Sunday, July 5, 2009, 11:31AM
On the steps of the Iwatodai Dorms
"A mirror with another you, huh?" Yukari kicked her legs. "I'd say that's weird, but..." She squirmed as sat on the stone frame.
"Everything's weird about that place." Makoto muttered, sitting down on the stairs across from her. "I get more antsy when I actually understand what's going on in there."
Yukari sighed. "Yeah."
"I didn't want to say anything since Kirijo is still kind of on edge, we have the Full Moon Operation on Tuesday, and Kotone wants to take us all out to eat on Friday."
"How about we do it next weekend? We have to eventually. Also," she raised an eyebrow, "'taking us out'? What's all that about? She just came up to me yesterday and started cajoling me and Junpei into going without explaining, well, anything."
"Oh, uh, we made a bet before midterms. Loser had to treat everyone to dinner."
"That's...kind of mean."
Makoto shrugged. "She should've studied more."
"Remind me to never make a bet with you."
Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 4:54PM
Octopia, Iwatodai Strip Mall
"She is a wonderful woman." Kotone heard Bebe say as she returned with their food. "Very big-hearted. Literally and figuratively."
"Same," Makoto said, "at least in the figurative sense."
Bebe chuckled. "Aunt Joséphine used to be so small and thin. She once showed me pictures when she was in Vietnam in ze 90's. I could barely tell it was her!" His eyes glazed over to Kotone, holding their order of takoyaki. "Oh!" Bebe clapped his eyes, eyes and mouth watering. "Is zis ze mythical order of taiyaki?"
Kotone made an X with her arms. "Err! So close, but not quite."
He paused. "Non, wait, foolish tongue, I meant to zay takoyaki!"
"Yeah." Makoto said as he took his share. "Remember, taiyaki are the little fish-shaped cakes."
"Ah, zee little sweet ones." He took his serve and carefully blew on it. "Such a foolish mistake on my part."
Kotone nodded, her mouth already half full. "We ca' hab that nex' time 'few wan'."
Makoto cringed. "Please swallow your food before talking."
"Ah refus'." She said as she gobbled up another few pieces.
"So zis is what octopus tastes like." Bebe said after a bite. "Much more...acidic than I expected."
Makoto shook his head. "I hear they don't actually use octopus. I think it's like, imitation crab meat or something to save on cost."
"I hear they cut sausage into octopus-shaped pieces before putting them, to trick the takoyaki into thinking it's real octopus." She said with a grin.
"Kotone, I don't even know where to begin with that."
Bebe laughed. "You two never fail to amuze me."
"You get dinner and a show." Kotone said before shoving more food in her mouth. "Yo' we'com'."
"I appreciate it, ze club, zis trip, everyzing, I truly do." He said. "Living here, it truly has been amazing and wonderful. Such nize people, beautiful scenery, wonderful fazion." His smile dropped. "As I was zaying to Makoto-dono,my uncle, he does not zee the benefit of my staying in Nihon, or in my clothing work." Bebe said with a disheartened expression. "He constantly asks for me to return home and start preparing for ze 'real life', as he calls it."
Kotone huffed. "Well tell him to go kick sand. Who the heck is he to stomp on your dreams like that?"
"Is there a reason he's like that?" Makoto asked, a bit more tactfully.
"Uncle René is, how you say, very practical." His eyes flickered elsewhere. "He does not believe in men doing 'silly' jobs like fashion designer. He always scolded Aunt Joséphine for teaching me her line of work; he wants me to become an Avocat like him and papa and grandpapa." He squirmed. "I...have no interest in becoming a lawyer. It iz, not something I want zu to."
Makoto gently patted him on the back as he gave a look to Kotone, preemptively telling her to not say anything. She huffed and looked away.
"Stupid Bebe's uncle." Kotone muttered. "Who the hell does he think he is?"
"He sounds like one of those people that have a very specific idea of what they think is best for their kids." Makoto said neutrally.
Kotone sneered. "Fuck him."
"Some parents are just like that." Makoto said offhandedly as he gazed upwards. "Or caretakers in his case."
The clouds, thick and gray, swirled above them as they walked home. It hadn't rained today, but the chance of a downpour happening felt more likely than not. Has it ever rained in the Dark Hour? Makoto mused. Plenty of other things stop when it happens, I wonder if the rain would too. Just drops of water frozen in midair.
"...yours like that?" She eventually asked. He turned to her, a guarded expression on her face. "I mean, your aunt and uncle. Are they like his?"
