Persona: World And Judgement – Chapter Fifty
Where Is She?
Well… we made it! The fiftieth chapter – and a huge milestone at that! We've come a long way, haven't we? It doesn't seem that long ago since this story started… and you know what? I wish it could go on forever! What will happen in this chapter, you say? Well, we'll find out won't we! Without further ado, let's kickstart the big 5-0! LET'S GT-R-DONE!
08/10 - Afternoon - Tatsumi Hall - Lounge
No one cared one bit that Minato was soaking wet; all of S.E.E.S wanted to embrace him, as if they had to make up for the last two years, as well as how they behaved towards him only moments ago. The greetings were varied. Some were inclined to apologise, and some just had to express how happy they were to see him again. A couple of them even struggled to hold back the tears, but the fact was that he was dearly missed. Just him being with them in that moment meant the world to them, and even just for a moment, they didn't care about anything else.
Following suit, the Investigation Team repeated their introductions, but for the reason of making up for the fact that they couldn't do it properly during the fight. After a few warm handshakes, and even a couple of friendly hugs, Minato was now a part of the unified group; a big part that everyone only knew now as something that seemed missing this whole time. Everyone felt that, and Minato could feel that reaction, like something gently strummed on the threads of his bonds.
For much of the time, everyone was frantically standing up and weaving in and around each other so that they all could have an equal chance at welcoming back their famous blue-haired cohort. After a while, everything settled down, and everyone was down on the couches, trying to act somewhat normally. They all got chatting for a while, even if it was to a quiet level, and Minato had even managed to familiarise himself with everyone's mannerisms; how they talked, how they gestured, and how they reacted to other people. It's like everything about his friends came back to him, and as for the Investigation Team, he felt quite acquainted towards each and every one of them. He felt comforted knowing that.
"Man, it's still crazy though," Junpei said to Minato with a wide grin on his face, chuckling slightly, "It's like you never left us! Ahh, it's good to have my best buddy back!" Everyone couldn't have put it better; Junpei expressing his feelings brought many smiles to the group.
Not one person from S.E.E.S left out their gratitude to Yu; he was the one who finally bridged the gap between Minato and his friends, and without him, they wouldn't have had any clue about what to do. They were only glad that they had someone, who had a deep understanding of bonds, with them during that difficult time.
Minato gave one of his small grins, chuckling slightly when he felt Junpei's friendly hand slam onto his shoulder. He had no words to offer. If anything, he was baffled, but content that S.E.E.S were still so supporting, even though his constant fears of putting them in grave danger were still lingering vaguely in his mind. But at the same time, he could sense that everyone was thinking the same thing, even though they were still smiling and being so welcoming.
"We're so sorry about before, Minato-senpai," Ken apologised on behalf of the group, leaning forward in his seat with expressions of optimism, "We're all really glad that you're here though! We've missed you!"
"I'm sorry as well…" Minato also apologised, lowering his head but with the slight grin still on his face, "… For all of this."
"Hey, c'mon! The only thing that matters now is that you're here, alive. I mean, it's going to take some getting used to, but it surely won't feel that different. We're a close unit after all." Akihiko explained with confidence. His short speech only made Minato think more on how supportive his friends were; he even briefly reached a moment where he contemplated if he even deserved these people. But in the end, they were the people that he was the most grateful for, and it really showed. Slightly grinning again, Minato swept his eyes across the room, looking at each and every one of S.E.E.S. "Thanks," he quietly said, "Thank you."
Many of S.E.E.S chuckled in an exhale of breath, as if they had remembered all of those times when Minato would show his expression in only a couple of words and knew that it was totally him. Minato then lifted his head up and looked towards Yu with a slight nod. "We have to thank you as well, Yu." he said, gesturing a hand of gratitude to him.
In that instant, every one of S.E.E.S looked towards Yu with the same look of thanks. They all murmured happily in agreement, and Yu could hear the many polite remarks that were given to him.
"Of course! We can't thank you enough, Yu." Fuuka said, much louder than anyone else.
"Yes. It was a much-needed wake up call for all of us. Assuming responsibility of our friendship was something we should've done from the start. But we're very glad that you stepped in when we didn't." Mitsuru spoke, thanking their leader on behalf of the whole group.
All Yu could do was just shake his head with a smile, gesturing that he didn't really do anything. However, even the Investigation Team were insisting that he was the one who rebuilt the bridge between Minato and S.E.E.S, and that he needed to get all the thanks for it.
"Yep! That's my Senpai!" Rise shouted out as she tightly embraced Yu's arm, even though Marie was in the room somewhat sulking as she watched.
"Ahh, there he goes again; being all modest and claiming that he didn't do anything. That's so like you!" Yosuke joked, shaking Yu's shoulder in his usual brotherly manner.
"Hey, guys, c'mon…" Yu said in the chuckle, hoping that his words were getting across to someone, "… It's not like I made you guys to be friends again or anything. I only said what I thought and you all did the rest. It was your own resolves."
"Well, whatever it was, at least everything's sorted out now." said Kanji, rounding off the conversation perfectly.
In that moment, S.E.E.S were once again reminded of Yu's abundance of wisdom. Everything he said could make things into gold so easily. Minato could see that he was truly a leader. Before anyone could continue the argument of who needed to receive the gratitude, everything settled down, and for a while, everyone just wanted to bask in the peace that filled the room.
Teddie couldn't help but feel somewhat excited with how big the group was becoming, and he even looked to Minato as if he was something of a mentor. "So, we've got the whole group now, huh?" he happily remarked, leaning forward in his seat with his hands slapping on his knees. However, even though Minato's reunion would've been a cheerful one, there was still one thing that played on everyone's minds.
"Not the whole group…" Minato pointed out, reminding him and everyone of the situation they were faced with, "… Yu had told me about Yukari's condition. She's still suffering from her Shadow's hold on her mind."
"That's right… And the only way she can wake up is if she accepts her Shadow…" Chie explained, just as worried about the real problem as everyone else was. No one even wanted to think about it because of the lack of solutions, but the niggling in Naoto's mind couldn't prevent her from explaining the rest of the story. "But… the crux is, how will she be able to accept it if she can't wake up?"
Koromaru whimpered at Naoto's words. Of course, no one could answer that question. Up until now, every Shadow they've faced had been fully accepted by a conscious person who was capable of getting through to themselves; those people needed the eyes to understand their flaws and their words to believe their inner changes. The wall that separated them from their victory lied in Yukari's condition.
"Yukari cannot see, nor can she speak… She won't be able to walk either…" Aigis said, struggling to find an answer to the problem as everyone else was, "There has to be a solution. There has to be!"
"Aigis…" Minato said to her, somewhat surprised at how human Aigis had become since the last time he had seen her. Even though this was one of the few times he had seen her like this, he could see that she was composing herself well.
Aigis sighed with a short exhale of breath and looked to Minato with a look of concern. "I apologise…" she said, seemingly hopeless, "… I am just worried for Yukari-san. If we don't find a way, her Shadow will keep tearing her away. I don't want her to keep suffering like this…" She looked round at everyone in the room as she said this, showing them an expression that suggested that they all knew what Yukari was going through. No one could argue with her; she herself had gone through the same tormenting experience, and she wouldn't wish that pain on anyone else. Not even Yukari – the one who she held such a close bond with since Minato went away.
