6/29
"...'Morning," Yukari said, greeting Mukuro with a tone that sounded like she had something on her mind, the young soldier turned suspecting Yukari was about to tell her what that was.
"Hm?" she raised an eyebrow at the other girl in curiosity.
"I guess you can tell, I'm just... concerned, I guess," Yukari said as the two of them paused at the gates of Gekkoukan High. "Next week there'll be another mission..."
"That appears likely," said Mukuro. "We'll deal with it when it comes."
"Yeah, I guess I wonder what we'll face this time?" Yukari asked. "Will it be one like on the monorail, or two like when we rescued Fuuka? Even though Fuuka being navigator means Kirijo-senpai's fighting alongside us, plus Natsumi joining, I just hope we'll be able to handle it."
"I guess it... can be easy to worry when you haven't really spent your life on things like these," Mukuro replied. "I'm sure we'll come out of it, though."
"I hope so," Yukari said, frowning. "...I also wonder, do we... keep going on these missions until we defeat the remaining eight? Just... blindly following orders to get stronger by going into Tartarus and defeating Shadow after Shadow?"
Mukuro brought her hand to her chin pensively. "...I... couldn't say," she said softly. She admittedly did want to return to Tartarus and test out a few of her new Personas before the next full moon, after all. "...That's not all that's on your mind, is it?"
Yukari's frown deepened, shaking her head. "...No. It's also that I feel like Kirijo-senpai's hiding something from us."
"I see," Mukuro said.
"Oh... we better get moving, don't want to be late for class!" Yukari said suddenly, and the two resumed their pace, Mukuro couldn't help but wonder as well if there was something Mitsuru had kept to herself about all of this, as she recalled Yukari had been secretive when they first met but laid bare everything to her after she'd woken up in the hospital, Mitsuru meanwhile seemed to share things in servings, which did concern her but she doubted any form of force was going to get her any answers.
Hopefully, she thought, the next full moon would get her and the chairman, whom Mitsuru was closer to then everyone else, to disclose more. The notes she'd found at the barriers in Tartarus and knowing the Kirijo Corporation was somehow involved in what happened ten years ago according to Yukari due to her father leading to even more questions on her mind...
Yukari's dilemma and her own questions filled her thoughts all the way through the school day and club activities, enough that she could barely shoot straight during archery and left early to look up some answers in the computer lab before she'd come back home. As she entered the dorm, she found Fuuka had arrived before her and was now seated on the couch with her laptop on, Natsumi had also beaten her there and was seated on the other couch. The latter glanced up at Yukari.
"What, hoping for dinner?" she asked, peering up from the manga she was reading.
"Uhhh..." Yukari wilted slightly under the blonde's piercing green glare.
"Go buy a bento or make your own," Natsumi replied sharply. "My head's still recovering from Saturday's marathon of Ikutsuki's stupid jokes, and throw in Edogawa taking over for Mrs. Terauchi it feels like someone clocked me with a bat, now. It's like Latin or Algebra, who the fuck's gonna use that mojo-mumbo shit in the real world?"
"...You too, huh?" Yukari asked, trying to diffuse things a little.
"Let's just say thank god submitting reports on how couples have been the pattern of Apathy Syndrome for Paranormal Studies club is keeping him off my case otherwise. I swear he goes on and on and on and on!" Natsumi replied.
Yukari nodded sympathetically before turning her attention to the other girl present. "...Hey, Fuuka?"
"Hm?" Fuuka looked up at her curiously.
"Could you, maybe... come up with me to the command room? I was hoping I could ask you a favor," said Yukari.
"Oh, sure!" Fuuka closed her laptop and followed Yukari upstairs and into the command room on the fourth floor, closing the doors behind her and noticing the terminals had been left on. "Um, what's going on, Yukari?"
"Well, first off, sorry to bother you like this, Fuuka," said Yukari.
"It's okay, what was it you needed?" Fuuka asked.
"Well, it's something I was hoping your skills could help me with," Yukari said, putting her hands behind her back and averting her eyes apologetically. "...I was doing some research on our school, and I came across something strange: About ten years ago, a lot of students stopped coming to school for some reason. They were reported as absent at the time, but I found some records that suggest otherwise... do you know anything about it, Fuuka?"
"...Me?" Fuuka asked, blinking in surprise and bringing her hand to her chin in confusion. "Ummm... not really."
"I know it was a long time ago, but... doesn't it sound suspicious to you?" Yukari asked. "From what I've heard, this isn't the first time Shadows appeared."
Fuuka's eyes went wide with shock and gasped. "...W-Wait, are you saying...?"
"I-I don't know, but... I do wonder," Yukari muttered, concerned. "...And I'm not trying to make trouble or anything, but Kirijo-senpai acts kinda weird whenever someone brings up Tartarus."
"...Does she?" asked Fuuka. "I've... not really noticed."
"I just wanna know what happened back then," Yukari explained. "...And if it doesn't have anything to do with the Shadows, then fine."
Fuuka nodded. "...I understand. I'll see what I can do."
"Speaking of Tartarus, in the meantime I think Mukuro told me and Junpei after class she was wanting to go back in soon, get some training in before the full moon comes," Yukari said. "So... probably best we not make too many plans this week. Much as I'm concerned about whatever Kirijo-senpai might know about, some training might make me less worried about next week."
Fuuka smiled. "Of course!"
Yukari gave an appreciative smile of her own, nodding. "...Thanks, Fuuka."
6/30
Mukuro arrived at the dorm after sunset with a dinner bento in hand. The lounge was bustling with the rest of SEES partaking in their own activities, with Akihiko and Mitsuru in the sitting area the former reading a study guide while the latter was drinking tea. Junpei was in the dining area with cup ramen while Natsumi and Fuuka were sitting at the bartable taking notes from their textbooks right behind him.
"Hey, Mukuro," Akihiko greeted with a wave as Mukuro came in, signing the registry. "...A week away and the news has been reporting more "Lost" then ever, guess it really is like the other times."
"Seven days from now," Mitsuru said. "It seems more likely we'll be up against another of those more powerful Shadows when comes time."
The door opened and Yukari walked in silently, giving a brief glance in Mitsuru's direction before heading upstairs without a word, Junpei and even Fuuka watching the whole time. Making her way to the table to have her dinner, Mukuro saw Junpei beckon her over to sit next to him and complied.
"Hey, between us, it seem like somethin's up between Yuka-tan and Kirijo-senpai?" he whispered. "Seems like she just glares daggers at her every time she looks her way, now."
"I couldn't say," Mukuro uttered quietly. She knew Yukari had been suspicious of Mitsuru for a while but hadn't really elaborated too heavily on it.
"Maybe Senpai ate Yuka-tan's last bonbon!" Junpei said with a slight laugh.
"Ummm, speaking of food, why don't we take a break, Natsumi?" Fuuka asked.
"And do what?" the blonde asked, cocking an annoyed eyebrow. "You wanna hear Kirijo-senpai pontificate about grades?"
"...Not that I consider it good form to butt into others' conversations, but I'm not particularly concerned about Fuuka's exam scores, Kuzuryu," Mitsuru called from the couch, taking a break from her tea and Natsumi blushing as a result. "Yours, however, I believe there's a reason you got assigned as a club manager?"
"Broadcast it to the world, why don'cha?! I'm still leaving Iori here in the dust!" Natsumi retorted.
"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Junpei protested.
"Believe me, I'm aware," Natsumi smirked.
"Well, a-anyway, I was thinking... maybe a little break? I was thinking about the planters on the roof and bought some seeds from the market before I came back and was hoping maybe..." Fuuka looked over at Mukuro. "Um, Ikusaba, you're experienced in this, right? Would you like to maybe give me a hand if it's not too much trouble?"
Fuuka's big, almost moist eyes, her hopeful smile, Mukuro almost felt Fuuka was doing this on purpose, but she had no other plans tonight. "...Sure," she said.
"Great! Meet me on the roof, I'll go get them!" Fuuka said, getting out of her seat and rushing upstairs.
"...Whatever, guess I can just copy hers," Natsumi mused, rolling her eyes and sliding Fuuka's open notes closer to herself while Mukuro made her way upstairs as well.
"Thanks for helping me, Mukuro!" Fuuka said with a grateful smile as she finished spreading around the soil and fertilizer. "...I hear these special tomato and spinach seeds actually grow pretty fast under good weather, and from what I read, adjusting the fertilizer amounts and their positions so they get enough sun should help them, too!"
"You've done your research," Mukuro said, slipping off her garden gloves. "I... didn't do much, I just moved some bags and helped dig."
