Volume 2

Yosuke would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed the thrill of the fight. He loved wielding his duel blades and striking down the enemies with speed and precision. He was undoubtedly the second fastest on the team, second only to perhaps Naoto. Yosuke repressed a gleeful huff as he destroyed another black beast. Perhaps is was unhealthy for him to be enjoying this so much, but he grew to just ignore it.

He nearly missed a Shadow that tried to jump him from behind, but Aila was there with a pistol she borrowed from Naoto to back him up. Yosuke looked at her over his shoulder.

"Thanks!" He called. Aila grinned back.

"Watch your own ass next time, will ya?" She joked, shooting another Shadow. Her aim wasn't the best, but she could usually get the creatures after a couple of bullets.

The others surrounded the remaining enemies and, before they knew it, they were all in the clear.

"Piece of cake!" Yosuke yelled triumphantly. He put his weapons away.

"We should go on," Narukami suggested, gesturing further down the warped hallway. Tonight, it was he, Yosuke, Aila, and Chie on the team and they were following Rise's directions towards where they suspected the boss was. No one had been abducted for a few months, but that didn't lessen the overabundance of battles with the bosses.

"It's in the room ahead," Rise's voice came. The group nodded and walked on.

Narukami opened the door, stepping through first. He scanned the dark area and motioned for the others to follow when everything seemed clear. The room didn't have much to it; it was just a rest lounge with a few sofas pointing towards the far wall and a mini bar in the back corner. No one was behind it.

"What an odd place," Chie muttered, wandering over to one of the green couches. She poked it cautiously with her finger as if its cushions would suddenly turn into mouths and try to bite her hand off. Suddenly, Aila gasped.

"Narukami!" She said, grabbing his arm.

The far wall was opening up to reveal a large window that overlooked race track. On the track, everyone could vaguely see a slim figure looking the other way.

"It's Mina!" Aila touched the glass with her fingers and pressed her face to the window. "Mina! Mina, can you hear me?!"

The figure slowly turned around. They were too far to see the details in her face, but it didn't matter as she suddenly vanished. A massive sports car drove over the spot Mina had been standing in, transforming into a mushy Shadow halfway down the track. The car's doors and parts became spikes and shields on its body and it stared up at the group as it waited for them to come down.

"Let's go and get it!" Yosuke yelled.

"Yeah!" Chie agreed. "Let's take this thing down!"

Narukami broke the glass with the back of his blade and they descended towards the enemy.

After the battle, Narukami, Chie, and Yosuke flopped to the ground. They panted, but were still able to pull enough air into them to celebrate.

"Nothing can take us down!" Yosuke cheered, falling onto his back.

"Yeah, that was a breeze," Chie agreed.

Narukami propped up his elbow with his knee, taking a final breath of air. "How are you feeling, Aila?" He looked around, but she was no where to be found. The others, hearing no response from the girl, looked up too, and scanned the area with their eyes for their comrade.

"Yuu!" Rise's voice cried. "She's heading out of the stadium! And there's a Shadow heading her way!"

"No!" Narukami scrambled to his feet and started booking it towards the track's entrance. Yosuke and Chie stumbled after them.

Aila was just outside of the stadium, roaming around in the Midnight Channel's fog. Her purple framed glasses glimmered in what little light shown from the track's spotlights. She twisted this way and that, screaming Mina's name until her body finally settled in one position and she went still. A girl stood a few feet away in the fog, back turned to Aila. She had a navy cloak on her head to hide the majority of her head, although a few chocolate strands frayed in all directions from beneath it. Her slender form shivered with the wind, as though she were just a projection.

"Mina!" Aila yelled, starting to run her way. A magnificent and powerful bird-like Shadow rose before Mina, wrapping her up in its feathers. "No!"

"That Shadow is really strong!" Rise exclaimed, nearly blowing out

everyone's eardrums. "We can't possible pull of fighting it tonight!"

Narukami came up behind Aila and wrapped her up in his arms. She struggled against him, her feet wildly kicking off of the ground.

"Narukami! Let me go after her! I can't leave Mina!"

"No! It's too dangerous!" Narukami looked back over his shoulder. "We can't fight it, Yosuke! We've got to get out of here!"

"Right!" Yosuke went over to help his friend take the girl out of there, but before they could escape, they were surrounded by other Shadows. Aila writhed out of Narukami's grasp and sped forward. She pulled out her pistol and started shooting the creatures that bit at her ankles. She hurried onward, flanked by Yosuke.

"Aila, stop!" He yelled when he caught up to her. He grabbed one of her wrists, harshly halting her in her tracks. "What if it's a trap?!"

"So do we just leave her at the mercy of those monsters?!" She countered. Yosuke got a pained look, squeezing her slightly before finally letting her go.

"Fine," he relented, arming his knives. "Just don't go alone." He was right beside her as they charged through the horde of Shadows towards the giant bird, who had Mina hanging limply in its beak. The girl didn't move, and this made Aila's strides all the more swifter.

"Yosuke!" She called. "Aim for the wings so it can't fly off!" Yosuke nodded.

"Got it!"

The threw themselves into the monster's feathers and tore them apart as fast as they could. However, the wings were gigantic, and they didn't get very far. It made a low caw and tried to brush them off. Aila almost missed her window to dodge, but was able to avoid its blow. She stumbled back as the monster lifted one of its massive legs to squash her unbalanced body.

"Jiraiya!" Yosuke yelled. His massive disco-like Persona came to her aid, holding off the foot with its crossed arms. Yosuke grunted as the bird pushed harder on Jiraiya.

"Izanagi!" They heard Narukami shout. His Persona used its massive sword to chop the Shadow's leg. It squawked, trying not to drop Mina from its mouth. Aila regained her composure and aimed her gun at the bird's neck. She shot once, missed. She shot again, and this one hit its mark, cutting off the bird's cry. It let Mina drop from its mouth and Aila ran to where the girl tumbled. She was right below her, ready to break Mina's fall, when the Shadow bent its head back down to catch Mina and nearly bite Aila's arm off. Its razor sharp tip scratched her arm, causing blood to spurt all over her clothing. Aila screamed and crumpled to the ground.

"Aila!" Yosuke was at her side in an instant. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine!" She tried to brush Yosuke off. "Get Mina! Please!" Even as they spoke, the bird was taking flight.

"No way! You need medical attention now!" Yosuke picked her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest.

"No! Mina! Get Mina!" She cried. "Please, Yosuke!" The bird was already flying off, Izanagi and Chie's Persona, Suzuka Gongen, tried to chase after it. They returned shortly, having lost the bird in the fog.

Aila cried in Yosuke's arms as he carried her back to the main area where everyone waited.

... ...

Volume 2! This is just a short battle chapter meant to show Aila's determination to saving Mina. This one was oddly difficult to write, and a little bit slower than I'd intended, but it you can stick with this, I promise it'll get better. :)

Thank you!