There is no greater fear than fear of the unknown.

And for a year, there was nothing that Yu Narukami hadn't known.

Who would be kidnapped. When. Why. Where they would be, and how long it would take to retrieve them. When seasons would come and when they'd leave in turn. Who he'd meet and how they'd act. Everything. And he'd had to play dumb for most of it, to be sure things remained the way they were supposed to be.

But if getting berated by a Shadow of all things didn't mean it hadn't been that simple, nothing would.

'Comfortably numb' is how he would have described it. The thought that anything might have posed a threat to his or his friends lives never even occurred to him. They'd done it all before, after all. No matter the risks he'd taken, they'd always come out on top.

That manner of callous thinking could've gotten him and everyone else killed. And it'd never even crossed his mind.

Refusing to move under heavy giant-boulder-sniper fire was one thing, given that even an idiot wouldn't presume a normal person could survive something like that. It was another matter entirely to set an entire forest alight and just assume everyone would get through it unscathed.

Perhaps, after everything they'd been through, it would wind up being him, not the TV World, that posed the biggest threat.

The thought left Yu unable to deny it any longer. He was scared. Scared stiff and then some. Every day he and everyone else spent climbing up that space-defying tower was a new attempt on their lives. One more thing he had absolutely no knowledge of. For the first time in a year, fear's ice-cold fingers began creeping through his ribs and stabbing at his heart. He might actually lose someone. He might lose everyone at once. And this time, there'd be no do-overs. No worldly reset button to let him go back and do things over.

If he flew too close to the sun, he was going to fall. And he was going to bring everyone else with him.

Having watched the sun slowly peek over the horizon through his window as he mulled over the situation, Yu clenched his fists tightly as he sprung himself up from his bed. Inside, he felt his fear get beaten into submission by a burgeoning sense of determination.

He couldn't lose anyone. He wouldn't lose everyone. If he was the problem, or was risking turning into one, all he needed to do was change his approach. That was all.

He left his phone by the wayside as he got dressed for school. No TV World today. Everyone sorely needed their rest.

As for the day after? He might just have had an idea in mind.

The following day…

"Alright Partner, spill it." Yosuke threw out his arms and glanced around at all the nothing on the banks of the Samegawa River. "What're we doing here?"

"Furthermore, why is Kanji-kun alone not accompanying us?" Naoto asked, tipping her cap to keep the high-hanging sun from her eyes. From the shrug Yu gave her, it seemed reasonable to assume that he hadn't planned for his absence. Whether that made her feel better or worse, she couldn't say.

"And what's with the bag? Or the umbrella?" Chie asked as well, wondering why nobody had brought either matter up sooner. In her mind, a large black sports bag and the massive, beach-tier umbrella over Yu's shoulder were a bit hard to ignore.

"It's not an umbrella, idiot, it's a parasol." Yosuke said bluntly.

"Whatever! What's with the parasol then?!" Chie barked after shooting Yosuke a dirty look.

Seeing as the shadows that were cast across the green, flowing grass of the riverside included all but Kanji's, Yukiko took it to mean only one thing. "This is about the other day, isn't it? About what happened inside the TV."

"Eh, kinda." Yu asked, sounding a lot less serious than everyone had been anticipating. "It's more in response to it rather than about it altogether, if that makes sense."

"Not even a lick." Astaire said from Rise's side. "Unless your response involves beating someone with that… para-thing you're carrying."

Yu met Astaire's eyes, smiled slightly, then began walking towards him. "You're closer than you might think, actually." He then tossed the bag to Astaire's feet- which hit the ground with a mix of wooden, plastic and metal jingling sounds- then thrusted the parasol into his hands. "Today's combat training day, and Astaire-san's going to be our dummy."

Hm. Somehow, being called a 'dummy' by someone other than Ms. Kujikawa didn't feel as endearing as it usually did.

Continuing on before the inevitable cloud of confused and questioning voices rose up, Yu clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing in front of his line of friends like an army drill sergeant. "Yes, everyone heard me right. Since we're going through some kind of… something resembling Astaire-san's world, we need to start taking precautions on how people from that world fight. To that end…" He outstretched a hand to Astaire as he swung the parasol over his shoulder, much as Yu had done. "...I've prepared a few 'weapons' which should prove a little less harmful than what we're used to."

Looking at the way he was holding it, Rise's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Oh! So that parasol is kinda like Astaire-kun's Zweihander!" She chirped before kneeling down to peek through the rest of the bag. There was a set of maracas, a pair of sandals, a rubber-band gun, a rolled-up half tatami mat, a tambourine and a soft, fluffy looking paw which no doubt filled in for Teddie's weapon. "Jeez, you've been busy, Senpai."

"Sure have. Hopefully, with all of those in hand, Astaire-san can imitate not just the moves of whoever's weapons he's got in his box, but us, too. You never know when we might need it." Yu explained, reaching around to his back and revealing a Kendo Shinai as his weapon of choice. "That is, if you're feeling up to it, Astaire-san. Hopefully this way will teach us more than just talking will."

Easier said than done, actually. It was bad enough fighting with a blunt weapon with no soul in it, but these weren't weapons at all! They were closer to jokes than weapons! Not only did they not contain any souls, but he doubted they could even hold one in the first place. "I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything too fanciful with these. But I'll give it a try, at least." Astaire nodded. Souls be damned, it was worth trying at least once. He'd simply have to improvise.

Yu took his shinai in both hands and strode out into the open, followed closely by Astaire before the two split off and took their places opposite one another.

"Alright, Astaire-san. Don't hold back!" Yu cried as he suddenly kicked off his starting point, his wooden sword stand-in primed for the kill.

Looking his parasol up and down again, Astaire couldn't help but feel like the whole situation felt rather silly. "If you insist, Mr. Narukami." He said as he went and fished inside his coat for something. As he glanced to the sky mid-search, one might've got the impression that he wasn't taking the situation all that seriously.

Time to beat that out of him. "I'm not gonna go easy on you if you start spacing out!" Yu roared as he approached striking distance and let fly his blunt, non-threatening weapon at Astaire's head.

