(Two chapters fused together; there's a weird jump in topics, but it's sort of better than two really short chapters)
You couldn't sleep well on Wednesday night. Not only did you start your job on Thursday, but it had been raining harshly. You were rather bitter that morning as you forced yourself to throw on an outfit and walk to the kitchen in your dorm.
"Didn't sleep well?"
The voice surprised you, but you didn't have the energy to jump. You looked toward the living room area and Robert was there.
"Yeah. The rain was pretty loud last night. I got up early only to realize I didn't even have class today."
How you wished you were him. You, on the other hand, had to get to your first class at 10 A.M., and you had about an hour to get there. Being only fifteen minutes away, you took your time munching on toast and drinking juice.
"So, you've talked to Yuni? What's she like?"
You started to say she was nice, not wanting to say anything negative about her (so you left out the part bout her being a tad spoiled). But you also told him it was a question out of the blue.
"Aaron was asking," Robert said. "That's all."
The guy could've just asked you directly... well, he was still asleep; you assumed he wanted Robert to deliver an answer.
You went to your classes...
-.
The training at the hospital consisted of people telling you what supplies to use and where to find more. There wasn't much different to it from your old job.
"We'll give you a radio in case someone needs you to clean up something right away," a man told you. You received a walkie-talkie to clip onto a pocket and an earpiece. "Until then, feel free to familiarize yourself with the layout of the hospital. Just remember to get some cleaning done while you're at it." He nodded and left you alone.
Unsure of where to start, you found a hallway with some windows you could scrub. Before you started, you hopefully looked around for the one person you might've known at that hospital.
And strangely enough, he was standing around. The familiar dark-eyed man, clad in green scrubs and a nametag, noticed you and took a few steps in your direction. You greeted Zero and thanked him for the job. You told him about how well the interview went, and you were grateful for the things Zero said.
"I only told them what I could interpret from your dancing skills."
You gave him a confused look.
"Your stamina, your will to keep playing the game, your determination to improve upon something you did poorly on before." He shrugged. "Also, you didn't seem like the kind person to bother me on the job, so I saw no reason why I shouldn't get you hired."
He sighed. "I have to check on someone." Without saying goodbye, he walked down the hallway.
Afterward, you were surrounded by strangers, so you took your time and stared out the large windows to the parking lot. You could see the buildings across the street and the mass amounts of cars driving back and forth.
"Room 206 on the south end needs a spill cleaned," you heard on the radio. You found the talk button and let the caller know you were onto it.
As soon as you found the room...
-.
"Hey Souji?'
Emi managed to find you on campus on Friday. You were around the school to meet up with classmates, and you told her about it beforehand. Afterward, you saw her standing in the hallway.
"Rage said he and Akira wanted to talk to you as soon as they could. I guess nobody had your number, so Rage asked me to tell you. You should really exchange numbers with everybody," she finished on a teasing note. "Rage says he's at Yuni's house with Akira. I'll let them know you're on your way, okay?"
You nodded, puzzled as to what Rage's intentions were. Nevertheless, if he took such odd means to contact you, it must've been important, so you made your way to Yuni's residence.
-.
"Welcome, Mister Seta," a green maid said at the door. "Mister Kongouji is waiting for you."
Kongouji? Well, it wasn't Rage's name, so perhaps she was talking about Akira. You began to remove your shoes when the maid began talking again.
"Mister Ito says to bring those with you."
You assumed this had something to do with the TV. But, would it involve Akira this time...? That aside, the maid took you down what was becoming a familiar route through the mansion hallways and to the room with the TV.
Inside the room, Rage, Akira, and surprisingly Devil Zukin waited for you. The maid shut the door and sounded like she walked away.
"We've got bad news," Rage started. "Akira... you wanna tell him what you know?"
The tall man nodded. "The other day... Yuni snuck out of the mansion again. A uniform was missing, so I traveled the city looking for a blonde green maid again. I went to her favorite places, every place I usually check," he paused, "and I failed to find her." Feelings of regret tainted his words. "When it was past midnight, I finally gave up... she never stays out that late, so I figured she had come home. But she hadn't. In fact," he found it hard to continue, "she hasn't come home at all."
"Rage-sama and I believe there is an explanation for her absence," Zukin said. "And... I may have proof... if I may have permission to say it."
"They told me you knew a secret," Akira continued. "If... if there's anything I can do..."
