necessary. As were your actions—simply not the way you were told."
Metal scraped on pavement somewhere behind Minato; he recognized it as the sound of a spearhead hitting the ground. "You tricked us?" Ken whispered.
Minato hadn't heard the boy sound so horrified since the night Shinjiro died. It was a sound he'd hoped never to hear again.
"Everything that has occurred was necessary for my plan, yes," Ikutsuki said, nodding. "The twelve Shadows were originally one whole, before the experiment was… interrupted. They were destined to be reunited, but could not, in the forms they had taken. Therefore, your efforts were necessary to bring about their re-assimilation."
Now Minato knew why he had the feeling of having made a colossal misjudgment. Part of why, anyway. "To what end, Chairman?" he asked, hands twitching toward the hilts at his shoulders. "You want to complete the research? Gain mastery over time and space?"
"Ah, yes. You would jump to that conclusion, wouldn't you, Minato-kun? But," Ikutsuki said, shaking his head, "I'm afraid your past experiences have led you down the wrong track. Do remember, the experiment at this very spot had changed its goal even before it was disrupted. No, I don't seek to control time. I've gone far beyond that. Soon, thanks to your efforts, Death will come. Death the almighty, who will bring forth the Fall."
The Fall. Didn't Pharos once say…?
"What the hell do you mean?!" Akihiko demanded. "What 'Fall'? What about 'Death'?!"
"The end of all," Ikutsuki clarified. "The ultimate end, freeing us from despair. The death of everything… and yet also the new beginning."
"Do you have anything besides crazy babbling to say?!" When Minato glanced her way, he could see Yukari was trembling. Not that he could blame her; he wasn't feeling much better himself. "You're crazy!"
"Perhaps I seem that way, to you," the Chairman admitted. "You lack the proper context, Yukari. Hm… Let me start at the beginning, then. You see, ten years ago… I, too, was a scientist, at this very laboratory. I was part of the project staff, as well, and I was there that night. I only barely escaped with my life, since, as you've been told, the experiment did go awry." He inclined his head, and for a moment his eyes were visible through the moonlight's glare on his glasses; the expression in them made Minato shiver. "But Tartarus and the Dark Hour were no accident." He turned to look at Mitsuru. "That was why your grandfather gathered together so many Shadows. The one part of the experiment that went off as planned was the harvesting of their power to create the location and conditions you see before you."
Mitsuru shook her head. "No…"
It wasn't really disbelief. Minato could tell, as well as he'd gotten to know her. She knew better than almost anyway the depths to which Kouetsu Kirijo had been willing to sink, in his final years.
Not disbelief, no. But denial of the implications—I think that's a river we'd all like to be sailing down right now. I know I would.
"Yes," Ikutsuki said, nodding again. "All of this was to bring about the Fall. Don't you see? Your grandfather certainly did! He saw how this world has been filled with people, and yet all they've done is turn it into a worthless void! The only hope for it is in ruin, in the destruction of the old in favor of the new! As was foretold in prophecy, long ago!" He grinned; to Minato's eyes, not an expression of amusement. Nor of any sane emotion at all. "Yes! 'The Fall will be orchestrated by the "Prince". And once the Prince has delivered us all, he shall rule the new world as King!'"
He's lost it, Pixie observed in horrified fascination. "Prince"? Prophecy? Even with what Pharos said, that's right out of an Illuminati recruitment flier! And he's off by a good three years, anyway!
Minato was glad some part of his subconscious was still capable of snark. His conscious mind was approaching a state of terror too great to allow rational thought.
If Ikutsuki noticed, or cared, that his audience thought he'd lost his mind, it wasn't evident. "Kouetsu Kirijo tried ten years ago, but he was betrayed. He failed. I will not! I have done what he could do not, and I will be the Prince of prophecy!"
"He's completely out of his mind," Junpei whispered, voice carrying the same mix of fear and bemusement as Pixie.
"You simply lack the proper understanding, Junpei," Ikutsuki replied, some of the insane glee leaving his expression. "And truly, I do apologize for deceiving you all, but I knew none of you would readily understand the truth. This was necessary, for your sakes as well. And if you'll follow me just a little longer, salvation will be yours."