Minato knew more than anyone else in the room that she wasn't the only one who was feeling this helpless about one of their closest friends. He saw Yukari in her bed, and just the sight of her quietly suffering inside was torture. Her look was completely blank, but he could just imagine the screams that were throwing chaos in every direction in her head. The constant noise, the crushing conflict of morals, the myriad screams of bloody murder; he could just visualise all of it. He may not know the existence of such Shadows all that well, but he knew what the main functions were. To seek and destroy; to expose the truth where it hurts.
He looked to everyone with an expression of silent determination. As he made a second glance at Yu, Minato realised that he had the same look on his face. They both thought back to the voice they heard only moments ago and suddenly felt a surge run deep in their bonds as they exchanged looks. It was a feeling that always spurred them on in situations such as this. It was the feeling of hope. Even without an answer to the problem, they both knew that there was only one place to go to find this solution. They weren't going to find it in the Tatsumi Hall's lounge just sitting on the sofas; that was for certain. Yu even saw Minato glance at the TV that stood in the glass partitioning and immediately knew that they were thinking the same thing.
"Yu," Minato called, lifting his head up higher as he spoke, "How is your chest?"
"Still bruised… but only slightly." Yu replied, sensing the same feeling of encouragement from the S.E.E.S leader.
This immediately caught the attention of Junpei, whose head shot up at the subliminal messages that they were sending to each other in casual chatter. His eyes widened, almost in surprise. "Wait, huh?" he said with a gawp, alternating his head between the two, "Am I getting the same idea here? You guys wanna…?"
"Are… are you both suggesting that we go back into the TV world?" Yukiko asked, clearly already having the obvious answer in her head. Some reacted with looks of surprise and shock, and some even saw it coming. In fact, they too would've had the same idea from the start.
Everyone in their groups looked to their leaders, waiting for a proper answer. The Investigation Team knew Yu very well, as did S.E.E.S to Minato; they were both straightforward people who could focus on a goal and work towards it by any means necessary. Once they would stick to it, and if nothing otherwise convincing were standing in the way of it, it would be hard to change their minds. That was their mark of leadership, and to show it, they looked towards Yukiko and nodded in unison.
"That's right." Minato replied, immediately looking to the people around him so that he could see their reactions. To his fortune, no one reacted harshly; if anything, everyone seemed very supportive of his and Yu's motion. However, other's felt doubtful, to which Yu and Minato had silently foreseen.
"But wouldn't you guys need a plan first?" Marie asked, "I mean, don't get me wrong, there's not a lot going for us at the moment… But shouldn't we think of something while we know what's going on in the TV world?"
It was a good point; Minato and Yu had considered it before, but saw that it was somewhat unnecessary to think like that. She said that there wasn't a lot of information to go by to make a proper plan, but in reality, there was literally nothing to go from. Marie spoke up again. "If there's one thing I know about Shadows, it's that they are unpredictable. That's always a bad thing if you don't prepare right." All they knew was that Yukari's Shadow was still in the TV somewhere and is feeding off Yukari's mind more and more. They didn't know whether it was still weak or getting stronger as a result of that. Even though Marie was right in some respect, what she said only backed up Minato and Yu's point; Shadows are unpredictable, and therefore makes planning almost impossible.
"A plan would be helpful at this point," Yu began to explain, "But there's not much we can do to plan. All we can do is go in and work out what to do; just like we've always done. In other words…"
"If at first you don't succeed, you find another angle," Akihiko said, cutting off Yu with a quote that he remembered from his policing lessons, "One of the golden rules of detective work."
All of a sudden, Minato and Yu could see everyone's expressions change. In almost an instant, the remaining doubt in the room had completely vanished. What Yu and Akihiko made perfect sense, and they only found it natural to agree with it, especially the Investigation Team and Marie. "We can't find a solution here… We'll have to find a way by doing." Minato said, reinforcing their argument even more.
Slowly but surely, everyone nodded, growing more confident in themselves the more they thought on their leaders' words. A pause filled the room, allowing enough time for everyone to exchange looks of returning determination. But soon enough, it was time to make a decision. "All right," Mitsuru said, breaking the silence, "Are we all agreed?"
They all nodded again, looking towards Mitsuru with a feeling of a much greater belief. And just like that, their path was set in stone. With a sudden fire in his belly, Junpei stood up from his seat and began stretching his arms. "All right! Time to get Yuka-tan back!" he shouted, filling the hallways with his usually loud war cry.
"Those hooded bastards have messed our friends around enough. Hopefully this will give them the hint when Yukari wakes up!" Kanji said, standing up as he spoke, and slamming his fist into his hand.
"Hehe. Could not have said it better, Kanji." Akihiko said with a chuckle, admiring the fact that he was thinking the same thing.
In no time at all, everyone was up on their feet. Just seeing every person standing for Yukari boosted the morale of the group tenfold, and the hope that Yu and Minato felt only moments ago was starting to grow. The harmony in their bonds was soothing to the senses. But despite this, one of those bonds was still striking a note of unhealthy discord. Yukari's bond.
Driven by this feeling, Minato stepped forward. "Let's get our stuff together then." he ordered, prompting everyone to the task at hand.
"Once we're ready, we'll meet at Mitsuru's room." Yu then said before everyone dispersed to their rooms to grab their equipment. He and Minato followed suit, but before Yu could even reach the stairs, he noticed Marie who was walking right behind him.
He quickly turned around when he remembered that he needed something from her. From the look on her face, she didn't seem very enthusiastic compared the faces of his teammates when they rushed up the staircase. "Oh, Marie," he called to her, somewhat sympathetic but immediately catching her attention, "… Could you look after Nanako again please? I'm sorry I have to keep asking but…"
"Yeah sure…" she replied bluntly, hardly even looking at him.
Yu could only look at Marie's expression of sorrow and frustration, and couldn't help but feel sadness towards how she was acting. He wanted to apologise, but Marie just looked as if she was far from listening, or even caring. But he knew why, and not just because of his relationship with Rise; because of everything that had gone on – Minato's return, Yukari's fall into the TV, everything – he could never have made the time to properly talk the issues out with her and Rise. Yu could see that Marie was being left out a lot, and it only made him guilty as a result.
"Okay…" Yu said, exhaling breath as he spoke, "… Thank you." Marie never responded; he suspected as much. He knew that there was nothing he could do to make her listen. All he could do was turn around and continue his ascent towards the boy's floor, leaving Minato standing on the first few steps with Marie standing still behind him.
All she wanted to do was to just stand there, hoping that her feelings could just make sense; maybe even let her just accept the situation she was put in. However, as her head was lowered with eyes closed, the silence of the lounge was all she needed to shut everything out. That was until Minato came back down the stairs.
"Are you okay?" Minato asked, hoping that he could console the only girl he was able to talk to ever since coming back from the other side. For the time he had met her, he always seen her as a loud, and somewhat easily tempered person. But even so, he had also seen a kinder and sensitive side to her, and to see her so silent and so lost was something he had never anticipated. The first time he saw her, she was hard as nails, but in that moment, something had changed drastically.
"… Minato…" she said quietly, remembering the tone of concern that came from her mystery friend, "… Just… don't get involved… please."
Minato was shocked to hear that response, and even Marie had felt somewhat guilty for shutting out the one friend she had whilst hanging out in the slums of Port Island Station. But he slowly caught on, and he could only hope for the best; he hadn't known her for too long to know the details, and it only pained him to know that it had to wait. He waited patiently until she was at the stop of the stairs and, with a low sigh, slowly followed suit.
