Chapter 16
"Well, this is it." Rise sighed as she climbed the stairs.
"You'll be fine." Yu said. "We're all right here with you."
The Investigation Team emerged into a large, dark area, identical to the ones in which the others had faced their shadows. "Alright, I know you're here and I know how this goes." Rise said. "Just turn on the lights and get it over with."
"So demanding, what a diva!" A familiar female voice shouted from the darkness.
"Really?" Rise said, exasperated. "It's you, really?"
The lights came on, revealing the idol Kanami Mashita on a stage in the center of the area. "Well who else would it be?" The shadow asked. "I'm everything you're not. I'm innocent, genuine, talented, and people actually like me."
"You don't have to talk like you're her." Rise said. "I know you're just a shadow."
"You're such a killjoy, maybe that's why you're not as popular." The shadow said. "Of course it could be that you're a talentless, artificial, attention whore. I'm Rise, I'm quitting showbiz, now I'm back, love me!" The shadow mocked. "You put on so many facades I bet you don't know who you really are anymore."
"I'm an actress." Rise said. "That's my job. I may have had my doubts but being an idol is what I want to do. It can be hard, but it's fun and rewarding."
"Good luck beating Kanamin." The shadow sneered. "She's got the market cornered and your little comeback is doomed to fail. Risette is old news, a remnant of the past. The future belongs to me! Kanamin, the youthful image of innocence and virtue, will easily overcome the old slutty Risette. Maybe you should go into pornography; I hear there's quite a market for someone like you. Fallen stars are all the rage you know."
"Oh that is it!" Rise screamed, her fists clenched and fire in her eyes. "I'm going to end you!" She brandished her hammer and rushed up onto the stage. The rest of the Investigation Team ran after her but were halted by an invisible wall that prevented them from reaching the stage.
"Performers only." The shadow taunted as the group tried to find a way past the barrier. "Now, we can finally get this show started!" Rise slammed her hammer down, just missing the shadow, the impact splintering the wooden floor. "If you had some talent you might have hit me." The shadow laughed. "Now, let's spice things up. You wouldn't want to disappoint our adoring fans." The shadow jumped back and concentrated. "Hayagriva!" The shadow summoned a Persona. It had the appearance of a red-skinned man, engulfed in flames and wielding a long curved sword. "Your Persona won't be able to do a thing!"
"We'll see about." Rise said with determination. "Kouzeon!"
Labrys led the group on, even after realizing where they were headed. She stopped before a doorway and sighed heavily. "This is it." Labrys said. "This is the chamber where I killed my sisters." Through the doors the group could see a large cylindrical room.
"You do not have to enter." Aigis said. "We can do this if you wish to remain here."
"No, that wouldn't be fair to you." Labrys said. "It's my shadow and I have to face it." She quickly entered the chamber as if she were afraid that if she waited she would change her mind. Before the others could follow, the door slammed shut and locked behind her. Labrys spun around and rushed back to the door, banging on it with all her strength. A viewing window opened beside it, giving the rest of the group a view of the chamber's interior. "I can't break through." Labrys said as she hit the glass with her axe.
"Only combatants may enter the chamber." A familiar voice said from behind Labrys. "The doors will not open until one is victorious."
"024." Labrys said. "Why did it have to be you?" The shadow approached her. It looked very similar to Labrys but had a black torso.
"Why wouldn't it be me?" The shadow asked. It grounded the point of its massive sword and leaned on it. "We were the best of friends. Then you killed me."
"This is very bad." Aigis said to the others. "It is far worse than I anticipated."
"Being killed by my friend was so painful." The shadow said. Labrys turned to face it but would not meet its gaze. "I'm not just talking about the physical act of being killed. That hurt, but it was nothing extraordinary. What really hurt was the betrayal. That pain was excruciating. If you really cared, you would have let me win, let yourself be destroyed in my place."
"Don't you think I know that?" Labrys said. "Every day all I can think about is what I did."
