Ch. 24 I Won't Back Down!
The small chamber contained gray bricks that surrounded the inside walls. The chains rattled as the prisoner tried to pull away. Her arms were restricted from stretching five feet away from the wall. Her wedding dress was being tarnished by the dirt and sweat. Her silk white gown groveled by soil, her arms bruised by the 'training' given to her, and her white veil shrouded her face with a bleeding lip. She looked up to the maid; gazing down at her with the whip in her hand.
"…You…bitch…" Kurumu whispered under her breath. The maid snapped the floor in front of her.
"Oh, there's no need to worry, my master," the shadow Kurumu smiled at her. "Everything will be ready once the preparations are made."
"Like hell I wanna get married!"
"But you do! I am you, and I want to be able to serve my master any way I can! That's why I need you to become bride for my perfect husband ~."
"I already have Tsukune! Why would I choose someone else over him!?" The shadow Kurumu began to frown.
"Don't you see that Tsukune chose that vampire slut over you!?" The shadow cried.
"I haven't given up! There's still a chance that he'll pick me as his girlfriend!" Kurumu fired back.
"If you're out here, then Moka has a better chance of being with him, am I right?"
"Just shut up! I chose to leave on my own! What do you want from me? To bring me here and tell me this?"
"Me? I wouldn't be so low as to go outside this world and force you. I took you in and this is the thanks I get?" Kurumu looked to the ground and pondered the details.
"Then, what pulled me into the TV?" The whip snapped at the ground.
"It's no big deal," Shadow Kurumu smiled. "We still have plenty of time before the wedding to continue our training ~!" Kurumu gritted her teeth as she forced the shackles wrapped around her arms. She pulled away as hard as she could, but the restraint only tightened. "What kind of meal should you prepare for your husband after a long day's work ~?"
"Tch-too easy," Kurumu trembled. "A plate of home cooked rice and fresh meat."
Snap!
The whip thrashed at her arms. A red mark pulsated next to the other bruises from earlier. "You forgot the tea…" Shadow Kurumu grinned.
The ruckus started in the middle of town. Large dust clouds formed as the battle raged on between the Investigation Team and the two siblings. From the air, the silver knight flew overhead to escape the storm. A large, armored man peeked out of the dust and threw a car at the knight. It quickly swooped into the sky and summersaulted above a rooftop. The giant had a huge build of black metal around his fore arms, shoulders, torso, thighs, and all the way from his shins to his stubby feet. Painted onto his metal were white bones designed like a skeleton image of the human body, including the skull over his black helmet. The space between his armor showed the black and white striped suit hidden underneath. The red and blue wires revealed the connection between the shoulder and the forearm guards. His huge hands were white with black rings separating the joints in his fingers. In his left hand, he held a massive yellow lightning bolt.
"You're not getting away from us, punk ass!" Kanji ordered. His persona went bashing its right fist into the building. The knight winged to the right and came back around to strike Take-Mikazuchi. The knight summoned its two long swords and struck down on its back. With each hit, the armor collided with the swords as the sound of metal striking metal screeched at a rapid pace. "Nice try, but you're gonna have to pull off some better shit than that!" Take-Mikazuchi turned and grabbed onto both of the knights swords with his burly hands. In an instant, it released a massive shock of electricity onto the knight. Its armor glowed brightly as it took the critical impact. Prowl started feeling the sparks pass through his body.
"I got him!" Chie shouted. Her persona pulled out its massive spear and swatted the knight to the street below. It crashed down on the small shrine and destroyed the temple. Prowl dropped to the ground as if he could feel the same pain his persona. Tomoe descended a few feet away from the crash site. Its large and narrow white helmet covered its head as the yellow sharp eyes peered through the black visor shrouding its face. Its body was well built for a woman with a tight waist and firm muscle covered by a yellow and black jump suit. The waist was wrapped by a belt of black panels worn by samurai's and white sneakers that were laced up to the knee. Its long black hair came running out of the helmet and fanned out from behind with two long streaks over her shoulders. In its hands, it held a long staff with two orange blades at the ends. On the visor there was lipstick as to where the mouth could be. "Had enough yet?" The rubble began to shift. Prowl stood over the broken planks as the figure of his knight lifted the wood around itself.
"I figured you guys might be tough," Prowl smiled. The knight grabbed a long pair of ropes with two gold bells tied at each end. It started swinging it overhead until the speed made it look like a lasso. In a quick spin, the knight threw the bells at Tomoe and wrapped its body tightly so to prevent movement. Its wings shot out and charged after its opponent. The knight rammed Tomoe into the beefsteak shop just across the street.
BAM!
