Chapter 8: The Bleeding Of Old Wounds
The Evoker was ripped right out of his fingers and sent spinning clean away, no matter how Akihiko grasped after it. His balance followed as he fell and twisted sideways. The world spun and went dark, and Akihiko lost track of which way was up-
At least until he finally crashed into the floor. Gravity painfully asserted itself once that happened.
As the impact rattled through him, the shadows fell away. In their wake was a changed room; everything had gone oddly bright and sterile… But also familiar. Because he'd seen these tiles only moments ago. He remembered the floor under Mitsuru's feet, the way she acted as though it was burning her through her shoes… And now the entire room was converted into a stark and tiled space. The only thing left from before was the DEVA device.
It was still standing despite their best efforts. The lights were painfully bright, and almost mocking with how they glared into his eyes. And yet, Akihiko couldn't bring himself to care about that.
"M-Mitsuru?" He just managed to speak, desperately looking around for her. Even with the bleached surroundings, he couldn't find Mitsuru's red hair on the tiles. "Where-?"
His limbs felt oddly drained as he tried to pull himself up, like his muscles were too exhausted to tense up. He shook as he climbed up to his knees, willing his arms to hold.
"Mitsuru?" He tried again. "Where are you?"
"No more…" Came a hoarse whisper. He followed the voice, barely recognizing it as Mitsuru. He'd never heard her sound so strained… Or so unnerved. He found her not in the center of the room, but pressed against one of the walls, all but backed into the corner.
He'd also never seen her eyes stretched that wide… Or her face going so pale. It was like all of the blood had drained out of her. And replaced with something that left her shaking.
"Mitsuru-?" His words didn't even register with her. She was stuck with staring at the room, and didn't even flinch as Akihiko tried to crawl his way towards her. The chill of the tiles bit at his hands and knees… But still, even with that pain in his limbs, even with a lurch in his heart, he couldn't find the strength to stand.
With each inch Akihiko crawled, the scenery became a little more clear. But it also became that little more harsh to his eyes. He was looking at a pure white floor… Save for the drops of fresh and old blood scattered here and there, clinging to the corners and edges of the floor. Then there was the medical equipment slowly growing up from the ground. Literally growing, like some strange, sharp edged and electric tree. Examination tables, monitors, IV bags and tubes, all of them seemed to sprout in strange clusters.
'Is this a hospital?'
If it was… It was strangely distorted. Now Akihiko could taste blood and bleach in equal measure in the air. And he desperately needed to reach Mitsuru, before things distorted any further.
He finally lurched to his feet, right as the warp settled into a strange, surreal form around them. Akihiko took one look at it, and knew that they needed to find a way out of this place.
"Mitsuru… We need to leave. Now." Espionage and objectives could wait; he didn't like the feel of this place at all.
But Mitsuru wouldn't stir. Not until something else grabbed her attention. Something that wasn't him.
"Stay away…" She murmured, staring right through him with oddly blank and clouded eyes.
-o-o-o-
The shadows twisted around Mitsuru, spinning her through void, robbing her of strength and focus alike. It was almost a relief when Mitsuru landed hard on the floor, barely keeping her balance.
A sterile room waited for her on the other side of the shadow. The place was full of medical equipment, the metallic frames looking rusted under a ruby colored light. Her elbow slammed against an examination table with harsh clang, and left Mitsuru wincing from the impact. She flinched from more than just that, as she glimpsed other things. Syringes. Scalpels, all of it laid out and waiting to be used.
'I know this place.'
She knew the cold press of the tables. The bite from too sharp syringes.
This was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be back here.
'I don't… I don't belong here anymore.´ She wasn't a young, meek child anymore. She wasn't even the same damaged teenager, either… And yet, looking at her surroundings pushed a familiar, sour taste into her mouth, and a shiver into her heart. Her limbs all shook in turn, and as her knees grew weak, Mitsuru found herself sagging to the floor.
