Author's Notes: Well met and welcome, dear readers! Another four weeks past, another great chapter. Things are heating up for our Thieves, and we're progressing at a pretty good clip. Cooking right along, one might say. I look forward to hearing what you guys think about this chapter. For, against or just enjoying the ride, do drop me a line and let me know what you think so far. I love hearing from my readers.
Speaking of which, here are the replies to my awesome reviewers:
UltimateCCC: They might be. That is one interpretation.
Shinnypichu88: Almost certainly.
Infinite thanks to Firion as always. You really outdid yourself this time, good buddy, and I'm happy to have you along for the ride.
Burning the Queen of Hearts
Ann tumbled and turned through darkness before landing her posterior gracelessly on pavement. She got to her feet and spun around, ready to lash out at those two for handling her like a sack of potatoes, but only saw concrete walls and store windows. The smells of the normal world hit her, and that castle was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head to clear the pressure and noise from it, then processed what had happened.
Assuming she hadn't imagined all that, she'd been pulled into another world, somewhere tied to Kamoshida that Ryuji and Kurusu had gotten to. Somewhere they said was dangerous. She touched her arm and dismissed the idea that she'd imagined it – she could feel where they'd lifted her and hurled her out. Ryuji's voice still rang in her ears, too. "I did nothing," she murmured. Part of her wanted to yell at him for throwing that in her face, but those words were hard to ignore when they were what she'd been telling herself since Shiho's accident.
Had it even been an accident? Could she call it that when she knew that Shiho would never do something that severe? No, there had to be an answer, especially if Ryuji was ready to go to wherever that place was and fight. Because he'd seemed ready for a fight, and Kurusu had been quiet and serious all day. Guys who had that look in their eye were always set on doing something big, and any other time she'd stay out of their way.
But she hadn't been kidding about pitching in. All she'd seen the last two days was the desolate look in Shiho's eyes just before she jumped. What little sleep Ann had gotten came only after she'd run from that sight long and hard enough to fall into exhaustion. She knew that she'd eaten at some point, but had no idea what it had been. Maybe Ryuji and Kurusu were so focused because they had something they could do, but she'd been stuck in that mire of misery from the moment her best friend went off the roof. If she did nothing now she'd definitely go crazy, especially if this was tied to Kamoshida and she lost her chance to pitch in.
Maybe 'that place' was weird, but if those guys and their cat could handle it, then so could she. Even if her only contribution was to stand off to the side and hold their bags, she'd do it. It was better than staying put and hoping that someone else would handle what she should be doing or helping with herself.
First she had to get back there. Ann didn't see a gate or a sign or anything so obvious around her, so she went over the chain of events in her head. She'd thought Kurusu's calm and cold edge were out of character, so she'd followed him. Once she spotted him here – standing right about… here – she came over. When she saw Ryuji, she called out as she approached, and then everything went weird. How had they done it? They'd been looking down at… no, not at the ground, there was nothing there. If not the ground, then at their phones.
She frowned and fished hers out, then checked her surroundings so she didn't seem too suspicious. She shuffled over to where people couldn't see her and looked down – missing a certain someone who looked in her direction, paled at the memory of being taken somewhere crazy, and moved on with quickened steps – to see that weird app. She'd deleted it over and over until she stopped wasting her time, but now it seemed larger and much more relevant. She opened it, found a picture of that castle she saw, and hit TRAVEL.
The alien sensation pulled her almost off her feet, inky blotches of black and red pushing past the colors of the world. Everything ran around her, sending her tumbling up and over. Not soon enough, she stopped moving and was back in 'that place,' the ominous weight pressing in on her while the screams on the wind pulled her attention this way and that. Now that she wasn't as disoriented, she could appreciate how wrong this place felt. Not just wrong, but dangerous. Whether from the shadows or the air or the ground, it felt like eyes were watching, and she knew she was an intruder here, an interloper traipsing where she was not welcome.
That the guys came here, voluntarily and knowingly, spoke to how serious they were. It took a lot of spine to just stand in a place like this.
She looked around and didn't see them. She vetoed calling out, in part because they'd warned her against using their names and in part because she didn't want the attention of anything else here. Her phone, when she checked it, was useless for contacting anyone, and the place the guys had thrown her through, that split of light, wasn't anywhere in sight. She was alone and stranded, and sweat beaded on her brow as she realized that.
"It's fine," she told herself. "I can do it. I just have to find them. They'll understand. Okay, let's work through this. That cat looked like a thief, and you always read stories about thieves robbing places like museums and castles and banks, so they'll be somewhere inside, probably wherever there's gold or something expensive." She checked around her, steps far less certain than she wanted to believe, and made her way toward the castle, then through the gates and front doors. No one greeted her, but at least the wind's noise had died down.
The front hall was massive, hanging those gaudy banners everywhere in an affront to fashionable taste. This could only come from someone who loved himself above all others, because anyone else would have used their eyes and burned the place down. The next offense to vision was the red carpet that ran in from the doors. Ann knelt down to touch it, then wrinkled her nose. The material looked pretty, but it was undeniably cheap. Push a bit past the surface and you could see the thin dye used for the red, could feel the thin material that made it up, a pretender's alternative to true opulence.
She looked over and couldn't miss the scorch marks on the pillars and floor nearby. Thin, char-black, and webbed everywhere around an untouched point like lightning circling the eye of a hurricane. Something had happened there, and it had been pretty intense. Past that was a large door, probably leading further into the castle except it was barricaded and blocked off with wood planks, stone blocks, and furniture. It was clear that no one would be granted easy entry through there.
That was when she noticed the statues depicting a woman's figure in a sporty outfit. They were blatant and grotesque, but as her eyes moved past they caught on a distinct clothing brand name.
Ann's parents were in fashion and traveled for their career, so they financially supported her from abroad. She respected how hard they worked so she'd decided to earn her own spending money through modeling – always through a pseudonym, so she could understand Ryuji's point on not using his real name. She'd been approached countless times for gravure work, but she always turned it down, insisting on keeping her clothes on. One such shoot involved a client that sold workout attire, and she had liked the feel of the material so much that she'd bought a set for herself after the job was done. The sports bra and spats had been comfortable in gym class, but one of the less savory students had gotten snapshots of her wearing just those in the girls' locker room when she'd been changing. Nothing too risqué, but they had made the rounds of the school, gotten the teachers involved, and ended with disciplinary action. Life went on and the pictures were destroyed.
Not all of them, apparently, because this was what those photos had focused on, right down to the seam lines and logo placement. This couldn't be anyone but her, and these statues were everywhere. Thinking back on it, Kamoshida had been one of the teachers overseeing the whole affair, and he'd promised her personally that everything had been 'taken care of.'
Nausea rose over the idea of being fixated on by that scumbag, and then she thought of what had been done with those pictures if they still existed in the real world. She covered her mouth to stop from being sick. That incident had been around the time he started pressuring her, too.
She took in the full scope of the hall, what it all meant about her and the other girls in Shujin, and backed up toward a wall to get her senses.
Right into a candelabra.