From the wreckage, Tomoe's body began to shift and glitch with square pixels. The knight grabbed it by the neck and began bashing into its helmet with the butt of his sword. Chie began kneeling to the ground as she gripped her head. She could feel the sync as though her head was being pounded upon. Chie refused to show any sign of weakness.
"Lucky shot!" she yelled. Her persona grabbed Prowl's by the arm with the sword and twisted it. It head-butted the knight and began backing away. They both stood facing one another. The knight looked back as Kanji's Persona started to sneak up. From the streets, Rai and Jolt began running over to the battlefield.
"What's with these guys?" Rai yelled out. "It's like Godzilla missed out on the monster attack!" Jolt stared up at the large creatures ready to attack.
"It appears you have a connection with this person if you were willing to go into the TV with him," Naoto spoke from behind Rai. "There's some sketchy detail about how you and him fit into all this, but we'll be sure to adhere you to the proper authorities."
"What, you're gonna turn us over to the cops because we came here?" Rai asked. "I can say the same thing about you. I don't have time to be getting in a fight."
"So, you guys are saying that you're not throwing people into the TV?" Yosuke walked in. "Kind of hard to believe when you're already here."
"It could be he made up the story about his friend being lost so he could lure us here," Naoto assumed.
"…You are really overthinking this…" A sound of buzzing came rushing over Rai. A blue figure dashed past him in a split second and created a whirlwind pushing Rai to the ground. Jolt looked about and noticed something flying in the sky.
"Pika…CHU!" Jolt fired off a lightning bolt at the target. The figure zigzagged past the stream and came back around. As the figure began closing in, Rai pulled out his scythe and blocked him from ramming head on. The figure pushed to try and topple him again, but Rai kept his footing and try to push against it. With a close up view, it had the blue jacket of a police officer with a white shirt and yellow tie, but wore blue shorts and white long knee socks with brown stripes. On its back was a pair of short blue and white wings with long tails spreading out from the bottom like a butterfly. Its head looked to be encased in a blue face mask with yellow round eyes and a V-shaped crest for eyebrows. Sukuna-Higona released the hold on Rai's scythe and flew over to Naoto.
"Sorry dude, but we can't take any chances if you're siding with the enemy," Yosuke declared. A raging green whirlwind began to ensnare Rai and Jolt. The force trapped Jolt in a spinning gust as he rose into the air.
"PIKAPI!?" Jolt cried as he floated above the crowd. The sound of spinning projectiles honed in on the defenseless mouse.
"Jolt; heads up!" Rai shouted. Jolt quickly rolled in midair and dodged the spinning stars. The tall persona grabbed them in its green cameo gloves as they returned to the sender. The figure had its head shaped like Mickey Mouse; if he had large, 4-pointed, yellow stars for eyes and speakers for ears. It wore a white jumpsuit and a long red scarf. It had a large V-shaped guard on its chest to look like razor sharp teeth. A pair of platinum guards was equipped to its gloves so to lock in the stars it threw. The leggings that were part of the suit had bellbottoms that were also cameo with white pointed shoes with black at the tip. As the wind stopped, Jolt began falling to earth. In a quick run, Rai caught Jolt from the sky.
"Alright, I see how it is," Rai stated. Jiraiya's body grew massive like an expanding balloon. In one blow, it released a giant cloud of green smoke that pushed Rai and Jolt in a forcedly gale. Rai planted his scythe on the ground to prevent movement. Jolt hid behind Rai as the smoke pushed against them. Rai covered his face from the stench. "Ugh, it smells like rotten meat and cherry shampoo!" Rai raised his scythe and spun in a rapid cycle. The wind began to dissipate and the smoke cleared out. Jolt jumped out from behind and started running at Jiraiya. Its body shrouded itself in an electric coat.
"Pikapikapikapikapika…!" Jolt struck into it with a Wild Charge. "PIKA!" The static force blasted Jiraiya halfway down the street. Yosuke went flying in the same direction and landed just beside him.
"Such an intense amount of strength!" Naoto said with caution. Rai observed how Yosuke was thrown over without ever getting hit. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Prowl panting under his breath. His knight was being squeezed by Take-Mikazuchi. It released a heavy dose of electricity.
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!" Prowl shouted in pain. From the air, Tomoe brought down her staff and pummeled the knight to the ground. The impact caused the street below to form a crater where it and Prowl stood.