"Still, thank you!" Fuuka replied. "The rest'll be up to these seeds and we'll see how strong they are."
"I guess we'll find out eventually," Mukuro said.
"Yeah, plus... if I'm gonna practice on my cooking, may as well be with my own ingredients, right?" Fuuka asked, giggling. "They should grow just fine for right now, though!"
"You did well," Mukuro replied, giving a faint smile. "We did do garden work in Fenrir, growing vegetables, to keep us more self-sufficient and knowing how to prepare them... you never knew how long it'd be before you had something already made for you."
"Sounds fun!" Fuuka said, turning to look back down at the planters she was kneeled in front of. "...Well, at least I know I might have a chance in growing food. That doesn't mean I'll stop trying to learn to cook, though! Once I got something in mind I'd like to have you try again for me, alright?"
Mukuro kept a straight face, not wanting to offend Fuuka. "Alright," she said with a nod.
"Well, I should probably head back down, Natsumi's probably trying to copy my notes so I'd better explain them to her," Fuuka giggled as she slipped off her own garden gloves and put the trowel in the storage box near the roof entrance. "...And you may wanna go finish your bento before Junpei gets too tempted!"
"...Good point," Mukuro replied, the two heading back downstairs and the young soldier hoping Fuuka's concerns regarding her dinner were not proven correct or Junpei would have more then his exam grades to worry about.
Mukuro stirred from her sleep, the green hue illuminating her darkened room telling her the Dark Hour was currently happening.
"Good evening," a familiar gentle, young male voice addressed her, Mukuro barely stopping her hand from going under her pillow as she relaxed slightly at the sight of an equally familiar visitor.
"...Can you guess what I'm going to tell you?" the boy in the striped pajamas that called himself Pharos asked her as he stood over her prone form next to her bed, his bright blue eyes gazing down at her.
"...The next full moon?" Mukuro asked.
"That's correct," Pharos replied. Despite appearing to be a young boy, his the green light almost silhouetting his form from where he stood and his neutral expression made him appear unsettling even for her, as his blue eyes seemed to disregard the dark entirely. "...Exactly one week from tonight, the next full moon will come. Are you prepared?"
"...Almost," Mukuro said. She'd fused a few new, stronger Personas and now needed only a chance to try a few of them and the abilities they carried out.
"...I see, well... be careful, okay?" the boy asked.
Mukuro frowned. Despite his eerie appearance, there was a look in his eyes that... cared. Silently, she nodded.
Pharos smiled. "Good," he said, sounding relieved. "...And don't worry, I'll come see you again."
The boy's form darkened and dissolved in a cloud of black smoke that dissipated and faded away, leaving Mukuro alone in her dorm room once more as she lay back and glanced at her window. July 7th. Six days left as of the following day and couples falling victim to Apathy Syndrome from being attacked by Shadows. She made up her mind on what she wanted to do tomorrow evening.
7/1
"That Shadow's readings are very strong," Fuuka warned as she spoke to the group telepathically. Mukuro and the others had concealed themselves around one of the fleshy cavern corners of the Tartarus floor they were currently on, a Shadow prowling the corridor beyond. It was larger, pulling itself around on its four limbs like a deformed spider. Its eyes shone red in the purple-lit cave, and a red aura emitted from its body.
"Perfect," Mukuro said quietly, peering around the corner while giving a gesture to her teammates to wait on her signal. Behind her were Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru. They'd avoided pointless conflicts with weaklings that fled, Mukuro had decided if they were going to be afforded an opportunity to test their limits, they needed a metaphorical bigger fish to start off on.
The gruesome being turned, prowling away and Mukuro saw her opportunity. With a gesture of her hand, she readied her combat machete and charged forward, leaping into the air and striking the creature as Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru got into battle formation around her while the twitching monster morphed into a giant, floating serpent with two rings spinning around its body resembling Venus and Mars symbols.
"Everyone ready?" Fuuka asked. "Give me a moment to scan its weakness Keep it occupied till then!"
"No prob! HERMES!" Junpei shouted, bringing up his Evoker to summon his winged Persona that lunged forward, unleashing a blast of flames at it. The serpent turned, the flames evaporating before they could hit. Its Mars ring spun, pointing at Junpei to unleash a jet of fire of its own.
"Too slow!" Junpei cheered, dodging. "...Damn, guess it's fire-based!"
"Then better keep our defense up! POLYDEUCES!" Akihiko's muscular Persona appeared at the sound of his Evoker, bathing everyone in a blue light as the serpent turned, the two rings spinning as they unleashed another blast of flame, this time on the whole group.
"HUA PO!" Mukuro cried out as she pulled the trigger of her Evoker, the fiery fairy's power protecting her.
"I got its weakness! It's vulnerable to ice!" Fuuka's voice declared.
Mitsuru smirked, drawing out her Evoker. "...Then that means its my turn! PENTHESILEA!" The armored Persona rose up behind her, crossing its blades as a beam of intense cold struck the serpent, causing it to shriek out in pain as ice coated its body and froze it in place.
"It's frozen! Hit it with a powerful physical attack!" Fuuka ordered.
"It's mine," Mukuro stated, bringing up her Evoker once more. "Take-Mikazuchi!"
The white-clad, devil-like Persona appeared, lunging forward and striking the enemy fast and true with its sword. The Shadow's icy cocoon shattered as it collapsed to the ground in a dazed state.
"Perfect! All-out attack!" Mukuro commanded, holstering her Evoker and drawing out her machete before leading the charge as Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru readied their own weapons and dashed forward to finish off their foe.
"Wait! It's not down!" Fuuka suddenly shouted.
"What?!" Mitsuru cried out as the shattered pieces suddenly formed into two serpents, as healthy-looking as the first one had been at the start of the fight.
"We know their weaknesses, now! SHIISAA!" Mukuro summoned the gold, doglike Persona that breathed a gust of cold at the nearest serpent. The other had turned its attention to her, unleashing a blast of flame in her direction.
"HERMES!" Junpei cried out as he summoned his Persona, dashing at it to knock it away, the Shadow turning towards him.
"I've got this! PERSONA!" Mitsuru's own Persona manifested, firing a burst of cold at the remaining one, freezing them both.
"Great job! Force should be more effective, now!" Fuuka's voice instructed.
"Nice! I'll take it from here!" Akihiko shouted, summoning Polydeuces. The Persona promptly lunged forward, summoning a fist-shaped energy wave that struck one serpent down.
"HERMES!" Junpei cried out, his own Persona swooping in to strike the other and sending both to the ground. "Alright! Let's get 'em!"
The group charged in on their downed foes in a fearsome all-out attack that left nothing behind.
Mukuro stood, brushing back her hair and looking at the others, nodding in satisfaction.
"We did well," Mitsuru said with a small, approving smile.
"Heheh! We totally got this next big Shadow when the full moon hits!" Junpei cheered with a grin and a twirl of his greatsword.
"There's no such thing as too much training far as I'm concerned," Akihiko said. "So how 'bout it, Mukuro? Got any energy left?"
Mukuro gave a faint smile back and nodded. "If anyone's feeling tired, speak up and we'll have you switch out with Yukari and Natsumi."
"I can manage a few more, but it may be a good idea to switch out later, regardless, so they get a turn," Mitsuru said.
"Bring 'em on, I say!" Junpei grinned. "...But hey, if Yuka-tan or Kuzuryu wants a go, I'll be generous this once!"
Mukuro felt her smile spread a little. Morale was strong, it'd be important when the 7th came, as she'd noticed each of the full moon Shadows seemed significantly stronger then the ones before them.
"...Let's resume, then!" she stated, leading the way further into the otherworldly caverns.
7/7
The full moon had come as predicted, SEES and the chairman had geared up and gathered in the dormitory's command room and now stood ready as the clock ticked down 11:59's final seconds. As expected, it froze at the stroke of midnight and a darkness swept through the room, illuminated by the now larger full moon's green light outside the large windows at the other end of the room.
"Now, Yamagishi," Mitsuru stated as Fuuka focused, bringing up her Evoker as her Persona, Lucia, materialized around her like a shell while she meditated in the glass-like bubble at its base.
"Any luck, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked.
"Just a moment!" Fuuka answered. "...Wait, I've found it!" she stated suddenly. "I'm picking up a large Shadow in the city!"
"Then it seems the full moon hypothesis is indeed correct," said Ikutsuki.
"Where's it located?" asked Mukuro.
"...In Iwatodai, in a building on Shirakawa Boulevard," Fuuka replied.