She wanted to look away from the hospital. But her eyes refused to shut, or look aside. And the memories started seeping into her head, staining her perception and making her heart hammer faster.
'Tests… Always tests. No matter how they hurt, how I wanted to scream… But I had to follow those tests. Had to be a proper heir and win his approval-' Her skin was starting to ache and hurt. Remembering the points and edges pressing into her flesh.
And there was something looming up in her vision. Something towering over her. She remembered the sting of smoke from her grandfather's pipe. Watching her with pitiless eyes… And ready to visit more hurt on her.
"Stay back… Stay back…" She found herself murmuring. It did nothing to drown out the footfalls approaching her. The figures were wreathed in shadow, but she could picture them holding the medical equipment, and with a harsh grip she couldn't squirm out of-
A hand fell on her shoulder, and panic seized her heart.
"STAY AWAY!" Mitsuru's voice escaped as shriek.
Something inside her thrashed and screamed. Mitsuru knew that Artemisia was the same as her. Beating against the bars of her mind like a frightened bird in a cage. They'd done something much like this to Mitsuru, once or twice or before; saw if she could manifest a Persona when dealing with heightened panic and fear…
…And she hadn't quite managed to summon, back then. But she'd left several of the white coats with a case of frostbite. That was before she'd awakened to her potential. This time around, she HAD a Persona, willing to rise to her call… And this time, Artemesia didn't lay dormant. The Persona was just as desperate to act, picking up on Mitsuru's fear… And sending it back out in a hail of frozen shards, desperate to drive those nightmares away.
Maybe they hurt her once, but that wasn't going to happen again.
And for an instant Mitsuru felt a flash of astonishment and pride, that she'd somehow summoned without the aid of an Evoker-
That was before the fog in her eyes shattered like brittle and old winter ice, as the shadowy figure gave a familiar gasp and a cry. A fresh coat of red splattered across the tile as the figure shrank away from her.
Her nightmares never bled. And they never staggered back, either.
Artemisia still raged, still sent out another wave of cold fueled by Mitsuru's panic. The ice was all spikes and spears as it snapped into form; ready to drive away ANYTHING that could hurt her, keeping it well away from her-
"Mitsuru, STOP-!"
The voice somehow reached past the ice, past the pounding of her heart. It only took her a moment to recognize Akihiko. And realize that was who stood in front of her. Not a nightmare, not a phantasm from the past; it was her partner… And now he was bleeding badly from her counterattack. Frost flecked and marred his business jacket, along with the stains of blood seeping out from his ribs.
And… The sight of it made Mitsuru feel like she was the one struck, with how her insides gave a harsh lurch. Akihiko was still standing, but it clearly took effort.
'What did you do?' Artemisia gave her no answer. Leaving Mitsuru to stagger up on her own, and banish the ice. It left the room in a haze of cold fog, but at least it wasn't cutting Akihiko open any longer.
'What did I do to him-?'
"I… I'll fix this." Was the best that Mitsuru could offer. She stood, drew the Evoker and fired it in one clean, practiced motion. A quick flash as Artemisia flickered in and out; even the Persona seemed to be distressed. A quick glow traveled along Akihiko's face, instantly closing the scratches along his cheek. The rents along his side took more effort, pushing the ice from his wounds and then slowly sewing them together. She bent all her attention on them, transferring the healing spell off his face until she was certain he wouldn't bleed out.
"I don't think that's going to scar." Mitsuru breathed out in relief… Even as she cautiously moved a little closer, trying to get a good look at his face and his side.
"Well, it doesn't hurt anymore, either." Akihiko told her. He dragged a thumb along his cheek, wiping any trace amounts of blood away… Though leaving a few smudges behind. Mitsuru frowned at that, before reaching up with a bit of cloth taken from her suit. The handkerchief was always practical to have on hand… Though she'd never imagined she'd be using it to wipe away blood.
"Now we just need to keep you from looking like a mess." She tried to sound matter of fact about everything. But all the same, her hands were shaking a bit as they went to his face.
