7/21 Tu - Yakushima - morning - Kazuki
The crimson tides crash against the sands of the beach as we surround our new opponent. Fuuka backs away from us. Guess her gut instincts are kicking in, she knows there's about to be a battle. This pressure is killer, enough to crush my throat. Shizuka and I circle the man named M.
"Come on, why are you guys staying away from me? Oh, I get it, you guys are shy! Well, don't you worry, I don't bite, so come here."
What is this guy's deal? He's opening his arms as if he wants to hug us. It's an obvious trap, so we gotta stay away from… Huh? The center of my shirt is pulling forward on its own. Then, my body suddenly rockets forward, slipping through the air to reach M. I'm stopped when he grabs ahold of me.
"Sup?"
I need to get away from him! Throwing a punch is the first thing I did, but at this distance, it's easy for him to dodge.
"No, no, no, no. You gotta do better than that, kiddo."
He twirls around me, heading over to Shizuka. She's quick to intercept him. Her movements go by in a flash, leaving me clueless about what exactly she did. A high-velocity impact echoes across the beach. If those were punches, they'd be able to break the bones inside of a human. So that means she did it!
"Is that all ya got?"
Shizuka wears an expression I've never seen on her before, making me mimic in; shock.
"What's wrong!?"
"My attacks, they didn't connect!"
Pointing his fingers at her like their guns, he mimics the firing of one. In the blink of an eye, blood paints the sand red, there's a hole in Shizuka's shoulder. No sound was made, not by Shizuka or the attack, everything is mute.
"Oh, yeah! Got 'em in one! So how did I do, senpai?"
Is this guy insane or what? He's acting as if he's a kid playing skeeball! Shizuka doesn't respond, instead just holds her wound. Underneath, I can see she's healing it, skin wraps around the wound as if time is reversing around her wound. M isn't even paying attention to her anymore, instead, looking at me and Fuuka.
"So, kiddos, who wants to play with me? Any takers?"
"Who are–"
He holds out his hand, telling me to stop. "That's no good, you gotta introduce yourself first. Manners and all that crap."
"Quit screwing around and tell me!"
"You're so mean, Kazuki-kun! I think I might cry."
"You will be in a moment."
Shizuka did something to hit M, cause the side of his hoodie is torn.
"Whoa, easy there senpai! You could've given me a heart attack."
Cold, ominous silence is her response to his jovial complaint. The two engage in hand-to-hand combat. Our enemy is fast to block the bone-shattering attacks from Shizuka, who is moving faster than I'm allowed to perceive.
I should join her and help beat this guy, but that's impossible. If I step into this fight, I'll only get in the way.
"Come on, Senpai! You need to show your Kouhai how it's done!"
Their movements are insane, no normal human could do this, let alone keep up with them. Moreover, Shizuka has never moved this fast before, hell, I've never seen her break a sweat before. Am I…really that weak? I always knew there was a gap, but this is ridiculous.
"Kazuki-kun, we need to help Shizuka-san!"
Fuuka managed to shake me out of my thoughts.
"What can we do? If we get involved, we'll–"
"But Shizuka-san is getting hurt!"
Hurt? Shizuka can be hurt?
Their fight is still going on. Small, fresh wounds are opening up on her face. Her strikes are becoming less accurate and more rapid. M takes advantage of this glaring decrease in her physical capabilities. More of his strikes land, hitting her around the chest and head. He finishes with a heavy punch to the gut. Shizuka goes flying after a moment as if she was repelled.
"Senpai, you're disappointing. Leaving a bad impression on your kouhai. Aren't you ashamed?"
Still ignoring his taunts, she kicks him off the ground. Her speed has drastically picked up, closing an 11-meter gap distance within the blink of an eye,
"Too slow!"
A loud thump sound reverbs through the sand. The ripples hit our feet. Shizuka is flat on the sand for some reason.
"Shizuka-san is being crushed by something!"
"Whoa, you can see it? You must have analytical abilities. But who cares about that…" With an outstretched hand, he kicks Shizuka in the face. She is pulled upward as blood exits her nose. "That's a touchdown!"
M strikes her again with his fist, then a kick to the gut, and a final blow to her head. This is too much, this is just too much to watch. Why didn't I get involved sooner? I could get killed, so what!? My life is worthless if I can't protect those close to me! I'm such a dumbass!
