When she woke up, she was back to Junes. Everyone was checking at her worriedly. Yu was the first to find her awake.
"Yukiko, how are you feeling?"
Her head was throbbing, and her body was extremely tired.
"What...happened to me?" Yu explained everything that happened after she was used as a tool of Ameno-sagiri's materialization. They fought the god and brought her back. "I see...thank you, everyone."
"Don't mention it. It's you who led us to the one behind everything." Yu patted her head, smiling. "Everything is over now."
"Yeah, why don't we go outside and see it?" Chie suggested excitedly.
Yu helped her up, taking her out to the Junes.
The sky was clear, no fog was seen in the surrounding. The bright sun shined upon everyone, it was a comfortable warmth.
They did it...she did it. She found the one behind Midnight Channel. Everything ended, and she didn't have to repeat the cycle anymore.
She was freed, at last.
"Yukiko, you don't have to worry anymore." Yu looked at her, smiling.
Seeing his smile, Yukiko made up her mind. There's no need to hesitate, she had to play the role to the end.
It was time she needed to redeem her sins.
"...I'm going to surrender to the police. After all this, someone has to end everything." She was the only one who could do this. She did kill Adachi and planned everything. Even if the police couldn't prove it, she had to face the judgement brought upon her.
"Yukiko-senpai..." Rise and the others stared at her worriedly, but none of them said anything. They were too, having the same opinion.
"...Anyway, you should have some rest first, senpai." Naoto suggested. Her expression softened.
Yukiko shook. She wanted to do it now. Her heart was lighter than a feather, no more burden would chain her. It was the best time she could take responsibility for everything she had done.
Knowing what's in her mind, Yu tightened his grasp on her shoulder, but said nothing. He knew full well the girl was struggling in the sins and regret.
"...I'll accompany you."
Nodding, she smiled. Everyone looked sad, yet none of them stopped her. They had no right to stop her, anyway.
Three days before Christmas, Amagi Yukiko surrendered herself to the police station, claiming she was the one behind the murdered and kidnapped cases.
Time flew, Yukiko had no idea how long since she was locked in the police station. Although she surrendered herself, and caused a huge commotion, the police couldn't find any proof of her killing Adachi. The same went to the kidnapping. Although she admitted the manipulation on Namatame, the guy was the one who put it into action. No obvious proof directed to the girl that the police could put any action on her.
Anyway, she was still locked up, unable to spend time with Yu on Christmas, or even New Year. Yet, she didn't regret it at all. She believed she could spend time with him after she was released, and she would finally face him without feeling guilty.
However...as she thought everything was over, someone appeared before her and alerted her immediately.
It was someone she didn't know at all. The fog covered the surroundings, and the person was behind the fog. She couldn't see her, but her presence was there. There's no way she could ignore such a strong presence.
"I see that you have finally reached here. It's quite a surprise to me, but it's far from the end."
The voice belonged to a woman. It was an emotionless voice mixed with emptiness. The voice pierced into her mind directly which made her twist her brows in discomfort.
"W-Who are you...?"
"...Humans sure are interesting. At first, I'm only interested in that boy, but it seems I'm completely wrong. Putting you in the repeated cycles is a wise decision."
Upon hearing this, Yukiko immediately understood it.
"Don't tell me...you're the one behind everything!? Including me repeating the cycles?" Flame started to build inside her. She thought they had ended everything by defeating Ameno-sagiri!
"The first cycle ended with him failing in finding me. I thought it was quite boring that way, so I pick one of you to help him, and randomly, that's you." The voice paused for a while. "I have to say...you have done well in your countless cycles. You let me see the potential of humans. I am truly satisfied."
The more she said, the more anger filled inside her.
She was merely a clown to play the role she had set for her, enjoying her pain and struggling behind the fog, probably even laughing when she failed in each cycle.
How could she do this to her?
"And about Ameno-sagiri...is merely an aspect of myself that I birthed long ago. Your friends defeated two Sagiri, and one of the fragments born from me...but still, the game is not over." Yukiko believed she heard a soft chuckle coming from the fog. "Today is the last chance you can find me. You can call your friends to help you on looking for me. I'll be waiting somewhere in the town."