Makoto scratched his head. "Not really. Uncle Daisuke told me and my cousins he doesn't want us to follow in his footsteps. He was always pestering us to go to college and make a career for ourselves, whatever it is. Aunt Yae is...a bit of a free spirit, probably even more than Bebe's aunt." He paused for a moment as he studied her face.
"I see." She mumbled, her eyes flickering away from him.
They continued their walk back home in silence.
Half an hour to midnight, the dorm was fully lit and almost dead silent. Iori was sitting on the couch playing his handheld, Yamagishi on her computer, Takeba reading a book, and Shiomi quietly finishing some homework on the other side of the table from them.
Thirty minutes to another fight, and they were all taking it in stride.
These second-years...was I relaxed as they were about operations like this when we started? Shinjiro mulled. Even the smallest Shadow lingering outside of the school felt like it could be the end of me.
The sound of a bottle of Aguafeena being slammed on the dinner table snapped him out of his daze. "You good?" Aki asked.
"I'm good." Shinjiro opened the bottle and sipped it.
Aki sat down in and watched the juniors with him. "Just making sure."
"SEES has really ballooned since it started." Shinjiro muttered. "We've almost tripled in membership since the three of us started going to Tartarus."
Aki chuckled. "Yeah, the second-years, they're really something."
"Even if they do occasionally slip up, they're gotten a hang of things much quicker than we did." Shinjiro said.
Aki lightly jabbed him in the arm. "That's cuz we were flying blind, they actually had teachers who had a clue about what they were going."
Shinjiro snorted. "Don't big yourself up too much."
"Didn't see it was just me, Shinji."
"Just make sure you don't do anything dumb tonight."
"Only if you promise to do the same." Shinjiro rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off of his face.
As the minutes trickled by, eventually Makoto and then Mitsuru made their way downstairs. As the Dark Hour began, Yamagishi immediately summoned her Persona and began scanning for the Shadows.
"I sense them. However," Yamagishi's face scrunched up in worry, "they are in two separate locations."
"Two!?" Iori yelled. "But they've always been in the same place 'til now!"
"Where are they?" Mitsuru asked calmly.
"One is near the Naganaki Shrine, and the other near the mainland entrance to the Moonlight Bridge." She said as Lucia faded away. "I can sense many smaller Shadows already congregating around them both."
Mitsuru tapped her boot on the floor, silently mulling things over as everyone looked at her for guidance. "Alright, here is how we will proceed." She turned to Shiomi, the younger girl straightening and standing a bit taller as they met eye to eye. "Shiomi, you will take a squad consisting of Takeba, Yamagishi, and Shinjiro to combat the Shadow near the Naganaki Shrine. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am." The younger girl said quietly.
"Very well. I will proceed with Yuki, Akihiko, and Iori to the bridge. In the event either group finishes combat operations, and are still capable of fighting, they are to proceed immediately to serve as back-up to the other group. Are there any questions?" When no one said anything, she turned to the door. "Then let us depart."
As Kotone's group ran towards the shrine, within three blocks they had noticed a few odd puddles of black liquid. Within two blocks they saw several more, much larger, black puddles next to dented street lights, smashed concrete, and broken cars.
Once the shrine was within eyesight, the streets looked the aftermath of an oil spill. The slowly disintegrating bodies of Shadows laid mauled and rend asunder before them. Kotone froze and Shinjiro flinched as a titanic knight-like Shadow fell down the stairs to the shrine. It looked identical to the one they had fought during the Tartarus rescue operation.
Or it would have, were it not hemorrhaging blood, or whatever that black liquid was that Shadows had. Its arms were gone, a chunk of its head and shoulder had large bites taken out of them, and its lower half was so mangled Kotone didn't recognize the horse head it should have was gone.
It turned in their direction, not even acknowledging their presence as it desperately tried to crawl past them, pathetically groaning and gurgling with every movement. It was for not, as its body disintegrated entirely before even reaching them. A low roar grabbed their attention
They silently climbed up the stairs to the shrine complex, weapons drawn as Kotone took point. The only thing louder than the Shadow's roar was the pounding of her heart.
A massive Shadow lay before them. Even sitting on all four legs, it was still taller than Kotone. It lacked eyes on all three of its sharp, smooth, obsidian black heads. Nearly everything below its necks was a dull gray, the only other color on its body were green markings on its tail and legs, as well as the infernal, blood red "VII" that was carved on each forehead.