"Every day?" The shadow asked. "I am unfamiliar with the concept, having lived for so few days before you killed me. You know what I felt when you killed me? It wasn't anger. It wasn't fear. I was so sad, so disappointed. I was betrayed by my friend. I would never get to know the outside world. I would never get to pet Snowy again. I would never have the chance to meet our mother. You took all that from me, and then you failed your mission. You couldn't even be an anti-shadow weapon. It was all a waste. I died for nothing because you were too selfish to sacrifice yourself."
"I know!" Labrys cried. "I should have let you kill me. I've never forgiven myself. You should have lived, not me."
"I can fix that you know." The shadow smiled. "I know you can't bring yourself to kill me again, but I have no problem destroying you. Revenge will be sweet."
"You're right, I couldn't kill you again." Labrys said. "But I know someone who would without a second thought."
*Recommended Music: Twinkle*Star (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*
Rise and her shadow faced each other on the stage, their Personas hovering above them. Hayagriva charged and slashed at Kouzeon. Kouzeon jumped back out of range while Rise converted her weapon into its directed-energy form and fired on the shadow's Persona. The laser-like beam hit Hayagriva and it recoiled in pain. Soon, however, the weapon overheated and forced Rise to stop firing. Kouzeon took over, firing small projectiles at the shadow's Persona. They hit the target but had no effect.
"Your Persona is weak and your weapon won't cut it." The shadow said. Hayagriva stretched out its empty arm and fired a blast of fire at Rise. Kouzeon analyzed the incoming attack and just before it arrived, a semi-transparent red shield appeared in front of Rise. The flames slammed into the shield and curved past her. Hayagriva attacked Kouzeon in retaliation, but the Persona shielded itself. Her weapon cooled, Rise fired her laser at the shadow's Persona again. It retreated, blocking the beam with its sword as best it could until the weapon overheated again.
Hayagriva rushed at Rise and swung its sword down at her. Kouzeon swept in and took the blow for her, though she felt the pain. A ball of light coalesced at the end of the telescope that formed Kouzeon's head. It fired straight at Hayagriva, hitting it in the chest and knocking it back. The shadow's Persona growled angrily and rushed at Kouzeon, swinging its sword wildly and blasting fire at it. The fire was ineffective and Kouzeon dodged the sword with lightning-fast movements. Kouzeon emitted a shockwave that pushed Hayagriva back before generating another ball of glowing energy. It fired the ball, but Hayagriva deflected it with its sword, causing it to fly harmlessly past.
Rise fired her laser at Hayagriva, but it used its sword to reflect the beam back at Kouzeon. Kouzeon dodged out of the way and Hayagriva took the opportunity to strike, shoulder blocking Rise's Persona and knocking it to the ground. Hayagriva turned back to Rise and raised its sword to strike her. She changed her weapon to its hammer form in anticipation of the strike but had little hope of resisting it. Kouzeon reached out a hand and Rise was engulfed in light. Hayagriva slashed its sword down at Rise and she lifted her hammer to meet it. The weapon collided and both were stopped in their tracks. Rise could feel the extra strength provided by her Persona and put it to good use, shoving Hayagriva's blade to the side. With super-human strength she leapt into the air and slammed her hammer into Hayagriva's face. The shadow's Persona stumbled backward but quickly recovered.
Even with Rise doing the attacking, it was clear that Kouzeon was the real threat. Hayagriva bypassed Rise and plunged its blade into the still downed Kouzeon. Rise doubled over in pain and withdrew her Persona before she was knocked out. Hayagriva stomped over to her with confidence. Suddenly, Rise lunged forward and smashed her hammer into Hayagriva's knee, using what remained of the strength boost provided by her Persona. Hayagriva toppled to the ground and Rise jumped onto its chest. She repeatedly slammed her hammer down onto its face until it faded to static and disappeared.
The shadow itself fell to its knees in pain. Rise carefully approached it, expecting a surprise attack, but it was well and truly defeated. "You'll never be the top idol." The shadow sneered. "You'll never match Kanamin."