His usual intimidating and powerful demeanor was reduced to a broken voice that sounded as if he was about to beg for your help. It was clear... he was blaming himself for Yuni's disappearance. He wouldn't dismiss it unless you told him the truth.
You took a deep breath, worried about what could happen to Akira after learning what you knew... but you told him anyway, about how people are captured and trapped in the television. From what Zukin implied, you assumed that was why Yuni had gone missing.
"A world inside the television with monsters...?" he asked. "That explains why Zukin needed my sword earlier..."
You forgot that all this time that it belonged to the man standing in front of you. You were about to tell him it was under the couch, but Zukin continued your explanation.
"As I said, I can prove that Yuni's in the television," Zukin said. "I saw her. Wednesday night..."
"Good evening, citizens," Yuni said sadistically. She wore a red robe and jewel-encrusted crown, both fit for a queen. She was holding what looked like a whip in her hand.
"Your queen has an important message for you. I'll be looking out for you liars and cheaters and teaching you all a lesson." She snapped her whip on the ground. "The lucky ones will be my new slaves. And my innocent citizens," she grinned, "will watch as justice is served right here on television." She snapped the whip again and cackled for a moment before sitting on a soft-looking scarlet chair.
"Just wait," she said, resting her chin in her hand, "and they'll all get the punishment they deserve. Learn what's in store for you as long as I, Yuni Verse, rule this kingdom!"
"I... what?" Akira stammered. "You saw her on television...? I don't remember her playing the role of a queen..."
"A month ago, I would've believed it was a role she played," Zukin said, "but there are too many coincidences to other victims. She's not only missing, but she appeared on TV at midnight when it was raining outside. That had to be her Shadow."
"And a Shadow," Akira tried to piece together, "is... another side of her?" He shook his head.
"We'll go and get her out of there," Rage promised. "All we have to do is get Souji to take us in the TV. He and Zukin already saved me, so saving her will be cake for the three of us."
Akira didn't respond for a moment. He started at the ground in thought. Then he looked at you.
"Please take me with you."
The three of you looked at him questionably.
"It's my job to protect her." He sounded like he had other reasons to be attached to the mission, so you said it was all right with you, but you warned of the dangers that were in there, especially without a Persona.
"I have a weapon," he confirmed. You wondered if he was addressing the sword you stole, which is when you said it was under the couch. You were in an awkward position, because you couldn't strip him of his own weapon just so you could use it...
"I don't use that," Akira responded. He turned to the side and revealed a holster for a gun.
Since when did he have that, anyway...? You never noticed it before.
Quickly, he whipped out the gun out, twirled the black handgun around his finger, and pointed it to your head, about an inch away. You heard a clicking noise and froze for a few seconds.
"It isn't loaded," Akira assured before putting it back. "But I've been trained to handle anything. I may not have a Persona, but I would be able to help."
You took a moment to rid yourself of the fear from the near-death experience. Akira was... interesting to have around, and you welcomed him to the team.
"All right," Rage said, "we can go in and rescue Yuni with Akira! That's two more people than last time. This'll be easy."
"Hold on, Rage-sama," Zukin said. "Today is Friday."
"So...? Crap," he stuttered. "Emi's not gonna be happy if I keep skipping out." He shook his head. "But this is more important! Yuni's trapped in there and we have to get her out!"
"I suggest that you go to the arcade," Zukin suggested. "I don't always go to the arcade, so Emi won't suspect anything. If Yuni doesn't show up, Akira may not be expected either. As for Souji... he simply has no choice but to lead us into the television. But if you don't show up, surely it will worry people. Of course, don't tell anyone we're in the television."
Rage sighed. "Okay, I'll go. I'll... just say I don't know what you guys are up to. You guys better not get hurt, okay?" After getting a nod from all of you, he left the room.
You realized your team was full of awkward quiet people at that point, and you missed Rage already...
"Please take these," Zukin said to Akira. "After seeing Yuni in the television, Konsento and I constructed these glasses. We... planned on making glasses for her, but after seeing your struggles, I suspected we would need to modify them for you first." She gave him glasses with a small black frame around the lenses. "It will make more sense when we're inside."
You asked if everyone was ready, and once they confirmed it, you opened up the television. The screen rippled, and you fell in...
(Yuni has like the second hardest Shadow to write/imagine, out of the seven-ish I have planned. Then again, I had some help with Rage...)