A/N: Hi, I am still here and so are you... and with that we have our awkward reintroduction out of the way. Fair point, this chapter is a bit shorter than the recent chapters because I've learned the hard way that at a certain point, a chapter can become just too much of a blob. The struggle to keep things together is real, but that's to be expected with any writing in my opinion. And yeah, the pace of the story will pick back up the next chapter… I'm aware it has grinded down a lot in the recent chapters and this one too. Anyhow, I figured out that it has been basically a month since a new chapter came out with the rewrite of the previous chapter taking much longer than I envisioned. Still, I put all the time I could spare into creating this chapter and hope you will enjoy it. I took care to try and explain everything and try to make things link together. The beginning half or so of this chapter is rather dense, and it took me a while even as the author to make sense of it all. The latter part of the chapter is more action-oriented, but that is not really my forte and I was sort of rusty with it, yikes… On that note, if you haven't reread the last chapter since I rewrote it, then please take a look before going to read this chapter as to not get lost in the beginning. This chapter is a parallel of sorts with the previous chapter after the rewrite and provides a glimmer of hope to a certain someone. So, yeah take a look at the previous chapter as things will make more sense if you do! In the time I've had since the rewrite and mulling things with this chapter, I did a complete reading of the story from beginning until now and wrote down notes because the number of things to keep track of are alarmingly numerous. I have done this process before, but not to the detailed degree that I did this time. I'll make sure to do this now for each future chapter so I don't get brain cramps, aha! This chapter answers some questions that have lingered haphazardly for a while and tries to mesh some things together. I really wanted to flesh out the backstory of the Velvet Room to a degree worth reading about.
My grammar is starting to fall apart in spots and I haven't been able to get the story beta read in a long while. Here's hoping that it doesn't distract from the story too much. I've always been more of an idea type than the mechanical one. I went through this chapter too many times to count now and don't think holding it for any longer will serve much purpose. Thank you! Oh, almost forgot… I am going to respond to the reader reviews from the last chapter before the rewrite since it feels wrong not to respond. And that, is way too long of an author's note.
Note: Thanks goes out to my beta for finalizing this chapter.
Reader Reviews:
Tama Saga: Thanks for the kind words. I do feel that I did go through a lot of setup for the chapter when it was in its previous incarnation. I'm glad that you haven't played Persona before since that is a good leading indicator that I am explaining things well enough so far. I usually end a chapter with a cliffhanger, but I agree the ending of that chapter was more of a prelude.
Yoshikunitsu: Wow! That is quite a compliment. I'm glad that you think that… although I am afraid of heightened expectations. Thanks for understanding the downtime between chapters. I think the truth will be deeper than it initially appeared when I thought of it. Mostly because the truth was so relative for Minato at the beginning and things are really starting to change and expand in this chapter. And that was extremely vague on my part, but here's hoping that the story continues to improve over time.
Zeyro: I think in a nutshell you have a great feel to where the story is heading. Especially, the last part about where Minato has to decide what he wants exactly. Only then, can he really find what he's looking for. I think this chapter helps to frame the factors out of his control and yet allows him some semblance of control if he wishes to take it. For Minato, I think this is very much a central theme in determining what he does with his life, for better or for worse.
Yami no Majou077: Yeah, things are getting a bit too complicated for Minato and for S.E.E.S. and for me, the author it seems, aha. Before the rewrite I was going strongly in the direction of Minato trying to do a solo run to meet his own ego and wants, but that was really hard to extend in any way or form after he saved Fuuka. It felt a bit forced to me, which is why in the rewrite he lets Fuuka go home.
crymblade:Thanks for the compliment. I did have concerns about the chapter not making as much sense as it should before the update. It's tough because I am writing in a vacuum sometimes and can lose threads of reasoning since I can't really write an entire chapter in one sitting. I'm hoping that writing more notes will help in that regard. And I'm glad you feel that the tension is there. Hamuko and Minato are flexible enough as protagonists to help the wrinkles make sense, but not throw things out of whack. Things won't always fit together as well I'm sure, but I'll always try to explain it as best as I can.
