35.
3.26.16
The inferno of Kronos' heart opened before her, blooming like a six-petaled asphodel. She knew she had to move, but she couldn't look away, glittering lights framing her vision. She saw a shadow at Kronos' heart, twisting and folding as she tried to focus. Her bones vibrated, there was a rapid shaking in her head - she heard herself screaming - Yamato Takeru writhed in the air - the shadow trembled into a shape, a tall slender woman, then a boy on a cross - a hesitant question, a beckoning, a command -
Biting her lower lip, she cut off the scream and jumped into a run, dashing towards the small canyon she and Rise had emerged from seconds before. An Agidyne blasted above her, barely burning the small of her back, but it only made her move faster, pitch headlong for cover. She nearly fell a second time, following Yamato Takeru's darting shape, spells roaring around her. She was too frightened to feel any pain.
The rock walls closed around her, dark and relatively cool. The spellfire didn't slacken, blasting against the walls, close enough that Naoto thought she could feel the air shake and shrivel.
She fell to her hands and knees, breathing hard, legs weaker than she'd realized, shivering as Yamato Takeru descended and vanished, seeping back into her skin. She splayed her arms for balance, muscles agonized, skull twisting like a rag, Yamato Takeru a staccato murmur below her thoughts. This was her Persona's pain. What had Kronos done - been trying to do - to him? To herself.
Thoughts were coming back to her piecemeal - Yamato Takeru's condition, the attendant pain from her own body, Rise getting to safety, her terrible thirst. Her lower lip bled, and she found herself sucking on it - then spat. The saline blood would only make her thirstier. Of course. Remember the basics. Very well then. Alive for the moment. And trapped. Now what?
Closing her eyes, she gave herself a moment, an attempt to gather both mental and physical resolve. It was enough to let her stand, tighten her fingers on the pistol. She had to plan. What did she know? Rise had gotten through the gate. She remembered what Souji had said about his room leading to Kronos, and as Rise hadn't scanned any other nearby gates, Naoto assumed Rise must have landed in The Dorm. She'd be safe, unless Kirijo had posted one of her ghosts there. Which wasn't beyond her.
Nothing seems beyond her. Naoto pushed the thought aside. Ghost or not, she was originally a human. She must have her limitations. She took a bullet wound to the chest - she couldn't simply be a ghost. And Sanada's on his way to her, and heaven knows if he can actually kill her. What happens if he sides with her?
The spellfire had finally quieted. Trying to moisten her lips, which felt as chapped and ragged as the surrounding rocks, Naoto approached the wall nearer to Kronos. She'd speed-read several myths concerning Kronos - a Titan, father of the Greek pantheon - but she wasn't sure if they'd been at all helpful. He'd overthrown his father, the embodiment of the sky. He'd swallowed each of his children, the gods, keeping them alive in his body. But his youngest child Zeus had been kept hidden, finally avenging his siblings by killing Kronos, forcing him to disgorge them. Some legends said he was imprisoned and bound in a dreamlike stupor, others that he ruled Elysion. What all this meant in reality, or even if this ghost were Kronos, Naoto wasn't sure. You had to know your opponent to strategize, and Naoto wasn't sure which she knew less, Kronos or Kirijo.
What was that boy on the cross? Naoto thought back to the brief vision she'd had of Kronos' heart. She was familiar with the Christian symbol, the history behind it, but she instinctively felt this was something different. She tried to remember any crucifixion linking to a legend of Kronos or Elysion, but she came up with nothing.
This isn't what I should be focusing on. I need to stay alive. Therefore, her first plan was to retrace her steps, search for a water source and, though she doubted there was any, food. Come now, you can do it. It's what your friends would tell you if they were here.
Large tears pushed up her eyes, over the lids. For that moment, she couldn't remember why she'd ever preferred working alone. She would've given so much to know she'd see them again, that they'd all be safe, that she could apologize for all the times she'd been cold or...
No. Not at all. How could she wish her friends here, trapped? Wanting them near, was that love or just selfishness?
I've always been selfish, wanting them or pushing them away. They're better off clear of this. I wish they'd never come at all. Swallowing, angry with herself, somehow angry with her friends for caring enough to follow her, she abandoned that line of thought and started walking, too quickly, not able to pace herself.
