Catch-22: The Session
By: M14Mouse
Summary: Rean and Yu have a conversation about everything over a nice sparring session.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
"Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach."
― Aristotle
"I heard that you are tutoring now," Rean said with the strike of his sword against his.
"Yes. It is a group of them from a local high school. One of them had a problem and it snowballed from there," Yu said as he pulled Rean's sword away from his.
"What are the subjects?"
"History…math…Probably, English too if I judge by their notes."
"Wow…someone is going to busy."
"Says the guy who jumped to help to the Class President every chance they get."
"She doesn't do it on purpose!"
He laughed at his friend.
"Not everyone was happy that I was tutoring them."
"Oh?"
"Why is he here again?!" Morgana said angrily.
"He was right about last time. So, I want his help to be better," Ann said.
"I can help you too! I don't know why you need some…"
Ann gave Morgana a look and he instantly shut up.
Huh…interesting…
"Okay, we can start now," Ann said as she turned to him.
He nodded.
"Give me a moment," He said as he turned away from the others. He walked to his shadow friends who were nearby watching them.
"You came back early!" Lilim said.
"Yes, they needed some help. I am going to your help," He said as he kneed in front of them.
"Of course, man," Incubus said.
"HEE HOO!" Black Frost said.
"I need you to watch out for any shadows while I train, okay?" He asked.
"Okay!"
"Hee Hoo!"
"Is that dangerous, man?" Incubus asked.
"There is always a danger to these sorts of things."
"Hmmm…OH! Here!" Incubus said with a smile. He handed him another card.
"Thank you. You know…I am not sure what to do with these cards."
"You will figure it out, Sensei! You are smart."
He examined the card carefully. He knew the back of the card well. It was something that he saw in the Velvet Room and the back of his own cards. The face of the card was different. The image was different from his cards. The background was black with a single bolt of lighting cutting through it.
Ziodyne
You are getting quite a collection, kid.
It seemed so. They are different from my other cards. I am guessing that this is your doing?
The persona grumbled.
He sighed softly when the persona didn't say anything else.
Maybe, if he took him to the tv world, he would be more willing to talk to him there.
Something to think about later. He put the card into his pocket and turned to Ann.
"Come here, An…sorry, Panther."
"Ann?"
"Yes…she approached me first. She is smart. I think that her biggest obstacles are her self-doubt and she keeps second guessing herself."
"That will do you in during exams."
"Truly."
"Yes, Sensei?" Ann said as she approached him.
"Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your persona."
"Excuse me?"
"Persona by definition is a projection or a mask that we wear for the world."
"Uhh…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"I am going to have to explain that better. My persona is…how do I describe him. He is a watcher. He is aloof from the world…some may even describe him as cold. In reality, he is a big softie."
He grinned at Izanagi as he groaned. The other personas laughing or giggling.
"But…you aren't like that, Sensei."
"Before my persona, I moved around a lot. So many places and new faces all of the time. At first, I would try…then as I got older, I thought to myself…what was the point? I am just going to move again. It was lonely. I was lonely. I realize speaking those words to my parents meant nothing until now."
"What happened?"
"I found friends and a family. Now…enough about me. Tell me about you. If makes it easier, your persona."
"She…Carmen is in charge…She takes no crap from anyone. If she doesn't break you, she bends you to her will. Uhh….I am kind of like her. I am not as brazen but I do speak my mind."
"She is also hot!" Skull shouted.
"SKULL!" Ann said as she turned to Skull.
"If it makes you feel better, you aren't too bad looking yourself."
"SKULL!"
He shook his head as Ann and Mona shouted at Skull. He laughed then he put his hand gently on Ann's shoulders. He didn't want her to lose focus.
"Now…tell me what Carmen just said."
Ann jerked.
"How did you…?"
"I know. Mine can be quite chatty."
High Pixie giggled inside of his head.
