26

6 August 2009

Night of the Full Moon

Minato and Rosemary could feel how anxious their friends were the moment they entered the weapons depot. It was freezing inside the abandoned building. Ken gave a slight shiver and regretted the fact that he forwent pants for his summer shorts. A second jacket was placed on his shoulders and he looked up to his guardian. She had given him her bomber jacket to help warm him up. It did. She didn't look too bothered by the frigid air as she fixed her SEES armband onto her bicep. Koromaru sat between them and looked around with a serious expression, well as serious as a dog could be.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that we just walked into a trap?" Rosemary quietly asked.

"Don't jinx us, May-Chan!" Junpei exclaimed as he sent her a look.

She wasn't looking at him, but at some of the skeletons scattered in the building. Several of them had holes in their skulls, it was easy to see what had done them in. At least it was a quick death, though she preferred to live than die. It was such a strange concept.

"That shadow Reading came from around here, right?" Akihiko asked Fuuka.

Rosemary turned her attention away from the skeletons and towards the door they came through. A tall man with long paw blonde hair stood there with a calculating expression on his face. He was shirtless, and it showed how thin he was. She knew she didn't have any room to talk but he truly looked like a skeleton. His Amber eyes moved from one side to the other as he gazed at the group of persona users. He couldn't tell which one was the navigator and the other the shield. She was thankful for that, and quickly looked towards the teen standing next to him. Dark hair, heavy coat, and glasses. Who wore a heavy coat in summer? She almost punched herself for that stupid question. Shinjiro did so because of the persona suppressants he took, though he hadn't been taking them as often if his thoughts were any indication. They had lowered his body temperature and made it impossible for him to warm up naturally. The blonde-haired man must've been on the opposite end of the spectrum. His body temperature was at a critical level, but he was still able to function. Sometimes it was astounding to her the amount of abuse a human body could go through.

"Impressive, that intel is quite correct," the blonde man said, and that got the rest of SEES attention.

"Who are you?" Minato asked, a small frown on his face Koromaru was growling at the man.

"However, you shouldn't fancy yourselves as being the only ones to gather that data," The man continued as if he hadn't heard the question.

"What are you talking about?" Mitsuru asked.

"They have a navigator?" Minato muttered as he narrowed his eyes at the two.

Akihiko discreetly moved towards Fuuka. If they lost their navigator then they were back to square one. She looked up at him with surprised wide eyes and he shook his head. They didn't want to give away who the navigator was. Fuuka was important. He felt a strange sensation in his chest at those thoughts, maybe he needed to lay off the beef bowls for a while.

"My name is Takaya, and this is Jin," The blonde said as he introduced themselves, "we are also known as Strega."

"Strega?" Junpei questioned with a frown.

"We've observed all the hard work you've done up till now," Takaya continued, "I hear that you took up a noble battle to protect the people, but I've come to put a stop to it tonight."

"Way to go, May-Chan," Junpei muttered to the bluenette in question.

"Sorry about that, I'll refrain from baiting the universe," She muttered back.

Takaya held his head as though he was in pain and a red light surrounded him. Rosemary winced at the screams of rage coming from him. It was the thoughts of a persona, attached to him yet not his own. She thought back to Castor, he had a reason to be furious at his summoner this one didn't. It was almost like it was furious just because it existed. She didn't get much time to think about it when it sent a magarudyne at them and continued to do so until the doors closed.

Rosemary grimaced as pain shot through her body. Right, she was weak to wind. Her strengths were ice and light, surprisingly fore did not cross over with Themis. She looked around for another way out and inwardly cursed when she noted that there was none. The other door led to an elevator that went down. She wasn't the only one to notice that.

A hissing filled the room, and a purple mist began to appear. She barely listened as Takaya informed them that he was using gas left over from when the building was still in use. She did catch the type. Nerve paralysis. It would most likely cause damage to the point where breathing stopped. She narrowed her eyes in thought and looked towards everyone. A physical shield should work to protect them from the gas, but to keep it stable she would have to forgo her own. She steeled herself and brought her evoker to her jaw and pulled the trigger.