Those things are connected to their users, Rai thought. He turned back to Naoto and saw Sukuna-Higona zipping in at light speed. It summoned out its blue light saber and quickly slashed out with rapid strikes. Rai retracted his scythe and pulled out his screwdrivers. With each slash, Rai would counter the blows and block any hits to his joints. Rai crossed the drivers in an X-formation and caught the saber in between. The intense energy started to blacken the shafts. Rai pushed upward and snagged a hold on the persona's left arm. However, Sukuna-Higona shot straight into the sky while Rai held on. "This isn't one of my best plans!" Rai cried. It zipped all around the area as it tried to shake him off. Sukuna-Higona pulled off random barrels rolls and aerial summersaults. At one point, Rai was thrown up into the air, and then landed on its back. He grabbed on by the neck to prevent himself from falling.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Naoto shouted up to the estranged enemy.
"What does it look like!?" Rai responded. "I don't want to fall a hundred feet to my death!"
Jolt looked back at his ally who was now having a joyride on the flying persona's back. He sweat dropped. The moment was broken when a stream of wildfire raced at Jolt from the side. The flames almost made contact, until Jolt quickly dashed forward to avoid the strike. He turned to see Yukiko raise her fan out at the defensive mouse.
"That little one is fast," Yukiko noticed. Floating above her was the dazzling persona; Konohana Sakuya. The body was slender like a cheerleader with a white skirt and white-sleeveless top. Its long white gloves reached from its upper arm to its hands. Wrapped on its wrists were metal braces to hook the long braid of pink talons from the back to each arm. The face was covered by a mask with beady yellow eyes. On its head were two bushels of cherry blossoms to act as ribbons. "I don't know how to fight this thing. Rise, what can you tell me about it?" Not too far off was Rise who had her eyes covered by a special set of binoculars. The figure holding it to her face wore a silk white dress with a sash resting around its black neck. The face it had gave off the notion that it was a satellite with four spikes keeping the hexagonal dish in place while a long pole pierced through its head and past the back.
"Hold on, I'm getting a reading," Rise answered. From Rise's point of view, she scanned Jolt and read about the statistics analyzed by its body mass, abilities, and species. The results…
[Subject Unknown]
"I can't find anything on it!"
"Chu!" Jolt released the static from its cheeks and fired off a warning bolt at her feet.
"Be careful! It can be dangerous!" Yukiko hesitated to strike.
"I don't know," Yukiko paused. "It would have attacked by now if it knew we were going to strike first."
The knight was now backed into a corner. Tomoe and Take-Mikazuchi both rushed in for a swift strike. Prowl opened his eyes and called out the first thing that came to mind.
"Agidyne!" Prowl shouted. In one snap of its fingers, the knight ignited Tomoe in a ball of fire and tossed her straight at Kanji's persona. The two crashed against one another as they demolished the next block of buildings. "Pfft…child's play."
Naoto's persona had decided to dive down near the ground. As it soared just inches above the street, it came to an immediate stop. Rai released his grip and went tumbling down the sidewalk.
Bonk!
Rai knocked his head against a MOEL Gas Station tank. The sore started to become a bump on his forehead. "Hey, watch where you're flying!" Rai shook his fist. It was then that Rai noticed a round shadow looking down at him. When he looked up, he saw something that completely destroyed all sense of reasoning. "Odale, it's a walking stuffed animal."
"Hey!" the bear spoke, "I'm not just any stuffed animal; I'm Teddie!" Rai stared at Teddie, and then gazed back at the gas station.
"…Yeah, I think I smelled too much gasoline." Jiraiya and Sukuna-Higona were now racing at Rai with throwing stars and light sabers ready to strike. "Damn it; not again!" Rai rose to his feet and readied for a fight.
"Don't let him get away!" Naoto shouted to Teddie.
"Bearsona!" Teddie yelled. From the awaking blue light, his persona appeared overhead. The large, round tank of metal landed in between them and the attacking personas. Jiraiya and Sukuna-Higona cancelled out as they stood against their ally.
"Yo, bear!" Yosuke shouted to Teddie. "What do you think you're doing? That's the enemy!"
"Enemy?" Teddie asked. "Are you sure about that?" He stared at the confused adult.
"Don't stare at me," Rai raised his hands. "These guys were the ones who started it." The bear looked up at Rai. He gave a quick whiff and caught his scent. "Uh…what are you..?"
"Sniff Sniff…Say, you smell a lot like that person from earlier." This caught Rai's attention.
"Who are you talking about?" Rai asked.
"That girl who came in here," Teddie replied.
"Wait-what girl?" Yosuke asked.
"I see," Naoto included. "So there is a person who was taken into the TV."
"You knew this already!?" Yosuke said with surprise. Naoto turned to Rai.
"Exactly, how did you know that she might be in here?" he asked.
"I didn't…Prowl told me about this place after I saw her on TV last night."
