Hi everyone! I told you it'd be a while. Moving to another place (more like country) messed head somehow. I suddenly find it hard to write anything. Also I've been lazy. But I somehow finished this so: TADA! Anyway, I fixed the previous chapters.
hoshiimono: Thank you so much for your review. I am aware of the inconsistencies. I was planning of fixing it before but maybe I forgot to (I konw it's lame, but I swear it's true). I made some small changes. I think they're ok now. But I'll check again.
Makoto gritted his teeth as he pondered on what he can do to prevent a tragedy from happening. He watched, through a one-sided mirror, the events currently happening. A man, who came out of nowhere, joined him. He kept his gaze on the mirror as he calmly spoke to Makoto. "There is nothing much you can do. Anything more than that would destroy the worlds that you have linked."
Makoto pursed his lips. His eyes were brimming with helplessness as he watched his friends struggle. He knows very well that they are strong. But they were greatly outnumbered. One little slip would endanger their lives. "You do know this world would also cease to exist if something happened to them?" Makoto asked steadily albeit the agitation he was feeling.
"That is correct," the masked-man said. "If they fail, everything will be devoured by complete oblivion. But I must remind you, even if that world were to fall to Nyx, the spirit of forgetfulness will not cease. It will continue its role until it has accomplished it."
Makoto clenched his hands. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have messed things up."
"As humans say, 'what's done is done.' For now, you must have faith in your friends." The man diverted his gaze to the blue-haired boy beside him. In the boys eyes he saw regret and hopelessness. Something that he has seen before. Human surely are intriguing, he thought as turned to leave.
"Thank you," Makoto blurted out. The man halted and looked back at the boy. Makoto's lips curved upward, ever so slightly, to form a small, grateful smile. "I know you are only an observer, yet you still helped me with this dilemma."
"Though it is not in my nature to meddle with human affairs..." The man turned to the mirror to see two girls huddled together in a corner. One girl lying on the floor, her head resting on the others lap. The slow rising and falling of her chest was the only sign that she was alive. The girl with her, gently strokes the top of her head while keeping an eye out for the enemy. They were bruised and exhausted but they were fine and out of harm's way. "There are times when I see a need to interfere." He turned and disappeared.
"There's no end to this," Mitsuru said. They've been fighting for quite a while now. They've also defeated quite a lot. What she didn't understand was why doesn't it seem like they haven't made a dent on the number of their enemy. "Yamagishi, what's the status?"
"There are more shadows coming inside the tower," Fuuka said briskly. "It seems that they're trying to climb up the tower."
"I see. Kujikawa?" Mitsuru landed a kick on the shadow that appeared in front of her.
"The Reaper hasn't made a move on Labrys and Minako-san," Rise said. "It's strange. It just goes around the place, like it doesn't know they're there."
"At least there's some good news," Yosuke said. "But we should really try to save them."
"Are you stupid Yosuke?" Chie said. She froze the shadows in front. After that, she shattered them to pieces by giving them a hard kick. "With this many shadows, do you think we could risk sending anyone now?"
"You're right, Satonaka." Mitsuru could not risk such a thing, especially when there is an unconscious civilian with them. But then she remembered the power that Minako displayed. It just might be enough to get us out of this situation. "Narukami!"
Yu stabbed the shadow in front of him. "Yes, Mitsuru-san?"
"I need you to go to where Labrys and Arisato are. Take three people closest to your location, with you. We need Arisato's help now." Mitsuru bit her lower lip. "She's our only hope."
"I understand." Yu looked around and saw Teddie, Ryoji, and Yukari near him. He called them out. The four of them cleared the way to the teleporter and left to do their mission.
"Good luck," Mitsuru said under her breath. She hoped that the gamble she took would save them.
"Mitsuru-san!" a voice called out.
"What is it Kujikawa?"
"Kanji found a spot where shadows seem dormant."
"What?" When Mitsuru turned, she saw that almost half of them were standing at the corner of the room. They were ignored by every shadow that passed them by. Mitsuru quickly made her way there. "Good job, Tatsumi." The male thanked her proudly.
"What now?" Akihiko asked. Normally he wouldn't back down on a fight. But he realized that now was not the time to be stubborn. He was already exhausted.