"What kind of 'salvation' is that?!" Fuuka demanded. Her voice was a higher pitch than usual, but clear and steady. "You're saying we'll all die!"
"I knew my father had lost all faith in humanity," Takeharu began, speaking up at last. "But this kind of twisted 'salvation' is a madness even beyond the total nihilism I had believed he succumbed to. And for this, you've put these children through so much—!"
His voice failed him. Minato thought he knew why: he, too, knew the agony of believing someone had been saved, only to have victory cruelly snatched away. For Takeharu, the pain must've been even worse, after the burden he'd carried for a decade already.
"Tell me just one thing," Yukari said, voice shaking, into the gap. "That video from my father… He told us to defeat the Shadows. Was that… was that a lie, too?"
"Ah. That." Ikutsuki shrugged, as if the matter were of no consequence. "Eiichiro Takeba did record the message, certainly; I heard part of it as I made my escape. But… it's true I was forced to make some small edits, when the video was recovered."
"…You doctored… my father's final words…?" Yukari's knees visibly shook. "You… twisted them…?"
"I corrected them," he said firmly, lifting his chin proudly. "Your father truly was a brilliant man, Yukari. I quite sincerely respected him… He saw beyond the Shadows' abilities on their own, and glimpsed the truth. But… he lacked vision. He failed to understand the magnificent potential that the Fall represented, and so he took a… rash action. I was forced to take measures to correct for the interference."
Yukari swayed, face turning a frightening gray, and Minato saw red. Without conscious thought, sword hilts filled his hands, and the red shifted to a silvery tint to his eyes; his vision narrowed to a tunnel filled by Shuji Ikutsuki's body, all whose secrets were suddenly open to him.
A pistol hidden under his tan, pinstriped jacket. A remote control that he was suddenly certain was connected to Aigis. Glasses that seemed, to his Eyes, not to be quite as powerful a prescription as Ikutsuki's usual demeanor tended to suggest he needed.
Beyond that. The wide variety of healed scars any person accrued over a lifetime. More than that, the faint remnants of bone fractures, the kind that might be sustained in the edges of an explosion powerful enough to level a high school building. Body temperature just a few degrees above human average, but not quite unhealthy. A heart beating to a slow, regular rhythm; the calm heart rate of a man completely confident in his own position.
A human body without capacity for Persona, with no weapons beyond a simple semiautomatic pistol, and no armor whatsoever. No superhuman speed, nor strength, nor durability. Unlike Takaya Sakaki, a body that could be killed by one swift, accurate blow.
Soku. Ryu. Geki.
No. He has Aigis in his thrall. If I rush him, she'll move too fast, even for me. It's too far for me to reach, and no time to use my Evoker. But there might still be a way. A particular technique of Shirogane Niten-ryu, one Minato was reluctant to use; it would deprive him of his weapons, even if it worked. But if it does, it won't matter. With Ikutsuki dead, Aigis will not move. I'm sure of it.
Three seconds, perhaps four, Minato contemplated Shuji Ikutsuki's demise. And then, Ikutsuki smiled. "I expected such deductions out of you, Minato-kun," he said calmly. "But the situation is not quite as simple as you may believe."
A transparent bluff. Except Minato could see that it wasn't, even if he couldn't see the actual danger, and so he stayed as he was, not wanting to walk right into whatever trap Ikutsuki had prepared.
"Do you know, 'Minato Arisato'," Ikutsuki continued, "just how concerned I was, when I realized who you were? When I realized just who lay behind the cleverly-forged documentation that concealed your true name, I was genuinely worried you might unravel it all."
He knows who I am. Minato felt a chill pass through his bones at the realization of just how badly he'd been fooled by Ikutsuki's unassuming, even comical facade. He knows—and he knows what I'm doing right now. …How?
Aloud, he said, "My grandfather did realize it, in the end. He called to warn me about you, just as the Dark Hour began."
Ikutsuki nodded. "As I would've expected of the man. Truly, I'm fortunate it took this long. Now, however, it's too late for it to matter. By the time your grandfather could reach this place, it will all by long over."
"Not if I kill you first," Minato said, as evenly as the mix of fury and fear roiling inside him allowed. "You know who I am. You know what I am."