RomanceDagger: Indeed, it is really a balancing act that is hard for him to keep up because the inevitable slipups will continue. There may come a time where S.E.E.S. may just accept him for who he is, but that point seems rather far off.
The Luckster: Ah, so much praise in this review. Thank you. I think pacing and grammar are my primary weaknesses that I constantly try to drill down on. Of course, that's not to say that my other aspects of writing are particularly good, but they're less noticeable as problematic, aha. Nonetheless, I am happy that you have stuck with me since that inconspicuous beginning, which was more of a shot in the dark than anything else. Agreed on the part with the time of updating… hope everyone else does! I think this chapter can really be the chapter we look back on as in a turning point for Minato because he learns a lot about those similar to him in a way. I don't want to spoil it too much since this section is above the chapter!
Sorata Shioya: It really seems that way at this point, right? Here's hoping this chapter surprises you a little!
Laxard: Not abandoned, but taking a longer time between chapters. Good to see you.
kazikamikaze24: Thanks, and yeah, Minato always seems to not be there. He can't keep avoiding them though.
Chapter 22: Forewarning
June 8th, Monday (Outside Iwatodai Dormitory, Late Night)
Minato P.O.V.
A light breeze ruffled his white t-shirt as Minato stood on the stairs in front of the dorm, wondering how to reply to Margaret. He really didn't see why this discussion couldn't be done afterwards when there would be ample time to talk and things weren't so chaotic.
"Can't it wait, Margaret?" Minato said, trying not to sound discourteous, "Besides, my phone will stop working soon because of the Dark Hour, so we wouldn't be able to talk for long."
A small period of silence passed and the Velvet Room attendant said, "That's why I am suggesting that we talk directly in the Velvet Room. There is something that you need to realize and the sooner you do, the better."
"I don't see what could be that important," he said. "I promised that I would keep watch on the dorm while everyone else is busy fighting the Shadows."
"That is merely an excuse," she replied icily, "Or have you already forgotten that I requested that you entangle me within the strand of fate that has been spun for you? I did not realize that you were someone lacking such basic integrity."
Minato flinched at the emphasis Margaret put in her last few words. There was a hint of disappointment that colored her words that left him feeling rather guilty. He would've preferred if she had expressed outright anger instead and yelled at him. Mulling over her proposal for a second, he decided that staying in the Velvet Room would at least force him not to do anything crazy. There was a definite need to stay on the sidelines this time, and either way Natsuki would force herself out of the dorm no matter what he did. It was necessary that Fuuka be there when Natsuki regained her senses.
"Alright, I'm on my way," Minato said and left in a hurry after making sure the main doors were locked in the unlikely scenario that someone would barge into the dorm between now and midnight. After boarding the mostly empty train and arriving at the mall, he made his way to the alleyway entrance to the Velvet Room making sure that no one watched him enter the alleyway. He pushed the familiar door ajar and felt his body being transported to the ethereal realm.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Margaret's said even before he had a chance to adjust to his surroundings. As the room came into focus, it appeared that Margaret was her usual stoic self. The only other noise in the room was the soft clicking of the elevator ascending interminably and he realized that they must be alone again, just like the previous occasion.
"Igor and Elizabeth sure seem to be out a lot these days," Minato said casually. "Why did you want me to come here today?"
"This," she replied simply, and handing over the memory compendium, Le Grimoire, with two hands with an inscrutable expression. "I want you to look through it."
"Are you sure?" Minato said, taken aback a little and wondering if this were some kind of test, "I thought there was a fee for using it."
"I will overlook that this time," she replied and adamantly thrust the book into his arms.
