Teddie - Student's Graduation
Yu remembered the day he met Teddie. He remembered how the small bear saved his, Yosuke, and Chie's life. He remembered how the supposed 'bear' gave him glasses to wear that would allow him to see and fight in the TV World. He even remembered how the bear nearly sacrificed his life to save him and his friends from Rise's Shadow, unknowingly saving the idol from Yu's sword.
But the thing he remembered most about Teddie was how pathetic he was.
Out of all of his so-called friends, Teddie was the most eager to bow before Yu. He adored his 'Sensei,' groveling in the mud towards his superior. Yu could barely hold back his laughter as he realized how worthless the bear saw himself.
Yu remembered pushing the bear to the ground, amused with the clownish creatures attempt to stand. Yu didn't even have to apologize to the creature. It just assumed it was an accident and moved on.
Teddie was so desperate for a place in life. It was like Yu was waving a bottle of liquor in the face of an addict. The bear revered Yu, and that gave the silver-haired man power.
The bear was no better than any of the other parasites hungry for Yu's attention. Teddie was an unremarkable stepping stone, but he was the easiest of the group to step on.
Yu had to resist the urge to smile when he and the others found Teddie alone and depressed. They needed his help to find Rise, but it was clear that the bear was suffering, drowning in his own loneliness. The silver-haired teen knew it would be easy to manipulate the bear, shackling it like the dumb animal it was.
Teddie tried to hide the fact that he was crying, and Chie and Yukiko apologized on the group's behalf. Yu opened his mouth to make silver-tongued promises, but something was off with the bear.
"Sensei...? Do you really not care about us?" wondered the grief-stricken Teddie.
"What?" Yu's eyes widen, and his kind smile was wiped from his face. The colorful bear was staring with reflective, trembling eyes. His sniffles brought Yu back to reality, and the liar tried to save face. Teddie's question had thrown him off balance, but Yu could lie his way out of any problem. "Teddie, you know that's not true. Of course I care about you."
Teddie's tearful gaze contorted, his fabric-like skin ripping as his coal-colored eyes glittered like gold. Yu took a step back, only to feel a hand pushing him back into place. "Liar." The bear's voice deepened, becoming low, enough to send a tremble down Yu's spine as his bones began to ache from the vibrations in the air. "You don't care about anyone, but yourself."
A sharp pain cut through Yu's body, and he cried out as his shoulder burned like it had been set on fire by a match. He stumbled forward, glancing at the familiar kunai lodged in his shoulder. "W-what?"
"Stop pretending to care about me!"
That voice sounded so familiar. It only took Yu a moment to realize it was Teddie's, echoing in the air like thunder. He turned his head and he saw the eyes of the others rolling into their skulls. Their mouths were plastered into wide, toothy grins that dripped black, inky blood. Their eyes turned gold, glowing with a familiar, eerie sheen as familiar voices snarled at him.
"And what were those words you used to call us in your head?"
"I think he called us... Leeches."
"Weaklings."
"Parasites."
"Stop it," Yu pleaded, but his voice was barely above a whimper as the memories bubbled in his head. "Please, stop..."
"Stop? Why the hell would we do that?" a voice cackled.
Yu watched as Teddie's mouth grew into the same wide, inhuman grin. The fabric that made up Teddie's face ripped, oozing, black shadows pouring from the torn material. It fell onto the ground in murky waterfalls as something moved under Teddie's skin. Yu could see something press against the fabric from within the bear suit, pushing and kicking harder and harder against the creature's skin. Teddie's eye popped out, falling to the ground like a large coin as a hand slowly began to rip the fabric apart.
Teddie's body, no, his corpse vomited more ink-like blood as a familiar face slowly peeled the suit from his body. Black hair, lanky frame, but with an all too familiar smirk.
Adachi was drenched in the shadow-colored blood, smiling at Yu with a rictus-like grin. "You've finally found yourself."
Yu gasped for air, opening his eyes to find himself in the familiar setting of the Velvet Room. He was panting, trying to calm down his racing heart as he slowly separated reality from dream. A nightmare... Just a nightmare... He was shaking, rubbing his hot and sweaty forehead as he gasped for air, swallowing spit down his throat with great effort.
The only sound in the Velvet Room was the low hum of the engine, and his own breathing, and that brought a disturbing realization to light. He was alone, inside the Velvet Room.
Okay. Okay, calm down. He took a deep breath, relaxing his heart rate as he slowly began to recount what led him back to the Velvet Room. It was a simple task, and one that allowed him to try and forget about the nightmare he had just gone through. We were at the hospital. We were talking to... to Adachi. Memories flashed through his mind.
Adachi. A gun. A loud bang. Naoto calling out his name as he laid on the ground.
Yu brought a shaking hand to his chest, feeling his body for any kind of wound. He was relieved to find there was no bullet wound on him, but he quickly reminded himself that the Velvet Room was somewhere between dream and reality, and the reality was that he had been shot.
"Shit," he cursed. "So where the hell is Igor?" he growled, glaring at the empty seats in front of him. "How the hell am I supposed to get back without...? Huh?" It was brief, but something had caught Yu's attentive eyes. It was a brief, very subtle shift in color on the couch Margaret would sit on. A flicker of crimson formed, before it vanished again. "What the hell...?"
It was like something was trying to exist, but couldn't. Like a TV with bad reception, it flicker into and out of exist every few moments, too quick for Yu to get a better look at it. "H-hello?" He called out to it, and the ruby figure twitched, staying where it was for a moment longer as blue formed over it.
