This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.

This is not an oath, a wind breaker

Not a promise but what you'll remember

8/7 Thursday

Afternoon

Aiko wasn't sure what to expect from the Kujou household. Obviously, she knew it wouldn't be some kind of sprawling evil castle with lightning constantly throwing its grotesque shapes into relief, as appropriate as that might have been for her.

She hadn't protested when Kohru wanted to check a few other places out first. He was in charge this time after all, and clearly more experienced than her. The anticipation- she refused to call it fear- had built up more and more though, and the more it did, the more she believed that the house- that Daisuke Kujou- would be the key to learning the truth.

That notion only intensified when she saw the place, Kohru pointing it out to her down the south-end street past the old theater. A very nice-looking one, composed of fancy-looking white and gray scale that made it look as modern and clean as any Tokyo building. A curved A-shaped ledge of a balcony jutting out of the smaller second floor ringed by transparent rectangles bolted to the rail, and she momentarily searched it for signs of a pool. And this isn't even his main residence. That's back in Tokyo.

But all the opulence in the world couldn't hide the large window on the side of the building that was covered up with wood, obviously hiding previous damage to it until a replacement glass panel could be secured. "Aha", she tried not to look too superior in her smile. "Told you!"

"Now, now, Tsuruga-chan", he cautioned her. "That could simply mean that someone threw a rock and broke the window."

"Could be." She admitted. It had been an interesting experience, wandering the now familiar streets of Tosashimizu city with him, without any of the others, not even Pelagio at her side. It almost felt like an opportunity to cure that bad habit that seemed to happen whenever they spent too much time around each other.

Tatsunoko certainly had his plans in order, she'd discovered. Both his father and brother were in the SDF, and he was already making plans to follow suit after graduating, even taking up some of the organization's fitness programs to get his body ready for it. She wasn't sure who was more well-toned- him or Reiha.

And yet... she couldn't help but sense a certain twinge, a note of resignation whenever she brought up the subject. Not that military service was expected to be something one might be happy about heading into, but still...

The SDF was something she knew little about except for the acronym- Self Defense Force. By law, it was never permitted to be used outside the country, but only to protect it against invaders. Despite this, Tatsunoko's family were rarely ever home, and so he'd learned to look after himself.

I wonder if he'd be willing to give me any pointers? The school dorms were one thing, but a continued frustrating lack of cooking skills was the top of a list of things that Aiko wished she could do better. Her teammates never- or hardly ever- brought up the glaring fact that she was actually the worst cook of their entire group. And that's after working part-time for several months in a restaurant trying to pick up things.

That could wait for later. For now, the closer they got to the house the greater her anxiety grew. "He's not going to like me", she was able to get out before they came too close to the front door. "Y-you should do the talking, okay?"

"I told you", the council president told her patiently, "he already refused to talk with me about it any more. You're the one who said you might be able to get him to talk."

"R-right." Now, she regretted it. But it was too late for her to back out now. "You start, though."

"If you say so."

It almost felt like knocking on the door to her own mother's house at first, getting no response at first and secretly, silently hoping that he wasn't home and they could just go. But after that interminable wait Daisuke Kujou was there. He wasn't exactly spouting fire and smoke, but looking about as cold and unwelcoming as he'd been described regardless. More than that, however, what struck her was just how incredibly tired he looked. An unkempt scruff of dark hair hung around his jaw and neckline that she'd never seen in any of his energetic speeches, and his eyes hung recessed in dark abscesses over round bags.

"Tatsunoko? What is this? I told you that this was none of your concern."

"I chose to disagree with you on that front, Mr. Kujou", Kohru explained in the utmost respect and courtesy. "I thought perhaps if we were merely patient, your daughter would return to us on her own, or else the police would eventually locate her. However, this hasn't happened."

"You think you can do better than the police?", the broad-faced man asked hotly before switching to a sad, mocking laugh. "Oh, but of course you can! A blind, drunken howler monkey could do better than the police. They're completely incompetent! No one ever makes any actual effort in their jobs anymore. Laziness. Absolute laziness."

"I trust that the police are doing everything they're capable of", Kohru shrugged. "But they don't know Benihime-san personally. We do." Suddenly looking as nervous as Aiko felt inside, he pointed upward. "I also happened to notice that window, the window to her room. It wasn't damaged last time I was here. Did something happen?"

Hopeless fury gathered on his brow then, darkening it further. "That is none of your business. And you insult me by pretending you care about my daughter after what you did to her. Get out. If I see you here again, I'll have you arrested for being a public nuisance."

Sensing Kohru begin to retreat, Aiko knew it was her turn and gathered the willpower that had gotten her through countless battles and debates with angry, bitter people. "I-if you think the police really are useless", she blurted, "then any efforts we make would still be better than doing nothing, right?"

While the man's thundercloud glower didn't clear, his focus seemed temporarily halted by the outburst from someone new that he didn't know. Someone who, as so many had annoyingly pointed out to her, actually looked a fair bit like a younger, shorter, more fair-haired version of his missing daughter. "And who is this, Tatsunoko? Your 'replacement' after discarding my daughter like yesterday's trash?"

He sounded more surprised than angered by the accusation. "She's not my girlfriend, Mr. Kujou. She's just another student at Koashimizu academy, taking time out of her summer vacation to help us. Her name is Aiko Tsuruga."

As she'd simultaneously dreaded and expected, the name caught him up even more, his fists clenching until the knuckles turned white. "Another one come to mock the ruin of my daughter. She spoke to me of you. I doubt we have anything to say to each other."

"We wouldn't have come here if we didn't", she spoke back, pleasing herself with the lack of hesitation. Amazing how the radiating fury of one adult man could weigh on her after she'd been through so much. But then again, it wasn't like she'd experienced anything like it before. Captain Byzael could be strict sometimes, but he never got so angry with her. Ignoring it, she forced herself to gaze back, unafraid.

"You still haven't returned to Tokyo. You've been waiting here for Kujou to return, even if it interferes with your duties in JCAP. That suggests to me that you really do love her."

