Persona: Spirits In Pixels – Chapter Six
Consumed By Self
Hey again guys! Not really a big announcement to make, but the poll is now up! If you have a few seconds to spare, go to my profile and vote for an answer. I must warn you though, the poll contains big spoilers for the next few chapters in this story, but I hope you will vote because I won't be able to make that chapter if I don't have a definite answer! Also there have been a crucial change to the fourth chapter, but I will let you check that out! For now though...Let's GT-R-DONE!
07/31 - Afternoon - The TV World
The sick yellow lights that emitted from the studio lighting shone on everyone from every corner of the TV world, creating that uneasy atmosphere for everyone as they delved deeper towards the dungeon that was in the exact same form as the Konishi family's liquor store. The entrance had no door on it, but there was an eerie portal with a hypnotising pattern, coloured with red and black, a combination that signalled danger.
"This place..." Yukiko said with an uneasy tone, "...it's quite small. How many floors does it have?" Yu turned his head to her with the unsettling answer springing to mind. "Just the ground floor, so Yosuke might be straight through that portal." Yu said, remembering his past experience in the building.
Naoto took a brief moment to observe the building with her detective's eye before turning back to the others. "Then I suggest we take a different approach." she said her deduction, making the others seem stumped about what she was talking about. "What do you mean a 'different approach'?" Chie asked worryingly, anxious to know Naoto's plan.
"This building is too small to fit everyone in, especially when we've got two more people in there. So what I think we should do is to let only around two or three people enter and the rest of us will hold back any Shadows that would attempt to enter as well." Everyone seemed slightly relieved about Naoto's suggestion, giving her confident nods of the head in agreement.
"In that case," Yu began sternly, "I'll be the first to go in. I'm considering this as my sorry to Yosuke." Since Yu wanted to get involved, this made everyone else more confident about the operation and Yosuke's rescue. "I've got your back, Senpai." Kanji assured Yu's safety, tucking his large shield-like weapon under his arm in readiness. "And I'll be right behind you!" Chie spoke straight after Kanji, confirming the three teammates to enter the dungeon.
"Huh? But what about me?" Rise childishly moaned. Naoto turned towards her with an answer at the ready which Rise found very obvious. "Rise, with your level of capability, I'm sure that you can give information to these three from outside a dungeon." Naoto's trust in her made Rise more willing to stay behind. "Okie dokie then! Don't worry, Senpai. I'll do my best for you!" she unsubtly said to Yu, almost making the others feel slightly put off. But despite the exchanging looks of bittersweet expressions, Yu still gave her that heartfelt smile of his, making her unable to hold back her blushes.
Yu, Kanji and Chie put aside the conversation and stood in front of the portal, taking a deep breath before taking any further steps. "Don't wait up." Yu said with a confident smile to the others before materialising through the doorway with his two other teammates at his side.
Following the patterns of striped red and black, the three walked slowly to the other side of the portal with nerves and anxiety, clueless about what was about to happen on the other side.
After a short while of walking through a hallway coloured in the same patterns, they stepped out of it, shocked at what they saw immediately after watching for the first couple of seconds.
Yosuke was in the centre of their vision, but he wasn't standing. He was laid on the cold, hard ground, stagnant and motionless as he was laid on his front, with some parts of his body covered in bruises, cuts and scars. His Kunai was spread out across the room, giving an impression that he was fighting something while he was in that room.
"Yosuke!" Chie cried out to him as the three ran over to him, rolling him over onto his back. Kanji tried shaking him, Chie tried to get his attention by calling him a few times, and Yu used an intent ear to check his breathing. Relieved, Yu heard some slow and weak breathing coming from his nose and mouth.
"Thank God he's breathing...but how did he end up like this?" Kanji asked the group, only making Yu think the hardest about the situation. After a while of long pondering, Yu could only have an idea that Shadows were involved, but with a need of more information, he resulted to Rise. "Rise! Can you find any Shadows from where we are?" He asked with a loud tone, lifting his head to get the best sound of her voice from his subconscious.
