(3/3/11)
Sunday...
I got ready to go out today with Minako. Junpei, Akihiko and Leah were already downstairs eating. Akihiko and Junpei were talking to Leah.
Leah saw me go down, "Oh, Minato!" Leah cried as she hugged me, nearly breaking my ribs and crushing my lungs, "I'm so proud of you! You finally told Minako your true feelings!"
"Thanks Nee-chan..." I croaked hoarsely, "But I'm not quite sure she feels the same..."
Leah cuffed me on the head, "Don't be stupid! You and Minako are meant for one another! Besides, girls love drama and all that jazz!"
"To be fair," Akihiko interjected, "Leah isn't a normal girl."
"Hey, don't be so mean!" Leah cried.
We continued eating, until Kenji, Fuuka, Naoto, Yukari and Rio barged in. They looked bewildered. But not as bewildered as we were. Especially me at the sight of Yukari, who blushed embarrassedly.
"Break down the door, why don't you?!" Junpei shouted.
"What's wrong?" I said, sensing something amiss.
"Quan told us to rush here. He and Pinky are on their way." Kenji said seriously.
We waited for a while. Yukari was casting me glances, to which I tried to ignore.
Then, Quan and Pinky entered, almost breaking down the door.
"Sure, barge in like you own the place!" Junpei cried loudly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"*puff* *puff* I'm out of shape..." Quan panted, "Anyway, don't go to the city."
"Amen!" Junpei shouted, "You just read my mind!"
"No... No, I don't think that's it. You two wouldn't have rushed here if that was it." I said suspiciously.
"Yeah... The whole town has gone insane!" Quan bursted, "There's a freaking riot going on! Dad told me not to go, and to tell you!"
"Works for me." Kenji shrugs, "It should be a freaking crime going to work on a Sunday..." Kenji, who worked at the Changall Cafe, said.
"Are you crazy?!" Rio chided, "That's terrible! Those rioteering jerks are probably stompin' on the Badminton Field right now!"
"We better hole up here." Quan suggested.
"Raiding the city would be so fun!" Kenji cried.
The guys began planning on which stores to rob, but the girls put their foots down and told them not to.
"I'm going to call Minako." I said amidst the bickering and I went up, "Alone." I added when some of them followed me.
"What are you talking about?" Rio said with a sly smile.
I couldn't hold my emotions anymore. I took a box of chocolates from the fridge and a rose from the vase, "I can't hold this in anymore!"
"What are you talking about?" Kenji asked excitedly.
"Can't talk. I gotta go to Minako!" I cried, "And tell her... and tell her I love her and that we belong together!"
"Alright, Minato!" they cheered as I ran upstairs and passed Narda.
There was no sign of Minako. I looked everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. I looked around some more, but the house was deserted. Actually, upon closer inspection, I found her mirror shattered, with fragments everywhere as well as blood spatters. I also found the broken remains of Pinaka, namely the shaft and the spear-head, of which, the tip had been broken off and splattered with dark blood.
"What the hell..." I muttered, "Where is she...?"
Suddenly, the phone rang. With a bit of hesitation, I picked it up, "Hello?"
"Hello." A deep, masculine voice said, "Minato, I assume? The Messiah?"
"Who is this?!" I said with surprise.
"That's not important." He said smugly.
"Ay yo, my mom always told me never to talk to strangers." I said.
"And how did it turn out for that bitch?" He demanded harshly.
"Hey, fuck you asshole." I swore, "Go to hell."
"You shut up. I'm calling the shots, not you. Now, follow these instructions word for word, okay?" He said, "Bedside table, top drawer, open it." He commanded.
I obeyed and found an envelope.
"There's an envelope." I said.
"Obviously," The voice said coldly, "Open it."
I did so and found the Days of Autumn ring I gave her, "Minako..."
"That's right." He said haughtily, "We've got your redheaded tart."
"What do you want?!" I demanded.
He chuckled, "Just to meet you again. Nuovo Strega is hosting a... 'round of revelry' by Gekkoukan High. If you ever want to see her alive again, you will be there. If not, she'll meet your little buddy, Cato, in Hell. Comprendo?"
"Yeah..."
He hung up.
I rushed back to the house, when I stumbled into Yukari.
