04/20
The Dark Hour
Makoto cracks his neck and bounces as he readies himself for a fight outside the antique shop, testing the weight of the newfound weapon resting loosely in his grip. Unexpectedly, it is a real katana. Remarkably, this "antique shop" has a weapon that appears to be newly sharpened—an illegal weapon.
Well, now he's got to check this place out in the waking world. Kendo may not be a great memory for him, but the love of swords Makoto's father drilled into him has yet to fade.
His father had been a kendo Jũ-dan before passing away with his mother. Makoto then briefly fell back into it in junior high, helping a kid he knew from his orphanage who was more acquainted with fighting to the death than for fun. For a ten-year-old, the kid fought as if his life depended on it. He was good, but a school-run Kendo tournament with some angry kid maiming other students wouldn't be cool.
Pausing his warm-up, Makoto curiously wonders if that kid ever got adopted.
Whatever, Makoto doesn't care. Focusing on the task at hand, he remembers his goal: He's got to get his Evoker back. If he doesn't, he can't fight.
If he can't fight, what's the point of being alive?
The sound of gunfire rumbles like a drumbeat through the destroyed window and closed door of the pop-up. He's surprised he isn't afraid. Of course, Thanatos mentioned his mortality is gone, but he doesn't know if it's legit.
What is there to be afraid of, then? Absolutely nothing.
With a huff, Makoto glances down at the armour he's clad in. He admires the intricate detail of the scaled breastplate and the sharp black of the dyed leather. It's pretty. It also might be a good idea to keep it, but he doubts Kirijo would be cool with looting during the Dark Hour—theft of opportunity and all that. Still, wearing armour and having a sword do wonders for his combat confidence. There's also the fear factor coming along with the outfit—it's gotta be pretty scary to have some dude you thought you killed come back wearing samurai gear.
"Well, better get to it." Makoto sighs. Going through the motions, he jumps through the shattered window and takes in the sights. The robot is acrobatically hopping, flying like a master acrobat. Bullets crack through the dead air of the Dark Hour, leading the boy to follow their ranging shots.
There's a massive shadow, nearly as big as the one he faced atop the roof of the dorm, being pelted by bullets and unable to retaliate.
"Aigis!" Makoto shouts, springing into action alongside the android and falling into stance when he reaches the beast. It roars in anger as he slashes into one of its squirming extremities, severing a tentacle from its grotesque form.
"Makoto-san!" The robot yells, not taking its 'eyes' off its enemy. "Damage report!"
"I'm fine," he grunts, ducking below a retaliatory slam. "Focus on the shadow!"
To its credit, the bot follows his order to a T. From what Makoto can see of the previously empty space where the main promenade in the Waking World would be, a lot has stayed the same. Club Escapade, however, is completely shuttered. There used to be an unlit neon sign that would usually be bright and gaudy, but it is now corrugated metal and painted with 'No Entry.'
Damn. There goes getting rid of witnesses. Also scaring the shit out of the ones who blasted him, Makoto silently grouses.
Well, it's time to put this 'Immortality' to the test. Thanatos seemed serious when he mentioned it, and Makoto feels somewhat inclined to believe whatever comes out of his mouth. Or… helmet. Skull?
Meh.
Enough thinking. More action.
As if he were escaping the confines of his mind, time rapidly begins moving again. The ra-a-tat of gunfire spews from Aigis' fingers as it flies around the massive Amorphous Shadow, screeching like a beast in pain. Many maws grow from the gelatinous mass, roaring as eyes peer behind innumerable masks.
A hydra? There are many heads… and from the stories, Asphodel's exit is guarded by one. A… Lernean?
God, this is so strange. Makoto never thought he'd put that tenth-grade Greek mythology optional class to work as much as he has been.
He jumps to the side, just barely dodging a flailing appendage. The sword counters the heavy blow, slashing into the gelatin, making the Shadow shriek in agony.
"Makoto-san," Aigis drawls, holding its palms out and gyrating the limbs with a *ker-clack!* Oh, it was reloading. "The beast has no weakness I can exploit. My FMJ rounds are simply passing through it. Your sword is the only weapon doing it damage. I will distract it while you go for your dropped Evoker."
"Giving orders now, huh?" Makoto raises an eyebrow before shrugging. "Alright, do your thing. Nice play."
"This is no time for games," Aigis retorts, its voice straight as it runs between flailing extremities and slides beneath a chomping mass. "Playing right now is unwise."