Minato had never bothered to use the memory compendium before because he thought it would be a waste to review the memories from his first journey. Still, there had to be a good reason that Margaret was suddenly willing to show him the contents of the book. As he peeled back the weathered inner front page, Minato felt for a moment that he was back with Bunkichi and Mitsuko, the old couple from the bookstore where he had spent many an afternoon. Flipping through the pages he saw that there was a collection of grainy images with detailed annotations beneath them. Disturbingly, these annotations seemed to present his own thoughts at the time. It was a bit jarring to him the level of detail the book contained. Minato didn't say anything, but it felt a bit unfair that Margaret knew so much about him, almost to a stalker level, yet he barely knew anything about her.
She must've noticed his demeanor change as she said demurely, "Is there something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing," he replied, slightly shaking his head slowly. He continued to peruse the pages while Margaret closed her eyes, sitting with her legs crossed, seemingly content in waiting for something to happen.
When he got towards the middle of the book Minato began to slow down because these memories were so painful. There was the final foray into Tartarus fighting against Jin and Takaya, which led to their demise, Ryoji's lament about humanity bringing their own destruction, Nyx's bloodcurdling arrival, and his own last gambit of turning into the Great Seal, simultaneously saving everyone, but at what cost? He couldn't continue and his hands began to tremble while dropping the book as if it had scalded his hands. As the feelings he had stowed away threatened to burst, he began to gasp for air and tried to get out of his chair. That was when Margaret unexpectedly placed both of her hands softly on his, the palms of her hands holding steadfastly to the top of his so that he couldn't get away. He initially wanted to throw her hands off, but there was a reassuring feeling in her grasp that dissuaded Minato from doing so.
"I apologize that I had to remind you of something so painful," she said softly and a faint smile playing on the edges of her lips, "I must admit that I didn't initially understand why my sister held you in such high regard. Our duties as attendants of the Velvet Room are supposed to supersede all other issues, as we are honor bound to serve my master. That is the purpose of our existence. However, after delving deeply into your memories, it is apparent that there is more to you than meets the casual eye."
"It isn't fair that you know so much about me," Minato said his voice cracking slightly, "I barely know anything about you."
"You have never asked," she said, her normal tone of voice returning. After a while, Margaret released her hold on him, but there was still a lingering warmth that he felt in his hands.
Minato had never really given thought to the subject of getting to know Margaret. To him, she had simply been Elizabeth's placeholder while the eccentric younger sister had ventured out of the Velvet Room in an attempt to save him from the Great Seal. He was grateful that Elizabeth would go to such lengths on his behalf, and a part of him had thought that Elizabeth would work with him again once she returned to the Velvet Room. Instead, Margaret had continued to be the one to predominantly talk with him. There always seemed to be a distance between them that Minato only recently began to bridge with his reasoning behind Elizabeth's actions. It felt like this was a chance to earnestly get to know Margaret as a person.
"Margaret, were you always a resident of the Velvet Room?"
She gave him a calculating look before reaching over to retrieve the memory compendium and said, "Do my eyes give you pause, Minato?"
"What do you mean?" he replied uncertainly as he stared into her golden irises. "I guess you have the same eye color as Elizabeth?"
"Indeed, that is correct," she answered. "The eye color that is ubiquitous in Shadows, no? Of course, it would be presumptuous to believe that this alone would indicate the presence of the enemy that you've been fighting tirelessly."
Minato wasn't really sure where this was leading so he didn't interrupt.
"I cannot recall all the details before I came into the service of my master because the passing of time is not measured in this plane," she continued, looking rather wistful. "Only that it has been a long period of time. I do remember however, that I used to occupy the same seat that you are in now at some point in the past. Who you see in front of you now is the remnant of a contract holder who failed to fulfill the conditions placed upon her. The punishment for that sin was to enter service into the Velvet Room with what remained of me; a Shadow. There have been others who failed, but only a few are chosen for this task."
"You used to be a guest of the Velvet Room?" Minato said, a bit flabbergasted and his eyebrows arching toward comical proportions. The words rolled off his tongue slowly because his brain was struggling to register what Margaret had just explained.
"Yes, that is correct," she replied.
