"So, Carmen." Yu started.
"Yea Seeker?"
"If I were to talk to Ushimaru about you getting enrolled, which class would you like to be in?"
"Definitely with Ace. The two of us live together, after all. It makes sense that we share a class too."
"Can we focus on the task at hand please? This place seems to be far more dangerous than Shujin Nation." Akechi pointed out.
And he was right. Mementos only got more disturbing the further they descended. Once they went past the subway part, the Palace turned from a subway to a giant catacomb system. The walls went from concrete to chiseled blue rock, the black and red cracks featuring more prominently now, almost to the point that they looked less like roots and more like veins. The railroad tracks could still be seen, but the wood was red, as if it was forged by blood. There were Shadows here, like Morgana said, but instead of taking the form of any security guards, they took the shape of a shapeless mass of black ink, and they were much bigger than the Mona-mobile. Thankfully, when they were hit, they would also dissolve into other Shadows just the same. After a good few battles, and descending a few levels, the group came across a stone wall with red markings decorating it.
"What is this?" Yu asked.
"That is a wall." Akechi pointed out.
"Yea, thanks captain obvious, but I meant if there is some kind of significance to it."
"Master Igor didn't tell me anything about it. Why don't we see if there's something we can do?" Morgana suggested.
With no other course of action available, Yu walked up and pressed his palm against the obstacle, feeling for anything like a button or a switch. But the moment the hand came in contact with the wall, it rumbled, and shortly after, parts of it slid off, clearing the way to a pair of escalators that would allow them to descend further. It didn't take them long to arrive at the new block of Mementos, and when they did, Morgana summoned the trusty Mona-mobile. As everyone piled in, the guide let out a gasp.
"What is it Morgana?"
"I can sense our target! She's on this level!"
"Perfect. Get ready everyone." Yu ordered.
It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination; a swirling vortex right in front of them, the colors black and crimson clashing against each other in a destructive dance. The railway tracks were ripped off and entered the vortex, violently twisted in a way similar to the vortex. The Mona-mobile sped through, and they found themselves at a dead end. On their left and right were cells with red tendrils escaping between the bars and heading down into a bottomless pit. But standing in front of them was a lone girl, dressed in a teal blue business skirt and a sleeveless turtleneck of the same color. But when she turned around, her eyes were a sickly yellow, making it unmistakable that this was a Shadow. The Team got out of the vehicle.
"Are you Miki, the part-time model?" Yu asked, approaching her.
"Yea. What do you want?"
"We've heard that you've been misusing your company resources to destroy your rivals and give yourself a leg up in the business."
"Yea, what of it? I'm not allowed to succeed?" She asked venomously.
"We never said that. But your success can't come at the expense of others."
"Oh yea? Says who?"
"There are people out there getting in trouble because of you! Can't you see you're hurting them with your actions?" Shiho asked.
"So what? It's a dog eat dog world out there. I'm just doing what I have to in order to survive. In this world, you have to reach the top, no matter what it takes."
"Or you could get to the top based on talent and hard work." Akechi countered.
"Yea, I thought that too, until an airheaded bimbo named Ann Takamaki came along. She treats modeling like it's some kind of hobby. I work my ass off for what I do, and yet she shows up once, and you'd think she was the second coming of Christ by how everyone treats that slut like she's something special. I wouldn't be surprised if she was screwing the execs behind everyone's back."
"You take that back." Shiho growled through her teeth.
"Or what? Who the hell are you brats anyway?"
"We're the Phantom Team, and we've come to take your heart." Yu answered, drawing his katana, the others following suit.
"Oh yea, you little brats?! Come and try!" Mika screeched, her body morphing into a woman with violet skin, dressed with black fabric barely covering her figure and an oversized hat and cape. She crossed her legs and proceeded to float effortlessly above the ground, and snapped her fingers. Two geysers of black ink erupted next to her, reforming into a man dressed in an orange jumpsuit with metal claws and wings, and next to that, a star with a single eye on it.
"You brats have no idea how tough the real world is. Let me teach you a lesson you won't forget!" Mika roared in her new form, holding out her hand and unleashing several fiery explosions, forcing the Team to split up.
(Music: watch?v=AInvP6dn7qw)
"Alright, let's do this! Izanagi!" Yu called. The god came and brought down the fury of the heavens in the form of lightning, bringing the man with wings to Earth, and eliciting a cry of pain from the other two.
"Pariah! You're up!" Yu yelled as the eye-star prepared its spell.
"I won't let you down!" Shiho replied as Yu gave her a high-five, transferring his power to her. The star unleashed a sudden blast of atomic energy, injuring Yu and Morgana, but missing Shiho as she sprinted to close the distance between her and her target. The eye, upon seeing her get so close, tried to hit her with another nuclear blast, but she was too fast, and she used the momentum of her dodge to strike three times with her morning star before doing a backflip and unloading an entire clip into it, stunning it onto the floor.
"Well done! Allow me to follow through!" Akechi said.