08/10 - Afternoon - Minato's Room
Minato picked up his Evoker from the bedside table and turned it sideways to see the words 'S.E.E.S' engraved in the silver barrel. He fixated his eyes it with sentiment, remembering everything that he and the group did together all in one moment. He nodded silently and placed the Evoker in the hip of his holster. Then, he looked to his blade that leaned in the corner of the room and approached it with determination in his gut. He grabbed the handle, immediately remembering the feel of the grip, and as he lifted it up to brandish it, the weight of it suddenly became familiar to him.
The thought of having to use either was something he didn't want to think about; not after the first time he had to use them against Yukari. He focused his thoughts on the moment he lost consciousness – when he had defeated the Shadow – and built up a scenario in his head where it was still immobile. There was already plan in his head; he didn't want any more violence, and with the Shadow now weakened, he could try to reason with it. Although he knew that the Shadow was rooted in Yukari, as the group had informed him, he felt that there had to be a chance at communicating with it himself. The group had told him of the subconscious phenomenon that the doctor had told them about. Knowing that close friends or relatives could reach out to unconscious people gave Minato some hope. He knew more than anyone else, however, that any kind of Shadow, whether they were mirror images of their hosts or darkness taking shape in ridiculous fashions, were unpredictable; anything could happen as soon as they return to the TV world's Yakushima beach.
He sheathed his sword into his holster and turned around to head for the bedroom door. But just as he was about to leave, he immediately caught sight of the mirror that stood at his side. He stared at it for a moment, not really recognising the person that looked back at him. It was definitely himself, but for so long, he had not seen what he looked like; for a whole two years, he had been just a floating radiant soul shackled against a door that kept away the immense power of Nyx – without any body or any other physical appearance.
He approached the mirror with only the dreary midday weather to illuminate his face, and immediately saw a difference. His dark-blue hair was slightly longer at the sides and back, and his skin complexion was a little paler than usual; probably due to the lack of blood running through his veins for a couple of years. From the look of his face, he was tried and possibly deprived of sleep, and there were a few dirt marks from when he was sitting down with Marie at the underbelly of the Tatsumi Port Island station. But the main thing he noticed was that he looked older – much like a proper adult – and this, along with everything else, slightly scared him at first. However, he quickly adjusted to it, and he even began to admire seeing his own reflection again.
"Even I've changed…" Minato said to himself, turning his face from side to side to get a better look of his new image. After noticing a few other things, he eventually decided that he needed to focus on the task at hand and began to turn away from the mirror. But before he could head for the door, something else caught his eye in the reflection.
Just hovering above his shoulder was something of a murky yellow colour, and it floated in the air as if it were some kind of velvet or scarf. Minato gasped as he saw it and quickly turned around frantically to see what was behind him.
But there was nothing there; nothing but the walls and furniture. He turned back to the mirror and noticed that it wasn't there either. After alternating between the two for a while, he soon gave up, left confused as to what he had just seen, or believed to have seen. Minato made one last look around the room before sighing in denial; he shook his head as if he felt that he was going mad.
"Focus…" he said again to himself, closing his eyes for a moment to centre his thoughts. Feeling ready, he nodded his head and quickly headed out of the room. As he shut the door behind him, he quickly made his way to Yukari's room, hoping that the others would be there already. There was one last interrupting thought that he might've seen something before eventually shrugging it off again, not looking back on it the moment he did.
08/10 - Afternoon - Yukari's Room
Much to his surprise, no one had even set foot into Yukari's room yet. However, this didn't bother him. In fact, he would've preferred for everyone to take as much time to prepare as possible; he would've had some time to comfort Yukari, even if she wouldn't notice it. The room was as quiet as ever, and even the rumbling of his thoughts were put to rest as soon as he stepped in.
He sat down in the same chair and took a moment to think about what will happen. The plan was simple in his mind, but he knew it wouldn't be so. He knew that they had to bring Yukari with them into the TV world, not just because they would've been dealing with a Shadow separate to them, but also because she herself needed to hear the words come from those who were physically around her, including Minato.
Thoughts were constantly streaming into Minato's head – all of them worrisome. What would Yukari think to hear her dead lover calling out to her again? What if she were to mistake him for a dream again?
What happened if she woke up to finally see him?
Minato's head jolted up in shock to that question, and it only worried him more. However, he thought on it hard and focused on re-evaluating who Yukari was to him. He remembered so fondly that she was very caring of those close to her, even when there was a harder outer layer to her personality. She would get so upset if anything happened to him, and over the last week, he knew that this was evident. But there was one thing about her that was reassuring for him.
Even if things were sprung up on her so quickly, and even though she would shout the heavens if her shock was so great, it was one quality of her he knew best. She was understanding. It may have been because they had so much in common with one another, be it the loss of others or the fierceness to keep other close people safe, but it was almost as if she could see inside him. He wondered how something as big as this would seem to her; half of him knew her understanding nature, and half reminded him of the magnitude of his return.
Despite all of this though, he wished for nothing more than to see her open her eyes as the grown-up, beautiful lady that she had become. That was the one thing he missed the most, and he could only imagine what she would look like if she were awake.
He took his hands out of his pockets and reached over to Yukari's hand, one on top and one on the palm, as if he was protecting her from something. Even though he knew that she was going through one of her toughest battles with herself, he at least wanted to give some sign of comfort to her, no matter how little she would notice it.
"Hang on, Yukari," he softly said to her, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand, "We'll make this right. I promise." As soon as he stopped whispering, the room became completely silent once again. But it didn't take long for a sudden creak of the bedroom door to alert Minato to the entrance.
As the door slowly opened, he saw Yu step into the room, somewhat surprised as he was when he saw the room. "Oh, Minato," he said, leaving the door slightly ajar, "Is no one here?"
"It's just me at the moment." Minato replied. He looked behind Yu to see if anyone was coming down the corridor, but all he saw was the wallpaper.
"Ah… so you were expecting the others? Then again, I was hoping you'd be in here…" Yu explained, finding a nearby desk stool and sitting on the opposite side of Yukari's bed. At first, Minato was a bit confused by what he was trying to get at, and it showed in his expression.
"Why's that?" he asked briefly.
"Well it's…" Yu said in hesitation, already feeling somewhat guilty about what he was going to ask. He took a moment to breathe before eventually getting to the crux. "… How… would you feel about bringing Yukari with us into the TV? I know it's a crazy thought and I totally understand if—"
"No, it's all right. I had the same idea." Minato quickly said before Yu could say any more. For just a moment, there was a silence in the room, but Yu's surprised expression could speak louder than anything. There was a pause for thought before he could say anything else.
"Oh…" he said, having to blink twice as if he was still reeling from Minato's response, "Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean… her Shadow is still in the TV after all…"
Of course, Minato and Yu could see eye to eye with the situation they were faced with. Yu, however, didn't want this as a forced decision on Minato and went through a whole list of reasons why letting Yukari stay in the dorm would be a safer decision, even though he himself was still set on the original plan. But he could see the determined look in Minato's eyes that suggested that he was also thinking the same thing.
"I know all that…" Minato said, confident in the one fact of Yukari's Shadow that would give the team an advantage. He looked back at the sleeping Yukari and continued to brush his thumb against her pale skin. "… But I'm the main target. As long as I'm with her, the Shadow would only want to torture me… unless I… we can get through to her. If what the doctor said is true, then as long as we're there for her, the Shadow can be reasoned with."