My synapses are on fire. I rush into battle. "You bastard!" There's no plan of action, making one is pointless! I'll go in with Janus! "Persona!"
Janus spawns from my soul, darting to our enemy.
"Ah, a Persona. Cute."
Pointing at me, an unknown force pushes me. No, it's as if I'm being pulled back. Is this a Persona's power!? I can't think about that right now, I need to get out of this! Forming Janus' arm around mine, I dig deep into the sand to stay in one place.
"Smart, but no good."
The strange force stops pulling me back, but now it's pulling me forward. My arm easily slips out of the ground since it was meant to stop me from going backward. Using his leg to kick me, I feel the driving force crushing my ribs, but that's what I want! I wrap my arms around his leg, summoning all the power I can to crush it.
"Nice try." The unknown force forces me off his leg, despite all of my strength. "Struck out! Gonna go for somethin' else?"
No time to sit around, I gotta move! I summon my Persona again. Before I could have it attack him, it's frozen in place.
"What the hell is this!? How are you doing this?"
"Well, you see… I'm just super-duper strong!" He walks over to me, outstretching his hand. I still can't move, so I can't get away! His hand reaches for my head. Is he going to crush my head!? I need to get out of this before he– Huh…?
"So soft…" Is he...patting me? "Okay, okay, time-in."
Twisting the mood further than it can go, he just punched me in the face. It's powerful enough to send me hurling into a tree.
"Kazuki-kun!'
What is wrong with this guy? He's just playing around with us. Hell, he's just dancing around while Fuu-chan is checking up on me.
"Come on, don't tell me you're already done?"
"Trust me, I'm still geared to go!"
Pain ripples through my back as I try to get up. It forces me back to the ground.
"Kazuki-kun, don't try to get back up."
"I have to!"
If I don't, then we're all dead. Shizuka is out, so I can… Cutting me off, the sand next to M explodes upward. Grains of sand scatter in the air like crystal snow.
"Fuuka, what was that!?"
"I think… It's Shizuka-san!"
She crashes to the ground, causing another sand cloud to form. In an Instant, I can feel it, this isn't the same Shizuka. The surrounding air is thick, giving off a monstrous presence. Her long hair hides her face, but from here, I can tell that her collected self is no longer there.
I can't help but take in rapid breaths. My heart is beating like a drum, beating harder as I stare at her. If...if I move now, she'll tear off my limbs, rip my chest apart, then gouge out my brains into the sand, painting it red.
"Well, well, well, looks like you had a party trick up your sleeve."
Dead air is all he gets from Shizuka, who stands on her hind legs. Without form, she disappears from my sight, immediately ending up in front of M. He's pushed back by a godly amount of force. A sound akin to a whip cracking against the air itself penetrates my eardrums, almost deafening me. This only elevates as Shizuka once again vanishes from sight. Her strikes cause the air itself to tear as she pushes M back with sheer force.
"Why does she keep disappearing," I ask, seeking an answer in this unstable battle.
"She's moving faster than I can sense, and too fast for the human eye!"
She's right, she's not teleporting, she's moving faster than a human can perceive. The sand beneath Shizuka disperses after she moves, but it's enough to show she's still here. Based on what I can see, the sand beside M curves, stopping behind him. The wind howls as another heavy punch makes its mark.
However, she's repelled 7 meters across the beach. Sand blankets M, showing only a shadow of his figure behind it. Shizuka kicks off the ground, racing off for another engagement. Thud, the sound echoes across the beach, unnatural in nature, disturbing me to no end; I didn't know the human body could make such a sound.
Shizuka is lying on the ground, ceasing all movement. She's lifeless, like a doll, unable to show any life.
"Easy there, senpai. How about you take a timeout for a moment."
Did he do something to her? I can't figure out this guy's ability. He must be a Persona user since he's awake, but how is he doing this?
"Kazuki-kun, that man… He's manipulating the area around Shizuka-san."
"What is it?"
"I don't know, but it feels odd. I can't pinpoint the exact cause."
"Then I guess I'm going in blind!"
Using up the energy I conserved, I leap to my feet. I charge at the enemy. My speed is underwhelming compared to Shizuka's, but I don't need to.
"Janus!"
He punches the sand, kicking up a sand cloud to act as a screen. A meter-wide hole opens up in the front part of the cloud. There, now's my chance! I summon, aiming Janus' fist at his head. This'll rattle his brain, then I'll be able to-
"Peek-a-boo."