"We should take this opportunity to rest," Mitsuru said.
"I agree." Akihiko sat beside a dazed Ken. "Something wrong, Ken?" The boy pointed upwards. When Akihiko looked up, he saw a blue butterfly. "Where the hell did that came from?"
"I don't know." The butterfly suddenly vanished when all of them on the battlefield were now at the same place.
Minako slowly opened her eyes. "How long was I out?" she asked, surprising the mechanical maiden with her.
"You were out for about twenty minutes," Labrys said. "I think."
Minako got up to stretch. She stopped mid-stretch when she sensed something. "Someone's coming."
"MINAKO!"
"LABBY! MINA-CHAN! YOUR BEAR IN FURRY ARMOUR IS HERE TO SAVE YOU!"
"Shut up Teddie! You're not even wearing your costume."
"Would you like to see me in it now Yuka-chan?"
"We have to run."
"Why sensei?"
"Because the Reaper's after us," a male voice said stoically.
Sounds of quickly falling footsteps and clanging chains were heard. Gunshots would be followed by either a scream or a string of curses.
"Yu-kun, over here!" Labrys shouted.
"Labrys?" The four followed where the voice came from. They sighed in relief when they saw the people they were looking for. Ryoji and Teddie resisted glomping the two when they saw their current state.
"What happened to you guys?" Yukari asked. She walked over to Minako and began to cure her wounds.
"We stayed here to rest," Minako explained. "We were both in no condition to fight the Reaper. We can't even escape because it blocked all the exits."
"Can you fight now?" Yu asked.
"I think can, now. How about you, Labrys?"
"I'm good to go!"
"Alright!" Minako stretched again. "Let's go kick some butt."
"Do shadows even have a butt?" Yu asked. Labrys jabbed his side. "Ow..."
"If we want to get out, we need to defeat that gunman first. Well, that is, if you have anything we could use to go back to the first floor. Do you?" The four shook their heads. Minako sighed. "Then I guess the hard way is the only way."
"What are we gonna do?" Labrys asked.
"First, we need to corner that shadow. Narukami-san and I will lower its defense, speed, and power. We will also, increase the team's power and speed. After that, all of us will attack it at the same time with physical attacks. Only use magic to heal and strengthen allies, or weaken the enemy. Is that clear?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, let's go!"
"The shadows are spreading throughout the tower." Fuuka said. When Yukiko noticed that the shadows were all headed towards the end of the stairs, they decided to observe them. At first, they were banging the door on the clocked. They couldn't go inside. Their number continued to increase point that they were all crawling on top of the others. But then, after an eternity of watching the black globs trample each other, for some unknown reason, they were able to go through the door.
"Senpai and the others have already beaten the Reaper," Rise informed. "They're looking for a teleporter so they could go back."
"That's good to here," Chie said.
"Have any of you noticed that there are less shadows now?" They all looked up and confirm Naoto observation.
"Weird," Junpei said.
"Are we lucky or what?" Kanji blurted. "First, senpai and the others beats that Reaper and now the shadows are going to who-knows-where-in-that-tower."
"Do we still have time to party?" Yosuke asked.
Mitsuru chuckled. "If everyone is not too exhausted, I guess we could still continue the celebration."
Yosuke and Junpei celebrated upon hearing Mitsuru's words.
"We're back."
"Yuka-tan!"
"You guys are back!"
"Hey there, Ken-Ken!"
The group of persona users gathered around. They were all happy that they survived. They chattered about the things that they seen and experienced just now. Some, like Junpei, Ryoji, and Teddie would boast about the one thing that they've accomplished like "protected Akihiko-san" or "save beautiful ladies". Ken would join them and say how immature they're acting like.
"Excuse me." They all stopped and looked at Minako. The girl bowed deeply. "I'd like to thank all of you for helping us. If you guys weren't here - if it was only me, Ryoji and Shinji - I wouldn't be standing here now. Thank you so much."
Mitsuru walked over to her and placed her hand on Minako's shoulder. "Stand up straight." Minako did. "You don't need to thank us. After all, it is our job to help our comrades." Minako's eyes widened. Mitsuru let go of her shoulder and reached for her pocket. "I was hoping to ask you the three of you at the party, in case you came. But I think now is the right time."