"It's just a saying," Makoto sighs, charging for the Shadow and raking his new sword along whatever he can. The monster shrieks, trying to buck its attacker away, only for Aigis to once again steal its attention with a peppering of bullets. "Y'know? Sports and stuff? You gotta have phrases and colloquialisms in that database of yours, right?"
"No, but I will see about updating my drives with colloquialisms and sayings via Ethernet connection. Is this acceptable?"
"Whatever," the young man sighs, throwing his weight into the strike he plans to land on the Shadow. It's a heavy blow, one he hopes will do some damage. Makoto struggles not to call his strike, however. It's a bad habit picked up from only ever competing in tournaments.
What's he supposed to call? Wriggling tendril #6?
With a small exhale of air, he briefly wonders if that would be a KI, KEN, or TAI point strike. Those tentacles are vicious.
Regardless of his inner mirthful monologue, the blow gashes deep, and Makoto feels himself smile cruelly when the monster screams and thrashes in pain.
This is amazing.
"Makoto-san!" Aigis yells, this time in what sounds like annoyance to the boy. "Please retrieve your Evoker! Leave the Shadow to me!"
"Right," he says, shaking his head, forgetting they had a plan for a second. "Right, my bad."
As much as Makoto wants to fight this thing, the robot is right. They had a plan, and following it makes the most sense.
Plus, he thinks the robot is starting to get angry at him.
"Yuki!" Akihiko suddenly shouts into his ear. "Hey, Aigis said you're okay! Please tell me you are?!"
He flinches at the sound of his voice, grimacing at the shock. "Yeah—yeah, I'm fine!" He continues running, searching for any sign of silver that would be his evoker.
"Awesome—geh!" Akihiko grunts in his ear. It sounds like he got hit by something pretty hard.
"Sanada!?" Makoto asks, worry overwhelming his apathy before he realizes the damage.
"Damn, they found me—!" That is all Makoto hears before the telepathic line goes dead.
"Aigis!" Makoto immediately calls. The robot whips its head toward him, still focused on distracting the Shadow. It doesn't need to look at whatever it faces to be effective. "Sanada got made! We gotta finish this thing fast!"
"My operational capacity is severely limited due to my lack of armour and access to only FMJ ammunition." Aigis pirouettes around a wriggling tentacle, smashing into the ground she—it once stood. "However, the livelihood of SEES outweighs the cost of any ASW's service. You must leave me behind."
Makoto feels the weight of its words before he can recognize their meaning. Just because it's not a human doesn't mean it should throw its life away. "What? You expect me to just leave you to die?!"
Sure, the very thought of that should be considered a hypocritical comment on Makoto's part, but just because he wants to go out fighting the biggest thing possible does not mean that everyone else has the same suicidal ambition. He's a big enough man to recognize that he's the weird one of this rag-tag group.
"For how little it matters to you, Makoto-San," she peppers the monster with bullets, looking back at him with the closest thing to a smile he's seen on her face. "It has been an honour, short-lived as our experience together has been. I will keep the Shadow busy. Please save Sanada-San."
Makoto's mouth opens briefly before he closes it in a grimace. She's right, of course. He has to protect Akihiko. There's no other option in this situation.
But the moment gives him pause.
"Damn," he curses before sprinting to his fallen evoker, finally focusing on the task at hand and not his overarching desire for a fight to the death. Hell no, screw that. Throwing the evoker to his temple, he roars, glaring at the gelatinous creature. "Thanatos!"
But nothing happens. There is no shattering of glass, no euphoric rush of power, and no eldritch roar of hatred that echoes from the depths of his soul.
Nothing, just the metallic click of the hammer against cold steel.
"No!" Makoto cries, pulling the trigger once more. "No! I won't leave you to die alone! Not without me!"
This time, he'll be there. He won't pass out. He'll watch life leave her eyes. He has to. It's the one thing he regrets most about that night on the Moonlight Bridge.
The cacophony of smashing glass, a wave of heat as oil ignites from a stray spark.
"Toto-chan!" He vaguely remembers a grasping, desperate hand from the car seat he was buckled next to.
The pulsing of his heartbeat in his ears drowns out the symphony of gunfire and wailing screams exuding from the creature. All he hears is the resounding and repetitive *click!* of an empty and useless firearm.
He can hear Aigis call out to him, but he can't pronounce the words. It's all static.
Again, *click!*
"No!"
And again, *click!*
"God, damn you! No!"
click! Click! Click!*
Orpheus isn't strong enough. Only Thanatos. This time, it's his fault. The strongest card in his deck is out of action because of a dumbass mistake Makoto made out of pure arrogance.
