34.

3.26.16

"I feel like I should know you kids by name," the ticket seller said, handing Yosuke the tickets through the window. Yosuke rolled his eyes and snatched the tickets, divvying them out as they boarded the train. He sat next to Chie, noticing that she edged a bit away from him. Why not? Seemed like all of womankind had a bone to pick with him. Even Naoto, whom he didn't always think of as a woman, probably had a bone to pick with him. If Teddie put on his Alice dress, he too would have a bone to pick with Yosuke. He leaned back against his seat, tilted his chin up and closed his eyes.

"No answer," said Souji, which was a surprise to no one. They hadn't been expecting much even when he called Iori, and working down the list of Iori's teammates had yielded similar results. Yosuke heard Chie shift on the seat beside him, probably worried that Yukiko hadn't picked up.

"It's good," Kanji said, though he sounded subdued. "They've probably already gone through the gate."

"Would've been nice to know which gate they used," Yosuke said, not moving. "I just hope Shirogane-san warned them about the cliff and the scythe-god-whatever."

"Assuming he did, and Shirogane-san doesn't seem to be the type to forget," Souji said, "we'll enter through the Persona graveyard." There was another pause, and Yosuke heard him tap his thumbnail against his phone. "Should we try Naoto's team?"

"Why not?" Kanji asked abruptly - challengingly.

"Yeah," Chie said after a moment. "Probably they're still heading back for the estate, where Yakushiji-san will tell them what he told us. And then they'll head back up here. Naoto might want us to wait for her before we enter." She sounded hopeful. Yosuke didn't deny that a serious, in-depth planning session would be nice. He heard Souji dial.

"Nothing," he said after a moment.

Yosuke opened his eyes and looked forward. "That's not right. They were on their way to Yasoinaba last we heard from them."

"It-" Kanji closed his eyes a moment, gathering himself. "It doesn't mean anything. She turns off her phone when she's in the middle of something. She's prolly just planning with the others."

Yosuke glanced at Kanji, impressed that he'd kept it together. But now wasn't the time for compliments. "If Naoto wants us to wait for her, she'll call." He left the If she can call unsaid. She had Rise, she had Sanada's healing - they should assume she was okay.

He didn't take it as a good sign that they didn't really talk all the rest of the train ride.

"Okay," Souji muttered, unshouldering his sword as they walked up The Dorm's driveway, "be ready for an attack. Kirijo probably guessed we'd be this way." But as they cautiously opened the door, they met with no assault, nor any obvious sign of Iori's team having met with trouble. Just a note that read graveyard.

"That makes it simple," Yosuke said with some relief. "But chances are good we won't find them waiting for us. If it isn't a trap left by Kirijo anyway."

"I'm grateful that you're an optimist," Souji said.

3.26.16

It got hotter the further south they went. At regular intervals, Rise called out their distance from the ghost, and Naoto, not only for Rise's peace of mind, was careful to maintain a wide berth. Kanzeon was homing in on the gate's exact location, but they also found themselves drawing gradually closer to the ghost.

They walked on hard-packed dirt and rock surrounded by high, stony ridges, down winding alleys with boulders on either side, the sky sometimes blocked to only a thin strip. They paused in a small cave, its stone impossibly warped and rippled above them. Without waiting for Naoto to ask, Rise said, "We're less than a kilometer from the ghost. The gate is..." She paused, letting Kanzeon's satellites sway. "The gate's a little beyond the ghost."

Naoto removed her cap and ran a hand through her hair, her fingernails filthy. "I wonder if it's prudent to assume there are other gates relatively near."

"I don't see anything," Rise said. "Naoto, we can't take this ghost on. It's too powerful."

Naoto didn't reply, afraid she'd unleash the flood of doubts - should she have gone with Sanada and Takeba, should they have asked Takeba to make a gate, should they have tried to climb back to their original gate? Should they keep going and trust the landscape would hide them from view? Should they start off in an entirely new direction and hope they found another gate? After a moment, she trusted her voice to remain steady. More or less. "Does the ghost move at all?"