"Minato? What's wrong?" She asked, generally worried.
I put my hatred for her aside and told her about the phone call.
"Nuovo Strega... New Strega!" Yukari squealed in surprise, "No...!"
"We got to go!" I cried as we went down. When we did, Naoto was already there, looking exhausted, but had a wicked gleam in her eyes, as if she uncovered something.
"You will never believe what I've found..." She said, "You will be blown out of your minds."
"Wanna bet?" I told her about the call from Nuovo Strega.
"What does it mean?" Naoto asked, "Nuovo Strega... They're my mysterious employers! They used to be associates of Romano Industries, until, well, they got fired..."
"Cato?! They killed him?!" Junpei cried, "The snakes!"
"It doesn't matter now..." I said sadly, "He's gone. And we must find out! We have to go see for ourselves..." I hissed, "Then we deal with those fools."
"Wait, let's not jump the gun!" Rio cried, "Maybe they're in trouble?"
"Are you serious, babe!?" Kenji shouted, "They're probably the ones CAUSING the trouble!"
"Like I said, we won't know until we go." I said resolutely as I grabbed my jacket.
We went in Akihiko's truck, with him driving. We drove towards the city, and sure enough, there was absolute mayhem everywhere. Students of Gekkoukan, and equal amounts of non-students, people caught up in the brawl, people trying to get away or even people who wanted to throwdown for no reason, were fighting in a murderous free-for-all. People who weren't fighting were looting from the stores as the merchants fought back with weapons of their own.
"It's worse than I thought..." I muttered as the boys and I went out when Akihiko parked by the kerb.
"Hell yeah it is!" A gruff voice shouted. Lee and his three loyal kohai appeared out of the sea of people. Lee was dirtied and had a deep gash on his left brow. "Someone started this... said something about this and that... suddenly, everyone started attacking each other! The Clean-Cuts confronted the Rebels about something they said to one of their girls, the Sporties started to brawl with the Preps, Even the Townie Thugs and the Punks joined in! And the Bullies started attacking the Nerds! Okay, maybe that last part wasn't exactly surprising..." Lee muttered, "Hurry to the Dorm at Gekkoukan! We've got it on lockdown."
"Why don't they talk things out?" Kenji asked.
"Because everytime they do, we feel a wave of anger and the fighting resumes!" Lee said, "Plus, the Prefects and Cops are too short-handed."
I looked at the Astronomy tower, "Whatever is causing it, it's coming from there." I said, noticing the unusual black aura on the tower.
"I'd like to join in on the fun, but since I'm technically an adult now, I might get arrested." Akihiko said, "So I'll take the girls home-"
"Hey, we want to come!" Yukari cried.
"Yeah!" Pinky seconded.
"Besides, a boxer with a criminal history is so sexy!" Leah said as Akihiko gulped.
"Absolutely not!" I cried, "It's too dangerous." I said firmly as the boys echoed my sentiments.
"No way. We're a team!" Rio said, "Thick or thin, we stick together. Its been that way since the beginning."
"No. You guys stay here with Akihiko-san. We'll manage this." Kenji said.
"While what, we watch helplessly from the sidelines like girls?!" Pinky demanded.
"You ARE girls!" Quan pointed out.
"Being a girl has nothing to do with it!" Naoto cried exasperatedly.
"Naoto, butt out, this is for the girls only." Kenji said, "S'ides, why should you even care?"
"Because I AM a girl!" She cried as she entered the car and slammed the door.
Everyone was very dumbfounded. But the girls recovered as they agreed with Naoto.
"We're asking you to stay away from the fight!" I nearly shouted, "That isn't too much to ask!"
"And like we said, we're a team and we stick together-"
"We have to do this by ourselves." Lee said adamantly.
"So, what, is this like playtime to you?!" Fuuka, who was quiet nigh a minute ago, demanded loudly. Lee remained silent for a moment.
"No." Lee said finally.
"So, what, you can relive your warrior days as a hero?" Fuuka said with shaking lips.
"No!" Lee said indignantly.
"Why, then? Tell me WHY?!" Fuuka shrieked and we all had a feeling this didn't have anything to do with the rumble anymore.
"Because... I'm not... I ain't..."
"You're not what?"
"Because I ain't strong enough-" Lee stammered.