"Shirakawa Boulevard, hm?" the chairman said, rubbing his chin pensively. "They've been finding the "Lost" in pairs lately, now I understand why!"
"Yes, it makes sense, actually," said Mitsuru.
"What's out there?" asked Mukuro. "Do you know what building, Fuuka?"
"I'm not familiar with the area, either," Fuuka said apologetically as her Persona vanished.
"I-I've heard about it, but..." Yukari stammered a bit, looking away and blushing a little.
"...It's No-Tell Hotel Central out there!" Natsumi stated bluntly.
"Ahhh, so that's where they all are!" said Junpei with a knowing smile and tone. "Explains a lot, actually!"
"Wait, a what hotel is out there?" Fuuka asked innocently, getting an amused chuckle from the blonde.
"Ya know, the kind where couples and people who hook up go spend the rest of the evening, in the same bed?" Natsumi asked, forming a circle with her left index finger and thumb and sticking her right index finger through it a few times with a devious grin on her face, prompting Fuuka to go beet-red in the face.
"...Oh," she uttered softly.
"Ugh! In less crude terms, yes, basically that kind of hotel!" Yukari said, disgusted.
Mukuro looked away, pensive. "I remember someone saying something about "everyone going to a love hotel lately" a while back," she said, recalling her conversation with Miu Iruma at Club Escapade. "...And then something about couples, even students, ending up with Apathy Syndrome."
"...Now that I think about it, I do remember some girls in our class talking about a place called Shirakawa being where they were going a lot, but I didn't know it was about... um... that," Fuuka said anxiously.
"So pure," Junpei lamented quietly.
"Come on! What's wrong with you guys?!" Yukari protested as she glared at Junpei and Natsumi.
"Hey, don't let your imaginations get carried away, now. They're no different then any other hotel!" said Ikutsuki. "...The rooms are just a bit more... exotic, that's all!"
"You mean erotic," Natsumi scoffed.
"I dunno about this, maybe I shouldn't go," Yukari muttered.
"Awww, lookit you, Yuka-tan! You're such a child, sometimes!" Junpei teased.
"Come on, Iori, it's not Yukari's fault she's a great big cherry about stuff like this!" Natsumi joked, Junpei barely stifling a laugh as Yukari turned completely red in the face, not unlike the mentioned fruit.
"Alright! That settles it! I'm going!" she protested indignantly as she glared at the two again. "I'm officially reserving a spot in the lineup of today's operation! No objections! So who's going to take the lead?"
"I see no reason to change leadership, so Ikusaba, you will be taking charge of it," Mitsuru instructed, Mukuro nodding in response.
"Very well," she said.
"Yamagishi, you'll be handling support for the operation," Mitsuru continued.
"If I may, I'd like in on this one, too," Akihiko said. "If it'd be alright with you, Mukuro."
Mukuro gave a small smile. "...I'd appreciate it."
"Dibs!" Natsumi declared.
"H-Hey! What about me?" Junpei protested.
"Rock-paper-scissors, then!" Natsumi replied, holding out her hand. Three sessions later, Natsumi won the tiebreaker.
"C'monnnn! Three outta five!" Junpei pleaded.
"We can't afford to waste more time on this," Mitsuru said. "Iori, you and I will act as backup and protect Fuuka from any stray Shadows, or if the target leaves the hotel and finds their way to her like how Yukari and I were ambushed last time."
Junpei's shoulders slumped in defeat. "...Understood."
"Well, I trust we have a suitable team set up, then?" Ikutsuki said. "You should head on over immediately, then. I'll be on standby, here."
Mukuro nodded. "We should get going."
"Get it done, soldier!" Ikutsuki said with a gentle smile. "Remember, teamwork makes the dream work!"
Mukuro gave a slow, unimpressed blink accompanied by an equally unimpressed frown as she turned to leave, the others following with similar looks on their faces as well, getting a sigh from the chairman.
"...Kids these days, no sense of humor!" he groaned, shaking his head as he sat down at the control panels to begin his own work.
In moments, the group had followed Fuuka's tracking to a large, multi-floored hotel named "champs de fleurs". Despite its apparent reputation, the hotel had been designed to at least attempt to look upscale with its gold archway surrounded by a brick wall with crenels atop it, the front door sporting the hotel's name above it with a metallic sign and written in lower-case italic English lettering.
"So... this is the "love hotel" Iruma was talking about," Mukuro mused to herself. Despite its attempts to appear high-class, it came off as somewhat... tacky, despite Mukuro never having been to any such establishments before.
"Whoa, gotta admit, looks just like I imagined!" Junpei said. "Champs... dee... floors? How'd you say that?"
"It's "Champs De Fleur"," Mitsuru answered, using a French pronunciation that sounded to Junpei like "Shahm-dee-floo-er". "...It's French, it means field of flowers."
"Plenty of buds and pollination here for sure!" Natsumi said with a smirk before looking over at Yukari, who shifted uncomfortably. "...You sure about this, little cherry? What has been seen cannot be unseen!"
"Please! I can handle anything this place tries to throw at me!" Yukari scoffed, crinkling her nose.
"Save the energy for when we go in," said Akihiko.
"Is this the right one, Fuuka?" asked Mukuro.
"This is definitely the place alright," said Fuuka. "I can sense the presence inside!"
"Well then, let's head on in and get this over with, already!" Yukari urged.
"Ready, Mukuro?" Akihiko asked with a smirk.
Taking out her combat machete, Mukuro nodded, leading the way as Akihiko, Natsumi, and Yukari followed close behind and entering the hotel while Junpei and Mitsuru stood on either side of Fuuka as she prepared to summon Lucia again near the door.
Inside, the hotel had basic decour, simple white walls, ATMs, a registry desk, a few potted trees and standing lamps. The power was clearly out, however, but the green light of the Dark Hour provided some illumination, regardless.
"Are you there, Fuuka?" Mukuro asked, switching on her communicator. "Any sign of where the Shadow is?"
"Yes, I'm detecting a major presence upstairs!" Fuuka's voice responded. "It must be the target!"
"Any idea where?" Mukuro asked.
"I'm sensing it on the third floor, in one of the larger rooms! Head that way and track it down!" Fuuka ordered.
"Roger that," Mukuro replied, looking at the others and then leading the way down the darkened halls of the hotel to find the stairs as she suspected any elevators would be out of order right now. Several coffins stood upright in the hallways, some of them in pairs, but there appeared to be no Shadows prowling around. A relief, Mukuro thought, as she wanted to save her strength for the inevitable fight ahead.
"Huh. Place must've been pretty busy," Natsumi remarked as she looked at the coffins they passed.
"They have been getting drawn here lately," Yukari replied.
"Must be why they don't just do this stuff at home," Akihiko remarked.
"Yeah, among other reasons!" Natsumi joked.
"Stairs!" Mukuro announced in a sudden and hushed tone as she came around the corner, pausing for any unusual sounds. Other then her teammates, the place was deathly silent.
"Weird there's no other Shadows here, wonder what's going on," Akihiko whispered.
"More for whatever's here, I guess," Natsumi said.
"Gotta be. We clear, Mukuro?" Yukari asked.
Mukuro paused a second, then gave a gesture to continue, as the group rushed up the stairs, finding a turn that let them continue past the second floor and up to the third.
"Hey, there's a big door back that way!" Yukari said, pausing and pointing down one of the hallways and causing Mukuro to turn. The young soldier approached and peered down the direction Yukari pointed. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors framed with columns and red curtains with hanging tassels.
"Huh, must be the suite," Natsumi said, peering around the corner as well.
"If I were a big Shadow feeding off guests in a big room on the third floor, I'd say it's gotta be this one!" Akihiko said, doing a few practice punches.
"Fuuka, we've found what looks like a larger room, do you sense anything?" Mukuro asked.
"I do! The presence is definitely in that room!" Fuuka responded.
"Well, then! Let's go say hi!" Natsumi grinned, brandishing her katana while Yukari readied her bow.
Entering the room, it became evident to the group that it was indeed occupied.
"So this thing's the boss? It's more... normal-looking then I expected," Yukari said.
Standing, or more accurately, seated before them and barely fitting on a wooden throne propped on four fishnet-wearing legs with tips resembling high-heeled shoes, was a morbidly obese humanoid entity clad in long white robes with a red cape and waist sash with gold trim, its robes' buttons barely holding it together from its corpulent frame as it stared down at them with glowing eyes through a blue humanoid mask-like face framed by folds of its bloated neck. The backrest of the throne was capped with a sculpture resembling a white feminine figure with a bent cross with red gems on its points for a head, its slender hands caressing the obese humanoid's neck and shoulders.
