"Kero kero…"

Yosuke chewed on his lip as he stared at the blank paper in front of him. He had sat down in the common room today to try and figure out who the hell these cultists were, but so far he had come up with nothing. Not only that, but even trying to think made his head hurt. The others in the common room weren't helping, with Akira just reading while upside down in a chair, and Sanada shadow boxing in the corner. Yosuke grumbled again and tapped his pencil against the table.

"Yosuke, what was that?"

Akira caught his eye. Yosuke lifted his head, a bit confused. "What was what?" The dark haired boy pursed his lips in thought.

"You said something, like 'kero kero'. Was it a ribbit?"

Yosuke's face blushed brightly. He had heard from Yu that he tended to do that when he was deep in thought, but he never noticed. Akira apparently found it amusing, as he laughed at the blushing teen. "I...I don't notice when I do it…."

"Is it because of your Persona?"

His only response was to make the noise again, but softer. Akira snickered again.

"It's cute."

Yosuke attempted to hide in his shirt. Dammit! Shut up! He stood up and crumpled the paper before throwing it at Akira. "Don't ca- kero- call me that!" He clamped his hands over his mouth as a ribbit escaped on accident. Akira laughed more as Yosuke's face got even redder. Without waiting for yet another opportunity to embarrass himself, Yosuke ran back to his room and slammed his door rather loudly.

"Ahhhh! Dammit!" Yosuke paced his room as he tried to calm down. He loosened one of his kunai from his sleeve and threw it into the target on his wall. He didn't even take note of the perfect bullseye before sitting down on his bed and whipping his headphones into place over his ears. Yosuke let his music calm his racing heart until he laid back, melting away into the world within his head.

He wasn't sure how long he had been gone, or if he had even remained awake for all of it, but the yellow and red lights of dusk started to filter into his room. Yosuke sat up and took his headphones off, gazing outside. He found that the colors were soothing, inadvertently chirping the soft ribbits of Jiraiya.

A knock at his door and a firm voice made Yosuke jump. He scrambled over to his door and opened it, revealing Yu. He smiled.

"Yu!"

The soft chuckle was like music. "Hey Yosuke." Yu didn't walk in, instead just leaning on the door frame. "I'd love to keep talking but the other two leaders and I want to go in and kick Inoshi's ass." There was a grumble in his words that hinted towards the animosity between the leaders, and Yosuke assumed that they didn't talk it over so much as argued about it.

"Oh, ok then. It's a little late though, won't Kouji kill us?"

"Don't worry." The way Yu spoke sent a chill down Yosuke's spine. The gleam in his eyes was more than just deadly. "The only evidence he'll find towards someone locking him out of the dorms is a set of cat paws."

Yosuke didn't press any further, instead just gathering up as many kunai as his sleeves could hold. The newest window to the Realm had been through Haru's room, and since everyone had been holding onto their weapons for now, he made his way there. Even from down the hall he could smell the flowers and fruits she grew, mingling together into a rather pleasant aroma.

The inside was even better, with flowers and plants on every surface possible, even hanging from the ceiling. Yosuke would have expected the smell to be overpowering, but it was light and soft, making him feel strangely invigorated for battle. Ryuji had apparently opened the window already, as the Persona users were filtering in as they arrived. Yosuke followed them, diving in head first.

Diving into the Chaos Realm felt rather similar to entering the TV World, in that weird way he was suspended in the air before he emerged from the other side. It tended to make him a little dizzy at first, but after a moment it always went away. Jiraiya was stirring, moving about in a way Yosuke could only describe as slimy. To help wake up more, he started to flip his kunai in his hands, readjusting to the strength of his Persona.

Once everyone was here, the three leaders gave a terse speech about what they were going to do. The plan was like before. Barrel through the temple to the top, fight Inoshi, and rescue Aocha, and escape. Everyone was in agreement, and Yu started the mission by ceremoniously kicking the temple doors open.

