Disclaimer: Shinra's lines in this chapter are from anni-fiesta's translations of Volume 5 of the novels.
A/N: I had a major writer's block while writing this chapter. It was so bad that even after taking countless breaks to look for inspiration, the block didn't go away. And it's still there. Dx
As always, thank you for supporting this story! :)
April 19, 2013
Crystal Fortress, 3F
"You're an idiot, ya know that? Runnin' off on your own like that... Just what the hell were you thinking?!"
Naoto's brows furrowed, her lips pulled into a half-pout, half-frown which looked like a serious attempt at restraining herself from doing something she considered childish. But with the way Tatsumi was, it proved to be quite the challenge.
"...I beg your pardon?" she asked, trying hard not to sound almost out of breath. Even as trails of perspiration trickled down her temples, the detective made no move and simply remained as still as she could, giving Kanji the strictest glower she could muster.
Kanji, in turn, snapped back, "Hey, you're the one who thought rammin' straight into a Shadow was a great idea. If I hadn't been there you'd be-" He stopped himself, now glaring at Naoto in sudden silence. Then, with a "Tch", he shook his head and turned away, allowing his back to glare at the detective in place of him.
The displeased expression painted on Naoto's face threatened to darken even further, but eventually, she didn't allow herself to in spite of the fact that her companion's back clearly lacked the visual organs necessary to observe her every move. Still, Naoto couldn't stop herself from clenching her fists slightly, her eyes narrowing and burning holes through Kanji's back.
Just as her lips parted ways for more words to spill over, Naoto immediately took a sharp breath instead. 'Breathe,' she told herself, forcing a sigh that was as quiet as possible as her mouth closed shut. 'No more tantrums, Shirogane. This is not the time to lose your temper. You can't afford to.'
After all, wasn't that why they were here in the first place? Why they were fighting so hard to reach the final floor?
It was partly why she had done what she did, anyway. But Naoto would not deny that it was overly rash of her to do so, and neither would she turn blind to the fact that she had not taken into account the possibility of running into hostile Shadows in her seemingly irrational haste. That did not, however, mean that she was incapable of eliminating the Shadows on her own.
Naoto closed her eyes, and inhaled. Exhaled. Breathed. It wasn't the time.
"...We shouldn't remain here for too long," the detective spoke, breaking the silence. "We must be-"
"No," Kanji said firmly, turning back and giving Naoto an unusually stern look.
This time, Naoto did not hide her incredulousness. "What... What are you saying, Tatsumi-kun? If we don't hurry-"
Kanji himself seemed surprised at his own words, but he didn't let it stop him. "No," he repeated. "You've been acting weird all day, Naoto, and none of us knows why. I've been wanting to ask you about it, but I figured the case takes priority so I thought I'd leave it till later. But the longer we're here, the weirder you get, and it's...it's driving me crazy, alright?" Red tinted Kanji's cheeks. "S-so I decided: heck it, man. I need to know now, 'cuz I ain't about to let you run off and bump into Shadows on your own till I know the damn reason why. Or at least hear you promise - and mean it - to explain once all this is over."
Naoto stared at Kanji wide-eyed, rendered speechless by his words.
While it was certainly not the first time the taller male had taken her completely by surprise, it was, undoubtedly, the first time he had actually spoken his mind and argued with her in that manner. Not that it was an unwelcome change - in fact, Naoto was glad that Tatsumi was willing to be more honest and direct with her now - but it had happened so suddenly Naoto hadn't the faintest clue as to how she should react.
So instead, the detective decided to redirect her attention to what exactly Tatsumi-kun had said, and then she found herself at an even greater loss. '..."Acting weird", I see.' Naoto lowered her head, unable to look at Kanji in the eye any longer.
He had seen through her. Despite all her efforts to keep her emotions hidden, Tatsumi had still managed to see through her. It made Naoto ashamed and angry, but she had become so accustomed to suppressing her feelings in front of other people that even in front of her male companion who could read her like a book, Naoto still tried to forcefully exercise control over those emotions.