"It hasn't."

Perhaps it can't. Would it do her any good to hope? "Let's sit and rest," she said, lowering herself to the ground. "We want to...plan intelligently."

Kanzeon shattered, and Rise let herself plunk down, whooshing out a pent-up breath. "This is crazy. The two of us out here, no healing, your dodgy spells... I wish Senpai was here." She rubbed her eyes, then looked quickly at Naoto. "Not that I don't trust you-"

"I understand," Naoto said, too tired to be anything but honest. "I wouldn't mind having Souji-senpai or any of the others here myself."

Rise twisted her mouth around in a wry grimace. "You didn't understand me at all. Sure, I'd like to have another person with us, but I'd really like to have Senpai with us."

Naoto stared at her in confusion, then blushed and looked away. "Oh. Yes. I see. Of course."

"C'mon, don't tell me you're surprised."

"Well - I mean, yes, I've heard you say you love him, but I've never...put much thought into it."

"Well, neither has he, it looks like." Rise sighed and began finger-combing her hair, trying to get the rest of the sand out. Naoto drew her pistol; after two short battles, it could use a cleaning, but she didn't have her kit with her. She'd have to trust it would maintain its accuracy. Of course, if I'm fighting an enormous "too powerful" ghost, is accuracy even a concern? She slipped it back into her pocket.

Rise seemed perturbed, re-parting her hair with too much indifference. "Do you have anything like a plan?"

Naoto closed her eyes. "I'm intrigued by the fact that the ghost hasn't moved. Can you tell if it's asleep? If the dead Personas in this world are immobile, does that argue that the ghosts would be the same?"

"We think Kirijo's a ghost, or something like one," Rise said. "Can she move in here? Sounds kinda silly, but..." Naoto shook her head, at a loss. Rise fell back into contemplation.

Naoto swallowed with an effort. "We're both becoming dehydrated. We need to get to a water source."

"I haven't seen any rivers. So you're going to suggest we keep making for the gate."

"We'll assess the area around the gate. Let's go."

The terrain prevented them from seeing far in any direction; Naoto wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she could tell that they were approaching the ghost - the air seemed even hotter, bathing her face with sweat. She listened for any sounds of movement, but she had no idea what to expect. Rise counted off their proximity to the ghost in a mumrur. Naoto kept her gun drawn, finger resting at an angle from the trigger.

She almost fired as the white figure flashed in front of her. But she paused, her breath punching up through her chest, because she instinctively knew who it was.

Light slid across Yamato Takeru's long visor as he tilted his face down to look at her, his yellow eyes half-seen behind the curved black pane. His saber hung sheathed on his hip, but his sword hand was extended from his side, barring their path. He was just smaller than Naoto, yet both she and Rise had halted.

"What are you doing?" Rise asked her.

"I didn't do anything," Naoto said, staring at her hovering Persona. She couldn't read his expression - which was ridiculous - they were one being. How could she not know what he was doing?

"You don't want us to keep going," Rise said, looking at Naoto, not her Persona. "At least, part of you doesn't."

"That's obvious. But we need to keep going," Naoto said, taking a step forward. Rise walked alongside her - then was jerked back.

"What the-?" Still wearing her visor, she turned to face Kanzeon. Her Persona hadn't moved to follow her. "What...?"

Naoto had stopped barely short of Yamato Takeru, just below his eye level. She sighed, not needing to look back as she said to Rise, "Part of you doesn't want to go on either?"

"We have to. C'mon, Kanzeon!" The Persona shivered, as though she were about to disappear, then drifted behind Rise. Yamato Takeru glided out of their path, but though Naoto didn't choose to manifest him, he remained physically present, flying just above her. Something had changed, something strong enough to draw their Personas unevoked from them. She knew it meant danger, but it was also somehow comforting. They felt like more than two people. And only one fighter. If something happens, it's up to me. What I wouldn't give even for a Dia.

