8/7 Fri - Iwatodai Dormitory - Kazuki/Fuuka's room - afternoon - Kazuki

Lightheadedness is the first sensation to greet me as I wake up. Every end of my body feels terrible. My body wasn't hurt per se, but this phantom pain flared up, causing me to clench my biceps.

"Where…am I?" I mutter, dazed by my sudden awakening.

I say that, but I can't forget the smell of this floral spray that my nose has grown accustomed to. But this doesn't make any sense, I swear we were fighting a Shadow or rather two of them, then…then… My gut was sliced open! I practically tear open my dress shirt to check my bare chest, feeling up where I was sliced. Nothing, nothing's there… Good, thank you, God! Okay, now all I have to do is flip on the lights and we're golden. Hmm, why is the futon rolled out? Did Fuu-chan sleep on the floor?

I head over to the door. Opening it, Fuu-chan is on the other side, carrying her school bag. She goes pale for a second.

"Kazuki-kun!?"

She lunges at me, squeezing me with the bit of strength she can manage.

"Whoa, nice to see you too. Was I asleep for that long?"

"You were asleep since last night!"

Since last night? That's ridiculous! Sure, there were other times when I was asleep for days, but those were when I was hurt… Wait, I was hurt! What happened to the wound? As a matter of fact, why can't I remember anything from last night? What the hell is going on!?

"Fuuka, do you know what happened last night? I can't…" Her change to a mournful expression shakes me up. "What happened?"

"...Minako-chan is in the hospital."

Port Island - Tatsumi hospital - afternoon - Kazuki

Machines beep at Minako's side, tubes running from her nose with bandages wrapped around her face, and both her arms wrapped up differently from the other. Her body lies silent, unable to move or even breathe on its own…

"Fuuka, who did this…?"

"We…think it was those other Persona-users we saw last night. She and you were lying outside the bunker. Since she was heavily injured, we rushed her to the hospital. Shizuka and I took you home. Ever since then, Kirijo-senpai warned us about them." That's not right, why isn't that right? "...I know she tried to kill us but I never wanted this."

This is wrong…! A wave of nausea hits me, and something from my stomach pushes up through my throat. I rush to the bathroom. Reaching a stall, I throw up into the toilet. My throat burns, funneling everything out of me.

What Fuuka said was wrong, it wasn't those Persona users, it was this…thing! This monster hurt her like that, I would never, I wouldn't…!

…/Fuuka

Minako-chan continues to sleep, drifting through her unconsciousness. It's unnerving to watch her like this. There's a part of me that knows I shouldn't feel upset…but I can't, even if she tried to kill us, I just can't.

"...Was it right? Lying to him?"

Shizuka-san comes up from behind me, hiding from Kazuki-kun this whole time. "It is. Telling him what he has done will only discourage him. I would also think Kirijo wouldn't want such a person on her team if she knew."

Lying to everyone feels disgusting, but what choice do I have? Since I was able to see everything, they asked me what happened. I had to lie.

"Shizuka-san, did I do the right thing?"

"Does it matter? You did what you did. And preferably, I could care less for the result, as long as it satisfies me."

"But that's not okay, it's–"

"So why lie about what happened? A team member of yours is beaten within an inch of her life and you shift blame onto someone else. So if you wish to condemn wrong-doing, then you need to practice it. As for me, as long as I can use Kazuki, the result doesn't–"

I slap her. My hand thrones, pounding from hitting her with everything I got. Shizuka-san let her guard down, surprised by my sudden attack. She's quick to reclaim her calm, her usual detached expression.

"..This doesn't change the result or my intentions. As long as he's battle-ready, I will use him as I see fit. That is all, I'll be leaving."

She leaves without any further delay. I didn't want it to end this way, but I couldn't ignore what she said…Shizuka-san, I won't claim to know everything about her so I won't act as if I do. But why was she surprised that I hit her?

…/Shizuka

Any sense of pain fades as I proceed throughout the hall. The strike she delivered barely had power put into it, her posture was unrefined, and the way she swung was all too obvious at that. So why didn't I dodge it? My perception is sharper and faster than a normal human's, yet I was unable to avoid her strike. Was I too relaxed? No, I already saw it coming. It must have been my lack of readiness. Yes, that is it, I'll make sure to correct that mistake in my defense… It's hurting again.

Someone stumbles out of the bathroom, pale, lacking life in their movements. Kazuki is the one to stagger out, his arms limp. However, his body language pales to his expression. Void of emotion, removed from his usual self.

"Kazuki." Calling his name is fruitless. He sits against the wall, hugging his legs while he hides his face. "Kazuki, are you sick?"

"I didn't, it wasn't me. I swear it wasn't me, Shizuka."

His desperation is showing. Ravaged by this entity in him, he's being pushed against the border of insanity. Any more of this and he'll crack.

"Minako…she tried to kill us…so maybe, maybe it's okay? No, no! I would never, Kazuki Kei would never do that to someone!"

He continues to ramble, contradicting himself over Minako's fate and his actions. I could care less about what he did, however, this event could affect his mental state severely. This would dampen his ability to fight, making him useless to me. Such a predicament. I suppose any further delay on this will prove to be fatal to my plan.