Yu could see that Minato was totally set on his decision; every risk and every danger he pointed out didn't faze him, and even though he had accessed the situation, he also felt that it was the right plan of action. He could even see it in Minato's eyes from the way he looked at Yukari that he would protect her from anything until she could open her eyes; he was capable, and knowing that made Yu feel confident in their plan.
"I can't argue with you there," Yu said in agreement, grinning with the corner of his lip, "Just be on your guard though. There's no way of knowing what will happen once we're in the TV."
"Of course." Minato replied, looking back at Yu with confidence in his new cohort. They both looked at each other with the same small grin of trust, and in that moment, it was like they were seeing into one another. It was like looking at the same person, and when they tried to think why, it became apparent that they both had so much in common. They both cared deeply for their friends, and their safety was always their primary concern. They each had their minute differences, but it was like they simply came from the same consciousness or shared the same mind. Yu even thought back to what Yukari said to him about being similar to Minato, and looking into the bond that they had both created only moments ago, he could finally see what she was talking about.
The pause ended when Yu realised that no one had stepped into the room yet. He snapped out of his thoughts and briefly looked round the door, but before he could conclude that no one was coming, Akihiko suddenly emerged from the staircase.
He quickly walked down the hallway and began to approach Yukari's room when he immediately saw Yu and Minato on the other side of the door. Yu used a foot to draw it open for Akihiko, and as he came in, he and Minato could see that he was already well equipped for the journey ahead. "I was hoping you guys would be here. I'm guessing you had the same idea?" he asked, entering the conversation as if he had read their minds.
"Yeah." they replied in unison. Akihiko nodded in agreement and took a couple more steps into the room as if he had news.
"All right then. Everyone's waiting in Mitsuru's room now if you guys are ready." he said, prompting them both to their feet quicker than he could blink.
Being the most physically built-up person on the team, Akihiko offered to carry Yukari up to the next floor. But before he could even approach her bed, an ear-piercing noise suddenly filled the entirety of the room. They looked to each other, hoping that they weren't the only ones who heard it, and immediately knew what the sound was.
"Oh no…" they said together.
It was the familiar white noise that could only come from a TV, and as they darted their eyes towards the TV set that stood on a chest of drawers, they immediately knew what was coming. The screen on the TV turned into a flurry of white zigzags and digital madness, and the ghastly green colour that emanated from it was flashing on and off, morphing and contorting into all kinds of manic shapes.
"What?!" Akihiko asked in shock, giving a very unnerving look when he knew that something was out of place, "The Midnight Channel? At this time of day?".
This wasn't anything new to Yu though. "It's happened before… But why now?" he asked himself. He could only ever recall one other moment when the Midnight Channel broadcasted at another point in the day and that was during the string of murders that happened in Inaba with Namatame trying to 'save' those who were in danger. If that happened then, then it could happen at anytime, and although it was discomforting to see it much earlier in the afternoon, it mattered not why it decided to broadcast then. The real concern lied in what it was going to show.
All of a sudden, the three could hear a moaning sound coming from the bed, and when they immediately turned their attention to it, the first thing they saw was Yukari squirming around.
"Yukari…? Wh… Yukari!" Minato whispered to himself, filling his heart with worry. He knelt down to her bedside and watched as she thrashed around in her sleep, as if she was writhing in pain. She groaned with every wince, and she started to breath more heavily, gasping for air at times. Shocked into action, Yu then came to Yukari's side.
"Huh…?!" Yu cried out, quickly reaching into his pocket for his mobile phone, "We need to call the doctor in…!"
"No, wait!" Akihiko shouted, gesturing for Yu to put the phone down.
At first, Yu and Minato gave a surprised look at him, totally disagreeing with his plea. But as soon as they saw him looking back towards the TV, they decided to do the same, and it didn't take long for them to know why he had to step in.
The screen had gone from a mess of noisy disarray to a slightly less chaotic moving image that played out vividly on the channel. On the TV showed only two people – one boy, one girl – and upon closer inspection, they realised that it was Minato and Yukari. The scenes kept flicking from one scenario to the other; one scene would show them walking outside in the sun with Minato carrying a guitar bag on his back, and the next would Yukari lying in bed, waking up to a fully clothed Minato who had his back turned to her. There were moments of happiness and euphoria, and then moments of sadness and hurt. It only took a moment for Yu to realise what was going on, and for Minato it only took a short few seconds.
"Wait, I remember this…" Yu said, squinting through the haze of the white noise to try and make out the images, "… Yukari told me about this… Is this… her dream?"
Yu looked over to Minato and he instantly saw the brokenhearted expression on his face. For him, it was like re-watching a film of their fictional lives over and over, and it made the situation a lot more real when he saw Yukari suffering as a result. He and Yu put the pieces together and realised that these were Yukari's current thoughts being broadcasted, and after a while, they could see tears forming from underneath the blindfold.
"The Midnight Channel reflects the thoughts of others, right?" Akihiko asked, somewhat rhetorically so that he could keep his mind on track, "Then this really is her dream. Man… seeing it for real is just…"
He couldn't find the words for it. Even so, he didn't need to say anything else; just seeing Yukari's dream come to life spoke for itself. They could compare it to looking at an old photo album containing pictures of the ones they held closest – images that were preserved in one single moment in time – but for Yukari, it was the same fictional moments being played out constantly in her mind, as if her entire memory was playing on an endless loop.
"Our dream…" Minato suddenly spoke up, "… I remember that dream. Everything I'm seeing now – I remember it…"
At first, Yu and Akihiko could only look surprised at what Minato was saying. They couldn't think if he was either telling the truth or if he was saying these things out of the emotion that he might've felt in that moment of panic. But Yu immediately thought back to the words that Yukari's illusion of Minato said to her on the Midnight Channel before she was lured in, and could remember the first thing that it uttered.
"'This is no ordinary dream. We both dreamt this.'" Yu said to himself, reminding himself, as well as the others around him, of what the illusion said, "That's what you… that spirit of you said on the Midnight Channel last night… Does that mean that you both did actually experience the same dream?"
"Yes…" Minato replied, looking back to Yu with a saddened look, "… And those were my exact words to her before she woke up."
"It would be no surprise if the culprits were the ones who created a false entity of you to say that to Yukari as well. That much is apparent now…" Akihiko said, folding his arms in thought, "… And to tell you the truth… I also wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the first time the Midnight Channel was broadcasting this…"
In that moment, Akihiko had dropped a large bombshell. There was no way of knowing if she really did see her dream being shown on the TV more than once, but they couldn't have known if she hadn't either. Nevertheless, it was plausible. But then Yu thought back even further to when Yukari first told him about the dream and immediately remembered something else – something that would confirm Akihiko's theory.
He made a gasp, and instantly caught Minato and Akihiko's attention. "Of course…" he said, almost in a whisper as if he had been clueless for the entirety of the investigation"… Yukari once told me that she had been dreaming the same thing for the last few nights only recently. So that's why the dream was becoming so frequent…! It wasn't a natural occurrence… It was the Midnight Channel all this time…"
"That would've been the perfect ammunition for the culprits as well… Being so exposed to that dream would've made her Shadow more likely to appear," Akihiko explained briefly, condensing everything they knew so far to make sense of the situation, "This dream had played a bigger part than we thought… but where did the dream come from in the first place if it wasn't like a normal dream?"
Yu had wondered that for a long time, but could never get an answer; not from Yukari, nor anyone else. Not even a dream specialist would've had an easy task to translate it all. But they then looked to Minato in the hopes that he could provide an answer. He looked to each of them and could only shake his head in response.