"Define "normal", Takeba!" Natsumi grimaced, pointing her katana at it.
"Get ready, everyone! It's coming!" Fuuka warned as the throne's legs proceeded to carry the seated Shadow towards them like a steed, away from the large pink heart-shaped bed. In a flash of flame, two humanoid figures resembling paper dolls materialized on either side of it, bearing strange glyphs on their chests, Mukuro noting their surroundings suddenly began to undulate, like water ripples warping it.
"Scan for weaknesses!" Mukuro ordered immediately.
"This Shadow represents the Hierophant arcana, I can't get a reading on much else yet so be ready for anything!" said Fuuka.
"Let's take it down fast, then! POLYDEUCES!" Akihiko shouted, firing his Evoker and a red light bathed him and his teammates.
"IO!" Yukari's own Persona bathed everyone in a blue light as the monster attacked, the party feeling a brief burst of energy and managing to avoid the lightning bolt the feminine backrest fired from its fingertip.
"ARACHNE! REBELLION!" Natsumi's dark Persona pointed raised its needle-like sword, Mukuro was engulfed in a flash of light as she felt stronger then before.
The young soldier brought her Evoker up, trying to think quickly what to use when they were swinging blind at an enemy they didn't know the weakness of yet before it could attack again as fast as possible.
"HUA PO!" she fired her Evoker, the fairy-like Persona thrusting her hand forward to fire a blast of flame at the Shadow and its effigies. The flames hit the Shadow, but did nothing to the paper doll-like beings it'd summoned.
The obese creature gurgled, recoiling from the hit, but the feminine figure behind it chuckled, stroking the fat Shadow's shoulders and both spread their arms, the room suddenly got a lot brighter.
"LOOK OUT!" Akihiko shouted as beams of light suddenly rained down from above, striking them and forming cross-like shapes where they impacted, causing everyone to cry out in pain.
"SHIT!" Natsumi cried out, her own Persona's element making her more vulnerable as she struggled to stay on her feet in time for the Shadow to turn its attention as the obese figure pointed at Mukuro, who regarded it in confusion and took stance before suddenly being struck from behind by an unseen force.
The young soldier thrust her machete she held in her other hand into the carpeted floor, anchoring to avoid toppling over despite the pain she'd felt.
"Mukuro! Kuzuryu! Are you alright?" Yukari cried out, quickly summoning Io as a green light engulfed them, Mukuro was able to stand again, Natsumi staggered a little. Akihiko, meanwhile, kept his attention on the Shadow as he summoned Polydeuces to dive-bomb it, by his suspicion lightning wouldn't do much good against something that could cast it.
"It's resistant to light and darkness, I can't discern any weaknesses!" Fuuka said.
"In that case, we should try and cripple it," Akihiko said.
Mukuro nodded, summoning her next Persona, Sandman. The humanoid figure with the crescent moon-shaped head and a large sack in its hands appeared, holding out one hand and unleashing a wind blast at the enemy.
"POLYDEUCES! TARUNDA!" Akihiko shouted, his Persona unleashing a spell that seemed to make the enemy slump a little as if weakened.
"Time to pay!" Natsumi sneered. "ARACHNE! RAKUNDA!" A similar orb of energy enfeebled their foe more.
Mukuro nodded as she prepared her Evoker again. It was a full moon, so this would hopefully come in handy. "RAKSASHA!"
The sword-wielding demonic Persona appeared, an image of a full moon and a large blade suddenly appearing as it struck, the Hierophant crying out from a devastating blow that caused it to stagger backwards.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Akihiko cheered. The Shadow, however, did not seem too bothered as the feminine figure cackled again, as did the obese figure as both spread their arms.
The room suddenly lit up again, but this time the growing light was shimmering from both sets of the Hierophant's hands, convening into a bright sphere as the paper doll figures did a strange sort of dance.
"What the heck?!" Yukari cried out, just in time for the sphere to explode in a bright flash, engulfing them all.
Mukuro struggled to see as her vision returned, yet she felt her body trembling all over, as if a cold were filling her, looking around she could see the others had been afflicted by whatever the Hierophant had just done as well.
"I-I'm... sh-shivering! F-Feel... wrong...!" Yukari whimpered.
"That skill! Your anxiety is extremely high the Hierophant must have done something!" Fuuka cried out. "Hurry! Snap out of it!"
Mukuro struggled to use her Evoker, but her body was promptly wracked with an overwhelming trembling that caused her to start going limp. Years in Fenrir gave her a disciplined mind, but in this case these feelings were unnatural, as if forced into her that she was struggling to keep herself under control as her legs gave out.
"Mukuro!" She heard Akihiko rush to her side, his expression twitching as he struggled to overcome it as well. "Coat... pocket," Mukuro could barely speak.
Akihiko hurriedly fished through her combat uniform coat and found a green vial, Mukuro gestured to Yukari, Akihiko could see the Hierophant took notice and pointed at him, another beam of holy light threatening to strike as he froze in place, barely avoiding it but dropping the vial as it rolled towards Yukari, who was now on her knees as well as she quickly picked it up and drank it, her mind clearing immediately.
"Okay! IO!" Yukari's Persona appeared, a glowing green light engulfing the others as they then felt the anxiety disappear from them as well.
The Hierophant chuckled again, raising its arms as light appeared from above once more. This time, however, the group was prepared and managed to get out of the way before the cross-shaped beams of light could come crashing down on them.
"Fun's over!" Natsumi shouted, firing her Evoker as Arachne appeared once more, the blonde grinning as it lunged at the Hierophant and struck it repeatedly with its sword, making it recoil in pain.
Mukuro felt a surge of energy within her, looking at her Evoker and the monitor of her combat coat in surprise.
"Mukuro! Your signal's spiked! I think you can use a Theurgy!" Fuuka shouted.
Mukuro took the cartridge out, loading it into her Evoker in a swift, fluid movement and held it to her head.
Two Personas from before filled her thoughts as she pulled the trigger.
Blue flames surrounded Mukuro, and next to her appeared Jack Frost and Jack O Lantern, a stage mic suddenly materializing between them as they danced about to her and everyone else's surprise and confusion before the two sprite-like Personas did a high-five that emitted a sudden wave of force that struck the Hierophant head-on. The obese figure letting out a guttural groan and the feminine figure shrieking, the throne collapsing under the Shadow as it fell to the ground, the feminine figure slumped over it and the paper doll effigies flopping on their backs.
"It's down! Now's our chance!" Mukuro ordered sharply, taking a moment to focus and time began to slow for her as she holstered her Evoker and brandished her combat machete, dashing forward and leading the charge as Yukari fired several arrows, Akihiko and Natsumi dashing after Mukuro as all of them struck at the collapsed Hierophant in a flurry of attacks empowered by their Personas.
Stepping back, the group watched as the Hierophant now looked far worse for wear that the throne and the effigies could barely stand themselves back up, the obese figure looking ready to topple from the former.
"Still standing, huh?" Akihiko scoffed.
"Look out! It's getting ready to attack again!" Fuuka shouted suddenly as all four of the Hierophant's arms raised again, the familiar sight of energy charging up once more for its devastating attack it used earlier. Mukuro staggered between deep breaths from using her Battle Trance, their foe hadn't fallen yet.
"Let's go!" Mukuro looked to Akihiko, who now stood next to her as he helped her stand, she looked at their enemy, the Hierophant was charging more power then before. Mukuro nodded, gripping her weapon tight as she and Akihiko rushed forward, Mukuro's blade extended, Akihiko's fist drawn, striking the Hierophant in both its bodies, Akihiko's fist smashing into the obese figure's face while Mukuro's blade pierced the chest of the throne's feminine figure, the two landing on the floor as the Hierophant collapsed to the ground once more, but this time, it did not get up as its body and the effigies crumbled apart and dissolved away into black smoke and ash that dissipated a second after, the room reverting back to normal as well.
Yukari leaned forward, her hands pressed against her knees as she took a deep breath. "Phew... we did it."
"Eh, it wasn't that rough!" Natsumi laughed, sheathing her katana.
"The enemy's been defeated! Great job, everyone!" Fuuka's voice cheered. "We're waiting outside right now, come on back!"
Mukuro gave a small smile of relief at Fuuka's words, she was admittedly glad it was over as she felt tired from using her Battle Trance to try and bring down the Shadow, and her and Akihiko's final team-up move.
"Quite a fight, huh? Even for you!" Akihiko chuckled warmly. "I better stir up a shake when I get back so I'm not sore tomorrow."