"Kazuki, do you wish to eliminate the being inside you? Or rather, control it?"

He rips his head away from his feet, gazing at me with hope beaming from his eyes.

"I can control it!?"

"Yes, though, not without a catch. The method possesses risk, death being the largest factor. But if you are able to accomplish this, then your worries will go away."

Determination flares up in his eyes, puffy from his tears. "Please, I want to do it. I want this thing to never hurt anyone ever again!"

It's considerably early for him to do this, but I have no choice but to. At this point, he might not be strong enough to confront it. As troublesome as this may be, I'll have to go with it. He's my greatest weapon, I have to keep him willing to fight, even by force if I must.

"We'll need some time to prepare, so you'll be training until the 17th."

"Got it. I'll do whatever it takes!"

You better, for both our sakes.

8/16 Sun - Nagaki shrine - Evening - Kazuki

Nagaki Shrine is filled with kiosks selling food, items, and set up with games for anyone to play. There's a kiosk with a mystery box next to me, prizes behind the man who's operating it.

People are visiting the shrine for the summer festival, wearing streetwear or Kimonos for this time.

Everyone from SEES is here to celebrate today. We - the guys - got here earlier than the girls since they needed time to prepare. Shame, I wanted to walk with Fuu-chan here.

"Where da girls?" Jun asks, eager to find them.

"They'll be here soon. Besides, you'd scare them away if you keep acting like this," Sanada-senpai reprimands him.

"Hey, I just wanna see what they look like. I heard kimonos, so ya know…"

Not to sound perverted but I'm with him on this one. Only for Fuu-chan though, of course. Though, I hope I don't see Aigis, she'll probably try to shoot me in the middle of all this crowd.

"Dude, Ya wanna go get somethin'?" Jun suggested. "We could even win some prizes."

"Sure, I'll play," I respond, still looking around for the girls.

"Why not, we can even turn this into a competition."

"Come on, man, we don't need to do that."

"Really? I thought it sounded fun."

"Uh, yeah, only to you."

"I don't know, it sounds fun."

"Not you too, Kazu!"

We spent a little bit playing some games. Sanada-senpai is kicking our asses in these games, even the rigged games. Though, I think the fun of all this is fading fast for Jun.

"This sucks! Where are they!?"

Right on cue, the girls ascend from the steps. They are wearing Kimonos that make them intensify in beauty and cuteness! Shizuka, on the other hand, is wearing her normal street clothes, stalking behind the other girls.

They wave at us as they approach.

"Finally, thought you guys weren't comin'," Jun expresses excitement.

"The kimonos took a bit to get on," Yuka-chan explains.

"Oh man, this is awesome! But, why ain't you wearing one, Shizu-chan?"

"I'm afraid that I do not like wearing Kimonos," she tells him, wearing a fake smile.

"Aw, I wanted to see what ya looked like with one on."

"I am sorry. Perhaps next year."

Everyone walks off with one another to various places in the shrine. Fuu-chan sticks with me.

"So…how do I…l-look?" She's wearing a blue kimono with a sunflower pattern all over it. "I know, I'm not like Yukari-chan and Kirijo-senpai."

They were beautiful, I can't lie about that, but…

"...You looked incredible, better than anyone else here!"

That's the truth.

Fuu-chan blushes, putting her hands in front of her face. "O-o-oh! I'm glad to hear that, really."

"No problem." I take her by the hand. "Wanna go play some games? Senpai was beating me and Jun in them, but I'm sure I can score some prizes."

"Okay, I'll help if I can."

"Alright, then let's get something nice."

Each game we played was more fun than the last, making my blood speed through my body with pure excitement. Now, we're trying to do goldfish scooping. Fuu-chan's caught two so far, I'm still trying to get one.

"We don't have to do this," Fuu-chan suggests.

"It's cool, I'm kind of having fun." The paper scooper pops, telling me I'm done. "...Well, at least it was fun."

Can't say I'm not frustrated, but it was sort of fun while it lasted.

"Shizu…"

Fuu-chan stops herself, turning away from Shizuka. These two have been distant from each other for a while now. Something definitely happened between them, but I can't ask without the other giving me silence.

"Shizuka, wanna give this a try?"

"No, thank you."

"Come on, it's no fun just standing around. Just one try."

Her feet tap against the ground, scratching the side of her nose with a narrow glance. You'd think she's pissed but I can sort of tell that she's thinking about it

"Fine, but one is going to suffice."

She takes a paper scooper and goes to work. One…two…three…four…five. She was able to catch five before her paper scooper popped.

"Hm, how quaint."

Quaint!? You caught five of them in one go! I swear, these girls are talented.

"Okay, what are we going to do with the fish?" I ask.

"Excuse me, may we be able to return these?" Shizuka asks.

The old man running the game nods his head, with a kind smile.

"Let's go do some other… Shizuka?" She walks ahead of us, heading for the back of the shrine. "Hey, wait!"

I chase her up the hill, the terrain pales to Yakushima, so making it up here is light work. Shizuka stands in front of me, viewing the whole shrine from the perfect vantage point.