So this is Chariot. Kotone thought as she motioned her teammates to get into position.
The left and right heads lazily chewed on the remains of other, small Shadows, while the center one gnawed on the arm of the knight-like Shadow. Even as they spread out and prepared for battle, the beast refused to stop eating. Kotone wasn't sure if this thing was even conscious of their presence, or if it thought so little of them it didn't even need to be.
She briefly remembered what Makoto had told her about the Full Moon Shadows from last month, Hierophant and Lovers, more concerned with finishing the meals they had started than killing them when they had the chance.
Whether they eat human psyches or other Shadows, she thought, they really are simple-minded creatures. "Alright boy," Kotone said as she summoned Elea, "time to for you to heel!"
The middle head snapped the arm with a bite. It stood up on all fours, the two heads growling in unison as the middle howled at the moon.
My very body quivers with anticipation and fury. Orpheus said as they ran. The place where I was born so many years ago...how dare they despoil it!
Makoto's stomach dropped. He hadn't realized it at first, but Orpheus' was right. He was going back there. The whole reason he had even applied to Gekkoukan in the first place. The place where his life both ended and began. The place where his parents had...where they had...
His chest tightened...he had no choice in the matter. His friends and teammates were counting on him. His friends at Gekkoukan were counting on him. All of Iwatodai was counting on him. He couldn't just bail on them, not now. Whatever his personal feelings were, they had to be put aside for everyone else's sake.
Let us wring their necks for this crime! Orpheus bellowed.
As they arrived, they saw a lone Shadow standing at the head of the bridge. Despite its reedy, gangling frame, it only stood a head taller than Makoto. Its limbs and body were thinner and more wiry than his. In its left hand, it held a glowing red blade. In its right, a golden scale. Its body erratically alternated stripes of black and white. Two ridged horns protruded out where its eyes should have been, and its mouth was stitched shut with golden thread. In the middle of its face was a glowing red "VIII".
It held up its sword, its crimson light pulsating under the moon's hue, and in an instant dozens of Shadows emerged. They flew in from the skies above, and crawled out from under the bridge, behind nearby cars, and what seemed like every nook and cranny in sight.
The Shadow turned away and began to cavalierly walk onto the bridge as its minions began to rush at, and around, them.
"Yuki!" Kirijo whipped out her blade. "You and I will combat Justice, while Akihiko and Iori deal with the accompanying Shadows."
Orpheus emerged. "Right."
"You got it." Junpei said as he summoned Hermes, who shot forward like a jet, slicing through a path for them as Orpheus blasted them with fireballs. The two rushed forward as Junpei and Akihiko covered them. A mass of crawling blobs attempted to strike them from behind, but were cut off by Hermes. "Oh no you don't!" Junpei said as Hermes sliced half of the group to ribbons with his wings, while Junpei himself rushed towards them, hacking the retreating Shadows to pieces with his blade.
"Well shit." Akihiko punched one dice-shaped Shadow away with one hand, and used his Evoker with the other. "I can't let you upstage me, now can I?" He asked as Polydeuces began showering the crowd with bolts of lighting.
Junpei grinned as he swung his sword, cleaving through a bird-like Shadow. "Just try and keep up senpai. If you can."
Akihiko returned his grin with equal fervor.
"Hyaaa!" Shinjiro dodged Chariot's lunge and swung his axe, a shrill screech echoing out into the night as he dragged the blade against its passing side. Chariot quickly swung around and thrust itself back at Shinjiro, who simple dodged the attack.
From a distance, Yukari and Kotone summoned their Personas and shot at it as soon as it slid to a stop, blasting its body with shredding winds and burning light, to no avail. The Shadow turned to them and began to charge at them.
"Shit!" Kotone yelled as they dodged out of its way. "Fuuka! Any advice!?"
"Elemental attacks should prove more fruitful than physical." Her voice echoed out to them. "I can already tell its going to be difficult to damage it. It may be large and slow, but it can accelerate very quickly if given the opportunity. Please be careful."
"No physical attacks huh?" Shinjiro muttered as he tossed away his axe and pulled out his Evoker. "Alright, let's play a different game then."
As they caught up with Justice, it languidly turned to them. Its sword slowly scrapping against the concrete as the two spread out and prepared to attack.
Makoto summoned Orpheus, preparing two fireballs in his hand. Just as Mitsuru brought her Evoker up to her head, Justice held up the scales, the left bowl tipping downward.
