Chapter 2: Shadow and Persona
"Nii-san! Skipping classes on your first day, what were you thinking?" Yu with an angry expression on his face, starts to scold Shinn for being absent for the afternoon class. The others watch with amusement on their face much to Shinn's annoyance. He just knows the rumors about Yu and his 'taboo relationship' will continue to spread despite the threat he made during lunch time.
"Yeah, sorry about that Yu, I'll catch on to the work." Shinn let out a sigh.
"Hi, your name's Yu right?" Ryou, who is behinds Shinn, greets Yu with a smile.
"Oh, hello Ryou, I hope nii-san didn't cause you any trouble."
"Of course not, he's a really nice guy, not much of a talker though." Ryou gives Shinn a nudge with his elbow.
"Only the first day and already made friends with Asuka, that's class rep's charm huh?" Kenji added while turns towards Kazuki, "Doesn't he looks closer to your cousin then you do?"
"You are the Class Rep?" Shinn turns around towards Ryou with an 'absolutely no freaking way' expression on his face.
"Yeah, hard to believe eh?"
-
"Yu, what is a 'Persona'." On the way home, Shinn turns towards Yu, what he overheard on the roof from Soushi worries him a little.
"Persona? That is a word derived from 'per-sonar' which means 'to resonate by side'. It basically means the masks wear by actors."
"Actors? Didn't know you were into acting Shinn." Ryou, who walks besides them, joins in on the discussion.
"I'm not, and don't call me 'Shinn', we aren't that close…"
"So, what do you guys want to do after school? You guys just got to Aprillius city yesterday right? We were thinking about throwing you guys a welcome party." Much to Shinn's annoyance again, Kenji with Kazuki and a bunch of other boys are starting to act too friendly.
"You guys here sure are close." Shinn says sarcastically.
"Well, although Aprillius city's pretty big, Tatsumiya district is pretty small, so everyone going to the school pretty much knows each other." Ryou explains to the Asuka brothers.
"Yeah, how about we all go play Gundam VS Gundam?" One of the boys, Kouyou suggested.
"That most popular online arcade flight simulation game? Count me in!" Kenji exclaimed happily, "And I'll beat you this time Kazuki."
"Doesn't feel likely, you lost last ten times in a row." Kazuki casually says, which almost made Kenji fall down.
"Huh, so you guys like a little G VS G action eh? Get ready to bring shame to yourself, Yu and I are good." Shinn says with a smirk on his face.
"You look pretty confident."
"Of course, we are 'Saga & Kanon'." Shinn says proudly.
"No way dude… you guys are Saga & Kanon the Buster & Blitz Gundam duo? You guys are like a legend in that game." Kenji's eye widens, and his mouth open so large you can fit an egg in it, "You guys only lost once against that guy…"
"Yeah, the KIRA right?" Shinn says with a snort noise, "For your information, it was a draw, the only reason they counted us lose was because we fight with him two on one. But I know Yu can take that guy by himself."
"Hey Kazuki, I bet even you can't beat them." Kouyou turns to Kazuki.
"I'll try."
"That's the boys. They become friends fast when talking about competition games." Maya, who is pushing Shouko's wheelchair, shakes her head with a smile. While the boys discussing their favorite arcade game, the girls are walking on the other side.
"Maya, you think Kazuki can win against the Asukas right?" Shouko looks up from her wheelchair.
"Well… I don't know. Kazuki is the best Gundam VS Gundam player here in Tatsumiya, but…"
"You want him to win right?"
"D, don't be absurd!"
-
While the students of Tatsumiya Advanced Academy's Grade 8, class 2 are having a good time, somewhere under the school…
"Sir, we are getting a reading on our radar!" Bart Heim, who set in front of radar like machine start turns back towards the man sitting in the middle of the room.
"Can we determine its type?" The man in his early 30s with long black hair asks.
"I'm trying… energy reading, it's a D class shadow! It's closing in near the beach!"
"Dispatch Aegis team immediately!"