Akihiko blinked at her, and the attention she was giving him. For her part… Mitsuru knew it was a strange reaction coming from her. And yet she couldn't quite stifle it. Or bring herself to take her hands back.
"…I shouldn't have lashed out at you. I should have kept my head." She found herself saying. Her eyes narrowed, both in disdain for herself, and from the shine of the medical equipment. It was almost a glare in her gaze. "But instead I… I panicked. Like a child-"
"Hey." Akihiko cut her off, not flinching from her touch in the slightest as she cleaned his face. "I'd spend less time beating myself up… And more time figuring out why it happened."
He caught her hand as she fussed over him, pulling her a little further from the medical equipment… And keeping her eyes fixed on him.
"So. Want to tell me what's going on?"
"A-as near as I can surmise… We're dealing with a machine that can distort reality. And… Perhaps draw on the psyche of people nearby. That's the only explanation, on why it warped a business and science lab into a medical facility. Because it… Keyed in on old fears of mine."
"This have to do with what Koetsu Kirijo did…?" Akihiko asked, and Mitsuru forced herself to nod.
"Yes… Something to that effect. You know that I was… I had the potential as a child. But that wasn't enough for the Kirijo Family, and their leadership." Her breath came out in a shudder. "I was tested. Pushed to try and summon. I... I've told you that before."
'But I never wanted you to see me like this.' She couldn't bring herself to say that. Or the other thought crowding her head. 'I never wanted to hurt from this again. Hurt YOU again-'
She hated the sob trying to anchor itself in her throat. She could feel her eyes and face starting to burn-
So when Akihiko brushed his hand against her cheek, it was a sharp contrast. Enough to still the turmoil twisting her up.
"Breathe." He told her, in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Breathe, Mitsuru."
She did her best to comply.
-o-o-o-
Mitsuru forced another deep breath, and Akihiko tried to match his breathing to hers. Anything to help calm her down. And get his mind off the cold burning along his ribs. She'd gotten a good shot at his side; it seemed even panic couldn't dull her aim, or her ferocity.
"It's going to be okay." He told her; even now he could feel the Diarama spell was still trying to stitch his sides up. For her part, Mitsuru couldn't quite meet his gaze.
"I wouldn't have been much different, if it called up something I hated-" Akihiko tried to reassure her, only to pause. "Wait… Can this thing DO that-? Key in on what hurts us?"
"So it would seem. This place dredged the memory out of my head. Much as I tried to repress it…" Her vision went suddenly sharp, and her head jolted up, looking around. "…Akihiko, are you familiar with the Jungian concept of shadows? They're an aspect of our personalities that we repress, and hide away. And it appears this machine operates on the same principle."
"…Wait. So if it can warp reality, and it works like Shadows do, then couldn't it also call THOSE up-?"
He almost wished that he hadn't said that. Because the second he did, the lines between the tile turned a little darker. And something was bubbling up from those cracks, like black tar. He snapped a hand around Mitsuru, pulling her away. The tiles slipped under his foot, sending Akihiko falling backwards and Mitsuru crashing on top of him. A second later, shadows erupted where they'd been standing,
Black spattered the hospital equipment… And all but melted it, getting absorbed into the mass of Shadow. Long, scalpel tipped claws shot out from the mass, forming into limbs.
Mitsuru went shock still next to him for one breath. On the next, her body started to shake, and her heels scrapped against the floor as she tried to brace herself and scramble up. Tried to ready herself for what was coming next-
"It's okay." He heard himself saying. Forcing himself right back up and pulling Mitsuru with him. "I've got this."
"You're not fighting that thing alone!" Mitsuru hissed out, an odd fearful note in her voice… But that was nearly drowned out by anger, leaving her voice tight. He had a hunch on why she was angry as well; that thing had dug through her head and pulled out her fears… And now she couldn't fully get her balance back, thanks to how off kilter she was.