Mukuro smiled, nodding as she let him help her up, fighting off the fatigue as she lead the way to the double doors leading back outside and pulled the handle.
They didn't budge.
"What... did someone lock us in?" Yukari asked.
"Try kicking it open! You're a total badass, right?" Natsumi ordered.
Raising her leg, Mukuro gave the door a crisp kick, collapsing backward on to the floor from the impact and still feeling the fatigue-inducing aftermath of her trance. The door, however, showed no signs of distress nor that she had affected it in the slightest.
"I'm sensing a force holding it shut!" Fuuka's voice said.
"The fuck's that supposed to mean?!" Natsumi protested.
"Let me see..." Fuuka paused a moment then gasped. "No way! There's a powerful Shadow in that room!"
"But we just killed it, didn't we?" asked Yukari.
"It's not the same one from before!" Fuuka's voice replied.
"Then there's another one still here, two like last time," said Mukuro, standing herself up straight and taking a few breaths.
"Hang on!" Yukari took out her Evoker, summoning Io. The fatigue and soreness the group was feeling soon faded in the green light they were briefly bathed in.
"Thanks, but this still leaves the question where the hell it could be! I don't see it anywhere!" said Akihiko.
Mukuro looked around, the room seemed otherwise completely empty. The bed, the vanity, the door leading to a bathroom, a large mirror in one of the corners...
Mukuro felt her heart skip a beat as her gaze passed over the last one that she slowly began to approach it, feeling an odd, warm feeling build up inside her as she drew closer.
"Hey! Mukuro! What's going on?" Natsumi asked from behind, followed by Yukari and Akihiko.
"Mukuro, is there something up with this mirror?" Akihiko asked, confused.
"Something..." Mukuro's voice was barely a whisper as she stared at it. She barely had time to notice the absence of any of their reflections and instead a ghostly shape hovering within as she felt herself suddenly get engulfed in a soothing light...
"In this huge sky I wanna spread my wings and fly," Mukuro sang softly to herself as she showered, running her fingers through her dark hair and letting the lather from the shampoo slide down her lithe form. "...Towards the free sky without any sadness. I wanna flap my wings..."
The hot water massaged her smooth skin, it felt so pleasant, her mind free of any troublesome thoughts as she ran soap along her nude body.
The girl blinked, as if something important came to mind but she couldn't remember what as she let the hot water rinse her off before she turned the knob and stepped out, taking a pink towel from the nearby rack and wiping away the fog from the mirror.
She flinched as she thought she saw a strange, ghostly face behind her, no, more like a floating mask of some sort, but it was gone before she could give it a second thought. Mukuro tilted her head, wrapping the towel around herself and grabbing the hand towel to dry off her hair and brush it out. She was glad she'd chosen a short and easy to maintain style.
The teen folded her arms, looking at her fair features, her slender form that was free of any bruise or scar, before looking at the door leading out of the bathroom, a smile spreading on her face as she opened it and stepped into the darkened hotel room, not noticing the light from the bathroom had gone out as her gaze was fixed on Akihiko, who sat on the plush, heart-shaped bed with his combat gear off of his clothing but otherwise still dressed, looking at her in awe.
The boy stood, his eyes taking in Mukuro's form, the towel wrapped around her being the only thing covering her as she slowly approached, till they were inches apart.
"Embrace your desire..." a strange, distorted voice almost... like her own yet somehow off, echoed within Mukuro's mind as her gray-blue eyes gazed into Akihiko's hazel ones as he slowly brought a hand up and caressed her smooth cheek with his finger. Mukuro's own hand slowly rose, clasping his as she felt her heart race.
"No one ever liked you before..."
Mukuro's hands slowly slid down towards where her towel was fastened, preparing to slide it apart.
"He already likes you. You need only consummate..."
"Mukuro..." Akihiko whispered, his hands withdrawing as well as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. She could feel his breath on her face...
Mukuro's own breathing grew more rapid as she felt her own hands now helping him, before bringing his over to her towel to part it.
No... not like this...! spoke a different voice, more her own, within her mind as she felt butterflies in her stomach and Akihiko slowly undoing the towel, the two of them staring into one-another's eyes lost in lustful desire.
"He's yours, now. You need only take him..." the other, less human voice urged.
"Wh-What am I... doing...?" Mukuro heard herself say out loud in a weak, soft voice, yet unable to stop herself as she drew closer to Akihiko, raising her arms to drape them behind his neck. She felt the towel open, her body pressed sensually against his, the tingling of arousal and pleasure filling her being as she slowly closed her eyes taking in the warm sensation of his skin against her own, their lips drawing closer... closer...
"...Do it. Finally, you can experience what you've desired..." the voice echoed, Mukuro's eyes snapped open as she looked in a large mirror behind Akihiko, her eyes having changed from their gray-blue to a luminescent pink as the ghostly red mask-like face watched from behind her, the smile on her face one of pure, eager lust.
"NO!" Mukuro suddenly snatched Akihiko's Evoker from his thigh holster and shoved him away, her hands instinctively pulling her towel together again and her face flushing red with embarrassment as she staggered back, flinging the Evoker at the mirror with all her strength and shattering it. Akihiko tumbled backward, falling back on top of the bed as Mukuro felt her mind suddenly and swiftly clear itself, as though she were catapulting awake from a dream.
"...Mukuro?" Akihiko asked, confused, then looking back at the broken mirror and back at Mukuro, shocked at what he saw. "...Wh-Where are your clothes?!"
Mukuro's eyes flickered down, feeling herself blush even more as she clenched her towel tighter. "I-I... I don't know!" she squeaked, glancing back at the bathroom and hoping they'd be in there.
Akihiko looked down at himself as he stood up, realizing his gear was off and his shirt was now unbuttoned and feeling oddly sweaty for some reason. "What the hell? I remember looking at that weird mirror after beating the Hierophant, then..."
The boy's eyes went wide. "Oh, God... it really happened, then," he shuddered. "...Mukuro, I'm so sorry... I don't know why I was doing any of that. It was like... a memory from a dream or something that I wasn't even deciding."
Mukuro closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down, Akihiko looked as lost and confused as she felt. She remembered what had happened, what had nearly happened, and even worse wanting to have it happen. Seconds ago, she was ready to give herself to him, and Akihiko was ready to take it from her.
Shock and confusion was replaced by anger on the boy's face as he rebuttoned his shirt and geared back up. "The Shadow... it's got to be the other Shadow. It must've messed with our heads, somehow. That'd explain how it got all those couples," he said. "...Thanks for getting us outta that jam."
Mukuro nodded. "I...I-I should... g-get dressed!" she stammered, blushing a deep red again and retreating back into the bathroom.
"Hello? Hello? Are you there? Sanada-senpai? Mukuro?" Fuuka's voice suddenly spoke within their minds. "I've got a reading on them now!" she said, presumably to Junpei and Mitsuru. "Senpai! Mukuro! Can you two hear me?"
"I do," said Akihiko. "Mukuro, can you hear Fuuka's voice?"
"I-I can, yes!" Mukuro squeaked out, struggling inside the bathroom to get herself dressed.
"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner!" Fuuka explained. "...The Shadow was interfering with your thoughts, so I couldn't reach you!"
"We... figured that part out already," Akihiko said, going over to the broken mirror then picking up his thrown Evoker and holstering it again.
"It looks like you two got teleported away as well, the group's gotten separated somehow!" Fuuka replied as Mukuro emerged, fully dressed minus her gear and still blushing.
"Can you sense where the Shadow is? It looks like we're somewhere else in the hotel, now," Mukuro said, looking around.
"Yes, it's still in the same room as before," Fuuka explained. "Find the others so you can regroup and head back there!"
"Yes, just... give me a moment," Mukuro said, taking a deep breath to try and will the blush on her face away.
"Um... did something happen?" Fuuka's voice asked, concerned.
"N-Nothing, it's fine," Mukuro said, feeling the red return again, Akihiko even blushing a little as well.
"Yeah, nothing to... worry about, we're good," said Akihiko, taking in a deep breath of his own. "Let's go look for the others!"
Mukuro could feel an anger start to boil in her as she geared up before the two of them left the room to look around. That Shadow, it'd teased her, played with her thoughts, tried to tempt her with Akihiko, making him part of its goal to... she made a mental note as they stepped outside once they found the others and tracked the thing down she'd make it pay.
"...Alright, where are we?" Akihiko asked, looking around as he and Mukuro now stood in the hallways once more.
"We just need to find the suite on the third floor again, right?" asked Mukuro.
"There's a problem, actually," Fuuka answered. "Some kind of barrier's gone up, you won't be able to reach it."