"Do some damage!" Shiho ordered as she high-fived Akechi, transferring both her and Yu's power into Akechi. By now, Miki had powered up for another attack, unleashing it in the form of several pink orbs assaulting Akechi. The detective grunted, but stood strong, and summoned Robin Hood for a counter attack.
"My skills exceed yours!" Akechi cried out, the Persona letting loose an arrow that tore through and destroyed the man with metal wings.
"Damn you! Can't let get any good help these days." Miki cursed as she assaulted Akechi with powerful curse magic. Akechi saw the attack coming, and passed the power to Morgana before being launched into the wall.
"Alright! My time to shine! Lady Trieu, show them what you got!" Morgana called, the kimono wearing woman materializing shortly after. The Persona raised her blade, and green vortexes assaulted both Miki and her lacky, tearing the star to shreds and leaving Miki on the floor.
"She's wide open! Seeker, the killing blow is all yours!" Morgana proclaimed, passing the whole Team's power into their leader.
"Izanagi! Let's end this!" Yu ordered.
The god of Japan revealed himself, and moved one hand to his blade, electricity cackling across his fingertips. He moved them back and forth a few times, like he was holding an imaginary cloth, and soon, held his weapon like a javelin, the electricity from his hand now transferred over to the sharp metal. With a mighty toss, the naginata pierced Miki, and a tormented cry echoed all across Mementos. Izanagi vanished, and the blade vanished with him, as Miki returned to her original form, lying on the ground in defeat. The Team approached her, and she began to sob.
"Leave me alone. Let me do what I have to do to succeed." She pleaded.
"No. You want success? You'll have to get it fair and square." Shiho informed, putting a hand on her hip.
"What about you? You use this power, a power that no one else has, to your own ends. You're no different than me!"
"We're plenty different. We don't abuse what we have, and we don't use it to hurt others for ourselves." Akechi retorted.
"We also risk our lives by doing this, and we do it with other people in mind." Yu added.
"What… what should I do?" Miki asked.
"Repent, and work to atone." Shiho answered. Miki looked at them and smiled, before vanishing into thin air, leaving only a blue-white orb in her place. Yu looked at it.
"Is this a Treasure?" He asked.
"It's the beginnings of one. Since it's not a Treasure proper, we're able to take it without sending her a calling card. Let's grab it and get out." Morgana answered. Yu took the orb, and it quickly transformed into a business card for a model company. With their work complete, the group turned and left Mementos.
Yusuke sat in his shack, thinking to himself. The news Hifumi told him in regards to her mother were… disturbing. He had never suffered abuse at the hands of Madarame, and he certainly didn't suffer from a lack of freedom. He sighed as he leaned back. On one hand, he wanted to help Hifumi break her mother's grip, but at the same time, what could he do? Beg that she let her daughter do as she pleased? Have her arrested for being a mother? No. If Yusuke wanted to help his friend, he would have to get some kind of dirt on Hifumi's mom. Something to at least make her think twice about deciding how Hifumi lives her life. He got up and decided that, starting tomorrow, he would start looking for a way to help Hifumi.
The Team had re-emerged into the real world, making sure to do so in a place that wouldn't be too crowded. Once they regrouped, they noticed how much time had passed.
"We should get going. Assuming what we did worked, we might get another target that's big enough to warrant our full attention." Akechi suggested.
"Yea, but I like the idea behind the Phansite. Makes us care about the little guy, as well as the big picture." Shiho said.
"It's getting rather late. I need to be back with the Niijimas soon, but good work all around. If there's another target, then we'll hit it tomorrow, yea?"
"Agreed. Oh, and don't forget, you have to work for Sae-san on Sunday." Akechi reminded
"Oh… Right." Yu grumbled as he and the others started to head home, ominous thunder bellowing in the distance.
Yu woke up the sound of banging on his door. Outside, the storm had not let up at all. In fact, it had gotten even worse. Cracks of thunder, flashes of lightning, and rain pouring so hard Yu was amazed he slept at all. He was about to go back to sleep, assuming that it was just a particularly loud thunder clap that woke him, until there was another assault on the door.
"Y-Yu-kun? Are you awake?" Makoto asked, fear in her voice.
"Makoto? What is it?" Yu asked groggily.
"May I come in? Please?" Makoto begged with a little of a whimper.
"Uh, sure, what's wrong?"
Makoto burst through the door, and seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Makoto? What's wrong?" Yu asked, now fully awake.
Another crack of thunder, and Makoto borderline screamed at it. She then turned to Yu, and he could see a cold sweat on her face.
"I-I tried to go to sleep before the storm got too loud, but I couldn't fall asleep, and now-"
Another crack, and this time, Makoto did scream, and tears started to well up in her eyes.
"C-can I stay with you? Please?" She pleaded.
"Awwww. Is the sister of the big, bad prosecutor scwared of a wittle thunder?" Yu teased, a small smile on his face.
"This isn't funny!" Makoto half-yelled, half-whimpered.