And felt his attack completely miss.

"Speed is both a blessing and a curse in Lordran." Astaire began, whipping Yu's shinai away with a flourish of his Parrying Dagger. " It can prove overwhelming to slower sorts like myself. That is…" He fastened the dagger to his belt as he returned his other hand to the parasol and twisted it behind his back. As Yu sat in a state of recently-parried paralysis, he felt his heart quiver in his chest as Astaire's eyes burned a hole straight through him. "...if you're not predictable enough to become your own worst enemy."

The parasol thrashed into Yu's side with Astaire's full force, sending him barrelling onto the grass and sending his shinai skyward. He wasn't dead, far from it, but he was more than a bit relieved that he'd chosen a plastic frame over a metal one. Because plastic had hurt. Really hurt. "Holy cow, I think Sensei broke a rib!" Teddie squeaked from the sidelines.

"Don't worry, I'm fine…" Yu said unconvincingly as he staggered to his feet. "...But jeez, I'm glad you're on our side. That's gonna leave a mark." He rubbed his side and cringed internally at the thought of how big the ensuing bruise was going to be. "Anything else I need to know?"

A twinge of guilt nibbled at Astaire's chest as he watched Yu right himself and catch his breath. Perhaps he'd overdone it a little. "Er… yes, durability. As you no doubt remember, katanas are quick to break under pressure. You must be careful not to be too antsy all at once."

"Okay, good to know..." Yu panted as he exhaled heavily, the last in a string long enough to almost be worrying. "I think I'm gonna tag out for a sec, if that's alright… Yosuke, you feeling up for taking my place?"

Maracas rattling in time as he quaked on the spot, Yosuke bristled stiffly. "You want me to fight him after seeing that?! Are you shitting me?!" He pointed an accusing maraca at Yu in particular. "His Shadow almost cut my fricking head off, and that's when he was debilitated and I wasn't! It's like the scales have tipped the complete opposite way!"

"That was a Shadow that you pissed off last time, hurry up and grow a pair!" Chie insisted as she slapped him roughly on the back, knocking him forward as Yu quickly hopped back in amongst the rest of his friends.

Sensing he was as enthusiastic as water was dry, Astaire tipped his head in a slight bow. "I assure you, Mr. Hanamura, I'm not my Shadow. I doubt things will end as poorly as they did previously." He assured him before swinging the parasol up to his shoulder again.

Comparing their weapons, Yosuke couldn't help but gulp slightly. He seemed just a little bit outclassed without Susano-o backing him up. "Yeah… not as poorly, right. Without healing magic, it could end up a whole lot worse." He muttered before he settled into his usual battle stance. "Guess that's just my incentive to not get caught. Hit me with your best shot!"

Later on, Yosuke gravely wished he hadn't added that last part.

"Because I wasn't watching her."

As much as Rise had tried, Astaire's words from the day before reverberated around in her head like an undying echo around a cavern. Her eyes followed him as he twisted and leapt around on the grass, the tails of his coat flowing in his wake as he positioned himself and swung his entire body weight into his attacks. As she followed him for longer, it was almost as though he were moving in slow motion.

His face was so hard. So determined. It was like he had two different settings depending on the situation. The face he wore into danger, and the one he wore when she inquired about how she looked in a swimsuit.

...Still couldn't stop thinking about it. His words bunched up her guts and made her want to smile until she tore her head in half. And yet, she couldn't stop overthinking it too. That perhaps his words hadn't meant what she'd thought. That it'd been a sign of something else going on in his head. That he'd just been doing his job. That he'd been-

"Rise-chan? Hellooo?" Chie's voice interrupted her thoughts as she waved a hand in front of her face. "Glad to see you've come back to Earth with the rest of us." Chie beamed as she sat down next to her, wrapping her arms around her knees as she got comfortable on the grass.

Realising she'd been in a world of her own, Rise blinked herself lucid and regained her bearings. Everyone reclined on the ground, savouring the crisp air and cool, sunny breeze. They watched the bouts between Yosuke and Astaire with interest, save for Yukiko, who was pestering Yu about the bruise on his side worriedly.

"Ouch. Looks like that's Yosuke out for the count." Chie observed as he picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Guess that's what he gets for not taking his advice."

Rise blinked again. She hadn't even noticed Yosuke had fallen. "Eh? What just happened? What advice?" She asked as she shook her head.

Something halfway between a spluttered cough and a noise of confusion jumped up Chie's throat. "What ju-? How spaced out were you?! You've been sitting here the entire time, how could you not notice what happened?!"

"I guess I just wasn't… watching… him." Rise slowed to a pause.

Wait.

Waaaaaaait.

...There was no way, right? It was just a coincidence, wasn't it? He hadn't been watching her for the same reason she'd been watching him, right? Because she could guess why she'd been doing it all too easily.

It felt like the dial was beginning to move off of 'maybe'. Perhaps it had been moving for far longer than she cared to admit.

"I wouldn't blame you for being mentally preoccupied. You were both in the news recently." Naoto's words served as a much-welcomed distraction as she gave Rise a gentle look. "Even still, I would like to hope you've been well in spite of such things."

"Aww, are you worried about me, Naoto-kun~?" Rise grinned as she playfully pinched Naoto's cheek, giggling at her unamused expression as she did so. "I'd be more worried about yourself if you get much more exposure. Wouldn't want the Detective Prince getting more fans than she can handle, right?" She said with a wink.

"I-If you insist." Naoto said as she glanced away cutely. Gosh, if only Kanji-kun were…

"Hell's goin' on down here? We takin' turns beatin' the crap outta Yosuke-senpai?" Speak of the devil, Kanji appeared at the top of the steep incline at everyone's backs, peering down with some kind of large paper bag clutched in his hand.

"What took you so long, Kanji? You were going to have Naoto-kun worried sick if you took much longer!" Rise chirped, taking joy at Kanji's near-tumble down the hill when she'd brought it up.

"Th-That is a complete fabrication." Naoto said quickly and quietly as she suddenly felt the urge to hide under the brim of her hat.