"I don't know," he replied, lowering his head as he thought hard to try and find a better answer, "I certainly never caused it, if that's what you're thinking. I have no idea though. I would say that it was the result of our bond, but… even that couldn't be explained."
Although Minato had desperately tried to make sense of what was happening at that time as a soul guarding the world from an incomprehensible destruction, there was nothing to be said, and Yu and Akihiko could see that what he was saying was genuine. They nodded in understanding, and with a pause looming in the air, they could only watch the Midnight Channel, hoping that something might change.
Suddenly, the bedroom door quickly swung open, almost hitting Akihiko if it weren't for his quick reaction. Yosuke, Fuuka, Ken and Koromaru were the ones who then ran in afterwards, panicking as they looked round to the three. Koromaru barked away, trying to get the attention of the others. "Ahh, we found you guys!" Yosuke cried out, "The Midnight Channel–!"
Before he could explain their situation, he immediately saw the TV in the corner of his eye. Upon seeing it, he and the others slowly calmed down and looked round to the others with looks of concern, especially when they saw Yukari squirming softly in her bed. "What's happening? Is Yukari okay?" Ken asked, emerging from Yosuke's side and rushing to the foot-end of the mattress.
Akihiko slowly came to his side and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I think it's best that we all regroup at Mitsuru's. We'll talk more there." he proposed, moving out of the way of the door and returning to the side of the bed, ready to lift up Yukari. With everyone in agreement, they all began to head out of the room and towards the second floor.
That was until the Midnight Channel had one more surprise in store.
With a sharp crackle and a howl of high frequencies, the TV began to flash and flicker in random directions, throwing polygons from one side of the screen to the next. The scenes of Minato and Yukari slowly melted into the murky green backdrop until all was completely covered in white noise.
"Huh?! What's happening?" Fuuka asked in a worrisome state. All of a sudden, the chaos turned into a continuous stream of black, white and green, but even so, Yukari's was still thrashing about in her unconsciousness; still moaning in pain and still showing no sign of stopping. Everyone watched closely at both her and the TV, hoping that nothing would cause any sudden reactions. They were soon about to find out.
After a while of nothing but static, a loud zap of the monitor caused the screen to flash violently before suddenly standing still on a moving image of Yukari looking towards the screen. But it was, of course, her Shadow who was staring directly at everyone before looking from side to side.
"Minato…?" the Shadow called out in a choked-up tone, looking around in different directions with sore, teary eyes that lost their golden tint slightly, "… Minato…? Where are you…? Minato… Are you there?"
As the Shadow continued to call out Minato's name, everyone looked back to the Yukari in the bed and noticed that she had stopped moving around and began to breathe more steadily. But they could see a continuous stream of tears flowing down both sides of her face, and they seemed to correspond with the way they were flowing down the Shadow's face.
It was a haunting image, and for Minato, it was all the more crushing. Just hearing the Shadow's dissonant dual tone, coupled with the frayed TV speakers, crying out to him made him feel somewhat sick, and his heart felt like it was creeping into his throat.
"Oh God…" Yu whispered, watching as Minato stood up and approached the TV with shock in his eyes, "… Minato, I…"
There were no words though; everything seemed so out of proportion that it rendered everyone speechless. All they could do was keep the image in front of them as a living memory that would probably never leave their minds for a long time; Koromaru even whimpered for a while at the sight of it. Minato stood in front of the TV, fixing his eyes on a tragically lost Yukari made out of everything she didn't want to show. He listened as she continued to call out to him with a look that desired guidance, and he watched as her head kept turning, hoping for a sign of life in a world where she was literally suffering in silence. She even resorted to biting her nails once or twice, but for most of the time, the Shadow resorted to holding her arms; the only comfort she ever had.
"Minato…? Please… answer me…" the Shadow called out again, gasping as she sobbed, "Minato… Minato...! Pl… Please…"
"Minato?" Yu then called out, hoping to get his attention. Strangely, it was the very thing Minato needed to snap him out of stagnation. With a long inhale through his nose, Minato slowly turned back around, trying to block out the Shadow's voice and focusing his full attention on everyone else in front of him.
"Let's regroup at Mitsuru's room now," he said, determined and with the goal as clear as day, "Yukari's suffered enough."
08/10 - Afternoon - TV World
The whole team, now together, all gathered on the platform overlooking the TV world and the menacing fog that cloaked its entirety. The sickly green aura that surrounded them still reeked of that same dingy aroma, and just being in its presence almost made them feel more tired than when they woke up this morning.
All who were present in Yukari's room explained what happened to the rest of the group, receiving the same shocked looks in the same consecutive order as they did. The same questions were asked, all of which were either easily answered or never answered at all. From what they had said to them, they also saw the broadcast from Mitsuru's room, but never had any clue about what it meant, even though they knew that it had something to do with Yukari. But this was all new information on the dream; crucial information that could now help them understand the nature of it.
"But… the dream had to come from somewhere, right? Hear me out," Chie asked, gesturing that she had her own ideas in mind, "Everything up until now was caused by those hooded culprits. Think about it – a dream about a fake Minato with other fake people in a fake world… Doesn't that sound familiar?"
"Well yeah, but surely all dreams are like that…" Kanji said, saying it as if it was an obvious fact, which everyone knew it was. Naoto also thought the same thing, but her detective instincts delved into the matter further.
"That is true. However, the frequency of her dream is questionable, and it would make sense if it were down to the Midnight Channel. That would explain her restlessness and lack of sleep since," she explained, fitting the pieces together for the other half of the group who weren't with Yukari, "Furthermore, I could never recall a moment when Yukari reported this to us, but that it's probably unlikely that she would've kept it a secret."
Naoto felt that there was more to say, but before she could even open her mouth, Teddie made a huge gasp from the inside of his bear costume, attracting the attention of everyone else. "What?!" he cried out, "You don't mean to say that she just forgot every time she watched it!"
For a moment, they just thought that Teddie was being his usual overdramatic self and spouting out any nonsense that he thought was right. However, at a second glance, they began to see what he was trying to get at, but before any of them could get to it, Naoto proceeded to explain it the best she could.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," she began, taking a moment to phrase the words in her head, "Remember when Mitsuru and the others were lured into the TV? Not one of them could remember it happening. This must've happened with Yukari… and it must've been affecting her subconsciously as a result."
No one could've put it any better; even Yu had to think on the many times he told her to be strong, hoping that she could overcome her emotion. But he could finally see the reality of how excruciatingly hard it would've been for her to have seen that dream every night, haunting her before she could even sleep. The dream was out of the ordinary to begin with, but he, nor anyone else, knew that it was caused by something they would regularly see in front of them. As a result, Yu could only feel guilty for not realising it. Mitsuru saw the expression on his face and immediately noticed that it began to spread amongst the group; team morale was needed in such desperate times.
"It's hugely frustrating that we hadn't noticed this before…" she began, catching the attention of as many people as she could, "… But right now, let's focus on the task at hand. As long as this Shadow exists, Yukari will never recover; the sooner we find her, the better." Everyone looked to each other before nodding to her, as if confirming the state of their team spirit before bringing back confidence in themselves.
Yu turned to Rise and Fuuka, who had already put their Evokers away. "We already had a look around," Rise said, joining the group circle, "The Shadow is in the same place as it was before… and just as we hoped, it's doesn't seem to be moving."
"Ahh, that's good news," Junpei said as he breathed a sigh of relief, "We shouldn't have too much of a problem then."