Over and down it went, and a loud racket rang through the empty hall. The barricaded door, apparently not as blocked off as it had been made to seem, burst open. "Someone's here! The thieves have returned!" four guys in full armor shouted, rushing out with swords in hand.
Ann squeaked fearfully, backpedaling and falling down as they nearly trampled her.
"Who goes?! Stand and deliver!"
"Wait! Is that My Lady?"
All eyes fell on Ann. She got back to her feet, but trembled as she did. She was sure, with a certainty that stemmed from ancient instincts shared by a juicy rat in sight of a snake, that there was something wrong with these guards. The darkness behind their helmets shifted like murky water, and despite their excitement she couldn't hear them breathing hard.
She couldn't hear them breathing at all.
Discussion went around the four. "What are you doing here, My Lady? Weren't you at His Majesty's side earlier?"
"I thought she was resting in her room. Why would she be down here?"
"His Majesty's lady can go where she likes."
"But she seems different. And why is she dressed like that?"
"That is an apt question."
"Actually, she's dressed like the thieves were when they first came here."
"That is true, I remember as much."
In unison, the guards looked at her.
"She could be an accomplice of the thieves, serving as a decoy."
"Impersonation would earn a severe punishment."
"The thieves aren't here, so she must be a distraction."
"Take her to My Lady. She shall decide."
Ann turned to run, but she hadn't made it two steps before she was grabbed and thrown over an armored shoulder. The guard carried her like she weighed as much as a pillow, but she couldn't even fight back. Her skin recoiled at the touch of the guard's armor, as though whatever was inside it seeped through the metal and tried to get into her. Cold bit at her skin, the voices and screams returned to her ears, and her pathetic efforts amounted to nothing as she was taken away and up.
7 7 7
"Up there," Mona said, pointing at the nearby tower. "There's an open window we can get into, and it's in the right direction."
"Got the eyes of a cat, y'know?" Skull commented. "Good catch. Now we just have to get up there."
"There're ledges and handholds we can use," Joker noted. "I'll go first."
"Lead on."
Things were going smoothly. The trio had slipped into the castle's interior through Mona's entrance and grabbed the gear left behind, bypassing patrols or taking them out in the rare case they didn't have a choice, and were making good progress up the parapet and along the battlements. Balancing on beams and climbing up to windows was far easier than Joker expected, and Mona's bag of tricks included a rope and hook that saved them a lot of time.
There had been a few close calls, however, leaving the three ducking attention that nearly landed on top of them. The exhilaration of hiding and not being caught, mere feet or sometimes inches from discovery, was quickly rivaling the rush of combat. Joker understood why Mona chose this line of work – the cat's tense grin and eyes bright as lanterns in those moments said it all.
Joker found the best spots for a climb and pulled himself up hand over hand, then perched under the open window Mona mentioned. He listened, freezing still as a guard came running up the stairs, closer, closer… then opposite the wall from him, calling out, "My Lady!"
A nearby door opened. Joker gestured for the others to stop.
"What is it?" came the eventual reply. The voice was familiar, if rather pouty. Takamaki's double must not have liked being bothered.
"We found an intruder, My Lady," the guard answered, so close that Joker could hear the creaks of his armor. "We feel that the situation warrants your attention."
"Hmm… and why might that be?"
"Respectfully, you should see for yourself."
"You disturbed my rest for this?"
"I wouldn't have done so without good cause, My Lady. I promise you."
"What does King Kamoshida think of this?"
Joker couldn't imagine the real Takamaki ever speaking of Kamoshida with that kind of sensual, liquid sex purr.
The guard answered, "His Majesty is sequestered for the time being. He's meeting with a stranger from abroad, so we came to you in his stead."
"And you say this will interest me? That it's worth my time?"
"Of a certainty, My Lady."
"Interesting. All right, lead the way. Servant! Leave my room as it is and come along. I have something to see."
A girl with dark hair wearing a shortened maid outfit, face obscured by the hallway lighting, emerged from the room and followed obediently. Joker watched as Takamaki's double left, still in those stilettos and barely-there bikini, and murmured, "An intruder, huh? I wonder who that is." He waved the others up, then slipped into the stairwell and kept low, passing on what he'd heard.
"That's a good distraction," Mona noted. "And this place is perfect. We should be getting close – a lady's bedchambers would be close to the throne room." He sniffed the air, then turned. "Wait one minute."
Joker and Skull did just that. More than once, Mona's sharp eye had caught on numerous gems or nuggets that he assured them would be worth good money in the real world, so as they went he picked up small statuettes or dug jewels out with a knife, packing them in a sack. Neither of the other two had his discerning taste yet, and they were too busy to learn, so they let him run the show. It really felt like they were thieves now, and the chance to cover the costs of the tools purchased for this mission was a welcome one. Joker wouldn't turn down some extra spending money, and he was sure Skull was in the same boat. Soon enough, Mona returned with pouches full of rings, necklaces, bangles, perfume and even a diadem fit for royalty. "That was a good haul. If you can believe it, she actually had a map of this place lying around. It looks like the treasury is right by the throne room. Let's go."
Their path led them down the stairwell, and they covered each corner and cranny. Joker knew he was still rough at the edges, and the first few attempts at sneaking had been pretty pathetic, but already he was better. This was coming as naturally as fighting had.
Up ahead, someone in armor crashed toward them. "Back!" Mona snapped, diving into darkness. Joker and Skull did the same just before a guard appeared.
"We have an imposter!" he crowed. "My Lady has determined it!"
Two more guards came from around the corners. "Where?"
"Up ahead. Someone dared to disguise herself as My Lady. The punishment is being arranged right now. Join us. Her justice is His Majesty's."
Something like laughter and anticipation ran through them, except there was no sound. Instead, a buzzing feeling ran between them, crackling along Joker's skin and scratching at his nerves. He bit his tongue against the pain to keep from making any noise that would give him away. The others were similarly strained in their silence.
"It will be good to work on a prisoner after so long," it was stated with obvious relish. "We didn't get the chance with those others."
"It's a woman, and she's beautiful, too."
"Even better. Let's go."
The guards left swiftly, and the trio came out of their hiding spots. "That's a lucky break for us," Mona noted. "I feel sorry for whoever they're talking about, but we can use this as a distraction. There won't be as many of them between here and the throne room now."
"It would also be a good chance to save whoever it is," Skull answered. "All the guards'll be in one place from the sounds of it. If we get the drop on them, we can clear them all out at once. Fewer of them to deal with later either way."
"That's a tougher fight for us, though."
Joker asked, "Mona, is that the way we have to go?"
The cat consulted the map. "Let me see… it looks like that's one way to the throne room. There are others we should use though, they're safer and less obvious."
"I want to take a look at this prisoner."
"Why?"
"This is Kamoshida's Palace, and so far everyone who's anyone has been connected to the school. Unless it's a complete outsider, then this intruder is a teacher or a student." Joker looked at Skull. "Who else could be mistaken for Takamaki?"
Skull grit his teeth. "I was thinkin' the same thing. How could that be… Unless she has the app and got here like we did."
Mona looked grim. "If you're right and they have her, then that's very bad news."
