Chapter Four
The Pillager of Twilight
Monday, April 11th
The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut through with a knife. Sakamoto's gaze wandered between Chiyo, to Kamoshida, and back. Kamoshida, almost robotically, turned his head to peer over his shoulder. He growled, enunciating each syllable, "What was that?"
"You heard me," Chiyo said, matching Kamoshida's tone, "shithead."
With that, Kamoshida's attention was fully on Chiyo. The guard released Sakamoto, allowing him to slide to the floor. "You desire to be killed that much?!" Kamoshida demanded, fixing his glare on her. "Fine! I'm fed up with your shit, anyway!"
With a gesture from Kamoshida, the guards released Chiyo's shoulders. One of them brought their shields down on Chiyo, knocking her off balance, were it not for the second guard keeping her up, she likely would have landed right on her knee. She was pinned back against the wall, the guards each holding out a lance, crisscrossing them under her chin. At the other side of the room, Sakamoto struggled to get back on his feet and do something. But no matter how hard he tried, he always ended up back on the floor.
Kamoshida gave the third guard the signal to strike. Chiyo could make out the guard raising his sword above his head with both hands. A sudden… pulse caused her to throw her head back, eyes wide from the shock of it all. A gust of wind suddenly picked up, though there wasn't a draft in the cell.
Her hair flew around her, licking the sides of her face, tossing it about When the wind died down the guards lowered their lances slightly. Chiyo lowered her head, feeling something weighing down on her face. Whatever it was, it was heavier than her glasses.
Confused, her hands went up to her face. Her fingers met with something smooth, a hard material over her eyes and the bridge of her nose. A mask?
Instinctively, she tried to pull at the edge and felt the effect of it tugging at her skin, like the mask was fused to her skin. Despite the pain, it caused her to even do just that, something in her was telling her, yelling at her, to pull it off. Yank it off with all she had inside her, even if it sapped out what little energy she had left.
Obeying the call, Chiyo dug her fingers under the edge of the mask. That act alone caused her pain, vaguely, Chiyo was aware of the blood dripping out from the hole her fingers made. Was she flaying herself by trying to take this mask off? Would she rip off the skin over her eyes if she could get it off?
Take it off, the cells in her body seemed to be crying out at once. Take it off!
Her chest heaved as she prepared to dig her fingers further under the mask. She cried out in pain half-sobbing, half enraged; her hands were sticky with blood now. With one last scream, with one firm tug, Chiyo tore the mask off her face with all her strength.
Blood created a perfect outline of the mask over her eyes, it oozed down her face, splattering on the floor as the mask slipped out of her hand, onto the floor. Suddenly light-headed, Chiyo's head and shoulders dropped. Her breathing wrecked her body as she struggled to catch her breath. Chiyo's heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her chest, hear it in her ears. Her head was swimming, the memory of the pain was still there, mixed with the relief she felt when it finally dissipated.
She was spent, her strength near gone, she just wanted to drop and close her eyes. But Chiyo felt her mouth move, as though someone was helping her. With her voice hushed and rasped, she spoke, "Per...so...na…"
The mask at her feet burst into white flames that quickly engulfed Chiyo's person. Despite it looking like fire, Chiyo idly realized she couldn't feel the heat, it wasn't even cold. She felt rejuvenated, reborn, even she felt her strength return to her as the flames covered her person.
Euphoria began to bubble up in Chiyo's belly, a smile tugged at her lips, so wide it was a wonder it didn't split her face. Was this what it felt like to have control over her own life for a change? No mother dictating what she ate and how her schedule played out. No law to tell the world what her worth was or play favorites. No guardian to sound so put upon over something he had the final say in. No teacher abusing his position.
Chiyo wanted to shout her name to the heavens. She wanted to take on the world several times over, knowing she would win. In this moment, Chiyo relished in her rage. There was a storm raging within her, and she could not wait to unleash it, Hurricane Chiyo.
A low, sultry chuckle echoed around the cell, the flames rose off of Chiyo's body, taking shape into a vaguely human form. The figure curled its limbs in on itself, in a fluid motion, the figure stuck a strong pose, tearing the flames off its person. The tall figure standing behind Chiyo donned a long, red ruffled tailcoat with four sets of silver buttons going down it's front. Its legs were thin around the thighs, thick just under the knees, making it look like it was wearing boots. Its heels were a couple of sharp spikes, giving off the illusion that the creature's 'boots' were high heeled. Its hands were clawed, and black with hints of a white shirt poking out from the coat sleeve. A red, wide-brim fedora with a black band perched atop its head, while hair as black as raven feathers trailed down its back in layers. Black feathered wings protruded from its lower back and curved around the being's body. Circling the figure were ethereal chains, appearing and fading as they circled it. Somehow, four sets of chain links hung free, hovering as though attached to Chiyo's wrists and ankles.