"I'm checking now, and..." Rise's voice echoed from inside their heads, pausing to concentrate on the area where they stood. Whilst she was scanning the area, Yu took his time to do the same, looking around the area and its enigmatic aura with a cautious disposition. After a slow search, Yu gave one quick scan with a flick of his head.
Suddenly, a vague image was seen in the corner of Yu's eye, quickly turning his head towards the thing that gave him a slight shock afterwards. In front of him was a ghostly image of a young girl who looked slightly older than him. But the only difference was that her body was transparent as he could see the whole of the opposite wall through her being. It was Saki Konishi.
"Guys..." Yu called for Chie and Kanji, pointing towards the ghostly Saki. As they looked up to her, they gave a slight gasp at her presence. "Is that...?" Chie asked with a look of slight fright and disbelief on her face. "It can't be though..." Kanji said, nearly lost for words. "...she's a frickin' ghost dammit..."
Yu stood up and walked towards her, looking at her expression as she looked down on the fallen Yosuke. Her pale face showed nothing else but sadness and guilt. "Yosuke..." she began slowly, casting echoes around the room even though her voice was quiet. "...I know what you're feeling right now, and I feel horrible for the things I thought about you...but please...let me go..." The three felt a sudden chill as Saki's words were spoken.
"Saki-Senpai?" Yu spoke to the ghostly girl, causing her head to lift. "But your..." he was lost in thought, trying to collect the right words to explain that she should be dead. But Saki gave a nod of her head and looked back at Yosuke. "I know...I'm not suppose to be here." she said with a shaken tone.
Kanji stood up from his crouch. "I don't wanna be rude about this but...why are you here?" he asked trying to be a polite as possible about the situation. Saki left an uneasy air of silence as she closed her eyes to enter deep thinking. Though, not one thought took her to any answer. She only ignored the question, still guiltily looking down at Yosuke. "...It's my fault...that he's like this..." she breathlessly said, letting a sob slip from her lips.
Rise's voice was then heard. "Senpai, I'm sensing one Shadow from within the area!" she warned with a loud echo, slightly startling the three once a Shadow was mentioned. They stood in their battle stances with weapons in tight hands, looking around the room for any abnormal sign of a Shadow. But after a long look, nothing was found, standing up straight from their stances.
"Are you sure it's a Shadow, Rise?" Chie asked as she concentrated on sending her voice to Rise. "I'm very positive there's one in there, and it's strong!" she gave another warning with a more worried tone. A long silence was then created in the air, especially when the eerie aura of Saki's presence still slight shook them.
"BOO!" a loud voice shouted from where Yosuke was, turned everyone's body towards the source. Their frights were then risen to new heights as they saw Yosuke's head being lifted by his own will. Or so it seemed.
As Yosuke faced the three and the spirit, his bright yellow eyes were then revealed from behind his eyelids, letting out a burst of evil laughter to belt from his lungs. He quickly stood up with no effort needed, despite the amount of injuries that were inflicted on his body. In fact, the cuts and scars that covered his arms and legs started to heal as a dark shroud emitted from his body. The trio then knew that Rise was right about the Shadow. It was Yosuke's Shadow.
"Huh? But you...!" Yu shouted at the Shadow, taking a more intense battle stance. Yosuke's other took a brief chuckle, savouring the sight of three shocked faces standing in front of him.
"This is just too sweet!" the Shadow boasted. "You're all probably thinking now, 'Oh wait! Isn't that Yosuke's Shadow? And wait again! Has it just taken over his body?" The others didn't realise it, but they noticed after a while that it was true. Yosuke's body was taken over by his Shadow.
"Let him go!" Yu yelled in frustration. "Or do I need to remind you how this went down last time?" As before, the Shadow could only laugh right in Yu's face. "You think it's that simple this time?" said the copy with a wicked smile.
The dark shroud that surrounded his body started to flow more rapidly, giving a menacing aura about himself. "I own the body of your 'precious' friend. Hit me with that Katana of yours...and I'm afraid you can kiss his ass goodbye!" he shouted with a boastful voice, folding his arms with pride.
