Chapter 15: The Odds Of Survival
She woke up in Akihiko's arms.
And unlike the last time, there wasn't any panic flooding her senses. A moment of confusion, certainly… Even a brief jolt of surprise that quickened the pace of her heart. But it all faded as Mitsuru took in the situation, and remembered what had happened.
'You finally confessed to him… It's a wonder you were brave enough to do that.'
In some ways, she wondered at how long it had taken her to admit her feelings… In others, she wasn't surprised that caution had drawn the process out. Akihiko breathed softly, oblivious to the way she was wondering over him. Or the way her fingers went up to stroke his chin and trace over his face. His only reaction was giving a sleepy mumble, and shift the way his arms were wrapped around her. The weight on her back was oddly comforting… And in some ways Mitsuru wondered how she had lasted so long without it.
"I… Apologize." She still found herself murmuring. "That it took me so long to admit such a thing. I suppose I feared what would happen if you didn't return feelings like these."
She considered her own hands, and the way they were tracing over Akihiko's face and splayed across his chest.
"…One would think I wouldn't fear rejection so much. But I suppose… I was too afraid of losing your friendship, with pushing such a thing. You're still one of my oldest friends. And I wouldn't…"
"You wouldn't have lost me, I promise." She gave a start at Akihiko's voice. His eyes were open now, watching her with an oddly gentle light. "But… I can understand being afraid of losing what we had. I guess we're both difficult like that."
Mitsuru could only give a short laugh… Though she trailed off as Akihiko shifted his head; he gently pressed a kiss into her palm. Before he could continue, Mitsuru found herself reluctantly shifting out from under his arms.
"While we promised ourselves a short rest… I think we're about as recovered as we can be."
Much as she wanted to stay curled against him and see where else his kisses would lead… But she also didn't want to watch him hurt and bleed from the Shadows again. Not if there was a chance of stopping this. And she was certain that her set of orders to the Kirijo Group had gone through; it was past time to check up on them.
-o-o-o-
Akihiko found himself watching each movement Mitsuru made. She managed to make plucking her phone up look elegant, he tried not to stare too much as she read the messages.
"Come with me?" She didn't voice it as an order. But Akihiko found himself pulled along all the same, following her in easing out of the bed.
Maybe it was just that he didn't want to let her go quite yet. Mitsuru didn't seem to mind when he reached out and curled his fingers around her wrist. And there was something almost hypnotic about being able to touch her like this-
"When this is over, we'll need to discuss the way you keep holding me." He was already starting to sputter out an apology, worried he'd overstepped somehow… But Mitsuru was still talking. "It has a… Curious effect on me. A certain feeling of elation. I need to see if I can cause the same for you."
Akihiko stared at her, but she didn't leave him much time to discuss the matter. She was motioning him to follow her into another set of rooms, further down the halls. Down to an office room, where there was a fresh set of packages waiting for them.
Mitsuru wasted no time in opening them up, and laying the contents out on the tables.
"Uh… Mitsuru? Could I ask what these are?"
"New equipment, for our next foray into the DEVA system, and the subdimensions it generates." Mitsuru lifted up what looked suspiciously like a leather body suit. Well fitted to her dimensions, and Akihiko found himself swallowing hard. "When we enter our next battle, I feel we should be as well equipped as possible."
He tried not to linger on the assorted straps and buckles.
"I… Am I going to be wearing a suit like that too?"
"Only if you wish it. I thought you could browse through our equipment, to decide what would suit you best…" Mitsuru trailed off, gesturing to the extra packages before looking over Akihiko. "And I can tell I'm going to regret allowing that. No matter, as long as you're not running into battle half naked."
He decided not to make any promises on that.
-o-o-o-
The leather felt almost like a second skin on Mitsuru. She flexed her fingers, then her arms. Testing how rigid the new clothing was… And for all that, pleasantly surprised over how she encountered next to no resistance. It would hold against claws of Shadows, and the first brushes of flames… But it also wouldn't slow her down. She'd be ready for any fight.
She almost wondered if the same would be true for Akihiko. Especially when she looked over his new outfit.
Or the lack thereof.