"None of this makes any sense! You're a Shadow, seriously? And if I fail I may end up just like you?"
"That is correct, with a caveat," she answered. "The schema of what you consider to be a Shadow is insufficient, as not all Shadows are created equal. I am of course referencing Elizabeth and myself. When my sister challenged you to a duel, you witnessed with your own eyes that she had the ability to utilize some of the Persona you used in your journey. Her power was partly drawn from the residual strength from her memories as a contract holder that she sanctimoniously refers to as being an avatar of power, when the correct terminology would be one who rules over power. Putting that minor issue aside, our strength while we were human could not rival your Wild Card powers, which were impressive."
Now that he had calmed down and had some time to think, it did seem to fit more that the sisters were Shadows. Margaret and Elizabeth seemed abnormal since the first time Minato met them and definitely not human; something that Minato had chalked up at the time as being residents of the Velvet Room. Also, he had always wondered how Elizabeth summoned Persona in the duel that she requested. Minato had seen Elizabeth pull out the compendium and summon a variety of Persona, but thought she was utilizing the compendium when in fact it was her own power. Considering the similarities between the two, Minato guessed that Margaret had similar strength.
"Is Elizabeth actually your younger sister then?" Minato said trying to see if his idea was on the right track.
"Not in the traditional sense," Margaret replied. "I entered service to the Velvet Room before she did, which is why the hierarchy exists. Nevertheless, I am stronger than her, lest she forget. Perhaps that is why we seem to disagree so often with each other." A self-satisfied smirk appeared on the blonde attendant's face and Minato decided not to pursue that line of questioning. There was definitely some sibling rivalry between the two, even if they weren't exactly sisters.
"If I was originally that powerful with the Wild Card, why did I have to let it all go in the end?" Minato said while massaging the back of his neck, since he had been craning his neck to listen to Margaret carefully.
"The collective negativity of human souls was truly boundless as evidenced by the sheer size and power of Erebus," she explained. "Hmm, if I were to give an analogous example in human terms it would be attempting to divide by zero."
"What?" Minato asked, uncertain if he had heard her wrong.
"That was a joke," Margaret said and her airy laugh reverberated around them. Minato wouldn't have believed that was her laughing if he wasn't witnessing it firsthand.
After her laughter subsided Minato said, "Is there anything else I need to know, Margaret?"
"You should look through the rest of your memories. I feel that will best lead your line of questioning."
Minato took the tome again from her and flipped past the page where he had stopped. Oddly enough, it was the start of his current journey and as he kept going the images showed most of the major events that he had experienced so far this time around.
"How does this thing continue to update itself? Honestly, it's a bit creepy."
Margaret said, "The memory compendium has always been in this room and used to monitor the actions of our guests. Your choices are your own, as we are strictly forbidden from intervening, but we do like to know now what is happening outside of the confines of the Velvet Room from time to time."
"Elizabeth never told me about this," Minato said. "Why are the images getting darker towards the end? Especially, the more recent ones."
"That is the primary reason that I asked for your audience today," Margaret replied, an anxious look on her face, "My master and sister agree with me that your current powers are beginning to be a source of concern."
"What do you mean?" he inquired.
"Metis explained to you how a Persona and a Shadow are one in the same," she elaborated. "Only a Persona can defeat a Shadow, the only difference between the two is that a Persona is under the control of the user. However, the user must be in harmony with their own soul, as it acts as a conduit in coercing their own Shadow to obey them. In your case, none of us in the Velvet Room can know what happened to your soul after releasing the Great Seal. In theory, you should have been left with nothing extraneous after the Wild Card went its course. Yet, here we are talking to each other about your ability.
Minato took out the familiar card with the reversed Hanged Man emblazoned on its cover and wondered where this power originated from. "By the way Margaret, what do you mean exactly by what has happened with my soul?"
"I will summarize; initially you had the Wild Card, which was later augmented by Death, then Death released you, and lastly you lost the power of the Wild Card. You must have realized that it is impossible for your soul not to change."