The trio didn't know what to think. All they could do was fixate their eyes on Yosuke's manifested feelings with an angered glare. Yu was just desperate to get any information from Rise, and luckily, after a long silence, she did. "Senpai! What's wrong? Where is that shouting coming from?"
"Rise," Yu spoke aloud to his mind, "it's Yosuke! His body's being controlled by his Shadow, I need to know if he's still hanging in there!" The desperation in his voice raised the determination in Rise as she quickly tapped into Kanzeon's power to scan Yosuke's body from afar. Fortunately, Kanzeon did the job quickly and Rise spoke her results.
"Yu, he is still definitely alive. I can feel a strong life essence coming from him!" Rise said, only to hear no response from him. She waited for a little longer for any word from him, but still, silence was all she got.
"What's going on in there?" Teddie shouted with a panicked expression, flailing his small bear arms above his large grizzly head. Rise blocked out Teddie's worry and concentrated on getting any reply, raising her worries higher than Teddie's were. "Senpai? ...Senpai can you hear me?"
Shortly after, a large grunting noise of three people came from her subconscious which startled her at first. But what made matters worse for the rest of the team was the sudden sight of the three being knocked out from the dungeon, seeming like a large force was used to throw them that far from where they were. They all landed on the hard ground, struggling to get up.
Everyone else helped them up to their feet and looked towards where they were looking. A long unsettling moment passed before Yosuke's Shadow came walking out of the portal with his face creased with the menacing expression of anger and irritation, and with Yosuke's Kunai grasped tightly in each hand.
"Just call it quits already..." the Shadow shouted with the familiar bellowing voice merging with his voice. "I lost her once, and I'm not losing her again! Just let us be!" Yu, Chie and Kanji were surprised by the sudden change in attitude from the Shadow, and more questions arose.
"You mean Saki-Senpai? I really hate to say this to you Yosuke, but she's dead!" Kanji shouted to get across to him, letting Yukiko get involved. "We know how much she meant to you, but can't you find it in your heart to let her go?" she asked him softly, hoping that he would reply quietly. Unfortunately, he didn't. "Shut up! To hell with that!" he yelled, turning his head towards Yu afterwards.
"Have you already forgotten how pissed I am with you!" he shouted at him, shaking his fist with an anger so great. "I am now with her...so you can just get out of my sight! Leave us!" Yu was intimidated at first, but he kept his guard up and looked at him with apologetic eyes.
He held his hand out, facing his palm upwards, causing a tarot card to hovering in his grasp with a light and blue flame surrounding it with a shining aura. "I'm sorry about this Yosuke..." he said quietly to his best friend's corrupted feelings. He then turned to the others with a quick turn of the head. "Spread out!"
Everyone quickly ran to a spot to surround the Shadow. Afterwards, Yu closed his hand quickly to crush the card, hearing a glass-shattering sound emitting from it. Suddenly, a large heroic figure erupted from the blue whirlwind that brewed around him, facing the Shadow with the huge oddly-shaped sword gripped tightly in his hand and his eyes squinted narrowly at it.
The figure rose high above Yu's head to reveal the full magnificence that belonged to the legendary god, Izanagi. His Persona took a battle stance, and in a quick flash took the first swing, with the Shadow just barely managing to dodge the attack with great agility. Even another few swings didn't land any hits.
"C'mon, you're suppose to be the leader!" the Shadow mocked Yu, pointing at him with an angry index finger. "Wanna try again, dumbass?" Not only Yu was annoyed by his remark but the others as well, also intimidated to summon their Personas.
Yu dismissed Izanagi and instead used words to get across to the real Yosuke that was harboured inside the Shadow's flesh of darkness. "Yosuke!" he called out to him, "I know you're still mad at me...and I know I should have listened to you. But please! Don't let your feelings get the best of you. Your stronger than this!"
As Yu's words were projected out to his best friend, the Shadow, after a while quivered in a quiet pain as he held his head, trying to keep his host from leaving his Shadow's body. Eventually, the pain ended, but there was no sign of the Shadow giving up. "He's not getting away that easily..." Yosuke's other said with the most menacing of voices passing through his lips.