"I'll try and find a way to break the barrier," Fuuka replied. "Oh! I'm sensing Yukari-chan and Kuzuryu on the second floor, now! Find them and reconvene!"
"Got it," said Mukuro as she and Akihiko made their way down the halls and found a set of stairs leading up.
"Guess we were on the first floor," said Akihiko. "Takeba and Kuzuryu are probably looking for us, too."
Ascending the stairs, the two soon heard two female voices down the hall getting closer.
"...And how about we don't mention this to anyone, got it?" Yukari's voice asked sharply.
"No shit! Soon as we get back I'm gonna-" Natsumi's voice answered as the two girls appeared from around the corner and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Mukuro and Akihiko.
"Oh... there you are!" the blonde said with a nervous smile.
"Yeah, we didn't expect another one to be here, for sure," Akihiko replied. "At least it looks like you two came about alright."
"In more ways then one," Natsumi grumbled under her breath, Yukari promptly clamping her hand over the blonde's mouth, laughing nervously.
"Yeah, um, hey... did anything... eh... weird happen on your end?" she asked abruptly, blushing.
"No!" Mukuro and Akihiko replied at the same time.
"Great, us neither!" Yukari said with a nervous laugh and a slightly forced big grin, glancing back at an equally blushing Natsumi who nodded quickly in affirmation.
"Nothing at all! Anyways, where's that damn Shadow? I have some pent-up frustrations to take out on it!" the latter hissed, clenching her katana and gritting her teeth.
"Still on the third floor, but apparently it's set up a barrier of some kind to prevent us from reaching it," said Mukuro. "...Have you found any way to get through, Fuuka?"
"I'm searching!" Fuuka replied. "...Oh! I get it! It's in the mirrors!"
"Then that thing I saw behind me in the mirror back when I was..." Mukuro stopped herself quickly. "...That must've been the Shadow!'
"Yes, the readings from the mirrors of the guest rooms seem to be resonating with the Shadow! You having broken one earlier must've have weakened its hold and allowed me to get through to you!"
"Where are the others?" asked Akihiko.
"Room 205 and 204!" Fuuka responded.
"Any other Shadows?" Mukuro asked.
"None, just the big one!" said Fuuka.
Mukuro nodded. "Understood."
"Think we should split up and take them both out?" Yukari offered.
"Hell no! After last time?!" Natsumi protested.
"You've got a point, let's stick together, there's no telling what the Shadow might pull if we separate again," Akihiko replied. "Judging by those signs, the two rooms should be right around that other corner!"
Leading the way, Mukuro and the others reached one of the doors, which opened to her surprise, possibly the Dark Hour having disabled electronic lock systems but it did make things easier. Within was a room similar to the one she and Akihiko had found themselves in, complete with similar furnishings.
"Hey, check it out!" Natsumi chuckled, pointing at the two coffins emitting a red light stacked on top of one another under the bedcovers.
"Guess this one was occupied before the Dark Hour hit," Yukari sighed.
Mukuro approached the large mirror, framed with gold trim and hearts decorating each corner. Studying it a moment, Mukuro didn't see anything out of the ordinary about it or her reflection.
"Getting any readings from this, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked, approaching.
"No, I think the signal must have come from the neighboring room! Go check it out next!" Fuuka replied.
Nodding, Mukuro lead the others to the next room, this one empty other then its furnishings and approaching the next mirror, though right away, Mukuro could see something was wrong with it.
"Hey! Our reflections are missing!" Yukari gasped.
The young soldier's brow furrowed with suspicion, as she recalled the one from the suite the Shadow was supposed to be in had been missing their reflections as well before it enthralled them and nearly made her and Akihiko...
Without another word, Mukuro slammed her combat machete against the mirror, a bright flash came right as it cracked and shattered apart.
"Huh?! What was that? Does this mean the barrier's broken?" Yukari asked.
"It seems to still be intact!" Fuuka said. "Wait, you can reach the third floor, now, but the seal preventing you from reaching where the Shadow's lurking is still on the door itself."
"So we just gotta find another mirror to break and we can kick its ass, right?" Natsumi asked.
"According to my readings, yes! There's a signal coming from one of the other rooms on the third floor!" Fuuka replied.
"Can you tell which one?" Mukuro asked.
"...N-No, I can't! There's too much interference from the Shadow on that floor!" Fuuka replied. "You'll need to check the rooms for one that doesn't have a reflection... I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Fuuka. We'll take care of it!" Akihiko assured her. "Let's move!"
Heading upstairs, Mukuro lead the charge, making a note of the suite as the group passed it as to where they'd head back as soon as they were able to break the barrier. The first few yielded no results as all the mirrors bear their reflections. The next one, however...
"Holy shit!" Natsumi burst out laughing as she pointed at the three coffins stacked and sandwiched together on the large bed with the bottom one facing the opposite way.
"What in the world?!" Yukari stammered at the sight, wide-eyed.
"Wanna help me rearrange 'em for a little prank?" the blonde asked the other girl with a devious grin.
"For gods sake, Kuzuryu!" Yukari sighed in disgust before looking over at the others. "...Mukuro, this rooms got more then one mirror, any of them different?"
"This one!" Mukuro shouted, beckoning the others over and indeed the mirror did not show any of their reflections in it. "Destroying this should break the barrier, right?" she asked.
"I think so! Give it a try!" Fuuka replied.
With a swing of her combat machete, Mukuro shattered the mirror, causing it to emit a flash as it crumbled apart.
"The barrier's down! You can access the room where the Shadow is, now!" Fuuka shouted.
"Then all that's left is to go face the Shadow!" said Akihiko.
"'Bout time! Let's go and say hi!" Natsumi grinned.
Returning to the hallways, the group made their way to the double-doors leading into the suite where they'd encountered the Hierophant earlier. Mukuro paused, looking back at the others, gesturing if they were ready, getting nods in affirmation.
"Preparing to engage," Mukuro said to Fuuka as she brought her leg back and kicked open the doors, both flying open and the group rushing in.
The room looked as it did before, but now everything was bathed in a red light.
"So, it was you!" Yukari hissed, her bow ready as she glared at the entity leering down at them.
Hovering in the air before them where the Hierophant had once been waiting was the being Mukuro had gotten a glimpse of in the mirrors while under its thrall, but it had now become fully physical and, by extension, visible. Its body was a large glass casing shaped like a heart emitting the red light that illuminated the room, with gold framing around it resembling a bondage harness with heart symbols on the strap running down its middle. On the glass casing's upper slopes the harness ended in tall sharp spikes, viscous red fluid that seemed to fill it leaked from its sides forming crude wings and dripped down its base that ended in a spiky barbed tip, a Mars and Venus symbol could be seen drifting and spinning together inside, and at the top in its center was a domed head with a crimson mask, the very mask Mukuro immediately recognized had watched her earlier when it was in its more ghostly state.
"This one must represent the "Lovers" arcana!" Fuuka explained. "It's the true source of all the problems, here!"
The young soldier could immediately feel her own anger rising, the mere thought of the way this THING had toyed with her feelings, used Akihiko to try and tempt her, she wanted nothing more then to destroy this creature here and now. "You'll pay for this!" she snarled, brandishing her machete.
"ARACHNE! SLAUGHTER THIS THING!" Natsumi used her free hand to fire her Evoker, summoning her Persona as it lunged forward swishing its needle-shaped blade, striking the Shadow repeatedly.
"My turn!" Akihiko shouted. "POLYDEUCES!" His Persona fired a blast of lightning, striking the enemy head on.
Mukuro let out an enraged growl as she dashed forward, leaping into the air and bringing down her machete, slashing the enemy across its masked face and down its chest before retreating back, noting it seemed to be slumping already.
"Alright, no holding-wha?!" Yukari gasped.
The Lovers let out a gurgling sound as it recoiled back, bringing its winglike extensions in front of itself as a bright light engulfed it, the wounds fading and its luster returning.
"THE FUCK?! THAT'S CHEATING!" Natsumi protested indignantly.
"We just gotta hit it harder then it can heal! PERSONA!" Polydeuces manifested above Akihiko, a red light engulfing the group.
"IO!" A green light did the same from Yukari's Persona. The enemy beginning to glow as flames gathered in front of it...
"ARACHNE!" Natsumi's Persona struck the enemy with a debilitating aura to weaken its defenses.
Mukuro's brow furrowed, a Persona coming to mind. "MATADOR!"
The skeletal bullfighter Persona emerged with a pull of her Evoker's trigger, before delivering a strike at the enemy.