"A youth with the heart of a detective and the soul of an assassin. Yes, I've read your psychiatric profile, Minato-kun. Even if you have overcome the trauma that prevented you from killing Strega, I assure you, I took your potential interference into account months ago." Another wry, twisted smile, eyes hidden by the glare of moonlight. "You made the one critical mistake of not investigating me, Minato-kun, and so gave me time to make proper arrangements. And, of course, to direct you to carry out your true mission."
"This wasn't our true mission!" Yukari shouted at him; almost a scream, now. "You used us, knowing this wasn't what any of us wanted, just for your own dirty work! You used us, and twisted my father's final message!"
"'Used'? 'Twisted'? Those are such ugly words, Yukari." Ikutsuki sighed, shaking his head once more. "It was for the sake of the salvation of the world. How could that possibly be wrong?"
"If you can't understand that, then you're not even human," Mitsuru bit out. "What happened ten years ago was a mistake, one we were trying to correct. That was our role… and one we still intend to carry out. If you still stand in the way…" She drew her Evoker, stepping up by Minato's side.
Yukari followed suit. "I won't forgive you," she whispered, face still a gray pallor. "Not for what you did to us, or what you did to my father."
"G-guys…?" As hypersensitive as Minato's senses were just then, he could hear Junpei swallowing. Then, just as clearly, he heard the tall youth's katana whisper from its scabbard. "No… You're right. They're right, don't you get it?!" he suddenly shouted. "We're not gonna let you get away with this, dammit!"
Still, Ikutsuki seemed unmoved, and Minato could detect no hint of fear in his body. He only sighed again, visibly disappointed. "I had so hoped you would all understand. But, you are all still so young; I suppose it's to be expected that you wouldn't understand… Very well. I've prepared for this eventuality, as well." He reached into his suit jacket, withdrawing the remote Minato had discerned earlier.
Experience told the swordsman to throw his blades, now, while he had a chance. Instinct screamed at him that if he disarmed himself now, even for a moment, it would be the end.
"Very well, then," Ikutsuki said, and pushed one button on the remote. "Aigis, it's time to fulfill your role. Capture them, and prepare them to be sacrificed!"
"…Understood." Aigis' voice sounded empty, dull; emptier of humanity than Minato had ever heard it. With mechanically-precise movements, she stepped out of Ikutsuki's shadow, and headed straight for SEES.
Before Minato could do more than register the fact, Ikutsuki turned his head toward the school's Astronomy Tower, and without pressing anything further on the remote, called out, "Tethys, Rhea, Labrys! Assist Aigis at once!"
In the blink of an eye, three figures fell from the night sky, landing to one side of the gathered team of Persona users. Human-like in structure, but with enough visible gears and latticework to be easily recognized for what they truly were. One with a sword, one with spear, and the last with an enormous ax, all weapons far too heavy to be wielded by humans.
Anti-Shadow Weapons, Minato thought numbly. Three of them. No remote control; Aigis may be fighting this, but they're not. If I'd thrown at Ikutsuki, they'd have killed me before he fell.
Oh, crud. This is gonna hurt.
"I don't think so! Caesar!" At Akihiko's command, a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground right in front of the new arrivals, delaying their advance by just a hair. Looking over his shoulder, the boxer said, "Protect Kirijo-san! We've gotta stop this bastard!"
"Yes, we must!" Leveling her Evoker, Mitsuru glared at Ikutsuki. "You'll pay for what you've done, Chairman! Penthesilea!"
Minato thought he heard Yukari scream something about her father, as the ax-wielding android rushed between Ikutsuki and Mitsuru's attack, but he didn't couldn't quite make out what. He was too busy throwing himself backwards in the face of Aigis' headlong rush, her hand raised knife-edge to attack.
She's fast as ever, he thought, putting every bit of strength he could draw from his Personas into his legs. I think I can keep up, barely—but for how long?! And—I don't want to hurt her!
The whole situation was completely insane. It had gone from a celebration of victory to revelations of impending doom, and before Minato had had a chance to work out exactly how things had changed, he was under attack by one of his own comrades, and the impromptu battlefield was awash with explosions, lightning bolts, and the clash of metal-on-metal.
"Aigis, please!" he shouted, desperately parrying the hand lancing toward his chest, painfully aware of just how strong the android really was. "Snap out of it! Don't let him control you!"