"You just don't get it do you?" Rise said. "I don't care if I'm the most popular or even the most talented. Being an idol is something I enjoy. And besides, the world is big enough for the two of us. Not you of course, you're just a shadow." Rise lined up her swing and smashed her hammer into the side of the shadow's head. The shadow's head exploded in a shower of black muck as its body crumpled to the floor, dissolved and disappeared.
The Investigation Team clapped and cheered. "Encore!" Yosuke yelled enthusiastically.
"Sorry folks, that's the show for tonight." Rise said with a smile. "Like I said, being an idol is fun, but its hard work. Fighting shadows is pretty similar, but less fun." She seemed cheerful enough.
"Let's head back and see how the others did." Yukiko suggested.
Labrys fell to her knees and went limp. "You're making this a lot easier than I expected." The shadow laughed. It approached, dragging its gigantic sword along the ground, making an ear-splitting screech.
"Who are you?" Labrys asked without moving. Something about her voice was different. It was almost menacing.
The shadow stopped approaching with a confused look on its face. "I'm Unit #024." The shadow replied.
"Not who you appear to be, who are you?" Labrys pressed.
"I'm your shadow obviously." The shadow laughed.
"Who's shadow?" Labrys asked.
"What is this, twenty questions?" The shadow said with annoyance. "I'm Labrys' shadow."
"That's impossible." Labrys said.
"Now why is that?" The shadow asked.
*Recommended Music: Shadows of the Labyrinth (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*
"Because I'm her shadow!" Labrys said. She sprung to her feet, her eyes wild and glowing yellow. "How dare you impersonate me? I'll kill you!"
"Oh no." Aigis said. "This cannot be happening."
"What's going on?" Ruby asked. Inside the chamber, the two combatants circled each other but did not yet attack. Each was taking the measure of the other.
"Labrys' shadow was not destroyed or directly converted into a Persona." Aigis explained. "It entered her programming and is capable of overriding her consciousness. I think Labrys intentionally allowed it to do so, but there is no guarantee it will return control after the fight."
"I'm stronger than I was when you killed me." The shadow said. "It was a close fight then and I'll kill you now, whoever's running the show."
"I'm stronger too." Labrys hissed. "Killing you will be easy. Killing you will be fun!" Labrys charged at the shadow, swinging her axe with the aid of its rocket boosters. The shadow blocked with its sword and the weapons clashed in a shower of sparks, pushing both combatants back. Labrys charged again and attempted to cleave the shadow vertically. The shadow side-stepped the attack and Labrys slid past. The shadow kicked her in the back and Labrys stumbled forward. She turned around, a look of rage on her face.
"You have no finesse." The shadow said. "You're all brute force."
"Brute force is good." Labrys said. "Asterius!" A Persona in the image of a Minotaur engulfed in flames appeared. Fire blasted from its nostrils and engulfed the shadow. When the flames died away, the shadow stood there unhurt. It charged, swinging its sword at the Persona. Asterius blocked with one of the chains hanging from its arms, but the shadow grabbed the chain. With a powerful tug, it dragged Asterius to the ground. The shadow plunged its sword into the vulnerable Persona's back. Asterius roared with pain and began to fade into static.
Labrys withdrew her Persona and charged the shadow. She swung her axe in an uppercut motion, and though the shadow blocked the strike, it was thrown high into the air by the force of the swing. Labrys then threw her axe, her hand still attached on the end of a long chain, and hooked the tumbling shadow. She rapidly retracted her hand and axe, slamming the shadow into the ground with a thunderous crash. The shadow immediately jumped back to its feet. "You'll have to do better than that." The shadow said.
"I'm happy to oblige!" Labrys said. She charged straight at the shadow. It tried to leap out of the way but Labrys was too fast and successfully tackled the shadow. Landing atop it, she rained down powerful punches to the shadow's face as she laughed maniacally. The shadow suddenly grabbed Labrys' leg and flipped her aside. It swung its sword around and it struck Labrys in the back, sending her tumbling to the ground. The shadow rushed to Labrys, jumped into the air, and brought its sword crashing down. Labrys rolled out of the way at the last moment, the sword striking the ground with a loud clang. She sprung to her feet, swung her axe around, and decapitated the kneeling shadow.
