Persona 5: Daywatch

Friday, 22 April 2016
After School
Kamoshida's Castle

Akira came to a stop in the open doors of the throne room. Girl's bust pillars spaced around the lower level, gloomy shadows underneath enhancing the quiet. Lewd at best depictions of female anatomy decorated the hall. Rose petals scattered over the floor, but no sign of the grey or gold-clad guards interrupted the unsettling silence, even at the throne on its step-style dias near the stairs up to the treasure room. "Normally I'd be glad to see an easy entry, but where'd all the soldiers go?"

Morgana switched his grip on his crossbow. "The soldiers could've been assigned across the castle when the real Kamoshida saw the calling card. Either way, the Treasure is still our goal."

Hackles still raised, he held his position outside. "I don't trust an empty throne room. Let's take the high route."

Ryuji hopped up the nearby statue, then swore. "Hey, it's barred!"

Akira checked his sub-machine gun and led the column of thieves, sneaking along the shadowed edges of the throne room. Sub-machine gun up, he raced up the stairs to the open doors and braced behind his weapon until Morgana finished unlocking both sets of doors to the treasury vault. Plans for a calm and swift exit shriveled up when he laid eyes on a giant crown resting on the gold vase.

Morgana stared, eyes dilating and limbs going still. Even his tail hung motionless in the air.

Ryuji gawked at the massive, sparkling gold crown. "How the hell are we supposed to get this huge thing out?"

Ann looked over it with clear wonder. "I wasn't expecting something this… pretty." She crossed her arms, lips taking a bitter curl. "Isn't this supposed to be Kamoshida's desires? It should be black and ugly."

Akira shrugged, stepping over the gold-strewn floor to try to figure out a good place to lift from. "Could be his self-styled representation. I bet if I had a palace and treasure, I'd want it to look nice."

Morgana's hands opened and his crossbow slipped with a clink to the gold piled over the floor, its bayonet digging into a pile. His jaw drifted open and a feline moan began.

Akira rushed to the doorframe, looking through the open vault doors to the decorative ones leading to the throne room. "You idiot! Keep it down!"

Morgana hopped up onto the side of the huge crown, grabbing on and rubbing his face on it.

Sharing a glance with Akira, Ryuji scrambled up to grab him, then threw the cat-person to the floor with a clinking of gold koban coins.

"Ow!" Morgana pushed himself to his feet, eyes flashing to the three humans before falling to the floor. He kicked at a pile of kobans. "Forgive me for such an unseemly display, my lady."

Ann just gave him a raised eyebrow. "That was… completely weird. Usually you and Joker are both so cautious."

Morgana and Akira both snorted, then looked at the other.

Morgana fidgeted with his hands, eyes still on the floor. "It… it just came over me. I had no idea human desires would have such an affect." He straightened, face an impassive mask. "Anyways, you guys need to carry it."

Ryuji snapped, "What about you?"

Keeping his finger out of the trigger well, Akira waved the sub-machine gun at Morgana. "Reaper, look at him. He has a big head. And little arms. I don't think you thought this through."

Ryuji kicked at coins underfoot, sending a large scatter clattering around. "Still, I figured there'd be some elaborate trap and villainous gloating."

"Jinx," Akira said with a grin.

Ryuji's face fell into a cold stare. "Shut up, asshole."

Akira knelt down to pick up a koban. "That reminds me, did you guys keep the stuff you picked up the other day? I didn't remember doing it, but when I took off my school jacket in the real world, I found a couple of these coins."

Ryuji's eyes popped wide open and he almost dropped his shotgun. "This stuff is real?" Slinging the firearm, he grabbed fistfuls and shoved them in his pockets, then grabbed for Akira's pocket to continue, "Here, you help haul out stuff."

The runner released one handful and tried for another by the time Akira dodged away. "I am not a pack mule."

Ann snapped, "Would you two focus on the Treasure we came here for?"

Ryuji dropped the big handful. "Fine. It ain't like this is a perfect opportunity. And ain't we thieves, anyway?"