"Ooh, I get it!" Teddie bounced onto his feet and began sniffing around the bag Kanji was carrying, "You were off getting snacks and popcorn for us to eat while we watch Yosuke get the snot beat out of him, right Kanji?!" He asked enthusiastically, right before Kanji whipped the bag away from him and jabbed him in the stomach to send him rolling back down the hill.

"Can it, Ted, it ain't snacks." Kanji grumbled, reaching the bottom of the hill and placing the bag next to Yu. "Here, Senpai. 'S for you." Looking twice as puzzled as everyone else, Yu went to peer into the bag before Kanji shot down and clamped his hand over the top. "Don't frickin' open it in front of everyone! What're you, nuts?!"

...Well that seemed counterproductive. "Why not? I'm sure they all want to know what it is just as much as I do." Yu shrugged,

"'Cause it's… it's…" Kanji started and stopped, trying his best to tell him what the item in question was while not telling him at the same time. "Look, it's jus' something to make up for what I said the other day, thass' all. Felt I kinda needed to after bein' such an ass."

"The reason we're gathered here now is because you were entirely correct." Naoto quickly jumped in. Perhaps a little too quickly to not sound completely defensive. Sensing as much, she cleared her throat. "You shouldn't have to make up for anything."

Surprise lit up on Kanji's face as he and Naoto's eyes met, then quickly un-met as both broke off from each other, glancing away in thought.

Guess if Naoto was saying it, it must've been true. "I-If ya think so. Speakin' a' which…" Kanji cringed as Yosuke failed to dodge a hit from Astaire's parasol and cartwheeled onto the grass again. "...I'll ask again. Hell's this all about?"

"We're trying to beat up Stairry-kun in case we need to beat up someone like him from his world too!" Teddie explained. "Not that you'd think it, because Yosuke's really eating dirt over there."

"I heard that!" Yosuke shouted as he lay flat on his back.

Many more losses like that and there wasn't going to be much of Yosuke left to spar with. "Hey, take me on next! Try beatin' someone who ain't as scrawny as Yosuke-senpai for a change!" Kanji grinned as he rolled up his sleeves and swiped up the half-sized tatami mat from the grass.

"I heard that too!" Yosuke moaned as he propped himself up on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, you got your hearin' aid turned up real high today, we get it." Kanji bent down and half-assisted, half-threw Yosuke off the ground and out of he and Astaire's way. The ground seemed to shake underfoot as he and Astaire stood at lengths from one another, eyes ablaze and souls alight on both sides. "Don't go cryin' when I kick your ass. I've roughed up plenty of dudes before I even had a Persona." Kanji grinned.

"Not as many as I have, I'd estimate." Astaire grinned back, parting his legs and spacing his hands apart on the parasol. "Come now, show me what a shieldsman lacking a sword can do!"

"You got it!"

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Every step Yosuke took seemed to sting him in a different place as he limped over to everyone else, his clothes stained and dirty, his hair like a bird's nest. "What I wouldn't give to have Susano-o back." He complained as he fell and sat next to everyone else.

"And to think, you were so confident at first! That'll teach you to count your eggs before they hatch in one basket!" Teddie hopped over to tease him, wagging a finger and shaking his head comically.

As much as Yosuke wanted to raise a fist to him, that seemed like far too much effort for now. "That's not how that saying goes, you dingus." Yosuke sighed as he threw himself onto his back and gazed up at the sky, maracas sounding out gently as they rolled from his hands. "You'd think having two weapons would make this sort of thing a bit easier."

"Oh, shoot, that reminds me!" Yosuke rolled over as Rise suddenly perked up beside him, turning around on her knees to face everyone else head on. "Something weird happened at work the other day! Someone else used Astaire-kun's first name!"

All at once, with the exception of Kanji and Astaire, the team was set on red alert, backs straightening in unison. "Seriously?! Who was it?! Did they look like one of those weirdo suit guys?!" Yosuke asked first.

Rise shook her head. "Nuh uh. He's this guy who's been at my studio for a while now. He's... " A complete douchebag. "...kind of a creeper. He doesn't have a moustache, or a suit, but he still knew Astaire-kun's first name! Doesn't that seem a little fishy?!"

Fishy didn't do it justice. For anyone outside the TV World to know Astaire's first name was reason for concern in and of itself. People actively learning it from somewhere when nobody had mentioned it was worrying. "I can imagine one of two scenarios." Naoto spoke up, already having retrieved her notebook. "One, either you or Astaire-san simply let his name slip by accident and didn't realise it-" Rise breathed in to strenuously deny ever doing such a thing, until- "-or two, this so-called 'suited man' is someone who either is close to, or works inside, Takura Productions, and he passed the name on that way."

Ice lined Rise's chest as she entertained the notion. "You mean… we could be being spied on? Like, all the time?"

Naoto paused and bit her lower lip before answering. "...It's worth taking into consideration."

Holy crap. Hooooly crap that did not sit well. That did not sit well with Rise at all. Mostly because it made a lot of sense. It'd have explained how the suited man had known where to find them every time before. All he had to do was follow her and Astaire when they went to Inaba.

...Hang on, that wasn't right. "Wait. If he's someone who works with the studio, and that's how the name got passed on… how would he have been able to follow us all the way to Inaba? Without being able to go inside the TV?" To say nothing of following she and Astaire to Okina of all places. Neither of the three were exactly a stone's throw away from each other.

The entire team leaned back in thought, stroking chins, drumming on lips and running hands through hair all the while. "...Maybe he can go inside the TV. Maybe he even has a Persona" Yosuke offered.

"Without someone to throw him in in the first place? I doubt it." Yu said as he mulled the situation over, leaning back on the grass and staring at the clouds passing idly by. "...We need to catch him. Whoever he is, if we can confront him we can get some answers."

"Somehow I think that's going to be easier said than done…" Yukiko said grimly, leaning back and lying on the grass parallel to Yu. "So far it's been a lot of 'him finding us' rather than the other way around."