"H-how dare you! Of course I love my daughter!"

"Then", she maintained, trying to emulate Kohru's patient tone, "you should welcome anyone who would try to help locate her, isn't that right?"

"As if either of you would be interested in accomplishing that", he sneered.

"Tsuruga-chan", Kohru spoke again, "-is a student of Koashimizu academy. As was Kujou-san. Whatever else might have passed between them- and I won't deny that a fair bit has- that fact doesn't change. I always encourage our students to look out for each other's well being. Isn't that right?"

"Of course", Aiko confirmed without hesitation. "There's no reason for me not to help."

For a while the man simply fumed in silence. Then, just when she thought he would swell up and bark for them to leave again, he seemed to deflate instead, arms hanging limp at his sides. "...I truly must be at the end of my rope. Fine. Come in, before anyone sees you."

She kept any further remarks about that statement to herself, instead taking in the rest of the house. While it had looked grand from the outside despite the damage, the interior told the story much more effectively. It was clean, but that was the problem- it was too clean. It felt unlived in. Lifeless in that way that only a building that had once held it could. The television was on, but muted, casting light into a room where several emptied bento and ramen boxes lay alongside a bottle of something that smelled alcoholic, creased fliers for Fuchu Nishi academy strewn all about.

Like Tatsunoko she watched her step, coming in behind Mr. Kujou and waiting for him to take his seat, not surprised when he refused to offer them any. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for one of them to speak first.

"I work at the Starlight diner in the city", she managed, trying to sound confident. "I, um, I go into the city all the time, uh, actually. I'll also provide a description of Kujou-senpai to the fishermen who operate on the south coast. I'm close friends with one of them too. They might have seen her."

"Obviously she must have found some place to stay", Kohru continued, sensing her flagging under the man's spiteful glower. "Do you have any idea of anyone in the city she might have gone to?"

"If I did", Mr. Kujou growled, "I would have gone there instead of wasting my time with you two children."

Wincing, Aiko fought the urge to snap back at the man. He is in danger of losing the only person in his life he seems to care about, she reminded herself. That would put anyone in a foul mood. Particularly if he thinks we're to blame for it.

"Then the question becomes ease of access", Tatsunoko continued without missing a beat. "Where could she have gone to rest that would be reasonably comfortable and safe? Does she have enough money to book a room at a hotel?"

"I think the police would've checked that already." Remembering their audience, Aiko changed her tack. "We, uh, we can definitely check all those though, just in case they didn't."

"However", Kohru continued, now staring back at Mr. Kujou without restraint or fear. "All these considerations aside, the fact that you were the last one to see her, and the one who knew her the best, makes you the most important participant, sir. For her sake, I ask that you share any information you think might help us."

That seemed to cut through the fog of frustration and anger that followed the man around like a plague of gnats, for the first time looking like he was thinking about how to help and solve the problem. He remained silent however, long enough for Kohru to clear his throat:

"That window. Last time when I asked, you told me it was vandalism, and I believed you. But the angle of the destruction suggests that it was broken from the inside, not outside."

"Benihime", the man whispered at last eyes glazing over, "She returned. But she was... different. There had to be some kind of drug involved. And before I knew it, she destroyed that window and fled, warning me not to pursue her."

That sudden admission took them both by surprise. Seeing the same shock on Tatsunoko's face all but confirmed Aiko's belief that Mr. Kujou was naturally a very prideful man, and getting him to admit that his own daughter had broken out from under his nose was akin to pulling teeth.

"What did she say?", she asked, genuinely interested. "Why did she leave?"

"She said...", Mr. Kujou tried to remember, "she said that she didn't care to be with me anymore, because I couldn't give her what she really wanted."

"What she wanted? What did she want?"

She fell silent again, realizing the obvious answer to her question. "...Oh. Right. To get her position on the SDC back. To get me back."

"You hurt her", Mr. Kujou accused quietly. "You spread lies about her, stole her best friend away from her. You ruined her."

Unable to look directly into those accusing eyes any longer, she tried to focus. "So... who would she think could do that ? I can't think of anyone who could accomplish that for her."

"No", Kohru agreed sadly. "No one could do that. And with my most sincere apologies sir, I don't regret what I did. She had no place on the student council."

That shocked Aiko as much as it did Mr. Kujou. She had come fully expecting to be the prime target of the man's wrath, yet Tatsunoko had been the one to challenge him, challenged his perceptions that Benihime was a darling angel who could do no wrong.

She had thought that might at least be satisfying, as satisfying as watching the younger Kujou steam with things didn't work out the way she wanted had been. Instead, he looked downright frightening, eyes and nostrils bulging with anger that reminded her a bit of Jiachi's own father when he got angry. But while that man had reserved his wrath, channeling it towards just one target on a handful of occasions, this one had no such filter.

No matter how many beastly Shadows she had faced down, somehow, a truly angry adult was always scarier. It triggered instincts in her she had thought were dead, the impulse to just curl up and aimlessly agree with everything he said. Anything to make him stop.

"Beni-ka", he began with a rasping whisper, "adored that school. Adored it despite how poorly it's run, how pathetic and unprepared its principal is. She was willing to do what you were too cowardly to, willing to put herself on the line to maintain harmony at Koashimizu."

She didn't sense Kohru having the same reaction to this, but felt she should be the next one to speak anyway. "Mr. Kujou. Arguing over her actions won't help get her back. We came to help you when no one else would, to offer our support."

"To gloat over her downfall, you mean", he cut in. "What other reason would you have to come here?"

Kohru took the accusations in silence before breathing out and turning. "Let's go. Tsuruga-chan. He obviously doesn't care."

Another shock. It was rare to see their council president be so dismissive of any adult, even if he wasn't a teacher. He left, yet she couldn't quite move her legs to do the same. Not after all they'd done to get this far. Not without one last try.

"Why?", she asked him, throwing out their script and leaving only the question she really wanted to ask him. "Why? Why? Why this? Is your pride really so important to you? Do you even believe in this 'harmony' stuff you always shout about on TV?"