Yu knew exactly who he was looking at with just a glance at the creature's dome shaped head. "Teddie?"
"Huh? Sensei? What are you doing here?"
"I... I could be asking you the same thing," replied Yu. He looked around the room, expecting Igor to appear, but there was no one but himself and the colorful bear. "Teddie, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you," the young man explained, turning his silver eyes to the small bear.
"I'm sorry for troubling everyone," he whimpered.
"That's not..." Yu groaned, rubbing his forehead as he forced his body up. His muscles ached, but he ignored the fatigue to approach the bear. Teddie looked away as the silverette sat in front of him. "Teddie, what happened to you?"
"I..." The bear struggled to look his sensei in the eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he failed. He just looked at the ground and sighed. "I've been thinking lately. About who I really am." Yu nodded his head, the young man's face was stern, but attentive. He motioned for the other boy to go on, and Teddie did so. "I'm no one. Since the start, no matter how hard I tried to look, I've been no one. I'm just a Shadow from the other world..."
"What?" A Shadow? Yu repeated the idea in his mind, his eyes widening as they examined Teddie closer. How could he be a Shadow? He's never acted like them... "That doesn't make sense, Teddie. How could you be a Shadow?"
"My world is shaped by human thought," explained the bear with a broken voice. "One day, a Shadow awoke to human emotions and desires, but humans and Shadows are two completely different entities. So I made myself forget I was ever a Shadow." Teddie turned his body away and stared out one of the windows into the endless fog outside. "I wanted people to like me," he whimpered, trembling in place as his voice continued to crack.
"I really am stupid," Teddie confessed. "What that other Teddie said was true! No matter how hard I try to find my true self, I'll never find it! Because there is no real me. There never was to begin with."
"It would have been better if I had just never remembered," sniffled the bear. "But I guess I couldn't even do that right. I'm probably going to turn back into a normal Shadow soon..." He looked away from the fog and stared at the taller man. "Sensei? C-can I ask you to do something for me?" Yu was silent, but he forced his head to nod. "When you see Nana-chan in heaven, can you apologize for me? Tell her, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything right." Teddie trembled in front of the silverette. "I'm really sorry..."
Yu had heard enough. "Teddie." He tried to sound firm without scaring the so-called Shadow. "I won't have to tell her that. She's safe. She's alive." The news clearly surprised the bear, but shock soon gave way to sheer joy as Teddie sighed in relief.
"That's wonderful! N-Nana-chan's okay? Thank goodness. I'm so glad I could hear that before I... Huh? Sensei?" Yu's hands were stretched outward, reaching around Teddie's head. The bear's eyes widened as Yu took the metal zipper in hand and pulled, undoing Teddie's head and pushing it off, revealing the boy inside. "Huh?!"
"Out. Now." Yu grabbed the boy's collar and pulled, forcing the blond to come tumbling out of his bear suit and onto the ground beside Yu.
"Ouchie..." The boy groaned as he rubbed his head, brushing hair from his eyes. Yu grabbed hold of his arm.
"Get up and sit down on the couch."
"Huh?"
Teddie once again felt himself being pulled, this time onto his feet as Yu pointed at a nearby cushion. "Sit down. I'm going to get us some drinks." The bear blinked dumbly, before opening his mouth. "There will be plenty of time for questions. Right now, you and I need to talk, Teddie. Man to man." The younger boy blinked again, before quietly obeying his teacher's orders. He moved to sit down on the leather cushion as Yu walked towards the cabinet of drinks.
Yu glanced from bottle to bottle. He found some alcohol, and while tempted to pour a glass for himself and Teddie, he decided against it. The young man needed Yu at his best, and that meant being sober. Instead, Yu picked up a pair of wine glasses and a large bottle of apple cider. He placed the cups on top of the cabinet of drinks, and filled them.
He placed the bottle down and picked up the cups, handing one to Teddie as he downed the other. Yu returned the empty cup where he found it and looked at Teddie. The young boy was sitting down, looking up at the silverette. It was a grim reminder to him that Teddie thought the world of his 'Sensei.'
"We need to talk. I need to tell you the truth of who I am, and I need you to listen, okay?"
"Um... O-okay."
Kanji Tatsumi buried his face in his hands as he struggled to think. He had just exited Yu-senpai's room. He could hear Yukiko, the last of the members to see Yu's hospitalized state, enter the room. The others were strewn about the long hallway, each quietly looking at each other for answers as Yu slept. Rise was by Kanji's side, sitting up straight, body leaning forward. She rubbed at her eyes, brushing the fresh tears off of her face.
Yosuke and Chie-san were walking back to the group. They had left to make sure Dojima was okay. Really, it was more about making sure Dojima didn't rip off his stiching again or hurt the hospital staff. Kanji couldn't blame the old man. Yu was probably like a son to him, and Adachi nearly killed him. He almost lost Nanako... Can't imagine what would have happened if he lost Yu too.
Kanji scratched as his head, taking a deep breath and sighing as his cerulean eyes fell on the detective sitting across from him. Naoto Shirogane. The woman he had loved and the one who had broken his heart. Honestly, the pain of rejection could still be felt by the young man, but he brushed it aside. It hurt, but this was worse. This was so much worse.
Naoto looked dead. She barely looked better than Yu. Her eyes seemed glassy and dull, and her characteristic hat just laid on her lap. Naoto's fingers played with the rim, gently stroking it with her fingertips as she sat there.
Kanji wanted to talk to her. He wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better. Despite all the heartache and turmoil she had, unintentionally, put him through, he still gave a crap about her. Some part of him still loved her.