So...she intended to continue the cycle if she failed to get everything done by today. Strangely, she felt exhausted all of the sudden. She wasn't aware of the fog and the woman had gone, she just focused on her mind.
It's not over yet...upon realizing the fact, she felt depression wrapped her body. If she failed to find the woman in this cycle, she had to repeat the cycle again. She had to go through the same pain and depression all over again. Thinking about this, she finally let out a cry. How long would she be able to hold it?
She was already at the edge of breaking. How long the woman wanted to torture her?
As she was crying, a police officer came by and told her someone wanted to meet her. The police officer frowned when seeing her eyes swollen in red, but asked nothing.
"Yukiko!"
She didn't expect the comer was Yu. She almost choked into cry when seeing him, but she pressed down the feelings as much as she could.
Yu grabbed her hands and gently rubbed them. He would do this whenever he visited her in the police station. It was just so natural as if he was treating a treasure – so soft and gentle.
"Yu..." She smiled. "Why are you here?"
"I just want to see you...before I'm going back to the city." A hint of sadness went across his face as he lowered his head.
"Going back...?" She was planning to tell him about the woman in the fog, but the voice died out in her throat. She gulped, trying to hold the urge to cry. "I-I see..."
"...Even though we're apart, my heart is yours. I'll come back again whenever I'm free. I promised." Thinking the girl was feeling sad, Yu tried to comfort her. Staring at her closer, he surprisingly found the redness in her eyes. "Yukiko...did you cry? Is something happening?"
"N-No...I'm fine." Averting his gaze, she lowered her head to cover her swollen eyes. Knowing he would leave, there's no way to ask him to look for the mystery woman by today. "...Don't worry Yu-kun, I'll wait for you..."
Staring at her silently, Yu stood up and took her into his arms.
Leaving her in Inaba was something he was not willing to, but he had no choice. His parents were coming back, and going back to the city after a year was part of the plan. Getting a girlfriend was not in the plan, yet the girl became part of his life which was something he couldn't control. If possible, he wanted to take her together with him...
"Yu-kun..." This was the last hug they would share. Yukiko bit her bottom lips, holding the tears back. "...I won't forget the warmth you brought to me. Even if I have to repeat another cycle, I'll always love you."
She gave him a smile, leaving with the police officer. Yu stretched out his hand, yet the girl didn't spare him another glance.
"Yukiko..."
Thinking about her words and her swollen eyes, a bad feeling rose up to his mind. He wanted to ask her, but obviously she refused to answer.
Walking on the street, he knew he had to do something about this. He took out his phone and attempted a call to Yosuke, stopped when he saw an attendant standing in front of the petrol station.
He remembered he came to the petrol station on his first day in Inaba, and happened to be greeted by an attendant.
"Hello, is...something on my face?" The attendant found his gaze, asking in confusion. "You keep staring at me."
He went past the petrol station a lot during a year in Inaba, but he didn't recall any memories about the attendant before him, except once.
"...Did we meet before?" He purposely asked.
"You? Hmm...I don't know. Maybe?" The attendant tilted her head, shrugging. "But you do look familiar...oh, you're the boy that came from the city, correct?"
"Do you remember what you do to me?"
Come to think of it...he didn't have to face his true self like the others, as if the power of Persona lodged inside him from the beginning. And before his Persona awakened, he was...
"What did I do? Don't you remember? I met you here when you first came to town, and I greeted you, that's all. Remember? We talked for a couple minutes...is something wrong?"
"No...I'm just curious." He shook his head, putting the phone back to the pocket. "You know Adachi and Namatame? They are both from the city, too."
"Adachi and Namatame? The second victim of the murder cases and the suspect of kidnapping?" The attendant nodded. "Yeah, I greeted them, too. Unfortunately, Adachi was killed."
"...You seem to know him well."
"Not really, we just talked once, that's it." Shrugging, the attendant let out a small chuckle. "Why all these questions? Seriously, is something bothering you?"
"Yes, something is bothering me." Yu sighed. "...You're the one giving me power, aren't you?"