"When Kamoshida got me last time, it felt like… I mean, he almost… How bad do you mean? Like what you talked about before, takin' her over and makin' her watch and all that?"
"If she's lucky, yes. If they're going to make an example of her, given what we saw of Kamoshida's girls before, it'll be much worse."
Skull was quiet. Then he slammed a clenched fist into the palm of his other hand "Fuck! Get this far in and this happens! Somethin' had to go wrong, didn't it?!"
Joker answered, "We still have the upper hand. Let's go see where they have her. If we can cause a distraction and get her out, then maybe we don't have to fight everyone. We can still do what we came here to do."
"With her along for the ride. Think that's gonna be easy?"
"Of course not, but that also means you'll get to protect her."
Skull chuffed, looking profoundly unimpressed. "I'm no hero, dude. Guardin' her while we're doin' all this is gonna be trouble."
"If we're helping her, let's go," Mona said. "Or it won't matter what we do."
7 7 7
Ann struggled against her bonds, but it didn't make any difference. The guards had shackled her in this place, this church or whatever that hazed and faded into Shujin and back, then gone off to find this lady of theirs. She wasn't looking forward to meeting the sort of person Kamoshida had as a queen, but maybe it was someone who could be reasoned with. It was worth a try, even if talking hadn't worked yet. When the guards had bothered replying to her at all on the way up here, it wasn't with anything resembling a helpful response, mocking her with taunts or accusations about being with the thieves – that must be Ryuji and Kurusu, but what had they done to make enemies like this?
Between the heavy atmosphere of this place that only got heavier the further into the castle they went and the reality that she'd really gotten in over her head, Ann's one thought of salvation was the knowledge that the guys were in here somewhere. They were smart, they had to be strong to survive in this place, and they'd be able to help her. She just had to give them the chance. She had to play for time.
More guards filed in, talking and joking amongst themselves, but they also hummed with anticipation. None of them had eyes that she could see, but it still felt like they were watching her, optically undressing her and eager to get started. She worked hard to push down just what that might look like and silently prayed even harder for the guys to make their grand entrance. She'd do whatever they asked if they swung in to her rescue.
"All right, I'm here. Who is this intruder you were talking about?" a woman asked from the far end.
Finally, someone to talk to. Ann could explain herself, and–
That thought died a swift, merciless death as Ann was faced with herself.
Except the hussy who came toward her wasn't her. First, there was no way she was that well endowed, top or bottom, and second, she wouldn't be caught dead in a bikini that trashy or in heels that high. This version of her – no, Ann shook her head, this wasn't her, but the double refused to disappear like the nightmare Ann hoped she was – strutted and swayed her stuff down the aisle like sex out for a stroll. Everything bounced and jounced, giving the guards an eyeful as she came and went even if technically the choicest bits were covered.
For all the good it did.
"Well," the copy purred, coming up and showing how dolled up her face was, how cheap the perfume smelled. "What do we have here?"
Ann hastily put together everything she'd seen so far, what little the guys told her, and unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth. Time, time, play for time. "That's my question. Why do you look like me?"
"Are you blind, sweetie? I don't look like you. You're covering it all up like you're ashamed of what you have. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing… that."
"I'm a student. There's a dress code I have to follow."
"Hmph. I suppose that would be your excuse. But you're either naive or boring if you think this will get you anywhere, keeping all the best parts to yourself. How do the guys in your life see you?"
Ann snapped back, "As more than just tits and an ass. How about you?"
"What's so bad about giving the guys what they want? A bit of encouragement goes a long way. All that sweating and heavy lifting, bending over backward for a chance and a look, how is that wrong?"
"Maybe that's for you, but it isn't for me."
The double brushed a hand through a long blond tail. "That's why I'm the queen here, sweetie. King Kamoshida's favorite, and all the boys know it." She turned to the assembled guards. "Don't you?"
Cheers and yells of approval rang out.
Ann asked, "Why does your face look like mine? Hair, skin–" Not the eyes, those were yellow and dancing with gleeful malice, "everything seems like we're pretty similar, doesn't it?"
The fake shrugged. "That's because I was made after you, I imagine. The improvement on the original, and really, can you blame His Majesty for that? You're not all this, sweetie, not by a long shot, and His Majesty wanted something that suited him better. Something perfect." The double brushed at a tattoo outline above her cleavage. "Well, almost perfect. I wondered what I had to do to be whole, completely his, like all the other girls. You're the answer. Giving you to him, broken in and ready to serve, that will be perfect." She looked back. "And the boys here will be more than happy to do the breaking."
More cheers went around. Ann couldn't hold back the sickening horror of what was being said. Being made into a sex slave like this blow-up doll would have been unthinkable, but the eagerness of these guards – were they even human under there? – to rape her was enough to make her want to puke. "Go to hell." She spat out the saliva that gathered, faintly tasting bile and holding it down with a will. "I'll die first."
"No, you won't," the double notified her cheerfully. "The first one will hurt, but once they get past that silly stubbornness of yours, you'll get used to it. They'll only be done once you like it – all the girls learned that." The fake touched the tattoo outline again. "Then I'll be complete. Isn't that right, servant?"
"Yes, Mistress," a familiar voice answered immediately.
Ann's rising sickness was forgotten at that familiar voice. "Shiho?! Shiho, are you okay? What are you–"
The girl who looked at her wore her best friend's face to perfect effect, but the resemblance came to a screeching halt a second later. First, Shiho would never wear a maid outfit, let alone one as cheap as this. Second, the 'ka' character was tattooed on each cheek, filled in and impossible to miss like slave brands. Third, there was no recognition in her eyes, only distant observation second to absolute devotion to her queen.
"What did you do to her?" Ann demanded. "How is she okay from that fall?"
A contemptuous chuff answered her. "I don't know what you mean, sweetie. There was no fall. Shiho here did spend some time with His Majesty a while ago, though. He bestowed his mark on her a second time, the lucky little thing."
Ann's mind pieced together just what that meant in the real world. The urge to be sick rose again. "No…"
"Oh don't worry, she doesn't mind. Shiho's a good little servant to me and His Majesty and she lives to serve us, isn't that right?"
'Shiho' answered immediately in a voice thick with adoration. "Yes, Mistress."
"Who do you love more than anyone except His Majesty?"
"You, Mistress."
"That's a good girl. Come here."
'Shiho' approached and genuflected. The queen stroked her hair and face, looked at her with what seemed like genuine fondness, then saw those marks and grabbed her servant's jaw and flung her down to the ground with an angry sneer.
Ann lunged forward. "Leave her alone! She's not your toy!"
The double looked up. "That's exactly what she is. I'm her queen and best friend, and that means she can't ever leave me. I'm what she needs and she knows it, so she'll never rebel against me."
"Shiho's her own person. She can do what she wants."
That got an amused chuckle, and something knowing and unholy sparked to life in the double's eyes. "Can she? You don't know her very well if that's what you think. She seems friendly – all the guys can tell you just how friendly she can be – but she's actually very fragile. Insecure, easily hurt, it's all there under the surface no matter how she plays up being all right. But she's strong in a different way. If she thinks she has a best friend, someone in her corner, then she can live through anything. No matter what's done to her, she'll keep going for just that one friend. So that's what I am to her, and she'll do whatever I want. Right, Shiho?"