The shadow's head rolled across the ground as its body remained frozen in its kneeling position. Labrys stood over it and cleaved it in half with her axe. She shot her hand out on its chain to grab the head, retracting it to bring it to her. She stared into the shadow's lifeless eyes for a moment before crushing the head in her hand. The shadow dissolved and disappeared, and the door to the chamber unlocked and slid open.
"Let me go first." Aigis said to the others. She slowly approached Labrys, never taking her eyes off her shadow-possessed sister. "Put Labrys back in control." Aigis demanded, pointing her spear at Labrys' face.
"Or what?" Labrys asked. "You'll kill me? You can't do that because you'll kill her too."
"Please, release my sister." Aigis implored. "You have had your fun, now it is time to go."
"You're really clingy." Labrys said. "I wonder if you were like this with him." Aigis frowned. "Oh lighten up. I'm just screwing around. It's so fun to mess with you. I'll give you Labrys back; the world's a drag anyway." Labrys suddenly collapsed in a heap. The light briefly faded from her eyes before they took on their familiar red glow.
Aigis knelt at her side. "Labrys, are you alright?" She asked frantically.
"I'm okay." Labrys whispered. "I've suffered only minimal structural damage, but my power is low. I need to rest."
"I know you are physically intact." Aigis said. "I am more concerned with your mind. Facing this shadow, particularly given the form it took, combined with unleashing your shadow must have been painful."
"I just want to go back to the dorms." Labrys said. "Please. We can talk more there."
"Very well, I will carry you." Aigis said, scooping Labrys up. She turned to the others. "We should be going now."
Back at the dorms, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, the Investigation Team, Aigis and Labrys gathered in one room. "I think I want to talk about my past." Labrys said. "I'm not sure what to say."
"We know it's hard." Yu said. "Take your time."
"When I was first activated, I was tested by fighting my sister units." Labrys started. "The fights were to the death. At first it didn't bother me. I'm a machine and I didn't really have emotions at the time. Eventually, I formed a friendship with another unit, 024. She had fully developed emotions and mine were only beginning to emerge. Mostly she talked and I listened. She had to fight too. She was probably the only unit anywhere near as powerful as I am, so she had to kill many of our sisters as well. It did bother her. She knew she had feelings and desires, and it hurt her to snuff them out in the others. She was also afraid. She was afraid that she would be killed. I started to feel scared too, but killing the other units still didn't bother me that much. I had developed a desire to live, but my emotions were incomplete. I couldn't understand that the units I killed might have felt fear and pain. I was a monster."
"You weren't a monster." Ruby said. "You were more like a child. You broke things because you didn't understand, not because you were evil. Besides, you didn't have a choice."
"Maybe." Labrys sighed. "When I destroyed other units, their minds were uploaded into my own. I started to feel what they felt and I could finally understand what I was doing. By then, 024 and I were the only ones left. I felt some guilt, but not enough. The scientists told me the combat tests were over and I was so happy. I could stop killing, but more importantly to me at the time, I was safe. I wouldn't be killed. It was a tremendous relief. It was so selfish. Then they forced me into the testing chamber again and made me kill 024. She fought well but I killed her. I killed my only friend; someone I knew had full emotions, hopes and dreams. Before I may not have been a monster, but I was then. I knew what I was doing. I should have let her kill me."
"You're not a monster." Blake said. "You're just a girl who was forced to do terrible things against her will. You did what you had to in order to survive, and there's nothing wrong with that. If there was really another way, I'm sure you would have found it. You have to accept that it wasn't your fault. The scientists were the monsters. They knew what they were doing too, and they did it willingly. You have to stop blaming yourself."
"Besides, you've been a great friend to us." Yukiko said. "You're so nice and caring. That's not how a monster would act."
"Thanks so much." Labrys said, crying tearlessly. "I don't know what I'd do without you all."