"I won't go alone. But I'll take the lead on it." Was all Akihiko said, before rushing forward. He thought Mitsuru was shouting something, but it was lost over the way the Shadow screeched across the floor, dragging metal laced limbs over the tiles.
It couldn't lift itself far off the floor, with all the metal fused into is bulk. Akihiko guessed that it could hit hard, but it was also slow. He tensed as he rushed forward, took a deep breath… And then at the last second threw himself to the floor, rolling and skidding under a strike that could've torn his head off.
Instead the claws and scalpels crashed into the wall. Akihiko rolled back up, ready to press the opportunity. The motion threatened to open his wounds again… But the healing spell held. He had no time to go for an Evoker. Instead he lashed out with his fists, striking and feeling something that was ALMOST like bone begin to bend under his punches.
"I softened it up!" He shouted to Mitsuru, before shifting his focus to dodging. He gave a soft tsk under his breath as he was forced on the defensive; that hadn't been much of a window to attack… And he wasn't sure if he'd slowed the monster down all that much.
"…But I think this is a tougher breed of Shadow." He allowed, scowling at it. It was like he'd barely made a dent in it-
But at least Mitsuru could do something, while he drew its attention. She was already lining up a shot, eyes narrowed on the Shadow as she summoned. The temperature of the room suddenly dropped, and Akihiko's feet skidded as the floor went slippery and rimed with frost. A spear of cold shot up from the floor, piercing the Shadow… But instead of dying, the monster shifted its form around the points. Maybe a little bit slower than before, starting to take on wounds… But it also wasn't about to die. Akihiko knew that as flames started to bloom off of its form. It was going to melt the ice as violently as possible.
And he didn't want to see Mitsuru get caught in the crossfire. Not with how badly fire could sear through her. He twisted away from the Shadow and raced towards her, ready to take the brunt of the attack. She could at least heal him from the burns…. At least, that was what he thought, until the fire swept over him.
It hurt; he wouldn't contest that at all. But he'd felt fire before, shrugged off his burns, and fought on. He was somewhat used to that; what he wasn't used to was the world burning and shifting around him. The sterile lab was scorched away… And under the ashes was something else. A cramped, wooden building, slowly getting drowned in flames.
And with it came the sounds. Screams barely audible over the crackle of fire and blare of alarms. Kids crying for help, for their caretakers, for someone to get them OUT-
"Damn you-" Akihiko hissed out, already recognizing the place. Already knowing the Shadow was trying to pull the same trick on him, as it had with Mitsuru… And it was close to succeeding. He felt himself falter, the heat of the flames pushing him back. One step back, and he felt something stinging at his eyes. The next step, and a painful feeling settled over his heart. The next step… He felt something bump against his back.
Mitsuru was cold to the touch, as she always was after summoning Artemisia. And the cold cut through all the emotions trying to tangle up in him, and gave Akihiko room to focus. It also gave him an outlet for all the anger.
He planted his feet and glared at the Shadow, as thick, black smoke obscured the burning building. It was going to ready another attack, Akihiko knew-
And since fire hadn't worked on Akihiko, this time it tried lightning.
The black smoke turned to storm clouds, and a jagged bolt struck down on him. His eyes went blind for a beat, and he tasted sparks. But instead of burning through him, or making his limbs go numb, it sent every nerve in his body alight. Made him feel like he could fight the rest of the night and then run a mile in the morning. Or that he could reach out, grasp the lightning, and… Redirect it.
'All that metal fused into it would make for a good lightning rod.' His mind refocused, even without an Evoker. Akihiko stretched his arm out, and let the lightning travel along and arc out from his hand. He felt Caeser burst through him and rise up, giving Akihiko that extra ounce of strength as he sent the lightning shooting straight back at the Shadow.
The sound it made froze Akihiko to the spot. Because for an instant, he swore that he heard his own voice shrieking in pain; the next second it twisted to Mitsuru, and that left him staggering; somehow it hurt worse than the ice or the fire-
And it left him fixed to the spot as the Shadow melted away. He knew neither he or Mitsuru had struck a mortal blow on that thing. It was retreating, regrouping… And he cursed himself for not being able to give chase. But he could feel the wounds on his side trying to ache again, and his brain felt oddly battered from everything.