My body is once again pulled towards him. He catches me by the collar of my shirt.
"Good try, kiddo, but that ain't gonna work."
"I know, I just needed to get close!"
Janus, wasting no time, attempts to cave in his head. At this range, he can't dodge!
"Clever…"
My stomach caves in, pushing my organs toward my spine. I'm tossed 5 meters into the air. Crashing on the sand, mitigating some of the damage.
"...Clever, but uninteresting."
This guy...he's starting to really piss me off. He's just clowning around with me.
"Well, as fun as this is, I have to do this."
Stepping over Shizuka, he points a finger at her. A small black ball appears at the tip of his finger.
"...Sorry, senpai, for the time I knew ya, you were… Ah, to hell with it, see ya later, alligator."
He's not paying attention to me, this is my chance! With what remaining strength I have, I race off to get a blow in. The sand suppresses my approach, so he shouldn't notice until I get close. Even when he does notice, it'll be fine.
He veers behind, seeing me coming. "Nice try!"
We're too close to each other for me to dodge his invisible attack.
"Kazuki-kun, something is aiming for your chest!"
It's fine…! Once again, his attack hits me, targeting my shoulder. The bones grind together, bending inward. I bite back against the pain. This force is enough to push me back, or to tear through my body, but it doesn't, and I don't go flying off.
"H-hey!"
I have a hold on this guy's good, using it as a way to keep myself strapped to this guy. Now, while there's a feeling in my body! Using all the power in my hands, I smash his face, crushing the bone in his nose and his head against my knuckles.
I let go of his hood as he fell backward. That should do it, no one can take a punch like that and stay awake.
"Nice...shot. But I can do better."
His fingers whip themselves into a finger gun position. My chest pounds and some of my ribs crack under the pressure of whatever this is. An evaporated scream echoes across the beach as I crash on the sand.
"Kazuki-kun!?"
Desperate, she rushes to my side. She crouches on the rough sand, giving me a face that's on the brink of tears.
"Aw, it breaks my heart to hurt a young couple. But, I gotta do what I gotta do. So, move."
"I won't!"
She summons her Persona, shielding us within.
"Whoa, impressive, but…"
He taps on the dome of the Persona. A single tap is all it takes for the Persona to break apart. The wind howls, racing past us. Fuuka grabs herself, reacting to the pain her Persona getting destroyed caused.
"I...won't."
Again, she reconstructed Lucia from scratch. However, the obvious happens, it breaks down. Fuuka is a support type-Persona-user, and her physique is not like mine or everyone else's, where we can summon ours multiple times in a row. Having it broken once is more than enough to tire her out.
"That's it? Man, that's boring, you're boring."
Swiping his hand to the side, Fuuka is flung to the side, like a toy being thrown away by some kid. She hits the sand hard, crying out as soon as she does.
"Whoopsies, I actually just meant to move her over. Oh well."
How dare he… How can he just do something like that!? I'll kill him, I'll kill him for doing that, even if it kills me!
Energy swirls inside, stirring up like a violent hurricane with no control, no sense of direction, just pure destruction, backed by desire: to kill!
This man doesn't deserve to live, not after what he just did! I'm going to tear him apart, using only my bare hands! I'll use everything, anything to get it done!
"Whoa, why didn't you pull this trick out earlier…?"
He lowers his head, and his body heaves as a low giggle leaves his disgusting mouth. Then, it turns to a noisy laugh, one that only makes me want to kill him even more. Placing one hand in front of himself, he faces me. The hood obscures his face, but I'll rip it off before I finish him! Everything, pour everything into my fists, all the energy I can muster, all the desire! If it's not enough, then I'll use my very life to destroy this man!
The oppressive energy surrounding my body grows heavier by the second. Destroy him, kill him, obliterate him, crush him, eviscerate him, kill him over and over and over and over and over again! He has to die!
"Kazuki...kun."
What!? Fuuka, she's okay? I break out of my trance to rush to her side.
"Are you okay!?"
"Yes…I'm fine."
"What about Shizuka?"
"She's fine but unconscious."