"Not strong enough! So, what, will this make you stronger?" Fuuka demanded fiercely.
"Yea- I mean no!" Lee said.
"Is this all it is to you? Some kind of game-"
"I DON'T WANT TO RISK LOSING YOU AGAIN!" Lee shouted as he held Fuuka by the arms, "No... Not after what I've done. Fuuka... You're the only person I love. I made the worst mistake in my life by leaving you once. And I won't let it happen again. I know you hate me and all, but I can't risk seeing you get hurt."
Fuuka lunged at him, "Fuuka, no!" Pinky cried.
Fuuka hugged him, "Lee... I never hated you... You kinda just ran off." She smiled while Lee winced, "But let us help you. We feel the same way."
"And don't say that women aren't supposed to fight." Rio said, "That's just sexist!"
"Yeah, besides, my Rio can swing a bat as well as any man." Kenji agreed.
"Kenji, that's sexist." Yukari chided dryly.
"Sorry!" Kenji said.
The nearby cars were suddenly firebombed by hoody-wearing anarchists wearing balaclavas. One car blew up after it was hit.
"Alright, let's try to break up the brawls around here!" Lee declared, "Come on!"
"Wait, if we see a store that-"
"No robbing." I said sternly.
"Aw man!"
We split up into four groups. Junpei and Akihiko were with me as we stopped three guys from duking it out on the street. After which, we helped the proprietors of Bookworms Used Books from the raiders, as a tearful and grateful Bunkichi and Mitsuko thanked us as we helped them lock down the store. We ran around, stopping people, but they were just not listening.
"Calm down, everyone calm down!" Junpei screeched, "Dammit, no one's listening!"
It was chaos as everyone ran out of the city square from the melee. Eventually, we calmed down most of the people as the Police and Authorities herded everyone to safety. For a while, there was peace.
Then it was completely shattered.
"My car!" Akihiko cried as a group of anarchists tipped the Outrider over and ran away. We noticed one of them to be Hide as we chased after him with Lee and his kohai.
We ran into Rio, Kenji and Fuuka.
"Who are you guys chasing?" Rio asked.
"Hide. Have you seen him?" I panted.
"Whoa!" Kenji cried.
"What, did you see him?" Lee asked frantically.
"No. There! The electronics store is totally empty!" Kenji cried, "And daddy needs a new flat screen TV!" Kenji said greedily.
"Dude, you are not robbing anything in the middle of a riot!" Rio cried.
Suddenly, Hide ran up to Lee out of nowhere and punched him in the face, "Ow! You horrible bastard!"
"There he goes!" Akihiko cried.
"After him!" Junpei cried.
We chased him and the boys and I cornered Hide in a street alley, near the industrial sector. "Oh dear..." Hide said with contempt, "Looks like you have me cornered... I guess it's my time to appeal to your humanity."
"Only because you have none." I said coldly.
"Damn right." Lee growled, "Too bad, nerd, you're history. Boys, arrest this glasses-wearing loser."
Lee's kohai nodded and strode towards Hide.
Hide merely smiled, "If I told you three that my Master commanded you to kill them, what will you do?"
The three kohai turned on us, "Command us as you wish." They said in unison.
"Traitors..." He growled, "Hahaha, you guys are nuts! We still outnumber you wimps by two people!" Lee laughed hollowly.
Hide smirked as he whistled. Suddenly, twelve more anarchists arrived.
"Dang it, Lee! You called it!" I hissed as Hide and the traitors turned on us as more anarchists joined up with them and handed them bats, which they swung menacingly.
"Heh... I think we should run." Junpei suggested.
"That sounds good." Quan said nervously.
"We can take them!" Lee said, pulling out a .45 Magnum, "Come on, fools, make my day."
"Is that a Colt Python?" Hide sneered.
"Yeah." Lee said proudly, "Nice, ain't it? Bought it from the Black Market. This baby can stop a charging bull elephant with one shot. Loud, proud and-"
"With a six bullet capacity." Hide smiled, "So, take out six of us and we'd still be able to kill you."
"You do realize these bullets can go through three people at the same time-" Lee began.
"Lee... Not now, Sheriff..." Kenji muttered, "These guys could kill us after you shoot them..."
"And we will." Hide said with a smile.