Chiyo had not gone unchanged either. Her Shujin uniform had been replaced with a black, ankle-length tailcoat. The slits in the coat were roughly at her waist, greatly reducing leg restriction. Her sleeve cuffs were thick and buttoned-down with gold cufflinks. Beneath the coat, Chiyo wore a charcoal-grey leotard with a sheer skirt. The leotard's collar was flesh-colored, making it look like she was wearing something strapless with a matching choker around her neck. She had on a pair of sleek black leggings and a pair of red-brown oxford dance shoes that gave her a couple of inches of added height. Over her leggings and shoes were a pair of dark grey, button-down leg warmer that covered her instep like a pair of spats. Her hands were covered by a pair of striking red gloves, her scarf scrunchie had grown a few inches and had turned a solid shade of black.
Her lips tugged back as far as they could, revealing her teeth. Chiyo lifted her arms over her head as though she were trying to jump out and take someone half-heartedly by surprise. But in perfect unison with the creature, a pair of black, feather wings appeared from the creature's back. The sudden burst of power the action generated was strong enough to send the guards flying backward.
Kamoshida, looking like he was about ready to piss himself, scurried off and nearly tripped over himself in his escape. Sakamoto, on the other hand, sat in his place dumbfounded. This day was already messed up, but somehow, it went completely off the rails now. His gaze traveled from the tall, winged creature, to the transfer student. Her character had taken a complete one-eighty, it was hard to believe this was the same girl.
"I am the pillager of twilight – Arsène!" the figure declared despite its mouth not moving. Slowly, Chiyo half-turned to face the creature that called itself Arsène. "I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall grant you the power to break through this crisis."
Chiyo glanced forward, one of the guards struggled to rise to their feet, and she had every reason to believe they would attack at any moment. She didn't know what these guards were, but they couldn't take them on their own. When she turned back at Arsène, she held her right hand up in offering. "Please… grant me your power!"
Arsène's head tilted ever so slightly. The sound she made suggested she was pleased with Chiyo's answer. "Very well..."
"Errr! Who the hell are you!" Kamoshida shouted from the cell door, safely away from the commotion. "Guards!"
Obediently, the nearest guard shot onto its feet, followed suit by another. They looked to Kamoshida, who was pointing furiously at Chiyo. "Start by killing that bitch!" The guard's body started to twitch and twist. Its form changed from a tall, imposing guard, to a couple of small, kind of cute Jack-o-Lanterns wearing indigo witch caps and matching robes. Grinning smugly, Kamoshida turned his attention onto Chiyo. "About time you learn the true strength of my men!"
Unphased by the man's taunts, Chiyo tossed her arm forward, towards the creature. "Arsène!"
Arsène spread her wings; beneath one of the creatures, a circle opened, red and black miasma shot out, consuming the creature. When the smog died, the Jack-o-Lantern struggled to stay afloat. After a few heartbeats, it fell, disappearing into a black haze before it touched the floor. Behind Chiyo, Arsène disappeared, her job done for the time being; as soon as she disappeared, a white and black domino mask appeared back on Chiyo's face.
Instinctively, Chiyo reached into her coat, she found an inner pocket where a thing black stick was nestled inside. She took the stick out, a thick, red ribbon trailed after the stick until a few yards of length pooled at Chiyo's feet. A gymnastics ribbon.
She circled her wrist, gathering the ribbon in perfect coils. Her instincts took over as she tossed the ribbon. The turns Chiyo made as she approached the Jack-o-Lantern were the same ones she made countless times before. Tight, fast, light on her feet; but she had never worn shoes like these as she performed them. If not in her toeshoes, she simply wore socks or went barefoot. And yet, the presence of shoes, heeled shoes at that, didn't seem to hinder her.
As Chiyo approached the Jack-o-Lantern she effortlessly caught the ribbon. She lifted her left leg, as his upper body dipped forward. She moved her arm, making a figure-eight with the ribbon. The figure-eights seemed to generate some sort of energy that struck the Jack-o-Lantern in a brief flash of light when it was hit. Once. Twice. Thrice. Chiyo traveled back to her original position, performing the same tight turns as the ribbon snaked around her. In her wake, the Jack-o-Lantern twitched before it dropped to the floor. As its fellow before it, the creature dissipated into a black haze.
A silence fell upon them as the last trace of the Jack-o-Lantern dissipated, leaving behind, what looked like, yen coins and paper notes.
What?
The silence was broken by Sakamoto as he leaned his back against the wall to stand up. "What was that just now?" he asked, his voice was slightly airy and high pitched.
"I'm...not sure," Chiyo said, studying her appearance. Why did all of that make her change clothes? What happened to her uniform for that matter?