As much as everyone might've liked to tell her she was wrong, that at least one of them had the slightest hint of a clue as to where they might start, they couldn't. She wasn't wrong, far from it. They had no idea who he was. Hell, they didn't even have a name for him. Given that his possible base of operations was from anywhere between Okina, Inaba and the Takura Productions lot, it didn't exactly nail him down very solidly.

When at last Naoto shut her notebook after hunting for a solution, everyone else knew there was little hope for the rest of them. They lay back and watched the ongoing sparring session before them, wondering all the while about what possible methods they could use to even begin hunting the suited man down.

Frankly, catching the moon with a butterfly net sounded easier.

Sweat ran from Kanji and Astaire's brows like they'd just come in from a rainstorm. They panted heavily, their weapons laid into the ground as they each struggled to catch their respective breaths. Even still, their gazes were ironclad, roaring with a fire that spluttered and shrunk, but never went out. Their muscles ached, their lungs burnt, the sweat blinded and blurred them as they closed the distance between one another.

Sparks flew, electricity filled the air. Their faces were inches apart. Kanji's throat croaked as his voice struggled to free itself from his chest. But when at last they did- "You… wanna call this a draw?" -he exhaled in exasperation.

After a brief pause wherein his face lay blank, Astaire did the same. "Absolutely." He sighed. His head landed on Kanji's shoulder - and vice versa - as they slumped forward and rested against each other's weight. As meagre a form of rest as it proved to be, it was so welcome that both lads were loathe to lose it. "I think… I'm going to lie down before the next bout… if that's alright with you…" Astaire swallowed, trying and failing to wet his throat.

Parasol and tatami mat slipping from their grasps to the ground, both combatants clumsily lumbered over to their audience of friends relaxing on the grass, seemingly absorbed in a collective state of deep thought.

Deep thinking sounded nice.

"Holy cow, you two really went at- IT!" Rise squeaked at the end as Astaire slammed face-first onto the grass with an almighty thump, limp and motionless.

Resting sounded better.

"...You don't look so good."

"Mff ffrffrry ffrf." Astaire muffled out through a mouthful of grass and dirt. Seeing his energy was rivalling that of a granite statue, Rise worked her fingers underneath him and rolled him onto his side. His face was covered in grass stains and bruises. "I'm perfectly fine." He repeated clearly this time, expression unchanged.

"Sure as hell didn't look fine on the walk over." Kanji said with a grin as he managed to lift his head.

"Only as well as yourself, I think you'll find." Astaire grinned back. "Although I meant what I said. I haven't felt as thrilled since that incident with the piano the other day." He mused as he allowed his weight to shift to his back, smiling contentedly as he lapped up the fresh summer air.

"Wait. What incident with a piano?" Naoto asked, flicking back through her notebook to where she kept her notes on Astaire's muddled past.

At which point, Rise stepped in. "He was messing around with…" Kanami. "...a keyboard the other day." Focus, Rise, focus. That wasn't important right now. "Someone I work with kept on telling us the names of all the stuff he could remember playing. Lotsa jazz and stuff, I think."

From behind Naoto, lying on her back with her head rested on her hands, Chie let out a thoughtful hum. And another. And another. "How's that meditation working out for you?" Yosuke asked as his face appeared in her field of vision.

Amidst the inevitable 'I'm not meditating you doofus' and other such protests, Naoto raised a curious eyebrow. "Is something troubling you. Chie-senpai?"

Her spat with Yosuke interrupted, Chie's face shifted from fury to thoughtful in the blink of an eye. "Eh, it's nothing, really. It's just…" She paused to cross her arms and legs, closing her eyes in thought. "After all this stuff Astaire-san remembers how to do in our world, I got to wondering…"

"...What if he's originally from our world, or something?"

The tip of Naoto's pencil snapped.

The grass stopped swaying. The wind didn't blow. The fish in the river ceased jumping. The sound of the river on the banks seemed to fade away.

Everyone's eyes bulged out of their heads. Kanji's jaw loosened and hung. Astaire felt every fibre of his body shudder in shock and then freeze over.

"Th-Thass' why he knew how to swear the first time we met him!" Kanji pieced together.

"That's why he knew how to use chopsticks right from the get-go, and why he knows how to play all those old songs!" Rise added alongside him.

Holy shit, Chie was right.

'Knight' Astaire wasn't a knight at all. He wasn't from Lordran. He was from their world.

"W-Wait one blasted second!" Astaire yelled. It was only after yelling and catching everyone's attention that he realised he hadn't exactly planned a response out. He stammered and tripped over his words as his brain struggled to piece itself together. "I… I-I can't be from your world! It doesn't make sense, it's impossible!"

"Why?" Yukiko asked pointedly.

Again, Astaire realised he hadn't thought this through as well as he could've. "Because… I just can't be! How could I…?"

No, wait. Think. Breathe. Slow down.

They were wrong. They had to be. Something inside him was screaming it at him. But why?

And then, it hit him. "Alright, alright, hold on. Say Ms. Satonaka is correct, and I am originally from this world. How exactly do you propose I got to Lordran in the first place, then? Answer me that!" He shouted accusingly, thrusting a finger towards the Investigation Team.

He had to be from Lordran. Lordran was all he knew. He could've been from nowhere else. He couldn't be so fundamentally wrong about who he once was as to be blind to where he first came from, right?

...Right?

Ignoring the steadiness of his conviction, his question gave everyone else pause. For a moment, it seemed like Occam's Razor was about to slice through this whole mystery like a hot knife through butter. It all made too much sense, after all. Such sense that it had to be the only proper answer.

And yet. "...I'm not sure." Naoto finally admitted. As everyone exhaled in exasperation in her wake, it seemed as though they'd all reached the same conclusion. "From what you've told us of your world, the stability of time and space seems a bit less stable than our own. To walk from such a setting into our world seems at least probable. Vice versa…"

"Not so much." Yu finished for her. "But don't tell me it doesn't sound even slightly convincing. We might not know the answer now, but there has to be one." He said, his brow furrowed and low. From the look he was being given, Astaire could begin to feel that Narukami-brand pressure beginning to rest on his shoulders, threatening to rip his arms clean from his sides. "Whatever the answer is, Astaire-san, you'll need to face it head-on eventually."