We backed away from them and bolted. They promptly followed us, folding their bats into their arms.
We ran past the rioting people, weaved through the alleyways, jumped past fences and ran down the street as we paused for a short break.
"Did we lose those nuts?" Akihiko panted.
Quan craned his neck, "I don't think so." He juts out a chin to the direction of where Hide and his men were chasing us.
"Let's go!" I said as we ran. Lee looked back as his hand twitched to his revolver, but Junpei grabbed him and ran alongside us.
We eventually reached to the Naganaki Shrine, where they were still on our tail. Cursing, we ran toward the Park, and jumped across the fence.
"Holy shit!" Quan panted while we ran, "They're still chasin' us!"
"There's only one solution!" I screamed.
"What? We turn around and kick their asses?" Lee cried hopefully.
"No! Keep running!" I cried.
"This is the worst day ever!" Lee hissed.
We eyed a fork in the road, "Aki, Junpei, this way!" I screamed as we took the left fork.
"Hey, follow me!" Lee cried as Kenji and Quan took the other.
The mob behind us split up as well.
We weaved through the trees, bushes, eventually getting behind the pursuers, who decided to meet up with the group following Lee, Quan and Kenji. The three of us made the decision to ambush them.
We nimbly snuck up on them as we took them on one by one.
Akihiko took out his attacker with ease, utilizing a three hit combo followed by a haymaker, knocking his opponent out and grabbing his bat.
Junpei clumsily avoided the bat strikes from his enemy and managed to punch his enemy on the face. He seemed ecstatic to land a hit and got creative, punching the anarchist several times in the face. The anarchist then headbutted him and was about to finish him off when Akihiko swung his bat and landed a hit on the attacker's abdomen, knocking him out.
Then, a few charged them as Akihiko passed the bat to Junpei, who hit the attacker behind Akihiko, while Akihiko punched the one behind Junpei.
One of them swung a bat at me as I avoided it twice. I kicked him on the shin, struck him on the back with my elbow and took him out with a knee to the head. I grabbed his bat and hollered the boys to follow me.
Meanwhile, Lee and his group were being chased. Kenji was panting loudly, "I... I can't... go... any... further..."
"Ya sure?!" Lee panted.
"Yeah." Kenji panted.
"Me too." Quan heaved.
"Good." Lee said with a smile, "Cause' I'm sick of running from these bastards!" Lee slowed down and shoulder-charged the nearest pursuer, knocking the air out of him, and grabbed his bat.
Kenji teamed up with Lee in taking one down as Quan took one out with kung-fu.
"Heard of Kung-Fu?" He taunted to a fallen anarchist, "Well, you just tasted Quan-chop!"
We converged and drove them off.
Lee was standing over a kneeling Adachi wielding his gun.
"You're gonna kill me, Boss?!" Adachi cried, "You're not crazy enough to do it!"
"Desertion is a capital offense. Shooting you wouldn't be deemed crazy... It'll be the most sanest thing I've ever done." Lee hissed viciously as he trained the gun at Adachi's heart.
"But you played Alto Sax at my sister's wedding!" Adachi said, pleading for his life.
"Tough titty, I banged her too." Lee said indifferently, "That was before I got together with Fuuka." He added.
Hide snuck up on me and knocked me down, making Adachi an opportunity to run. When he was about to finish me off, a warning shot was fired from Naoto's gun as he backed away.
Noticing the sky becoming grey, he smirked, "Heh... The Undertaking will occur. Very soon, like, in a few minutes." He turned around, "Good luck... You're gonna need it."
Rio smiled, "You didn't need us ladies, eh?"
"We were kicking their asses before you came along." Junpei said.
"Uh huh. Whatever." Pinky smiled.
Naoto's eyes brightened up, "Minato-san, I finally found out who the Elder is!"
"Who is he?" I asked.
"His name is-" she began, then, the sky became green as Naoto turned into a casket.
"No!" Lee cried.
"Oh boy..." Junpei sighed.
For some reason, everything within a three-mile radius within the city was affected by the Dark Hour nearby and turned into a casket. Suddenly, Shadows were streaming from everywhere. I wasn't surprised.
"Look out!" Lee cried.
"Let's go back to the house and grab some weapons." Leah said.