Kamoshida, so livid his face turned beat red, stomped straight up to Chiyo. After what he had just witnessed, she had to wonder if that was really a sage idea. "You little-!"
Without warning, Sakamoto bent down slightly and threw himself forward. He tackled Kamoshida in the mid-section, knocking the man off his feet. A metallic ting was heard as a keyring landed where Kamoshida had previously been standing. And just like that, Sakamoto's previous bravado was back as he shouted, "How do you like that, you son of a bitch?!"
"Quick, grab the key!" Chiyo ordered.
Sakamoto released a slight squeak as he quickly bent down to grab the keyring. As quickly as he could, he grabbed his and Chiyo's school bags. They sprinted out of the room and together, took the cell door and slammed it closed. Fluidly, Sakamoto locked the door, then hurled the keyring in a random direction. "So what was all that?" Sakamoto repeated, facing Chiyo. "I mean that fire… that thing… your clothes!"
He gestured to Chiyo's person.
Before either of them knew it, a similar burst of blue-white flames erupted around Chiyo's being again. When the fire died down, she was back in her school uniform; even her glasses were back on her face, much to her eminence relief. "Ah..." she breathed out. Her fingers braced themselves on the sides of her frames. "That's convenient."
"Goddamn, brats!" Kamoshida roared, reaching a hand through the bars. Sakamoto scurried back, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Kamoshida.
"I think that's our cue to go," said Chiyo.
"Yeah, screw this joint," Sakamoto agreed. He passed Chiyo her bag; he laced his arms through the straps of his bag and wore it like a backpack.
Chiyo shouldered hers and scrutinized the area outside the cell. Wherever they were, they had to be near water judging by the stream along the line of cells and flowing under hanging cages. But at the same time, Chiyo had the feeling they were underground; there were no windows, no source of light outside of the metal chandlers with purple flames inside. Chiyo surveyed the area, there was a door to the left, metal and barred. However, to the right was a dead end and a bridge that lead across the reservoir.
She reached out for Sakamoto, tugging at his sleeve. "This way. Come on!"
They ran, leaving Kamoshida shouting for the guards in their wake.
The bridge took them across the reservoir where they found a door that lead them to another part of the dungeon. Was an identical hall, two lines of jail cells on either side of a roaring river. There was a drawbridge on standard, with a large bust of Kamoshida beside it. Both teens searched the area, but they couldn't find any lever that could lower the bridge.
A klunk klunk clang clang echoed around the room. A group of black-armored guards marched out of the mouth of a stone brick hallway. Chiyo grabbed Sakamoto by the forearm and pulled him down behind a couple of water-worn wooden crates. The drawbridge lowered, allowing the guards access to cross; one of the guards stayed behind to draw the bridge back up. Frustratingly, neither Chiyo nor Sakamoto could try and see how this was done without giving away their hiding spot. After that, Chiyo wasn't willing to believe the guards were not of the stupid kind; they would likely have a spare cell key on them.
"You don't think they're lookin' for us, do you?" Sakamoto asked in a hushed tone as the pair stood up.
"They will be after they get Kamoshida out of that cell."
Frustrated, Sakamoto roughly raked his hands through his hair, groaning all the while. It seemed that this was Sakamoto's way to work through his frustrated and anxious moods. I ain't playin' along with this anymore! There's gotta be a way outta this goddamn place!"
"I know," Chiyo said placatingly. "But unless we can get out of this dungeon, we're fucked."
"Hey, you there!"
Chiyo cocked a brow. "You say something?"
With pursed lips, Sakamoto shrugged plainly.
"Behind you!"
In unison, the two turned around to find another cell behind them. Inside was a small, black and white cat-like creature that stood on two legs. It had a large round head that was comically sized compared to the rest of its body. Strangely enough, it had on a black ski mask over its black-furred face. Around its waist, it wore a utility belt and donned a yellow neckerchief around its neck. Black fur covered most of its body save for the lower half of each limb, the tip of its tail, and its muzzle where white fur was. The creature's big blue eyes stood out the most against all the black on its person.
The cat kept its front paws on the bars, apparently locked in the cell just as it was. "What is that thing?!" Sakamoto asked, his voice wavering.
"A cat?" Chiyo replied plainly. What other answer was there?
"I am not cat!" the creature said in a boyish voice. "Say that again, and I'll make you regret it!"
"Can't really do that from where your standing..."
"Right. So...can you help me out?"
"We're trying to get the hell out of here!" Sakamoto snapped back. "I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"
"I'm locked up in here! So how can I be your enemy?!" the creature argued. "Just help me!'
In the distance, Chiyo could hear someone yelling, Kamoshida perhaps. No doubt he was furious over the turn of events and calling for heads to roll. "Shit, they're going to catch us at this rate," hissed Sakamoto.
"Oh, you're looking for an exit?" the creature asked, his ears twitched curiously. "Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, do you?"