She knew it was naive to think that nobody would have realised it - after all, there was no escaping Seta-senpai's notice - but for someone like Tatsumi, a member of the team Naoto felt most distant from, to have seen through her... It was, simply put, beyond her expectations of him.
Perhaps, then, that was the reason why Seta-senpai had decided to assign her to Tatsumi-kun on the backup team. Senpai had, most probably, predicted that Tatsumi-kun would eventually call Naoto out on her strange behaviour over the course of their exploration through the fortress; something that Senpai felt Tatsumi-kun was most suitable for.
'I certainly see why now,' Naoto mused, carrying a faint smile on her face.
"I understand, Tatsumi-kun," she finally replied, raising her head to meet Kanji's questioning gaze. "I will tell you what you wish to know."
Kanji blinked, his cheeks growing rosier by the second. "H-huh? W-wait, i-if...if you're uncomfortable with it, th-then you don't..."
Naoto cut him off by shaking her head. "No, there is no point in continuing on if one is doubtful of the other, especially if such doubts are in any way related to the case at hand." It was rather amusing, she had to admit, and ironic that she was now the one trying to convince Kanji that an explanation from her was necessary, when Kanji had been so firm and rooted in that just not too long ago. "I have been...distracted, and in my distraction, I put you in danger. I-I'm sorry, and also...thank you. You, of all people, deserve to know the reason behind my...unbecoming behaviour."
It was a struggle to make that confession, but Naoto was grateful for the opportunity to see it through. Admitting mistakes had never been easy for her, and thanking someone for making her realise her own faults was even less so, but if it meant mending her ties with Tatsumi-kun, then Naoto would boldly take that step.
Unaware of all the thoughts flashing through Naoto's mind, Kanji gave a stiff and hesitant nod. "If...if you say so," he said, sounding pleased and uncertain at the same time. "So...what happened? Why did you just run off like that?"
Naoto's eyes softened as she raised her hand, making a motion to lower her cap which used to rest comfortably on top of her head until she realised her error and let her arm fall to her side. "Before I go into that, I would like to take this opportunity to...amend something I have said to you and Amagi-senpai. Concerning the nature of my relationship with Orihara Izaya-san."
Kanji fought the urge to probe her, and instead gave Rise a mental note to cut off the connection. "Go on," he said once he felt the brunette comply.
'Thank you,' Naoto wanted to say, but couldn't for some reason, and she hoped her eyes could convey her gratitude to Kanji. "The truth is..." she started. "Two years ago, when I was still investigating the case about 'Nakura' and the suicide groups, after the police declared it closed...I had signed up as a member of one the groups in order to get close to 'Nakura'-san. And after weeks of online communication with him, he initiated the suggestion for us to meet and "carry out the deed". I knew, then, that it was my chance.
"That was when I met the man who posed as the kind and understanding gentleman Nakura-san...who also happened to be the very same man my grandfather has always been in contact with the past few years." Naoto closed her eyes. "That man...is Orihara Izaya-san."
"Hello there. You seem lonely, being all by yourself in a place like this. Why don't we chat for a while?"
"What a treat it is to see you here. Does that mean you want to disappear from this world, too?"
"...Well, what a coincidence. So do I. It's nice to meet you."
"My name is..."
Crystal Fortress, 4F
"Kanji-kun... Naoto-kun... I hope they're alright."
Tilting his head back briefly, Yosuke's frown deepened. "Same here, Amagi," he told the raven-haired girl, unable to concentrate on the faint tune of the song playing in his headphones.
After Rise and Teddie had returned to the entrance of the fortress, Souji and his remaining teammates charged on forward in search of their friends who had gone before them. Eventually they managed to find the stairs instead, but nobody felt right about leaving Kanji and Naoto behind like that without spending more time looking, so they turned back and continued searching. However, making that decision meant encountering more Shadows, and encountering more Shadows meant a higher chance of expending their energy or getting injured, and unfortunately, they happened to cross paths with a crimson Shadow in the midst of their search.