Aigis is dead because of his actions. Inaction.
He can do nothing except retreat to the maintenance corridors.
All Makoto is left with when he bursts through the heavy 'no entry except staff' doors is the heart-wrenching realization that he needs to leave another person to die and the rhythmic pulsing of his destroyed heart.
When it always—always—should have been him.
Again.
The sound of gunfire and screeching fades as he peels down the labyrinthine halls. The last sense to leave him is the smell of gun smoke before all falls silent again.
Into the Dark Hour.
—
Tower of Demise
Tartarus
Kotone
Combat is exhausting. Yukari and Junpei are very quickly learning how important it is to properly pace your attack and defence, mixing up the battle with various summonings.
"I don't know," Says Junpei as he catches his breath with his hands on his knees. How the hell are you even still standing, Ko-tan? This is crazy."
"You get used to it," The girl absently responds, scanning Tartarus's twisting and turning halls. "Senpai, we should really head back soon. I'm feeling something strong. Junpei and Yukari are getting tired."
"If that's what you think," Kirijo-Senpai smoothly replies. "But yes, I feel a strong presence on the floor above you. You're the leader. It's your responsibility to decide whether or not your team is operating at optimal capacity."
"Tsk," Kotone sharply but unconsciously clicks her tongue. A responsibility she never asked for.
"Hey, wait, I can keep going!" The girl in question sharply retorts. She acts as if she isn't just leaning against one of the Escher walls. "I-I was just catching my breath."
"Well, I'm tired and want to sleep in my bed tonight." Kotone decides to word their retreat in a way that doesn't use anyone other than her as the reason for their exit. Even if she could probably make it to the top tonight if she had to.
They don't need to know that.
"Mitsuru, we're taking the teleporter—"
"Dearest, our enemies have begun moving," Eurydice spikes into her brain. "Ready yourself and our allies. This shall be a fight, after all."
"Shit!" Kotone readies her Naginata, falling into a battle stance. Junpei and Yukari fall into their own stances immediately after Kotone. Only slightly less confident. "Those big scary ones know we're here! Get ready for a fight, you two!"
"What?! How could I miss—?!" Mitsuru yelps into her ear.
"Not now, Senpai!" Kotone barks. "Junpei, I need you to focus on using Hermes! Do not use your sword! They'll tear you to shreds."
To his credit, for the first time since they've all started fighting together, Junpei nods resolutely to Kotone's orders. She turns abruptly to Yukari, who nervously pulls at her bowstring. "You keep us topped up, alright? Don't bother with attacks. I need you to be hyper-focused on using Io."
"R-roger," the girl nods.
"Okay," Kotone twirls her Naginata. "Stay calm. This may be our first big fight, but we'll be fine if we keep our heads."
'Maybe I really should have listened to Yuki-Senpai,' Kotone thinks painfully as her head pounds. 'No more drinking before operations.'
Something growls in the back of her mind when she thinks that. Whatever.
"Get ready," Yukari bites out as the moaning of Shadows gets closer to their position at the bottom of the stairs to this floor. They could run for the teleporter, but Kotone doesn't want to risk it.
There—the Shadows breach the top of the stairs, their flailing arms wriggling and writhing before exploding when Kotone swipes at one that gets too close.
A table emerges from the amalgam's form, with a mask staring lifelessly back at them.
"Get ready!" She calls before reaching for her Evoker. "Come, Jack Frost!"
—
Iwatodai
Dorms
A Little After Midnight
The hardest part of the evening was returning to the dorms after the gruelling fight against a table. Everyone is exhausted, shuffling like zombies, wearily excited to return to their graves.
Or beds. Whatever they prefer.
Kirijo-senpai was kind enough to speed ahead on her motorcycle. She wanted to ensure the dorms weren't attacked while they were gone. Kotone's never been more jealous of Mitsuru and her motorcycle license than she is right now.
"Ugh, my bed's callin' my name," Junpei moans, dragging his cheap katana they picked up for him at Paulownia earlier in the day. I'm not even going to watch my recording of the Lonely Shogun. I'm just going to fall into bed. I wish we didn't have school tomorrow…"
He's just rambling as they reach the final stretch of road from the station. She can almost taste the tangy bitterness of the leftover vodka twist in her water bottle.
That'll quell her headache. She sluggishly hopes that getting away from these two knuckleheads who refuse to follow orders will quell it, too.