He considered what she said for a long time and tried to draw some kind of conclusion. All of this discussion about souls was rather implausible, but common sense didn't really work when dealing with Persona or Shadows. If what Margaret told him was correct then who was to say that he wasn't a ticking time bomb of sorts, like Shinjiro with the Hanged Man powers he seemed to have now? Though, he hadn't had any issues controlling his powers so far. In fact, he had never felt closer to his Persona than in the present when he used them in battle. There was no doubt when he commanded them; just instinct.
"Do you think that my current power is reflective of who I truly am since I no longer have Death or the Wild Card?" Minato asked.
"That is a question that only you can answer," she reiterated. "Unfortunately, there are too many variables in play for me to sort out if the Hanged Man is truly a representation of who you are or if it is another shackle on your being. Either way, I feel there will be an opportunity to alter the narrative before your time in the Velvet Room is over."
"I see…" Minato's voice trailed off. He couldn't answer that question to any extent, and that helped explain why he had struggled so much with his relationships so far. It was sad that he was the only one that had changed and his friends had remained the same. How could he understand anyone else when he couldn't understand himself? There was never a time that his soul hadn't been shared with something else, whether that be Death or the Wild Card. Was that voice he heard in his head a while ago simply his inner conscience or something else? Simply put, Minato wasn't sure how to proceed. Saving everyone from themselves was merely a cursory goal that he had brought from his last journey. Was he meant to do something else?
"Minato, listen to me carefully," Margaret said intently, "I was worried that your will to live was starting to waver after your recent foray into Tartarus not turning out how you wanted. You must find meaning from your current existence and not lose faith. I know that is incredibly vague and difficult to apply, but only then will the aria of your soul come in tune and will you find your true purpose in life."
"I guess I better head back now," Minato said after a while, "I still don't really know what I'll do exactly, but nonetheless thank you for being patient and explaining so much to me when I was starting to doubt everything. I'm grateful."
"You aren't bothered by the possible consequences for failing?" she said as she got up and held open the door for him.
Minato walked calmly through the exit, but not before he said, "I never plan to fail."
(Tartarus Entrance, Dark Hour)
Hamuko P.O.V.
S.E.E.S. was camped outside of Tartarus, trying to stay calm, but that was clearly a long shot at this point. The anxiety level of everyone was palpable, and even the slightest noise got a reaction out of them. Mitsuru and Akihiko stayed near Fuuka, waiting for the situation to change. Junpei, Yukari, and Hamuko sat in a semi-circle, each of them trying to deal with the stress of inaction. Hamuko jokingly wished that they could start a campfire and roast some marshmallows.
"Fuuka, have you picked up anything yet?" Hamuko could overhear Akihiko asking Fuuka the same question yet again. Hardly any time had passed by since he had last asked, but Fuuka was kind enough to humor him it seemed.
"No, Lucia hasn't picked up any unusual readings," Fuuka told him, still concentrating with her eyes closed.
It was really fortunate that Fuuka could not only summon her Persona, but also be able to function at close to full strength. To be honest, Hamuko was a bit envious that Fuuka seemed to not suffer any adverse effects from using her Persona for the first time. When Hamuko had first tried to summon her Persona it was a rather unpleasant experience, but Fuuka didn't struggle at all. Akihiko merely handed her an evoker and explained how the summoning process worked. Hamuko had thought that Fuuka would've been hesitant, but the unassuming girl barely batted an eye at the gun and pulled the trigger without much ado, summoning a beautiful Persona named Lucia. Fuuka's Persona was draped in tones of palest pink with her dress flowing even though there was no wind.
"C'est magnifique!" Mitsuru had complimented and seemed genuinely ecstatic after learning of the capabilities and superior range of Fuuka's Persona compared to Penthesilea. "I am certain we will depend on you for this battle and for many battles to come."
"Of course, senpai," Fuuka replied. "I'll try my best."