Minako stared at Mitsuru. "Senpai?"
Makoto gritted his teeth as he pondered on what he can do to prevent a tragedy from happening. He watched, through a one-sided mirror, the events currently happening. A man, who came out of nowhere, joined him. He kept his gaze on the mirror as he calmly spoke to Makoto. "There is nothing much you can do. Anything more than that would destroy the worlds that you have linked."
Makoto pursed his lips. His eyes were brimming with helplessness as he watched his friends struggle. He knows very well that they are strong. But they were greatly outnumbered. One little slip would endanger their lives. "You do know this world would also cease to exist if something happened to them?" Makoto asked steadily albeit the agitation he was feeling.
"That is correct," the masked-man said. "If they fail, everything will be devoured by complete oblivion. But I must remind you, even if that world were to fall to Nyx, the spirit of forgetfulness will not cease. It will continue its role until it has accomplished it."
Makoto clenched his hands. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have messed things up."
"As humans say, 'what's done is done.' For now, you must have faith in your friends." The man diverted his gaze to the blue-haired boy beside him. In the boys eyes he saw regret and hopelessness. Something that he has seen before. Human surely are intriguing, he thought as turned to leave.
"Thank you," Makoto blurted out. The man halted and looked back at the boy. Makoto's lips curved upward, ever so slightly, to form a small, grateful smile. "I know you are only an observer, yet you still helped me with this dilemma."
"Though it is not in my nature to meddle with human affairs..." The man turned to the mirror to see two girls huddled together in a corner. One girl lying on the floor, her head resting on the others lap. The slow rising and falling of her chest was the only sign that she was alive. The girl with her, gently strokes the top of her head while keeping an eye out for the enemy. They were bruised and exhausted but they were fine and out of harm's way. "There are times when I see a need to interfere." He turned and disappeared.
"There's no end to this," Mitsuru said. They've been fighting for quite a while now. They've also defeated quite a lot. What she didn't understand was why doesn't it seem like they haven't made a dent on the number of their enemy. "Yamagishi, what's the status?"
"There are more shadows coming inside the tower," Fuuka said briskly. "It seems that they're trying to climb up the tower."
"I see. Kujikawa?" Mitsuru landed a kick on the shadow that appeared in front of her.
"The Reaper hasn't made a move on Labrys and Minako-san," Rise said. "It's strange. It just goes around the place, like it doesn't know they're there."
"At least there's some good news," Yosuke said. "But we should really try to save them."
"Are you stupid Yosuke?" Chie said. She froze the shadows in front. After that, she shattered them to pieces by giving them a hard kick. "With this many shadows, do you think we could risk sending anyone now?"
"You're right, Satonaka." Mitsuru could not risk such a thing, especially when there is an unconscious civilian with them. But then she remembered the power that Minako displayed. It just might be enough to get us out of this situation. "Narukami!"
Yu stabbed the shadow in front of him. "Yes, Mitsuru-san?"
"I need you to go to where Labrys and Arisato are. Take three people closest to your location, with you. We need Arisato's help now." Mitsuru bit her lower lip. "She's our only hope."
"I understand." Yu looked around and saw Teddie, Ryoji, and Yukari near him. He called them out. The four of them cleared the way to the teleporter and left to do their mission.
"Good luck," Mitsuru said under her breath. She hoped that the gamble she took would save them.
"Mitsuru-san!" a voice called out.
"What is it Kujikawa?"
"Kanji found a spot where shadows seem dormant."
"What?" When Mitsuru turned, she saw that almost half of them were standing at the corner of the room. They were ignored by every shadow that passed them by. Mitsuru quickly made her way there. "Good job, Tatsumi." The male thanked her proudly.
"What now?" Akihiko asked. Normally he wouldn't back down on a fight. But he realized that now was not the time to be stubborn. He was already exhausted.
"We should take this opportunity to rest," Mitsuru said.
"I agree." Akihiko sat beside a dazed Ken. "Something wrong, Ken?" The boy pointed upwards. When Akihiko looked up, he saw a blue butterfly. "Where the hell did that came from?"