Akihiko seemed satisfied enough with his choices, however. He adjusted the knife at his leg, checked the drawstrings on that ridiculous cape and hoodie he'd settled on. All the while, Mitsuru tried not to stare. Or sigh.
"I still don't see the point in your choices-"
"Speed, mostly. Bit of red helps to tangle the eye." Akihiko rolled his shoulders as he spoke, letting the cape stir. And to her shock, Mitsuru found her eyes following the cape. Focusing less on Akihiko, and more on the motions. "If it means I take a few less hits, all the better. Rather not have to absorb any damage at all, if I can help it."
"…And I suppose I can't argue it, either." Mitsuru admitted, considering her out outfit. Maybe the bulk and heft of more heavy armor would guard her better. But she wasn't about to sacrifice speed or agility. Much like Akihiko.
"So… What are we supposed to do?" Akihiko asked. "Wait for the DEVA device to spring on us?"
"No. We just need something to draw the attention of the thing. We just need to drop the shields… Which Aegis is already seeing to. So the DEVA will be able to sense us."
"And you think they'll rush in on us?"
"Not precisely… They'll be waiting for a moment of weakness on my part. Another chance to cause a distortion, and have it rooted in my own trauma… But I want to find a way to make this happen on my terms. And find a way to go back on the offensive."
"And… I believe that's where I come in." He tried not to jump at the navigator's voice. Fuuka was sounding much more confident. The rest must have done her some good, Akihiko reflected. Then again, perhaps they were all feeling stronger now. And maybe feeling just a bit restless, with how Fuuka was fussing with a set of equipment. "I think… I think that when the distortion washes over you, and starts to fold space… We might be able to work with that. Use it against SEBEC, and track them."
"How were you planning to do that, exactly? It almost sounds like you're going to use a distortion to hop across space, but… Where exactly-?" Even as he asked, Akihko was already figuring it out. His eyes went wide, and Mitsuru nodded.
"We'll be taking the fight to SEBEC. Confronting them in their own headquarters… Or wherever they've moved the DEVA device. And this time…"
"This time, we finish what we started." Akihiko completed the thought.
-o-o-o-
Mitsuru knew this was an odd place to have a showdown. She'd selected an innocuous enough looking room. All austere furniture, dark furnishings. It was meant to be cold and business like, devoid of any personal touches.
And she hadn't let herself into this room in a decade. Hadn't so much as laid a finger on it. If she could have sealed the doors off, she would have. The air itself had a stale taste as she pushed the door open and hesitated at the threshold.
"Mitsuru…?" Akihiko was cautious, one step behind her and eyeing the contents of the room. "…What is this place?"
'A place that wears you down. And likely paints a target on your back for the DEVA.'
"I… Haven't been in here in some time. I had some hesitations about returning here." She turned to Fuuka. "I recommend you wait outside. And Yukari and Iori…"
"We'll wait for you to give the word." Yukari finished. "Whether you want us to rush in with you, or wait to act as cavalry again."
Mitsuru didn't entirely trust herself with speaking. Instead she settled on a nod, pulling Akihiko in with her. She could already feel her eyes stinging, her breath turning shaky, and her pulse beginning to pound.
Akihiko's hand teased at hers. Half reassuring her, half seeking an answer.
"This room…" Mitsuru whispered. "Was something I didn't want to come back to."
She could see the dark furnishings starting to bleed out now. The tar seeping along the walls and the floors.
Now that there was a scuff in her psyche, it seemed the DEVA Device had instantly honed in on her and worked on pulling it apart.
"…This was where I dealt with the loss of my father. And the fallout of the Kirijo Group." Even now, the words felt bitter on her lips. "They didn't… Broach the idea of marriage right away, I should note. They had some level of tact. Waited a good month for the grieving period to expire-"
"…That's shit." Akihiko growled. "A month isn't long enough-"
"It was enough for the Kirijo Group. And they felt a need to pressure, to push the point… Though I admit, it was mostly through SEES that I learned to push against them. To turn down the engagements. At least for a little length of time. Until I was told again to find a prospective partner-"
"…And that was when you chose me." The dark stains were growing larger now, creeping up to the ceiling.