The answer came quickly and sincerely. "Yes, Mistress. You referred me to His Majesty and I've never been happier. I am his and yours forever."
Ann's voice shook as she pushed her words out. "That's not true. She'd never say that."
A joyfully amused chuckle was the reply. "Like I said, sweetie, if you think that then you don't know her very well. You act like you're close to her, but that must only be an act. That's good work, though. If you believe it then she will too, and she'll go through anything for you."
Ice water replaced the blood in Ann's body. She recalled the times she knew Shiho was having problems, all the hints and nudges she knew were there, and how she didn't reach across for any of them. Kamoshida pressuring her, the feeling of the walls closing in, and that final look at her best friend before she jumped from the school roof, it all hit with the force of the truth and was put on loudspeaker by the air of this place. She shook her head, trying to get those damning words out of her head. "I… I didn't do that. I'd never do that."
The fake leaned in close. "Never, hm? You're lying. Shiho's afraid of being left alone, so she'll bury what she thinks and live through any terrible thing that happens to her as long as she thinks someone's there to keep her safe. I do exactly that, and she knows never to step out of line or go against me. It's a perfect friendship."
"She's not yours! She's not mine, either! She's a person!"
"And people make great distractions, don't they? The other girls can have fun with anyone who doesn't make the cut, the guys are great for a night or two, and everyone goes away happy. But don't kid yourself into thinking those connections mean anything, sweetie; they're just a matter of people getting what they want."
Again, the reflection of truth in those words hit Ann where it hurt. "You're… you're wrong."
"And you're boring. The boys have waited long enough." A cruel smile spread on the double's face. "But I'll do you a favor. Since you're so attached to Shiho, I'll have her sit right here and watch. You'll see what a close friend you have since she means so little to you."
"You're wrong!"
Her words were drowned out by the cheers and movement among the guards. Ann tensed and started praying for the guys to make their entrance.
Just then, something shifted. From somewhere, the rafters or down the hall or far away, a female voice Ann had never heard before came to her and cut right through the noise from the guards and the double and the silence from Shiho.
"She's wrong? How?"
7 7 7
The three thieves peeked around the corner. The place they'd followed the guards to was massive, vaulted and bright from chandeliers and torches, gleaming from regular cleaning and polish.
"This is a cathedral," Joker realized aloud. "It's too big to be a chapel. I didn't figure Kamoshida for the religious type."
Just then, the whole place wavered and they were in Shujin's gymnasium. The floor shone and the smell of sweat and triumph was heavy in the air, but it felt as wrong as everything else in the Palace did.
As it wavered back to the cathedral, Skull looked further down and bit out, "Pompous prick."
In the middle of the chancel was a huge gilded statue of Kamoshida standing atop the winner's block and striking a pose of victory. Careful detail had been exercised to get everything just right, but all it communicated was the same towering ego the false king exuded just by being present. Even inanimate material was made flawed and arrogant from having his face on it.
"There she is," Mona put in.
At the feet of that statue was where Takamaki was bound spread eagle between two metal cylinders. Her double was in front of her, saying something too quiet to hear even while the original shook her head in denial. Next to the imitation, kneeling in subservient fashion and wearing that bastardized maid outfit, was the girl with long dark hair up in a familiar ponytail. And between them and the trio were the guards. Lots of guards, lined up in the pews, all vibrating with that same intensity as before.
The cat sniffed the air. "We need to move fast. Something's happening and we'll lose her if we don't stop it."
Just then, the guards cheered and shuffled around eagerly.
"You mean those guys?" Joker asked.
"Yes and no. They're operating on the same wavelength so they'll be dangerous and more organized than before, but there's something else here. And it's strong."
Skull clicked his tongue, then readied his shotgun as the air ionized and turned briney around him. "Well, this is what we came for. No sense in waitin', is there?"
Mona pulled out a handful of his trinkets and passed them around. "When you fight, do it fast. That's even more important this time. Watch the pews and corners, too. If we stop or get cornered, we're toast."
Joker adjusted his grip on his dagger and checked his Personas. He'd gotten two more since this job started, a wild stallion and a quiet little guy in a vase. He tested the accessibility of the cards in his sleeve, then nodded. "We ready?"
"As we'll ever be," Mona answered.
Skull grimaced and nodded.
Joker glowed. "Then let's go save the damsel in distress."
7 7 7
Explosions and gunfire went off at the far end of the cathedral, fire and lightning and shotgun blasts that hit the guards from the rear. Shouts of rage and recognition rang out and the guards mobilized to fight back. Ryuji and Kurusu and their cat had arrived in the nick of time.
Ann, however, only barely noticed. She looked around frantically. "Who was that? Where are you?"
A phantom chuckle drifted into her ears, mocking her, but the speaker remained hidden.
Ann tried again. "What did you mean?"
Between one frantic blink and the next, her vision went completely dark. The sounds of carnage slowed down and faded to a dull hum, her hands and feet were free, but even when she blinked again and again, all she saw was darkness.
"Wh… what is this?"
Footsteps approached from behind, someone in heels with a measured gait. Ann turned and saw a glowing woman coming toward her.
And this was a woman, not anything like the tacky excuse for a double she'd seen a minute before. This person wore a red formal dress, clearly tailor made and expensive, that showed only a modest amount of her considerable bosom. The cut of the fabric promised at the figure it nevertheless concealed, a figure that Ann could only describe as sensual, ripe and lovely without being exaggerated.
Ann wasn't attracted to women, but just then her mouth went dry and stayed that way as she looked up and saw a ballroom mask across the woman's face, a sexy pout to her red lips that invited one to look upon the skin of her face that seemed even softer than the fabric of the dress. In one of her gloved hands was a glowing cigarette on a fashionable stem, and even the gentle smell of tobacco and spicy perfume tugged at the nose and the mind like an unforgettable promise. Dark eyes looked down at Ann, and the woman sat primly on an upholstered chair that approached from behind, carried and accompanied by the ragged panting of male servants. Ann couldn't see them and the woman gave them no mind, but the sense of their hopeless adoration was clear.
The woman took a long drag, then asked through the smoke in a low, throaty voice with a foreign accent, "Well?"
The voice ran up Ann one side and down the other like velvet being stroked the right way. "Who are you? What is this?"
"I asked you a question first, darling. Answer it. How was that little trollop wrong?"
"That...? Wait, you heard her?"
"I hear and see many things in this place."
"Then do you know what happened in my world? What happened with Shiho?"
"I do. That's why I asked the question."
"Shiho's my best friend! That thing, who or whatever she is, she said I used her, that I abused her and ditched her!"
"That's right."
"Wait, you think that too?!"
"That's the most sensible interpretation given what's happened, isn't it?"
"Who the hell are you to say that to me?!"
Fire lit in the woman's eyes and the cigarette's end burned bright. A boudoir materialized around them, lit with a fireplace and expensive candles, richly furnished and of genuine quality; nothing like the cheap trappings of the castle. "I am Carmen, darling, and you are in my realm. Your mind is mine to do with as I wish."