"I am not a thief!" Akira snarled. Stowing his sub-machine gun, he took position at the crown and counted to three before they lifted it.

"Wow, this thing's heavy."

"Not as much as a real gold thing this size would be," Akira said, picking his footing over piles of gold koban coins. "Good thing I don't have scoliosis."

Ryuji's eyes disappeared up behind his mask. "What?"

"Abnormal curvature of the spine," Akira explained as they passed through the vault doors. "It results in weakness and muscle pain and tends to get worse with age. It's one of the more common conditions chiropractors have to treat."

Morgana opened the doors, crossbow resting over his shoulder as he followed them out into the throne room. "What a successful mission, a treasure and three Persona users to boot. I scored the jackpot with this investigation. Muahaha!"

The team just passed the raised throne when the eerie false-Ann clapped from the balcony above. "Go! Go! Go Kamoshida!"

Ann snarled. "I'm gonna kill that little bitch."

"She's not real," Akira reminded, pulling the huge Treasure toward the doors out. "She's a cognition in Kamoshida's mind."

"I'm gonna kill that cognitive bitch," she amended.

Kamoshida's Shadow leaped out, spiking a volleyball into the crown, knocking it clattering to the ground. Soaring through the air, he landed at the throne and reached one arm out. The crown shrank down to the size of an ordinary, wearable accessory and flew to his outstretched hand. The cognitive facsimile of Ann dashed down the stairs from the balcony to him, clutching his arm between her voluminous breasts and baring the hot pink speedo.

Akira fell to his knees, hands slapping over his face. "Oh God, my eyes!"

Kamoshida shot him a hooded glare and for a moment it looked like his eyes glowed from within. "You'll die first." He tossed up his Treasure, catching it with a vicious smirk spreading over his face. "Nobody takes what is mine."

Akira stood, back to serious at the flick of a switch. "I have to ask… why's your treasure a crown when you're already wearing a crown? Why do you need two?"

Kamoshida growled, his glare intensifying.

Ryuji braced behind his shotgun. "So, you layin' in wait?"

"Yeah," Akira drew his sub-machine gun. "It makes me nervous when a pervert springs an ambush."

Kamoshida spat at the floor. "Don't flatter your own importance. I just arranged for easy disposal of garbage."

Ann's face twisted in anger. "You sick bastard." She pointed her pistol at the micro-bikini-clad Ann draping herself over his arm. "Is that how you see all girls?"

Giving an exaggerated sigh, Kamoshida shook his head. "Of course you would fail to understand." He wrapped his arm around the cognitive Ann, fondling her breast. "Some people understand that a little sacrifice on her part meant not only could she benefit, but so could that obsessive player she clung on to make her empty life feel like it meant something."

Her leather-clad hands clenched in fists. "You sick piece of shit. Shiho was my friend. My best friend. And you knew what you were doing was wrong. You kept it a secret for years."

Kamoshida tossed the crown up, shaking his head. "It was the people around me who kept it a secret. The students who wanted to get ahead in life. The adults who longed to bask in my accomplishments." Catching the crown, he threw his arms wide. "There's nothing wrong with using my gifts for my gain. I'm just letting them profit as well."

Ryuji bared his teeth. "Bastard. You think you're above everyone else?"

"I am above everyone else, in this world and yours. What I don't need are imbeciles who stumble around screwing up everyone else because they can't understand the simplest things. Like that girl who tried to kill herself."

Akira's grip on his gun trembled, face twisting in rage. "Suzui was not an idiot, and she wasn't just some girl! She was the only girl at Shujin with strength and kindness!"

Ann dropped into a firing posture of her own. "And none of us need your permission to live our lives. You don't stand above us, you slither below us."

Eyes aglow with gold, Shadow Kamoshida snarled, "I am Kamoshida!" Darkness poured off it like black fog, swirling around him.

Akira roared in hate, spraying a burst into the transforming beast.