Chiyo bit the bed of her thumb, mulling over their options. They would end up running around in circles without help. And that was assuming they didn't run into the guards again. What were the odds of Arsène and the resulting chaos happening again? Chiyo wasn't even sure how it started in the first place. "We don't have a choice," she relented. She pointed a finger straight at the cat. "But I swear if you're lying-"
"I never go back on my word!" the cat argued firmly. "I want out of this cell as much as you two want out of here."
Sakamoto leaned close to Chiyo. "You sure about this?" he asked. "This thing looks all talk."
"Sure, go on about on your own again," the cat said laying the sarcasm on thickly. "You were doing so well before."
Chiyo looked over her shoulder, by the drawbridge was a thick wooden post. And on that post was a key ring with half-a-dozen rusty keys dangling from it. If that was the cell key… Chiyo didn't even know. The stupidity of it was astronomical. Regardless of her feelings on the matter, she grabbed the keyring and tried out two keys before the lock tumbled open.
The cat pushed the door open with a creak, allowing it to toddle out. Its ears twitched happily. "Freedom never felt so good," he said with a content sigh.
"Great, now, where's the exit, monster cat?!" Sakamoto demanded impatiently.
The creature whirled a glare at Sakamoto. To be fair, the cat monster was probably trying to go for intimidating, but between its bulbous head and huge eyes, it looked more comical than anything else. "Don't call me a cat!" the monster cat snapped the fur along its spine standing up on end. "I am Morgana!"
"We'll worry about that later." Chiyo held her hands out at her side before Sakamoto could strike back. "Right now we gotta put as much distance as possible between us and those guards."
Curtly, Morgana nodded. "Right. Follow me!" He took off ahead of the high schoolers so fast they could barely see his stubby little legs moving. But with the kid's comparatively larger strides, it did not take them long to catch up with him.
'Why did it have to be my class?' Kawakami asked herself for the umpteenth time that day.
It was fourth period already and Kusakabe never showed up for class. Looks like Kawakami's wish ended up coming true for the time being. Though she wasn't exactly banking on it actually happening when she made it.
She called Sakura-san about it the first chance she got. Though Sakura-san was trying to be polite with her, she got the sense that he was not happy, especially since he said Kusakabe left with enough time to get to school on her own. Now, here she was, in the faculty office while the students were on break, mulling over the next best course of action.
"Should I just contact the police?" Kawakami asked no one in particular. After a moment she shook her head exasperated. "No, that'll just be more of a hassle..."
Sighing again, she raked a hand through her bangs. What did she do to deserve this?
Morgan slid to a stop in front of the drawbridge and waited for the other two to catch up. Despite Morgana's assertions that he wasn't a cat, he managed to climb up the bust of Kamoshida with similar ease and style of any other house cat. "Now what're you doing?" Sakamoto asked through a groan.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm lowering the bridge." He climbed up to the neck of the bust, grabbed a hold of the jaw, and let himself hang off the statue. When nothing happened, Morgan started to kick his legs. "Hey, Four-Eyes," he called, looking over his shoulder at Chiyo. "You look like you catch on faster than Blondie here. Mind helping me out here?"
'Four-Eyes?'
She hesitantly approached the bust, and wrapped both hands around Morgana's small body, and pulled down. The mouth of the bust followed along with them until an audible click was heard. Morgana let go of the mouth as the draw bridged lowered.
"How were we supposed to know that?!" Sakamoto's voice cracked slightly.
"Doing more than just looking at the thing helps," Morgana said snidely. "Now, let's go. We're almost out of the dungeon."
Despite every single crazy thing that happened today, Chiyo had to chalk up following Morgana as the strangest one of them all. The bipedal talking cat was barely up to Chiyo's knee, but he had no problem asserting himself to a couple of kids three times his size.
They ran across the bridge, into the stone hallway. However, trouble soon reared its ugly head when a guard suddenly materialized, blocking their path.
Sakamoto tripped over himself in fright. The guard turned to find the odd group, and instantly, Chiyo found herself coated in cool colored flames that died down to reveal the coat and mask from earlier replacing her uniform. The guard broke apart into two creatures, a Jack-o-Lantern, unlike the ones Chiyo faced in the cell, and a small, red demon.
"Looks like you can fight, Four-Eyes," Morgana declared. He climbed onto Sakamoto's shoulders, much to the boy's irritation. "You stay where you are, Blondie. Let's go!"
Sakamoto let out a brief, strained cry, as Morgana leaped off his shoulder. "Come… Zorro!"
In a swirl of blue and white energy, a vaguely human creature appeared at Morgana's side. It was completely black in color and barrel-chested, with thick arms and thin, stick legs. Around its waist, it wore a large silver belt buckle in a stylized 'Z' and carried a silver-grey rapier in its meaty hand. "N-No way," stuttered Sakamoto, "you have one of those things too?!"