"My mind?"
"Yes. Your body is still tied up and waiting to be defiled by those Shadows, assuming your men don't save you." Another low chuckle sounded. "You've done well to make them desire you so much that they'd fight a horde to save you. Elementary craftwork, if terribly crude, but then men always were simple and useful. Very useful. In any event, this is where you are until I tire of you."
"So you can twist the knife like that… that fake did?"
"The truth cuts the deepest, darling. It only hurts because you realize this."
"I didn't do anything she said!"
"I know differently, and you shouldn't lie to a gypsy." Carmen's voice took on a threatening timbre, and the firelight in the boudoir turned red. "You call this girl your best friend, and yet what did you do when that pig threatened you? When he separated you from her by making you fear him? You betrayed her, the one you call close as kin. You did a man's dirty work for him and made yourself a creature of his entertainment, a puppet on his strings. You isolated that girl, your 'friend' as you call her, and left her to his appetites."
"I didn't have a choice! He would have cut Shiho from the team! That's everything to her!"
"Participation in a sport, no matter how precious, is more important to her than her friend standing by her? Truly?"
"I did it for her! I was going to help her once I had something I could use against Kamoshida! That's why I'm here!"
The pout turned into a sneer, and the fire in Carmen's eyes burned hot. "You are here because of the men, because they were going to do the fighting for you. You did nothing before that point, even when they came to you and offered you aid. If you insist upon lying to me, little girl, strive to do better. Your puling is insulting, otherwise."
"Ryu– I mean, someone said that to me already. I know I screwed up. I'm here to make it right."
Carmen sounded of scorn. "Make it right? By holding onto the coattails of the men and hoping they do as you ask without any control over them or power of your own? With what will shall this be accomplished, pray tell?"
"How else should I do it?! You're the one talking, what would you do?!"
Now the velvet was being rubbed the wrong way. "I wouldn't beg and whine for the men to fight for me. Men begged me. They wanted me, and so I had power. I was never a victim of anyone, even in the end, and I would never allow those dearest to me to be taken and discarded like some disposable harlot, like meat! Any who crossed me or my kin lived to regret ever hearing my name. This I did all on my own." She pursed those lips into a cruel smile. "Because, child, the price of weakness and inaction is pain and suffering. Perhaps I should show you what that looks like."
Before Ann could protest, a full-length mirror of immaculate polish and gilded frame rose from the darkness before her. Panting breaths and rapid footsteps sounded around her and another mirror appeared, then another, then two more, all borne by those under Carmen's spell, so beneath notice they did not merit even being seen. The mirrors surrounded Ann in such a position that she couldn't see anything else.
That she couldn't look away from what played out on them.
She saw herself and Shiho on the bench at school, chatting about their favorite TV show and making light of the antics of boys. That had been the first day Ann had noticed makeup on her friend, inexpertly applied and laid on too thick to ignore. She hadn't asked, hadn't wanted to confirm her fears, and when the gaps in the conversation came and stretched, she refused to say anything. Shiho looked expectant, wanting the chance to tell the truth, but Ann didn't ask and so Shiho couldn't say.
"Cowardice always starts small, and it is always given an excuse. Yours was that you cared too much for her, wasn't it?"
Next was her meeting Shiho after school one day. Ann had waited, wondering if she'd imagined the makeup and silences before, worrying for her friend while not knowing who to talk to or where to go if there was a problem. She wasn't in any of Shujin's cliques so she didn't have anyone to ask for help. She chewed her lips as she waited, but her mood was interrupted when Shiho came out.
When Ann turned with happy greetings on her lips, the words felt hollow. She knew Shiho, knew her body language and how she moved. Her friend looked drained, worn down and kept there, dragging her feet and swaying as she moved. Empty, that was the word that came to Ann's mind.
She should have said something, should have acted. She knew that back then as she knew it now, but all that came from her lips was, "How was practice? Intense?"
Shiho had ducked her face, smiled in a tired sort of way, and answered in a dull monotone, "Yeah. It was tough."
Ann had walked home with her, but never addressed the real problem she was afraid was there. She didn't reach across, and by the time she got home, the silence had settled heavily on her lips and would stay there.
"One who would leave her friend to hang, who is a coward instead of braving the unknown for her, how would you call this person?"
"I… I…"
The scenes continued, running from one mirror to the next like a sickening movie she couldn't get up from and leave. The long pauses in conversation, the strained silences, the good times where Shiho was her usual self and could laugh and joke that let Ann hope things were getting better without her getting involved, every warped scene and moment that reminded Ann of how far she'd fallen from how things used to be.
"And then you let that man give you orders. You let him control you." Carmen's voice was rich with contempt for Ann herself, she knew, as much as for Kamoshida.
Kamoshida who leered at her after those pictures had been found, who made offers Ann knew were just lead-ins for the next step. She'd gotten such offers from men wearing the same look in her modeling gigs, she'd hated the way they reduced her to her most prominent features. She'd even changed her hairstyle to her twin tails to try and distract from how endowed she was compared to the other girls, but it didn't matter to them. It hadn't mattered to Kamoshida. He offered, then insinuated, then slowly tightened the noose on Shiho while making her watch. Ann's silence on the subject remained while she tried to salvage her friendship, only it was left feeling like playing a phony role in a bad drama by the end.
The image that the mirrors concluded on was when she left the volleyball game as soon as it was over. She'd heard Shiho call to her, knew her friend had something to say, and left her behind anyway. She'd seen Shiho out of the corner of her eye, face down and obscured, and told herself it was better this way.
Except by that point, even Ann didn't believe that anymore.
"I left her," she admitted weakly. "I did nothing."
"Indeed, and that animal smelled blood on the air. You spurned him and your men scared him, so what do you think he did?"
"I… I don't know…"
Carmen came out of her chair, exploding, "He's given free reign over his kingdom, he cripples someone of your acquaintance without facing any consequences, and you don't know?! Think, girl! What would you expect a beast like that to do when he's slighted and denied what he wants?!"
The mirrors darkened, then showed Ann something far worse than anything her mind could have concocted. She saw Shiho directed to Kamoshida's office by Mishima, saw her turn down Kurusu's offer of help, then saw as Shiho was battered relentlessly in what could not, by even the most liberal interpretations, be called practice. Kamoshida aimed to inflict pain, hammered the balls at her without ever easing up, and Shiho was made into a bruised, crying mess on the floor by the end of it. He helped her to the nurse's office, told her teachers she'd be out of class for the rest of the day. The whole time Shiho was left curled in a ball on the bed, alone. Even when the nurse on duty or other students came by, no one asked how she got those bruises. No one reached out or came by to sit with her. She was alone.
Until the end of the day. That was when Kamoshida came back.
Ann tried to shut it out, but feeling her eyelids close had as much effect now as before – none at all.
Kamoshida's face was a rictus of fury, lust and arrogance. Shiho was barely aware of what was happening to her by the time he was on her, yanking clothes off, binding her hands, bending her over and gagging her.