"For the first time since junior high, I agree with everything you've just said, Junpei." Yukari sighs. "I hope every night isn't like this. I don't think I can keep this up."
"God, all you guys do is complain." Kotone grouses. The frustration she felt earlier during the fight finally reached its peak. "It'll get easier, but you must listen to me when I tell you what to do. You're both lucky Eurydice can use healing spells."
To their credit, both of them flinch and fall silent when she pounces. It pleases Kotone's throbbing headache that they can be cowed by her glare.
Ah, the power of leadership.
"Kirijo-senpai's gonna give both of you so much—"
She's interrupted by the sound of talking further ahead. Speak of the devil.
"Huh?" Junpei hears it, too. "Is that—?"
"Shush," Yukari slaps a hand on his mouth as the trio hides in a nearby alley and gets a full view of the scene.
"What do you mean 'missing? '" Mitsuru's distinct voice fills the silent air of the early morning. "Are you both okay?! What happened?!"
"Mitsuru," Sanada-senpai speaks up. He sounds… defeated. "It's late, and we're both exhausted—"
"No, Akihiko!" Evidently, Kirijo-senpai isn't going to let this lie. "I am responsible for everyone's safety! You will tell me exactly what—!"
"And we will, Kirijo," Yuki-senpai spews this time, sending Kotone's heart into a frenzy. Stop it. She peeks around the corner to see him, only to see his stony gray eyes, illuminated by the buzzing halogen bulb above the entrance to the dorm, staring right back at her with sharp indifference.
What the heck is he wearing? Is that… samurai armour? And a sword? Where'd he get that?
Yukari lets out a yelp.
"But not here, not now. We have company."
Immediately, both senpai follow his gaze and sigh when they see who it is. Junpei waves sheepishly before stepping out, followed by Yukari and Kotone. The girls stare down at anything other than the third years, avoiding any chance of a retaliatory reaction to their spying.
They hope, at least.
"Ugh, what are you three doing?" Mitsuru asks as if she doesn't already know. "Up to your rooms! We have class in the morning!"
A twitch spikes up Kotone's cheek.
"Yes, Mom," Kotone jabs, her tired frustration getting the better of her. "Let's go, kids. The adults are talking. We're not allowed to hear."
She stomps forward, pointedly ignoring the way Mitsuru's eyebrows furrow, and Akihiko cocks his head. Thankfully, Yukari and Junpei are still in 'follow the leader' mode, so they're right behind her as she trudges up the steps.
"Grow up, Shiomi," Yuki-senpai barks from behind her, halting her entrance into the dorm like a statue. "Not everything revolves around you."
"Oh man, why'd you have to say anything…?" Sanada-senpai throws his head back and grabs his face.
"Brace yourselves." Mitsuru orders, as if they were about to be attacked by a Shadow.
"Excuse me…?" Kotone slowly cranes her head around as Yukari hurriedly pushes Junpei through the door.
"Whuh—but—!"
"Trust me, you don't wanna get caught up in what's about to go down."
"You heard me," Yuki-senpai reiterates, stabbing his new sword into the dirt and crossing his arms.
He meets her burning gaze with a chilling glare.
"Oh," Kotone feigns the airhead, placing her hand on her cheek as she fully turns around and faces him. "I heard you. I just wanted to know if you meant it."
The airhead act drops into a deep, dark explosion of desire to murder the fool who just couldn't leave well enough alone.
"Grow up? Me? The person who leads a group of inexperienced teens into a hellhole tower designed by some act of evil filled with Shadows that wants us all to die?!"
"Oh, jeez," Akihiko groans.
Mitsuru grimaces, being hurt by her words shrapnel than Yuki ever will. Kotone will apologize to her later when she isn't filled with bloodlust and outrage.
"Now you're being dramatic. If you don't want to do it, I will." Yuki meets the explosion with a cold wave of his hand. "Go to bed."
"Screw you!" She roars. "You're just a replacement. We were better off without you!"
She doesn't mean that, but she'll say whatever she wants right now, hoping it'll faze that block of ice he calls a heart.
Stupid To-chan!
He doesn't even blink. It just makes her angrier. "Go. To bed."
"No! Say you're sorry!" She continues. "Then go crawl back to whatever hole you came out of! Your mom would be ashamed of—!"
Finally having enough of her rage, Yuki-senpai steps up to her, making her almost stumble back in alarm at the sudden proximity. Maybe that was too far.
Okay, even by Kotone in 'blood rage mode' standards, that was way too far.