Ken's eyes widened as a different persona appeared behind Rosemary. It was a woman, her eyes a milky white. She was holding a scale and a long blades bronze sword. It was a European styled sword, and he wondered if that was because of her heritage. The dress the persona wore was clean and billowy, the color an off-white shade. In the low light it almost looked like a light blue. He felt his breathing become easier as a white orb surrounded him and everyone else.

"May!" Minato exclaimed as he watched the taller girl cover her mouth and nose with her arm band.

"I won't be able to keep a shield up on my person without lessening yours," She informed them, "don't worry about me and keep an eye on the situation at hand."

"Damn it, Hanamura!" Mitsuru yelled out.

"I believe that Hanamura-san is correct," Aigis chimed in as she readied herself for a fight, "if we focus on the large shadow, we can begin to search for a way out."

Rosemary gave Aigis a nod of thanks. She didn't have much time before the gas began to attack her nerves. The armband could only block so much of it. She hated the fact that she was worrying Ken and Akihiko, but they needed to fight. They all stood in front of her and Fuuka, a protective barrier against the shadow. She looked closer at the large shadow. No, it was two separate ones.

She knelt on one of her knees as one of the shadows attacks shook the ground. She was starting to feel weak. She chanced a glance towards Themis and noted the persona was still there. Good, that meant the shields were still up. She could feel the drain of keeping the shields up. With the nerve gas, she wasn't too sure she was going to make it out of the depot alive. She coughed into her arm band and got Fuuka's attention.

"Rosemary-Chan," Fuuka gently called, "please, hang on just a little longer…I'll search for a way out, there has to be one."

Fuuka brought her hands together and focused on the surrounding area. She was starting to get the feel of buildings, the training in Tartarus was paying off. She felt her friend's persona and tilted her head in thought. Minato and Rosemary felt similar. Their persona were completely different, but that feeling continued. She had to move past it and try to find a way out. She refused to let her friend get hurt. Rosemary had put herself in danger to keep her safe. She would never forget that. She could tell that Strega was leaving the building and she frowned when someone else entered.

"Aigis!" Yukari yelled when the robot overheated.

Aigis had been fighting in Orgia mode. Time was not on their side. Hanamura Rosemary would not be able to survive the gas for much longer. She was already brought to her knees and struggling to breathe. Aigis couldn't help but notice how stubborn humans were. This one had decided to keep the others safe and ignored her own well-being. She peered at the bluenette that found her to be a wonderfully built machine. She was nice, and usually seemed to know when something was bothering someone.

"I'm sorry," Aigis apologized, "I seem to have overheated."

"Damn," Akihiko cursed under his breath as he called on Polydeuces and used him to punch the shadow.

It skidded backwards into a nearby wall, but that wasn't enough to break it. The gas was growing thicker in the room. He kept himself from panicking, it wouldn't do anyone any help if he did. They didn't have much time.

Rosemary watched the fight, with half open eyes. Her mind was hazy, and everything sounded so far away. She was barely able to keep herself upright, but her arm band was still pressed to her nose and mouth. It wasn't blocking anything, but it made her feel better. She didn't have the energy to do anything but focus on the shields. She refused to let those fall even as dark spots began to appear in her vision.

A loud crash behind SEES caused them all to turn around and see what else was going to happen. The gas was billowing out of the room as someone walked in. The shields went down at that exact moment and they heard Rosemary trying to breathe. The newcomer brought a slight look of relief to Akihiko's face.

Shinjiro looked at SEES with a blank expression as he noted the staggering large shadows. He moved to stand next to Rosemary and narrowed his eyes slightly. She wasn't really moving, and her breathing was shallow and inconsistent. Just what the hell happened? He felt worry rise up in him and he knelt next to her. She needed to be in an upright position, the one she was in now wasn't helping her breathe.