Soon after, his opened his arms with a show-off expression and slightly lifted his head. This caused a stronger aura of darkness to build up around him, emitting an enigmatic current of blinding light to burst out from his body.
The light rebounded off of the windows of every building that surrounded the area and squinted the eyes of everyone who used their hands and arms to block the light from their sight.
Once the light faded, everyone immediately opened their eyes to see that Yosuke's Shadow was no longer the form of what used to be Yu's best friend. But he instead took the form of a large, abnormal Shadow that he has seen before. Even the Shadow looked exactly like his former Persona, Jiraiya.
"I am a Shadow...the true self..." the gigantic Shadow bellowed, "I am staying with Saki-Senpai, and there is nothing you can do to stop me! Go to hell!" Everyone was too shocked to comprehend what Yosuke's manifested feelings have become.
"This is...what Yosuke has become?" Chie asked rhetorically, yet seriously, only staring up at the Shadow and it's horrid image. "Don't worry about it right now!" Yu shouted to the others, "I'm the one he's after. I'll distract him while you guys go in for the kill!" Everyone gave a slightly worried reply to his order.
Yu quickly ran into one direction and Yosuke's Shadow followed after him with rapid speed since he had four large toad feet to run on. Everyone else followed it and the first one to summon her Persona was Chie.
"Come on!" she shouted as a high kick was executed to break her tarot card. This caused her Persona, Suzuka Gongen, to rise from the eruption of blue flames that burst out from the ground. With it's acrobatic skill with the large red double-blade that was carried in both of it's gladiator hands, it made one giant swing of it's legendary weapon to pierce deep into one of the Shadow's back legs, causing it to trip over, nearly crushing Yu under it.
Yu quickly spun around and called forth another Persona that was ready at his disposal in the deepest part of his psyche. Instead of Izanagi, he called forward, Ose. The ferocious demon that was half-leopard, half-human rose high into the sky and then came back crashing down onto the Shadow with a Power Slash to the body that sat on top of the Shadow's larger one.
After Yosuke was knocked down onto it's back by a critical hit from Yu, Naoto seized the opportunity to summon her Persona, Yamato-Takeru, with the shot of her pistol to break the tarot card. "All yours!" she yelled as the Persona was about to use it's Hamaon attack.
As the large rings of light gathered around the Shadow, it suddenly bounced off of its body, causing it to return to Naoto as it surrounded the area which she stood in. Just as the attack was complete, Naoto just jumped out of self-harm with a dive-roll, looking behind her to see the the dangerous light which she could have been engulfed in.
"Of course, light isn't working on this Shadow!" Naoto shouted to Rise, whose Persona was called to give support during the battle. "Got it!" she answered Naoto, "but it also seems that dark attacks don't work either!" This made Naoto slightly more annoyed since her Persona also possessed the Mudoon power.
"My turn then!" Kanji called out to them, ready to strike at any moment with his weapon of choice which was oddly, a shield with a few spikes jammed into it. At this point, the Shadow rolled back onto it's front and regained its balance, standing strongly once again.
Kanji missed his chance for a definite hit, but he was still determined to call forth his Persona, Rokuten Maoh, smiling widely as it's blazing-flame motif was decorated on it's steel skin.
He pointed towards the target and the Persona rushed towards the Shadow with it's flame-style sword gripped tightly in it's iron fists, giving an enormous swing, causing the attack, Primal Force, to burst from the tip of the sword, condensing the energy into a strong beam of light.
Unfortunately, the Shadow successfully dodged the attack and charged towards the attack. Instead of making any movement to dodge, Kanji was stunned with a comically gobsmacked look as his wide eyes could not find any space to run to. Because of this, the Shadow used its Wind of Oblivion to sweep Kanji off of his feet, sending him flying until he hit the the ground next to Teddie.
"You okay Kanji?" Teddie asked him over-dramatically, only getting a sour response from Kanji. "Yeah, but I'll get him next time!" He then stood up, leaning on his upright shield to support his unbalanced body.