Morgana smiled confidently as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We will promptly shut them up!"
Chiyo bounced gently on the balls of her feet, the stick of her ribbon held at the ready in her hand, her pointer finger lined against it. Morgana stood at her side, carrying a curved sword in his paw. How was he holding it if he didn't have opposable thumbs? "Damn Shadows," Morgana cursed under his breath, his back paws spread apart in a defensive stance. "That Jack-o-Lantern and devil aren't too difficult, but they're all over the place down here, so they're a nuisance more than anything."
The creature Morgana called Zorro slashed its rapier in a Z shape, which was somehow transferred to the Jack-o-Lantern. It vanished, leaving behind the red devil creature. Chiyo's thoughts went to Arsène, and to her surprise, the domino mask vanished off her face in a flurry of blue fire. Behind her, Arsène spread its wings, casting the Eiha curse on the devil creature. The devil flinched, consumed by the curse, when it died down the devil struggled to stay afloat until it vanished into black and purple miasma. "Not bad for an amateur," Morgana said as Arsène disappeared and Chiyo's mask returned. "Your Persona's pretty powerful."
"Persona?" echoed Chiyo.
"I think he means that thing that comes outta you all dramatic-like," Sakamoto said, half-jogging up to meet them.
"Well, that much I got. I just don't get what it is."
"In short, it's a facet of yourself," explained Morgana. "Everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing your mask-"
Unfortunately, a flash of blue and white fire consumed Chiyo's person again, returning her back into her school uniform. "Okay, why does that keep happening?" Chiyo asked irritably.
Morgana crossed his shoulders, his lips pursed to the side as he scrutinized Chiyo. "I'd say you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all-"
Frustrated, Sakamoto raked his hands through his hair again. "Rrgh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!"
"Can't you just sit still and listen, Blondie?!" snapped Morgana.
"Stop calling me Blondie! My name's Ryu-"
Chiyo felt her brow furrow irritably, she held her hands up before the two of them could have at id. "Can we all keep our heads here? If we have to keep talking, can we at least do that while we're moving before we're caught?"
As soon as she said that, the fur on Morgana's tail bristled. He looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah," he agreed at length. "We shouldn't be that far from the exit anyway. Let's get a move on."
Chiyo took off first with Morgana at her heels, leaving Sakamoto behind trying to figure out this transfer student. At first, she seemed like one of those fragile, shy girls who would rather avoid confrontation at all costs. But the way she'd talk back to Kamoshida, the way she was carrying herself now, taking charge, taking the lead. She didn't need as much protection as Sakamoto initially thought. It really was like she was a different person.
He was wondering how long this dungeon went on until they came upon a line of cells that lead to a closed drawbridge. He reckoned Morgana would have told them something had he not heard someone moan out in pain. Skidding to a stop, Sakamoto peered into one of the cells to find a boy in a red tracksuit laying on the ground, withering in pain. "Hey, hold on a sec!"
"What is it?" questioned Chiyo.
"I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin' before…" Sakamoto's eyes wandered as he tried to figure where he'd seen it before. He felt as though it should have been obvious. Yelling out in frustration, he raked his hands through his hair. "Dammit! I'm too flustered, I can't remember a damn thing!"
"Never mind that," said Morgana. "We need to get going."
"Hold on, dammit!"
"Have you forgotten you're not out of the woods yet? We need to go, now!"
"But… what're these guys doing here?"
"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!"
"Kind of!" snapped Chiyo. "Shouldn't we try to-"
"They're not even-"
"There they are!"
The drawbridge lowered, revealing one of Kamoshida's guards. Chiyo sighed somewhat irritably as her clothes changed once again. "Guess we don't have much of a choice."
"At least you know when to stick to your guns," commented Morgana. The guard started to twitch, transforming into a tiny fairy woman in a purple dress with a pair of matching boots. "This will hardly be a fight. Your Persona has an advantage against it. But if you don't want to use it, this Shadow isn't that hard to take care of between the two of us."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Chiyo readied her ribbon. She tossed it into the air and made her turns towards the fairy. She caught the ribbon and rotated her arm forward. As before, the circle generated enough energy that beat into the fairy twice. As she made her tight turns back, Morgana launched himself into a follow-up attack. With his curved sword, the cat-creature struck the fairy again. It fell immediately after.
As the tend dictated, when the danger was gone, Chiyo's uniform returned once again. "Okay, let's go," Morgana ordered, putting away his curved sword. "You should be able to get out soon."
"Hold on," Sakamoto called having stayed away from the danger by the jail cell. "We can't just leave this guy here!"