"Naoto?"
She didn't move her head.
"It's gonna be okay. Senpai's gonna wake up. He's too tough to go down."
She didn't even glance at him.
It was infuriating, and Kanji wanted to scream at her to look at him. He stopped himself, though. Anger was always something he had fallen back on. It was the simplest reaction to what life threw at him, but he knew better now. Anger wasn't gonna help anyone. Not Naoto. Not Yu. Not Rise.
Rise shifted beside him, lifting her head up to look at Kanji as Yosuke and Chie approached the others. The blond forced himself up, standing on his own two feet. He could still see Yu-senpai in front of him. He laid on the hospital bed, dressed up in one of the patient gowns the doctors force people in. There were bandages under his clothes, all over his chest. Kanji could still see the blood on the ground, staining the sterile, tiled floor as Yu's eyes widened, staring into the ceiling.
He could have died.
He still could.
Kanji could still remember his father, laying in a hospital bed just like Yu's. He remembered how weak his father was, how the man he looked up to just laid on the bed, wired up to machines. The memories made Kanji feel sick, they made his blood boil, but he wouldn't let his anger control him. He took a deep breath as Yukiko exited their friend's room.
Good. Hopefully I don't have to repeat myself, thought the blond. "Guys? I-I think we should go after Adachi." The others stared at him like he had gone crazy, and why wouldn't they think that? Kanji, the team's idiot, coming up with a plan?
"What? Y-you want us to just abandon Yu?!" Yukiko gasped, clearly offended by the very notion.
"We ain't abandoning him!" Kanji tried to sound to sound brave, but trying to actually voice his thoughts turned out to be as scary as facing his Shadow. He sighed again and turned his head to Yosuke and Chie, slowly facing each of his friends. "We don't need to be by his side to be with him. Adachi's out there, doing who knows what! Yu wouldn't want us to just stand around watching him sleep!"
"He's right." The voice cut through the air like an explosion. The others turned their heads, and Kanji found himself smiling wryly as Naoto finally lifted her head up. Her eyes lacked their usual color, almost appearing grey as she looked at the others. "Yu would want us to look for Adachi."
"He'd probably call us all idiots," Rise commented. She brushed her sleeve against her eyes again, standing up on shaking legs. Kanji offered an arm to her and she caught it, helping her stand straight. "Typical Yu..."
"They're right, Yukiko." Chie looked at her best friend, who stared back with crimson, puffy eyes. "We should at least try to find Adachi in the TV World... Give Yu some good news when he wakes up." The brunette forced her lips to smile, and despite the strain, Yukiko slowly nodded her head.
"Alright, fine... I understand, but... someone should still stay here to keep an eye on Yu."
"I'll do it." Yosuke lifted up his hand, dragging his feet forward. "The rest of you can go to the other world. Try and find Adachi, but don't go after him."
"Agreed. Reconnaissance only. We should leave immediately."
"Do... you want to see Yu again before we go?" Yosuke asked the group the question, but Kanji knew he was really asking the detective. She didn't even pause as she shook her head.
"It's fine. We should hurry." Naoto marched her body down the hall, motioning for the others to follow. Yukiko and Chie glanced at one another, before sighing and following suit. The brunette girl placed a gentle hand on Yosuke's shoulder, and the two's eyes met for a moment, before separating.
Yosuke watched the girls leave, before looking at Kanji. "Nice work, man." He forced himself to smile, and Kanji returned the gesture. Yosuke entered Yu's room, leaving the the two younger teens in the hall.
"Good work, Kanji," Rise complimented. The young man was silent as he felt the idol's eyes peer into his head. Her hands gently touched his arm as her voice called out to him. "Kanji?"
"S-sorry. Just scared." Kanji let his shoulders fall and his arms hang at his sides. His heart was racing. Trying to act like some kind of leader to the group was exhausting, and he was thankful that Yosuke, Naoto, and Yu shouldered that responsibility most of the time. He turned his head to Rise, seeing the concern in her hazel eyes. "I did alright, right?"
"You did great, Kanji." She hugged his arm tightly and he took in another slow breath, unintentionally smelling her rose-scented perfume. "Yu couldn't have done better himself."
"Heh. Yeah. Right." The blond's cheeks turned warm at the feeling of Rise's warm embrace, but his blood turned cold once more as he stared at the door to Yu's room. Somehow his fingers and Rise's found each other, and the two locked hands as their eyes both fell on the door. "He's gonna wake up, right?" Kanji remembered asking his mother the same question once upon a time.
"He will," his mother and Rise answered. "He has to..."
Wake up soon, Yu. We need you, man.
Teddie wasn't sure what Sensei wanted to talk to him about. He sipped some of the strange drink, before putting it down on the floor. His blue eyes watched his Sensei stand there, awaiting to hear whatever it was he had to say. Sensei sounds upset... It must be serious, but what is it? Could it have something to do with me being a Shadow? The boy flinched as he reminded himself of the truth, only to be distracted when Sensei finally spoke.
"When I was younger, there were these two girls I knew who were best friends with one another. Kaiyo and Katsumi, I think their names were."
"Um... Okay?" He nodded his head, slowly.
"I dated both of them, and others, all at the same time. I cheated on them. I used them, and then I threw them aside when I was done with them."
"What?!" Teddie almost jumped out of his seat, but Sensei's hand motioned him to sit back down. What?! That can't be right!
"Listen to me. I've been with dozens of people in my life. Boys and girls. Old and young. It was easy for me. People were like thread, and I could wrap them around my fingers with ease. I didn't care if they got hurt. I didn't care how badly they cried, or how much they hated me. I just enjoyed having them love me, almost as much as I enjoyed hurting them."