The Lovers shrieked, before unleashing a brutal wave of fire at the group, knocking them to the ground, Mukuro the only one standing as her selected Persona's innate resistance protected her as she glared back at the enemy, she could feel a power growing within her again as she pulled the trigger once more.
Blue flames surrounded Mukuro as Orpheus and Asperas, an icy feminine Persona in a white gown she'd cycled through in her previous Velvet Room visit appeared before her together and danced about, emitting a sparkling blue and green aura of light that surrounded the others, their burns and bruises fading and feeling their strength return.
"Please hit!" Yukari prayed as she rolled across the floor, turning to fire an arrow at the Shadow and managing to strike it in the face. The Shadow recoiled.
"That's all ya got?!" Akihiko asked, standing with a smirk as he summoned Polydeuces once more, the Persona enhanced by the spells cast earlier delivering a stronger blast of lightning at the enemy.
The Lovers cried out, but it did not appear worse for wear yet, it turned its attention to Mukuro briefly, the girl quickly pointing her machete as she prepared to attack again as a bolt of pink energy gathered, aiming for her... only to suddenly turn and fire it at...
"NATSUMI!"
The blonde stood, dazed, then chuckling to herself as she turned and looked at the others, her eyes now glowing a luminescent pink and an expression on her face that looked to be a cross of madness and arousal to match.
"Kuzuryu! Kuzuryu! Oh no! She's being controlled by the Lovers! This must be its power!" Fuuka warned.
The girl brandished her katana and rushed at Yukari, swinging wildly as the girl attempted to dodge and parry with her bow.
"Kuzuryu! Stop!" Yukari cried out as she tried to keep her back, Akihiko rushed forward, tackling Natsumi to the ground and pulling her into an armlock to try and restrain her while the Shadow already planning its next target as the energy built up once more...
Instead of firing a pink energy bolt, the energy exploded, filling the room with a strange, pink, very pleasant-smelling mist.
"This mist... my readings... be careful! It's affecting your senses somehow!" Fuuka cried out.
Mukuro could feel odd sensations in her body as she struggled to keep focused as she tried to keep her attention on the Shadow. If she could just kill this thing hopefully Natsumi would snap out of it or she could otherwise prevent it from getting anyone else...
Images of Akihiko and that moment in the room filled her mind, causing her to pause, feelings of unbridled arousal like before blooming inside her again...
"Uggghhh!" Mukuro collapsed to her knees before slowly pressing her thighs together, slapping herself quickly to try and keep her head clear and overcome the Lovers' attempts to neutralize her by making her feel things she shouldn't be right now.
Even the others were starting to feel it as well, Yukari's legs beginning to shake as she brought her hand to her forehead, Akihiko's grip starting to lessen on Natsumi, who was now struggling to crawl out from under him and reclaim her fallen weapon to harm one or the other as the pink gleam emitted from her eyes.
"I need to..." Mukuro moaned, before toppling backward, writhing on the floor.
"My friends... no! I won't let you!" Fuuka's voice echoed with a gasp. "My theurgy! I think can use it! Hold on!" A ghostly projection of her Persona appearing before them with Fuuka inside as she prayed, refreshing energy splashing across them like water.
Yukari's thoughts immediately cleared up first, willing herself to her feet and her previous anger resurfacing that she could feel a familiar energy spike in herself. "Mine, too! IO!"
A mighty gust of wind formed around her like a cyclone, sucking away and dissolving the mists and clearing up the room as Yukari rose into the air, Io's power channeling through her arrow as she struck the Shadow.
The Lovers' glass casing cracked as the arrow pierced it, crimson fluid leaking out like syrup as it struggled to right itself while Mukuro stood up, as did Natsumi and Akihiko.
...Just in time for the Shadow to fire a pink energy bolt at the latter, sending him toppling to the floor.
"Akihiko!" Mukuro cried out, seeing the boy rise up, she felt her heart sink as she noted a pink glow in his eyes and a maniacal sneer spread on his face as he pumped his fists together as he now stood between Mukuro and the Shadow, facing the former. "...Akihiko..." the young soldier uttered softly, unable to raise her weapon now as she stared at him, before the boy charged at her with a feral snarl, fist drawn.
Mukuro staggered back, parrying and dodging his attacks. It was upsetting to see him like this, she knew he wasn't himself, under this thing's control, and she didn't want to hurt him. Even with her skills, his moves were unnaturally fast, far more so then normal, enhanced by the Lovers' power.
"Akihiko, please!" she cried out, grabbing his fist with one hand and trying to push back, only to get socked in the gut by his other, causing her to cough violently.
"Senpai! Don't!" Yukari screamed, about to summon her Persona only to suddenly get struck from behind by a blast of flame by the Lovers.
"Takeba! Okay, THAT does it!" Natsumi shouted, her own sanity restored by Fuuka's spell as she brought up her Evoker. "I'm gonna make you bleed! ARACHNE!"
Natsumi's Persona rose once more and went on the attack against the enemy, Akihiko had watched pitilessly with glowing pink eyes as Mukuro collapsed, coughing, and lifted her off the ground.
"Natsumi can't take that thing alone, Mukuro! Mukuro! Fight back, Mukuro! You have to!" Fuuka's voice pleaded.
The young soldier could see it in the enthralled boy's eyes; the Lovers was still alive, engaged against Natsumi and now Yukari as they struggled to keep its attention diverted, much as Mukuro didn't want to, lingering thoughts of their date to Hagekure, the fight against the gang after, the discomfort she felt from what he'd seen of the version of her that lived for battle, how he... made her feel after when he'd been kind rather then judge... but if she didn't do something Akihiko would kill her.
Gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut, Mukuro brought her leg up, kicking Akihiko hard in the chest, causing him to cry out as her foot struck him and sending him flying back and tumbling across the ground with a pained grunt, coughing. Mukuro slowly stood, nursing her bruises as the Lovers regarded her, then Akihiko as he stood again, the Shadow let out a low, guttural chuckle as a heart-shaped mass of energy formed in front of it, exploding in a burst. Akihiko cried out in pain, clutching his chest as he fell to his knees.
"AKIHIKO!" Mukuro screamed out, eyes wide with horror as she watched him fall, rushing to him.
"MUKURO, NO!" Yukari cried out as she saw the Lovers charging another attack, Mukuro stopping dead in her tracks as a pink energy bolt struck the floor in front of her feet, missing her by barely an inch.
The young soldier let out a deep, startled breath as Yukari brought forth Io once more, blue energy shimmering around Akihiko and he began to stir.
Mukuro's eyes flickered from his prone form to the Lovers, gritting her teeth hard with pure hatred in her eyes for this thing as she noted the damaged casing and sprung into the air, knocking it to the ground and stabbing and bashing her machete at the hole Yukari's arrow from earlier had pierced it again and again in a vicious frenzy, causing more to break away on its other end and it bled out even further.
The Lovers gurgled and struggled about in the air, eventually shaking Mukuro off and its winglike formations stretched longer like fingers, draining itself more as it stood itself up balanced on them like a gooey spider, now.
It let out a guttural shriek as the remaining fluid in its broken casing began to bubble and boil brightly and violently, pink gas spilling from the cracks and hole as Mukuro pulled herself away.
"Oh no! Its... it's gonna explode! Brace yourselves!" Fuuka cried out.
"NOT A CHANCE!"
Mukuro looked just in time to see Akihiko leap up to the high ceiling, Polydeuces with him as lightning crackled around them before Akihiko launched himself downward, slamming his glowing, gloved fist into the Shadow's back from behind in an burst of electrical energy worthy of a mighty thunderstorm, his momentum sending it crashing to the floor and shattering what remained of its body apart and its limbs melting into sludge, its mask-like face letting out an anguished moan as its remains slowly dissolved into black smoke and ash, dissipating away shortly after.
"Its signal's gone! Shadow defeated!" Fuuka cheered. "Quick thinking, Sanada-senpai!"
"Well done, team!" Mitsuru's voice commended.
"Heh... not bad, I guess," Junpei's voice said.
"Regroup with us back outside. We'll be waiting," Mitsuru added.
"I'm gonna need to down a shake once I get back to the dorm, for sure!" Akihiko chuckled, before looking over at Mukuro. "You alright, Mukuro?"
The young soldier nodded silently, blushing lightly.
"Consider it a little payback for that night at the strip mall!" he said with a playful smirk. "Guess I got my wish, after all, huh?"
Mukuro blushed more, holding her right bicep with her left hand and looking away a little. "...I suppose so, yes," she said softly.
"I'm... sorry about, back there," the boy said, now averting his eyes as well.