Aigis made no reply. Her hand was successfully deflected, buying him a moment to jump back again, but she didn't hesitate, nor so much as change expressions. She only pushed off the ground with inhuman force, launching a rising knee blow at him this time.
She's not trying to kill me, either, Minato realized, ducking to the side with a bare two centimeters clearance. Ikutsuki has some kind of ritual in mind, he can't afford for us to die yet—I can use that!
The problem, he was reminded a moment later—as the blue-haired android Ikutsuki had called Rhea almost landed a solid blow to his solar plexus with the flat of her sword—was that his blades weren't suited for nonlethal combat. He might've been able to cut off Aigis' limbs, but he could tell she'd just keep on coming unless he managed to disable her outright.
An electrical bolt from Ken's Kala-Nemi flashed by, catching Rhea in the chest. It didn't drop her, but she was visibly stunned for a moment, and it gave Minato an idea.
He almost didn't get to act on it. The distraction that was inspiration gave Aigis an opening to launch a roundhouse kick at left arm, which he was sure would've broken the limb—possibly right off his body—if it had connected cleanly. He had time to move only a small fraction, and her whirling leg still managed to connected with the flat of Ophelia.
Minato let the blade go, rather than try and withstand the blow. It deprived him of his best skills, but in this battle Niten-ryu's greatest weakness was rapidly becoming apparent. This wasn't a fight in which he wanted both hands tied down holding swords.
He let the blade go, turned with the momentum, and fell into a roll, tumbling past Junpei and the spear-wielding Tethys as they dueled. He really has improved, a distant, dizzied part of Minato's mind thought, now-free left hand scrabbling awkwardly for his Evoker mid-roll. Hope he can keep it up—damn, this is crazy!
An ax-kick at terminal velocity nearly put him down for the count even as he rolled upright. The very force of the attack slowed Aigis' recovery for a crucial moment, though, giving him time get his Evoker in position. "Forneus, Decarabia!" he called hurriedly. "Now would be a good time!"
Minato never thought he'd be so glad to see sea creatures in his life. The boost their combined power gave to his feet was one of the most welcome sensations in his life, and probably saved it; Aigis wasn't pulling her attacks by very much.
He wasn't sure if the uppercut to his chin would've been fatal if he hadn't already been moving back from it, but from the stars bursting in his vision, it wasn't a bet he'd have cared to take.
Yukari didn't know if she wanted to scream, cry, or just have a nervous breakdown. Probably a mix of all three, in no particular order. Everything she'd fought for since learning the "truth" of what her father had been involved in had just been revealed as lie, an authority figure she trusted had turned out to be a monster, and now the world around her had dissolved into sheer chaos.
She could only make out scattered moments of conflict. The four Anti-Shadow Weapons were an even more unpredictable threat than Strega, backed by literally inhuman speed and strength, and none of the love of mind games that Takaya had embodied. They were nothing but single-minded violence, and SEES' primary advantage seemed to be pure numbers.
That, and they need us alive, for whatever reason, Yukari thought, firing off arrows as fast as she could nock them. And they're not using Persona. Yet. Dammit, what's happening?!
Akihiko danced across her field of view, bouncing from side to side as he evaded an enormous ax and tried land punches while its wielder recovered. He had no time to try for another Persona attack; the pale-haired android was pressing him too closely.
We didn't see this coming. The only time we've ever fought without being able to prepare in advance, we—
She remembered the battle just on the other side of the doors Ikutsuki stood before all too well. The Emperor and Empress, who had come frighteningly close to killing them all before Fuuka revealed their pattern.
Fuuka, who was currently crouched by Takeharu Kirijo, wide-eyed and making no attempt to summon Juno. Probably, Yukari thought, because she couldn't muster the concentration. The archer wasn't in a position to criticize that; she couldn't, either. As shaken as she was, all she could do was mechanically launch arrows at any target that came within view.
Ken had somehow found the strength to fight more smoothly, even in the face of Ikutsuki's revelation. He was rapidly clashing spear against sword in his tussle with Tethys—but even he wasn't fighting the way she'd seen him since Shinjiro's death.