Rise watched as Astaire's gaze fell to the ground. It mightn't have been as evident to everyone else as it was to her, but she could practically see the mental gymnastics going on inside his head just by looking at his face. His lips twitched and shifted as he gnawed at the back of them. His eyes narrowed subtly as his cheeks tensed and rose. He would let his hands fall loose, then ball them back up again. He'd ball them so hard that she almost expected his fingernails to start drawing blood.

Finally, Astaire let out a sigh and ran a hand down his face. "I… I don't want to dwell on this right now." He shook his head before he began pulling himself up off the ground, brushing the stray blades of grass off his coattails. "Some of you still need to spar with me, I believe." He said flatly as he strode off to grab his parasol anew.

He tried his damndest to rid the annoying buzz of busy thoughts from his mind, but what few practice swings he took with the parasol failed to swat them away. If anything, it only made things worse.

Hadn't he always known how to swing a greatsword? Always known where his allegiances lay? What his place in the grand scheme of things in Lordran had been? What meaning his life had been given? As far as he could remember, he had.

And if he didn't have that to lean on, what did he have?

He had to be from Lordran. He had to be.

From afar, Yu watched him with uncertain eyes. They seemed to have stumbled upon an answer, but it wasn't one Astaire seemed ready to accept.

He felt as though the concerns about his past suddenly became that much more cumbersome on his mind.

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Knight Astaire

It was only after rolling around and instructing Teddie on how best to adapt his fighting style that Astaire came to an extremely unwelcome realisation. "C'mon, fight back! Haven't you ever had to fight a girl before?!" Chie roared as she recoiled from her latest kick, leaving Astaire doubled over and clutching his midriff.

Gods above, even through the soft, padded soles of her sandals, Astaire felt like she was going to punt his spine out of him after going through his stomach for a shortcut. "None that-" Astaire stopped to briefly cough his lungs up. "-I was on good terms with. You're no half-spider, half-woman, that's assured."

"Half-what, half-what?" Rise asked from the sidelines, suddenly lucid of the cold chill that had instinctively slipped down her back.

Considering his bout with Chie hadn't been much of a bout at all, given he was the only one bruised and beaten in the end, Astaire was left with a moment to ponder something while looking at Rise's stricken expression. Something which, until now, he hadn't realised had been bugging him. From the tip of his tongue, he finally put a finger on it. "Say, I've been wondering. Why doesn't-GAK!"

From straightening himself up, Astaire quickly began falling back again as he suddenly had a face full of Chie. She'd leapt into the air, wrapped her legs around his neck -not an easy task given their height difference- and somehow spun herself around to his back, whereupon she used her momentum to spin him on a heel and slam him face-first into the ground, with a set of powerful thighs slowly choking the life out of him.

"Oh man, I've always wanted to do that!" Chie whooped, pumping her fists in the air as Astaire pounded the ground with his, his face turning blue as oxygen became a rare commodity in his lungs. "Whoops, sorry. Couldn't resist." Chie said sheepishly as she loosened her grip and stood back up.

As much as he wanted to continue with his previous point, finding the shattered pieces of his esophagus struck Astaire as more important for the initial few seconds of his freedom. Sensing that his eyes weren't going to pop out of his head, he cleared his newly-repaired throat and continued. "As I was saying. Why doesn't Ms. Kujikawa have a weapon proficiency of any sort? All the rest of you seem to, they're even unique amongst yourselves."

Suddenly the topic of conversation, Rise popped up on the spot with a perky hum. "Hm? Oh. that's because of Kouzeon. Every skill she has just makes other people stronger, she can't actually fight." Rise explained. "Not that I'm complaining, really! Not after getting hit by that Wolf-thing back in the forest…" She mused, running a hand across her side where Kouzeon had been shattered. The pain was gone, but she remembered it as clearly as crystal.

Not that Astaire was complaining either. Rise? In combat? Gods above, he almost gave himself a heart attack just thinking about it. That being said, knowing how to use something to defend herself didn't seem like a bad idea. A Soapstone could only summon him so quickly if they were separated after all.

"...At least I'll have Rise-chan and Kanami-chan to help sort things out with me..."

...No, she definitely needed a weapon. Down to his side went the Parasol, out of his coat came the Bottomless Box. He waggled a finger in Rise's direction to coax her over to him, and a few seconds later she was peering into the inky depths of the spatially-incoherent rectangle with him.

It had to be something that wasn't a longsword, a pair of daggers, a pair of boots, a fan, a set of claws, a shield or a gun.

After a moment's thinking and tapping his foot off the ground, Astaire plunged his hand into the box. "Give this a try." He said, retrieving the grip of… something thick and metallic and offering it to Rise. She gripped it hesitantly, then nearly got dragged back into the box with a squeal as Astaire let go. "...Well, that's greathammers ruled out. How about an axe?" Astaire shrugged as he went delving again.

He stopped as a quick and thin pair of hands waved about in front of his face. "Nothing heavy! There's no way I could lug about stuff like you and Kanji can!" She assured him, pleading internally that his next suggestion wouldn't rip her arm off.

...Bugger. One more restriction. The list of possibilities was shrinking at a rather concerning rate. Something that wasn't any of the above and it was light?

"Um… Right, well…" Come on, come on, he had to have something! Caesti? No, she probably wouldn't appreciate that. A scimitar or rapier? No, they actually weighed a fair bit, even if they paled in comparison to his usual toolset. "...Give me a minute here."

"Hey, what's that?" Rise asked, taking the initiative and plunging her own arm into the box as well, wrapping her fingers around the item that had caught her eye. It felt leathery and smooth, but most importantly, it was very light to hold. Bringing her prize out into the light, it became immediately evident what it was. "It's… a whip?"

It was indeed a leather whip. A whip which looked to be in exceptional condition, too. Almost to the point where it looked like it had never been used. But that wasn't the best thing about it. The best thing about it was that Rise could feel a sort of… rush when she touched it. Like someone had run their fingers up the insides of hers. She felt her hand settle comfortably against the leather, felt her stance change on instinct as the length of the whip unfurled to her feet. Something was there. Something was there! Did this mean she could use it?!