"Initially I hoped to simply… Find an arrangement we were both amenable towards. Something that would allow us both to achieve our goals. It didn't quite work out that way-"
She let a little bit of hurt spread through her at that… Knowing that the regret and pain would draw the Shadows, acting as a little more blood in the water. And the black marks responded, seeping, spreading, black blood staining the walls. And the walls in turn were starting to buckle and warp in on themselves.
The bottom was dropping out of the world once again. Time and space were distorting around them as the DEVA device established a link.
"I can… I can barely keep track of you!" Yamagishi warned them. Her voice was little more than an echoing whisper in Mitsuru's ear. "It's like… Something is pulling you!"
She could feel that same pull. The room was warping, twisting, turning into a tunnel and pulling them along with it-
Something ghosted over her hand. She risked a look away from the distortion, feeling her stomach churn in the process. The way the world turned and folded around her was nauseating… And made the touch on her hand feel all the more solid. She found Akihiko's fingers brushing against her. Trying to hang on, and give her something to hang onto in turn.
Mitsuru turned her hand into his… And at least this time, as the world collapsed around them, she wasn't falling through it alone.
-o-o-o-
This time, Akihiko landed on his feet. It was an impressive task, given how much his boots tried to skid and slide across the floor. Ice frosted the ground, trying to find a way to bite at him. Even through the leather shoes, he could feel the cold. His chest prickled from the drop in temperature, and the fresh scars sliced into his chest gave a complaint.
But it wasn't enough to numb his ears. And he could hear a sharp set of words clear enough.
"So you finally let your guard down." Saeki's voice drifted in through the gloom, and Akihiko tried not to tense. "I was wondering how long you could stay strong… I'm almost disappointed you only managed a few days. Perhaps it's for the best you didn't accept my proposal."
Smoke and fire burned their way into the distortion, bleeding up like steam from the ice.
"Yamagishi, where are we-?" Mitsuru was whispering, even as she searched through the gloom and the smoke. Akihiko tried not to panic when her answer was silence… And how he couldn't sense anything from Fuuka.
He also knew that Yukari and Junpei were cut off from them.
"Oh… Were you expecting those friends of yours to follow?" Saeki gloated. "That little trick won't work twice. We figured out how to close the doors behind us, once we pulled you in. And I think that it's time to show you something new in turn."
Akihiko shivered as the room temperature plunged to bone aching… And he almost missed the spikes of ice growing beneath his feet. Mitsuru was sharper than him. She crashed against his shoulder, pushing him hard to the side; razors of ice sliced up where he'd been standing… And they kept arcing up into the air. Growing, twisting, like strange, sharp edged vines and trees.
"That… That's not a normal ice spell." Akihiko managed, all while he fought to stand up. His skin protested, his lungs fighting between freezing and burning, choking on chill and on smoke. Cold and heat were clashing together, making the skin burn from two sources.
The flames were taking hold again, lighting up the shadowscape around them. Revealing a burning building and science lab all mashed together. And yet as painful as the flames were, they couldn't seem to melt the ice.
'Fire and ice… Great. Both of our weaknesses in one place.'
"…You think I was idle? After my samples managed to dredge up such weakness from you?" Saeki's laugh was a dry one. It slowly echoed down through the shadows, multiplying, growing around Mitsuru and Akihiko… Until at last something began to seep down and bleed from the darkened ceiling. Solidifying into two familiar looking forms.
Those yellow eyes still held the same glare; half mocking, half scornful. Both their Shadows had that set to their eyes, along with those crooked grins that showed too many teeth. Akihiko glared at them both… And the ghostly shape behind them that was all harsh angles and electric sparks. He could see the vaguest image of the DEVA machine, powering the nightmare around them.
"Back for more? You enjoy punishment." Akihiko's Shadow taunted him; the scars embedded in the Shadow's chest were still bleeding, and Akihiko swore the sight was pushing similar pain into his own body.