"Hey—!" Sanada reacts, probably assuming he's going to get physical.
"There will be no fighting in this squad—!"
Instead of throwing a punch, however, Yuki leans close to her and whispers in Kotone's ear. His breath tickles her skin, sending shivers up her spine.
"Go sleep off that buzz before someone gives you a breathalyzer. You're not doing yourself any favours, swaying like you've been."
Immediately, Kotone pulls away, holding her ear with her face burning what's surely to be crimson. When he stares back impassively, uncaring to the mention of his mother, she swallows her tongue and quickly retreats into the dorm. As soon as she disappears through the threshold, she's met by Yukari and Junpei, who try to act like they weren't listening in.
"Ah! Uh," the girl tries, smiling sheepishly as Junpei stares at her in shock. "That was… wow, Kotone."
She doesn't need to finish; Kotone already knows what she wants to say.
"How could you bring his mother into that?"
With her tongue still swallowed, she doesn't say another word. For the first time since the death of her own parents, Kotone has met her match. And it's the boy who was there with her, who saved her.
"And you just…!" She chokes, sprinting up three flights of stairs and doesn't stop until she breaches her room.
Where her 'water' bottle begs to be drowned.
—
Makoto
The SEES Command Room
"I'm going out again tomorrow," Makoto grunts, removing the blood-caked armour he 'stole' from the antique shop. He was right; Kirijo wouldn't let him keep it. It kinda sucks because he never even got a chance to really use it."I won't leave her out there for the Shadows. Even if I only find a corpse."
His words are left alone, not met by any remarks of disagreement or dispute. It's nice to have people agree with him and not fight his decisions.
Akihiko looks solemn, leaning against the main computer and nursing his broken arm, while Kirijo stands next to him, weighing his words as she watches him remove the armour.
A particularly sticky piece of leather keeps slipping from his hands, and the clasp refuses to unlock.
"Let me help," Mitsuru says, stepping close and fiddling with the lock. Makoto lets her more dexterous fingers slip it out. She gasps upon seeing all of the blood that was on his body before he put the armour on. "My god, how are you still…?"
"Thanatos," Makoto says. "He… I dunno how to explain it. A Strega Persona user messed me up, and Thanatos healed me."
He is not getting into the whole 'stole your mortality' thing. That's just too crazy. Even with this group of crazy people. Should probably leave out the fact he was shot, too. That'll just freak Kirijo out.
"You look like you got put through the wringer," Akihiko finally says, staring at him. He lowers his eyes and shakes his head. "I should've been there to help. If I was there, Aigis…" his face twists, and he punches the desk. "Gah, this damn arm…!"
"Don't beat yourself up, Sanada," Makoto tells him while Kirijo unhooks the rest of the armour straps for him. For an Ojou-sama, she's pretty doting. "If it worsens, that'll keep you out of the game for good. I was the one who made the call to leave Aigis behind. I'll be the one to get her back."
A silence falls over them, one Makoto assumes to be uncomfortable. He doesn't care that much.
"So…" Akihiko drawls out. "What did that lady mean when she said she 'killed you'?"
Immediately, Kirijo flicks her ruby eyes to his own, then to Akihiko. "What?"
Makoto grimaces. This conversation isn't over yet, he guesses.
"Yuki, did she…" the boxer bites his cheek. "She was pretty freaked out when you busted through the emergency exit to save me. She had a gun. A real one."
"She—! What?!"
Instead of pushing it off, Makoto decides to bite the bullet.
Ha. Ikutsuki-san would like that one.
"I died," he shrugs, saying that as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "But I got better."
"I'm sorry, what?!" Mitsuru and Akihiko both jump to their feet and shout simultaneously. Worry creases their faces as they rapidly rip off the armour and force him to remove his shirt.
"See?" Makoto sighs, gesturing to his now naked chest. Pink welts dot the middle of his abdomen and sternum, while a faint, thin red line runs the diameter of his wrist. "Some scars, but not even a scratch. I'm fine."
"I have… no idea what's happening," Akihiko runs his fingers over the welts. It kind of tickles. This makes no sense." He spins Makoto around, brushing against the two exit wounds. "Only two… you got five scars on your front."
"The bullets were dislodged, don't worry," Makoto assures him. "I'm more surprised they even had guns. That means Strega has some powerful allies. You can't just buy a rifle in Japan."
"Shit," the boxer bites. "We need a new plan."