"The Midnight Channel, right?"
KABOOM!
A massive explosion occurred back down the next block.
"Whoa, what was that!?" Teddie shrieked.
"They're still battling, aren't they?" Rai pointed out.
The final standoff between Jolt, Prowl, Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji was underway. The three eyed each other as they waited for the next move. Neither one of them gave an inch as to anticipate their opponents. Prowl shifted his glasses as he prepared for the final strike. Rise scanned Prowl and analyzed his next move.
[Megidola: Fatal]
"Guys, he's using his ultimate attack!" Rise shouted. Prowl summoned his will as the energy surged inside him. The power seeped out from his persona as he chanted the final words.
"Megidol-!"
"Sensei!" Teddie cried out. He jumped on Prowl's back and began hugging him with warm affection. "I knew I'd find you here!"
"Hey, get the hell off of me!" Prowl ordered. Chie and Kanji both stood dumbfounded. Yukiko and Rise simply stared at the bear now hugging the opponent with worry and fondness. Jolt poked the bear to see if it was real. The personas faded back into their users.
"Teddie?" Yukiko examined. "When did you get here?"
"Don't you know I've been looking for bear ever to try and find you guys?" Rai, Yosuke, and Naoto began walking in on the scene.
"Glad to see you guys break up the fight," Rai approved. Everyone began to gather in a circle to regroup on their introductions. "Starting off, I'm Raimundo." He patted Prowl on the back. "Guys, this is my brother."
"…WHAT!?" Everyone shouted.
"Don't make a big deal out of it…" Prowl turned away.
"Wow, I didn't know you two were related," said Yukiko.
"You guys are like total opposites of each other!" Chie smiled.
"Yeah, the guys a complete shut in at school, but I didn't think this bastard could fight," Kanji scratched his head.
"I know, right?" Rai replied happily. "You guys know more about this place, do you?"
"It's kind of our thing to rescue people who get sucked in here," Yosuke added. "We use our Personas to do the job."
"Persona…you mean those things using those powers, right?"
"Pretty much," Rise answered.
"It was apparent that you guys were trying to find someone that might be captured here when she showed up on the Midnight Channel," Naoto explained. Rai looked around the group.
"…You guys all saw that?" Rai asked. Everyone nodded.
"We really didn't know who that was last night," Rise predicted. "It was someone we've never seen before." Rai turned to Yosuke.
"You lied to me!"
"Hold up, man!" Yosuke tried to act innocent. "I didn't know you were talking about her. For all I know, you could have been some random guy checking her out."
"For crying out loud; I searched the whole town trying to find her!"
"Yeah, nice job parking my bike by the way." Yosuke and Rai bickered on.
"Do you think we should stop them?" Teddie whispered to Jolt from Prowl's back.
"Pika," Jolt shrugged.
"Perhaps it's best if we stop this arguing and concentrate on the matter at hand," Naoto suggested. Yosuke and Rai both quit their arguing.
"No shit; the more time we spend fighting, the sooner that chick is gonna end up dead."
"…Yeah, good point," Rai agreed. Yosuke nodded. "Any idea where I can find Kurumu?"
"Teddie can go sniff her out," Yukiko offered.
"Great idea; and Rise can help out, too!" Chie added.
"Just leave to us!" Teddie jumped off Prowl and patted his round head.
"Actually," Rise interrupted. "I already pinpointed her location." The group was taken back so suddenly.
"That was pretty fast," Prowl spoke.
"During the fight, I picked up a large amount of energy coming from that direction." She pointed southwest to the outskirts of town.
"Well, what are we waiting for," Yosuke started walking up ahead. "Lead the way, Teddie."
"I'm beary happy to!" Everyone began following the blue bear down the street.
"So, what's with the getup anyway?" Chie asked as she looked Rai over at his belt and scythe. "Are you a gardener?"
"No, but that's a new one," Rai replied.
"A gardener?" Yukiko spoke. She began giggling. The team sweat dropped.
Kurumu sat on the sullied ground underneath her. She stared out the iron bars of the cell. Moonlight peaked its way to a small spot on the ground in front of her. The cold air filled the room as her dress was more ragged and murky. I'm glad Tsukune doesn't have to see me like this, Kurumu thought. "When I get out of here, that bitch is totally in for it!" The chains rattled as she tried to break free. The spike that held the chains began to slip. Another few inches and the shackles would fall forward.
Slam!
The door swung open. Standing in the light was the shadow Kurumu with two shadow-like creatures behind her.
"Are you ready, my dear ~?" she asked.
"Yeah, for what?" Kurumu rebutted sarcastically.