Mr. Kujou actually looked surprised, if only for a moment. When that faded, he seemed almost melancholy. "...I believe in every word. Brats like you will never understand: I deal with the reality, while you live in dream worlds."

The 'I'm an adult and I know better' card, she thought to herself. Miss Mattora played that one all the time. Still, she couldn't just back down. It wasn't in her nature, any more than it was with her least favorite teacher. "Try me then. I've followed the history of your movement, you know. It's impressive that you've been able to gain so much power and influence in less than six years."

"A sign that we are the ones in the right", Mr. Kujou claimed, acknowledging the compliment with less bile. "Our cause is just. Still, I certainly can't claim full credit. We began long before that."

"I know", she nodded. "You started out as part of the United Future party, didn't you? Part of Masayoshi Shido's large support base. He might have promised you things, but he was never going to deliver on them. You do know that, don't you?"

"Shido-san was going to restore our nation to glory", he argued with absolute conviction. "He promised us that he would punish the gaijin and restore our economy, make us into a nation that others bowed to, as we should be. Until-", his eyes narrowed, "-until the Phantom Thieves spread their vicious lies about him, used their trickery to make him confess to falsehoods."

"I see", she considered dourly. Mira had already warned her about this, but it was still a bit stunning to her for herself. Even after the man had confessed to his own crimes, there remained a subset of people who believed in him. That subset, she noted, seemed to be composed of some of the people who believed that expelling all 'gaijin' influence would improve their country. That subset had become the JCAP.

"We are called 'the land of eight million Gods'", he claimed. "We are one of the eldest, most spiritual, and wisest civilizations in the entire world. We are one of the few who have learned the value of harmony. Interacting with other nations like the Americans has done us nothing but disruption and death."

Her shocked silence let him speak on it more, and for once she heard a note of empathy in him: "Even if Shido-san was guilty of all these accusations, his ideas are valid. I don't expect a young one like you to understand this yet, but we are rapidly approaching a time where we will have to make a stand. Nations will conquer other nations, and only the most worthy ones will survive to see the new dawn."

This was just his usual speeches focused down to be delivered to one person, Aiko realized angrily. He wasn't even trying to help anymore, just trying to persuade her of the righteousness of his actions. His, and those of his daughter, and all the other people he worked with.

"I'll do my best to find her, Mr. Kujou", she promised him. "One of us has to."

But she wasn't able to leave quite as dramatically as she'd expected. Kohru was back at the front door, looking out of breath. "There are police cars outside", he panted in alarm. "Two of them."

If Mr. Kujou had heard him or cared, he didn't show it, instead, she followed Kohru out across the driveway, standing well back from the people in uniform traipsing up the road without haste.

"Maybe they've found a lead and they wanted to let him know?", she suggested mildly.

"There would be no need to send two cars then", Kohru shook his head. "No, this is something else."

What amazed her was how fast it all happened. The officers simply walked up the way, knocked on the door, presented some kind of paper to the appropriately shocked Mr. Kujou. He expressed the usual bluster and disbelief, yet he also knew that resisting would be worse than pointless. In less than two minutes, they had him handcuffed and led away to the backseat of one of the cars.

"Hey", a voice hit them so suddenly that she nearly cried out. Another officer, a tall one with large eyes and lips, calling to them. "Do you kids know this guy?"

"Yes", Kohru admitted, stepping out from their spot behind the fence so they knew they weren't trying to hide anything. "Why is he...?"

The large man looked apologetic. "Sorry if we scared you. This man's daughter has been missing for several weeks now. We found her."

"You... you found Benihime?", Tatsunoko repeated. "That's wonderful! But...?"

The tall officer looked torn by the usual requests by his superiors for secrecy, but clearly gossip had become his habit and stock in trade. "It's only an accusation so far, but we intend to pursue it further. Apparently, the reason she ran away from home to start with is... because this guy was abusing her."

The two of them stared at each other, not sure of what to say, or to think, until the two cars pulled out and went on their way back down the main street.

Scrambling up the netting, Reiha gaped at the sight behind him, a prominent dark shape bristling with cannons far larger than their own.

"He's right behind us!", she called down. "Catching up!"

At the wheel of their ship, captain Julian breathed out his initial terror, trying to focus. "Full sail! Head for the tower!"

And the Reaper followed behind them, closer than ever. The installation of the second relay Shukiji had provided them with had gone much the same as the first, requiring the defeat of a handful of entrenched Shadows in a distant location, then planting the device on the highest point of the land mass. Naturally, the ease of this task had led to growing confidence among their team. A confidence that had lasted until they'd been departing that land mass, heading back for Shukiji's Land... only for the black metal colossus to rear itself out of the depths, eager to destroy them.

It hadn't taken much time for Reiha to comprehend what the Reaper was about. A tremendous armored battleship, larger, more powerful, and against all logic, faster than theirs. Something that could not be defeated, only fled from. The perfect symbol of death itself, just in case the enormous curved scythe blade dominating the front mast wasn't clue enough.

"Not enough!", Mira warned him from the lower decks. "At this rate, he'll catch up to us!"

"Can't believe I'd actually be happy to see a Leviathan Shadow show up about now", their acting captain grumbled, fighting the urge to look back and staying on course. "Wait... Guardian, any Breaches nearby?"

"One", the voice of their ship replied, too grateful for any solution to their current problem to worry about including his usual dislike of the young man. "60 lengths to the west, closer to Dancer's Land."

"Too far", he grunted under his breath. Even at full sail- and with a ship that moved faster than any real one- that would be all the time the Reaper needed to sweep around to their port and unload a full broadside, laying waste to them. Already, he could hear the waves generated by the enormous vessel's wake from behind them. Might be better to get nailed by the cannons than that blade... wait a sec...!

He spun the wheel, listing to the left, waiting on Reiha's updates to inform him of when the Reaper was drawing closer. Naturally, it took the shift in course as an opportunity to cut across from the right, shifting its own direction to match.