"Yeah!" We said enthusiastically. Since Akihiko's car was nearly totaled and the Dark Hour wouldn't allow it, we walked there.
I took Deus Xiphos, an X harness, The Armor of Light, the Quintessence Bow and Lee's knife-gift.
Akihiko and Junpei came in as well. I handed them Evil Hands and Masakodos Sword respectively, "Miss these?" I said.
"Yup. Reminds me of the good old days." Junpei smiled, "Kicking Shadows' asses before bedtime."
Everyone streamed into my room, "Whoa, you have enough weapons here to start a small scale war!" Kenji cried.
Koromaru barked. I promptly gave him his signature kunai back, which he barked happily.
"I wonder what's on this drawer... I bet some kind of grenade storage- ack!" Rio cried.
"That would be my underwear drawer." I pointed out, "Can you please close it?"
Rio slammed it shut, looking very embarrassed.
"Grab anything you like." I said as everyone followed suit. Rio took Corpse Staff, Kenji took a spare Katana, Yukari took Mary's Resolve and Quan, for some reason, wore a heavily armored greave.
"Quan, you do realize that's a greave, right?" Leah said.
"Yeah, I know." Quan said, "I'm using it to enhance my Martial Arts abilities. Don't worry, it'll catch on, I assure you."
"Whatever, weirdo." Lee muttered, "Everyone else is packing heat." He said, "Leah's got an Uzi and a 1911. I got a Famas and a knife. Let's move out!"
"Wait, can we make a pit-stop by my house? It's real close." Quan said, "We can pedal over there with bikes." We nodded and went out. Luckily, a group of cyclists were nearby when the Dark Hour occurred. Seven bikes with passenger pegs, enough for most of us. Koromaru ran alongside us.
"Hey, why do I get the girl's bike again?!" Quan cried.
"Because it was your idea, hotshot." Lee said as he mounted a BMX bike, "Besides, Pinky can't haul your fat ass uphill. Now, let's go, Kung-Fu Panda."
"Oh man! Why'd I draw the short straw today?!" Quan cried.
Since Quan's house was relatively nearby, we could be there after a while.
As we rode to Quan's house, we picked off Shadows as we pedalled past them. Leah rode behind Akihiko and eliminated a throng of Shadows.
"Ow! My ears!" Akihiko screamed, "I can't hear anything! Ahhhh!"
"Oh, quit overreacting!" Leah chided.
"What?!"
Yukari cooly picked them off one arrow after another as she rode behind Junpei, who slashed any nearby Shadows that came close.
Rio whacked Shadows that came near her as Kenji did the same with his Katana.
We eventually arrived at Quan's house, which was a sprawling townhouse.
"You never told us you were rich." Lee said.
"I'm not rich. My parents are rich." Quan said simply.
"That's what all rich-kids say!" Rio cried as we entered his house and went upstairs to Quan's room, which was plastered with Harry Potter posters.
"Don't you think you're a little old for Harry Potter?" Rio said derisively.
Quan looked at her seriously, "You're never too old for Harry Potter." He said as he pulled his mattress, revealing a hidden cache filled with weapons.
"Holy shit!" Pinky cried.
"Those are a lot of weapons..." Fuuka whispered.
"I was an only child." Quan explained, "Of rich gun enthusiasts. Who don't keep watch of their collections."
"Thank God for Red-Heads!" Lee praised as he took a shotgun, "These are really big guns for really trigger-happy dudes!"
"I'll take this!" Pinky squealed as she took a Vector-CP 9mm, "It looks cute."
"I-I guess we all need to be protected..." Fuuka said timidly as she hesitantly chose a small caliber pistol.
Everyone else took whatever they could. I took a flechette as we got ready to leave.
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed across the house. "Quan! What's going on?! Why are all these people and a dog doing in here with... weapons and armor?!"
"Dang, the Dark Hour didn't cover this side of town!" Junpei cursed.
"Damn it, Mother, get the hell out of my room!" Quan cried, "I don't go through your shit! I don't touch your stuff! Get the hell out!"
Quan's mom looked shocked, "Quan, don't lose your temper with me!"
"You know what... Everyone out." Quan said calmly as he tried to hold in his anger, "Everyone out right now! Move!"