"Why, it's time for the ceremony!" Kurumu froze.
"What!? I'm not getting married like this!" Kurumu continued to struggle.
"There's no need to be shy," the maid smiled darkly. "Everything is going as scheduled. The groom should be here any minute now."
"Wait-who's the groom?" Kurumu asked shakily.
"It could be anyone, but it will be the man I see as my knight in shining armor!" Kurumu's shackles slid of the spike and fell forward.
"Sorry, but the wedding's canceled." Kurumu shot out her wings and flew past the three. The two-shadows dissipated into the ground. Shadow Kurumu smiled devilishly.
"You can't escape your true self," she whispered. Kurumu dashed around each corner she can find. She turned her head at the doors locked in the hallway. At the next turn, there were two open doors leading into a vacant room. Kurumu swept inside and closed the door behind her.
"I think I lost her," she said under her breath. She looked back and saw the entire area decorated for the wedding ceremony. The wooden seats were arranged like in church. A giant glass décor shined on the wall that displayed an angel and a demon holding a banner wrapping around a red and black striped heart. The podium stood where the priest would announce the engagement between the couple. Two gold bells were attached to the podium with white ribbons draping the floor. Kurumu stood shocked at the arrangements made. "This is…"
"Beautiful…isn't it?" Shadow Kurumu spoke over her shoulder. Kurumu trampled over and fell to the floor. "Everything is just perfect. You know as well as I do that we need to find our destined one to continue our existence. The fate of our species depends on it; we feed on love given to us by our prey; they're nothing more than sacks of life waiting for us to take." Her eyes glared deeply at Kurumu. "Wasn't that your intention from the beginning?" The banners from the bells slithered down the aisle and latched on to Kurumu's arms. They tugged on her and dragged her body across the floor. They pulled Kurumu closer to the front of the room.
"No! This isn't what I want!" Kurumu flailed about, but her efforts were useless. The shadow Kurumu turned back to the exit and started walking away.
"It's time we greet our new guests ~," she smiled.
The crew trailed up the steep hill in search of the succubus. Teddie led the team as his little snout smelled for the trail while Jolt sat on his fuzzy head. Yukiko and Chie held on to one another as their fear grew stronger. Yosuke shivered from the goose bumps and tried to stay close with the girls. Naoto stepped faster next to Kanji; which led to him having a nosebleed. Rise walked between Rai and Prowl as they walked just ahead of the team.
"So, what are you doing in this place?" Rai asked. "For that matter, how did you do all that stuff with the Persona and stuff?"
"I can say the same thing about you," Prowl replied. "Did you enjoy your stay with Ash and the others?" Rai looked back to him in a confused gesture.
"How did you know about that?"
"Didn't take long to realize you were gone for a while. Besides, I got used to things over here, so don't worry about me."
"Ok, but still..." As they hiked higher on, the bushels of trees and grass began to grow less. More spots of open dirt covered more of the landscape. The trees started looking more dead and twisted rather than lush and green. The cement path became dirt with jagged stones serving as a path. Teddie's eyes lit up as his senses picked up something.
"She's here!" Everyone looked to Teddie as he pointed his stubby arm to the building up ahead. Under the full moon was a tall, gloomy, eerie mansion. The two story building had a tower that centered out from the complex. There were six windows on the first floor, four on the second, and one narrow in the middle. The eight pillars helped support the second floor balcony, while the six pillars kept the roof above. The wooden planks were withered and damaged around the house. The rail guards were jagged and uneven across the mansion. The front door was two doors wide and can only be reached by climbing the staircase leading to the dark home. There were only five windows with light, including the large narrow one.
"Dude, this is freakin' creepy," Kanji spoke out.
"A-Are you s-sure she's in in there?" Chie shuddered under her words.
"Yeah, she wouldn't be in a place like this…would she?" Yukiko asked.
"What do you think?" Prowl turned to Rai.
"Knowing her," Rai answered, "this looks like something she would be familiar with. You sure about this?" Rise's persona scanned the structure in a matter of seconds.
"I have a read!" she said surprised. "There's definitely someone deep inside the mansion."
"Are you serious?" Yosuke interjected. "You don't mean we're actually going inside that death house!?"
"I wonder if the front door is locked." Rai walked ahead of the group.
"Did you just ignore everything I said!?"
"Well then, shall we continue?" Naoto followed Rai next. "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." The rest of them continued on.
"Pikachu," Jolt jumped off Teddie's head and followed the others. Teddie was the last one to consider going.
"M-Maybe I should sit this one out," he spoke softly. The light breeze moved a dead branch in the wind. It lightly tapped the back of Teddie's head. "AAAAAAAAHHH!" Teddie ran after the group.