By the time the clouds had gathered and the sky deepened to red, she'd passed the first gate Takeba had made, then turned in roughly the same direction Takeba and Sanada had taken. She wasn't following them; she was assuming it would lead to more forgiving terrain. She walked until darkness and fatigue almost rendered her blind, then she curled up in the shadow of a boulder and fell into uneasy sleep. She didn't see that Yamato Takeru manifested and stood over her, sword drawn.
3.27.16?
"This is - oh hell." Chie's voice broke, her eyes tearing up.
"What?" Yosuke whirled around, looking for any sign of trouble. The poplar forest was tranquil, shot through with golden morning light. "What's wrong with you?"
"I think this is the forest where I found Aigis-san," Chie said quietly. "It's just - I know we'd barely just met, but it's really sad. She must've died all alone."
"She's a machine," Yosuke said. "Can't she be...rebooted?"
"I wondered that too, but I'm not sure."
"Keep up the pace, guys," Souji called back, though the glance he threw over his shoulder wasn't unkind. After making sure they were still following, he turned his attention to Rise and Kanzeon, who walked alongside him, then to Kanji, several strides ahead.
Chie glanced at Yosuke, then jogged to half the distance between herself and the others, Yosuke not far behind. "What're we gonna do?" she muttered under her breath. "Naoto's going to be - dead, and how're we supposed to take on this Kronos thing?"
"Worry about how we're going to keep Kanji from getting himself killed," Yosuke said grimly. "He's - I can't say I don't know how he feels, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to stop him if I can."
"We can't just walk away. We need to avenge her. I mean, right?"
"We need to take down Kirijo. You know it, I know it, and if you're still going to argue, I'll say that Naoto knew it too."
"I'm...not arguing." Chie sighed and shook her head. "But it's all so... If our goal is to find Kirijo, why are we heading for Kronos?"
Yosuke glanced at Souji. "I think our leader has one of his notions. Either that, or he doesn't want his face transplanted to the bottom of Kanji's boot."
"Knowing him, I'm going to go with notions." Chie lengthened her stride. "Can't be worse than Izanami, right? At least...not much worse?" She walked ahead, then half-stepped back. "We need to stick together, Yosuke. Don't do anything stupid."
"That should be your motto," Yosuke retorted.
"No, I meant-" She shook her head again. "It's not important. There's too much going on now." She exhaled sharply, then gave a false smile. "We'll argue when this is over, okay?"
Yosuke raised his eyebrows, unsure how to take the joke. Then shrugged, mind shifting back to more immediate problems. "Whatever. It's a date."
3.27.16?
Kanji knew it wasn't the smart thing to do, but that wasn't the point.
And he knew it wasn't what Naoto would want - a seam down his chest ripped open at just thinking her name - but that wasn't the point either. The point wasn't in dying along with her or bringing her body back or making up for never saying he loved her. Useless, all of it. He hated Naoto right then for being stupid enough to die alone and unprotected. He hated that she was small and weak and her Persona had no curing spells. He hated that she was cocksure and unrelenting and cold. He hated the soft planes of her face and her fine-cut angled eyes. The point was that he refused to walk away and accept that her killer would live.
At the edge of his anger, he was grateful that Souji hadn't argued. He would've gone alone if he had to, but Souji's presence was steadying. As for Rise, he'd forgiven her, had forced himself to acknowledge that she hadn't helped kill Naoto. She was in pain, and he'd hold nothing against her. But he couldn't look at her right now. He hardly thought of Chie and Yosuke, no more than he thought of the scenery.
He didn't notice at first when Rise and Souji stopped, not until the latter said his name. Then he halted and looked back - and noticed the corpse stretched on the rocky slope. It was a man in a dingy business suit, his arms flung over his head. There were four deep gouge marks in his back, a broad gash as if from a sword, but not a drop of blood.
"A ghost," Rise confirmed.
Yosuke had knelt by the corpse's hand. "He's pointing west. Heh, cute." He cleared his throat weakly, forehead pinched. "Do you think it's another memo left by Iori?"
"If it is," Souji said, "they got way off track after they left the graveyard."
"It could happen, if they had to start fighting," Chie said.
"What d'you think, Souji?" Yosuke rose, dusting off his hands. "I keep thinking we need to rendezvous with Iori and the others." Kanji pivoted to face him and Yosuke glanced away.
Chie bit her lower lip. "I...I kind of agree with Yosuke." She winced as she looked at Kanji. "I mean, we have to stop Kirijo, it's what Naoto would've wanted."