The air shifted, whistled as if parted by metal. Naoto glanced at Rise, then up at her Persona, wishing she could see through his eyes, ask him to fly up and scan the terrain. She didn't need to ask if they were close to the ghost, or the gate.

"The gate is directly ahead, we're about twenty meters away," Rise whispered. "The ghost-" she gestured to the left "-forty or so meters in that direction. That barrier-" she pointed at a rock wall in front of them "-stops a few meters down over there. We can run around it, and then I think we have a clear shot at the gate." Her voice was steady. "But I don't think there's a wall or anything that can protect us from the ghost."

"We have to do this," Naoto said. This close to freedom, she couldn't accept another option. "Get ready." They edged along the side of the wall, coming to its corner. Naoto peered around. She'd hardly noticed it, but the rocklands had darkened to an iron red. The boulders were splashed with shifting shadows - firelight shadows, coming from some point Naoto couldn't yet see. Ahead, she discerned the faint outline of the gate. Finally, she tipped her head up to look at Yamato Takeru. His sword was drawn. "Okay, Rise-chan. Don't waste time looking at the ghost."

Kanzeon disappeared, and Rise half laughed, half sighed with exasperation. "I'll be surprised if you can resist. C'mon, let's prove Chie-senpai's not the fastest runner on our team."

They burst from their cover.

Naoto couldn't help it - in the corner of her eye, she saw a whirling, fire-laced shape, metal swinging, flashing in the sun. She faced forward, trying to ignore, focus only on the gate - Rise was ahead of her, hair flying - somehow she was dodging the worst of the rocks, barely stumbling -

She felt the heat shift and threw herself to the ground as an Agidyne passed over her, exploding against one of the rocks. She'd already pushed to her feet again, not wasting time to counterattack, just running for the gate. Rise, faster, leapt up and hurtled through the light, disappearing.

The gate was glittering, bright and hard as diamond. Naoto instinctively slid, fanning dust and pebbles around her, even as the gate closed in on itself and vanished.

3.26.16

Yukari glanced at Akihiko as they walked through the poplar forest, but she was done talking to him. Let Mitsuru do the explaining - she'd done it often enough. Yukari shook her head, trying not to dwell on their old SEES days, Mitsuru briefing them on their missions, explaining the natures of Personas and Shadows. As complicated as it had been back then, she'd have given much to go back. And not merely to see Minato again.

A raw ache pulsed in her chest at the thought of him. She glanced at Akihiko again. Did he feel that way for Mitsuru? He couldn't. There was no way he could kill Mitsuru if he felt that. If he loved her, he'd be trying every single thing possible to save her.

Mitsuru doesn't need to be saved. We're doing the right thing. It felt hollow, but that didn't mean it was wrong - it just meant she was doubting, but that didn't mean it was wrong.

She thought again of Minato, as she'd seen him last. It was sometimes hard to consider anyone else's pain over losing him, Mitsuru's guilt. She'd once partially blamed Mitsuru, her family, for beginning the cycle that had led to Minato's Seal.

And Mitsuru must have felt that. She was fighting with all her being to undo her family's legacy.

Mitsuru will convince him. She's the only person he's ever been afraid of. An incongruous smile jumped to her lips, and she straightened it out. C'mon, don't get nervous, don't get hysterical. This is going to be all right. It's all fine.

She spotted something white ahead in the trees.

3.26.16

Rise fell forward into a scattered heap of paperback books and manga, sliding across someone's bedroom floor. She lay panting, opening and closing her eyes as she looked around. Then she flipped over. "Naoto?"

She faced empty wall. No gate. There was a wet red trail beneath the electrical outlet, but no more blood came from the sockets.

"No," Rise said. She sat up. "Naoto! Naoto!" She slammed her palms against the wall, as if the staid beige wallpaper was nothing but an illusion. "You can't - no - Dammit, no!" But she knew that, no matter what it felt like, Naoto was no longer just behind her; she was a universe away.