"I don't know." The butterfly suddenly vanished when all of them on the battlefield were now at the same place.
Minako slowly opened her eyes. "How long was I out?" she asked, surprising the mechanical maiden with her.
"You were out for about twenty minutes," Labrys said. "I think."
Minako got up to stretch. She stopped mid-stretch when she sensed something. "Someone's coming."
"MINAKO!"
"LABBY! MINA-CHAN! YOUR BEAR IN FURRY ARMOUR IS HERE TO SAVE YOU!"
"Shut up Teddie! You're not even wearing your costume."
"Would you like to see me in it now Yuka-chan?"
"We have to run."
"Why sensei?"
"Because the Reaper's after us," a male voice said stoically.
Sounds of quickly falling footsteps and clanging chains were heard. Gunshots would be followed by either a scream or a string of curses.
"Yu-kun, over here!" Labrys shouted.
"Labrys?" The four followed where the voice came from. They sighed in relief when they saw the people they were looking for. Ryoji and Teddie resisted glomping the two when they saw their current state.
"What happened to you guys?" Yukari asked. She walked over to Minako and began to cure her wounds.
"We stayed here to rest," Minako explained. "We were both in no condition to fight the Reaper. We can't even escape because it blocked all the exits."
"Can you fight now?" Yu asked.
"I think can, now. How about you, Labrys?"
"I'm good to go!"
"Alright!" Minako stretched again. "Let's go kick some butt."
"Do shadows even have a butt?" Yu asked. Labrys jabbed his side. "Ow..."
"If we want to get out, we need to defeat that gunman first. Well, that is, if you have anything we could use to go back to the first floor. Do you?" The four shook their heads. Minako sighed. "Then I guess the hard way is the only way."
"What are we gonna do?" Labrys asked.
"First, we need to corner that shadow. Narukami-san and I will lower its defense, speed, and power. We will also, increase the team's power and speed. After that, all of us will attack it at the same time with physical attacks. Only use magic to heal and strengthen allies, or weaken the enemy. Is that clear?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, let's go!"
"The shadows are spreading throughout the tower." Fuuka said. When Yukiko noticed that the shadows were all headed towards the end of the stairs, they decided to observe them. At first, they were banging the door on the clocked. They couldn't go inside. Their number continued to increase point that they were all crawling on top of the others. But then, after an eternity of watching the black globs trample each other, for some unknown reason, they were able to go through the door.
"Senpai and the others have already beaten the Reaper," Rise informed. "They're looking for a teleporter so they could go back."
"That's good to here," Chie said.
"Have any of you noticed that there are less shadows now?" They all looked up and confirm Naoto observation.
"Weird," Junpei said.
"Are we lucky or what?" Kanji blurted. "First, senpai and the others beats that Reaper and now the shadows are going to who-knows-where-in-that-tower."
"Do we still have time to party?" Yosuke asked.
Mitsuru chuckled. "If everyone is not too exhausted, I guess we could still continue the celebration."
Yosuke and Junpei celebrated upon hearing Mitsuru's words.
"We're back."
"Yuka-tan!"
"You guys are back!"
"Hey there, Ken-Ken!"
The group of persona users gathered around. They were all happy that they survived. They chattered about the things that they seen and experienced just now. Some, like Junpei, Ryoji, and Teddie would boast about the one thing that they've accomplished like "protected Akihiko-san" or "save beautiful ladies". Ken would join them and say how immature they're acting like.
"Excuse me." They all stopped and looked at Minako. The girl bowed deeply. "I'd like to thank all of you for helping us. If you guys weren't here - if it was only me, Ryoji and Shinji - I wouldn't be standing here now. Thank you so much."
Mitsuru walked over to her and placed her hand on Minako's shoulder. "Stand up straight." Minako did. "You don't need to thank us. After all, it is our job to help our comrades." Minako's eyes widened. Mitsuru let go of her shoulder and reached for her pocket. "I was hoping to ask you the three of you at the party, in case you came. But I think now is the right time."
Minako stared at Mitsuru. "Senpai?"
"I'd like the three of you to join the Shadow Operatives."