As the Shadow looked down on Kanji, the human-shaped body that sat on top of the larger half of the Shadow attempted to bring one of its gloved fists down onto him. But it was only when the fist was raised that Yu saved him from that pain by jumping from behind and landing a huge blow from his Katana on its head, crying out in agony as the attack was relented.
"Try again Kanji!" Yu shouted to him as he landed on his feet, running out of Kanji's way for a second chance. "Get ready for a cheap shot!" Kanji yelled at the Shadow with a look of satisfaction on his face as he called his Persona back onto the battlefield.
As Rokuten Maoh swung his fire-consumed blade for a second time, it called forth a large voltage of hazardous energy from the sky which was his signature spell, Zionga. With the thousands of watts coursing through its body, the Shadow was knocked down for a second time, falling onto its back with another yell of anger and frustration.
Naoto also took a second chance at getting back at the Shadow. Calling forth Yamato-Takeru again, Naoto tapped into her Persona's mind to call forth an acrobatic sword attack to rain down onto the fragile Shadow body. With its small but sharp weapon gripped in its hands, Yamato-Takeru hovered and dived towards the Shadow, unleashing the colourful Vorpal Blade attack, slicing and slashing in all directions, in and out of the Shadow's dark flesh.
In response to this attack, the Shadow's anger had risen to new heights as he quickly stood back up for another time. His two eyes from the large Shadow and his two eyes from his human form that sat on top of it was fixated on Yukiko, slightly intimidating her with the Power Charge that consumed him with a strength-hungry colour of a sharp blue light.
Yukiko made her move by casting a Diarahan to heal Kanji from his wind-inflicted scars, only knowing that it saps her chance to strike the Shadow. And as anticipated, it made it's move by creating an even stronger Wind of Oblivion on Yukiko.
Fortunately, the attack was off aim and Yukiko only needed to dodge the attack with a couple of large strides. When the time was right, she called forth her Persona, Amaterasu, to unleash a devastating inferno of Agidyne to the Shadow's stomach, winding him to a vulnerable state.
"Pain in the ass!" shouted the weak Shadow, charging up his attack for yet another Wind of Oblivion onto everyone on the battleground. Gathering up the wind and air around him, he condensed it into a sudden gale that homed in straight for them.
But luckily, Teddie came in at the last moment to summon his Persona, Kamui, to cast a Marakukaja on the whole team to withstand the mighty blow of the forcing hurricane of punishment. Afterwards, Teddie came through the fog of dirt that was made from the attack to reach into the mind of Kamui. The thought was set and Kamui charged at the Shadow, casting a Mabufudyne on all four legs that the Shadow was standing on, causing it to lose its balance completely, and fall to the ground once more.
This only made things worse for the investigation team, as the Shadow's hatred only grew stronger and deadlier than ever possible.
A long silence passed as everyone looked at the defeated Shadow as it quivered and twitched with exhaustion. "Is it over?" Rise asked as she dismissed Kanzeon back to her psyche. "I'm not too sure..." Yu said unnervingly, walking closer and closer to the Shadow, slowly and steadily. He held a hand out to the team, telling them not to follow him.
"Y-Yosuke?" Yu reached out to him in question, leaning over slightly to look at the four eyes that his Shadow owned, creepily finding them open.
Suddenly, the golden-yellow eyes of the manifestation darted at him with fury lighting up the eyes. It shot up from its rest and the human form quickly grabbed Yu's body with one of its gigantic hands, holding him up high and then smashing him into a nearby building, crushing him into the rough, brittle bricks that scratched down his back. All he could do was yell in utter agony and struggle.
"Yu! No!" Rise shouted for him, stunned to the core just to watch him writhe in pain at his best friend's corruption. Everyone else knew that shouting for him won't do any good and immediately charged towards the Shadow with weapons and Personas at the ready.
But without warning, the enormous half of the Shadow saw this and quickly unleashed another Wind of Oblivion, successfully throwing everyone in its wake, a large distance away from Yu.
Rise was the first one to stand up, and the first one to see that everyone was struggling to get back up on their feet. She couldn't do anything, knowing that her Persona didn't exist to be battle-orientated. "Stop! Stop hurting him you bastard!" she shouted, not showing anger or hatred, but devastation.