How can we keep going? In the face of this? If the face of… Dad…
Minato flew past, almost colliding with Junpei, his flailing leg winging Rhea on his way by. Yukari had missed whatever blow hit him, but she thought it couldn't have been too bad; he rolled with the impact and bounced right back to his feet, not even having lost his sword. "Please, Aigis! Don't make me do this again!"
Again? What's he talking about? We've never fought one of our before…
The whole world was wavering in and out of focus. One moment everything felt clear; the next, black despair threatened to overwhelm her. Nothing made any sense anymore at all.
"I won't allow this!" Mitsuru shouted over the clamor. "This isn't what we fought for! This isn't what Aragaki died for!" A sharp crack as she triggered her Evoker, and a storm of ice shards screamed through the air toward Ikutsuki—only for the ax-wielder to break off from Akihiko with frightening speed, leaping away to put that enormous blade between storm and man.
"This should have died ten years ago, with my father!" Takeharu's voice was hoarse, full of pain. "Bad enough these children have had to suffer; I won't permit you to use them any longer!" A sharp bark; one, twice, three more times in succession, as he pulled the trigger of his own mundane weapon.
If Ikutsuki was concerned, he still didn't show it. Labrys simply shifted from where she'd stopped Mitsuru's attack and took the bullets full in the chest, face not so much as flickering at the impact.
A high-pitched cry from one side distracted Yukari from trying to contribute an arrow to the assault, and her head whipped around in time to see Ken hurtle back, struck in the chest by the flat of Tethys' heavy sword. He hit the ground with bruising force—and unlike Minato, he didn't get up again.
"Damn you!" Akihiko exploded. "Enough is enough! Caesar!"
Ziodyne lashed out, connecting boxer and sword-swinging android with flickering gold. Tethys staggered, but kept going, and Akihiko triggered his Evoker a second time, then a third, before sending yet a forth bolt of heavenly wrath into her.
The last seemed to do it. Tethys' body shuddered, for the first time since her arrival she let out a cry, and she collapsed to the ground, twitching and sparking.
Akihiko, too, sank to one knee, gasping for breath; Yukari had never seen him unleash that kind of power in such a short span of time, and it had clearly taken its toll on him.
Too much of a toll. Just as Takeharu's pistol clicked empty, Labrys abandoned her position covering Ikutsuki, launched herself across the meters separating them, and swung the flat of her ax into Akihiko's side. With a grunt of anguish, he toppled, and was still.
Yukari sank to her own knees, hardly noticing she'd run out of arrows at some point. We can't do this, she thought. It's too much… we don't have anything left. There's nothing left of anything. For anything…
A shout of anger, and Minato reentered her field of view. Aigis was on his heels, but he was keeping just far enough ahead; he had his remaining blade in one hand, and the pistol in the other was leveled at Labrys. Not his Evoker, Yukari realized dully; a grapnel shot across intervening space, wrapped around Labrys' right arm, and yanked her ax off to one side.
A fireball, preceded by a canine howl, blazed through the space the ax had previously been blocking, catching Labrys full in the face. She recoiled, letting out a stifled yelp, and in that moment Minato flashed past her, sword blurring.
Labrys' arm fell away, taking her ax with it. The yelp reached a higher pitch—and in one fluid motion, moving faster than Yukari had ever seen, Minato dropped his grappling gun, yanked his Evoker from his belt, and triggered it. The Ziodyne that followed might not have been as strong as what Akihiko had done, but combined with the shock of losing a limb, it sufficed to blast the android clear off her feet, right into Aigis' path.
As her mind-controlled comrade stumbled, Yukari felt almost a flicker of hope, in the depths of her despair. The war had been lost just they thought they'd achieved victory, but maybe they'd at least end with one battle truly won for themselves, meager though it might've been. Something to take with them into the dark…
A pained gasp left the idea stillborn. Junpei's katana was falling to the ground, and blood was spurting from the same shoulder Chidori had nearly cut clean through months before. Rhea followed up the blow with a casual kick to the side of the head, blasting him into unconsciousness.
"Junpei!"
There, at the last, one final chance: as many of SEES as had fallen, those still standing could focus their efforts, with two of their enemies down as well. The spectral, horned-helmeted figure manifesting before Minato flung out another Ziodyne as Aigis recovered from her stumble, sending her to one knee, and then turned its attention to Rhea.