Tension immediately filled the air as the attendant straightened her body. The pale face under the cap was sickening as she lifted her head.
"...I don't know who you are, but you're related to the TV World and Midnight Channel. I'm sure about it." Yu gritted his teeth. Yukiko's swollen eyes and pale face came to his mind. She must've known it.
The attendant took off the hat, revealing a pair of crimson blood eyes.
"...The deadline I offer to the girl is the end of the day, but I never thought you'll find me so soon. You're indeed troublesome."
Offer? Deadline? Yu frowned at those words, but now there's no doubt Yukiko knew about this.
"What did you do to Yukiko?"
"Don't worry, I just offered her to find me by today. If she couldn't make it, a cycle would start."
Bastard! Yu balled his fists tightly. Now he finally understood the sadness hid within her voice.
"...I found you." Once again, he told her firmly. He won't let the girl repeat the painful cycle once again. This time, he would protect her.
"Yes, you don't have to remind me. Though...I never expected this at all. You're really something. I am Izanami." The attendant revealed her true form. "Very well...I shall pit my full strength against you. In return...you must come prepared to follow through in your futile resistance."
"Wait!"
"I'll be waiting for you there. Of course, I will invite your little girlfriend, too." With a chuckle, Izanami disappeared before him, leaving a sickening laughter in the air.
Not wasting a minute, Yu quickly gave a call to Yosuke to gather everyone at Junes.
After calming down, Yukiko snuggled at the corner of the room, mind blanked.
She didn't want to think of anything. At least she deserved a moment of daze after all the struggling she had gone through. Even though she would soon start another cycle...she didn't bother it anymore.
She had tried so hard...she even took the role of the culprit on behalf of Adachi, but why fate never sided her for once? She was tired, extremely tired. She had no idea whether she could do the same just as the way she did in this cycle.
Thinking about it was terrifying. It was enough to scare her to hell. Closing her eyes, her mind slowly drifted off.
Having no idea how long had passed, she felt rather cold. She wrapped herself together, kept sleeping until some voices broke in.
It was a familiar voice, a voice she just heard not long ago.
"Yukiko!"
Instantly, she snapped her eyes open. The first thing came into her view was the face of Yu, and then followed by the rest of her friends.
"Yu-kun? And...everyone?" She winked a few times, checking her surroundings. "W-Why am I..."
"This is Yomotsu Hirasaka, a place where Izanami is waiting for us." Yu explained to her, helping her to get up. "...It makes sense. She did say she will invite you as well."
"Izanami...the mystery woman behind the fog?" Shocking, she widened her eyes. "You found her? But..."
"Yeah, I found her, and you didn't tell me about this." Folding his arms together, Yu acted angry.
"T-That's because...you're going back..." Her voice died out later, unable to look straight at the boy. "...I'm sorry."
"Come on Narukami, there's no time to waste here!" Chie clapped his back, telling him not to blame the girl.
"Yeah dude, save it for later." Yosuke smirked.
"Senpai, Izanami is in the next area. We better be well prepared." Rise pounted, a hint of loneliness mixed in her voice.
"...We're finally here." Naoto said.
"Let's kick the ass out of it, Teddie!"
"Yeah!"
Yu let out a sigh, stretching out his hand.
"Let's go, Yukiko."
She stared at him for a while. The anger was fake, she knew, because she didn't find a hint of anger in his eyes. Then, she looked at her friends, they all gave her a smile to assure her.
Their supports were the greatest encouragement for me to lift her burdens. Her eyes wet, but accepting Yu's hand with a beautiful smile.
"...Sure, let's go."
Yukiko had no idea where she was. The time when she opened her eyes, she met only blue in her surroundings. A long nose man and a beautiful woman sat opposite her, both staring at her with wide eyes.
"W-Who are you?"
"What a surprising guest we have here." The long nose man smiled creepily. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor."
Velvet Room? She heard this name before.
"The place where Yu-kun fuses Persona...?"
"Indeed. We just sent off our valuable guest, and here you are."
"My name is Margaret. I believe this is our first meet, other than your other friends." The blonde woman nodded slightly. "We have been watching you since you leaped through the countless cycles."