"I didn't hear everything but…she said that Skull is a typical man lead by his…"
"Okay…Okay…I get the idea. Now, close your eyes and focus on her voice." He said with a smile.
"Okay…Okay…" Ann said as she closed her eyes.
"Your element is fire, correct?"
"Yes?"
"I want you to focus on casting a fire spell. Remember to listen to Carmen's voice."
He stepped away and watched as Ann closed her eyes and touched her mask. He could see fire grow from Carmen' finger tips.
"Release when you are ready."
Few seconds later, a ball of fire hit the wall.
"ooooo…." Lilim said as she clapped.
"Impressive but you lost focus toward the end. Try again."
"Okay…I…."
Ann and Carmen let out another fire ball.
Okay…he is going to have to change it up.
"Okay, I am going to try something else. I want you and Carmen to listen to my voice."
"So, did it work? Guided meditation?" Rean said.
"A little bit." He said.
A huge ball of fire hit the wall and left a black mark.
The shadows and the other thieves clapped.
"WOW!" Lilim shouted.
"That is most impressive," Fox said.
"Hee Hoo," Black Frost said as he went over to give Ann a high five. Ann giggled as she gave a high five right back.
"Right on, sis," Incubus said.
"That was totally awesome," Ryuji said.
He grinned slightly at Ann's excitement.
"Very good, Ann. You made the first step. We will continue to work on your focus and then bring into combat situations. But that is for later, for now, I am very proud of you."
Ann beamed then bowed.
"Okay, Skull. You're next."
"Really? A paper ball?"
Actually, it was a form ball but he didn't want to say that.
"Ann suggested a water ball."
Rean chuckled.
"That was nicer than my Master," Rean said.
"What did he hit you with? A stick?" He asked.
"His walking stick."
"Ouch."
"It wasn't too bad. The water ball sounds kind of mean."
"It would get his attention."
Rean laughed.
"Sensei!" Ryuji shouted as he got hit with a form ball again.
"Yes? Thank you." He said as Incubus brought back the ball. Incubus beamed before going back to his spot.
"Shadows aren't going to throw balls at me."
"No, they will be throwing worse at you. You know that as well I. They are ruthless."
That got Ryuji's attention. He really didn't want to do this but he might have to.
"Black Frost? Can you come here for a moment?"
"Hee Ho!"
Black moved from his spot to him.
"Freeze the ball if you please," He said.
"Sensei?" Ryuji said.
"Do you think that is wise?" Yusuke said.
"Wise…perhaps, not. Necessary…yes. Start again, Skull. Hit the wall."
Ryuji looked nervous toward him then he turned away. He and his persona hit with a weak physical attack. He turned his attention to Black Frost.
"Freeze it."
He leaned over and Black Frost touched the ball in his hand. He felt the coldness seep into the ball and hand.
"Thank you."
He began to circle around Ryuji as he continued to attack the wall. He could tell that he was still nervous. He just has to wait until the right moment. He watched as Ryuji got a little bit more comfortable.
Without warning, he threw the ball. Ryuji must have paid enough attention for him to move out of the way.
Barely…
The ball hit the wall and broke into a million pieces.
He grinned.
"Good job, Skull!"
Ryuji looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
Well…one way of getting the job done.
"Damn…"
He clapped his hands.
"Okay…Mona is next!"
"Morgana was the hardest one."
"Really? I thought that he would be the easiest. How do you describe him…he sounded really smart."
"Smart but the hardest one."
"What did you have to do?"
"Well…"
"No, I am not going next. I don't need your training," Morgana said angrily.
"Mona…Sensei is being nice to train us," Ann said.
"No! We don't need him!"
"I think that we do," Ren said.
Morgana gave Ren an angry look.
"No! To him! It is some type of game!"
Those words slammed into his head. It has been years since he heard those words from a different mouth. He raised his hand to stop his shadow friends from reacting. He needed to do this.
High Pixie hissed.
Mot grumbled and moaned.