Teddie struggled to understand what he was hearing. It was like hearing that the sky was green, or that topsicles were hot. It just didn't make sense!
"That... That doesn't sound right. Why would you do that? You're the nicest guy I know!"
"I'm not. I never was," sighed the older boy. "Before I came to this town, I was a bad guy. I hurt people, and I took advantage of them. That was who I was. That was the real me."
"The real you...?" Teddie shook his head, his lips turning into a brief scowl. "That's impossible! The real you couldn't be a bad guy! You're... you're supposed to be my Sensei..."
"I was never worthy of you calling me that," sighed Teddie's teacher. "I'm not your better. Honestly, you might be my better..."
"Your better...?" Teddie scoffed at the idea. "I don't want to be your better though..." The silver-haired teacher didn't say anything, scratching at his head as he struggled what to say next. "Are... are you still a bad guy?"
"Well, I got shot, so... Maybe?"
"Wait, what?! You got shot!?" screamed Teddie. The older boy moved across from the bear, sitting down on the other side of the car as the blond boy rose up. "How?! Why?! Who?!"
"Adachi."
"Adachi?! That goofball?!" Teddie blinked once, before scratching at his head. "What happened while I was gone?!"
"A lot. After Nanako turned out okay, Naoto found out Adachi was the murderer, and he tried shooting her. I pushed her out of the way, and... Well, you can guess what happened after that," the silver-haired man sighed.
"You... you saved Naoto-chan?" Sensei nodded his head, and Teddie stared at the ground in thought. "You took a bullet for her?"
"Yeah, I guess I did."
"But that doesn't sound like something a bad guy would do!" Teddie racked his brain, his eyes briefly turning into a glare as he looked at Sensei. "Why would a bad guy get hurt to save someone!?"
"I was getting there. I was a bad guy, no argument there, but after I met Naoto things began to change. She and Rise helped me out a lot. They helped me be a better person, and open up to the others. I'm sorry to say you're the last person in the group to find out about the 'real me.' I wanted to tell you, but then you vanished..."
The other boy sighed as Teddie stared at him. "I'm sorry, Teddie. I really, really am. I know this must be a disappointment to you, but I am trying to change. Rise and Naoto, and all the others, they're helping me change. They're helping me be a better person, and I think they can do the same for you."
"Huh? For me?"
The young man nodded his head. "I used to think people were just stepping stones for me. That I was better than them, and that I could just do what I wanted with them. But I guess Naoto changed me. Then Rise changed me. Then I started to realize, people were more than that." The smile on his face didn't look like a normal smile. It wasn't like the charming, winning grin that Teddie was used to his Sensei wearing. It almost looked sad.
"Kanji's more of a man than I gave him credit for. Yukiko's an amazing woman with a strong spirit and a forgiving soul. Yosuke stopped me from killing myself. Chie's more like me than I ever realized. All of these people in my life who I took for granted, who I stepped on, they've changed me. Made me more than I ever was alone."
His silver gaze fell on Teddie and he placed his hands together. "Teddie, if you want to leave, then you leave. If you don't want to go back to my world, then don't. But don't do it because you're a Shadow, or a bear, or whatever it is you are. Make a choice based on what you want. To hell with everything else. Be selfish. That's my last lesson for you. Be happy."
"And if you do go back? Talk to the others. I think you'll find that they care about you just as much as they care about me. I know it sounds crazy, but they helped me find my true self. I think they can do the same for you."
"Huh..." Teddie met his teacher's compassionate gaze, before blinking. "Wait, last lesson?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I don't deserve to be called your Sensei. So consider this your graduation." Teddie's eyes nearly popped out of his head as his jaw hung open.
"W-what?!"
"I want you to think of you and me as equals from now on. That, or maybe I should call you Sensei," he chuckled.
"I... I don't understand," Teddie lamented. "You don't seem like a bad guy. You don't seem like my Sensei either. You're... you're someone else entirely." But maybe that's the point... Maybe his true self isn't my Sensei or as a bad guy... Maybe he really is my equal. "Equals? You and me?"
"Is that so crazy?"
Is it? Teddie tried to answer that question, only to notice something as he glanced at his feet. "Whoa!"
"Huh? What is-?" Yu's eyes followed Teddie's before he recoiled in shock. "Your legs...!"
They were fading away. Yet the blond bear stood without issue. Rather than freak out as most people would, Teddie just snapped his fingers in revelation. "Oh! My time must be all spent up here. I'm not allowed to stay here any longer." His legs continued to fade away as he looked at his Sensei... no, his friend. "Yu?" The word felt foreign on his tongue. "I think you and I are more alike than you thought too."
Yu glanced at Teddie's vanishing body, before looking at his smiling face. He sighed briefly, before he formed a small grin. "Yeah, maybe. Hey, Teddie? No matter what you pick, I hope you find what you're looking for. I really do."
"Thank you, Yu-san." And just like that, Teddie felt his body become weightless as he was taken away.
"Teddie...?" Yu approached the empty seat and waved his hand in the air, as if the strange boy was just hiding, but he found himself along once more. "Great..."
"It seems the water's strength has moved a single stone that had stopped, returning it once again into the flow... Very interesting."
Yu turned his head to find Igor and Margaret staring at him. The woman had a soft smile on her lips, while the older man was grinning with the same toothy smirk he always had. Yu sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to the two. "Hey. Sorry for stealing the cider."