"Watching me? So...you knew it all along?" Her body tensed up. Not only Izanami, but the Velvet Room too? And they did nothing but watch?
"We apologize for not being able to help you out there. Things were beyond our control as Izanami was directly involved in the matter." Both of them bowed to her. "We're glad that you have made it this far. Your journey has come to an end, and normal lives shall be waiting for you."
Tears rolled down to her cheek. It was over? It was finally...over? She didn't have to go through those terrible things?
"Yes, it is finally over." As if saw through her inner thought, Margaret reassured her. "You have done an excellent job to help our guest to complete his journey. You have our gratitude. Now, you may go. The fight is soon over."
As Margaret gestured to her, a light blinded her sight, and the world went all white.
Getting off the train, she followed the crowd to get out from the station. With the luggage on hand, she let out a tired sigh.
It sure was a long and tough road from Inaba to Tokyo. This place was a lot different than Inaba, and this would become part of her life in the future. Somehow, she had to adapt to a new environment, as she had decided to stay here for the time being.
She wasn't completely sure whether she would return to Inaba one day, at least not now. She still felt guilty for what she had done to her mother and her friends, especially Nanako. She could only rely on time to lift the guilty within her. It was quite difficult to spend her senior year in Inaba. She had to thank Chie and Yosuke for helping her a lot in this.
Taking a look at the watch, she patiently waited. Her mouth crooked into a big smile when she saw a boy running in her direction.
"Yukiko!"
She just smiled, quietly examining him.
He hadn't changed much since their last met. He was still with that calm and kind demeanor which attracted some attention from the surroundings. It seemed there were two more people behind him.
"Yu-kun."
"Sorry, I'm late."
"It's okay." Honestly, she wanted to hug him so much. "Well then...who are they?"
Both of them looked at the two boys behind Yu. They appeared to be the same age as Yu.
"They're my friends in Tokyo U." Yu introduced them to Yukiko.
"Hey Narukami, what a beautiful girlfriend you got. I'm envy!" The childish looking boy shot a glare at Yu, which the latter simply shrugged.
"Sorry, he won't stop asking about you. We're curious what Narukami's girlfriend looked like." Another boy with gentle demeanor smiled bitterly at his friend's behaviour.
Seeing them, Yukiko let out a small chuckle.
"Don't worry about that. My name is Amagi Yukiko, from Yasoinaba."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Well then, we should leave now. It's bad to interrupt the love birds." The gentle boy teased, making the couple blushed, pulling his friend with him. "Let's gather whenever all of us are available."
When the boys left, Yu pulled her into his arms. Both of them shared a passionate kiss, smiling sweetly.
"You've got some good friends."
"Well, they are good people, but the Investigating Team is irreplaceable to me." Holding her hand, he brought them on the way back home. After graduating from high school, he decided to rent an apartment near the college, which his parents agreed. "And you, too."
Blushing, she tightened her grasp on his hand.
"I wonder...why are you choosing me instead of other girls? You know, my hands are stained with blood, you really deserve someone much better than me, not a criminal."
"I've said, I only want you. I can't imagine I hold girls other than you, and I'm not allowed any other guys with you." He said firmly, looking straight into her eyes. "Indeed you're right, but it's not the matter whether I deserve it or not. It's the matter of my heart and feelings...they tell me you're the only one."
After seeing those terrible cycles she had gone through, how could he hold other girls rather than her? His heart was completely melted with her, no other girls could reside in his heart anymore.
Hearing this, all the doubts completely faded. She wasn't doubting him at all, but she needed the answer and confirmation from Yu. There were a lot of girls in his surroundings, and part of her wasn't confident enough.
He knew it, too. That's why he wanted her to know. It was the promise he would give her, only to her.
Deeply touching, she leaned closer, giving him a kiss on his face.
"Well then, from now on, you're mine. You can't regret it now."
"Like I will, my princess."
Both exchanged a smile, walking back to home.
The pain had gone. The cycle had ended. She deserved some peaceful moment with the one she loved.
Okay, now that this is the final chapter of this story. Sure it is a very short story, huh? I apologize for that. For you who stick with this story to the end, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Well then, until next time.