Yosuke charged after the leaders, following as they broke a path through the temple. Most of the Shadows and cultists they encountered were weak, easy enough for the leaders to take out by themselves. Ryuji ran next to him, and Yosuke could see how he was unsettled. He tilted his head at the blond.

"They're angry towards each other." Ryuji mumbled, mostly to himself. "Wish they'd work together for real." He still seemed to be paying enough attention to everything else around him, as a split second later, Ryuji slammed his bat into a Shadow so hard it exploded.

Yosuke turned his eyes away. Ryuji was right of course. The leaders were constantly bickering, and the tension between them was always too thick to even cut. He felt bad about not being able to help, that he should really work with Yu to try and resolve whatever issues had been going on. He hadn't been sure how to go about talking to him though, as any time Akira or Arisato were brought up, Yu refused to listen to anything about them.

Before he could think too hard, the Persona users arrived at the end of the temple. Yosuke shivered, the cold air piercing through his coat. It's like a freezer in here! He looked around, noticing how massive steel hooks lined the walls. That implication only made him shiver more.

Inoshi was at the opposite end of the room, with three of his cultists nearby. Yosuke readied his knives, staring down the powerful cultist. The butcher's cold laugh rang out as he stood to face down the Persona users.

"Well done in making it through my maze, God Slayers. But you won't be leaving here alive, I promise you that!" Yosuke scanned the room, trying to find where Aocha was. There, by the other cultists! Inoshi was steadily moving closer to the groups, spouting some bullshit about how he'd never be defeated like Hokori.

Yosuke knew his partner well. Well enough that he could understand what the gray haired boy wanted to happen, and he prepared himself. Jiraiya stirred, but Yosuke took a breath. No need for that yet.

Once Inoshi had made it to the middle of the room, Yosuke shot off like a bullet. He barely felt his feet hitting the ground as he zipped towards Inoshi, then carved past him. The surprised faces of the other cultists rushed into his view, but right before he reached Aocha something slammed hard into his gut. Time slowed for a second as a snarling cultist hissed quietly to him.

"You think you're fast enough to steal this kid from us?"

At once, Yosuke flew back at a high speed. He forced his mind to think through the pain, slamming his knives into the floor to slow himself down. Once he stopped, he coughed up some of the contents of his stomach, spitting off to the side. Dammit! He was so fast I couldn't even think to dodge! Yu was by his side instantly.

"Yosuke! Are you ok?"

He coughed a few more times, then wiped his mouth. Yosuke felt determination sparking through him as the cultists moved closer to Inoshi. Anger burned within, forcing him to his feet. Being bested in speed tended to make him upset, and he felt the need to prove how fast he could be. Jiraiya's anger matched his own, the Persona swelling in his chest.

"I'm fine."

Yosuke watched as the Phantom Thieves attempted to attack Inoshi, who had since revealed his true form as some sort of boar minotaur thing. The Thieves weren't having too much luck though, between Inoshi attacking them with the hooks on the wall, and the cultists who basically buzzed around him on their speedy Shadows. He could tell that they were too fast for even the acrobatic Joker to keep up with. He gritted his teeth. I have to do something, I have to-

The answer came to him in an instant.

They don't think anyone is faster than them.

"Yu!"

Yosuke pulled the handle of his blade into his palm before placing his headphones over his ears. Jiraiya was dying to be let out, to let completely loose and handle those cultists. Power surged through him as the card shimmered into view. Yosuke swiped his blade through it, splitting the card in half, a shout in his throat.

"Let's do this, Jiraiya!"

Yu had since knelt nearby, his hands positioned to throw Yosuke into the air. Inoshi hadn't noticed what was happening either, but the swift cultists had. It's now or never! Yosuke ran forward, relying on Yu to give him the boost he needed. He stepped into his partner's hands, instantly feeling how much pressure was being put behind them. Right before he lifted off, Jiraiya wrapped himself around the boy.

"Sukukaja!"