Everyone scurried out, "It was nice to meet you, Ma'am." Kenji muttered as he passed her.
"I'm so sorry, Mother, I was just trying to impress my friends. I'm just trying to be big. I love you so much, please stay inside and lock the door. Love you, Mommy!" He whispered as he caught up with us.
We reached the city to find it nearly overrun by Shadows.
"We're too late." Fuuka whispered solemnly, "They've overcome the city."
"Fuuka, it's too soon to be giving up hope." I said, "The situation is desperate. Let's not make it hopeless."
"Do you have eyes?!" Lee cried, "Those monsters are crowding the entire city! This is war! Dammit, this is a civilian population, for crying out loud!"
"That's why we, who could protect them, should go." Akihiko said.
"We can take them." Junpei said, "We go on the count of three. Except Fuuka, of course."
Fuuka nodded and summoned her Persona.
"Whoa!" The others cried.
"A day of revelations, eh?" I laughed, "Let's go."
"Wait! There's a large group of people heading this way!" Fuuka's voice said in my mind.
"Who? Enemies?" I asked, unsheathing my sword, "Damn it, Elder did this on purpose..."
"No, they're-"
"It's us!" A scared voice said.
I was surprised, but I remembered Elder could control the Dark Hour. Among them were Yuko, Chihiro, Bebe, Hidetoshi, Suemitsu, Keisuke and Kaz. The rest were either townsfolk and students of other schools. Together, they were nearly four and a half dozen.
"Arm them. Tell them what they have to do." I said curtly.
"Wait, Minato, what's going on?!" Yuko demanded, tears streaming her face.
"It's a little late to explain." I said quickly, "But you guys... you guys need to defend your homes. Starting now. Those guys are called Shadows. They're invading this world right now. To kill us. But we, including you guys, were chosen to defend our world and our homes from these things. If you can't fight, then who will?" I asked, "That's why I need you guys to throw aside your differences and fight together."
"Why should we risk our lives for you, bozo?" A punk demanded. Lee aimed his FAMAS at him.
I motioned Lee to put down his rifle, "Don't fight for me. Fight for your honor and future. If any of you will die today, others will remember this day as your finest hour."
"We... We can't... f-fight..." One of the tougher jocks said, "We're... scared."
I nodded, "The darkness will always be out there, trying to make us scared. They lie in wait, feeding in our fear and negative emotions and exploiting our weaknesses all the while... But we'll hide no longer. We face the future as strong as our warrior ancestors of old before us. We are strong. We are One." I proclaimed as everyone began to get inspired and picked up weapons from everywhere, "And it's time to make the shadows afraid again."
They cried in unison and Lee distributed weapons and anyone else without one improvised.
We split up and engaged the Shadows. The Horde in the city were staggeringly plenty. I charged towards the city block, screaming, while Yukari covered my approach. I channelled all my anger and rage on the Shadows in front of me, cutting a wide arc of pure mystic steel across their faces as I jumped from the stairs into a Shadow below and smote his head with a cleaving blow.
Looking back, I carved a trail of Death in my wake, evident by the oozing black mass which sufficed as Shadow's blood. Realizing the bitter taste on my tongue was the same thing, I spat it out and engaged the remaining Shadows. But with each Shadow I vanquished, more would come up in their place. The situation was dire, and I was knocked down by a Gigas, when Lee shot it dead.
"Get up!" Lee said teasingly, "A lot of help you'll be down on your ass."
"There's a lot of them." Quan, whose spiked greaves were spattered with dark matter, said as he looked towards the street.
We looked at our friends, who viciously assaulted the Shadows with make-shift weapons ad makeshift armor. Lee was laughing at a guy using a toilet cover for a shield, which was surprisingly effective. Another group used a table as a battering ram for a group of Shadows. One crazy old man even made a flame thrower with a Zippo and a canister of bug spray.
I realized that our numbers grew. Probably other survivors joining up. They looted the weapons shops, hardware stores, dojos and anything that held weapon implements.
"These guys are pretty crafty." Junpei, who reappeared with Akihiko and Kenji, noted.
"You made warriors out of them with that speech, Minato." Akihiko said, "But these Shadows and Anarchists... They're veterans."