Kamoshida's silhouette distended, puffing out and stretching up higher and higher. The darkness broke with unnatural suddenness, revealing a towering, leathery-skinned monstrosity with bulging eyes and a protruding belly. Four arms held out from its sides and a tongue longer than a train car hung from his mouth, holding off the ground more like a monkey's prehensile tail than dangling piece of drooling flesh. "I do whatever the hell I want."

Akira fought down the urge to vomit when a single eye diverted from Ann to him. "Even in the freest world, the freedom of your actions ends when it curtails others' lives!"

Kamoshida slashed a three-meter-long gold knife down.

Akira dove for the side, shouting, "Berith!"

Blue ebbed above him, coalescing into a grey-plated horseman on a rusty-brown mare. It braced its spear and galloped at Kamoshida's Shadow.

As soon as Captain Kidd formed, it raised its canon-bearing arm and sent howling winds at the Shadow.

Carmen stood straight, her frilly dress flapping around her, and tensed her hands as if shaping and etching clay. A glowing blue ball grew between her hands.

Kamoshida stabbed a two-pronged gold fork down at Kidd, who surfed out of the way.

Berith stabbed the Shadow's leg, dodged the rod and fork, then wheeled around to retreat from the assault by the weapons in the four-armed monstrosity's hands.

Zorro flew up, stabbed Kamoshida in between the protruding ribs on its misshapen body.

The Shadow slashed it with its enormous knife, knocking Zorro into the balcony's railing and Morgana stumbling backwards.

Kamoshida snapped the rod in his lower hand to the ground. Something opened behind him, and six emaciated boys locked in full iron helms scrambled up on all fours, pulling carts of volleyballs. As soon as they took position beside the Shadow, they reached in and began hurling volleyballs.

Despite their comical look, the impacts struck Berith like sledgehammers. Akira flinched several times and stumbled under the assault until he unsummoned it. "Andras!"

Carmen hurled her huge ice ball, detonating against Kamoshida and freezing one of the chained boys in a thick crust of frost.

The remaining prisoner-boys shifted target to Captain Kidd, surfing high in the air around Kamoshida.

Ryuji grit his teeth. "Damn, man, that actually hurts."

Morgana came alongside Ryuji and loosed a crossbow bolt at one of the cognitive boys. "Leave those to me." His and Zorro's eyes blazed with blue-white. Wispy tendrils of the same sprang up around many of the volleyballs, most of them arcing away from Kidd and Carmen while others turned all the way into Kamoshida.

Carmen's ball of ice soared into the formation next to Kamoshida, exploding with a burst of icy fog and leaving two of the demon's emaciated henchmen frozen. The four-armed beast snarled and swung its three-meter knife, its movements slower and less precise but still strong.

Agathion wriggled its fingers, floating safely out of the giant demon's reach, and lightning lanced into Kamoshida.

Zorro swiped its rapier, deflecting another volleyball from the iron-helmed minions as it used its telekinesis to deflect most of the rest headed at the team's Personas.

Morgana ran, sliding to a stop near Akira. "Joker! We don't have the brute force to overpower him."

Akira snarled and lifted his sub-machine gun for another quick burst. "If violence isn't solving our problems, we're not using enough of it."

Morgana sighed. "The Treasure must be strengthening the Shadow, Joker. We have to get it away from him. If we can't steal the treasure, all our efforts are useless."

Akira reached out a hand, calling back Agathion. He spared a growl at his short compatriot. "Then you go get it. Pillar of Heaven!"

Kidd floated past the churning swirl of darkness and fire like a surfer, the swift ease of motion drawing a pang of jealousy in Akira. Refocusing on the demon, he glared at the bulging eye locked onto him like a chameleon's twitching sensor and shot a bolt of fire into it.

Kamoshida snarled and he reared back, the putrescent purple tongue winding up. Akira turned and ran for all he was worth to keep out of its swipe, the other Personas scattering either for height or distance.

The dripping tongue slammed down. Kidd dodged above it, but Carmen and Pillar both couldn't move out of the way in time.

Ann and Akira tumbled to the ground with the force of the blow against their Personas.