Rai stepped toward the front gate. The iron bars slowly opened allowing the guests to enter. One by one, they stepped inside the small courtyard surrounded by a brick wall. To the right were bushes of red roses with a heart-shaped bird bath. To the left, there was a large water fountain with a stone cupid pulling back its arrow of love. Teddie quickly rushed past the fence and toppled over on the dirt.
Clank!
The gate closed. Chie and Yukiko jumped from the startling scene. "Crap, we're locked in!" Yosuke cried as he tried to budge the gate.
"You're saying we're trapped here!?" Chie panicked.
"Guess we move forward then," Prowl suggested. Teddie began to chatter with fright.
"Oh boy, I think I might wet my fur!" he cried.
"Come on, quit pussying out here," Kanji said firmly. "We're on a rescue!"
"He's right," Naoto added. "We have to remain calm and take the initiative." Everyone nodded, but was still uneasy. Rise started walking beside Rai as they were the first to climb the steps to the front door. The small light bulb flickered on and off over their heads. Each member stepped onto the stairs with slow movement. Every step caused the floor boards to crack under their weight. The front door stood right in front of them. The doorknob glistened with a shine; asking for someone to turn it and enter the house. Rai reached for it. He grabbed it tightly in his hands. He slowly turned the knob clockwise.
Click!
Rai slowly pushed the door forward. A bright light burst through the cracks from inside. The gang shielded their eyes. Prowl moved his hand and peeked into the room…or lobby for that matter.
"No…fucking…way…," Prowl stared with amazement. The rest of them looked inside the building. Their faces dropped at the sudden realization they were witnessing.
"Oh my...," Yukiko covered her mouth.
"Holy shit," Kanji stared nonstop.
"…Didn't see this coming," Rai responded.
"I can't believe this," Yosuke spoke out, "It's…"
"Amazing!" Teddie yelled. He jumped to the floor and rolled onto the red carpet. The lobby was perfectly decorated with gold roofing, wall decor, and black and white checkered floor patterns. The staircase from the Midnight Channel elevated from the back of the room. The red carpet separated into two paths for each flight of steps. The gold stair rails complimented the appeal with florescent patterns and hanging white cloths wrapping the stairway. Yellow balloons and pinks flowers littered the house as a large banner suspended from the ceiling.
{CONGRADULATIONS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE!}
"This chick must really have a thing for you," Yosuke sweat dropped. Prowl looked outside the door to see the haunted landscape, and then back into the room to see the building well decorated just recently for a party. He simply shrugged.
"What-no!" Rai replied hastily. "She has this thing for another guy, but she sees it more like a competition."
"Then why is she going through all this trouble for a marriage?" Chie asked.
"That is something of a private matter," a voice answered from atop the stairs. The dazzling woman appeared from atop the stairs. She slowly walked down the steps as her 'outfit' bounced with each footing. Yosuke, Teddie, and Kanji couldn't stop staring at her erotic figure in the maid outfit. The girls grew angry veins as they watched the boys drool at her appearance. Prowl and Rai only stared at Kurumu as though this was someone of an unexpected personality. "Welcome home, Master ~."
"Hell yeah, I'm home!" Yosuke started running at Kurumu.
DONG!
Chie socked him in the round tables. "You pervert!" Chie screamed. Yosuke cringed on the floor.
"She does have that special vibe around her," Rise complimented. "It's like she is a real maid."
"Now now," she winked at the crew. "There's no need to be jealous of my appeal." The girls grew stern and started releasing fumes of heat. Rai stepped forward.
"Hey Kurumu," Rai waved to her. She casted a severe stare in his direction. "Glad to see you're alright. You had us worried for a bit." Jolt went in front of Rai. The electricity escaped from its fur.
"Pika…" Jolt glared at Kurumu.
"What's up, Jolt?" Rai asked. Prowl stepped forward next to the mouse.
"I can guess this isn't the girl we're searching for," he said.
"It has to be her other self," Naoto concluded.
"You're saying there's two of them?" Rai asked.
Crackle!
A whip snapped in front of the group and startled their focus. She retracted the tool and stretched it in her hands.
"You were the last person I'd want to be here," Kurumu stated. "The ceremony is starting soon and I don't want anyone interrupting us when it begins."
"Wait, so who are the people getting married?" Rise asked.
"Why, there's me, of course," she answered. "As for the groom…" She glanced at the other guys in the room. "The first man to reach the ritual will become my new husband."
"What, so you're making this a contest?" Kanji asked.