"What could we do?" Junpei said, "We can't just cower for another year in a falling down dorm, sipping noodles and eating bon-bons and waiting to die?"
"Better to burn out that fade away." Lee mused.
"Agreed." I said with renewed fervor, "Let's go!"
We split up and helped the rest of the people, inspiring them, and aiding them in battle.
A young kid was struggling with a few Musha Shadows. I threw rocks at them to get their attention, which it did, and ran away when they chased me. I turned around into an alcove, and ran into eight Archery club members, with Yukari at their head.
"Minato!" Yukari warned as I flattened myself on the wall.
They released a volley into the Mushas, but they only staggered back.
"Not at their armor!" I hissed, "Their weak points are under their arms and on their necks!"
"Let's show him what the Archery club can do!" Yukari declared. With true sight, they shot another volley, which eliminated the Shadows.
"Thanks," I said as I went out. Many people were injured, but could still fight. Koromaru made himself invaluable by helping several injured people, dragging them out and covering their escape.
I wanted to help out Yuko, Kaz and my teammates from the Kendo team, but I needed to help those who needed me more.
I picked off six approaching Shadows with my bow as I shifted position. Sniping wasn't my style, but it was proving quite effective. The firing from the rifle-men led by Lee and Leah helped immensely. The city looked to be doomed, however, due to the increasing number of Shadows.
A group of Shadows saw me and we were fast becoming surrounded by them. I made the decision to lead them away from the archers and into a lonely street. That's when she appeared.
Cloaked in a pure black tattered cloak, with a high spiked crown, wielding a cold saber and a bow, Guinevere looked terrifying. Only her beautiful lips were visible under the darkness of her hood, which undoubtedly reflected the darkness of this assassin's heart.
"Did you miss me?" She said with a smooth voice.
"Not at all." I said, "But too bad. We're beating your Shadows." I lied.
"Not true." She snapped her fingers as more appeared out of nowhere.
"I see your Master taught you well." I mocked.
She wore her buckler and saber and charged towards me. I moved back to avoid her strikes as I unsheathed Deus Xiphos with the same fluid motion. We squared off as more Shadows appeared from behind me to deny my retreat. Guinevere left me no alternative but for me to kill her. She avoided my slashes and countered with stabs. She succeeded in tripping me over, as the Shadows bounded on me and held me down.
"Indeed. But this is the time you die. Although my Master wants you killed for himself, I think it be best if I don't risk it. Goodbye, Minato." She said as she aimed an arrow at me.
Before anything could happen, a horn resounded into the darkness as we turned back to see nearly hundreds of armored warriors in Grey, with banners, flags and armed for a war mounted on strong steeds.
The Shadows murmured behind me as Guinevere herself seemed confused.
"Are those our reinforcements?" She barked to a Shadow.
"No, Ma'am. They're coming from the Eastern sector." He replied.
She hissed. Suddenly, they charged after a loud war-cry.
The Shadows in front of Guinevere crashed into the ones behind me, running for their lives. Guinevere and I weren't harmed by the stampede, since they were Shadows, but the rumbling of the charging Army unsettled me. Guinevere and I stood transfixed, not sure whose side they were on.
"Fire!" A horseman in red cried as the battalion behind him let loose arrows and darts, killing the retreating Shadows.
Luckily, they were on our side. The four horsemen leading them were Queen Thalia, Lord Sorensen, Captain Theseus and Monk Gyatso.
Guinevere noticed this and was about to run, when Sorensen threw a few darts her way and trapped her.
"We heard you were on the War-Path. Are we late for the party?" Thalia smiled, "Grey Exiles standing guard."
"Yeah, come on, bring on the blunt? You holding out on the margaritas, pussies? Let's get a fire going!" Theseus said bawdily as everyone laughed.
"Thalia!" Rio, who reappeared on the opposing street with Lee, Junpei and Kenji, said.
"But wait, why is cousin dressed like that?" Junpei said, "Don't tell me she's a warrior too!"
"It's all in the family." I said, "Although, we aren't family. Its a long story."
Hundreds of the cavaliers charged through the street and trampled the Shadows into the asphalt.
"Captain, round them up before they become cut off. We need our strength at optimum level, and we can't risk thinning ourselves." Thalia said.
"On the way," Theseus said as he donned his helmet and galloped after the charging cavalrymen.