"It wasn't your fault, Senpai," replied Mukuro. "I'm just... glad you're alright, now."
"Likewise," Akihiko smiled, before looking at the others. "How about you two? You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, just glad that oversized jar of menstrual fluid's gone after all it did!" Natsumi grumbled, sheathing her katana and tossing back her hair. "...Pisses me off that thing got in my head like that!"
"Hey, it wasn't just you, and I feel a lot better myself with that thing getting what it deserved!" Yukari grumbled.
"All things considered, great work all around," said Akihiko. "Anyway, we should probably head back outside, now. Not a lot of time left in the Dark Hour and it's gonna look bad a bunch of students in a place like this!"
As the others immediately headed for the door, Mukuro felt Akihiko place a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look back at him.
"Hey, you're all red in the face," he chuckled.
"I am? Oh..." Mukuro closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to get back to her normal fair complexion.
"You hesitated back there," said Akihiko.
Mukuro blinked. "...You remember?"
"It was like my body was acting on its own, or like something made me want to. I could've hurt you." the boy said.
"I didn't want to hurt you. I was... afraid I might, that time," Mukuro replied softly.
"Don't pause like that if you don't have a different solution. There's bound to be other Shadows that can do stuff like that, too, alright?" Akihiko asked. "Don't want you getting hurt..."
Mukuro's eyes met his, wide and curious what he'd say next.
"...Mitsuru and I may be what you might call senior members, but you're our leader, you know? I'd feel worse if something happened because you were afraid to act from a trick like that," he said.
Mukuro's shoulders slumped, a small frown came to her face as she felt an embarrassed blush form on her face.
"...I'll keep that in mind," she said, turning to leave on her own.
Akihiko stood where he was a moment and watched her leave. A sigh escaped, accompanied with a facepalm.
...If Shinji were here for this he'd call me dumbass right now! he thought to himself bitterly as he followed. If only a good apology were easier rather then harder...
"I'm so glad you're all safe!" Fuuka smiled as Mukuro, Yukari, Natsumi, and Akihiko emerged from the hotel's walled entrance to where she, Mitsuru, and Junpei waited.
"Yes, excellent work, you four. The enemy was clever, but you came out on top!" said Mitsuru.
"Tch! Of course I did!" Natsumi said with a grin. "...Takeba on the other hand..."
"HEY! Remember what we agreed?!" Yukari snapped indignantly, red-faced.
"...Right," Natsumi replied, turning red as well. "...Yeah, we thrashed that damn thing. Both of 'em! No sweat!"
"Yeah, good thing I volunteered, too!" Yukari said with a nod. "That thing tried to separate us and keep us at bay however it could, but we all remained calm and overcame it."
Mukuro nodded, folding her arms. "Yeah... it was... hard to think straight, with how it tried to subdue us."
"But you came through regardless, Mukuro," said Akihiko. "Setbacks aside, you've recognized yourself as our leader regardless, keep up the good work."
Mukuro nodded softly as she looked away, feeling another blush coming that she took a deep breath to subside it. Her flustered feelings she felt at the moment from the earlier conversation aside, the team had done well and they'd quashed another grave threat, the ordeal that Pharos had warned her of. She had something, at least, to feel good about.
The sound of glass shattering echoed within the recesses of her mind...
"Well, I think we can call it a night," Mitsuru said. "Lets head back to the dorm, the Dark Hour will be over, soon."
"Dibs on the girls' floor shower!" Natsumi said abruptly.
As Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Natsumi turned to leave, Mukuro paused as she noticed Junpei looked like he had something on his mind troubling him. "Junpei? Is something wrong?"
The other boy sighed. "...It's nothin'."
"Mad you sat this one out?" Yukari asked.
"Said it's nothin'!" Junpei said with a hint of sharpness and hope that neither would press further.
"Um," Fuuka stammered a little, trying find a way to break the awkward silence till an idea came to mind. "Oh! Yukari-chan!"
Yukari cocked her head in curiosity. "Hm?"
"Um, about that thing you mentioned the other day?" Fuuka asked, a little cautiously and hushed as she came closer.
Yukari's eyes went wide. "You found something?"
"..I did, yes," Fuuka whispered.
Yukari glanced at the other two, Junpei lost in his thoughts and Mukuro looking curious but taking a step back to give them space. "...You can tell me about it later, okay?" She looked over at the others with a smile. "Alright! We should head back, too!"
Mukuro nodded in agreement, Junpei looked rooted in place as he glanced up at the sky, frowning.
"Junpei, you coming?" Yukari asked. "Fuuka played a big role in this one again! Seems like the second-years are really putting in the work!"
"Looks like you all really shined out there, especially you, Mukuro," Junpei said, looking back at the dark-haired girl. His tone wasn't angry or bitter, from what she could tell, but rather... dejected.
"You sure this isn't about not being in the field this time?" she asked.
"...It's whatever, I guess," Junpei muttered.
"Don't tell me you're jealous someone else got the attention," Yukari scoffed.
"Shut up!" Junpei grumbled, storming off after the others who'd already left on his own.
"What's his problem?" Yukari sighed, shaking her head and following, though still deciding on giving Junpei some distance until he cooled down, Fuuka following as well.
Mukuro glanced up at the moon, the sickly green light still illuminating the cityscape. She glanced in the direction of the others, flustered about how Akihiko made her feel, concerned for Junpei... whatever was bothering him, but still... relieved they'd accomplished their mission. With any luck Apathy Syndrome victims would recover and there'd be fewer victims for a while, and they'd soon be able to venture further into Tartarus again and get closer to solving the mystery behind its existence as well.
A yawn escaped the girl, reminding her that her body was coming back down after an especially intense mission that'd been both physically and mentally taxing and followed the others, deciding she'd go straight to bed once they got back.
She paused as she thought she heard something behind her and turned sharply around, nothing was there. Looking back at her teammates, her friends, Mukuro went into a light jog after them to catch up.
From above on the neighboring rooftop across from the hotel, her unknown observer clapped in approval as he watched her leave with the others.
"That was faster then expected!" the gaunt, deathly-pale, topless young man with long stringy white hair declared as his applause slowed to a halt, putting one hand at his side and the other over the revolver slipped in his belt, his yellow gaze following Mukuro and her teammates retreating forms as they disappeared from sight.
"Hm," the red-haired girl in the flowing white dress and ruffled bonnet muttered, glancing back at him.
"...Quite a show, I must admit. They've been rather busy these last few months, haven't they?" the topless man inquired, looking at her. "...And it seems they've gained some new recruits, too! Their fighting style is most fascinating! Not to mention they've even made several forays into the tower!"
The pale young man brought his hand to his stubbled chin pensively, smirking. "...Still, it's been a while since we've seen remarkable skill like that, hasn't it?" he asked.
The red-haired girl flinched, but said nothing. The topless man chuckled lightly, putting aside his musings as he looked over at his other companion, a young man with short side-parted dark hair and orange-tinted glasses wearing an altered green bomber jacket and black cargos, holding a silver briefcase.
"...Well, Jin? Are they our enemy?"
The other young man, Jin, shrugged. "How 'bout we go ask our "buddy"? Gonna be seein' him real soon!"
"Ahh, yes, an excellent idea!" the topless man replied. "...Considering he shares our fate, it would be prudent to seek his opinion!"
A despondent frown crept on his face as he looked away a moment back at the street below.
"...After all, we don't have much time left..."
A/N: Decided to drop another chapter in and complete the next big boss fight! And in February it seemed appropriate given the Full Moon Shadow they fought. Hope you all enjoyed reading!
0 - The Fool - SEES: Rank 4
I - The Magician - Junpei Iori: Rank 6
II - The Priestess - Fuuka Yamagishi: Rank 1
IV - The Emperor - Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Rank 3
V - The Hierophant - Bookstore Owners: Rank 4
VI - The Lovers - Yukari Takeba: Rank 3
VII - The Chariot - Aoi Asahina: Rank 4
IX - The Hermit - "MARY": Rank 4
XI - Strength - Miu Iruma: Rank 1
XII - The Hanged Man - Seiko Kimura: Rank 4
XIII - Death - Pharos: Rank 1
XIV - Temperance - Sonia Nevermind: Rank 2
XV - The Devil - President Tanaka: Rank 2
XVI - The Tower - Natsumi Kuzuryu: Rank 4
XVII - The Star - Akihiko Sanada: Rank 1
Mukuro's Personas: Zouchouten, Sandman, Rakshasa, Hua Po, High Pixie, Take-Mikazuchi, Principality, Matador, Leanan Sidhe, Shiisaa