"Shinji," Akihiko said.

"Right…" Shinjiro muttered as he summoned his persona.

Castor stood there in all his glory. Ken eyed the persona with a hateful look before turning it towards the summoner. Shinjiro was holding onto his guardian in a manner that suggested they were close. She wasn't conscious and there was a glint of worry in Shinjiro's eyes. Koromaru whined slightly and got Ken's attention. They had a fight to win, he could think about revenge later.

Castor led the charge and used his lance to spear the smaller shadow to a wall. Fire, lightening, ice, and wind were sent towards the shadow as everyone became serious. Ken knew that his light attacks wouldn't work against the shadows, it would be stupid to try. So, he and Koromaru started attacking in unison with their weapons.

"Shinjiro…is everyone okay?" Shinjiro looked down when Rosemary spoke.

He thought she had been unconscious. He looked towards everyone else as Castor attacked again with a furious passion. It was strange to see his Persona acting like everyone else's. It had never happened before.

"Yeah," He answered, "Everyone is fine."

"That's good," She murmured, "…thank you for showing up when you did."

He didn't have an answer to that. She slumped in his hold and his heart skipped a beat. She was barely breathing. Just how long were they trapped in this room? He needed the full story from Aki. The silver haired teen seemed distracted, and he knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Um, Shinjiro-San?" He turned to look at the tea-haired girl sitting in her persona, "Is she still breathing?"

"Barely." He answered.

His chest clenched in pain at that. Shit, there was a chance he could lose her. Castors attacks grew more ferocious as a reflection of his summoners emotional state. Ken felt uneasy watching the persona stab at the shadow until it dissolved. Minato stared in surprise and turned to see what had caused the persona to act like that. It didn't take long for it to click in his head. No wonder Rosemary never seemed to be a romantic possibility. Someone else already had her heart, and now he understood who it was. The teen that Akihiko sent them to find for information when Fuuka went missing, the one who said she was "acting like usual". He would definitely know her usual actions.

"May-Chan!" Yukari yelled as everyone headed towards their downed teammate, "She needs a doctor."

"Yes," Mitsuru agreed, "the dark hour will be over soon, it's imperative that we get her there now."

"How far away is it?" Minato asked Fuuka.

"A mile," Fuuka answered, "About thirty minutes."

"Will she survive another thirty minutes…" Junpei muttered.

"She has to," Ken said and al eyes turned towards him, "she just…has to."

He felt his anger leave him when he saw just how damaging the gas had been. She protected them all from that, but she hadn't protected herself. He wanted to be angry at her, but realized that it was something that she usually did. He clenched his spear in his hand as Koromaru nudged his hand. They needed to start moving.

Shinjiro carried her. He was surprised when Minato asked him to, and the knowing look given to him by the shorter teen made him a little surprised. They never held hands around the members of SEES and most of them didn't believe the rumors anyway. He looked down at the girl in his arms. She was lighter than he expected. Her breathing was growing less and less as they hurried to the hospital. They made it just as the dark hour ended.

Rosemary was rushed into a room, an oxygen mask fixated on her face. They weren't surprised when she was labeled as a critical patient. Her heart had stopped on the way to the dire care ward. She had to be resuscitated. They all sat in the chairs outside her room and the passing nurses gave them looks of sympathy.

Shinjiro was growing agitated by that. Sure, her heart may have stopped but she wasn't dead. She'd get better, he knew she would. She was too stubborn to just lay down and die. He glared down at the floor and clenched his fists inside his pockets.

"Does anyone want something to drink?" Junpei asked and he clenched his jaw to stop himself from saying something snide.

"Our friend is in critical condition and you want to get a drink?" Yukari snapped, "Whats wrong with you Stupei?"

"She'd be pissed if we didn't take care of ourselves," Junpei countered, "May-Chan wouldn't want us sitting here moping about."

"She's not dead," Aigis said and she got several looks, "Hanamura-san is in critical condition, but she is still alive…I agree that she would rather we not worry and take care of ourselves."