"You want to try that? Have you ever used a whip before?" Astaire asked, eyebrow raised.

Just as Rise was about to say 'Yeah, I think so', she stopped herself short.

Wait. Wait. Holy cow. She could do the thing. She could do that thing she'd always seen in the movies and wanted to do! This was perfect!

Rise looked down blankly at the tip of the whip before giving it a rather pathetic flick. The end flopped up from the ground slightly, before losing steam and flopping back down lifelessly. A sorry attempt to be sure. "Jeez, I guess I haven't…" Rise said in her most convincing 'downtrodden' voice. Which was pretty convincing, if she did say so herself. Then she balled up her fists and twinkled her eyes brightly at Astaire. "Show me how to use it!"

"Certainly." Astaire said, holding out a hand for the whip.

Wait, crap, that wasn't right! He was going to mess it all up, the big blue dolt! Rise shied the whip away from his hand as he drew in nearer. "Um! Actually, I'm not that good at learning stuff by watching! I… I'm a…" She turned and glared at Naoto for the proper term, eyes like daggers.

"An active learner." Naoto finished for her.

"An active learner! That's the one! I gotta do it myself to get it right!" Rise whipped back around with a smile on her face. Then she decided to lay on the implication good and thick, just so he'd get the message. She twisted both hands on the whip's grip, she coyly drew a circle in the grass with her foot. She fluttered her eyelashes and gave him her most potent puppy-dog stare. "So… y'know."

From the look on his face, rubbing his chin and eyeing up the sky in thought, it was fair to assume he didn't know. "...I'm afraid I don't follow."

Rrrgh. Rise made a note in her head to show him more of the movies she'd gotten this idea from some time in the future. "Oh, come here!" She gave up and twirled around, seating her back against Astaire's stomach and placing the palm of his right hand on top of her own. "Show me how to move like this, okay?" She whispered to him gently, seated comfortably under his chin.

She felt the heat in his hand multiply tenfold as he tentatively affixed his fingers around her own. No doubt his face was the same, knowing him. Truth be told, from the way hers was beginning to feel, she was glad she was nestled safely out of his immediate line of sight too.

His hands were bigger than hers, and calloused in more places than one. No doubt the result of swinging around such heavy weapons all night and day. His arms dwarfed hers, strong, sturdy and capable. She felt his quickening heartbeat on her back, and the warmth from his torso bleeding into hers as his chest rose and fell gently. Even if it was a little out of rhythm.

Head under his, wrapped around her like a blanket of muscle and steel, Rise felt everything that'd been sitting in the back of her mind slowly melt away. Kaoru wasn't a problem. Her concert would go fine. Her songwriting was going great. The suited man couldn't touch her. In his presence, she felt like nothing could hurt her, and the thought calmed her immensely.

More than it calmed Astaire, that was for damn sure.

"Er, ri-right then. I-if that's what it takes." He stammered, suddenly very keenly aware that everyone else had eyes on the both of them. And that they were outside. And that somebody else could've been watching. And they might've had a camera on them. And-

"Is everything alright?" Rise asked from below his chin.

There were so many things not right with this scenario that Astaire hadn't the mental capacity to register them all in one instant. But if this was the only way to teach her, it was the only way to teach her. "Right as rain. L-Let's begin."

Handling her like she were made of twigs and leaves, and he were made of gasoline and wayward sparks, Astaire slowly worked Rise through the motions needed to at least crack the whip consistently. Which was easier said than done, considering he wasn't exactly an expert himself.

Whips, in his experience, had proved slow and cumbersome weapons. Which was rich coming from the fellow who paraded around swinging a seven-foot tall length of metal to and fro. But at least said metal had the decency to be heavy, too. Whips weren't. They were awkward, weak, and overall, rather rubbish. But any weapon suited to Rise was better than no weapon at all.

"You can also swing it overhead, like this-" Like articulating a life-sized Risette doll, Astaire guided her hand as carefully as he dared, trying to ignore the soft, slender feeling of her fingers and arms tracing his own. "N-Not that you can do that now, since I'm…" He cleared his throat for the sixth time in a minute. "...Well, you get the idea."

"Yeah, I think I do." Rise nodded, secretly loving every moment. His flustered demeanour. How gentle and careful he was being, despite how heavy-handed he seemed most of the time. How someone capable of felling a lightning-spewing dragon-thing could handle her with such care. She loved it.

She loved the feeling so much, that she could almost hear the dial in her head click off 'Maybe'.

Did she like Astaire? Like, really like him?

Yes, she absolutely did. No way would she feel this happy with anyone else in his place.

...Oh, jeez. She liked him. A whole lot. The more she thought about it, the more she felt the inside of her head peak to a boiling point. Before long, what started as a lesson in whip-cracking turned into a contest of who could out-blush the other. Rise clammed up. Astaire realised she'd clammed up and clammed right along with her, hand frozen on her own.

"Get a room!" Chie called over between cupped hands, snapping them both out of their respective clammings at once.

THEY'D JUST HAD A MOMENT AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS HAD BEEN WATCHING. AAAAAAGH.

Repelled like matching magnet ends, Astaire and Rise broke off from one another and put some space between themselves. One embarrassed beyond compare and the other strongly regretting she hadn't tried doing this in private as she hid her face behind her hands.

"Do you… know how to use it now?" Astaire asked after an awkward pause, in which he'd told every blood cell in his face to make themselves scarce before he thrashed the lot of them senseless.

"I- I think so, sure." Rise said, focusing on the fresh leather in her hand instead of lingering on… that. That, she could mull over later. "Guess that means I've gotta fight you now too, huh?"

From the way Astaire's face dropped as if his soul had suddenly been siphoned through his stomach, she could guess what answer she'd get. "Fight?! You?! Absolutely not!" He barked. "I'd sooner fight Lord Gwyn himself! No, no, that simply won't do!" Brow thoroughly furrowed, he leaned down and hoisted the parasol back up to his side, pointing it at Rise herself. "Simply… try to disarm me for now, I suppose."