Takeharu had managed to reload at some point, and his gunfire went straight for Rhea's head, accompanied by thunder and a ferocious blizzard.
The combined elemental wrath obscured Rhea from view. Was it enough? Did it work? If she's down, all we need to is snap Aigis out of—
"Aigis! Stop holding back!" Ikutsuki did sound irritated, finally—but still frighteningly confident. "Minato is wearing full body armor and has a healing factor—there's no need to be so gentle!"
"…Understood." Aigis straightened, still sparking, still void of anything resembling emotion. "Activating Orgia Mode."
Orgia Mode? Wait, what's that?! We were never told anything about that!
"Aw, crud," Minato said, quite distinctly—and then Aigis was blazing toward him, faster than even the Persona-boosted swordsman could move. At the same time, she finally opened up with the machine guns in her fingertips, aimed straight for Minato's armored chest. Armor strong enough to let him survive an improvised fuel-air explosion with minimal injury.
In the pair of breaths it took Aigis to reach him, Minato staggered from the rapid-fire impacts. Then she was on him, and rather than try again to batter him into submission, she snatched up his leg, hauling him bodily into the air. She continued the motion, turning it into a full spin.
Coming full circle, she let him go, flinging Minato right into the knot that was Mitsuru, her father, and Fuuka.
Yukari wasn't sure what happened next, after they collapsed into a tangled heap. As despair finally secured its grip on her, her vision was already graying out before footsteps even came close to her. She thought she caught a glimpse of Koromaru running off, and her last coherent thought was a hope that he, at least, would survive.
Then a strangely gentle blow struck the side of her neck, and consciousness gratefully fled.
Consciousness returned reluctantly. The last thing she remembered was seeing Arisato hurtling through the air, then a dizzying tumble and hard, cruel impact; after that, only darkness, and twisted nightmare.
Waking up, Mitsuru quickly realized, wasn't at all an improvement. She was sore all over, her arms felt unnaturally stretched and stressed, and at first all she could see was darkness. She felt like she was missing something important, too, though she couldn't have been unconscious too long; the yellow light that her eyes gradually registered proved it was still the Dark Hour.
She tried blearily to rub her eyes, only to realize that she couldn't move her arms at all. They were held straight out to her sides, strapped to some kind of cold, hard surface.
What the—what's going on?!
The world snapped into clarity, and Mitsuru realized she was fastened to a crude cross made of steel girders—and she wasn't the only one. Turning her head from side to side, she could see that her entire team was similarly crucified, high above the ground. Higher even than she thought at first glance, she realized with another start: the crosses were mounted atop Gekkoukan's Astronomy Tower, which unlike the main building retained its own shape in the Dark Hour.
And the suspended Persona users weren't the only ones there.
"…Huh…? Hey! What the hell?!"
"What's going on here?! Why are we—?!"
Mitsuru heard the others waking up and discovering their plight, but she barely noticed. Her attention was fixed on the figures below them: on Ikutsuki, who watched them impassively from behind shining glasses, and on Aigis, who stood facing him, still as empty of emotion as before.
On the man held in Aigis' iron grip, himself just now seeming to come to.
"Father!"
"Ikutsuki," her father spat, struggling in Aigis' hold. "What do you think you're doing now?! What are you doing with the children?!"
"I would have thought the symbolism obvious," Ikutsuki said casually. "They are to be sacrifices—harbingers of the Fall. This is the final element needed to fulfill the prophecy. The arrangements are complete at long last."
Sacrifices? Mitsuru thought, chilled.
"Like hell!" Iori shouted, grunting as he pulled against his bonds. "I'm gonna tear your damned head off, you son of a bitch! We're not gonna die just for you!"
"I truly am sorry that it had to be this way," Ikutsuki said, shaking his head. Adding to the sheer insanity of the night, he actually seemed sincere. "If you had chosen to follow me to the end, other means could've been used. Sadly, with your refusal, more extreme measures are necessary. Aigis?"
The hand not holding her father in place lifted with mechanical precision, leveling the five gun barrels at his head.
"No, Aigis!" Mitsuru cried desperately. "Don't do this!" You can't! I can't lose him!