"Not a problem. You are our guest, after all," chuckled Igor. "Now, it is time once more for us to depart. There is no need for us to tarry here any longer. Margaret?"
"We are ready to go. Let us depart," the older woman agreed.
"Wait, you're going already?" Yu asked, before glancing at the nearby window. The car was moving, and he could feel the ground shaking below him. The sudden movement of the car nearly made him fall over, but he caught himself.
"You are every inch the guest I had anticipated," Igor laughed. "Now, it's time for you to return. I must admit, I am even more intrigued now as to where this is all headed... Goodbye, Yu Narukami."
"We'll be waiting for your next visit."
"Huh? I-ahh!" Yu felt a splitting pain in his chest, his eyes widening as his head was hit with a fierce dizzy spell. "What...?" Crimson stained the underside of his white shirt as he felt the ground below him crumble. His eyesight was turning black as he fell into darkness...
Yosuke sat beside Yu's bed, glaring at his phone. The hardest part of all of this for him was that he was completely powerless. There was nothing he could do to help Yu. Nothing he could do to help his friend wake up. Come on, you bastard. Wake up. We need you, cursed the brunette.
All he could do was sit by Yu's side, waiting for something to happen while their friends risked their lives hunting down a killer. He squeezed his phone in his hand, sighing angrily.
Yu looked the same as he had when the others had been here. He laid on the bed, the only moment he gave was the slight rise and fall of his chest. There were wires connecting him to machines, the sight of which unnerved the young man, and the soft beeps of the heart monitor was still grating Yosuke's nerves.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?" he asked himself.
"Y-Yosuke...?"
"Huh?" Yosuke's head darted left and right as he nearly dropped his phone. He looked down from his seat and found Yu's face twitching, eyes squeezed shut. "D-dude! You're awake! Hold on, I'll get a nurse and-"
"Yosuke." Yu's voice stopped him. He had a tone of urgency, one that was only made more apparent due to the strain it took for him to speak. "I need you... to do me a favor, okay? I need you... to try and find Teddie. Got it?"
"Huh? Teddie? But he's-"
"He's going to come back. He wants to, I know he does." Yu's eyes forced themselves open, but Yosuke could tell his friend couldn't see straight. His vision was probably blurry, yet he knew Yosuke was there.
"Dude, are you sure? I mean-"
"Go. Go get a doctor. Probably need to make sure I'm not dead." His silver eyes fell closed once more as the electronic beeping of the nearby monitor filled the room once more. Yosuke stared at Yu's still body, before walking out of the room.
It did not take him long to find a nurse. He quickly pointed to Yu's room and explained that the patient inside had woken up and spoke to him. It took even less time for the nurse to call a doctor to come inspect the silver-haired patient. Yosuke was asked to stay out of the room while the staff worked, which worked out well for the amateur investigator.
He was texting the others the news, hoping they would get it as soon as they stepped back into their world. Meanwhile, his brain was working overtime. Find Teddie? How the heck am I supposed to find that bear? We've been looking all over the place for him!
"Excuse me, miss? Can you help me find my friend, Yu-san?" There was a voice around the corner. It was the voice of a young boy, and just hearing painted a face within Yosuke's mind.
What? No way...!
"Yu-san? Do you know his last name?" the nurse inquired.
"Um... Narukami, I think? He's Nana-chan big bro. He told me he got shot and-"
"Teddie!" Yosuke ran around the corner, and he found the familiar blond-haired boy/bear talking to a young nurse. Teddie turned his head to find Yosuke's shocked face. He smiled in response, waving at the taller boy.
"Yosuke! Hi!"
"How...? When...? What happened?! Where have you been?!" Yosuke shouted, running up to the boy.
"Do you know this man, sir?" the nurse asked, her almond eyes drifting between the two boys.
"Y-yeah! Um... He's my little brother," explained the brunette. "Ain't that right, Teddie?" His own hazel eyes glared at the younger boy, hoping he'd catch on.
"B-brother...?" Teddie repeated, with wide eyes. "Y-yep! That's right! He and I are bear-thers!" The boy gave a thumbs up to the nurse, nodding his head vigorously with a beaming grin on his face.
"Hm." The woman was said nothing, but her eyes spoke volumes. The almond orbs threw daggers right through Yosuke, and he had to fight the urge to flinch away as a creeping feeling crawled along the back of his neck. It was gone in an instant, and the woman seemed to smile at his nervousness. "Alright, well, just make sure to stick together now, okay? You two have a nice day now, okay?"
"R-right."
"Yep! Thanks for the help, Miss Nurse!" Teddie happily waved the woman goodbye as Yosuke glared at him.
As soon as the nurse was far enoguh away, Yosuke spoke. "Dude, where have you been?!" he questioned, motioning Teddie to follow the brunette. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?!"
"I-I'm sorry... Was everyone really worried about me?" the bear asked.
"Of course we were, fuzz-for-brains!" huffed Yosuke, only to pause. He took a deep breath, and exhaled, before speaking with a gentler tone. "Come on. We better meet up with the others. I need to tell them about Yu, and they need to see you're back." He paused for a moment, glancing at Teddie. "Wait, how did you know what happened to Yu?"
"He told me."
"He told you? How the heck did he do that?" The question brought Yosuke to a stop, and Teddie did the same by his side.
"Um... I guess that's kind of a long story." Teddie scratched at his head as chuckled awkwardly. His eyes widened slightly as he remembered something, and Yosuke could hear an oddly serious tone in the blond boy's voice. "Yosuke. I need to ask you something important. Is Yu a bad guy?"