Chiyo bit her knuckle, eyeing the fallen boy. Shouldn't they try to help him out? If he couldn't walk, then between the two of them Chiyo and Sakamoto should have been able to help usher him out. Morgana, however, scoffed, "You really don't get it, do you?"
"You're not really explaining all that much," Chiyo argued. "I still don't get what that whole magical girl transformation is about."
Pausing for a moment, Morgana mulled over Chiyo's words before he yelled out in frustration. "There's no time to explain! I'm going. If you want to come too, you're more than welcome."
"Fine," spat Sakamoto, "I'm coming!"
Across the drawbridge, Morgana lead the two up a flight of stairs that, in turn, lead to the foyer Chiyo and Ryuji had originally come in through when this madness started. They ran straight across the foyer, down a hall that wasn't nearly as long as the wing they had just came from. "In here!" Morgana shouted, running into a room on the left-hand side.
Sakamoto breathed out, "Finally!"
The room through the door looked like an old storage room. Several bookshelves lined the back of the room, each one only carried a few books. A table sat in the middle of the room; the only light came from the torches on the wall. Above the bookshelves was a ventilation shaft with a wiry mesh closing it off. "Through there?" asked Chiyo. It certainly looked large enough for them to crawl through.
"Yup!" Morgana nodded. "It'll lead you right outside."
"Kay," Sakamoto said, rotating his shoulders. "Just gotta get that mesh off."
With a running start, Sakamoto climbed up the bookshelf, safely pulling himself up. He grabbed ahold of the mesh and yanked it off. Unfortunately, it was heavier than either one of them could have guessed. He overbalanced and ended up toppling head over heels off the shelf with the mesh still in his hands. "You alright?!" Chiyo asked, suddenly cold with panic.
Ryuji landed against the side of the bookshelf, legs in the air. Thankfully, the mesh hadn't landed on him. He rolled himself over onto his knees. "Oww… yeah," he groaned, dusting himself off. "The enemy didn't hear us, did they?"
Chiyo list her head to the side. "Hard to say, but I'd say it's foolish to think otherwise."
"Four Eyes is right," said Morgana. "You should get going now."
"But… what about you?" asked Sakamoto.
"There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways from here."
"Thank you very much," Chiyo said, lowering herself into a bow. "Don't get caught again."
Morgana's tail stiffened, his eyes wandered off to the side poutily. "And here I was about to say that someone had manners. But after that, I don't think I'm gonna."
"I'm just saying…"
Morgana moaned, looking bashful all the while, "Just go! Between the three of us, I'm the small one, I'm the one who's harder to catch."
Shrugging, Chiyo followed Sakamoto's example and got a running start. Morgana watched silently as the school kids disappeared into the air vent. "Those two seem useful…" he said to himself.
They did not stop running until they spotted a line of department stores. Pulling to a stop, Sakamoto ended up bent over double in his attempt to catch his breath. Chiyo scrutinized the area, people were going on around them as though nothing strange was going on in their own lives. "You have returned to the real world," said a mechanical voice, as feminine as a phone app can be, came from Chiyo's pocket. She pulled out her phone as it finished the message with, "Welcome back."
Chiyo's brow arched; she echoed "'Real world?'"
"So we made it out, then?" Sakamoto asked, standing back up straight.
"I… think so?"
"What was all that anyway? That castle and Kamoshida a-and that weird cat!"
"I don't know." Chiyo shook her head, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "Morgana sounded like he had answers for us, but decided it was easier to keep us mostly in the dark.
Sakamoto's head tilted back, unsatisfied with Chiyo's attempt at an answer. "The hell happened back there?!"
"What's with the yelling? You two Shujin students?"
Chiyo whirled around to find a couple of police officers making their way towards them. Her gazed immediately fell to the floor, allowing the shy girl to take over again as her pulse began to quicken. "Cutting classes, are we?" asked one of the officers.
She saw herself, hands handcuffed behind her back as she was tossed into the back seat of the cop car. She tried one last time to explain what really happened. But they closed the door before she could say anything. Then they started shaking hands with that man.
"N-No, sir," Chiyo said quietly. Her hands were wrapped around the bags of her strap so tight her knuckles turned white. "W-We just… um…"
It was only now dawning upon Chiyo that she and Sakamoto were stupidly late for school. Granted, trying to get out of that mess alive was Chiyo's top priority. But now that the danger had passed… There was no way she could explain what happened without coming across as making up some fantastical half-baked story. "No!" Sakamoto snapped, his voice cracking slightly again. "We were tryin' to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!"
'Sakamoto-kun…' Chiyo thought ruefully as she lowered her head farther down. He had to realize how incredulous it sounded.
The officers exchanged looks with each other before they eyed Chiyo and Sakamoto again. One of them extended his hand to Sakamoto. "Hand over your bag," the officer ordered. "You better not be doing any drugs."
"Why would you think that?!" shot back Sakamoto.