"Yes sir! Aegis team, mobilize! Repeat, Aegis team mobilize!"
-
What is that? Shinn who is chatting with his new friends suddenly feels a chill down his spin. He turns around to see his brother Yu who is looking back at him. He known something is wrong.
Suddenly, something jumps out of the sea. It was a black colored blob with a white mask like face in the middle and many hands like tentacles stretching out of its body, "It's that thing!"
"Shinn! Yu! Fall back!" Ryou, who looks quit laid back suddenly turns serious as he pulls a pistol out of his pocket, and aims it at his own head.
Is he gonna shot himself? Shinn turns around, and find his cousin Kazuki is doing the same thing.
"I'm counting on you Cronus!" "Elf!"
Bam! Bam! Two guns fire, but instead of blowing a hole out of Ryou and Kazuki's head, something… appear, as if being blow out of their head by their gun. Those white shinning fragment forms into two humanoid figures, with armors covering their body and mask covering their faces.
Shinn couldn't help but realize, they have a similar look as the blue angel, who keeps on appearing in his nightmare.
The blob like creature let out a roar, as it charges at the students near the beach. "Stop it, Cronus." Ryou gives out a command, as the figure appeared out of his head also charges at the creature. Wielding a black scythe, it cut off one of its tentacle arm. It fall on the beach, jumping furiously for a few second before finally went dead and turns into a puddle of black. The figure appeared out of Kazuki also joins in the fight.
We should run… Shinn thinks to himself, but there's something makes him stay and watch the battle.
One of the tentacle arms from the blob knocks Cronus back on the beach.
"Run, everyone… We can't hold a D class shadow with only two Personas." Ryou who starts to sweat fall to one of his knees, that figure is obviously draining a lot of his stamina, "Yeah, Shinn? The persona you were asking… that's it."
"Out our way you damn civilians!" A loud shout is heard behind Shinn, he turns to look and see a white haired boy running from towards them from school. From the different uniform, it is obvious he is a senpai (Japanese for elder student) from high school department, "The Aegis team will take over from here. Karin you take recon! Dearka, Shiho you two support me from distance, I'll charge in with my Caesar!"
"Yes sir/Yzak!"
"Medea!" Karin, the only middle-schooler summons calls out of her persona, it was a female figure wearing red jump suit with a white helmet covering her face.
"Iris!" "Ulysses!" Shiho the high school girl with black hair and Dearka the guy with tan skin and blond hair both summons their persona with their hand gun. Iris was a female figure covered with armor who wears a rainbow colored cape, while Ulysses is a male figure whose right hand is a huge bow like canon.
"Shadow scum, don't mess with us! Caesar!" Yzak shout loudly as he also brings the gun to his head and summons his persona, a heavily armored male figure wielding a huge sword.
With Caesar joining in close combat, Iris and Ulysses distracting the shadow with their range attack they are finally able to able to keep the shadow at bay. Although Medea seems to be doing nothing, Shinn noticed after it appears the other personas seems to fight better as they can more easily dodge the shadow's attack. It's reading the enemy movement?
Then, he noticed something else. A bad feeling as if rising from the water itself, draw closer and closer at them.
Something is still in there. Who is it targeting at?
Then Shinn realize it, the girl in wheelchair, what was her name again? Is it Shouko? And the girl holding the wheelchair Maya, they are easiest target now.
He runs straight at them as the feeling grow stronger, "Out the way!" He pushed them so hard, Shouko fall out of her wheelchair and rolls on the ground with Maya for a few meters.
"What did you do that… for…" Maya turns up and yells at Shinn, but before she can finish her sentence she see it with horror, black hands rise from water grabbed Shinn, who stands where they were a few moments ago. For a split second, Shinn fought it with all his strength, but more hands reach out and pull him into water with a painful yell.
"Nii-san! NO!" Yu runs towards water, but he was held back by Rey.
"Don't go, he's already lost."
"No! Not my nii-san too! Shinn nii-san!" Yu with tear in his eyes cries out his brother's name.