Game! Game! That insolent cat! I will rip off his skin and wear it as a coat.
Silence. Let him handle this.
Izanagi's words made the others quiet down.
He debated about what to do about Morgana.
Teddie…he could talk to and he would listen to him. Yosuke…after the whole punching thing, he could talk to him as well.
He even asked Ren what he could do with Morgana once he told him what he was doing wrong in battle.
Ren sighed and said Morgana would avoid him if he pressed. Then he told Ren his plan…well…
He was going to press him…he was going to have to break him.
"A game?"
"Yes! You think that you could walk right in and change how we do things. You know nothing about this world and you think that you can train us. Ha! Don't make me laugh. TV world is probably nothing but…"
"Again…you refuse to see the truth. You allow your fears to blind you. Perhaps, even protect you. I will show some of the truth…," He said as he unbuttoned his shirt.
"The tv world is unyielding and merciless. It burns, bruises, cuts and breaks." He said as he turned around to show the other the scar along his back. He didn't like to show it often. It tended to upset Teddie and strangely enough his uncle.
He heard Ann's and Lilim's grasps.
"Holy shit," Ryuji said.
"My word.." Yusuke said.
He pulled back his shirt and rebutton it. He turned back around to see Morgana trembling.
He was staring at him with this look but his eyes were telling him a different story.
Fear…
"That is not…nothing! He probably…got that from…I know…an accident! Yes, accident!" Morgana said in a panic.
He was going to have to push a little bit more…
He walked over to his bag and pulled out his sword. Slowly, he removed the sheath from the blade.
"This is Tsubaki-Otoshi. I found it in Yomotsu Hirasaka. Right before my fight with Izanami-no-Okami," He said as he stared at the blade.
It was still in good condition. When he went home again, he was going to have the blacksmith check it over him.
Just in case…
Always just in case.
"Wait a minute…you fought against a god!" Ryuji said in surprise.
"Yes. It is the same weapon that I will be fighting you with," He said calmly.
His personas exploded in his head. Almost enough to make him pause.
ARE YOU CRAZY?
INSANITY!
Foolish child.
ENOUGH!
Izanagi's voice cut them like lightning.
"What?! You can't take me on! You don't have a persona." Morgana said with a smug look on his face.
He stared at Morgana for a long moment. His smug expression turned into a frown.
"Aren't you going to stop him?" Yusuke asked.
"No…this is Morgana's issue with Sensei. We have let Morgana straighten it out," Ren said.
"Then you have the advantage. Let's see if you use it. Now…I am willing to make a one-time deal with you."
"Oh?"
"If you win the fight, I will leave and never come back. If I win, you are off the team."
"What?! You have no persona. You can't help them!"
"I will learn and adapt. It can't be that hard."
"It can't be that hard?!"
"Do you accept?" He said as he cut Morgana off.
"I accept," Morgana said with his head held high.
"The rules are simple. The first one to submit, wins. No one will get involved until one of us submit. Understand the rules?"
"Yes."
He threw the sheath away from him and got into a fighting position. Briefly, Morgana got into a fighting stance before he started to focus.
"Zorro! Lucky punch!"
He saw Morgana's persona appear behind him. Well…he definitely looked like a Zorro. His persona left out a lucky punch which he easily moved out of the way. Quickly, he rushed toward Morgana. He watched as Morgana panicked a little before he moved out of the way.
He knew that he couldn't out run or get within striking distance of Morgana. He was fast. No, he was going to have to wait for Morgana to come to him.
The attack might hurt a little.
He backed away when Morgana moved away. Morgana looked like he was about to use his persona again.
"Gurala!"
That is what he was waiting for…
He swung his sword and stuck it into the ground. He gripped the blade as hard as he could as the wind attacked him.
"AWWW!" Morgana screamed toward him.
For thieves, they make a lot of noise.