Ann wasn't just seeing this, she realized with instant horrified terror – she felt the iron bands of Kamoshida's hands on her, felt the clothes come off and something being shoved in her mouth. She'd been made helpless like Shiho had been.
The thrust burned right into her crotch and up into her stomach. Thrashing did nothing – he was too heavy and too strong – and even the shock and agony didn't give enough strength to pitch him off. It made no difference at all. There was no haze of the traumatized, no place to retreat to in her mind. Ann felt everything clearly, over and over, brutally and cruelly and she couldn't get free.
"This is Takamaki's fault," Kamoshida growled in her ear between grunts and thrusts. "I wanted her, but she turned me down. She always makes excuses and gets away, leaving her best friend to take her place. She left you to me. She did this to you, just like she always does, right?"
Ann tried screaming out in revolt, but the gag held. She could do nothing except take it and listen to Shiho's muffled shrieks and screams, her gradual whimpers and sobs.
It went on longer than she could have ever feared. Kamoshida spoke other obscenities, but they didn't register. He peaked, then flipped Shiho over and watched her face as he did it a second time, just as savage and unrelenting. Shiho resisted less that time, but it didn't change how hard he grabbed her, the bruises he left or the violated pain she was in. When he finished the second time, he yanked the bed sheets away and threw them into the laundry chute, coming over to growl into her ear once more, "No one will believe you if you say anything. They never believe anything bad about me. I'm the king here, little girl, and you are mine. You are mine because Takamaki made it so. Remember that, because this isn't the end."
Revulsion hit Ann strong enough to make her sick. The bonds came off and she curled into herself. "Stop it! Stop showing me this!"
"Why? Can you not stand to look upon what you have wrought? Is seeing the truth too hard to–"
"I SAID STOP IT!" Ann struck the mirrors. Glass shattered but broke toward her, lacerating her left hand and forearm and running her skin red with blood. She grasped it, trying to stem the flow.
The mirrors vanished and Carmen approached. Disappointment was rich in the woman's voice. "You lash out, you scream and wail like a child. Still, even after seeing that, you are weak."
"Why are you doing this? What do you care?"
"I was curious. This realm belongs to us, and people like you are a novelty. Your men understood the strength that is granted by fighting in the face of extinction. Men are often better at this anyway, I must say – that's what makes them so useful. I wanted to see what a girl like you might offer. You have answered my question – nothing."
Ann clenched her arm, wept from what she saw, and cried brokenly, "Shiho…"
Carmen inhaled, then leaned forward. "Don't worry, it won't leave a scar on that side. Your men look like they might be able to rescue you, so you'll be able to cry to them and have them fight your battles for you. A failure can accomplish that much, at least. But I am not without consideration – allow me to give you one last parting gift."
The cigarette descended into the wound and burned yellow, cauterizing it with the stench of cooking meat as it was dragged along. The pain lanced into Ann's arm, right down to bone and marrow, and Carmen snorted dismissively.
Ann barely felt it. She clenched her injured left hand into a fist.
7 7 7
Battle raged between the three thieves and what felt like every guard in the castle. The Shadows were more coordinated than the stray patrols they'd taken down earlier. Pockets of attackers dove in with fierce coordination and cruel instinct, trying to herd their victims or swarm them. It was only staunch resistance and high mobility that kept the thieves alive. Joker tumbled and skittered around corners and between attacks, but he cut things too close and got clipped in passing, being sent to the ground twice as he fought back. Skull's shots and lightning blasts blew holes in the enemy formation, but his effectiveness was curtailed when he was forced to fight in close quarters. His pipe carried weight, though not enough to stave off the hordes. Neither thief was experienced enough to work off of each other in close combat and over obstacles like this, and had they been alone their valiant stunt would have gotten them killed.
Mona was the deciding factor. He kept the Shadows guessing with his rapid changes in direction; his trinkets crashed and blew through the air, giving his allies time and space to move; and his sword was sharp as he cut with impunity. Joker switched Personas on the fly to take advantage of any opening, and once Ryuji got some space he alternated between firing rounds with deadeye accuracy and frying his foes with lightning. They made their foes bleed for every step, but the armor of the guards was punched through only to reveal nebulous darkness and horrific limbs and tentacles that morphed the Shadows into even greater enemies.
It was a fight that was only meant to be measured in seconds, and the sand was running fast.
"Need an opening here," Joker grit out as he passed Mona. "Something big, or they'll bury us."
"I'm all ears if you have any ideas," the cat replied. "We can't get to her like this."
Some of the guards had reacted to the surprise by forming a ring around Takamaki's double, a steel wall that they'd have a hard time breaking through even without all the other Shadows. Takamaki being bound right behind them demanded that any attack be right on target or risk collateral damage. That meant time the thieves didn't have for precision they couldn't afford. The fight was grinding down to a slog, and they were done for the moment they lost their momentum.
Just then the torches around them rose as though fed by fresh fuel, dancing and turning red as blood and leaning toward the front of the cathedral.
Toward Takamaki.
7 7 7
The fire was hot as it burned into her flesh, but there was something about it that Ann connected with. Something behind the heat, a gauging intent to Carmen's cruelty that Ann understood only in that moment, detached from the agony in her body and mind. "You're strong," she stated numbly. "You have this kind of power and it's not even hard for you, is it?"
"Of course not. This is what comes naturally to those who accept themselves and don't flinch when things get hard."
"Help me. Give me that power."
Rich laughter filled the space. "Help you? And why would I do–"
Ann stared up at Carmen. "Give it to me so I can avenge Shiho. So I can burn Kamoshida to the ground and make everyone who ever helped him pay for it."
The woman looked on appraisingly, her contempt easing. "Why would I help you, child?"
"To prove the point that Carmen can handle any challenge. So you can change things in my world however you want. To make this right if it means so much to you that you'd show me this and keep me here."
"You presume a great deal, little girl."
"Maybe, but you didn't leave when you could have at any time. So show me the ropes. Teach me what I need to know so it never happens again."
"You think me a philanthropist?"
"I think you're strong enough to break someone if they disgraced you or spurned you. I think you would never have allowed Shiho to be… for this to happen to her. I need that to make Kamoshida pay. To fix what I've done."
Carmen leaned in close enough that tobacco and her perfume filled Ann's head. Hot gypsy eyes flared dangerously. "And what do you offer in return?"
"Name your price and I will pay it."
"You will pay it, no matter what happens? No matter where it takes you or what you will do or how your life might be burned short?"
"Just so long as I can help Shiho. Whatever that takes."
"Think very carefully on those words before you–"
"I know. I mean it."
7 7 7
Fire caught on the banners around the statue, climbing the walls and spreading to the rafters. The pews smoked and crackled, the air near Takamaki roiled and lit red and gold, and the unreality of the cathedral churned and cracked.
Joker ducked a strike and cut a Shadow before asking, "What is that?"
Mona answered, "I can smell it. It's powerful."
Ryuji finished reloading and grunted. "Shit. Another Shadow?"
Before Mona blasted with the winds again, he answered, "No. A Persona."