Disarming, huh? Could she manage that? Rise looked at her fingers coiling around the whip's grip and gave it a squeeze, as if to ask it directly. From the way something inside it coiled back up her arm with a jolt, she suspected she could.

Time for a little idol-style showing off.

She gave it a test flick. A loud SNAP filled the air, echoing around the river and abruptly attracting the attentions of all her friends on the sidelines, heads popping up like a game of whack-a-mole.

"Good, you've got the basics down." Astaire nodded. "Now try to- AGH!"

Mid-sentence, Rise had twirled on the spot, bringing her whip above her head and launching the tip for Astaire's right hand with masterful precision, whereupon it erupted with another loud SNAP, which quickly parted the parasol from Astaire's hand before he'd even had time to react.

From the way it stung, as well as the wet, warm feeling running towards the ground, it seemed she'd drawn blood, too. "My word… Are you sure you've never-?" Astaire began, only to be interrupted by another SNAP. Then another. And another three more.

The initial rush of the impact hit Rise with an adrenaline rush the likes of which she'd never felt before. So much so that she couldn't resist cutting loose for a while. The sounds of vicious snapping filled the air, accompanied by the brown blur of leather and the whistling of air as it tore through the atmosphere. Rise's whole body worked itself into a billowing wave of motion, flowing like water. She twirled and twisted in dance-like motions, all the while the air around her exploded with noise and action.

It felt like being caught in the middle of a daytime fireworks display, one which Astaire shielded his face and backed away to free himself from. He'd never seen anyone do things like that with a whip, he'd never even thought it possible. But the violent cracking in his ears, and the snake-like motions to his eyes, neither lied. Her skills were all too real.

Finally, after nearly giving her bodyguard PTSD from all the racket, Rise doubled over with her hands on her knees, panting heavily and gasping for air. "Hah… Hah… Phew… how'd I do?" She asked innocently, beaming at Astaire like nothing was out of the ordinary.

He narrowed his eyes at her behind his crossed arms. "...Are you sure you haven't used a whip in combat before?"

"Not that any of us have seen!" Teddie shouted over. A statement which Rise corroborated with a quick nod of her head.

Well. That certainly had been something. Astaire lowered his arms to cross them in front of his chest. "Then I daresay we've found your weapon proficiency, Ms. Kujikawa. I've never seen a whip handled better. Well done." He said proudly, giving her a gentle smile.

Aw, jeez. Rise giggled and rubbed the back of her head, trying her best not to look as giddy as she felt inside. He was proud of her.

"Incidentally, I suppose that means I can give you what few whips I've found elsewhere. It seems you're better suited to all of them than I am."

"Really? I'm that good?" Rise perked up, bunching her hands together and raising her shoulders in joy. "Not that I wanna brag, but I felt like I was ready to take on- WHATTHEHELLSTHAT?!"

A sentiment echoed by most spectators on the sidelines, too. Especially one particular "What the shit?" From Kanji.

It was a scorpion tail. A giant, flexile, spiked scorpion tale, which was all black and shiny and gross and oh god it made sounds when it moved and ewewewewew get it away nononononono.

"What? It's the tail of the Sanctuary Guardian from Oolacile. It's liable to be the best whip weapon I own." Astaire shrugged, stopping to examine the massive, pointed end of the tail proper. "You might want to be careful though, I'm fairly certain the poison in it could topple a giant."

"Fairly certain?!" Rise fumed.

"...Well, I haven't actually used it in combat before. But I'm sure it'd make a fine armament in the hands of someone who-"

As Astaire took one step forward, Rise took an infinity steps backwards. "KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" She shrieked, quickly unfurling her whip again and brandishing it with both hands. "Don't make me whip you again! I will, I mean it!"

Considering the blood from his hand still hadn't stymied any, Astaire suddenly saw the sense in not pursuing the issue any further. "Very well, then. Should you wish to make use of it in the future, I'd be more than-"

The creepy-as-shit insecty-thing tucked back in his coat, Rise surged forward and squared up to her knight as best she could, hitting him with a stare that could've bored holes through bedrock. Like her Naoto-and-Kanji-are-getting-together stare, but somehow twice as strong. "Never ever ever ever ever EVER bring that out again. Got it?!"

Not one to argue with a girl with a whip, Astaire gulped. "Noted."

And with that, Rise's combat training fell to a close.

There was only one way to ensure everybody knew how best to fight combatants from Lordran, and it wasn't fighting off one person with a single weapon type. A single change and their strategies would need to change right along with it, and if the change was too dramatic, they'd be ushered toward their graves all the sooner.

Thus, the solution had been clear. Four-on-one, and he was allowed to swap weapons throughout.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Chie's ground-based kicks rooted her to the spot, leaving her open for Astaire's caesti to gently graze her face. He didn't launch another punch, but he easily could have.

Which was better than Yosuke was faring, at least. In the face of a wildly-swinging halberd, he suddenly felt as though anywhere within ten feet of Astaire was the wrong place to be. Every time he approached, he was forced to back off again.

Kanji had been allowed to swap from the tatami mat to a proper greatshield. Mostly because the former didn't seem able to withstand a full-on thrashing from a greataxe. The force was so wildly different from when they'd been fighting with joke weapons. If he hadn't been as big and strong as he was, Kanji reckoned his shoulders would've shattered to dust long ago.

Finally, Yu. Since their first bout, he endeavoured to mix up the timing on his attacks, keeping out of any sort of rhythm to throw Astaire off. But that alone wasn't helping him. Hiding behind a shield and poking at him with a spear didn't seem like a complicated, or entirely brave, strategy, but it was enough to keep him at bay.

Before long, weapons littered the ground as Astaire switched and swapped at lightning speed. Each one a new challenge, each one causing everyone to more smartly consider exactly how the approached him, if they could at all.

They were learning. And they were learning quickly.

They continued learning quickly for another hour on top of that, too. Smarts and stamina rolled into one.