"That's just who she is," Akihiko muttered, "May is quiet about it, but you've noticed that she makes food when we're all hungry and will bake something if we aren't feeling happy."

Yukari made a strange expression before agreeing with him. Rosemary would talk with her as they watched anime, the snacks she had were healthy or homemade, and she noted that the other girl enjoyed hearing about her day. Minato had noticed Rosemary's habit of taking care of others before herself. She believed herself selfish, but sometimes her actions disapproved that. He closed his grey eyes for a few seconds before looking at the taller teen who was still glaring at the floor. Nothing he could say would make the boy feel better.

"Juice," Minato simply said and Junpei gave him a curt nod.

"For me as well," Ken softly uttered.

Minato blocked out everyone saying their drinks and watched as Ken ran his fingers through Koromaru's fur. The boy was worried, more than he would admit. Even Koromaru looked upset. His ears were drooping, and his tail laid flat on the ground. If she didn't make it through the night, then Ken wasn't going to recover.

The minutes turned into hours and they waited through the night for any news that was good. Yukari had fallen asleep with her head on Fuuka's shoulder and the teal-haired girl had called asleep on Akihiko's. He was still awake and was watching the time tick by. Minato looked at Mitsuru, who was close to nodding off. He turned to see that Shinjiro was still glaring at the floor, his expression hadn't changed in hours. Ken had fallen asleep on Koromaru. He had fought sleep for some time before losing the battle.

"Kirijo-San," A dark haired nurse walked up to the red head, an uncomfortable expression on her face, "A Pinefield Susan is standing at the receptionist desk asking about your friend."

Shinjiro looked away from the floor at that. He needed Rosemary's phone. She had her Aunts number on it, she had to. If they could get a message out to the woman then it was possible to keep Susan from getting control of her daughter.

"Mitsuru, where's her phone?" Shinjiro questioned.

"I've already sent her Aunt a message," Mitsuru informed him before turning back to the nurse, "do not allow that woman anywhere near her daughter. She's a known abuser."

"Understood." The nurse nodded and her expression became like steel.

Mitsuru's phone rang and she walked away to answer it. A wince informed those awake who it was on the other end. There was no guessing why Hanamura Naomi was angry. Shinjiro didn't blame her. Minato looked ahead with a blank expression before sighing. There wasn't much they could do. A doctor walked up to the room and entered, a nurse joining him. Female doctors, not male. Minato wondered if that meant Rosemary was uncomfortable with a male doctor. It wasn't unheard of. He felt anxious as they waited for the Doctor to come back out. They collectively held their breath as she did.

"She's stable," The Doctor said as she looked down at a chart in her hand, "We will need to keep her for some time as the toxins are removed from her system, she's awake right now but there can only be one visitor at a time no one inform her about her flatline her heart still has the possibility to stop if put under enough stress."

"Go," Akihiko said to Shinjiro, "you've been glaring at the floor the entire time, it was obvious."

Shinjiro looked to the side in annoyance before standing up and shuffling into the hospital room. Rosemary looked even paler in the white sheets of the hospital bed. She was propped up on some pillows and was looking towards the window sigh a thoughtful expression. She turned to face him, and she looked nervous.

"You…you're an idiot," He informed her as he walked up to the side of the bed.

"I know…" She quietly said.

He brought her into an embrace, and she tensed for a few seconds. She struggled to bring her arms up to embrace him back. She got one of them to lay on his back. It was a start. He didn't let her go and she wondered just how badly she had scared him.

"I'm sorry," She softly apologized, and he simply tightened his hold on her.

After ten minutes her released her and gently pressed his forehead against hers. She felt cold to him, that couldn't be good. She looked to the side and he noted that she knew why. He stared at her until she decided to tell him.

"The nerve gas is lowering my body temperature, the toxins are making it harder for me to regulate them naturally," She explained, "Since it's a first time attack my body will go back to normal after it's passed through my system…I'm starting to think that those pills you have share some ingredients with the gas."