"I don't give a damn what Naoto would've wanted," Kanji said.
"Look, let's not get into a fight." Yosuke's tone was calm but firm. "I'll go wherever the rest of you go. I'm just saying we need to keep everything in mind."
Souji stared at the body, deep in thought, then looked up. "Okay, I think it's important to investigate Kronos."
"Fine," Yosuke said equably. "Let's keep going."
"But," Souji went on, "we don't want to lose track of Iori and the others. So-"
"You can't be serious," Chie interrupted. "You're breaking us up?"
"That's right," Souji said, not smiling. "Yosuke and Chie, your Personas are pretty balanced. I want you to head west and see if you find any traces of the others."
"Hell no!" Yosuke said. "You two aren't going up against Kronos without us. You - you don't have a Dia between you!"
"You said getting to Iori is important," Souji argued. "And you're right. Rise'll scan ahead for you, so the moment you sense a living Persona, you'll know where to home in."
"What? Senpai!" Rise was so upset Kanzeon shattered. "No, you're not taking Kronos on without backup! It's - are you two just going to go off and die fighting Kronos because you think you have something to prove?"
Souji didn't flinch. "I want to see Kronos again. As for Kanji, I'm not going to tell him what to do." Kanji was relieved Souji didn't look over as he said that. "Kirijo is masterminding this," Souji went on, "I want you to confront her with every advantage, and Rise is an advantage."
"So come with us," Chie said, angry, pleading. "Neither of you should go do this."
"You don't have to come, senpai," Kanji said after a moment. "I can do this alone."
Souji shrugged with an ease that couldn't be real, then sauntered over to Kanji's side. "I already made my decision."
"Kanji." Yosuke stalked over, standing in front of him. "I don't care if you hit me. Naoto's a dead body, and a dead body is not worth it."
Kanji took a step, raising his fist, shaking - and with an effort, didn't strike. "I ain't doing this for her! And I don't care what anyone says."
Yosuke closed his eyes, pained and exasperated and furious. "Dammit. Souji, I know you aren't in love with her. Why're you doing this?"
Souji hesitated before answering, looking uncharacteristically doubtful. "Because I'm good at seeing to the heart of things." He said this as unremarkably as he could. "And I think understanding Kronos is just as important as understanding Kirijo."
"How're you going to tell us what you understand if you're dead?"
"Leave that to us. Let's go." And he turned, not looking back. Rise was crying again, but it couldn't make a difference right then.
Kanji waited until the others had turned, started moving west and were well out of earshot before he said, "If you're doing this to try to stop me-"
"Nah, too much trouble," Souji said. But he gave Kanji a more serious glance, and his tone sobered. "Do what you have to. But I'm not going to stand back and watch you die."
"Dammit, you shoulda gone with the others," Kanji muttered.
3.27.16?
"Going to kill them," Yosuke said under his breath as he, Chie and Rise jogged west, Kanzeon following Rise. "The moment they come back, they are dead. Lunch meat. Dog food."
"Yosuke-"
"Don't start!" he snapped at Chie.
"I just-" She caught her breath. "How are they possibly going to come back?"
"Try and have some faith in them," Yosuke almost shouted, wishing he didn't sound so desperate, because with them heading off - all he had left were miracles to shoot for, and he knew that wouldn't be enough.
"They already know it!" Chie retorted. "Did you see Kanji's face? He just wants to kill that thing or die himself. And Souji - Souji's too - good to make him go alone."
"There's something important about Kronos," Yosuke said. "They're gonna check it out, and then they're going to come back and tell us. Okay?"
Chie burst into tears but kept running. "I don't care how smug you are later, I hope you're right."
3.27.16?
Yukari had run until her legs began trembling again. Gasping for breath, she threw herself to hands and knees, buried nearly to her shoulders in the long grass. Behind her, she heard Akihiko slow, walk over to see that she was all right. Even resting, he never got off his feet, claiming it was better for the muscles.
"Just - a minute," Yukari panted.
"Stop sprinting," Akihiko said. "You need to pace yourself, if we're going to have any strength once we get there."
Yukari shook her head. "I still don't - I can't agree with you." She squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the tears, wondering if he believed her; her face still felt stiff from all her crying yesterday, and she'd hardly managed to sleep. And she was starving. But none of that mattered, after what she'd seen. Bracing one leg, she pushed herself to her feet. "Come on."