She's on our side. She's on our side. Fuuka is on our side, get over yourself, Hamuko kept thinking to herself. Even though Fuuka was the newest member of the team, she was already getting showered with praise. Hamuko tried not to let her irritation show in her body language.
"What's wrong, Hamuko?" Junpei whispered from her right. "Are you feeling alright? Oh, wait. I think you're getting to know what it's like for the rest of us who aren't always in the limelight."
"Knock it off Junpei," Yukari said warningly.
"Geez, calm down, Yuka-tan," Junpei said in a singsong voice. "I was just kidding. You don't need to protect Hamuko so much. Seems like no one here can take a joke."
"It's alright, you guys," Hamuko said timidly, in a voice a lot unlike her usual gregarious tone.
"Aww, come on," Junpei replied and looking a bit guilt-stricken, "Everyone will mess up sometimes, but everyone is here for each other, right?"
"Yeah, I'm just a bit jittery since we're just sitting around doing nothing," Hamuko said. "I thought we would get into battle right away once the Dark Hour started, but that doesn't seem like the case anymore."
It seemed like a while as the chatter of the three continued about mundane topics ranging from the new ramen combo at Hagakure, the rumors about an exchange student at school, and wondering how exactly Mitsuru's stuff worked during the Dark Hour. Soon after, Fuuka sounded the alarm for the moment they had been waiting for.
"I can sense something!" she exclaimed. "It's much larger than anything I felt in Tartarus before. No… there are two of them?! They're coming directly to us from the north."
"Two?!" Junpei said with his mouth agape, "Man, we could barely handle one of those monsters."
"Now isn't the time to panic," Akihiko said calmly, "Don't forget we added Fuuka for support and Mitsuru is fighting with us this time."
"Indeed, but the situation has changed," Mitsuru added. "I believe we should enter the lobby of Tartarus to reduce the collateral damage, as we do not want a repeat of the events from last time."
"Agreed," Akihiko said quickly.
"We should set an ambush!" Junpei yelled.
"Yeah, that would only be too obvious," Yukari said.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement and hustled to get everything prepared as they hid themselves as best they could in the lobby.
"They're almost here," Fuuka said to everyone else and dismissed her Persona momentarily.
Hamuko's pulse started to accelerate in anticipation as she waited with bated breath. Her grip on her naginata was painfully tight and her hands shook from the pressure she exerted. Moments after, two massive Shadows entered the lobby with thunderous footfalls shaking the floor. The first one to enter was a pot-bellied Shadow adorned with an outfit that Hamuko thought was truly bizzare. It wore a dark blue dress covered by an elaborate cape, along with an oversized Victorian collar with little golden stars as decoration. All of this was topped off by a bird-like mask that belonged to the Empress Arcana. The feet of this Shadow were disproportionately small and it seemed to waddle more than walk into the lobby. Behind the first one came the second Shadow, wearing an ensemble in metal grey that looked akin to a suit of knight's armor with detailed tassels adorning its shoulders. A large, velvet red cross adorned its oversized chest and Hamuko stifled a laugh after seeing how much the Shadows' body looked like an inverted triangle with no neck and an Emperor mask sitting on top. However, the fact that both Shadows seemed to be armed was no laughing matter, as the Empress held a long staff and the Emperor a short sword.
It seemed that attacking the Empress Shadow was the best choice, considering it seemed to have a lack of mobility with its waddling legs, so Hamuko started to give hand signals to Junpei and Akihiko. They had agreed beforehand that the three of them would execute the ambush and Mitsuru and Yukari would provide a second wave if necessary. Hamuko had decided this because Yukari was the best in the group at efficient healing spells and this was Mitsuru's first live action in a while.
"Now!" Hamuko roared, and the three of them lunged towards the Empress Shadow, which was taken by surprise and shrieked at the sudden flurry of blows, stumbling to the ground. Their ambush was successful, but just as Yukari and Mitsuru were about to join in for an all-out attack the Emperor Shadow stepped in and readily blocked all of their attacks, giving the Empress a chance to fall back and recover.