"We brought Aigis along too." Thalia said, "What's an Anti-Shadow Weapon when it has no Shadows to fight?"
Aigis smiled as she rode beside Thalia, "Hello everyone."
"Aigis!" The ones who recognized her, said.
"Let's go." Thalia said as Aigis dismounted and began hunting the Shadows.
I turned my attention to Guinevere.
"Where's Minako?" I demanded.
"Never." She smirked.
"Listen to me... scary Lady." Junpei said, "That guy your Boss captured? That's this guy's girlfriend. You wouldn't want this guy to be angry, would you?"
"Try me." She snickered.
"I'll ask you one last time... Where is Elder keeping Minako?" I threatened Guinevere with Deus Xiphos.
"As if I'd tell!" She yelled.
Lee pointed the barrel of his gun at her, "Honey, this place needs to be repainted and your brains would splatter to the walls in the most perfect shade of tomato red..."
"Tch... You'll probably find what's left of her in Lord Elder's lab." Guinevere sneered, "He's probably cutting her open as we speak."
"Cutting her open?! What an unfortunate way to end a redhead!" Quan cried.
"She'll probably end up as one of his abominations." Guievere said hopefully, "I'm excited! You should see for yourself. Come by the Astronomy Tower."
"You disgust me. Get out of my sight!" I cried as she teleported away.
Junpei then lead me to where everyone was holing up. There were many injured, but no one died, luckily.
Lee and everyone else gathered by a firepit.
"He may have suffered many defeats at our hands, yes, but he waits for us now at the Astronomy tower." I said.
"So?" Lee said as he dressed his wound, "Let him stay there! Let him rot! He'll eventually starve. Why should we care?"
"Because he apparently kidnapped Minako." I said quietly as Lee gasped.
"What do we do now?" Quan asked after a long silence.
"We bust them out." I said.
"A rescue mission?" Jupei said.
"Sounds real dangerous." Kenji said.
"Hmmm..." Lee mused, "Certainty of Death... Small chances of success... What are we waiting for?"
"Cool. Let's storm the place!" Junpei suggested eagerly.
"Wait a second," Kenji said, "What kind of weapons will we use?"
"Weapons?" Junpei said in confusion.
"Are you serious, Junpei?!" Kenji cried, "What will we do when those shadows roll by? Throw shoes at them?!"
"Our weapons are okay, for now." I said. Lee left and later came back wearing expensive clothes.
I raised an eyebrow at his impressive, yet conspicuous clothing, "Well, aren't we dressed to kill..."
"Hey, if I'm gonna go on an impossible suicide mission, I'd want to die well dressed." Lee shrugged.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Quan cried, "Who said anything about dying?!"
"Yeah! This is the first I've heard of it!" Junpei cried.
Lee punched Quan lightly, "Come on, you guys, it'll be fun! Besides, what's life without a little risk?"
We set out for the Astronomy Tower, with a few volunteers. Never had so few stood against so many.
I like the odds. And beating them.
A/N: Sorry for this incredibly long chapter. Needed to get a few things clear before we go on to the next sequence. You may or may not like what will happen next.
And also, sorry if you find this chapter long, i hope that you liked it anyway.
Reviews are highly appreciated!
Q/A:
MineLeggante: You guessed it! A battle! Don't worry, Yukari will do something to make up for it. Yup! Tv world.
Blah: Yeah, I considering it, don't worry.
Hoshi: Minato is pretty clueless in DoA... And Granma isn't Hisano... But someone else. Closer.
Also, Salvador is Spanish, where Tagalog is mostly derived. Are you Filipino or something?
DragOn: thanks! Sorry, I didn't have anything better to use than the old classic kidnapping gimmick! I will. And don't worry, while I may be saddened because no one reads this story (makes me feel inadequate) I will never stop writing! Hell will freeze over before I lower my flag.
Ace: Yup. Using the old fashioned referencing to cover up who Minako loves. And, no, Yu won't make an appearance, but I'm planning on making my mark on P4 with a fic about them. I'm rather excited.
Also, this isn't important, but I just unlocked all aircraft under ACE difficulty at Ace combat 5 and unlocked the X-02 Wyvern. I didn't sleep for nearly 36 hours, but it was worth it.