"We'll have to be on our guard though. Shadows act on instinct; there's no telling what will happen once we get there." Aigis pointed out, reminding everyone of what they were up against. And she was right; Shadows of this kind are stubborn, and staying relaxed based on the knowledge that it wasn't moving could be a fatal move. Everyone knew this though, and from the amount of weapons and Evokers that were present, this was evident.
"All right, let's not waste any more time. Is everyone ready?" Yu then said, turning his body slightly to indicate their leave.
"Wait," Minato spoke up, looking towards everyone with squinted eyes, "I can't see all that well…" All of a sudden and all at once, everyone eventually noticed that Minato wasn't wearing any Teddie glasses. All he could do was look round while rubbing his eyes, trying to make out the faces in the fog.
"Oh! I'm completely forgot!" Teddie cried out, somewhat in excitement as he pulled out a fresh pair of glasses from the inside pockets of his costume. He approached Minato, and jogged slightly as he did. Minato just followed the cute sound of small footsteps coming towards him, and when they stopped in front of him, he held out his arms in front of him blindly to grab the glasses.
He could feel specs being placed in his hands and he felt the frame for a bit to see if he was holding it up the right way. He brought them right in front of his face to get a better look and noticed the wayfarer design along with the dark navy colours that it donned. The lens was so clear that he could see his own reflection, even in the fog.
He turned them around and eventually put them on. Immediately, there was a massive improvement to his sight; he could only see as far as the platform would go, but he saw everyone else in front of him as clear as day. He blinked a few times at the huge difference the glasses made and, with a surprised expression, looked back at Teddie.
"That's much better," he said in gratitude to Teddie, "Thanks."
"No problem! Anything for my new blue-haired friend!" the bear replied with a wide smile, "Hey, you know what? I'll give you a nickname!"
Teddie was always one for blurting out something that would excite him, especially when it came to calling other people by a more simplified name. Minato wasn't all that bothered about being called something else by a guy in a bear costume, but it was all quite a bit sudden. "Err…" he said, caught off guard by Teddie's elaborate gestures. "What should I call you now?" Teddie mumbled to himself, using a claw to scratch his chin, "Ooh! I know… I'll call you Mina-san!"
"You stupid bear… This isn't even the time or the place for this!" Yosuke shouted, yanking Teddie away from Minato before he could bother him any more. Although it was kind of inappropriate to him at the time, Minato could help but admire Teddie's enthusiasm at this point; he's already voiced his concern for Yukari, but that didn't stop him from giving some positivity to their operation. Some couldn't help but chuckle at Teddie's usual antics, even if they did think that it was unnecessary.
Minato looked towards Yukari who was now in Akihiko's arms and wondered if she would've laughed with them; in his head, she would've let out a giggle, and just hearing that voice in his head gave him some much-needed motivation. He wanted to hear that laugh again, and more so just to see a smile on her face.
With that goal at the forefront of his mind, he turned to the path with Yu. "We should go," he ordered, getting a few nods before turning back to Teddie, "And Mina-san's not so bad."
Saying that almost looked like it meant the world to Teddie. With another huge grin on his costume's face, the bear waved elaborately at him; Yosuke and a few others could only roll their eyes, grinning as they did.
08/10 - Afternoon - TV World - Magatsu Yakushima
They knew exactly where they were going, and with every step they took towards the tarnished, corrupted beach, they knew that they were one step closer to finding out if Yukari was about to face and accept her true self or be lost, possibly forever, to her own darkness. Everyone was quiet for the whole trek, but no one wanted to say anything; they only wanted to focus on getting their best friend back, and by any means necessary.
When they reached the 'Magatsu Yakushima', they instantly remembered the condition of the sand before they came here for the first time; although it was green and dull in colour, it was pristine, unspoiled and completely smooth. But now, the sand was in dunes, thrown about in places and unleveled from the battle that ensued the night before. However, that didn't compare to what waited for them in the centre of the island. The many gasps only magnified what was straight in front of them.
"Oh my goodness…" Yukiko whispered, summing up the shock that everyone felt upon seeing it.
A gaping hole, much like a crater, was situated in the middle of the coast, and the more they approached it, the bigger it was becoming to them. The attack that Minato made on the Shadow before he lost consciousness was unbelievable enough, but seeing the result of the environment afterwards was mind-blowing. They could see the sand on the lip of the hole circulating around its perimeter, as if there was a weak vortex hopelessly trying to protect was it was containing inside. They noticed that the breeze had a spring-green tint to it, and it suggested a lot that the wind was, in fact, caused by some kind of Garu spell. Of course, this would only be a sign of what they were about to face.
As they all gathered at the mouth, they looked down into the crater further. The sand gently fell down what was a slightly steep hill, and instead of it all gathering at the bottom, it all seemed to sink into the ground. But as they followed the trail of sand, they eventually found the very thing they came for right at the very heart of the sinkhole, laying broken in the sand and sobbing as it struggled to get up to its elbows.
It was Yukari's Shadow.
"There she is…" Minato said, notifying the others of their destination.
Although he had only said it quietly, the Shadow suddenly gasped, loud enough so that everyone could hear it. As it continued to sob, it began to lift itself up as if it had heard him. Everyone immediately took notice and took a step back as a precaution, even though the Shadow was struggling to even lift its head up.
"Minato…? Is that you…?" the Shadow spoke, echoing up the hole even though its voice was weak, "… Are you there…?" It was clear that the Shadow was still very weak from the previous battle, and that seemed to the entire group that it would be quite safe.
"Let's go." Yu ordered as he and Minato took their first steps into the crater.
But as soon as they put one foot into the hill, the Shadow immediately threw its head up with eyes that stared cold and angrily into Yu and Minato's. The sight of it caused everyone to stop in their tracks, and some even took a few steps back before something would happen. Eventually, the Shadow made its move.
"NO!" the Shadow screamed, screeching up to them like the banshee it once was. As it continued to cry out, a swirling green whirlwind began to kick up around the sand, and before anyone could react, the gales suddenly swooped up the sides of the crater, hurtling towards the group as it pierced through the walls.
Reacting as quickly as they could, Yu and Minato quickly stepped back and pushed everyone away from the side. The Shadow's hurricane suddenly whipped up from behind them, and they could feel the force it, not just on their clothes, but on their skin as well. If they were any closer, they would've been launched into the air, possibly doing some colossal in the process.
"Is everyone all right?" Yu called out to the two leaders looked around them, hoping that they managed to move every single person out of the way of the blast, and fortunately, after a quick headcount, they did.
"I want Minato…! No one else…!" the Shadow yelled, wincing as it struggled to move its limbs, "I won't hesitate... to kill anyone else who comes down…! I only want Minato! Anyone else and they DIE!"
It was quite rich coming from a Shadow who was only moments away from being completely broken, but as long as Yukari was still in a stalemate with the Shadow, it would still be capable of harming someone, even to the point of death. It was the unique and unpredictable nature that Shadows had, and this Shadow was no exception. Nevertheless, the group was faced with a difficult obstacle. Minato, however, didn't feel that way; he knew that the only way now was to go alone.
"Man… What do we do now?" Ken asked from the back of the group, watching as everyone just started into the hole wondering what to do next. Minato was the only one who even moved; he had a ludicrous idea and he was more than willing to take the risk. He walked over to Akihiko and held out his arms, ready to hold Yukari.
"I'll take it from here, Akihiko." he said, tucking his arms under Yukari's legs and back.