"That's it, then", he announced without having to check. He could feel it. Now was the time. "Drop the sails. All of them. Now!"

Amazingly, none of them questioned his order. Not even Reiha. Without the ship's sails to boost them, the Reaper's vessel pulled even with them almost immediately, the row of a dozen deadly cannons, each one with its own elemental color of ammunition, sliding out to open fire in a massive barrage. A rainbow of death...

He was fairly certain that the resulting noise damaged his ears. But Pelagio, their own ship... it received no damage at all. Twelve shots arced overhead, barely missing the crow's nest to smash into the water several lengths to their left. The 'ice shot' actually left a brief patch of frozen water behind before falling apart just as quickly, while the 'nuclear shot' left a small crater behind before being refilled with displaced water and the 'fire shot' merely boiled it.

For a moment, he wondered if the Reaper- or whatever being commanded this dreaded ship- was sentient enough to facepalm at what had just happened. Not enough to delay their counter move for long, certainly; the Reaper's ship began to slide to port as well, approaching their ship with the intent of crushing it beneath its weight. For a moment, he saw an impenetrable wall of dark metal rushing towards them and held his breath...

Then they were past it, falling behind the dreadnaught. As they all watched, it began to turn more sharply to port, but in a ponderous, bulky way that made it clear this was something the colossal vessel wasn't designed for. "Saber taught me that one", Julian smiled at the sight. "The bigger the ship, the slower it is to turn. How's that Breach now? We've gotta be gettin' close now."

"About three lengths", Pelagio's voice confirmed. "Wait... It must be...?"

"With the Reaper directly on top of it?", he guessed. He almost laughed, then resumed watching the dreadnaught's course. "Never mind then!"

Its cannons fired again anyway, though none of the flurry of shots actually came close to hitting them. Then the colossus began to sink into the water, pulled in by the very whirlpool that they had been seeking to use themselves to escape. As it began to shift into a vertical position, jutting up like some ancient giant's weapon, more shots fired but they were scattered and aimless.

The Breach didn't care. It continued to drag the Reaper's ship down until all that could be seen was the scythe. Then that, too, was gone. "Blast it", he commanded Mira, resulting in a lightning shot into the Breach, repeating until it completely closed. They had found out several months ago that closing a Breach behind them was the only way to truly lose the Reaper's dogged pursuit.

Leaping down from her perch, Reiha studied the phenomenon herself, seeing it for the first time. "That... was deliberate?"

"Eh. Sort of", he shrugged. "We were gonna enter the Breach ourselves and use it to teleport somewhere else, then blast it shut so he couldn't follow us through. That worked on him last time. This just cuts out the unnecessary trip back."

"Sweet", she stared at the closing remnants of the whirlpool. "Sooo... we really have no idea at all what that huge ship is, or why he wants to kill us so bad?"

"He is the Reaper", Mira said calmly, as if that explained everything. "Saber told me that it is the manifestation of humanity's collective fear of death. That would explain why it's the most powerful, unstoppable thing in this world. We always have to avoid it."

"Ah", the taller girl nodded, understanding a bit better now. "Weirder and weirder every time we come here, aight? Maybe we can ask Niyoga for a way to deal with it?"

"Maybe", their acting captain allowed. "Lucky for us, he only shows up occasionally. Wherever he is now, it'll take a while for him to sail back here, even with his speed. By then, we need to be gone from here."

"Shouldn't be hard", Reiha agreed, turning back to the tower that still dominated the view, its beam of light still sliding across the surface, a beacon. "Just need to pick up Mender first."

"Yes", Mira agreed, happy to have the end of this particular mission in sight. "Although... did Niyoga seem colder to anyone else? Last time, he almost seemed guilty about what happened before. Even gave us medicine to help. This time? Nothing."

"He usually is like that", Julian shrugged. "We'll talk to Mender about it. Me, I'd like a nice long shower about now. Full sail, back to the tower."

"Lighthouse." Mira stared back innocently. "What? To me, it looks like a lighthouse."

"Ugh. Fine. Full sail back to the big tall place where our friend is."

Tatsunoko stuck with her. Aiko could imagine several possible reasons as to why, but the truth was likely some combination of the above. Whatever the reason, it actually felt nice to introduce someone new, an 'outsider' from her main circle of friends, to the strange life of 'routines' that had become second nature for her by now.

Routines that had helped to dull the sting of recent developments, until she could almost, almost forget about everything they'd just heard.

"I should apologize", the athletic boy claimed once they got on the bus headed back to the campus. "I assumed that you'd been using summer vacation to slack off as most do. Yet you're far busier than most of our students this time of year."

Swinging around her chosen seat and wondering if the campus bus was just cursed to be the site of awkward conversations, Aiko shrugged. "If we're being completely honest, Tatsunoko-kun, I've been kind of 'showing off' for you. Normally, I'm fine with just spending time at the dorm watching TV or playing video games. But obviously you couldn't follow me in there."

"So instead you chose to spend the day diving for coral samples which a local researcher- Mr. Spica, was it?- has apparently asked for", Kohru remarked in continued amazement. "And then go visit a local pharmacy to purchase various medicines?"

"And a book about self-confidence", she added, nervously touching her bag. "Which I'll have plenty of time to read later."

"You have a self-confidence problem? You hardly seem like it."

She offered up a shy smile. "Well... Y'see... It's difficult to explain." Seeing that he wasn't budging on the topic, she tried to settle down and speak clearly. "Y'see, all my friends... Sorano, Rosea, Vitienne and Hayato... they kinda think of me as their 'leader'. I ask them not to, but sometimes you might hear them refer to me as their 'captain'."

"That hardly sounds like someone in need of self-confidence", Kohru observed. "It's very rare to see a group of friends designate an obvious 'leader'. And 'captain' is a very distinguished rank."

"A rank I never earned", she reminded him. "You're the 'soldier' here, not me."

"But they obviously believe in you. Isn't that enough?"