"You traitor!" her father snapped, ignoring the threat to himself entirely. "You would murder them, too?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"
"Hardly. How can I be a traitor when I'm holding to the goal my original employer had? I'm merely completing the work your father began, as I've been striving for over the last ten years." Ikutsuki sighed. "A pity that I'm the only one left who truly is. Ten years ago the other survivors were imprisoned or killed thanks to that meddlesome detective, and my few remaining allies were exposed and taken out of the equation earlier tonight. Too late to stop me, but still inconvenient.
"It should've been you in my place, you know. You have no idea how saddened I am that, after all this time, you still fail to understand your father's grand vision."
"My father's vision was nothing but the delusion of a madman who had lost his mind," her father snapped angrily. "Death as a deliverance? That twisted ideology has no place in this world!"
"You truly are a lost cause… Very well, then. I have no use for you at all! Aigis, finish this!"
"No!" Mitsuru struggled against the steel trapping her, feeling Penthesilea fighting alongside her. "Aigis, no! Please! Don't do this!"
Despair threatened to swallow her. She couldn't break free, no matter how hard she tried, and there was still as little life and emotion in the android's eyes as ever. Her grip was solid, holding the elder Kirijo in place despite his own efforts, and her weapon hand was rock steady.
And yet… no bullet came. Aigis—hesitated.
For the first time, a trace of uncertainty appeared on Ikutsuki's face. "Aigis? What are you waiting for? Aigis! I gave you an order!"
Aigis stared at him—and then, slowly, her arm fell away. "…No…" she whispered, the hand gripping Mitsuru's father starting to loosen. "I… am…"
Ikutsuki's face twisted in anger, and his hand darted into his suit jacket. "This is ridiculous! Ten years… ten years I've been forced to wait, because of Takeba's meddling! I will not fail at the last! I'm not like Kouetsu Kirijo was—I won't allow even you to stand in my way, Takeharu Kirijo!"
His hand came out with a pistol. At the same time, Mitsuru's father tore free of Aigis' weakening hold, yanked a second gun of his own from behind his back, and leveled it at his treacherous subordinate. In ironic synchronous, the weapons came on target at the same moment—
BOOM.
"Father!"
For one eternal, agonizing moment, there was stillness. The two gunmen stayed as they were, pistols leveled at one another, just as they'd been before the simultaneous gunshots. From Mitsuru's position, she couldn't even tell if either of them had been hit.
Then, as if in slow motion, Takeharu Kirijo's pistol fell from slack fingers, and he slumped to the roof. And no matter how hard she looked, Mitsuru could see no sign of movement. Not even shallow breath.
"Father…!"
Ikutsuki staggered, coughing. "Damn you," he got out, free hand clutching at a rapidly-spreading red stain in his left side. "So close… but there's still… time. Aigis, execute the sacrifices! Quickly!"
Aigis turned to face the seven crosses. For a moment, all she did was look, but then her hands came up, aiming her built-in guns at one in particular.
No! Not him, too! You can't kill him, Aigis! Please!
"Dammit, Aigis!" Iori shouted. "You gotta snap out of it! You're one of us, dammit!"
Aigis' aim remained steady—yet she still did not fire, and Ikutsuki's face twisted. "Finish this now, Aigis!" he snarled. "Fulfill your mission! Fire!"
"…I will fulfill… my highest priority." As Mitsuru shouted wordless denial, other voices joining hers, Aigis opened fire, unleashing a series of short, precise bursts. Seven times, in the span of two seconds, she fired with the inhuman accuracy of a machine, hitting her targets dead on.
Mitsuru's restraints snapped under the assault, and she fell to the roof with her comrades. Pain lanced up her arms from the impact, and her knees felt at first like they would break from the landing.
Not one shot hit her, or the others, and now Aigis turned to level her weapons at Ikutsuki. "My highest priority is to defend Minato Arisato," she said clearly, emotion returning to her voice and manner at last. "You will not hurt him, or his friends!"
The confidence, the years-old mask of affability, had vanished completely from Ikutsuki's face, replaced with an ugly scowl of rage. "You defective machine…! Damn you! You're nothing but a tool, and you will obey my orders!" Letting go of the hole in his side, he snatched out the remote again. "End this, damn you—!"
A literal howl of fury interrupted him, and a blur of cream-colored fur rushed across Mitsuru's vision. Ikutsuki's frustrated command turned into a cry of agony as a knife bit into his left wrist, pained reflex sending the remote flying from his hand.