"Shizuka, what happened?"

"...This is a waste."

"What, are the games not fun? Because–"

"That's not the point." Her low-tone response comes off as distant, isolated from all of us. "...We can't be wasting time like this. Tomorrow, you'll be attempting to control that Shadow, yet here we are, fooling around."

"I know, but…"

"...Doesn't that register to you?"

That look…

"Shizuka, why don't you want to have fun?"

"What?"

"That face, I can tell you're not speaking about my training. Do summer festivals not vibe with you?"

"That's not it, it has nothing to do with me. Besides, even if that were the case, why do you care?"

I walk up next to her, looking down at the festival. "When I was living in Mikage-cho, I never had friends, only people who despised me."

"Despise?"

"Growing up there was hell. People looked down on me, seeing me as a lesser creature. School was always a drag, kids my age refused to talk to me, and the teachers were scared to even have me in their classes."

"I don't get it?"

"Honestly, me neither. Because of that, I never got to hang out with other kids, go on school trips, or even come to a summer festival. I was jealous of the people that were able to, hell, I even hated them… But now, everything I experienced so far is like a piece of paradise; every day is wonderful, and I couldn't have had that if I stayed there."

"I don't see how this relates to me?"

"Because I want you to be a part of that. You're a friend of mine, so I want you to have fun too."

"Is that so… You know, I could still be an enemy, I could do something horrible to you and you'd never know it was me."

"Maybe, but I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Because you saved me, and Fuuka, and you're helping me grow stronger. I don't know everything about you and I can't claim to, but I know that you're a kind person, and that's why I want to get to know you better."

The voices from below fade and the lights below begin to dim in the shrine. Every second of silence is an eternity between the both of us. This eternity dies off the moment she looks at me.

Her face is unmoved, as if everything I just said didn't matter to her. I guess that means I failed to–

"Fine, let's do some games after the fireworks. Yamagishi, you should join him."

Fuu-chan stumbles out from behind a tree, flustered from being discovered. "S-sorry! I…just… I wasn't watching!"

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to intrude on your time with one another, so I'll be leaving."

I jump in front of her, spreading both my arms to block her. "Stop!"

"Why for?"

"Games can wait, fireworks with friends come first!"

"Are you certain? I don't want to–"

A boom, loud enough to ripple throughout the air, catches our attention, directing it to the sky. An assortment of colors explodes in a pattern that leaves awestruck. One after another explodes in the air, mesmerizing me further and further. The last one soars farther into the sky, a white trail of smoke behind it. Hitting its peak, it explodes into an array of all sorts of colors that come together to make nothing short of an amazing display. Even when they fizzle out, the warm colors harmonize inside my soul.

"Why are you two crying?"

Crying? She's right, tears are rolling down my face. Why am I…?

"I was not," Shizuka, wipes the tear from her eye. "...I'll be going now, tomorrow's trial is going to take precautions to get him. Goodnight."

Shizuka heads down the mountain, refusing to turn back or to look back at us. From what I saw, for the first time since I've known her, I think I saw a side of her that she buried under mounds of dirt. Is it wrong to say I want to see more of it?

8/17 - Mon - The lobby of Tartarus - Dark Hour - Kazuki

Inside the Tartarus, I sit in the dream-like lobby, with an Ofuda resting on my forehead. Shizuka wrapped my sword in various talismans and an old parchment.

"How do you feel?" Shizuka asks, rhythmically tapping her feet.

"Fine!"

"Good. The moment I commence this, you'll be on your own. The objective is to assert control over the shadow, which means you'll both clash."

"Is this really the only way?" Fuu-chan asks, apprehensive.

"This is why I wanted to sit on this and prepare, but we don't have that time anymore." She draws blood from her thumb, swiping it down the Ofuda. "We're going to begin, close your eyes, and don't say anything."

As commanded, I shut my eyes, focusing on the darkness that takes my sight.

A warm, soft hand touches my face. It continues to caress my cheek. "Kazuki-kun, please… Come back safe. No, maybe that's not right. I know you can overcome this. I'll be waiting for you right here."

Her lips press up against mine, sending me off with the pleasurable sensation that freezes every cell in my body. I want to tell her that I will, that she won't have to worry, but I don't have the courage to tell her.

Sense fades, my consciousness wanes, and feeling turns to nothing as I descend into my subconscious. Shizuka didn't need to tell me. This battle will be my true test, a test to see if I can move beyond this point. She probably didn't tell me because it would scare me… She was right.

Kazuki's consciousness

Standing in darkness, someone faces me, wearing my face, my clothes, and my skin. We look the same, yet there's something fundamentally different between us; his mere presence is enough to call an anomaly.

He struts towards me, wearing a grin on my face."What brings you to this empty world?"

"I'm going to reign you in."

"Disgusting…" He gives me a revolted look, angered by my words. "...Arrogance does not suit a pitiful creature." I tear out my sword from my scabbard. A cackle comes out of him, telling me that I'm nothing more than a joke. "Fine, who am I to steer one from their destiny, even if it leads to their end."

With my sword raised for defensive measures, I stand firm in this endless darkness, void of anything that could be called life.