"No." As usual, her eyes couldn't seem to focus on him, constantly sliding away to look at other things. He must have thought her terribly rude, but she smiled bravely. "They... they're all so great. They're wonderful people. And if they all really think that I'm worth listening to, then they deserve a better 'captain'. That's why I've been reading all these different books about charm and knowledge and stuff. Trying to be the best I can be."

"How admirable." He didn't have the same problem, of course. Just the opposite- he seemed fascinated by the strange transfer student from Tokyo. "If only Kujou-san had a bit more of your drive to be better..."

Which brought them back to the real topic that had been weighing down on them for the day. "...Tatsunoko-kun. Do you think that Mr. Kujou really...?"

"I don't know", Kohru admitted, his voice worn by conflicting stances as she had felt. "I knew him. I thought I knew him. I've had dinner with them at least ten times. I never saw anything even hinting at abuse. All I ever saw was a man who loved his daughter and country very much, and a daughter who respected her father. However..."

Reflecting her concerned stare, he narrowed his gaze in frustration. "What is the truth, and what is the lie? Impossible to say. Recent events have shown that I'm not exactly the best at detecting lies. I misjudged Kujou-san herself for years. She-", he coughed, shaking it off. "She... wasn't the person who I believed she was. It's entirely possible that I did the same for her father as well. Or, there were no signs of abuse for me to see because they had a guest, reverting to 'normal' once I was gone and no one else was there to witness it."

A brief pause, and then Aiko realized he was waiting for her take on it. "Don't look at me. The only side of Kujou I knew was the one she showed at school. I just met her dad today." Thinking about it more, she sighed. "He was totally as annoying and arrogant as Sorano-chan told me, but he didn't gave any hint that he was an abuser or anything. But then... what would be a 'hint' that he was an abuser? How can we tell?"

"I suppose it's not our place to deduce that", Kohru considered, frustrated. "It's the police's place. They're keeping her at the station now, as a witness." He'd asked, but it was clear they wouldn't be allowed to see her.

"Maybe", Ai considered. One thing she was beginning to notice now that set Tatsunoko apart from the other boys in her life was how quick he was to defer to authority, whatever the form. A 'soldier' through and through. "I'd like to be able to make my own decision about it though."

He spread his arms. "Be my guest. No one's stopping you. Because it doesn't matter what civilians think of it." Drawing closer- close enough that he could detect the mild scent of grit and fragrant clean earth- he frowned. "But that's not what's really bothering you about Mr. Kujou, is it? What exactly did he say to you after I left?"

He was right, of course. Another thing she might have considered selfish. "N-nothing that'll surprise you. He was mad that Kujou got kicked out of the SDC, and blamed me for it instead of answering my questions for him."

If only that was all he said...

No. Couldn't think about that right now. Like Kohru had said, it didn't matter now. It might have been better if they'd never tried to search for Kujou at all.

"You must understand that he's very upset. That was why I doubted that accusation, actually. Because for all I could tell, he did love his daughter. She was the only thing he cared about, other than his duties in JCAP."

Which only made things more confusing for her. "What about her mother?"

"No idea. He never brought it up."

That didn't really matter either, she decided. Now that the police had found Benihime, then there was no need for them to devote any more time- or thoughts- to her or all the awful things her father had said.

It's not my problem, she told herself strictly, reminded of Mira's earlier words to her. It's not my job to try and convince other people that what they believe is wrong. No one can do that.

Still, she couldn't deny that Mr. Kujou's words had riled her more than she had ever thought possible. Just like with Mrs. Mattora, she'd wanted to argue with him, to shout and deny all his claims, to tell him that the Phantom Thieves were actually heroes who would never lie, and that Masayoshi Shido was actually a horrible murderer. She couldn't even imagine that someone could believe the exact opposite with such conviction.

Until now. Until she'd met Mr. Kujou. Now, when she wished she hadn't.

She wasn't even able to hide her distress, and then Kohru's warm hand was on her shoulder, absorbing her shaking until it quieted. "Remember, Tsuruga-chan, it's not something that civilians need to worry about."

He wasn't exactly joking, but she smiled back at him anyway. "You're a 'civilian' too, you know."

"No, no", he kept up his amused face. "I'm a student council president. That's about as high a position of authority as someone my age can ever reach, isn't it? Oh, excuse me", he corrected himself, bowing. "A 'captain' might be considered higher still, right?"

She laughed. From the lips of most people that might sound like mockery, but he managed to make it sound like a sincere compliment. Not just a compliment, but someone who empathized with the responsibility she'd grappled with for so many months as the 'leader' of their little band.

And while temporarily abdicating that responsibility of 'captain' hadn't made her memories of it fade, the pressures of it didn't seem quite as stifling or ever-present as she remembered.

"I told you before", she replied in the same light jest. "I don't deserve it. They just think I do. They just think I'm 'cool' 'cause I'm the transfer student from the big city."

"Then", he pondered slowly, "when will you consider yourself to be deserving of it?"

The bus' brakes cut into her musings. "I can walk you to the dorm", Kohru offered immediately.

Stepping off the bus, she felt his strong arm leave her. Whatever else had happened today, it was worth it to get to know this one better. "A solider and a gentleman", she teased. "You and Vitienne-kun would get along well. But that's okay. I still have some stuff I need to do today."

"I can come with you", he offered. "Honestly, your routine is fascinating to me. I've never seen anyone so devoted to grabbing specific drinks out of vending machines."

"Not this time. I'm just going fishing at the coast. Not exactly exciting."

Finally, he conceded. "No, I suppose not. And I can take a hint too. Have a good day, Tsuruga-chan. Best of luck with all your duties."

Duties. Right.

The desire to go fishing was genuine. It helped to calm her nerves just as well as Kohru had, and honed skills that captain Byzael had gradually taught her. Even if the fish weren't biting much, it was enough to just stare into the water and relax for a while.