Mitsuru didn't know, then or later, how or when Koromaru got clear up to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, nor how Ikutsuki had missed him to begin with. All she knew was that he'd arrived right when they needed him most, and the dog was in no mood to take prisoners.
Before Ikutsuki could recover enough of his wits to remember he was still holding a pistol, Koromaru braced himself, howled to the bright yellow moon, and summoned the enormous three-headed dog that was his Persona. Cerberus stood protectively before the still-weak humans of SEES, echoed its master's howl, and breathed fire at the man who had betrayed them.
Ikutsuki cried out as his suit burst in flames—but somehow, inexplicably, maintained some degree of calm, as if his madness had grown so far as to detach him from what was happening. "You don't get it!" he shouted, an insane grin lighting up his face. "Humanity has ruined this world! In this state of pathetic decay, the only thing that can save it is destruction—destruction, and rebirth into a new world, that I would rule!"
He lifted his pistol once more, even as flames consumed his suit, prompting Aigis to step forward. After a moment, though, he let it fall again, and he staggered back a step, towards the edge of the roof.
"Now… you've destroyed that chance, too," Ikutsuki whispered. "Ten years… I came so close, only to fail at the very end…"
Chuckling to himself, Shuji Ikutsuki stepped back off the roof, trailing fire and mad laughter until he fell out of sight.
Mitsuru felt like falling with him. Even as the rest of SEES finally picked themselves up, she collapsed to her knees by her father's still body, vision clouding over with tears. She didn't bother checking for a pulse; she knew that if there had been any hope at all, Arisato and Yamagishi would already be doing something.
It was over. Everything she'd worked for, for ten years, had been torn away, proven a sham. And the one thing she wanted most, out of all the pain and suffering she'd endured…
She didn't know how long she knelt there, staring through a veil of tears at her father's body. How long it was before she felt a hand on her shoulder, a silent gesture that she wasn't alone. "Ten years ago," she choked out, when Arisato reminded her the others were there, "my father made a promise. He swore that he'd atone… for what his father had done. For putting our generation in danger. He said… he'd do so even if it cost him… his life… But I didn't want that! I embraced the power that had been forced on me… so I could protect him… because I wanted him to live!"
The others might've said something in reply. If they did, Mitsuru never noticed, collapsing into undignified sobs, uncaring now what anyone thought of her.
She'd come so far… fought so hard… and none of it meant anything. The victory she'd cherished had been nothing but a lie; all their achievements were nothing but ashes. Everything they'd done had been in the service of a cause directly opposite what they'd believed.
And in the end, the one she'd most wanted to protect was gone. Her reason for fighting had been ripped away.
Nothing mattered anymore…
Author's Note:
Um. Ouch. Me, if I were going into this story blind, not knowing the canon events, this would be mood whiplash so bad I'd be wearing a neck brace. And wanting to strangle the author. If I didn't know things got better from here, I'd hate myself about now.
As it is, there is definitely one aspect of this chapter that I truly loathe. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate having used the "extra Anti-Shadow Weapons" plot device. I've seen it done before, and I never liked it when other authors used it; I am deeply unhappy at having had to resort to it myself. Worse, it is nothing but a plot device; while I'll be sure to at least have the dangling plot threads properly addressed, they're still going to be Put On a Bus after this, because they have absolutely no relevance to the rest of the story.
Unfortunately, I could not think of any other way to handle this. The canon event simply does not make sense. Even bewildered and reluctant to fight, I simply cannot accept that all of SEES would be defeated by Aigis alone, even with my having saved Orgia Mode for this event (yes, it was entirely deliberate that it never turned up in prior chapters). This was the only answer I could come up with, and I do not like it one bit.
Well. My hate for doing it aside, I suppose the only other thing to point out about it is that, yes, there is a reason none of the ASWs used Persona in the fight. It may not be a good reason—not that anything to do with them was—but there is one, and it'll be dealt with along with the other details in the next chapter.
So. Emotional gut-punch over, next chapter can start the unfortunately gradual climb back up. Thankfully the next Wham Episode at least won't knock back anybody's character development. In the meantime, let me know what you think? -Solid