It had caught them unawares, and the moment it divided into four massive, wingless six-legged creatures with tube-like mouth parts that were capable of sucking them dry Souji knew that it wasn't possible to stay there any longer. By the time Rise found an opening to transport them straight to the stairs, the four Persona-users were already barely able to move on their own. If it wasn't for the readily available supply of energy-replenishing items at their disposal, Souji might've had been forced to call the entire mission off.
Yosuke didn't know what was more terrifying: the fact that such Shadows existed, or the possibility that his juniors had yet to leave the third floor where those Shadows were still roaming about, itching for blood.
"Don't worry, Senpais," Rise said reassuringly, as if she had read Yosuke's mind. "They're currently in a room far away from those creepy crawlies and recovering their strength. It doesn't look like they'll be moving anytime soon, and the red Shadow isn't going anywhere near them, too, so there isn't much to worry about for now. When they're ready to go, I'll make sure to inform you."
Souji nodded. "I'm counting on you, Rise."
Seemingly distracted, Chie rubbed the torn part of her right sleeve that was revealing skin where a red patch was growing. "Still, what the heck was up with those Shadows? They totally freaked me out! Wh-what with their long, hairy legs a-and..." Unable to complete that sentence, the brunette shuddered.
"Really? I thought they looked pretty adorable," Yukiko replied with a smile.
Chie blanched at that. "Seriously, Yukiko? They practically latched onto us, stuck their mouth parts into our skin and drained almost everything, and you still find them cute?"
"Well, yes. Why? Is that strange?"
"...When you say 'Yes' so readily to a question like that, I really have to wonder..."
Fiddling with the cord of his headphones innocently while the girls were talking amongst themselves, Yosuke inched closer towards Souji and said to him in a quiet voice, "I gotta admit, Amagi really never fails to surprise me. In a good way, I mean."
Souji couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"I'll tell you what you are."
"You're kind of on the bad side, but you are not completely evil. Yet there's not a single ounce of goodness in you, either."
"Hmm, how should I put it… If I were to try to sum you up in one sentence - it would be something like 'You make me want to throw up.'"
"And that was a compliment, you know."
Laughter echoed through the floor. Laughter that didn't belong to the man who had just given his compliment, but another man who accepted said compliment chirpily and amusedly.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Shinra."
"To see my lovely humans throw up their true nature in front of me..."
"Why, there's nothing more satisfying to me than that."
Crystal Fortress, 6F
Like the floor directly before it, the surroundings of the sixth seemed to have grown colder than the fifth. Nothing as biting as the unbelievably frigid temperature on the third floor, but enough to cause the four teenagers to shiver the moment they completed their ascent of the stairs.
After being accustomed to the supposedly negative degrees that the third floor had to offer, however, there was no real way of knowing if the change was simply a trick their minds were playing on themselves.
And hearing the voice, or voices, that accompanied the fourth and fifth floors would have been the last thing they needed in this situation if it wasn't for the exceptionally hardy Shadows that gathered in the fortress.
"...Y'know, maybe you guys should take a break," Rise suggested - for possibly the third time since their narrow escape - as she watched her high school seniors struggle to keep themselves on their feet after finishing off a group of Raven and Magus Shadows.
"A break?" Yosuke chuckled dryly as he bent over and panted. "What does that word mean again?"
Rise sighed in exasperation. "Senpais, I know we can't afford to mess around, but pushing yourselves like this isn't helping anyone. At this rate you're going to collapse for real, and if that happens, who's going to save Orihara-san? Naoto-kun and Kanji are just as worn out as you are."
"...Alright," Souji replied, lowering his katana. "We'll take a short break."
"Oh, finally," Yosuke breathed. He tried to convey the euphoria he felt the moment Souji agreed to give everyone time to rest, but his body fell to the cold yet comfortable ground so swiftly that his reply sounded airy.
Giving out sighs of relief, Chie and Yukiko joined him on the ground. Despite the low temperature, the two of them fanned themselves and wiped their sleeves across their foreheads as they sat on the ground of the rock-tiled corridor.