"You don't think I was just gonna let myself be betrothed to some random stranger, did you?" she grinned. "Now I'll put you boys to the test." The doors opened for four different locations: the west wing, the east wing, the top of the stairs, and the ground level. "The doors opened will reveal a challenge for you to take on. If you pass, you may continue on to the ceremony. If you fail, you'll be eliminated as the candidate. But don't fear, you'll still be here for the big event ~!" A dark vortex began to appear underneath her. She began to sink into the floor. "By the way…there's only one path that leads to the bride…" she disappeared. The group looked at one another as they reviewed the rules of the challenge.
"So, this is a race to save the damsel in distress, right?" Yosuke asked while holding on to his pride.
"Yeah, but only one of these doors will take us to her," Yukiko clarified. "This means we should pair off so we can protect one another."
"Since it's the boy's competition, it only makes sense to have a couple go together," Rise suggested. He girls weren't too keen on the idea.
"Do we really have to?" Chie asked glumly.
"Although, she wasn't too happy to see you here of all people," Naoto turned to Rai.
"Why did she turn into a grizzly when she saw you?" Teddie asked. Rai gave a sigh and folded his arms.
"…Alright, we got into a fight when we came here," Rai replied. "I tried to convince her to go home, but she wouldn't listen and took off. And now, she's wearing a maid outfit and talking about marriage."
"So, she had a bitch fit and ran away?" Kanji asked.
"That wasn't really her," Rise explained. "It was the other side of Kurumu that she hides from herself. Deep down, she probably wants to have someone love her as much as wants a wedding." Rai thought for a moment.
"…She must think that she blew her chance with Tsukune…" Rai thought out loud.
"When you both argued," Naoto interjected, "what did you two fight about?"
"You can't even save yourself from a pretty boy…I had to come in and save your ass...You wouldn't last a day on your own!"
"…It's mostly my fault." Rai looked up at the doors leading to the challenges. "I probably pissed her off and she took it seriously. This kid had some issues back home and I mistook her for being weak and helpless. Now that she's here, she probably wants to prove me wrong and find a guy like Tsukune to replace. But, I'm not just going to leave her here and get killed over it." Jolt patted his leg.
"Pika!" Jolt gave the thumbs up. Prowl stepped ahead of Rai.
"We better get started, then," he pointed out.
"Alright, let's do this!" Chie cheered. The team separated and started off into battle. Chie, Jolt, and Yosuke took off toward the East Wing; Yukiko, Teddie, and Kanji headed for the West Wing; Rise and Prowl took to the lower level, leaving Rai and Naoto to the upper level. They passed through the doors deep within the dark corridors. The doors closed behind them.
Yosuke opened the next door over. The creek slowly grew louder as it opened. It exposed a large open ballroom with large pedestals circling the two. The room stretched out to a massive ceiling with a gold and diamond chandelier dangling above them. The center had a red and yellow lined pattern that traced out the area where the dancing is commenced. Chie followed Yosuke as Jolt straddled right behind.
"Damn, this place is pretty big from the inside," Yosuke awed the empty space.
"Geez, this girl has some serious class when it comes to the life of luxury," Chie added in.
"Pika…" Jolt stared at his reflection on the floor. The three went out to the center.
"Where is his challenge anyway?" Yosuke asked. "She probably wants us to clean the windows or shine the floors."
"And here I thought you wanted to win this contest," Chie said curiously.
"What? Of course not! I wouldn't go out and hit on everyone who needs saving!"
"Let's see, there was Yukiko, Rise…"
"Not helping!" Jolt's ears perked from a sudden noise. It looked down at the floor once more. Jolt could see pinnacles of spikes raining down.
"PIKA!" Jolt released an electric strike at the spears falling on the group. The black ice shards were shattered as the cloud of black mist covered the room. The kids fanned away the mist.
"Still think it's gonna be easy?" Chie coughed. A black figure appeared on the chandelier. She jumped off and landed halfway across the ballroom. Her black and white sweater slightly slacked around her shoulders as the sleeves dangled around the wrists. Its black skirt covered up to her thighs. Her grey knee socks and white, long hair gave her a rebel appeal. Her eyes glowed a bloodthirsty red as it pointed its jagged arms at the enemy.
"Pika!?" Jolt cried.
"PERSONA!"
Yukiko, Teddie, and Kanji yelled out their battle cry. In a burst of rushing energy, they summoned out Kintoki-Douji, Take-Mikazuchi, and Konohana Sakuya. They stood ready to fight the anomaly in front of them. The figure stood with her black braided hair on the sides of her head. It had a black and white corset with a long gray dress and white long gloves wrapping around its middle finger. In its hand was a black, crooked rod with a red gem as vicious as its eyes. Their test was now taking place in the Library.