The second officer glanced straight at Chiyo. He must have noticed how uncomfortable and frightened Chiyo was behaving as he had taken a far kinder tone with her. At least compared to his co-worker. "Are you his friend?" he asked politely.
"S-Something like that," Chiyo mumbled a reply.
Slack-jawed Sakamoto stared at Chiyo. Her shoulders were hunched, making herself seem small. Her hands were held together by the strap of her bag. And her gaze was held to the ground while her eyes were wide, silently pleading for the officers to just turn around and forget about them. And just like that, Chiyo was a different person again.
"Look," the first, more aggressive officer spoke up. "If you spout any more nonsense, I'll contact your school. Now, turn around and get to class."
"Y-Yes sir," Chiyo said quietly. She tugged at Sakamoto's sleeve, gesturing for him to follow her. "C-Come on… We don't want to be later…"
Sakamoto's gaze traveled from the officers, back to Chiyo as she forced him to follow her. Wasn't this the same girl who spat in Kamoshida's face and called him a shithead? The contrast between that girl, and this girl right in front of him was… kind of jarring, to say the least.
Kodaira sat at his desk in contemplation. His hands were perched together as he pondered the recent events following, yet another, subway accident earlier this morning. "A Minister of Transport announcing his resignation," he muttered. A smile tugged on his lips as he chuckled to himself, "Things are going as planned..."
"Is this for real?" questioned Sakamoto
Going back down the same path they originally took brought them to Shujin Academy. The very same blocky school they were originally trying to get to in the first place. There was no sign of the castle or any sign of the creatures inside it.
Sakamoto glanced back over his shoulder. "I'm sure we came the same way… What's goin' on here…?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you," a man said, striding down the stairway leading from the door. The man was trying to present himself as mature and professional, a prime example of adulthood to the students in the school. His furrowed brow, however, simply highlighted the age lines upon his face. "We received a call from the police."
Instantly, Sakamoto glanced down at the ground, kicking at a pebble in front of him. "Damn cops snitched on us after all."
"It's rare not to see you alone, Sakamoto-kun," the counselor said snidely. He eyed Chiyo and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Couldn't you have found a girlfriend who can actually keep you in line?"
Chiyo lowered her head; her blood steadily began to turn hot. So much for the air of maturity the man was trying to present himself as. "We ain't datin'!" Sakamoto snapped, just as enraged by the comment as Chiyo.
The man crossed his arms over his chest. "Then would you mind telling me where you two were roaming around this whole time?"
"Uh… a ca- a castle?" Sakamoto offered, finally realizing how it sounded.
The counselor cocked a brow, eyeing Sakamoto wearily. His gaze traveled to Chiyo, his expression morphed from confusion to disdain. He stared at Chiyo like she was some unsavory insect that needed to be disposed of. "Is that what the kids are calling love hotels these days?"
Chiyo's hands were beginning to shake. She kept her gaze downward out of fear she wouldn't be able to control herself if she looked up at him. 'Ass. Ass. Ass!'
"No!" Sakamoto's voice broke again, his face flushed. "A castle, castle! Y'know the kind straight outta a-"
"What's this about a castle?" asked a new voice.
A new voice that was kind of familiar.
A tall, athletic man approached the counselor. As opposed to the Speedo the tens had last seen him in, he was wearing a white t-shirt and track pants. "Kamoshida?!" Sakamoto jumped back.
"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto," Kamoshida said, taking an entirely different tone than he had at the castle. In the castle there was a haughty undertone, Kamoshida sounded kind of friendly now. "Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team."
"Shuddup!" Sakamoto rose his voice, really rose his voice. Chiyo's heart nearly leaped out of her chest he startled her. "It's your fault that-"
"How dare you speak that way to Kamoshida-sensei!" the counselor snapped back. "There's not much leeway left for your, you know?"
"He's the one provokin' me!"
"Do you really want to be expelled so badly?!" The counselor exhaled and gestured over his shoulder. "In any case, you still have to explain yourself. Follow me."
"What?! This is bullshit!"
"Come now," Kamoshida said jovially as he turned to his coworker. "I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame."
"Well..." The counselor crossed his arm again in contemplation. "If you say so." He glanced back at Sakamoto. "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."
"Fine," murmured Sakamoto.
Kamoshia's gaze fell upon Chiyo, who was biting on her knuckle, the wheels in her head turning as she turned her gaze from Sakamoto to the teachers when they each spoke as though she were watching a tennis match play out. "You're that new transfer student, yes?" he asked at length. "Chiyo Kusakabe?"
"Y-yes," Chiyo said meekly.
"Let's go, Sakamoto," the counselor ordered.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'."
Sakamoto shoved his hands in his pockets and traveled upstairs after the counselor. When he crossed paths with Kamoshida, he delivered one of the harshest glares he could manage. Making his piece, he continued after the counselor.