When the four of them had fully enjoyed their hard-earned break and were ready to move on, Souji mentally nudged the connection he had with Rise, and asked, "Rise. Rise, are you there?"
His question was met with silence.
It sent the alarm bells in Souji's mind ringing. At the first chime, he immediately made another attempt to communicate with the idol, only to have no response whatsoever. All he could hear was the melody of the strings and the hum of the crystals; the song that conveyed the dangerous yet comforting nature of the fortress, a sense of urgency yet serenity. But even that had become a strain to hear.
Was Orihara-san shutting his heart off again, now that they had come this far? What could this gesture mean - stopping and then letting them advance further, and then stopping them again? Was it just Orihara-san's way of entertaining himself like what Yosuke said, or...?
"...Something isn't right," Souji said. "I think we should return to the entrance. There may be something lying ahead and I don't want us to face it ill-prepared."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Yosuke replied. "Besides, we should check up on Teds and Rise, too. I don't want them getting worried over nothing."
Chie and Yukiko recalled what had happened back on the first floor and quickly agreed with him.
When he saw that they had arrived at a consensus, Souji unzipped his waist pouch and picked up the first Goho-M he saw. As he tossed it into the air and waited for the teleporting device to take effect, however, the usual halo of light did not appear. On the contrary, the item simply made a few spins in the air, and then it fell to the ground, intact.
Confounded by this, Souji knelt down and picked the Goho-M back up before throwing it into the air once more, only to be met by the same disappointing and unprecedented result.
"...Hang on, I'll see if the alternative works," Souji told his friends, who were just as confused as he at the sight, and then closed his eyes to visualise the Personas that he had summoned prior to this rescue effort.
He didn't recall summoning many Personas, though, and so as he mentally flipped through the cards in his possession, the likelihood of finding one with Traesto fell drastically. When it was confirmed that none of the Personas he had at hand could perform the spell, Souji gave a reluctant sigh. He opened his eyes and shook his head apologetically, keeping his head slightly low.
"It's okay, partner. We can keep going. We're ready for anything, remember?" Yosuke said reassuringly. Chie and Yukiko nodded.
Souji said nothing, and instead flashed his teammates a grateful smile. With no other option but to move forward, he led the team down the corridor. It was void of any Shadows and stretched outwards in a straight fashion, and in spite of the lit torches lining the walls, the path that lied beyond him and his teammates was clothed in a blanket of darkness that gradually lifted as they progressed. The sound of their hurried footsteps bounced off the walls, dissolving into echoes that scattered in the surrounding air.
They came to a stop once they caught sight of a peculiar gate. It was not coated with gold like the others they had come across, and was instead kept bare and raw with a thick layer of rust - though the possibility of it being blood as well was not ignored, considering the chains they had seen on the first floor - clinging onto the metal. There were no knives with crystalline blades pinned to the wall surrounding the old gate, leaving the gate unframed. In the place of the knife that usually acted as the lever controlling the gate's movement was a keyhole shaped like a sharply slim oval, reminiscent of a cat's pupil under bright light.
"Hey, this keyhole..." Yosuke said. "Doesn't it look like...?"
Souji didn't reply. Without a moment to waste, he reached into his pocket and dug out the switchblade buried in the sea of coins. He released the switch and waited for the blade to extend out fully before he carefully inserted it into the keyhole with a click.
"Whoa, it's a perfect fit," Chie remarked. "Whaddya know, it did have a use after all."
"But doesn't this seem a little...suspicious? It's too much of a coincidence to be just that..." Yukiko pointed out.
Chie took a brief moment to consider this. "We don't exactly have much of a choice, though. I mean, there's no real way of knowing other than going in, right?"
Yukiko sighed. "Well, that's true... And we can't exactly turn back, either."
"Right." Yosuke turned to face Souji. "You have the honours, partner."
The others gave Souji a firm nod, indicative of their determination, and he nodded back. He then gave the small pocket knife a hard twist to the right, hearing it unlock the gate. As predicted, the gate rose in response, allowing the four Persona-users to enter.