But that wasn't the only purpose of it. She'd needed to get away from Kohru for a while so that she would be ready. Ready for the time that she'd slowly learned to structure all her days around. The time when the sun set itself down into the sea, its light splaying across the reflective surface to form untold wonders.

The gate of bright green light was only now beginning to close, and she was relieved to see four human figures emerge from it, followed closely by a familiar falcon shape scouting ahead before perching on a rock.

Her friends. Her crew. Her 'soldiers'.

No. Not 'soldiers'. That idea rankled her. They were just her crew.

And this time, she wasn't so exhausted that she'd fallen over unconscious before them.

"Captain", Julian called to her happily, leading the way as he'd taught himself to do. "I told you, you didn't need to worry. We got through it, just like last time."

"Not exactly like last time", Mirambela pointed out.

"Complications, arose, ensued... were overcome", he claimed with his usual swagger, undiminished by a nearly fatal encounter with the Reaper.

"She can't help it", Reiha pointed out from behind them. "In her position, I'd worry about us too, aight?"

"Whatever destiny holds", Noel followed up. "We faced it. I do wish I'd been there to assist with that encounter though. Next time."

"Next time", Mira promised him. "As long as we're keeping to the plan."

"I think we should be able to pull it off", Jiachi agreed, rubbing his hands eagerly. "I've been waiting for it. Unless something else happened?"

"Nothing that will affect the plan", Aiko assured him. "But before I tell you, we should head to the hideout first."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this", Reiha snarked.

Her jovial mood didn't last. The cavern felt oddly warm after being soaked in sunlight for most of the day, but their leader's words had brought in a stinging chill that permeated it until they could speak again.

"Hayato-senpai", Aiko asked very carefully. "Kujou was your friend once. Do you think it's possible?"

Their tallest member seemed to be deep in thought for once, almost in a trance, her gloves folded around herself protectively.

"I used to think a lot of things were impossible", she spoke seemingly to herself. "But then I found out that hey, guess what, there's an entire freakin' ocean out there that we know next to nothing about. And when we're on that ocean we get to summon crazy powerful beings called Personas that are somehow more powerful than guns. Sooo..."

"So yes?", Aiko asked.

"So I have no freakin' idea." Scoffing at the very idea that she might be some reigning authority on the Kujou family, she shook her head. "I met her dad, of course. He didn't approve of my, well... my anything, so we didn't really talk much. But..."

"But?"

"I knew some pretty violent people when I was growin' up", Reiha admitted finally. "Didn't know exactly what they were until it was too late. But I always sensed something." She made a sour face. "Like I could also feel the ease of it. Even if they weren't planning to hurt anyone at the time, I could tell that they'd hurt other people, and they didn't mind go so far as killing if they had to."

"Yakuza", Aiko remembered. She'd never seen them up close like her friend had, but no one who'd lived in Tokyo didn't know something about them, even if it was just the depictions in television and movies.

The Phantom Thieves, however, had apparently encountered them more than once. And their descriptions, however fleeting, exactly matched what Reiha said. Men in fancy suits, often bearing various tattoos but always distinguished by that particular air of violence around them. Something you could almost smell, and it wasn't drugs or alcohol.

"And Mr. Kujou", Reiha finished, "never had any of that. He's a talker. Not a fighter. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd never hit anyone in his life. I'm more violent than he is."

"Not exactly the best example", Noel mulled. "I've never met the man myself, of course."

"Tatsunoko-kun has", Aiko explained. "And he didn't think he was guilty either."

"Oooh!", Reiha clasped her hands, suddenly more interested in that than anything about the Kujous. "And how did that go for you, Tsuruga-chan~?"

"N-nothing romantic!", she stammered, idly noting the look of relief on Jiachi's face when she said that. "We... we just talked! Like you said earlier, he's got plans to join the SDF once he graduates, like his big brother."

"Is that really all...?"

"No", Aiko paused. "He said that whatever we thought about Mr. Kujou didn't matter, because we're 'civilians'."

"Well", Mirambela's brow furrowed. "He's not wrong, now is he? If he's really been abusing Kujou, then he'll be punished for it. If he's innocent, then-"

But Aiko stopped her with a frightened look. Mira had shared some stories with her about her village's tribunal system when someone was found doing wrong, but the modern courts of Japan weren't anywhere near that simple and straightforward. "I used to believe that. But now that I've talked to the Phantom Thieves... I know that it's not that simple."

Reiha caught her meaning immediately, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I talked with Nijima-san about it while we were on vacation. While things are slowly improving on that front, the conviction rate is still over 95 percent. That's only if the charge actually goes to court, though."

Sharing her horror now, Mirambela looked sick. "So you're saying... that there's a chance that Kujou lied about her father abusing her? Knowingly implicating him? That's... that's... that's...!"

Looking around, she saw similar shocked expressions on the others, only Pelagio's stoic raptor's face remaining unchanged. "...It sure wouldn't be the first time that she's lied about someone to get them in trouble, as we know."

"But still... that is just WAY too horrible! Even for her! She has to know that if that charge goes through, her dad...!"

Noel stood up, startling them all with the sudden uncharacteristic intensity in his posture even if his voice remained the same, as level as Kohru's. "Far be it for us to believe such evil of either Kujou-san or her father immediately. Haven't the Phantom Thieves also taught us to carefully analyze the facts before coming to a decision, and not rush to judge someone else so easily?"

"Point", Ai granted. "But we did check the police station. Kujou was there. She's just not seeing anyone right now, because of 'witness protection'."

"Regardless", the blond boy continued, "Tatsunoko-san is correct. Our opinions on this matter are only worth considering if we have a say in what transpires next. Perhaps if we had any solid proof that Kujou-san was lying to incriminate her own father, we could present that proof in support of him. However, we barely know Mr. Kujou at all. I'm quite certain that he has other, ahem, 'assets' that he may call upon to escape these abuse charges. Assets which are far more capable of helping him than we are."

"Right", Aiko flinched as she remembered. "Furusato's family said they were going to accuse you of having something to do with her death, too, didn't they?"