"I'm calling the hospital. What you need is emergency medical attention and—" Kirjo is in panic mode, her trembling arm struggling to pull out her cell phone and her thumb fumbling against the numpad. "D-damn! This phone!"
"There's no need for that," Makoto steps past Akihiko and places his hand on her wrist, trying to ease her shaking. "I'm fine, see?"
"W-we should still—" The girl's having a panic attack, which Makoto recognized quickly. "I-I can…"
"Akihiko, go get some water," he orders without looking away from Mitsuru. To his credit, the boy jerks out of his haze and runs out the door. Lightly grabbing her shoulders, he leads her to the couch and sits her down. "Look at me." She's too focused on punching numbers into her phone. He gently removes it from her hands with a shake of his head. Finally, she meets his level gaze with a wobbly stare. "I'm fine. Nothing is wrong, nobody is hurt."
He does something he never thought he'd ever do again. He puts a smile on his face, trying to ease her panic and let her know that nothing is wrong. It feels like plastic along his jowls; the movement seems to crack a few ligaments that haven't been used in years. That's false; no ligaments are in your cheeks, but the idea stands. It feels foreign.
Bad. But he hopes it will make her feel better.
…Why does he care how she feels?
The girl finally seems to breathe, letting out rapid inhales and exhales as Akihiko finally returns with a glass of water. He runs over to her, sliding along the carpet like a baseball player and somehow doesn't spill a drop.
"Drink this!" He shouts. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"
"Jesus," Makoto snaps. "You're gonna throw her into another spiral! Calm down, you meathead!"
"Hehe," Mitsuru giggles, something Makoto hasn't seen her do yet. He assumed the girl was pure ice, but evidently, she's got some syrup in her. "N-no, I think I'm better. Thank you, Yuki." She then takes the cup from Akihiko's hands, downing it in a single gulp. "Ugh. I'm sorry that both of you had to see me react like that."
"Ain't nothin'," Akihiko grins, placing his hand on hers. "We're in this together, Mitsuru. Don't forget that."
"Exactly." Makoto nods. "We're all we have. I will be relying on you two while I go save Aigis."
"I remember you saying the complete opposite not even three hours ago. Not to mention your previous disregard for the 'robot,' too." Mitsuru wryly shoots back at him. "Why the sudden change of heart, if you don't mind my asking?"
That catches the boy off guard, and he physically has to catch himself from the recoil of getting called out the way he was. Unconsciously, he looks at Akihiko, who shrugs and stares back questioningly. He's curious, too.
"I dunno," Makoto says, scratching his head as he weighs Mirsuru's words. "I don't… I really have nothing against you guys. If I came across like I did, I'm sorry. That wasn't the goal. I know I'm not a friendly guy, but I like to think I'm not mean either."
"Well, you gave me some things to think about," Mitsuru sighs, gripping the now empty cup in her palms atop her lap. "My secretive nature towards SEES and the Kirijo group wasn't fair to you as a new member. You were right to push back against me."
"We have no beef," Akihiko says with a smile. "I think you're crazy, but I like crazy. You proved yourself to me tonight and showed me that working as a team won't be an issue. I am glad to have someone as gutsy and tough as you aboard, Makoto."
"Thanks," Makoto nods, deciding not to comment on the usage of his first name. "But back to the Aigis thing, I guess I owe you guys an explanation of what happened. She saved me and sacrificed herself for Sanada. You said I proved myself to you," he says, looking over at the boxer. "She did the same for me. She isn't just a bucket of bolts—I don't understand what she is, but god damn." He shakes his head. "I can't just leave her out there. It feels wrong."
Looking up after a lapse in the conversation, he sees both his… teammates staring at him. There's a look on each of their faces that he hasn't seen before. One that makes his stomach twist.
"I understand," Kirijo says softly, her eyes lowering to the green carpet as she pulls her lips into a deep frown. "We must protect our team. You have my support, Yuki."
Akihiko smiles sadly. "Trust me, we get it, Makoto. We won't stop you from doing what you need to. I'll be there to lend as much support as possible, okay? I got your back, man."
Before Makoto can respond, a crash of glass echoes in his psyche. It's getting familiar, not making him flinch.
"Thou hast forged a new bond." A woman's voice—Elizabeth, he thinks her name was, speaks soft, dulcet tones into his ear. "The blessings of the Fool arcana have joined you on your journey."
--
new chap, new year, new me.
Trying to get back into my hobbies after losing all motivation thanks to school and work. I'm liking it. Hoping to get the next chapter out to you soon.
thanks for reading.