"Where the fuck did this thing come from?" Kanji yelled.
"Whatever it is, I won't let it stand between me and winning this contest!" Teddie yelled with perverted pride.
"I'm not sure she mentioned any bears being part of the wedding," Yukiko pondered.
"Whatever; let's just kill this thing and save this chick!" Kanji yelled out. His persona pulled out its lightning bolt and swung it at the woman. She raised her staff and blocked his attack with a wall of vines. The bolt was ensnared by the green plants. The vines continued to grow until its whole body was snarled in a mess of nature. "Damn it! I can't move!"
"Hang on, Kanji!" Teddie yelled, "I'm on it!" The giant red sphere zoomed in with a large missile over its head. In an instantaneous suicide, it plunged at the wall of vines and exploded in an explosion of epic proportions. Konohana flew over the smoldering dust and released a giant tornado of fire. The flames surrounded her as the blaze continued to stir. The books all went flying across the area as the pages became lit with flames.
"We got it!" Yukiko shouted. From the flames, the woman started to grow larger. The body became covered in an armor of plants. Her form became burly and round like a Venus flytrap. It opened its mouth to reveal the woman's upper body connecting to the beast.
"It's a Big Grizzly!" Teddie cried.
"This won't be easy, will it?" Kanji asked.
"Why the hell won't this runt stay still?" Prowl shouted. His knight continued flying at top speed. With each swing of its sword, the small black figure would easily avoid the attack. She swept down from underneath and pulled out its star shaped wand. A massive white fist socked him in the chest and forced it to the ceiling. Once the shadow's spell was released, the knight fell face first on the rectangular dining table. From afar, Rise looked over at the small shadow with a black and white witch outfit and burning red eyes.
[Abilities: Supernatural]
"You have to watch out!" Rise yelled out. "There's no telling what she can do!" Prowl recuperated his strategy and summoned out his new skills.
"Ziodyne!" A large lightning bolt rained down on the shadow. However, she flicked her wand and raised the table above her. Lightning jabbed its way onto the wooden furnish and set it on fire. The witch then tossed the burning desk at the knight. In one swing, the knight sliced the table into four slabs. Prowl adjusted his glasses as he only smiled. "Not bad; these things aren't going to go down easy."
Rai and Naoto slowly opened the doors. The Master Bedroom was designed with a king-sized bed and a built-in fireplace over to the right wall.
"There doesn't look to be anyone here," Naoto assumed. He turned around and started walking out of the room Rai grabbed his arm.
"Just hold on a little longer," Rai disagreed. He looked over at the window. Standing by the red curtain was a black figure with the same physique, look, and image as Kurumu. However, her skin was black as darkness. The outfit was gray and white from the vest to its skirt. It only stared out the glass; never moving an inch from its spot.
"Isn't that the girl we're here to save?" Naoto asked.
"Yea, but it's not the same Kurumu I know." Rai walked closer to the shadow girl. "It's like I've seen this thing somewhere before." The shadow slowly turned around and revealed its red-bloodshot eyes. It stepped away from Rai as though it appeared afraid of him. Rai stopped in his tracks. "I don't suppose you know where Kurumu is, do you?" The shadow girl cringed her hands and slightly nodded. "I'd appreciate it if you gave us a hand." Rai offered out his hand. The shadow girl slowly reached out for his.
Slam!
The doors shut behind the two. Rai and Naoto looked over to the door; now locking them both in the bedroom. The shadow girl panicked and disintegrated into the floor.
"Wait! Come back!" Rai reached for her, but she left. The chair in front of the fireplace shifted backward as the being rose up. The black figure turned over as its white long hair and black skin brought terror in front of the flames. The red eyes gave off the sensual feeling as Rai already knew who the shadow resembled most.
"What is that thing?" Naoto asked.
"…That, my friend...," Rai replied, "…is a vampire."
-To Be Continued-
Yes! I actually got this chapter done with plenty of major events! My computer got completely fried ad had my story put on hold for a while -_-. But, I made due and pushed on with a new laptop and am now back to working on this story! All the material used and characters introduced belong to their respective owners. Leave a comment and review on your thoughts and opinions! Before I go, let's see how this all turns out!
[Next Scent]
Kurumu: Just leave, get out of here!
Jolt: Pi-ka!
Prowl: You really think…that's gonna take me down?
Teddie: What do you mean I can't be the groom!?
Rai: I wouldn't be here if I wasn't worried about you!
Yosuke: Is that thing getting stronger!?
[We Are Gathered Here Today…]
[To Be Next]