Leaning against the wall, Rise pushed herself to her feet, looking around the room. It seemed to be a guy's bedroom - unmade futon, a laundry hamper full of clothes shoved in one corner, a golf club - golf club?

Rise ran out the door, down the hall and into the house's front room, her eyes falling on the enlarged photo of herself and her friends. "Yes, thank you!" She didn't care that she was crying or that she had no idea whom she was thanking. Her eyes fell on a note, reading graveyard. Graveyard - graveyard - Which room had they said that was? Yosuke's room. She dashed back up the hall, past Teddie's room to the bedroom at the end, evoking as she ran.

3.26.16

They could only assume that the plate-armored knight Persona, its right arm wrenched up, its index finger pointing west, was a sign left by Iori's team to tell them which direction to go in. In any case, it was the only prompt they had. Chie and Yosuke set off at jogs, running ahead of Souji and Kanji. It wasn't as good as Rise or Teddie's surveillance, but it was the best they could do.

They finally left the Persona graveyard behind, leading to more fields of asphodels. On their left they could see a thick dark forest; to their right, nothing but fields. They'd stopped several times to rest, once to share out the food and water they'd bought at the train station, before they came to a long sandy shoreline. The water, reflecting the sky, was a rich, mellow amber, crashing in a creamy froth as it hit the land.

"Whoa," said Yosuke.

"It's beautiful." Chie stamped her foot. "Dammit, I hate this place, so why does it have to be so pretty?"

"Looks kinda empty without any birds though," Kanji said.

"I don't think Iori's managed to build a boat and cross," Souji said, looking out over the ocean. "I mean, they're good, but they're not that good. Let's take a rest and see if they left another marker for us."

They had no way of judging the time here, but it seemed to be growing late. The sky was darkening, its edges tinting to red. They didn't mention it, but none of them could actually locate a sun in the sky, so they didn't know if it was setting; the sky simply dimmed equally in all directions, spreading towards the zenith. The clouds gathered, blotting the light, casting everything into a red glow. It wasn't a bloody red - it was just as pretty as the other sky had been - but none of them liked it.

"Guys," Yosuke called out; they'd scattered along the beach, but they were all within shouting distance, "I have the distinct feeling that night in this place isn't fun. What d'you say we...close ranks?"

It was still warm, so there was no need to build a fire, though it would've been comforting. But there wasn't any driftwood, nor did any of them carry a lighter. Or have a simple Agi spell, though Souji blandly offered to incinerate the beach with an Agidyne. Yosuke cursed cruel destiny as they sat in a tight circle and ate.

"We should sleep in shifts," Chie said presently. Nobody said they were staying on the beach for the night, but then, no one got up to keep going either. "Um, I'll go first."

"Thanks." Yosuke stretched and lay back (Chie scooted away from him again), crossing his arms behind his head. "Dammit. This sucks."

"I dunno," Kanji said after a moment from the other side of the circle. "I mean, hell knows what this place is, but it's kind of...pretty here."

"The clouds are clearing up a bit," came Souji's voice after a moment. "Any of you guys recognize those stars?"

"Shit, does this place even have a moon?" Kanji asked.

"If you're done stargazing," Yosuke said, "can we please sleep during the slender moments when we're not in mortal peril?"

"It's been too peaceful," was Souji's answer. "I was expecting Kirijo to be waiting for us."

"Maybe she was," Chie said. "Maybe Iori-san and the others already cleaned that up."

"No signs of battle." Souji yawned. "Maybe she's running out of ghosts. We can hope."

"I love the way you people listen to me," Yosuke muttered.

3.27.16?

By the time his watch came around - Souji had taken the final watch - he was working on the assumption that it was the next day, though whether a day had passed in Japan, nobody could know. They hadn't slept much, even once they'd stopped talking, lying on the soft sand, left to worry and speculate.