Left alone with Kamoshida, Chiyo simply stared at him for a moment. Her hands were once again holding the front straps of her bag. Her first thought when she saw Kamoshida as he was now, was that this couldn't possibly be the same man from the castle. But he was trying to bait Sakamoto in the most passive-aggressive way possible. Even if they were different men, the cloth they were cut from was not that different.
Chiyo kept her head down and face placid as she tried to sink back into the invisible girl. The quiet, unassuming girl. The easy to overlook girl who wasn't suddenly feeling so intensely.
Kamoshida now understood what Kawakami meant about Kusakabe not looking the part of the criminal. But damn did she have some shapely legs. Wasn't she a dancer or something like that in her hometown? The rest of her had to be as shapely as those legs to match.
But why did she look so familiar? "Have we met somewhere?" he asked at length
"Th-This morning," Chiyo stammered, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Hm? Oh right! At the station." Kamoshida crossed his arms and list his head slightly, keeping his eyes on Chiyo. "Well… I'll overlook this just for today. I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but if you cause any trouble, you're expelled. Understand?"
"Y-Yes..."
"At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Kawakami-sensei's tired of waiting."
Not wasting any time, Chiyo trotted upstairs. Whether she wanted to or not, she was going to have to put everything that happened this morning behind her for a few hours. Chiyo wasn't sure what she could expect as soon as she stepped inside. It was downright naive to think this little stunt would go untalked about. Likewise, it would have been just as naive to think there wouldn't be any whispers about her arrest charges and alleged sex life before the year was out.
She may as well be diving head-first into a tank of sharks.
"The school… turned into an old castle?" Niijima asked incredulously. "And there was a talking cat?"
Chiyo sighed. "I told you it was outrageous."
"I'd say it's more than just 'outrageous.' Are you sure you're not hallucinating from the drugs?"
"I'm sure I'm not."
"I won't put up with you if you're simply joking around."
"For fucks sake, can you please tell me what I could accomplish from joking around?" Chiyo asked through clenched teeth and trembling fists. "As unbelievable as it sounds, I know full well what's at stake here. No matter what happens in my story, I'm locked away at best, killed at worst. I get nothing beyond wasting time. But you seem to think you'll solve this case with or without my testimony. So, who's the one wasting time, here?"
Niijima had her arms crossed over her chest as the pair exchanged identical looks. After a moment of silence, the elder of the two uncoiled one arm to peek at her wristwatch. "Since you're able to talk back with no problems, I'm going to have you continue the story," Niijima said at length.
Chiyo raised an eyebrow. "Changing the subject?"
Seemingly ignoring her question, Niijima readied one of several case files. "The one who first received a 'calling card' from the Phantom Thieves was an Olympic medalist," Niijima continued. She laid out one of the calling cards in question, and a single photograph. "An alumnus from Shujin Academy – the PE teacher, Suguru Kamoshida."
Chiyo's brow twitched. "It's true what he did were deplorable crimes for..." Niijima paused for a moment. "Indulging his desire."
'Indulging his desire.' The word repeated themselves over and over in her head. In her mind's eye, Chiyo saw a girl laying broken on the ground. She saw Kamoshida grinning to himself in a self-congratulatory fashion while Chiyo felt rage boiling within her with each word he said. She saw a boy in her class, visibly beaten up and depressed. She saw a girl from her class, kneeling on the floor, hugging her knees close to her.
"You saw his case file," Chiyo said through her teeth. "You heard about his confession. You should fucking know why he was targeted already!"
Niijima shot up onto her feet, slamming her hands on the table. "I want to hear it from you!"
Author's Note: I always knew the Persona awakening was going to be a turning point in Chiyo… To a degree. Generally, we don't have one moment of empowerment and suddenly our troubles and anxieties are gone. But it is a good stepping stone.
It took me a bit of time to come up with Chiyo's look as Joker. I went back and forth a few times on a couple of details. I wanted something that made her look both classy, but I also wanted her to have elements of a dancer's costume. But at the same time I wanted her to have something that was unique to her her while still being Joker-esque. So I kept the three more iconic parts of the Joker outfit, the gloves, the mask, and the coat and then things started to come together. The result, in my head, looks like a fusion between Joker and Violet. Which works out okay enough between Chiyo being into rhythmic gymnastics too and the plans I have for Violet.
Female Arsène ended up taking bit of influence from Carmen Sandiego, especially the hat. Arsene's coat is a bit more fanciful then Carmen's tends to be. If I were to give a female Arsène her own name, I'd name her after Josephine Balsamo, the Countess Cagliostro, from the Arsène canon. She's closer to who people think Irene Adler is then who Irene actually is. By which I mean Josephine and Lupin were actually lovers once, and she was actually his adversary.