At once, time slowed around Yosuke. A second later, he was flying through the air, rapidly coming face to face with one of the cultists. The Shadow beneath her reared up, barely blocking Yosuke's kunai. He grit his teeth in determination. Go, Jiraiya! Yosuke knocked the cultist away and flipped back, arcing over Jiraiya's throwing star. It split the Shadow apart before it could notice what was happening, and the wind in its wake threw him forward to meet the cultist. He grabbed the front of her robes and rolled, pulling her through the air before flinging her at the ground. Two knives loosened themselves from Yosuke's sleeve, a Garu wrapping around them. The recoil from throwing them at the cultist boosted him back through the air again, this time headed for the next attacker.

This one didn't even see Yosuke coming until it was too late. He shredded through the Shadow with a whirl of his blades, turning around to face the cultist before firing a Garula to throw them away from each other. Yosuke backflipped as he careened towards the last cultist. He was upside down when he came face to face with the cultist, his blades clashing with the robed man's gauntlets before he kept going.

Yosuke's feet barely tapped the floor before he shot back again, knives gleaming in the light. The cultist was still turning around, leaving his side exposed. Yosuke planted a swift kick in the man's side, feeling with grim satisfaction as the hard bones gave way. He jabbed one blade down into the closest gauntlet, fast enough that his knife split it in half. With a crack, it fell away as the blade pierced the cultist's arm. Blood spurt forth, spinning slowly through the air. Yosuke planted his other foot into the man's chest and pushed, throwing his opponent backwards from the impact. He rapidly sped close again on a Garula, his blades glinting lethally. Yosuke could feel his power starting to wane, his speed slowing.

I have to finish this quickly!

"Out of our way!"

Yosuke flipped around, his heel connecting with the man's head. The cultist flew down so hard, the Shadow beneath him poofed, sending Yosuke up again, this time facing Inoshi. He knew he didn't have the strength to take out the powerful man, especially since he was pushing his stamina to maintain the Sukukaja. But a powerful attack would help turn the tides in the Phantom Thieves favor. He held out his hands, wind wrapping around them. A high pitched whir rose into the air as Jiraiya charged up his most powerful wind attack. The power concentrated in his arms, wind stinging his cheeks as he held, charging. When it was almost unbearable, to the point where Yosuke couldn't breathe, he relented.

"Panta Rhei!"

Power exploded from Yosuke, a tornado slamming into Inoshi at full power. His could actually feel his energy leaving him, stamina pouring out in a single, high powered stream of magic. He somehow managed to hold on to consciousness until it was over, and at once the Sukukaja wore off. He flew back, barely avoiding landing on his face as he hit the floor. Yosuke almost passed out again, but he held on. Inoshi had fallen off balance from the intense attack, leaving him vulnerable to the rest of the Persona users.

"Yosuke! You need to go get Aocha!"

Rise's voice cut through the heavy fog in Yosuke's head, and he struggled to his feet. Yamagishi was crouching over by the boy in question, checking on him. Yosuke rapidly stumbled over to Aocha, black spots starting to appear at the edges of his vision. He crouched by the boy, looking over him.

"I was going to ask you to heal him, but you barely have stamina left." Yamagishi's soft voice was thick with worry, but she smiled at Yosuke. "I'm surprised. I suddenly lost contact with you and was so worried, but Kujikawa told me it was normal. I can't believe someone is so fast that not even a Navi can track them." Yosuke felt himself grow hot under the praise, but he just gave a tired smile.

"It's really not that impressive." He turned his attention back to Aocha, who seemed to be stirring a bit. Yosuke chewed on his lip. "He doesn't really belong here, not when he doesn't have a Persona to protect him." Yamagishi nodded.

"I'm sure the other Persona users will take care of Inoshi soon."