Suddenly Makoto stumbled forward, struggling to keep his balance and to not fall to his knees. "Shit!" Orpheus lobbed the fireballs at the Shadow, which were effortlessly sliced to pieces. Makoto struggled to stand up let alone run. It was like gravity itself had turned against him. Penthesilea slowly flew at it, weakly jabbing it with her blade as the Shadow tossed its sword and scale into the air, grabbing Penthesilea's rapier, and pulling her in for a sucker punch.
"Gya!" Mitsuru fell backwards, her lip busted and spilling blood.
Damn it. Makoto stumbled backwards and slammed his sword into the ground, leaning on it and trying to reorient himself as Justice caught its instruments. It held the scale forward, the right tipping down.
"If they find out, they'll never stop bothering me about it. Please, keep it a secret. For my sake."
"Huh!?" Makoto looked around him. "W-What?" He mumbled, eyes wide.
"Yuki!" Mitsuru yelled as Justice lunged forward. "Focus!"
Makoto blocked the downswing of Justice's sword with his Orpheus' lyre, and swung his sword up, narrowly nicking the Shadow's chin. It growled and jumped back as Makoto regained his footing.
"I can't, I'm sorry. Not today, please."
"Damn it." Makoto grabbed his head. "Cadenza!" The rejuvenating sounds of Orpheus' music abated, if only for a little bit, the throbbing pain in his head. He could feel his balance slowly returning.
Mitsuru slowly and carefully walked over to him. "Justice, its trying to do something like Hierophant and Lovers did last month." She wiped the blood from her lip.
"Yeah." He said as Justice stabbed its blade into the concrete and held up a single finger. "Although this time, if we fall for it, I think we're dead." Black energy swirled around it, coalescing into a perfect sphere.
"T-That's a Megido!" She yelled as she pulled out her Evoker. "Brace yourself!" She hurriedly summoned Penthesilea. "Mabufula!"
"Agilao!"
Justice pointed at them, the black sphere flying at them. Once it collided with their attacks, it exploded, annihilating everything caught within its range. They were thrown back by the concussive force of the blast. Orpheus caught them both before they hit the ground, cushioning their bodies from scraping against the road.
"I-I don't want to live my life with regrets, always hesitating and losing my chance."
Why this? Why now? Makoto forced himself up. His chest, his eyes, everything felt so heavy. His stomach turned as these voices kept creeping back up. Justice slowly approached them with another Megido at its fingertips. "Senpai."
"I know." She said through gritted teeth. "As soon as he sends it..." they stepped backwards, taking pains to carefully widen the gap between each other as it approached them. With a sudden jerk of its hand, it send forth the black sphere. "Run!"
Makoto ran right while Mitsuru ran left, both forcing themselves to go as fast as their legs would allow them. The Megido detonated far behind them, and Justice flinched and jumped back as it realized it had been baited.
"Get back here!" Makoto roared as he send Orpheus forward, grabbing the Shadow by its neck. Justice repeatedly bashed Orpheus across the head with its scale, the bowls on the scale swinging wildly as Makoto's felt his ears pop. It vainly tried to strange Orpheus with its other hand, too weak to do anything to him.
"Take this!" Mitsuru yelled as she ramming her rapier through its chest while Makoto impaled it through the stomach. It held the scales high in the air, trying to strike Orpheus once more, and dropped them. Its body went slack in Orpheus' hands. A low, deep growl emanated from its throat before going quiet.
With a sigh, Makoto withdrew his blade from the Shadow's body. It could dish out damage, but not take it. Makoto looked back to the mainland. I hope the others are doing fine. Who knows what's going on at the shrine right now.
In an instant, he froze and his eyes went wide. His sword slid out of his hand as his body suddenly felt...warm. Warm and numb.
Mitsuru turned to him and glanced downward, her eyes going wide. "Yuki!" She whispered in horror.
He slowly tilted his head down, and saw Justice's sword. It had pierced straight through the Shadow...and into his stomach.
"N-No." He choked out. "H-How did you-"
Justice grabbed them both by the neck and lifted them up as it roared, the threads keeping its lips shut breaking as its infernal screech shook, cracked, and broke apart the bridge under them. The sword flew back out of them, blood pouring out of him as it did. The blade hung directly above them, another Megido charging at its tip.
The last thing Makoto saw was Orpheus intercepting the attack with his own Agilao.
And then darkness.