He glanced to Mitsuru, waiting for an admonishment… But she was frozen in place as well, with a strange look crossing her face. It was an echo of the terror she had, right before she attacked him.
The distortion was starting to clear around them, and Akihiko resolved that he'd smash the machine to bits this time. He bent down and scooped the Evoker up from the floor… Even as a part of him wondered if he even needed it.
Regardless, the DEVA Device was about to become scrap-
At least, that was his plan until the shadowscape cleared away. They weren't in the same room any longer; instead their battle had seemingly raged through the building, until they found themselves back in the main foyer. All the way down at the base of the building. Back where they'd started.
And shut off completely from the upper levels.
"…I should have known SEBEC would have more advanced security." Mitsuru groaned, shaking her head. No one had taken any notice of them yet… And Akihiko really didn't want anyone to. Or see the blood on the side of his coat. That would raise more questions then he wanted to answer.
"…Follow my lead." Mitsuru told him, before wrapping her arm around his, and bringing him tight to her side. The motion made blood rush to his face, but he just managed to pick out what she was doing; hiding his injured side by keeping it firmly against herself.
Which would probably work, if he kept from passing out. And if they reached the door quickly.
-o-o-o-
Mitsuru kept her steps carefully measured. Not too rushed that they drew attention, not too slow that they'd waste time. The bloodstains pressed into her side, hot and nauseating and urging her to hurry… Mitsuru fought that urge, knowing it would be worse if they drew eyes and were stopped. She just had to get him to the exit. The doors were agonizingly close-
"…Kirijo?"
Her first instinct was to bolt, and pull Akihiko along with her. But that would bring security down on their heads faster than they could blink. Instead, she forced herself to turn towards the voice, already trying to place it. Something about just her name had sounded familiar.
'Even though Mitsuru Kirijo isn't supposed to be here. And going by how low that voice is pitched… They realize just that.'
She picked out Nanjo's features in the crowd quickly enough. They were currently creased with concern as they looked over her and Akihiko… And she had the feeling that he could easily pick out Akihiko's injuries.
"What have you been doing?" He fell into step with them, keeping his voice low pitched.
"Reconnaissance as you suggested… Though it didn't go as planned." At least he had no interest in exposing them to the crowd. If anything he seemed to be rushing them towards the door.
"That's quite the understatement." He gave Akihiko a pointed look. "What happened?"
To her shock, it was Akihiko who wheezed out a brief version. Nanjo's expression only grew darker, and he all but pushed them towards the exit.
"…That was a risk. True, you may have found what they were working on. However… You do know that SEBEC has a map of your psyches now, right? And will use them against you? You're lucky neither of you died… Especially with how your fiancé was ready to lay down his life."
"I know…" Mitsuru whispered. She could only breathe easily when they were guided through the doorways. "…I take it that's not the route you would have chosen?"
"…I'm worried I would've gotten myself killed if I tried. It's why I was mingling down here, trying to pick up what information I could. But you've managed to paint a target on your back, if they connect you to the disturbance upstairs… They just deployed a security team up there anyway."
"All the more reason for us to leave, in that case. And you've given us a good enough alibi." Mitsuru told him. "We've decided to speak with you about business outside of the building."
"…And that's not even a lie." Nanjo had a sense of grudging admiration in his voice. "Though we should probably get your fiancé patched up."
It said something about how fatigued she was, that Mitsuru found herself nodding along… And that for a moment, she found herself looking to Akihiko, and feeling her heart freeze in her chest a little at his injuries. That he got those from her actions.
She didn't bother to argue with Nanjo. He was right; they needed to ensure her fiancé was well mended-
'…Since when did you start thinking of him as your fiancé?' Her thoughts hissed at Mitsuru. And again, she couldn't find herself arguing against that title.