"Huh? You're going to go it alone?" Akihiko asked, somewhat surprised by the short space of time it took for Minato to make that decision. He handed Yukari over to him voluntarily, but he was as concerned as the rest of the team was.
"There's no other way," Minato replied in his usual nonchalant way, reminded everyone of the truth of the situation.
All the members of S.E.E.S knew that when he's absurdly blunt in a threatening situation like this, he was deadly serious about putting his life on the line, especially when it meant going by himself. He was always like that; reckless, uncaring about his own safety when other's lives are concerned, and never giving a second thought once he's put a stake on his life. But even so, he could carry on as if it wasn't that much of a big deal. Even though S.E.E.S had seen him do something like this countless of times before, seeing him doing something as daring as this made them very nervous; the Investigation Team were all the more shocked at what he was doing.
Without looking at anyone, Minato casually made his way back to the edge of the crater. "Don't follow me." he briefly said before stepping forward into the hole with Yukari held tightly in his arms.
"Minato, don't—!" Yu cried out as he tried to grab his shoulder, using his other hand to hold the pain in his ribs. But he was too late; Minato was already surfing down the sand walls and he didn't even take a moment to look back at the team. He made sure not to fall down the hole with him; the last thing he wanted was to mess up Minato's chance of confronting the Shadow, but even so, just seeing him go by himself rattled his nerves along with everybody else's.
Junpei breathed a sigh of nervousness. "… Well, he's still an idiot…" he said sarcastically, scratching the side of his head when he felt a drip of sweat trickle down his hair.
From that point on, everything was down to Minato; the fate of Yukari, his one love who he had everything in common with, was now entirely in his hands. He knew there was no room for error and any slip-ups at this point would be fatal, not just to Yukari, but to him and everyone else as well if he wasn't careful. The odds could've gone either way; the Shadow was too unpredictable to make any calling on what will happen, but everything was down to rational reasoning. He had to get through to Yukari. He won't take anything other than the Shadow's ultimate defeat.
He eventually made his way to the bottom of the crater, adjusting his hold on Yukari as soon as he knelt down to absorb the impact of the fall. Then, when he was ready, he made his way slowly towards the Shadow. He watched carefully as it propped its head up, and upon seeing him, it gasped. The Shadow grew a grin on its face – one that Minato felt really uncomfortable looking at; it was contorted into a shape that made it seem that she was indeed somewhat happy, but it suggested insanity more than anything. He dispelled his fear as best he could before eventually laying Yukari down in front of it and crouching down with her. One hand supported her head and the other supported her back, holding her in a protective stance.
For a long fearful moment, Minato and Yukari's Shadow looked at one another; he looked into those golden eyes showing so many mixed feelings. There was happy, and then there was devastation. It was like looking at two sides of the same coin at one time, and that scared him a bit.
The Shadow's grin went away, only for it to follow with more sobbing. All he could do was wait for it to say something, and for a long moment, all it wanted to do was just stare at him. Eventually though, there was movement. The Shadow struggled once more to lift up its body, and with great pain, it managed to get up to its knees. It shuffled over to him slightly before bringing up both hands so that she could cup his face in her hands.
"Minato…? I… Is that you…?" the Shadow asked again, as if it were a broken record. She repeated herself at least a couple of times before Minato began to feel really uncomfortable with it touching him. Its palms were freezing to touch, and after a while, his face was going numb. To make things even more disconcerting, the Shadow began to run its hands down to his neck, rubbing its thumbs against his skin as she admired him.
"… Is it really you…?" she asked again, looking as if she was familiar with the skin she was feeling. Enduring the frozen touch as best as he could, he felt that it was the right moment to say something.
"Yes, Yukari… It's me…" he said softly, watching as the Shadow's hands remove themselves from his body so that they could wipe away the incoming tears from its eyes.
"R-Really…?" it asked again, as if it couldn't believe it, "… P-Please… don't leave… Stay here with me…"
Her hands then suddenly came down on the arm that held onto the real Yukari, and Minato immediately felt the tension in her grasp. He could see that the Yukari he was seeing now, animated as a Shadow, was beyond desperate; Minato had become her lifeline, and if he were to brush the Shadow's hands away now, catastrophic effects would've taken place. He couldn't imagine what it would do to them here and now. He had to think carefully of what to say.
"Yukari…" he said, looking into the Shadow's eyes as if he were looking into the real Yukari, "… You can't think of me this way – you just can't… It's destroying you inside, and I can't bear to see that… In fact, I can see it now, right in front of me… and it breaks my heart…"
He paused for thought, hoping that speaking the truth – speaking from the heart – was getting through to her. He knew that other words wouldn't have worked; she needed to know what was going on inside him, and she needed to know what was becoming of her. He retracted his hand from her back and reached over to Yukari's cheek, feeling the hand tremble as he gently felt her skin.
"It really breaks my heart…" he continued, feeling his throat being choked, "… I remember the Yukari I became friends with all those years ago… She was caring, independent… the strongest girl I've ever met… And then we fell in love; she wanted me to meet her mother – something she thought she'd never do if it wasn't for her unbelievable strength and resolve… But where did she go…? I wonder if you could tell me that… Where's that girl who valued life so much and never looked back…? You know what? I reckon you know where she is… I'll be damned if you don't…"
As he finished his say, he watched for a reaction from the Shadow with watery vision, feeling the teardrops forming in the corners of his eyes. After listening to everything that he had to say, the Shadow just stared at him for a moment, almost dumbfounded by his words. Its face wrenched and twisted as if it was about to let out a huge wave of tears. But as it looked down, it never made a sound, as if the shock had been enough to silence it completely.
There was a silence between them both, and the way that the Shadow hardly moved after that made Minato quite unsettled. He watched closely for any sudden movements, and as the Shadow began to twitch slightly, he subtly shifted his arms into a shielded embrace around Yukari. The stillness of the moment continued on, and it even began to frustrate Minato that nothing was happening.
Eventually, the silence was broken, and he could then hear a low humming noise emanating from the Shadow, which then coincided with its slow change in appearance. Its body began to fuzz and flicker like TV static, and the more the white noise took over, the more that the dark pixels were breaking away from it, evaporating as it flew away. As a result of this, the Shadow groaned in pain, as if it were being drained of all its power; it even struggled to even stay on its knees.
Then, all of a sudden, the Shadow grabbed Minato's arm violently, clenching it in its hand with a rapid tremble. Minato immediately reacted to the pain he was then enduring; the tightness in the grip coupled with its blisteringly cold flesh was enough to make hi cry out in pain. To make matters worse, the only free hand he had was the furthest away from his Evoker. He knew he wouldn't be able to reach it, which made the situation instantly fatal.
"I won't let you leave…" the Shadow said in a low tone, snapping its head up to Minato with eyes that showed a mix of desperation and anger, "… Don't leave me!"
There was a sudden rumbling sound coming from all around him, and as he lifted his head to see it, he immediately turned his attention to the sand walls. The light spring-green breeze that he was welcomed with began to pick up force, and as it gotten stronger, the vortex it became quickly rushed down into the crater, surrounding him, Yukari and the Shadow. The hurricanes then began to kick up the sand around them, causing the walls to start collapsing on them.
As this happened, everyone outside the hole was looking in, shocked at what they were seeing. Yu was the one who had the best view of what was happening, and upon squinting his eyes, he was beginning to see sand slowly building up around the centre where Minato and Yukari were. The levels were rising, and by the time that the sand was up to Minato's waist, they all knew that they were in big trouble.