That little bottle felt heavy in his pocket. He hadn't really been taking them when he was around her, but didn't want to chance anything. She watched as his expression turned thoughtful before his thoughts informed her of something. He wasn't going to hold back in their relationship anymore. He had almost lost her; he wasn't about to stand back and do nothing affectionate. Reluctance shone in his eyes as he slowly stepped back. He wasn't going to take up all her time, everyone else was worried about her. He watched as she turned thoughtful before tensing up and slowly turning to face the door.

"…My Aunts going to kill me…" She said in a horrified voice, "I don't think I've ever heard her that mad."

"Do you want me to be there?" He quietly asked and she seemed a little taken aback.

"I don't want to be a bother," She mumbled.

He wouldn't have offered if he thought it was a bother. He reached forward and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. Her pale cheeks flushed pink and he gave a soft sigh. She was so unused to someone treating her with care. The others tried, but they didn't do what he did. He looked towards the door and knew that the others would want to see her. She let out a soft sound of pain and he immediately looked towards her.

"I'm all right." She said as she took a deep breath, "My chest is sore right now."

The defibrillator wasn't what had caused the pain, she wasn't even aware that her heart had stopped at one point. It was the needles stuck inside her skin under her gown. She needed fluids to help push the toxins from her system. One needle removed the toxins and stored it in a bag, and another had fluids to replace what was lost. She was close to having a blood transfusion.

"I'll go and get Aki," He told her, and she gave him the barest of nods, "he's worried but won't admit it."

She was a bit amused at that. Shinjiro hesitated before stepping up to her and pressing his lips to the top of her head. He quickly left after that and she felt her cheeks warm up, the heart monitor informing him that she had been affected by his actions. Hopefully, she wasn't too bothered by it. Akihiko went in the second he was out, and he looked over the others. Those that were asleep were now awake and waiting to go in. Ken was closest to the door and was back to petting Koromaru. He didn't say anything and walked up to Mitsuru. He'd be rejoining SEES even though he didn't want to; they were now down a fighter and he was pissed at Strega. Strega just lost someone who had given them information in exchange for the suppressants.

"Next time we won't run into a trap," Akihiko informed Rosemary as he took a seat next to her bed.

"They wanted to know who our navigator was and learn more about my shielding," She informed him with a thoughtful frown, "I'm telling you this to tell Mitsuru, she's feeling guilty about the entire thing."

"Of course, she is," He muttered before giving her a strange look, "Your hair is going to bother you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I might ask my aunt if she has anything for me to pull it up with," She quietly said.

She blinked when he untied his uniform ribbon and easily pulled her hair up. She wasn't expecting that. He still remembered how to tie hair. He used to pull his little sisters' hair up all the time. She gave him a tiny smile and he looked away in embarrassment. He had done that without thinking. He rubbed the back of his head in thought before standing up. Ken was still waiting, and he knew that keeping the kid waiting would be detrimental to the situation.

Ken was sent in and Koromaru immediately jumped up onto the bed and pushed his head against her hand. She gave him a soft smile and felt bad that she couldn't really move to pet him. Ken didn't say anything but studied her condition. She looked frail sitting in the hospital bed, nothing like the girl who could take down shadows with her naginata. He had picked up her weapon, it was heavier than his spear. He had been surprised by that.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Ken," She quietly said, "I didn't know the shadow had been that strong."

Ken still didn't say anything, and she looked at him. He was staring down at the ground with a frown on his face. Her eyes widened when his shoulders shook. She felt the guilt rising and clenched her jaw as she tried to force her body to move. He needed to be comforted. He jumped when arms lightly wrapped around him and a trembling hand was put against the back of his head. She shouldn't be moving.

"I'm so sorry," She apologized, and he found himself hugging her back.