"Are you surprised? They enjoy lying to themselves." Mitsuru's Shadow continued. The heels of her new boots clicked against the ground, cold and crisp. "They especially love lying over how they're stronger… When they're anything but that-"
Before Akihiko could blink, the two dopplegangers darted forward. Ice swept in their wake on the floor, fire spreading overhead. It was enough to stagger Akihiko and send Mitsuru flinching. Much as they both tried to stand their ground, it was hard when their lungs burned or their hearts threatened to freeze.
Before he could find his balance, the Shadows were on them.
"We command your weaknesses. Because we ARE your weaknesses." A shadowy rapier sliced out faster than he could register. His hands moved too slowly, sluggish from the cold… And from the ice riming his arms and legs. A flash of red splashed onto the floor, bright as the flames and vivid against the blue.
It took him too long to realize Mitsuru was collapsing to the ground, clutching at her side. Akihiko found himself fixed to the spot, ice creeping over his legs… While his Shadow turned to Akihiko once more, looming over him.
"You really think you're better now? Stronger somehow? Because you sucked each other's faces? You really are pathetic, Aki…" His shadow mocked… But Akihiko fought to keep himself steady. To not react just yet, or lash out. No matter how those taunts cut at him.
"…Nothing to say?" His Shadow still pressed. And drew that little bit closer. Just enough to be in range, if Akihiko could break free and take one fast step.
"…You're right." Akihiko said at last. "I'm not… As strong as I could be. As I SHOULD be."
He could feel the ice creeping up his limbs. Making them numb with each breath. However… He could also see that same ice touching Mitsuru. It crept along her side, where her body slumped against the floor. Staunching her bleeding with a frigid touch. And making her eyes almost glow with power, as her element seeped into her bones and rejuvenated her.
"I'm weak in so many ways. But…" He kept talking. Kept the eyes of Saeki and the Shadows on him, even if those eyes were narrowed into sneers. "But… When I'm with Mitsuru, it doesn't matter."
"What are you talking about!? Did kissing her turn your brain to sugar?" His Shadow spat out. "Not that there was much of it there in the first place."
"What I mean is… She's stronger than any of you know." He could feel himself blush as he admitted that out loud. "Strong enough that I… I can trust her with all my weaknesses. Because I know that she'll have my back. And help me face them. And…"
He stared straight into the eyes of his Shadow.
"…I know it's okay she commands many of my weaknesses. In fact, I'm counting on that."
Before his Shadow could speak, the temperature of the room plummeted. Mitsuru's hand crashed into the floor. Her other hand didn't even bother with the Evoker, as her eyes shimmered; just like how Akihiko had tried to teach her. The ice took on a new glow as she took control of it.
The ice of the floor drove up in blades, piercing his Shadow. Akihiko winced, feeling a phantom bit of pain trace along his body… But his own Shadow fared far worse, screaming and howling. The Shadow was lifted clear off the ground, thrown forward… And also tossed right into the path of Akihiko's best, and strongest left hook. He almost caved in the shadow's chest, and watched as it started to dissolve-
Until a wave of ice crashed into him, and sent Akihiko spinning out. Mitsuru's Shadow was sharp and polished in her movements, the opposite of Akihiko's Shadow and its wild, frantic strikes. His own Shadow clawed its way towards Mitsuru's double, barely holding itself together after the punishment.
Mitsuru's Shadow gave his a disdainful look.
"You're BOTH weak. Shadow and Persona user alike… And a feeble tool is only meant to be used, and discarded… Isn't that right?" She turned to Mitsuru. "Don't deny that you still feel that. I can see you, pretending that a confession and a night with your toy fixes everything."
Akihiko wanted to protest that… But something chilled the words in his throat. His breath was a frozen fog, leaving his tongue numb. And leaving Mitsuru to face her double. Mitsuru climbed to her knees, eyes narrowed through the pain and the concentration.
"Don't you have anything to say? Aren't you going to deny it-?"
"You have a way of twisting the truth into a lie, and vice versa. I suppose you pick that up from me." Mitsuru answered. "But… You have one thing wrong. You act as though I can't change… And there is something about Akihiko that makes me want to become better. More honest, to him and to myself."
Her Shadow hadn't expected a confession like that. Not with how that sneer faltered. The Shadow tried to replace it quickly enough, glaring at Mitsuru. It all gave her time to climb to her feet. She turned to shield her injured side from the Shadow. And, Akihiko realized she was also slowly wrapping her fingers around her sword.