"They did", Noel sighed at the memory. "Overcome with grief as they were. Fortunately, nothing has come of it yet."

"...I'm sorry."

But he couldn't stay in such a mood for very long. Not Noel. "Don't be, captain. I perfectly understand why you felt that we should take an interest in this case. After all, don't we have access to power and knowledge beyond that of the police? You simply wanted for there to be a way for us to use our Personas to determine the truth, and ensure that the correct verdict is reached, the true criminal punished."

"Everyone wants the true criminal to be punished", she answered quickly. The truth of his words felt like a hornet's sting. "But we can't. Not this time. We can't use our Personas in this world, after all. Here, we're just as helpless as anyone else."

"That-", Mira interrupted cautiously, "-that may not be necessarily true. Remember, the Masked Circle have access to that Dreamwine stuff, extracted from the sea. That allows Shadows and Personas to exist in the real world for a short time when it's vaporized. If I could use Oya's charm power on Kujou or her father, and force them to-"

She stopped, realizing faster than any of the others just how insane that plan sounded. "...Like they'd ever let us borrow a cup of Dreamwine. Sorry I even brought it up."

"It wasn't completely useless", Julian argued, stepping forward as well. "There might still be something we can do." He jerked a finger over at Pelagio's perch. "Or rather, something he can do. Grumpy bird could follow her from the skies once she gets out of the police station, see what she's up to."

"What?" Aiko shook her head. "And just hope that she does something that reveals her as a liar? Besides, Kujou is familiar with Pela-tori. She'd be on the watch for him."

With that plan defeated as well, they fell silent again for a stretch. "It's so typical of you to want to help out everyone you possibly can, Tsuruga-chan", Noel told their leader. "After all, that's how you ended up this way, how you ended up helping each of us. It's one of the reasons why you're our captain."

His face hardened. "However... No matter how powerful our Personas may become... we are not Gods. The simple fact is that there are still many situations that we can't do anything about except to wait, and hope and pray, and have faith that the truth will eventually be revealed."

"Blondie's got a point", Reiha admitted in mild frustration. "I sure as hell wish we could get our hands on some of that Dreamwine stuff though."

"It's better that we don't", Mira contested her. "Who knows where that would end up? We could end up no better than the Masked Circle."

"We won't", Aiko vowed, looking at each of them in turn. It was no secret that Reiha had expressed a strong desire that some day, she might be able to use her Persona, Adrestia, in the real world... Use it to wreak havoc on the Yakuza who had wrecked her life, that is. "Sorry to bring it up then. I suppose we only found out about this- or cared about it at all- because we knew Kujou. And not as a friend, either."

"You're forgiven, captain", Jiachi brushed his hair back, idly spinning a pen. "I mean, there's no one at school who doesn't know how much you two hate each other."

"I don't like to hate people", Ai insisted, looking specifically at Noel. "Really, I don't. It feels like it tires you out. But this time, I just can't help myself either. Her father got to me, too. He really made me mad."

"Not a surprise", Mira sniffed. "They're of the same cloth. It would be better if we just let them settle their own problems with each other. Particularly when there's so much other stuff for us to deal with right now."

"Right", their leader nodded, happy to get back on track with something she knew they could affect the outcome of. "The plan's going okay, then?"

"Reasonably", Noel looked momentarily concerned. "Niyoga is... well, I feel like he's become colder to me than he was last time I was there. He treated me like I was merely a distraction, while previously he welcomed our conversations. I believe that the other world is having a gradual effect on his mind, just as it did the rest of us."

"Same here", Julian observed bashfully. "He gave us a bunch of medicines last time. He even acted like he was feeling kinda guilty about making you 'quit the team'. Like he really wanted to apologize to you. But today? None of that. He was just like, 'here's the next relay, now go away and leave me alone'. If we're gonna do something, now's the time. Before it gets even worse."

"Yeah. Now's totally the time", Aiko agreed eagerly. Without needing to check anything or anyone else, she knew it to be true. It just felt right. It was the perfect timing to move on the next step. "The day after tomorrow sounds good. You've memorized the locations of the Breaches, right?"

"I have", Noel nodded. "But please keep in mind that I believe he's capable of changing their locations. The moment Niyoga-san realizes what we're doing, he could possibly rearrange the entire tower's structure into something different."

"Lighthouse", Mira corrected.

"Land", Aiko settled them down. "And you all know what to do, right?"

"Mostly", Jiachi looked unsure. "There's a lot to keep track of. Hopefully or first plan just works."

Reiha laughed at the very idea. "And how many times has that ever actually happened in the history of ever? If we ever have to make more than one plan for something, there's usually a reason. Though if I recall, a lot of it depends on you, captain."

"It does", Ai agreed before hardening her gaze. "But I can handle it. I will handle it. He won't get me like he did before. Not if everything we know about him is true."

Pelagio spoke at last, breaking his silence as he stretched his wings out to encompass them all. "...I believe in our captain. I believe that she will succeed."

"Hard to argue with that", Jiachi laughed, scratching his head and stopping his pen's spin. "Go get 'em, Tsuruga-chan. You can do it. I know that you can."

Looking back at her crew's welcoming gazes, she expected to feel the familiar weight of responsibility settling back down on her shoulders. But that didn't happen. Not this time. If anything, she actually felt lighter somehow.

So light that she could almost fly.

8/9 Saturday

Afternoon

The tower's light beam locked into the Dream Voyager's vessel as soon as it had cleared the gate, its light bright enough to make its crew cover their eyes.

Their arrival had become routine by now. The third relay was provided to them, this time without a single word or any additional cargo, and Noel allowed the Shadows to escort him to the lift, ignoring the usual hostile looks he earned from his friend's Shadow.

One slight change: It seemed taller than before. Taller, and colder as the lift bypassed the questions and drew nearer to the top, passing through layer after layer of busy clockwork. Sets of blinking fresnel lenses flanked a central dais, containing the golden head of Shukiji but no sign of his true body.