To their mild surprise, the room didn't look any much different from the others they had passed through. The black pond was still in the centre of the room; small fields of crystals were still scattered around the area, and the crates and potato sacks were still present, lined along the walls of the room neatly.
"...No Shadows around either." Yukiko looked around before she casted her eyes downward. "Was I reading too much into it?"
"Don't look so down, Yukiko. There's nothing wrong with thinking ahead," Chie replied, grinning. "C'mon, let's keep-"
The gate suddenly fell back to the ground with a deafening boom.
The four of them instantly covered their ears, Yosuke accidentally dropping his kunai in the process when they knocked into his headphones. As soon as the last of the sound's echoes died away, the brunet bent down to pick up his kunai, muttering shakily, "What... What the hell was that?"
"I-it just closed...just like that." Yukiko stared after the gate in an almost dazed manner.
"B-but why?" Chie asked. "The other gates didn't do that, so why did this...?"
"Let's... Let's just open the other one and keep going," Yosuke suggested, hurriedly making his way to the golden gate. He tried to turn the handle, but it did not budge. "Eh? It doesn't open…? Why-"
His question was answered by a low, familiar chuckle.
"When I look at it like this..."
Eyes widening, the four Persona-users raised their heads to the ceiling.
"...I succumb to the illusion that I'm a god, and that feels pretty good, you know?"
"A...'god'?" Yukiko echoed. "Like…Izanami and the other fog monsters we saw?"
"So he really does have control over this place. And we've been treated like his pawns right from the start," Yosuke said, his face wearing a borderline scowl. "I get it now. He deliberately let us find the key to this room, didn't do anything to stop us after that, and then gave us the chance to open the gate - all for leading us here so that he could lock us up."
Chie gasped. "That's gotta be why we can't use our Goho-Ms on this floor. He meant to trap us in here all along!"
Yukiko lowered her gaze. "And if it really is like what Seta-kun said, then…Orihara-san is…"
Yosuke clicked his tongue. "Dammit... If this keeps up, we won't be able to make it...!"
"Guys, we have to stay calm," Souji said. "Panicking won't help."
Yosuke groaned. "I know, partner, I know, but we've already wasted so much time and-"
"Yosuke, listen to me. I understand how you feel, but being too caught up with our own emotions will only impede our progress." He paused, as if anticipating a verbal response from Yosuke, or any of his teammates for that matter. When nobody replied, Souji continued, "Let's all try to remain calm. Then we'll work on finding a way to get out of this room. Alright?"
At his words, the others took deep breaths. When it looked like they had regained their composure, they raised their heads and made eye contact with their leader, giving their agreements.
But just as the words left their lips-
"Kami-sama Attack!"
-the crates and sacks around the four of them burst into flames, engulfing them in a world of red, orange, and pain before everything faded to black.
Crystal Fortress, Entrance
"Senpai... Senpai...! Senpai, please, answer me! Senpai!"
Standing in the middle of a brewing blizzard with her hands cupped around her mouth was a young brown-haired girl, frantically calling out over the harsh winds for her seniors to respond. Her desperate cries, however, were only met with the ominous whistling of the wind that enveloped her body, seeping through her skin and creeping into her bones.
Rise wrapped around herself, gripping each side of her arms tightly. But she felt nothing. Even as she panted, with every breath delivering a slither of the cold wind into her lungs, the brunette felt nothing. The only signs of life that she had were her heart beating like a sledgehammer as panic raged through her entire body, and the yells that erupted from her vocal chords endlessly.
When her knees buckled and slammed into the snow, Rise took no notice of it. Her body no longer felt like her own, neither could she tell if the voice that sounded like hers calling out the names of her friends was coming from her lips or the echoes of her mind.
She couldn't even hear Kanzeon anymore.
"Sen...pai..."
The brunette gasped, clutching her chest.
"Every...one..."
Her vision began to spin.
"Don't..."
'Don't leave me...'
The last thing she heard before being pulled to a world of darkness was somebody calling her name.
Then she fell to the ground, unmoving.