"…You really think you can-?"
"He trusts that I can… And he has plenty of experience in pushing himself. He can likely teach me the same… Right, Akihiko?"
And just like that, the ice melted for just a moment. Just long enough for Akihiko to draw breath.
"I… Always. And… And if your Shadow thinks that you haven't changed, then…"
"Then I must prove her wrong." Mitsuru darted forward, plunging at her Shadow with rapier in hand. The swords clashed together, and the two danced across the ice. Flashes of steel, shards of ice, all warring against each other. All while Akihiko's shadow bled across the floor, twisting their surroundings.
"What are you doing!? Kill them! Hurry and kill them!" Saeki urged the Shadows. Mitsuru's Shadow gave a distasteful noise in answer, but kept the pressure up. Driving Mitsuru back, towards Akihiko. Right as he could feel the flames on his back, growing stronger, trying to consume him. To pull him into the burning building.
The fire wore at Mitsuru, the same way the ice left him feeling frayed. And he could see the way Mitsuru's parries became more rough; how each time the blades bit a little closer to her skin, until at last a chunk was sliced out of her shoulder.
"I hate to agree with Saeki… But he's right. You've grown all the weaker." Mitsuru's Shadow taunted. "And that means you need to die-"
She plunged forward, ready to bury the sword in Mitsuru. Mitsuru, however, let herself be driven back. Right to the edge of the flames.
"…And this is why you're wrong. Because I let Akihiko see myself with my guard down. Sparred, and let him see me… And he learned from that weakness."
And she was right, Akihiko realized. Because he could see the way Mitsuru's Shadow was over exerting herself, trying to pursue Mitsuru. Leaving her side completely open, and unguarded… And so Akihiko threw himself up, breaking free of the ice. Meeting the Shadow shoulder to shoulder. And throwing her into the flames.
The fire swept up the Shadow with a shriek, twisting over her… And Akihiko felt his stomach churn as he watched her burn. He almost fell with her, into the grasp of the fire… But Mitsuru, the real Mitsuru, grasped him by the shoulder, and pulled him back.
They both collapsed onto the floor, as the two Shadows dissolved and bled away. The cold and fire still raged around them. But somehow the most important thing was the weight of Mitsuru's hands on his shoulders, and her raged breathing. It all made his heart race, but it also made it clear they both held onto their pulses, no Shadows had wrenched those away.
"We… We did it?" Akihiko managed to rasp out.
He dared to reach for Mitsuru's hand, ready to entwine their fingers…
"Damn you." Saeki's voice cracked through the surroundings. Akihiko's hand balled into a fist. He tried to stand, to face the businessman. But his legs weren't cooperating, leaving him and Mitsuru on the floor as Saeki strode through the mist and smoke. He glared down at Mitsuru, offended at how she refused to die.
"You think this is over!? I'll keep hunting you! I'll see you broken, Kirijo. I'll-!"
He held a gun in his hand, aiming it squarely at them… Though his hands shook in rage.
"You're weak! You're both pathetic, and beneath me!"
"…Are you truly so fragile, Saeki?" Mitsuru still managed, even as he tried to angle the gun on them. "That me living is such an insult to you?
"Shut up!" Saeki screamed at them. His fingers constricted and his eyes focused on Mitsuru's heart. The gun went off with a sharp bang-
Akihiko felt his mind still as that bang went off. For one heartbeat… But one heartbeat was enough. It was enough for Caeser to spring to life. For a single jolt of lightning to impact against the gun, and make the shot go wide… And collide with the bleeding Shadows.
And they reacted. They swarmed towards that source of pain. Zeroed in on Saeki's own torment like it was a beacon… And they surged over Saeki. They were a dark tide, drowning him, pushing him and washing him back. Into the outline of the DEVA device.
Like Akihiko, Saeki only had time for one breath. And that breath came out in a pained, horrified wail. Right as the DEVA machine swallowed Saeki and the Shadows alike. It glowed with malevolent power. And loomed over Akihiko and Mitsuru, ready to crush and absorb them next.