Yosuke's Shadow could only laugh at what he saw as incompetence. "I warned you! And this is what you get for not listening to me! Now have you gotten the hint?" the Shadow bellowed in Yu's face.
Yu had no comebacks, nor words of cruelty. "Yosuke..." he said softly, "...you were right to say that I didn't listen to you. I mean...how could I not...you are my best friend after all. I know that the Saki we saw was...not alive...but your thoughts were better than my own, despite the expectations that we had. But now I'm asking you...as your best friend...please...forgive me..."
A long while passed between the human and the Shadow, making Yu lower his head in lost hope.
But then, the grip in the large hand became softer, and then suddenly, a loud and deafening scream came from the Shadow which was not of Yosuke's voice, but of a low, monstrous bellowing.
Yu was surprised by this reaction and shot his head up towards a light that then appeared next to the Shadow. The figure in the light who was down on his knees, was also screaming with the Shadow, but the features of the person were happily clear to him as the body went from transparent to solid. It was Yosuke, as himself.
The screams from Yosuke subsided almost immediately after the Shadow's yells were heard, and he instantly picked himself up onto his two feet. He ran a small distance away from his Shadow, picked up his littered Kunai and concentrated his mind as he held out his hand.
In that hand appeared his tarot card, as always, consumed in a blue inferno. And shortly, after his mind was calmed, he used one of his knives to slice the card in half, revealing his Persona, Susano-o.
In the shining glory when Yosuke summoned his facet, the Shadow that once possessed him, watching him in fear as he lifted an index finger at it. "Get your dirty hands off of him!" Yosuke shouted at his true self, ordering Susano-o to call an instant Brave Blade to pierce through the body of his manipulated feelings.
With the large saw that hovered around Susano-o's neck, was then thrown at the Shadow with great speed, surrounding its sharp tips with the light that would purge any darkness, including his own. The saw, ripped through his other's theoretical flesh and then sliced through the other end of the body.
Yu watched his power in awe and then turned his attention to the Shadow who finally lost the grip on his body, letting him fall back to the ground, unable to recover the feeling in some parts of his body for some time.
As Susano-o was dismissed into Yosuke's psyche, the Shadow was left lying on the ground, transmogrifying back into it's host's form. Yosuke approached his feelings and knelt down to it with one knee, watching it lie there defeated and nearly breathless.
"You deny your desire?" the Shadow muttered to Yosuke, managing to give him a forced grin with the corner of his lips. Yosuke replied to him with a chuckle, and soon enough the grin on his dark self's face faded away. "I'm sure you can answer that," he muttered slowly back to it, "after all...you are me."
After those last three words, the Shadow gave one last angered look at him before lowering his head to the ground, slowly materialising into particles of light, and sending its dust away from him in a graceful manner.
Yosuke then looked towards Yu who only had the building wall to support himself up. He rushed over to him and quickly offered his shoulder to him. "Need a hand partner?" Yosuke asked Yu with a smile, using his arm as a hook around his neck to help him. "Would be nice." Yu joked with a returning smile, laughing with him at the reminiscent battle.
"Looks like you're the one that helps me up this time." Yu said kindly, getting a wry smile in return. "I guess so," Yosuke replied, "but I think I should leave that job to you." Yu was surprised at first to hear that from Yosuke, but he understood.
After a while, Yosuke let go of Yu and enabled him to stand again, letting the feeling in his legs recover slowly. Soon after, everyone else came running towards the two. "Senpai!" Rise shouted in relief, running to Yu and giving him a tight hug. "Thank goodness your safe!" Yu could hear the slight distress in his voice.
While Yu and Rise had their tender moment, Chie came up to Yosuke and stood in front of him, giving him the sad look in her eyes. "Missed me?" Yosuke joked with a warm smile given to his longtime friend. Chie's eyes started to water, but just so he wouldn't see it, she raised a hand and swiped it across his face, making him duck away his pain.