Shit, then I'm gonna have to fight him on my own. M, betraying how he acted earlier, is silent, staring us down. Despite his eyes hiding inside the darkness that envelopes the inside of M's hood, I can tell that his whimsical nature is gone. Now, a foreboding sense of danger looms over us, crawling all over my skin, and tearing its way into my heart. Air runs dry, my brain halts thought, all the blood in my body runs cold, and my legs are stuck in place.
We're gonna die…
"You…why did you…" The horrific, mind-numbing tension is shattered when a catchy tone plays. "Hm? Is that…" M rummages through his pocket, pulling out a phone. It's going off, making the noise that saved me from the vice of death. "Sorry, this is for me." He flips open the phone, putting it to his ear like an overly excited High school girl. "Hello…? Uh-huh. Yeah…okay…I see… Are you sure? Okay, alright, I understand. Okay, bye." Hanging up the phone, he turns to us, lacking the murderous pressure from before. "Well, looks like poor ol' me is being called back. I know, sad, ain't it? But don't you worry, good ol' M will do his best!"
"You're leaving?"
"I know, it sucks, but that's how it is." He lifts off the ground, dragging his hood further down as he ascends. "...I'll be seeing you when I see you. Also, Kazuki-chan. I got a good feeling about you."
"What are you talking about!?"
Gunfire rings out across the beach, catching me by surprise. Aigis runs along the small ship dock near the rocks. An onslaught of bullets assassils M, flying than my sight can foresee. However, from the beginning, the action proved fruitless. M, who is being targeted by bullets, is not dead, despite the merciless hail of bullets. Instead, each one stops shy of hitting M, hovering in the air.
"Holy– Whoa, a robot! That is so cool! Hang on, c-can you do a rocket punch!? Wait, wait! Can you grow bigger!?"
Aigis ceases fire. "Gunfire is useless," she asserts, calm, devoid of any confusion and fear.
"Yeah, however, I wouldn't say they're useless."
Flicking one of the bullets, it destroys the dock Aigis was standing on. The ocean below the dock splits apart, devastating the area around it. Sand falls into the caved-in ground.
"Wow! Did you see that!? I mean, I didn't think that would happen."
Did…he really do that? Then he's just been playing with us. From the start…we were less than ants to him, and he was just a child with a magnifying glass.
"Well, see you guys around. I hope can you all again next time. And by the by, Kazuki-chan, I'm real curious: are you gonna let that being inside you devour you, or maybe not?" Being? Does he know what this thing inside me is? "...But forget me. I'll be seeing you, bye!" He does a double peace sign while flying off, away from Yakushima.
"I…can't sense him anymore."
We really survived against something like that? I should be happy, I'm supposed to be jumping up with joy, elated that we've made it out alive… So why am I so terrified?
"Are you okay, Kazuki-kun?" Fuuka's voice dims as I lose myself in thought, swirling down in an endless pit. He could've killed us any time he wanted to… I was powerless, even with my Persona… So this is what it feels to be overwhelmed, powerless?
"Shit!"
Am I really this weak?
"Shit!"
Am I only going to be crushed by someone else…?
"Shit!"
Today, I tasted the bitter taste of defeat, and not only that, but what it means to be weak.
…
"Kazuki-chan, what a nasty little creature you harbor. But for that reason, that's why your situation interests me."
One would say the man known as M is flying above the sea, however, that is false. It is more accurate to say that he's pulling himself forward by manipulating wind vectors.
"...A human or monster? Which will he become? It's always either-or, but that's what makes it fun, how he arrives at the either-or fun part, then seeing the result, that's the fun part."
Dragging across the ocean, the man ponders what will become of this. As Kazuki surmised, this man is indeed powerful, powerful enough to manipulate the velocity of Aigis' bullets, halting them, then using them as a powerful projectile. Though, before he got that phone call, he was going to unleash more of his power out of anger.
"That kid was gonna bring out something interesting but he just had to stop at the last second. The kid really wanted to kill me back there… I guess that girl I hurt caused it? If so, why did he react like that only for her?"
An inconsistency was found in Kazuki's response. Certainly, he was angry when M was harming Shizuka, however, he did not display the same killing intent.
"...Must be special to him? Hmm…maybe I should ask him about it sometime? Yeah, I should! After all, this might be an in."
Brimming with curiosity, he continues toward his destination. With his speed, he should reach his destination within an hour. M, the man of unknown origin, his face obscured in darkness, takes interest in Kazuki Kei's situation.