"Alright, enough!" Astaire called out, gasping for air and covered in bruises. Where there weren't bruises, there were footprints, and where there weren't footprints, there was a lingering indentation from the pattern adorning Kanji's greatshield. Gods, he was a hard hitter. "I think it's fair to say that you all know what to do in the face of a real assailant, right?"

"Yeah." Yosuke dropped his maracas and staggered unsteadily back towards Yukiko, Rise and Teddie. "Use a frickin' Persona instead." He half-said, half-sighed as he hung his tired head.

Ah. Right. He'd forgotten about that. "...I suppose that would make things easier, yes. But you can't rely on them alone. In a tight spot, your own martial prowess might be all you can rely on." He said, turning to his remaining combatants with his hands on his hips and smiling widely. "And I think yours can be safely relied upon, after today."

"Man, I sure hope so, I'm pooped." Kanji sighed as he took off after Yosuke, rubbing at some of the bruises he himself had sustained.

Chie let out a worried whine as she examined her legs, riddled with bruises all the way down. "Aww, how am I gonna explain all these at school tomorrow…?" She complained, slumping over as she walked off.

Seeing as their bumps and sores were liable to get worse before they got better, everyone took the time to lie back on the grass, limbs spread out and tired, lungs venting off heat as they lapped up the summer air. They lay and watched the sun begin to lower into the horizon, painting the Samegawa with a crisp orange hue as the air began to cool down further.

Basking in such tranquility, it felt a shame to interrupt it. Everyone sat and relaxed without a word, with some -such as Teddie and Yosuke- going so far as to nod off to sleep entirely.

The silence wasn't long to last, however. "Hey, how's everyone feel about exploring more of the TV tomorrow?" Yu asked, rolling onto his side to face everyone properly. "I mean- if you don't want to, that's fine too. It's just in case… well, what happened last time happens again."

"I'm down for it." Kanji said, pushing himself off his stomach and onto his elbows. "Jus' as long as you don't set nuthin' on fire this time."

"No fires, I promise." Yu nodded seriously.

"And no big scary wolves with swords, either!" Rise added, her head popping up over Astaire's chest.

Uh. Well, that… wasn't as easily promised, exactly. Yu cleared his throat and to catch their resident Lordran Expert's attention. He rolled his head over, eyebrow raised, before Yu gave him a quick shrug of his shoulders. "Ah, right! No, you needn't worry, I'm fairly certain Sif was the only one!" He reassured everyone, noting how all of them simultaneously let out relieved sighs as they lay back down.

"...I've heard tell of bloody big cats roaming Darkroot Garden, though. I'm not sure about them." He added.

Oh, goddamnit.

"...Whatever the case is, does anyone have a problem with going in tomorrow?" Yu asked, awaiting at least one voice of resignation. His brow raised in surprise as none followed. "I guess that's it settled then." He grunted as he hoisted himself to his feet, brushed himself down and picked up his shinai from his side. He quickly gathered up the 'joke' weapons and stuffed them back into his sports bag, save for the parasol. Hoisting his cargo over his shoulder, he breathed deeply and let out a sigh. "If that's gonna be the case, I think you'd all be smart to go home and get some rest. Who knows what's waiting for us in there?"

With a quick wave and a jog up the stairs, Yu Narukami disappeared into the sunset.

Sensing the truth in his words, everyone gradually got up and began to move off towards their respective homes. Until- "Pardon me, everyone." Naoto cleared her throat and spoke. All eyes were suddenly on her as she flicked out her notebook. "Should anyone catch sight of the suited man between now and tomorrow, I implore you to tell me when and where as soon as possible. That will be our first step towards catching him."

Between 'No sweat's, 'Got it's and a single 'You betcha, Nao-chan!' from Teddie, everyone formed into smaller groups and went their separate ways. Rise and Astaire; Chie, Teddie and Yosuke; and Naoto and Kanji.

It didn't escape Rise's notice, however, that Kanji should've been walking with them instead. "Aww, look at Kanji walking Naoto-kun home! He's such a big softie." She cooed once she was out of earshot.

" 'Concerned' would've been my first guess." Astaire said. He drew a step closer to Rise and nestled his hand inside his coat, his eyes scanning their surroundings constantly. "I wouldn't fancy letting you walk home alone with these slinking, mustachioed fiends lingering about."

In Rise's mind, there was no doubt that she must've liked Astaire in some way she hadn't exactly done previously, because not once had she found herself peeking over the side of her bed and watching him sleep before this very night.

There were too many things to turn over in her head at once as she watched his face subtly twitch in the moonlight. Too many questions she'd found herself asking over and over again on the walk back over. If he really was from their world, where was he from? Who had he been? Obviously he'd played the piano, so was he a musician of some kind?

...Although, to be honest, as important as those seemed, she couldn't deny that one question stood above the rest in terms of how often she'd asked it to herself.

Did he like her too? The same way she did him?

It… was okay to think so, wasn't it? Because as many times as she'd felt he would show even the slightest hint of interest in someone else, he hadn't. He only seemed to act like as much of a big, blue goof around her. Then again, he was supposed to be her bodyguard. And a Knight, and whatever else.

Had he not been a knight, or her bodyguard, would things be different between them? If he had felt something, would he have said so already?

...She could always ask and find out. Maybe she could even tell him. Then he'd have to give her an answer.

But what if she was wrong?

Rise rolled herself back over into her bedsheets and exhaled into her pillow. If she was wrong, wouldn't that just make this entire situation all the more awkward? It was bad enough realising that she and Senpai were never going to work, at least she hadn't been living with him too.

No. No, she had to be clever about it. Crafty about it. She was the master of matching other people together -as proven by Kanji and Naoto, thank you very much- so trying to match herself with someone else would be easy! That was how it worked, right? Yeah, that was totally how it worked. Totally.

She just had to be careful, that's all. She'd let him know how she felt, one way or another. And in time, if he stopped being as remarkably dense as he was, maybe he'd even let her know too.

Yeah. That sounded like a plan. A nice plan.

Feeling her mind settle to some semblance of rest, Rise lay her head back into her pillow. But not before she took one last peek over the end of her mattress.

"I'll get you to spit it out sooner or later. Just you wait, Astaire-kun."