"Oww!" he shouted in Chie's face. Her eyes then started to show some anger. "Missed you? I was worried sick! Why would you do that to me?" she shouted with a wobbly tone.
Shortly after, Saki Konishi's pale, ghostly body appeared before everyone. Oddly, her presence seemed warming rather than chilling. "Yosuke..." she muttered his name again, "...do you understand now?" Yosuke looked down at his feet reluctantly, but then nodded to himself and lifted his head up to her again with a confident look. "I do now..." he quietly said, "...it will be painful, but I know I must."
Everyone knew that he was finally ready to move on, including Saki, who slowly faded away from vision with an image of her smiling, stuck in their minds. They all turned to him to give him a smile, and he forced one back.
A long while passed to welcome back Yosuke and another one was taken to put their equipment back into Teddie's 'secret' place and to make the journey back to their world, entering the large group of TV's and back into Junes. The noise of the heavy rain continued to pat the windows as they came through.
07/31 - Afternoon - The Real World
Instead of heading home, everyone gathered round in a ring formation and began to find an explanation for all that's happened."So, what did you make of that?" Yosuke asked, trying to make any sense of what occurred. Even Yu seemed to be lost in deep thought. "That was definitely Saki-Senpai, but as a...how should I put it...a spirit," he began his deduction.
"Hey Senpai," Kanji called for Yosuke, "did she tell you anything before your Shadow when ape-shit on us?" His question immediately sprung a few ideas to Yosuke's mind as he showed a look of realisation.
"Oh yeah..." Yosuke began slowly and reluctantly, "...she told me to let her go. And then she said that if I didn't...the feelings that I had for her would take me over...what did she mean?" Having his say, Naoto was listening intently and then shot her head up from her thinking.
"The feelings you had...you mean like your desires?" she asked him with her detective tone. Yosuke thought about what she suggested and then gave a nod. "I suppose you could say that..."
"Then that would make more sense..." Naoto said, nearly interrupting Yosuke. Everyone turned towards her with curiosity and interest, listening to what she has to say.
"The Midnight Channel is like a window that reflects one's desires, correct?" Everyone nodded in unison to Naoto's question. "So what if Saki Konishi was a spirit that was created by Yosuke's desires that needed to be quelled. To reinforce this idea, Yosuke was able to fight his Shadow which, as we all remember, was a collection of suppressed feelings, and just by facing his true feelings, the Shadow disappeared. Saki disappeared when he faced her...do you all agree?"
"That's actually quite true." Yukiko commented, supporting Naoto's deduction. "Wow! You really are the detective prince Naoto-kun!" Teddie whimsically commented after, giving his charming human smile.
"Actually, now that you mention it..." Yosuke slowly said as he thought, "...that seems about right...nice one!"
Long minutes passed before everyone decided to head back home, ready to walk into the pouring rain which didn't seem to let up at any time. Nearly everyone left, but Yosuke stopped Yu as they were close to the exit.
"Hey...I need to talk to you for a minute..." Yosuke said with his voice lowered in a serious tone, "You know when you asked me to forgive you?" Yu seemed slightly saddened at the thought, having that thought that he let his best friend down. "Yes..." he said forcefully.
Yosuke sighed deeply before saying anything else. "I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness." he said, surprising Yu as he shot his head up to see his truthful expression. "Really? But I..." Yu said, trying to contradict Yosuke of his words, but he was cut off by a pausing hand. "No...it was me who should have listened, not you..." Yosuke said, giving Yu a wry smile, "...so...are we still friends?"
Hearing the question that seemed to have a obvious answer, Yu gave a chuckle before putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Best friends." he gave a better answer to Yosuke, getting a genuine smile in return.
"Well in that case, let's go home partner." Yosuke finally said with the usual fun voice to him before leaving with him out into the rain, catching up with the others as they played like children in the rain.
HARHAR! Finally done with this chapter! So sorry about the long update, but I hope that the length of this chapter helped compensate that! Another announcement to make, I am now doing update statuses on my profile now, so you can get the news about future chapters, ongoing polls or a change in a story. Check it out! Keep reading and reviewing, and I hope that I will complete another chapter soon! CYA!