Another boom of thunder, and now Makoto grabbed her head and began to full on cry. Yu's face contorted from glee into one of nervousness.
"M-Makoto?"
Makoto started to heave, and clutched her chest, and Yu saw beads of sweat starting to roll down her face as she grabbed the nearby dresser for support. Yu then realized exactly what was happening; Makoto was having a panic attack.
"Makoto! Makoto, can you hear me?!" Yu cried out. In response, Makoto grabbed onto him and pulled him close to her, her grip like iron. Yu didn't struggle, though her extremely tight hold made breathing a labor. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest and her eyes were bulging open, her irises and pupils had shrunk down to the bare minimum. She took in deep gulps of air, like she had just gone diving for too long and just come up to the surface, and she did this for what felt like hours, until finally, she calmed down enough to loosen her grip, but not enough to let go.
"Makoto? Are you alright?"
"I… I am now. Sorry about that. I-I tend to have panic attacks during thunderstorms."
"Really? That's awful."
"Yes. Normally, I just have to grab Buchi-kun and hold him tight, if I'm not already asleep. But it always works better whenever Sis, or someone else I know is around. I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand." Makoto said, still not letting go.
Another flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder, and Makoto once again gripped Yu tight, a small whimper escaping her mouth. Yu gave her a reassuring pat on the back. That's when he saw his phone light up, accompanied by his jazz ringtone. Maneuvering the best he could with Makoto clinging to him like a koala, he picked it up, and was stunned to see Sae's number on it, before vanishing, signaling he missed the call. Almost immediately, the phone rung again, and he picked up.
"Sae-san?"
"Thank God you picked up this time. Listen, I'm sorry for calling this late, but I need you to check up on Makoto, right now." Sae ordered, and Yu detected something in her voice.
Fear.
"I'm here Sis. Don't worry, I'm alright." Mokoto told the phone. Yu heard a sigh of relief from the other end.
"Thank God. Are you alright?"
"I am. Yu-kun helped me calm down."
"Alright. I'm on my way back now. Stay together until then." Sae ordered.
Yu hung up, and turned to Makoto, who had finally calmed down enough to let go of him, and put a few feet between the two. Yu turned on the light and looked at her with an eyebrow raised, silently asking for an explanation. Her eyes were red and swollen from the recent fountain of tears, and her knees were shaking a little, but other than that, she was alright.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"I am now. Thanks again. That must have seemed very… bizzare for me to barge into your room and start squeezing the life out of you."
"Hey, I didn't mind how close we were." Yu replied coyly.
"W-Well… um, you see… that's… r-really?" Makoto fumbled, her face starting to flush.
"Absolutely. In fact, I think I'll hope for more storms like this in the future, just so we have an excuse."
"An excuse? An excuse to wha-NARUKAMI!" Makoto yelled as she pieced the puzzle together, her face became the color of a ripe tomato, the blush engulfing her entire face. Yu laughed at the sight.
"That's not funny!" She yelled, only prompting Yu to laugh harder, even more so when she stomped her foot and crossed her arms in a huff. Just then, they heard the door fling open and Sae rush in.
"Makoto?! MAKOTO?!" She screamed, terror prevalent in her words.
"I'm here Sis. I'm alright."
Sae ran up to the younger Niijima and embraced her.
"Thank God. When Narukami didn't pick up the phone at first, I was so worried." Sae whispered, stroking Makoto's hair gently. Her ruby eyes met Yu's grey and she smiled sweetly.
"It appears the worst of the storm has past. Why don't you try getting some sleep alright? And if it picks up again, I'll be here, ok?" Sae whispered gently and lovingly to her sister. Makoto simply nodded and returned to her room. Sae turned to Yu and gave a warm smile.
"Thank you Narukami."
"You're welcome. How serious are her panic attacks?"
"Very. First few times, she had to be rushed to the emergency room and kept on life support." Sae answered grimly.
"Oh shit."
"Language Narukami."
"Shi-um… shoot."
"Better."
"Is she going to be ok now?"
"She should be, assuming there's no further thunder, but if there is, I'll handle it. I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand."
"Does she always get like this during a thunderstorm?"
Sae simply nodded.
"Why? Was she always so scared of storms?"
"No. Our father's death occurred on a stormy night, just as bad as this. I didn't see any of the fighting, only the aftermath. Makoto, however, at the ripe age of 12, witnessed not just dad getting murdered, but Dojima killing the Yakuza hitmen, and Dojima himself falling to the floor in a pool of blood. That memory always comes back on a night like this. I'm just grateful it's only at night, or she might've had problems with storms at school."
"So we don't have to worry about panic attacks during the day?"
"Correct."
"I'm glad to hear that." Yu said, letting out a yawn.
"You should go back to sleep. I'll stay with Makoto until she does as well. Goodnight Narukami. And thanks again."
"Anytime Sae-san. Anytime." Yu replied lazily as he took Sae's advice and went back to sleep.