In an instant, Yosuke understood the other boy's tone. "So, he told you?" Teddie nodded his head, his lips a tight, thin line. "You okay?" He hesitated, but Teddie still nodded his head. "Alright. Well, I think Yu's a lot of things. He's arrogant. Kind of an ass. Weird, but... No. I don't think he's a bad guy."
Yosuke watched as Teddie's sealed lips slowly curved. "Yeah. I don't think he is either," he confessed, the corners of his lips rose higher up, before he began to walk again. "Come on! Let's go find the others!"
The fog in the other world felt differently on Rise's skin. It just seemed to crawl on her skin, dragging against it like it was something's long, damp tongue. It felt rough against her skin, not to mention hot. She ignored it as best she could, focusing her mind to look through her Persona's eye. She combed through the strange, fog-infested world, but try as she might, she found nothing, and contrary to what others might have thought about what she did for her friends, using her Persona's power was exhausting her.
She couldn't let her other friends see though, no matter how much her legs shook. Rise knew she couldn't join them in a fight, she knew couldn't do what they did in a battle, so she put her all in what she could do...
Despite that, her fatigue became obvious to Kanji.
"Hey. Take a break, Rise," he gently requested of her.
"I'm okay... I'm just a little diz-Hey!" Rise felt her body being pulled, and Himiko vanished as the young idol fell against Kanji's chest.
"You looked ready to pass out, ya dunce," grumbled Kanji. His hands were under her arms, helping support her as she the two looked at one another, both upside down from the others perspective. "It's okay, Rise. You can take a break."
Any attempt to argue died in Rise's throat when she glanced at Kanji's azure eyes. She merely sighed and allowed him to help her back onto her feet. "I must look like a mess," she muttered. It sounded like an attempt at humor, but her voice lacked any kind of upbeat energy. Her fingers combed through her hair, only to get caught in several knots.
"Nah. I think you look good. A bit of sweat looks good on a girl!" Kanji complimented. It only took him a moment and a barely contain snicker from Rise to make him regret his words. "W-what I mean is, sweat looks good on a girl cause it means she worked hard! I didn't mean anything weird by it... Quit laughing!" The blond tried to make his voice sound fiery, but the glimmer in his eye revealed he meant nothing by it.
If anything Rise seemed to appreciate the awkward statement. "Thanks, Kanji-kun." Her eyes glanced away from the boy, the faintest shade of red on her cheeks.
"You two make a cute couple," commented Yukiko, a mix of amusement and jealousy forming her tone. She snorted and giggled as the two first-years denied the statement as best they could, but the lighthearted moment did not last long.
"What do we do now?" wondered Chie. "If Rise can't find the guy, what are we supposed to do?" She looked to Naoto for answers, but the Detective Prince offered none. She just paced around the outskirts of the small stage, lost in thought.
"I'm sorry, everyone," apologized Rise. "I know Adachi's around here somewhere, but I just can't pinpoint where..."
"Hey. It ain't your fault," Kanji comforted. "Don't sweat it, Rise."
"I know, I just... I wish Teddie was here," confessed the copper-haired idol.
"Huh? Why? Didn't he said his nose was useless or something?"
"Yeah, I know he probably wouldn't be any help, but... Well, he just always supported me." Rise shrugged her shoulders, offering a weak smile to Kanji and the others. "It was nice having two cute, cuddly bears cheering for me."
"Yeah, I get that... Wait, two?!"
Chie smiled at Rise's laughter and Kanji's flushed cheeks. "That bear's a loudmouth, but he's but he sure is nice to have around. He's always so full of energy."
"Yeah... I miss him too," admitted Yukiko. "I'd do almost anything just to have our team back together again..."
"Well, I can help for at least part of that!" Yosuke Hanamura traveled through the portal, a toothy grin on his face.
"Hanamura-san!" Naoto stepped closer to the brunette, her brow wrinkled into an angered glare for a moment. "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be watching Yu!" In an instant, her demeanor changed and softened into one of dread. "Wait, did something happen? Is he okay?"
"Yu's alright," Yosuke answered, holding his hands up to stop the siege of questions his friends were about to ask. "He woke up, said some stuff, and then I left while the doctors and nurses were looking him over. He's okay, I think. Might even be awake when we come back down to see him."
"H-he's awake...? Yu is...?"
"That's great!" cheered Rise, embracing Kanji without warning.
Rather than push her away, Kanji's own grin rivaled Rise's. The sight of his beaming face so close to hers made her cheeks turn a rosy shade of red. "Alright! That's awesome!"
"What a relief," Chie said, her shoulders falling close as she released a breath she didn't even knew she had been holding.
"That's great!" Yukiko added, nodding her head in approval.
"It gets better, you guys. I found-" Yosuke was promptly shoved to the ground by a small, if familiar sight. "Ow... Dude! You were supposed to wait for the signal!"
"Oh. Oopsie?" Teddie helped Yosuke onto his feet as the others stared with shock at the small, human boy. "Hi everyone! Um... I'm really, really sorry for-"
"Where have you been?!" Rise cried, dashing forward to embrace the blond human boy. She threw her arms around his head and buried her tearing eyes into his neck. "Bad bear! Bad! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?!"
"Man, we were running ourselves ragged looking for you! Where the hell have you been, ya dumb bear?!" growled Kanji, holding back tears as he stomped over.
"Teddie's back? How...? Where did you find him?" Chie wondered, looking at Yosuke as Yukiko ran over to hug the blue-eyed boy. "How did you find him?"