Akihiko, who was in his preferred spot closest to the fighting, was suddenly caught flush by a counterpunch from the Emperor and sent flying, skidding across the marble floor.
"Akihiko!" Mitsuru yelled in concern and rained down a torrent of Bufu spells in retaliation. The Empress intervened, deflecting all the ice with its staff.
"Fall back! This isn't working!" Hamuko replied, as she barely parried a swinging blow from the Emperor's sword using her naginata with both hands.
"Fuuka! What's going on? Do these things have any weakness?!" Yukari said, as she worked on Akihiko, who had managed to get on one knee.
"It's hard to figure out," Fuuka answered, sounding confused. "Their weaknesses seem to change whenever we manage to land an attack."
"Great, we got us a pair of chameleon Shadows here," Junpei muttered as he summoned Hermes to cleave the Empress, but the attack didn't connect. "If anyone has a bright idea, now would be a good time to say it!"
"We need to split them up somehow," Hamuko replied as everyone regrouped together. "That's the only way we're going to break through their defenses."
"That is a risk, considering Akihiko's condition," Mitsuru said.
"Tch, it's only a scratch, Mitsuru," Akihiko replied, getting to his feet and slamming his fists together. "I'm ready for the next round. Thanks, Yukari."
"No problem, senpai," Yukari said.
It looked like Akihiko would be alright for now, so Hamuko decided to put her impromptu plan to action.
"Junpei, you're with me," Hamuko ordered. "Everyone else, go for the Emperor." With that, S.E.E.S. split into two groups, encircling the Shadows and trying to bait the Shadows to move away from each other. Mitsuru's team flanked the Emperor from behind the stairs and Hamuko's team tried to lure the Empress toward the entrance. Mr. Ono, Hamuko's Japanese History teacher, would no doubt be proud that she was trying to use a pincer formation in an actual battle. Initially, the Shadows stuck together, but over time the distance between them grew and they couldn't cover for each other. Hamuko managed to break the Empress' staff in two with a downward flourish with her full weight behind it, after Junpei had momentarily occupied the Shadow with a well-timed Agi. Mitsuru and the others seemed to be doing well with Fuuka revealing the Emperor's weakness faster than it could use its Paradigm Shift. They were winning and it was only a matter of time until they won, it seemed.
However, their forward momentum came to a grinding halt when a figure emerged from the entrance. Natsuki appeared, glassy-eyed and seemingly unaware of the raging battle going on right in front of her eyes. She walked towards them as if she were hypnotized.
"Moriyama-san?!" Fuuka called out, clearly distracted by the sudden appearance of Natsuki, "Please, get out of here! It's dangerous!"
"F-Fuuka, I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Natsuki said mechanically.
"Look out!" Junpei bellowed, but it was too late. The Empress was already near the entrance from the battle with Hamuko and Junpei. It took a hold of Natsuki, who fainted, and it was obvious the Shadow was intending to use her as a hostage.
"What do we do now?!" Yukari said between clenched teeth. "I thought Minato was supposed to watch over her at the dorm!"
"We can deal with that later, Yukari!" Akihiko said. "We have to save her, now!"
"What should we do, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked with an unusual look of confusion on her face.
Unable to come up with a plan, the battle took a turn for the worse as the Empress quickly rejoined the Emperor, who still had its weapon intact. The Shadows quickly took the offensive and S.E.E.S. was battered. Whenever anyone tried to attack the Shadows, the Empress would use Natsuki as a shield to stop them in their tracks. It was an untenable situation and Hamuko felt floored by how quickly things had changed. She couldn't believe what had just happened and it didn't help that everyone in the team looked at her for an answer. It was unfair that they expected her to be a miracle worker. She had no idea what to do in this type of situation and her leadership skills were failing.
"I-I don't know!" Hamuko said. The pressure of the situation had gotten to her and she started to haphazardly spam spells in a vain hope that something would work. A Zio spell from Lilim narrowly avoided striking Natsuki and Mitsuru stopped Hamuko before she could do any more damage.