It had occurred to them both at different points that this arrangement could, in some ways, be viewed as though he were a robed priest returning to speak with his 'deity' of worship, journeying all the way to the top of this tower for it, sinking down slightly as if in reverence.

But of course that was merely an illusion, Shukiji knew. This person in robes standing bowed before him was absolutely no worshiper of his. They were not reverent. They were not his friend.

They were not even Noel Vitienne.

"You may as well remove that", he commanded bitterly. "I already know who you are."

"Remove it? But why, mein freunde?"

Shu didn't laugh, even if Aiko almost did. While she had some skill in vocal mimicry, her attempts at duplicating Noel's accent and gentle tones had proven a bit too much for her.

Even that minor joke apparently pushed things too far: In a flash, there were familiar transparent manacles formed around her legs, preventing her movement. A faceless humanoid form flowed up out of the floor like water, glass arms becoming equally elegant blades. Four quick, precise slashes, and the heavy robes fell away from her to be carried off on the wind.

Beneath that lay her standard attire, the long vest and cornered hat of the captain, flared sleeves admitting comfortable gloves designed to bear the rapier at her belt. A rapier, she noted to herself, that was supposedly made of better quality tempered steel than any weapon she had previously used.

"You can conceal yourself in a disguise", Shu accused. "But your body language betrays you as it always does. I knew from the instant you stepped into my home that you weren't Vitienne."

"Well darn", she shrugged innocently. "So much for that plan."

The golden head growled threateningly. "This is not a game, Tsuruga. You tried to deceive me. I should kill you right now for that."

"'I should be the one to guide you all'." The words were a much better impression this time, nearly successfully copying Shukiji's lower tone. "Isn't that what you said before?"

"I changed my mind. You all have been aggravating me with your useless nonsense, no matter how many times I've asked you to go away and leave me alone."

"Sorry", Aiko replied, unmoved by his menace or the blades still positioned around her. "Heaven forbid we interrupt your busy day. Or was there another reason why your beam locked onto us as soon as we got here?"

The golden head only grew more visibly enraged... but the blades didn't move. Instead, four more of the same featureless glass figurine came up out of the floor, each one sprouting more arm blades until she was completely surrounded, the edges nearly at her neck.

"You won't do it", Aiko claimed in absolute conviction, lowering her voice to sound closer to Shukiji's again. "'There is no knowledge in this world that I shouldn't possess'."

The golden head briefly looked infuriated, then... amazed. The five statues melted back into the floor even faster than they'd come out. "You truly must have a death wish, coming back here. Did you not learn from last time? What am I saying, of course you didn't. Like all the other imbeciles, you're incapable of learning anything."

"Are you?", she let the simple question hang in the air.

More shocked rage. More wrestling between his anger and his desire to know the truth. Assuming they had judged him correctly, that is.

He sounded slightly less furious now, more focused on the analysis that was his metier. "You stowed away on the ship and disguised yourself as Vitienne. You wanted revenge on me. Or a swift death, so you didn't have to deal with the shame any more."

"Bzzzt! Wrong!", Aiko called out cheerfully. "So does that mean you have to fall down one floor of your tower and fight some Shadows now?"

His response was twofold. Firstly, an incoherent roar. Second, a Shadow. One of the pale bone demons from before, all bleached horns and skulls and spines and teeth as it aped its master's fury.

And for the first time in weeks, Aiko focused her own thoughts in the way that she had learned, placing a hand to her captain's hat out of instinct to reveal the veiled eye that its wide brim hid.

"Persona!"

The horned Shadow felt the sudden surge power and came up short. It gathered a bright pink aura for a psychic attack, only to grunt in surprise and look down to find two feet of steel sticking out of its chest cavity. That failed to kill it, but then fire blossomed from all around it, immolating its bones until it fell back charred and smoking.

She didn't wait. Her bonds shattered and she sprang, rapier cleaving into and through the creature's exposed neck bones until she could feel it coming apart before the astounded eyes of its very master's floating avatar.

"I win", Aiko announced almost blandly. "Does that mean I get to go up a floor?"

Shukiji sounded less enthused... but also less angry. Instead, he was thinking again. "You... You pretended to quit the Dream Voyagers. You all pretended that I had won."

"We have a winner!", she shouted theatrically before relenting. "I didn't have to hide on the ship because they knew I was there. The fight you spied on was staged. Gunslinger never took the position from me permanently. We just wanted you to think that."

The tone of actual confusion in Shu's voice was restrained, but it was unmistakable. For Aiko, it felt like fuel for her fire. "But you fought. You and... 'Gunslinger'. He's an egocentric fool. How did you know that he wouldn't simply finish you?"

And now he saw her other side, the compassion that his friend had spoken of not long ago. She didn't lower her guard or dismiss the radiant Inti Persona that had allowed her to destroy the Shadow, but her eyes softened as they studied the giant head that was suddenly demanding to know the truth from her.

"You don't know?", she whispered in feigned confusion of her own. "Niyoga-kun... I thought you knew everything? Tell you what. We'll play a little game, just the two of us. If you win, then I'll tell you the answer."

It was her turn to brace as she felt the unseeable yet unmistakable pressure of a person's mental power being brought to bear on her in this world where cognition was reality. It wasn't exactly a Persona, not by any stretch of the imagination... but it was something. Something not to be trifled with.

"The trade is... fair", the golden avatar proclaimed in a melodious ring that sounded up and down the vertical world of gears and knowledge that it ruled. "Very well then. Let us start the game."

A/N: Thanks to EnPassant4264 for the review! I like seeing more detailed analysis, and this is pretty much what I intended: Noel wants to learn the spiritual truth about the Sea of Souls (like why the Shadows are actually creatures from myth and religion, including his own faith) while Shukiji is the more material-minded, seeing the place as a resource node. As you said they are just teenagers so they have rather inexperienced perspectives. I've really been looking forward to writing the next chapter so maybe I can finish it before Christmas. I'm also considering rewriting a few of the early chapters and sending this to AO3, which seems the more popular option now.