It took only a few moments for Yosuke and Teddie to regale the group with how they found one another, and only slightly longer for Teddie to explain his own revelations. Rise could see the confession was something Teddie was dreading, and even as the words slipped from his mouth, Teddie looked as though the group was ready to attack him.
Once he was done, Chie was the first to speak up. "A Shadow? Like the ones we've been fighting?"
"Yeah. That's right," Teddie admitted, a hint of anxiety in his voice. "I-I'm not like them, but I am at the same time, I just... I-"
"It's kind of a letdown, honestly."
"What?!" The well-dressed boy turned his cerulean eyes to Yosuke, glaring at the older teen. "What do you mean a 'letdown?!'"
"Well, I kind of always thought you'd be something crazy like that"
"W-w-what?! Here I am, pouring out my bear naked heart, and you're saying you're not even surprised?! How could anyone think a beautiful bear like myself would be a Shadow?!"
"I mean, you had to be something, right?" Yosuke commented, shrugging his shoulder lazily. "Besides, not like it matters."
"Huh?"
"He's right. Who the hell cares what you are or were? Only thing that matters is what you is!" Kanji declared, pointing at finger at Teddie.
"Poor grammar aside, they're right." Naoto's voice was like a spotlight in the dark. Everyone's eyes turned to her and they each paid attention as she spoke. "It's true that you may have been born a Shadow, but you now possess the power of a Persona. A Shadow is suppressed power, once controlled by the ego, it becomes a Persona. Doesn't it follow, then, that you must have developed an ego? Whether the ego masters its Shadow, or the Shadow awakens to its ego, the only difference I see is the order in which the process occurred."
"So... That means Teddie's practically human, right?" Chie wondered aloud, scratching at her head.
"He looks human. He sounds human. I'd say he's as human as any of us, bear costume or no bear costume," Yukiko announced with a firm nod of her head.
"Totally! Teddie, you're one of us, simple as that." Rise gently hugged one of Teddie's arms, pulling him into another embrace, before pulling away so he could see her smiling face. "We don't care what you are. You're our Teddie, first and foremost."
Teddie was struck silent by the group's acceptance. There was no struggle, no questioning, barely any confusion. They accepted him with open arms. His bond with them, and their bonds with him, were too strong to break. Yu had been right the whole time. Teddie could feel the warmth and mirth that surrounded him, drowned him, until all he could do was roar out of sheer joy.
"Raaawr! T-thank you, everyone! I missed you all so much!"
Teddie was clinging to Rise like a child to their older sibling, before he dashed away from her to embrace Kanji, who turned scarlet once more and fought to get the bear off of him. Teddie then went to Chie and Yukiko, hugging both girls, who returned the gesture hesitantly. They kept an eye on his hands, before Teddie made his way to embrace the Detective Prince, who accepted the hug with her own blushing cheeks. After that, the blond looked at Yosuke.
"Dude, don't even think about it! Hugging's totally a girl's thing and if you hug me, I'm gonna-!" His threat fell on deaf ears, and soon, Teddie was squeezing the life out of Yosuke. "Alright, alright! I get it! Let go!"
"I'm so happy! All of you still like me and... and..." In a moment, Teddie's good mood disappointed. His expression became crestfallen as he looked at the ground. "Yu... I remember seeing him while I was away from this world. He told me I should come back and talk to all of you. He told me what happened."
"So you know about Adachi then?" Rise asked.
"Yeah... Have you found him yet, Rise-chan?"
"No, I haven't," she mourned. "But it's good you're here. I wanted to know if you could help me find him."
"Huh? Me? B-but my nose is useless!"
"I know, but I'm not getting anything," the idol sighed. "I just really need some help, Teddie. Please, can you try?" She placed her hands together and gave the small boy a pleading pout. In an instant, a fire seemed lit in the bear-turned-human's eyes.
"O-okay! When you look at me like that, how can I say no?!" Teddie happily declared. He marched forward, to the center of the stage, his face brimming with determination and resolve. The boy took a deep whiff of the fog, a sight that was even stranger than normal considering he was without his bear costume. "I can bear-ly see two feet in front of me, but my nose is as good as ever!" He took another deep whiff, pacing forward, before turning sharply, and then going right back to where he came. "Hm..."
"You got anything or not?" Yosuke asked.
"It's hard to say... It's like I got something, and nothing at the same time." Teddie's eyes were shut as he took in one more deep whiff of the fog-infested air. His eyes shot open and he grinned proudly. "I got him! It's coming from the room Chie, Yosuke, and Yu came from when I found them!"
"Huh? You mean that room where Yosuke peed himself...?" Chie shuddered at the memory, as Yosuke glared at her.
"Hey! I did not pee myself!"
"Ew! That's so gross," Yukiko gagged.
"I didn't!"
"Enough." The childish bickering fell silent as Naoto's cold eyes fell on the two. "Teddie, are you sure you have Adachi's position?"
"Yep! I'm fur sure!" Teddie didn't seem affected by the sleuth's stoic voice. He simply smiled in response.
"Then we should return to the hospital, and inform Narukami of our progress. Challenging Adachi with anything less than our full strength would be foolish. We have no idea what is waiting for us up ahead." There were no arguments from the others, and so Naoto turned her body to the TV that led back to their world. The others followed her.
The group returned to the hospital, with little fanfare and heavy hearts. They walked to Yu's room, expecting to find the silver-haired young man asleep once more, but that was not the case. Instead they found a very awake Yu Narukami laying on his bed, his body propped up slightly as he ate from a tray by his bedside. He placed a piece of fruit onto his tongue, only to stop mid-bite as he noticed his friends gawking at him from the doorway.