7 7 7
Carmen leaned in close for a long few moments. Ann stared back and didn't flinch.
"Anything and everything," Carmen stated.
"Until I can fix this, and even after."
The gypsy woman looked longer and deeper, then shook softly with a chuckle that rose into a laugh. The sound was lively and joyous and utterly free. "You understand! What a pleasant surprise you are, little girl. Don't worry, you won't be little or a girl for much longer, for nothing can be resolved by restraining yourself. Your passions and the fires you inspire in others will be the change you need, and we will make this come to pass! We will be perfect together!
7 7 7
"It's getting stronger!" Mona shouted.
Heat rose as the fire spread uncontrollably. Takamaki's metal restraints melted into bubbling slag, setting her free as a mask materialized on her face. The torches near where the thieves were fighting wilted and dripped molten metal even as the flames spread with a life of their own.
Joker saw what was coming and answered, "Both of you! Get behind me!"
7 7 7
"Speak the words, Takamaki Ann, and we will make a dazzling show of your justice! One that none in any world can ignore!"
"Thou art I, Carmen. I am thou."
7 7 7
Joker reached into his sleeve and caught a card, pulling from the sea of his soul as fast as he could.
7 7 7
The boudoir vanished. Ann was back where she'd been before, except her arms and legs weren't shackled. She was free. Her hands went to her mask and with a fierce grunt she tore it off, feeling her face go with it.
She inhaled, pulled in all the anger at her own inaction, all her fury at Kamoshida, all her pain for Shiho, and screamed in a bloodcurdling note that filled very air.
7 7 7
Pyro Jack appeared a scant second before Takamaki tore her mask off and filled the entire cathedral with fire. It didn't come from the torches, but from her directly, a raging flood that burned bright yellow and rushed from her as from a broken dam.
Everything was consumed in the rush. Joker's Persona held the fire at bay only barely, narrowly directing the flames around the three. It was too hot from the flames passing by to even sweat at how close they were coming to incineration, and Joker pushed back with everything he had – anything less would have left them piles of ash. Mona glowed blue at his feet, pushing the fire back with Zorro's winds and keeping them from suffocating. Skull crouched behind them, covering his shotgun ammo to prevent it from igniting and shredding them in a fragmenting explosion. All three grit their teeth against the force of Takamaki's Persona, which even now laughed as though she were the happiest girl in the world.
Finally, after seconds that felt far longer, the fire went out. The flames died down, the heat subsided, and the cathedral was left darker for the torches having been cooked into the walls where they'd been bracketed, and by the burn marks and black streaks on every surface to be seen. That was the common theme, the trio noticed as they panted and looked around, of the nave, of the transept, of everything. The air was hazy and choked with smoke. All the Shadows had been burned to nothing, not even one left standing. Some had even left their outlines on the floor or the walls, so intense had been the flames. The benches had been burned almost all the way through, charred down to glowing embers. The banners were black where they hadn't been consumed entirely. The statues – especially the big one at the chancel – were melted down to misshapen stubs like wax.
"Holy shit," Skull breathed, looking around.
Takamaki shuffled forward, now dressed in form-fitting red leather, a soft suit that clung to her figure while stopping short of gratuity. Around her shoulders and the midriff were armored while her belt held pouches for tools and loot, same as the straps around each thigh. Her Persona, a lush woman in a crimson dress, twirled and pirouetted in a lively dance, looked at them and blew a kiss with rich red lips, then vanished with a flutter of rose petals.
The three thieves approached cautiously.
Takamaki knelt, looking on with glassy eyes. She stared at what had been the maid at the double's side, now a charred husk that even now knelt in faithful servitude. Takamaki touched the figure's cheek softly, and it collapsed into glowing cinders and ash.
She clenched her fists, laid a hand on her left forearm, then donned her mask and stepped authoritatively to them. "I need your help."
"What the hell're you even doin' here?" Skull answered. "We sent you back for your own good. Look what almost happened to you!"
"I came back because I wanted to… because I needed to help. I have to bring Kamoshida down for what he did to Shiho."
"We're here for the same reason. We would've handled it."
"You don't know what he did to her. What he– what Carmen showed me– I– look, I'm here now, and I'm going to do this. I need you to help me."
"What you need is to go back and rest," Joker replied. "You weren't in good shape before, you just got a Persona which we know takes a lot out of you, and we're not done here yet. We have to keep going while we have the advantage. You won't be able to fight like this."
Takamaki held a hand out and fire danced on her palm. "I can fight just fine. Carmen's made me strong."
Skull pointed out, "We have Personas too, you know. None of us're exactly slouches."
Joker leaned in closer, looking her in the eye. She stared back. "You're set on this, it seems," he concluded.
"Yes," was her reply.
"Then you can come with us, but you do as we say. This is our job and we have a plan."
"Does it involve Kamoshida?"
Mona piped up. "It involves stealing his heart to change him in the real world."
Takamaki was incredulous. "Change him? That's it?"
Joker answered. "First, nothing on this side happens in half measures. Look around and you'll see that, so when we pull this off, it's going to be a big deal. Second, yes, just change him. We're not here to kill him, and if that's what you're after, you can do it yourself and see how far you get."
She stepped forward, seeming about to argue, but then turned her head as though hearing someone's advice. A second later, she nodded. "All right. We'll do it your way."
Joker was skeptical. "That's it? You'll follow orders?"
"If it gets me what I want, then yes."
Mona hummed to himself. "Careful with that Persona, miss… I don't know who you are."
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. And I don't know your name either."
"Introductions will have to wait," Joker decided. "I doubt they missed all the noise here. Let's move."
Skull looked at their new recruit and shook his head. "Guess so."
They left the cathedral in the nick of time. Mona led with the map and his superior senses, keeping them from discovery more than once. The guards were in an uproar, and the air of the Palace had changed as though the castle itself were looking for them. It became harder to breathe, and even moving felt like walking through water. But they kept to the corners and out of sight, going out the window scaling walls when they had to. Joker wondered if Takamaki had enough muscle mass and upper body strength to keep up, but she had as little trouble climbing and hiding as he'd had balancing on beams and ropes. Having a Persona really made all the difference.
The uppermost levels of the castle were the first point where they could breathe a little lighter. The guard patrols were more sporadic, with everyone seeming to think that the thieves had to be somewhere further down. Odds were that Mona's rope and hook bypassed fortified hallways and bottlenecks, too. Joker took notes; he'd be talking to his new teacher about all this later.
What Shadows couldn't be crept by, however, were dealt with fast. Takamaki fought with merciless ferocity, catching both enemy and ally by surprise with how intense her flames were. Her targets were brought down and left as piles of muck and ash, a better cover than leaving the bodies or hiding them, and far quieter than Skull's sawed-off shotgun.
The thieves made it to the throne room shortly after, which was thankfully neither locked nor guarded. "It's close," Mona told them, leading them unerringly along the upper levels and keeping out of sight. "This is it."
"How does he know what to look for?" Takamaki asked.
"No idea," Skull replied. "But he does and he's damn good at it. I'm not gonna argue."