"No, Minato!" Yu cried out as the rest of the team gasped behind him. Without even thinking about it, he immediately jumped down into the crater, running and sliding down the hill as quick as he could. Everyone else followed suit, and some even brought out their weapons as soon as they jumped in after Yu.
The more they kept running, the bigger the crater was becoming due to the force of the vortex breaking down the walls. This only slowed them down and it even set some of the group back because of the rapid rate in which the sand was collapsing. But as soon as they got to the bottom, it was a race to save Minato and Yukari from the Shadow's suffocating attack.
"Ahh, c'mon!" Yu yelled to himself, struggling to co-ordinate his feet around the dry sand dunes. As he ran, he could feel the sand rolling into his heels, and it only made him think that he was running out of time. However, when he looked towards Minato and Yukari again, he knew that time was not on his side.
Yukari had already been completely buried in sand, but Minato and the Shadow were still staring each other down with the sand now coming up to their chins. In no time at all though, the sand then came up above their mouths and eventually their eyes.
Before Yu or anyone could even get close to them, the three were completely buried, and to drown the spirits even more, the sand just kept falling into the crater. At this point, everyone was becoming out of breath, and just seeing their friends being buried alive almost made their hearts give way. They kept sprinting, hoping that they could try to get them back up to the surface somehow, but in their heads, they've been at it for the longest while, and all they could feel was despair.
There was no sign of any of them coming back up; at this point in time, it just seemed impossible. In reality, it was tens of seconds, but in their minds, it was like tens of minutes. With every second going by, it was a second they were underground, suffocating until their very last breath. But then, just when all hope was diminishing, something of a miracle came into play.
All of a sudden, a large burst of wind, a spell everyone knew well as Garudyne, erupted from where the three were situation. The sand that buried them were blown away from the centre, and the attack was so great that it managed to send Yu and the others flying. They landed flat on their backs with a large wave of sand falling softly on them upon impact, and for the whole of that time, they could only feel surprised. They then saw the sand walls and noticed that there was no more collapsing which immediately gave them the hope they needed.
Everyone looked back to the centre and they all breathed a massive sigh of relief. "Thank god…" Yu thought to himself, catching his breath as he brushed himself off. Minato and Yukari were back above the surface, and with them was Isis – Yukari's Persona – hovering above them with a radiant light that shone brightly in victory over the Shadow. It was Isis who caused that Garudyne spell, and knowing that made the outcome of the operation very surprising.
Yukari, even though she was still unconscious in Minato's arms, was the one who saved them. Seeing Isis right there and then could only mean one thing; she had finally accepted her Shadow, and that signified none other than the end of her suffering. Of course, all that was left to do was to finally put the Shadow's remaining physical body to rest.
After a while of picking themselves up, everyone approached the centre to gather round Minato and Yukari for moral support. Minato turned his head to see everyone and when they looked at his expression, he seemed just as relieved as they all were.
"Still know how to make a scene, huh?" Akihiko said, out of breath and grinning as he asked. Minato didn't have it in him to answer; for the last few minutes, he had been going through all sorts of emotions, and it had taken a toll on him. All he could muster was an exhale of breath, as if a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Everyone then turned their attention to Yukari who was surprisingly holding her own Shadow's hand as it laid there, covered in white noise and utterly broken. It was as if Yukari was semi-conscious and somewhat aware that her Shadow was right there at her side, although she didn't notice Minato or the people around her. Her head turned slightly to face the Shadow.
"You are me… You're everything I didn't want anyone to see, but… you are me…" Yukari said with a weak, husky tone, "… What kind of a person am I…? I've been… so selfish. Putting down the people I love the most just so I could feel better… Focusing so much time on the person I lost than on the people I still have… How could a person do that? How could I do that…?"
Hearing Yukari saying this to her other, 'true' self was truly heartbreaking, and even her Shadow was reacting to her words; as Yukari spoke, the Shadow used a second hand to cover the one it was already holding, and sobbed softly as it did, as if it was glad to finally be understood and accepted.
She continued, "But now I see… I've been living a better life in a dream than I have done in the real world… But then… the dream… it was really killing me. That stops now though… The choice for me to move forward has always been there, and now… it's time to take it. No more running away."
Although she was choked up, everyone could hear it in her voice that was she was saying was completely genuine. The truth in her tone was so real that no one even dared to question it; they were that hopeful for Yukari, and they knew that from this moment onward, things will only get better for her. No more suffering, no more wishing – just one goal, and that was to be stronger than ever before. After this, she would be more than capable.
With one last gracious look, the Shadow's head slowly fell to the ground and its golden eyes slowly shut forever. Its last exhale signified its demise as it gave itself in to the white noise that engulfed it in a cloak of light. Its body began to break up into small pixels and shining particles that then rose up towards Isis. With every speck of light coming into contact, the Persona absorbed it, sapping the Shadow's last bit of power so that it could finally be complete.
Eventually, Isis returned to Yukari's psyche. And with that, her Shadow, her mental anguish – all of it – was no more. All that remained was peace and a new resolve for Yukari. Although she still never woke, the course was now set for her recovery now that the worst was over.
"We… We did it." Minato said, standing up with Yukari safe and sound in his arms. They could all hear the happiness in the tone of his voice; something even S.E.E.S seldom hear. Yu came up from behind him and placed a congratulating hand on his shoulder.
"You did it." he said in response, correcting Minato with a friendly smile on his face.
"Yayyy, Mina-san!" Teddie cried out in celebration, knowing that now was the appropriate time to call him by his new nickname, "Oh, I'm so glad! Yukari-chan is going to be A-okay!"
"Geez, I was so worried!" Chie cried out to Minato, "But wow, are you normally that daring?! I think I just found my mentor…"
"That's the Minato we know." Mitsuru said, grinning as she remembered that spirit in him.
The whole group could compliment him forever, but Minato knew as well as everyone with him that the Shadow's demise was entirely down to Yukari. Her own choice to face the inner conflict and her own resolve saved her life. One thing was for sure though; they could all return to the real world knowing that once she wakes up, they would find the old Yukari again – that same, youthful, beautiful and life-loving person that they used to know.
Under that Shadow, they've finally found her at last; that was the victory they were looking for. All they could do now was wait for her to finally open those eyes with a new lease of life and take on the strength that she has now found. Minato wished for nothing more than that, and he would soon see it come true.
AND THERE WE GO! That was the fiftieth chapter for you! It was really strange writing this one, mainly because I started this in the winter – it's now summer! Mad, huh? Anyway guys, I'm sorry once again that I haven't been publishing all that often – I would quicken up the pace if I could, but I'm in my twenties now and loads of things are coming at me right, left and centre! I'll do my best, but please be patient. Thank you so much for reading this chapter guys – I hope it was a nice way of celebrating the fiftieth chapter! Keep reading and reviewing, and I shall hopefully see you soon for Chapter Fifty-One! CYA!
Next Time... [Midnight Channel broadcasts...]
BGM: Backside of the TV - Persona 4 OST
Yu: We're just glad you're okay—probably more so from what we saw.
Yukari: Being so selfish and not being grateful for what I have now... It's like I've now woken up to realise that.
Igor: My, my. This has been a fascinating turn of events.
Yu: I thought you'd be more surprised to see Minato here.
Nanako: Erm… I see you on the news a lot… But, didn't you... well…?
Minato: Do you believe in miracles?