"Hey." He gave a halfhearted wave to them. "At least Adachi had the decency to shoot me inside of a hospital, am I right?" His joke fell on deaf ears as his friends rushed to his sides, creating a miniature tornado of greetings, shouts, and relief.
"Senpai!"
"You're awake!"
"Sense-Sorry. Yu! You're alive!"
"Of course, I'm alive!" Yu shouted, swallowing his food. He tried to motion for the group to give him space, a facetious glare in his eyes. "It was just a gunshot. Who do you guys take me for? Kanji?"
Rather than be insulted, Kanji found himself laughing at the remark. He wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to grumble back. "Oh, right. You're a real tough guy."
"You know it," scoffed the silver-haired patient. His eyes glided along the room, his mock annoyance giving way to a genuine smile. "I see you're all fine. You even found Teddie! Shit, maybe I should get shot more often. Maybe Adachi will just turn himself in next time."
"That's not funny!" Rise scolded, despite the smile pulling on the corners of her lips. She wiped her own tears from her eyes as she whimpered, "We were all so worried! We thought... We thought..."
"Rise, come here." Yu motioned the girl closer, and with only momentary hesitation, Rise approached him. The two shared an embrace, Rise leaning down to wrap her arms around him as he did the same for her. Yu gently patted the girl's back, before releasing her. "See? I'm okay." She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded her head.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Yukiko inquired, placing her hand on Yu's when he faced her.
"There's something you can not do that'll help. If any of you-" Yu very poignantly pointed at Rise, Chie, and Yukiko, one by one. "-try to cook for me, I will fling myself out that window, I swear to God."
There was laughter in the group, a sound that Yu had sorely missed. The group chuckled at his joke even as Chie and Yukiko tried to defend their culinary skills. He savored the sound of their chuckling and giggling as his silver eyes spied the only friend of his that wasn't by his bedside. Naoto stood against the wall, staring at him and the others, but clearly keeping her distance both emotionally and physically.
Yu allowed the happy moment to last for as long as it could, before he smile fell and he asked the question he had been dreading to utter. "So what have I missed?"
"Teddie says he's found where Adachi's at," answered Yosuke.
"Excellent work, my old student. Knew you were ready for that graduation. We'll have a party after, have some real drinks," Yu chuckled, winking at Teddie. The younger boy winked back, a wryly smile on his face.
"Wait, graduation? Real drinks? What are you two talking about?"
"Don't worry about it, Yosuke." Yu brushed the question away. "Alright, let's go get him." The silverette tried to push his body up, only to feel Kanji's hand press against his chest. "Kanji. Why are you groping me?"
"Dude..." Kanji shook his head, pressing down firmly. "You're not going anywhere right now."
"What? The hell are you-"
"He's right, Yu!" Rise was quick to step to Kanji's side. She placed her hand on Kanji's, pressing down gently with him onto Yu's chest. "You need rest. You need to recover."
"I'm fine! It was just a gunshot. Besides, Yukiko can heal me when we're inside the other world."
"That's even if you make it to Junes," Yukiko argued. "You need to stay here and heal." She reached across the bed and met Kanji and Rise's hand in the middle, placing her on top of Rise's. "We voted on it, and we all agree you need time to heal before you can even try to walk out of here."
Yu glanced at the raven-haired girl, before glaring at the three hands on his chest. "Okay, sweet gesture, but get off. It's actually starting to hurt a little." The three retracted their hands as Yu sighed. "How long am I supposed to wait?! Adachi could be planning another murder for all we know!"
"A week." Naoto walked away from the wall and approached Yu's side. "At least one week. You need to stay here and rest for the duration of at least one week before we even consider bringing you back to the field."
If there was any argument in Yu's mind, it never made it past his lips. He just nodded his head as he stared into Naoto's cobalt eyes. He gazed into them, unsure of what he was even looking for. All he found was a strange emptiness, a familiar hollowness that he was all too familiar with. He glanced at Rise, and she seemed to read his mind.
"Why don't we give Yu some breathing space. I don't even remember the last time I ate." She tried to pepper her voice with childish whining, but one glance at Kanji meant he understood the truth.
"Yeah. Some food sounds really good right now."
"Huh? How can you guys think about food at-" Yosuke placed his hand on Teddie's shoulder, silencing him.
"Come on, Teddie. Let's get some food. I'm buying."
The others all quietly agreed. Yu waved the others goodbye with a weak smile, before looking to the only person still standing in the room. It seemed even the socially awkward Detective Prince was able to read the mood, and understand the real reason why the others walked out. She stood by his side, staring not at his face, but at his chest. Knowing her, she was visualizing the bandages that were wrapped around his stomach.
He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what came next.
END
This was another hard chapter to write about, hence why it took me so long to update. Long enough for people to ask if I had forgotten this story. Silly people, I'm not forgetting this story anytime soon.
I think the biggest difficulty was Teddie and Yu's interaction. Teddie is a very innocent, relatively speaking, character. To me, he isn't the time to hold a grudge or stay enraged at a friend. He's very much a child. Writing his interaction with Yu was hard, partly cause I've written that scene like five times, and partly because Teddie reacted very differently than the others. I hope I nailed it well enough, but man, it was just hard getting myself into the right mindset.
Honestly, this was probably one of my least favorite chapters to write, hence why it took so long. Questions of my worth as a writer, quality of my work, blah blah.
The next chapter will come a lot sooner. After all, we all know what comes next...
Sorry the 'meh' chapter, folks. Have a good day! Bye! Leave a review, if possible!