The room behind the throne was the royal treasury. Mona pulled his picks out and listened closely as he worked the lock. Joker watched with interest, catching just how minute the cat's movements were as he felt the lock out and adjusted. It only took a few seconds before the door creaked open, but Joker was sure a lot of work had gone into making it look that easy.
They entered. A kingdom's wealth was laid out before them, ingots and gems and piles of gold. Strewn amidst the wealth were bejeweled statuettes of girls, crafted in striking detail, who all looked to be of high school age.
Mona went amongst the piles of treasure and trinkets, his eyes alight and paws moving fast.
Takamaki touched the statues with shaking fingers. "Could these be… other students? Was Shiho not the first?"
"From what we saw before, it wouldn't surprise me," Joker replied grimly.
"Here," Mona said to Skull, handing over two full sacks of treasure. "This is all we should take."
"There's a lot more here, though," Skull answered. "Shouldn't we grab as much as we can?"
"We'd have problems fencing all this stuff, no matter how many middlemen you might know," Mona replied. "You'd catch attention if you tried to cash in a gold bar or three, wouldn't you? Next, we'd have to carry it all, and we'll be using the rope to get out of here. All that weight would make it a lot harder. Third, Kamoshida doesn't know we're here yet. If we steal everything, then he definitely will. He'd lock this place down, and that would make getting back in here a challenge."
Joker asked, "What do you mean, 'getting back'?"
Mona pointed at the hazy, glowing something in the centre of the room that was almost indistinct from all the treasure around it. "That's his heart. It's not completely here yet so we can't do anything with it. We need to set some things up before it materializes, and we can steal it once it does."
Skull let out a breath. "We've gotta do this all over again?"
"Somewhat. Instead of going through the castle all over again, we'll set some anchors and hooks and climb up the side. Now that we know where it is, there's no point in working this hard a second time, right? And we won't be able to get his heart out of here without a fight; we'll need to be fresh."
Skull mulled that over, then nodded. "Crafty as a cat. You're pretty good at this, Mona."
The thief grinned and struck a pose. "But of course!"
Joker checked the balcony by the treasure room and paled. There were ledges and handholds to climb, but it was a sheer drop that ran a long way down.
Mona came up next to him, seeming to have no problem with the height at all. "That's it. I'll set the anchors and we can get out of here."
"It's a shame we didn't run into His Majesty," Takamaki muttered. "I'd have liked to–"
The throne room doors slammed open. Guards crashed and clanked in, searching the place. A familiar voice boomed, "Check everywhere! The thieves cannot have made it this far, but make sure!"
Takamaki stiffened, then growled in a voice rich with hate. "Kamoshida…"
"That's not good," Mona said. "We have to get out of here. Onto the ledge, quickly, or this'll be a lot harder!"
Skull was first over, clinging to the surface. Mona was next, hooks and anchors already out. Joker grabbed Takamaki as she went toward the voice, intent clear on her face. "Don't," he told her.
She glared at him. "Let me go."
"You said you'd follow instructions. I'm instructing you to back off and leave with us."
"He's right there! We have a chance to avenge Shiho and finish this!"
"We're not in the position to fight him. Unless you forgot, it took a lot out of us to get to you and fight those guards off. We can't do this right now."
"Can't you? Then maybe I should do it myself. Let go."
"No."
Fire ignited around her. "I said, let go."
Joker pulled Pyro Jack's card out and grinned humorlessly. "Try me. We'll see who wins."
"We're ready to go!" Mona snapped from the ledge. "Hurry up!"
Takamaki looked to the side, ready to argue, and Joker made an executive decision. Letting Arsene guide his strike, he punched Takamaki hard in the solar plexus, blasting her wind out. She doubled over, trying to get her breath back, and Joker slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Don't move," he ordered as he approached the ledge.
"You son of a… how dare you–"
"Don't. Move. Don't look down, either."
She stiffened, then clung to his back. Descending the ropes one-handed was another feat of dexterity Joker was sure he'd never pull off in the real world, but he grit his teeth and sweated his way down, infinitely glad for his gloves. Thankfully, Mona had picked the quickest, most efficient route, and in relatively short order they were back on the ground in a thicket of brush outside the castle walls.
All three took a minute, breathing hard. Takamaki had gotten to her feet and stood to the side, staying silent and not looking at Joker.
"That's the first step," Mona concluded once they could talk. "We'll rest for a few days and take the next one after that."
"Will this work?" Skull asked.
"Yes, unless something goes wrong."
"We'll make sure we do it right, then. Let's go, that's been enough of a day." Joker led them to the fractures of light that were the exit. On passing Takamaki, he said to her, "You don't have to like what I did, but you'd be dead or worse, Persona or not, if you'd stayed there. You heard the plan?"
She said nothing.
"Well, that's what we're following. You can obviously get here on your own, but I don't advise you do it without us because we're not bailing you out if you decide to try a suicide run. Got it? Good."
The world wavered around them as they left, and then they were back outside the school. Akira rested back against the walls, letting the vertigo pass and feeling pain and fatigue down to his bones. Those late nights and the bruises from the Shadows were hitting a lot harder now.
Morgana was in an even worse state. The cat shook his head and mumbled, "We can make money tomorrow. I just want some milk and a nice cushion to sleep on."
"I'll get them for you once we're home," Akira promised, putting the cat in his bag and checking their sacks of loot. Their haul was definitely worth something. He'd have to see to that later.
"You okay?" Ryuji inquired.
Takamaki staggered and was holding herself up, legs trembling and arms about to give out.
"It was a rough ride for us when we got our Personas," Akira offered. "Carmen must have taken a lot out of you."
She glanced at him before looking away.
Akira shrugged. "Like I said, hate me if you want but you'll thank me later. Speaking of which, let's call it. We all need some rest."
"I'll take her home," Ryuji offered. "I know where she lives, assuming she hasn't moved."
"Thanks. Good work all around, guys. See you tomorrow."
7 7 7
Ann watched as Kurusu left. "Thinks he's the boss, does he?" she spat.
"He is, mostly," Ryuji answered. "He got his Persona first, and he's been good to me. Maybe you don't like how he said things or what he did, but that was the right call."
"I don't want to hear it."
"Look, it's not his fault–"
"I mean that maybe he was right – maybe you both were – but I don't need it right now. It's… you could say it's been a day."
She must have looked as exhausted as she felt, because Ryuji didn't argue the point. Instead he nodded and said, "All right, then let's get you home."
They traveled in silence. He tried a few times to bring up what she'd seen or felt in the castle, but she didn't offer much. Not that she could think of, she was just too tired. By the last few blocks she was leaning on his shoulder and he was holding her up.
"Think I'll sleep well tonight," she commented as she fumbled the lock open at her apartment. "Haven't been able to lately."
Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I getcha."
"See you tomorrow." She slipped inside and shut the door. Memory guided her steps – she was too tired to even turn the light on – and she stripped her clothes off as she made for the bed. She idly realized she'd neglected to thank Ryuji for getting her home. She hadn't even finished the garbled text before she flopped into bed. Ann was pulled down into a sleep so deep and dark that even her nightmares couldn't find her.