"Calm down!" Mitsuru said, trying to restrain her.
"Leave me alone, dammit!" Hamuko seethed at Mitsuru. "I'm trying to save her!"
Suddenly, a swift slap staggered Hamuko, causing her to tear up. It wasn't Mitsuru who had slapped her, but Yukari.
"Get a grip, Hamuko!" her friend said furiously. "We can't have you break down on us now when we need you!"
The spot where Yukari had slapped her was radiating pain, and even without a mirror Hamuko could tell that there was a handprint there.
A noise of boisterous laughter hung in the air and to Hamuko's surprise it was the pair of Shadows laughing at her. It was a nauseating noise that emanated from the gap on their masks where a mouth would normally be. The laughter would be short-lived as Junpei took the opportunity of the lull in the battle and snuck up on the Shadows to take a baseball swing at the Empress' arm, which held Natsuki. With an indignant yell the Empress lost its grip on Natsuki and Junpei was in the right spot to catch her. While this was all going on, the Emperor was about to pulverize Junpei from behind with its sword, but Akihiko was quick enough to summon Polydeuces to block the blow. Junpei came back to the group as quickly as he could with Natsuki in his arms. He was greeted with looks of utter shock from everyone except for Fuuka who sought to see if Natsuki was alright.
"Moriyama-san!" she repeated over and over, but Natsuki seemed to be unresponsive.
"That was superb, Iori," Mitsuru said after regaining her bearings to told a clearly surprised Junpei.
"Aww shucks, senpai," he said. "I just took advantage of the situation, that's all."
With the Shadows no longer holding any advantage, S.E.E.S. proceeded to close out the battle. Hamuko managed to release some of the embarrassment she received and took it out on the Shadows. Amid the loud din, Hamuko thought she heard a dissipating whisper. However, the last vestiges of the Emperor and Empress were already disintegrating, so she decided it was her imagination.
Natsuki finally regained consciousness and suddenly started hugging Fuuka, which had the diminutive girl yelping in surprise.
"I'm so sorry, Fuuka!" Natsuki wailed, sobbing on Fuuka's shoulder.
Fuuka consoled her, patting her on the back.
"Um, what are we gonna do about Natsuki? She saw the Dark Hour and the Shadows…" Yukari stated to the rest of them.
"Don't worry, she's not like us," Akihiko reminded Yukari. "She won't remember any of it. The good news is that she didn't fall victim to the Shadows, even though she obviously heard their call. She should be safe from now on."
"But, that's not fair though," Yukari said. "That means she won't remember Fuuka helping to save her life."
"Actually, I don't think that'll matter," Mitsuru responded as she gathered her equipment on her bike. "Hmm, what's this?"
"What is it, Mitsuru?" Akihiko said.
"It seems that Arisato-kun did attempt to contact us via the control room," Mitsuru answered. "I can only imagine it was to warn us of Moriyama's disappearance, and it isn't easy to stop someone under the Shadow's call. Though, it is curious he was able to figure out how to contact us. I suppose he did the best he could since I forbid him from joining us tonight."
"You guys are sure lucky to have me around to save the day, huh?" Junpei said to no one in particular. He sure seemed to be in a good mood, Hamuko thought.
With another grueling battle out of the way, Hamuko couldn't wait to get back to her room and get rid of the memories from today's battle. Even with the warning from that weird boy in jail pajamas, Hamuko had panicked and failed in a major way for the first time, and it left a bad taste in her mouth. This had been a major letdown and she wondered where it had all started to go wrong. She was in no mood for a celebration, even if Natsuki had been saved and two more major were Shadows slain.
While everyone was walking back together Hamuko felt a light tap on her shoulder, which turned out to be from Yukari.
"I'm sorry, Hamuko," she whispered, looking rather uncomfortable, "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."
"It's alright," Hamuko said tiredly, "But next time, hit me on the back. My face still hurts more than anywhere the Shadows got me."