As if on cue, a chorus of "Agidyne!" rang out through the temple. A multitude of fiery explosions slammed into Inoshi over and over and over again until he burst into shadowy gunk before dissolving away. Even from this far away, Yosuke could feel how powerful each fire attack was, further pushing the limits of his consciousness. Once Inoshi was gone, the tension in the room went with him, leaving Yosuke with barely any power to stay awake.

Yu rushed over to Aocha's side and carefully picked him up. Yosuke shakily stood as well, feeling more and more like jelly instead of actually solid. He was practically a sneeze away from knocking himself out, but thankfully they were done for the day.

Once back in the real world, Yosuke would have collapsed on his bed and slept for a week, but considering all that he had eaten that day had been messily left behind in the Chaos Realm, he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had been fed again. He more tumbled than walked down to the kitchen where he was assaulted by the bittersweet smell of coffee. Akira was busy brewing a cup or two.

"Oh Yosuke. Would you like one too?"

Yosuke managed a nod before slumping over in a chair. Haru was there too, daintily sitting next to him. She cheerfully smiled at Yosuke, and once again he wondered how this tiny girl lifted an axe twice her size.

"Hanamura! I meant to tell you before we all parted ways, but you were amazing today!"

Akira set down a cup in front of Yosuke before turning back around to the coffee maker. "She's right. I've never seen anyone move that fast before. What was that you called it? Sukukaja?"

Yosuke took a long sip of the coffee and instantly perked up. This coffee is really good. He took another before responding. "Yeah." He coughed roughly. Now that his mind didn't have to focus on staying awake, he could take in everything else. Breathing was suddenly much more painful, and he could only hope it was from bruised ribs. Shifting his weight found that his legs might have been bruised from just going too fast. "Ah, oww." He looked down at his hands, noticing at once how they were cracked and dry, even oozing blood in some places. Oh shit. His fingertips had left a trail along the counter and up the mug.

Haru gasped. "Oh, are you injured Hanamura?"

"N-no, I'll be fine…"

Akira brought over another cup and sat down. "You certainly don't sound fine." Can you really see through my bullshit that easily? "I have first aid in my room if you need it."

Yosuke almost accepted it. His torso was steadily hurting more and more, and he feared the worst. But he shook his head. "I heal quickly. I promise I'll be ok." He tossed back the last of his coffee, which had somehow made him feel more awake than ever, and pushed away from the counter. His hands complained at the sudden motion, but he did his best to ignore them.

Walking back to his room was hell, constantly having to act like breathing wasn't like having needles shoved into his chest. Once he made it back, Yosuke finally inspected his wounds. The muscles and joints in his legs were overworked and sore, but that was to be expected. He had seriously pushed himself to his limit today. Lifting up his shirt showed his chest and stomach to be more black and blue than skin colored, including a sickly looking bruise right over his ribs. He carefully prodded it, wincing at the pain but noticing no fractures.

Yosuke sighed and let his shirt drop right as a soft kero kero reached his ears. At once he felt warmth spread through him. I was late today, but they didn't forget me. He stumbled to the window, pushing it open despite how his muscles screamed in pain. The frogs were lined up just like always, softly croaking out the starting notes of the night song. Yosuke normally would have picked up his guitar to play along, but his hands were on fire at this point. He sat down next to the window to listen as he started to treat his hands.

Are you injured, Yosuke?

Yosuke winced. The medicine bled through the cracks in his skin and made the cuts sting. "We had a big fight today, but I'll be fine in the morning. Jiraiya will help me." He gingerly wrapped his hands in bandages, flexing the fingers to make sure they weren't too tight.

That is good. We will sing the health song to help.

"Let me get ready for bed first." He chuckled softly. Yosuke knew that song was meant to lull him into sleep, to help him recover faster. As gently as he could, he changed into a loose shirt and sweatpants, snuggling into the soft covers of his bed. He buried his nose in the blankets, still getting traces of Yu from the last time he was here. The quiet kero kero wafted through his room, prompting him to turn off his light and drift into sleep.

And in the morning when he would wake to the warm kero kero, his bruises would be miraculously gone.