He had a tight hold on her hospital gown. She had her head down, her bangs covering her eyes as she wondered just how badly she screwed up. Everyone was so worried about her. No one would tell her what happened when she was first brought to the hospital, not even the doctors. The thoughts around her were muffled, it felt like she was hearing them from a distance. Themis was whispering her support and she frowned slightly. Just what happened?

"You shouldn't be moving," Ken said, his voice nasally.

"I might need help moving back into the bed," She said in a light tone, "I can't really move anything."

He pushed her back onto the bed with some difficulty and felt accomplished when she gave him a sad smile. She was feeling guilty about quite a few things. Her actions mainly. She thought back to Shinjiro and couldn't help the happy feelings that filled her. The situation was so twisted it wasn't even funny.

"Do you want to meet Aunt Naomi?" She asked him and he tensed, "Because there is no way in hell that she's not going to visit."

"Is she scary?" He asked.

"Not really, but you aren't the one she's mad at," She said with a teasing tone.

She gave a quiet yawn and he blinked. That was normal, she usually went to sleep right after they were done with the dark hour. He smiled at that and gently nudged Koromaru. He could come and visit her any time. Right now, she needed sleep so she could get better. He felt a bit better seeing that she was slowly getting better. He was her last visitor for the night. The doctor asked that the rest of SEES leave so that she could get some rest.

Mitsuru looked at the paperwork in front of her. Shinjiro was rejoining SEES and that meant she needed to reinstate him as a student. She pushed some of her hair back from her face before letting out a soft sigh. He needed to show up for some of his classes this time around. She would make sure to inform him of that. He should be a good role model for their lower classmates and Ken. She didn't like the idea of using Amada to get him to comply, but something needed to motivate the taller teen. She looked towards the rest of her paperwork and felt her shoulders slump.

Right, creating pay for the members of SEES. They were risking their lives, so a stipend was needed. She knew that the second-year students hadn't been taking it seriously. It wasn't until one of their own had been hurt that it finally dawned on them. She heard a knock at her door and told the person to enter. She stared at Shinjiro and noted the mug of coffee in his hand. It was familiar to her. He used to bring her coffee back when he had first joined SEES.

"Thank you," She said as he placed it down on her desk.

"She doesn't blame you, y'know that, right?" He asked and she paused.

She had been reaching for the mug of coffee. Her hand hesitated a few seconds before she finally picked it up. Her thin-lipped silence told him all he needed to know. She blamed herself for what happened. He brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his head.

"What's changed for SEES since I've been gone?" He asked, his manner awkward.

"A mandatory attendance," She informed him, and he narrowed his eyes, "that one was the chairman's idea if you want someone to yell at."

"School club, right," He muttered in annoyance, "anything else?"

"A weekly stipend and an extra amount this week due to…" She trailed off at that.

He knew what it was about, and he gave a curt nod. He let her be. Mitsuru was one of those people that needed to think things through. She was going to blame herself for everything that happened to the members of SEES, but sometimes things couldn't be avoided. How the hell was she supposed to know that Strega had decided to set up a trap for them. He headed back to his room and stopped when a pair of luminescent eyes appeared in the darkness. A small cat was sitting outside his door. It had to be Mochi.

"The hell," He muttered as the cat rubbed up against his shin before meowing up at him, "even her cat is cute."

He picked up the cat and grimaced as she decided that his cheek needed to be cleaned. He went into his old room and noted that everything was as he left it. It was empty, but the bed was made. The sheets were clean so that meant that someone would come by to clean it. He sighed and removed his boots and coat before depositing the cat on the bed. He'd look after her while her owner was in the hospital.

"Your owner is something," He muttered to the cat as he removed his beanie before laying on the bed.

Mochi decided to sit on his chest and gave him a meow that sounded like an agreement of sorts. He looked up at the ceiling, he wasn't even surprised anymore. Koromaru was a smart dog, it made sense that Mochi would be as well. He closed his eyes with a quiet sigh. Having a purring cat on his chest made his sleep oddly peaceful, it helped that she kept him warm. The damn thing was like a mini furnace.