It was still dark, the sky having deepened several hours ago to burgundy. Souji stared up at the patches of unfamiliar stars, then at the shifting waves, then back to the fields. Empty as always. Kanji lay on his back, fingers plaited on his chest, snoring gently. Chie lay on her stomach, cheek resting on her folded arms; he couldn't tell if she was really asleep. At some point, Yosuke had wriggled closer to Chie and, whether or not it had been intentional, if Chie noticed, Yosuke was in for universes of hurt. Souji sighed, wishing he had blankets to cover them with.

Light sparked across the field.

Souji stood, raising his sword. Wordlessly, Chie also climbed to her feet. Kanji shook himself, and Yosuke sat up half-awake, cutting off a question.

"C'mon," Souji said. "No point getting backed against a wall." By which he meant the ocean, where it would be more than difficult to fight. They advanced cautiously across the field, Kanji bringing his trash can lid up, Yosuke spinning his knives. Chie jogged forward - then cried out and broke into a run, rushing headlong towards the distant figure.

"What the-? Idiot!" Yosuke, then Kanji, then Souji, launched into a run after her. And when they realized what she was running towards, they didn't slow down.

Kanzeon shimmered and vanished as Chie threw her arms around Rise, knocking both of them to their knees. "Are you all right?" Chie said. "Damn, I hate having everyone separated like this. You're okay?"

"No." Rise stood, shaking messy curls out of her face. She saw Souji, took a half step towards him, then firmed her chin.

"Where are the others?" Souji said, looking past her for Naoto and Sanada.

"Like I said," Rise answered heavily, "we're not okay."

"The hell you saying?" Kanji demanded.

Rise threw him an abstracted glance, then focused on Souji. "We chased down one of Kirijo's friends, Yukari Takeba. She - we got into Elysion, then we couldn't get out. And she said she'd take us to Kirijo, but only Sanada was willing to go with her. So we split up, and I haven't seen them since." She swallowed. "Naoto and I went looking for another gate. And we found that - that Kronos thing."

They waited for her to say what had happened next. Rise bit her lip, looking at Souji, face tense and still. Souji took a deep breath. "Naoto's dead?"

Rise burst into tears. "Damn, I don't know! The gate was right there, and I got through, but she didn't, and when I tried to go back, it was gone! So I don't - she was left right there with it - I didn't mean to leave her, I swear I didn't!"

Biting her lower lip, Chie put her arm around Rise's shoulders. Kanji stared at Rise, breathing hard. "But you - you didn't-" His voice was too thin, and it snapped entirely.

"You didn't see her die?" Yosuke said quietly.

"Don't get our hopes up!" Rise shouted. "That Kronos thing, it's huge and she's - you've seen her in fights, she's weak!"

"You shut up!" Kanji shouted back; Rise's head jerked up, face stricken. "We can't stand here feeling sorry for ourselves! We hafta get back to that Kronos and shove its scythe-"

"The gate's closed," Souji broke in.

"And by foot, it'll probably take hours to get there," Yosuke continued. He braced as Kanji wheeled on him, fists clenched. "Yeah, I get you. We're all worried about her. We just have to be - realistic about this."

"To hell with realistic!" Kanji shouted. "I-" He closed his eyes, forehead furrowed, fists at his sides. "I don't care if she's already dead or what I find there or anything - I'm still going to slaughter that thing."

Yosuke winced; Souji suspected he was remembering Saki Konishi. "I - Yeah. C'mon, we're gonna find her. Right, partner?" Souji nodded.

Rise stepped away from Chie, dragging the back of her hand across her gritty face. "Kanji, I - I'm so sorry."

Kanji looked away from her, lips tightly together, restraining a tide of angry words. He gulped for breath, blinked, then stepped forward and hugged her hard, lifting her off her feet. When he set her down, he turned quickly away, and Rise looked like she was about to cry again.

But she didn't. She summoned Kanzeon.