He lifted his right arm to defend himself. He bit his lip when he felt Morgana's claws cut into his clothes and skin. He let go of his blade handle and grabbed Morgana's bandana. Morgana let out scream when he slammed him into the ground. He used one hand to hold him in place while he grabbed his blade and pressed the blade against Morgana's neck.
"Yield," He said as he stared at Morgana, who was struggling against his blade.
"No!"
"Yield."
"No, I won't!"
He saw the panic on Morgana's face. He was utterly terrified. The tears were rolling down Morgana's face.
"Yield."
"No. No. Nonononono."
"Yield."
"Please…don't make me yield. I don't want to."
"Why won't you yield?"
"Because I don't want to leave! I…I…I don't want to be kicked off the team. I…I…"
"That isn't enough. Why, Morgana?"
"I…I…I don't want to be alone again! I like being useful and needed! And…and…"
"With me here, you are afraid of…?"
"I am afraid that I wouldn't be useful anymore. I won't be a part of the team anymore…"
"Oh, Mona…that isn't true at all," Ren's voice said behind him.
He removed the blade from Morgana's neck and let him up. He made a face with the sudden pain to his arm. He looked down at the deep cuts along his arm.
He was going to feel that tomorrow.
He moved away from the group to allow them to talk. His shadow friends instantly surrounded him as he leaned against a pillar.
"Man, that was amazing," Incubus said.
"Sensei! You are hurt!" Lilim said.
"I have a first aid kit in my bag. Would you get them for me?" He said as he took a seat.
"Yes, Sensei."
"Hee Hoo?" Black Frost said as he touched his arm.
He smiled a little as Black Frost numb the pain.
"Thank you," He said as he patted Black Frost's head.
"Joker is right, man. You are one of us. Who cares if you don't know everything," Ryuji said as he scratched his head.
"As you notice, we don't either…" Ren said with a smile.
"That is right. Besides, aren't we trying to figure out this whole thing together," Ann said.
"And get your memories back," Yusuke said.
"You guys…," Morgana said before bursting into tears.
He smiled softly. Morgana needed this.
Lilim returned with his first aid kit. He opened it and grabbed a pair of scissors. He was probably going to have to cut the shirt off.
He sighed…he liked this shirt.
"Sensei! You're hurt!" Ann's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the other rushed toward him.
"Here…let me heal you." Morgana said as he called his persona and casted a healing spell.
He watched as the cuts became smaller and smaller until they were gone. He moved his arm around a bit.
"Good as new. Thank you, Mona," He said with a smile.
Morgana bowed.
"I am very sorry for my behavior, Sensei. It won't happen again."
"I wanted to realize that you aren't alone, Mona. Not anymore."
"I know…I know…it's just hard, sometimes."
"Sometimes, it is…I am sure that the others will be more than happy to teach you that particular lesson."
"Uh…Sensei…?"
"Yes."
"I am not kicked off the team, am I?"
"Of course, not."
You have balls of steel, kid.
What do you expect? A warrior is nothing but a gambler in a suit of armor.
"Wow…you did that?" Rean said.
"I am impressed that it worked too. Morgana was a hard case to crack," He said.
"Will the two of you stop talking like a pair of old ladies and fight?" Jusis shouted from the stands.
"Go, Sensei!" Teddie shouted from the stands.
"Go, Rean!" Elliot shouted with Teddie.
He laughed.
"Shall we?"
"I think we shall."
End of the Session
Next chapter: The Talk
A/N: One of my original thoughts for this fic: what was I going to do with Mona? I always thought that the other thieves sort adapted themselves around Mona's behaviors and even excuse some of his behavioral flaws. Yu, on the other hand, would not…could not excuse those behaviors especially when it put himself of the others in danger. So, this chapter was basically Yu punching Mona in the face to knock some sense into him. As for The World Ranks, I haven't quite figure out what they are. I know Yu will be unlock like Akechi (when he joins the team). As always thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc, I am always graceful. Your reviews are insightful. So, read and review if you wish!