Gritting his teeth, Akira shoved himself back up and sent out another pulse of darkness. The blow sent a small twitch through Kamoshida's arm.

Growling, the transformed Shadow glared with one eye.

Pillar sent another pulse of darkness into the malformed demon, then a second and third.

Kamoshida swiped his giant knife through Pillar and Akira fell to his knee with a grunt of pain, hand clutching his side.

Pillar shot another blast of fire into Kamoshida's face, drawing a growl.

Kamoshida lifted his enormous burgundy glass. Wine sloshed around the terrified cognitive Ann as she struggled to cling to the glass, tipping over and pouring into the Shadow's gaping maw.

Kidd shot another concentrated pulse of wind at it, continuing circling.

Morgana leapt out from upper balcony, knocking against the crown, but instead of flying off, slimy black tendrils underneath pulled it back onto his head. Morgana cringed back, grabbed one of the demon's horns to steady himself.

Morgana's eyes glowed and Zorro telekinetically pulled at the crown, exposing the tendrils reaching from the crown to bury into the Shadow's head.

Carmen sent a bolt of ice at the tendrils.

Pillar blasted a pulse of fire into Kamoshida's face, splitting its attention from the struggle on its head.

Morgana jumped and swung his crossbow, its long bayonet severing the tendrils and sending the crown crashing and shrinking off to the side.

Kamoshida screamed and thrashed wildly, knocking Morgana away. Darkness blasted like high-pressure steam from its mouth and every scratch.

Pillar sent another bolt of darkness at the Shadow, joined by a blast of exploding ice from Carmen, freezing the remaining minions and winding the shrinking demon Kamoshida.

Collapsing his crossbow, Morgana dashed after the man-sized crown as Zorro hurled one of the frozen slaves into the Shadow.

At last reduced to his human – if still towering – size, Kamoshida dove for the crown, kicking Morgana out of the way. A bullet pinged against the ground, centimeters from him, and the Shadow dashed for the balcony but stopped in the doorway.

Akira took aim. "What's wrong? Can't handle the last thing you pushed Suzui into?" He gave a feral grin. "No, that's too good for you." Lining up the sights, he glanced down at the action locked forward, the magazine empty. He snarled.

Breathing heavy, Kamoshida spun left, then right.

Ann advanced, pistol raised. "What's wrong? Isn't the great athlete going to run?"

Kamoshida took a shaky step closer to the balcony, clutching the crown like a drowning man a life-saver. "You're just like all the others, forcing their expectations… all their needs on me. This is all for them! Why shouldn't I be rewarded?"

Akira lowered his gun, moving Pillar closer. It pulsed with churning flames, his face grim.

Kamoshida cowered behind an upraised hand, "No, please…"

Carmen shot an ice bolt, smashing one of the double-doors and encrusting part of the balcony.

Ann's lips bared teeth. "How many people begged you the same way? Did Kiriko-senpai scream for mercy when you did it to her? Did Shiho?"

Kamoshida trembled, glanced out at the balcony, cringed, then looked back in. His knees knocked.

Ann took another step closer, pistol steady despite the tears of anger forming at the corners of her eyes. "Shiho saw the same view. I bet she was terrified, but she didn't have anywhere to turn."

Pillar loomed behind Akira and he crossed his arms. Fire and darkness churned, eager to be released. "So what's it gonna be, bastard? Jump? Or do we finish you off here and now?"

Kamoshida looked down at the crown in his hands and blubbered. "Everything's over when you lose!" He slid to his knees, shaking hands losing their grip and letting the crown roll out over the tiled floor. After at least a minute of messy tears, he took in a shuddering breath and sat back on his heels. "Do what you want. You won that right."

Morgana reached for the crown.

Akira's teeth ground together. Pillar pulsed, its bottom swirling out wider, darkness reaching out.

Ann flicked out her arm, fingers spread. Those five slender, gloved digits were all it took to stop him. A vicious snarl flickered over his face, but when his eyes slid to her, all his energy fled. Shiho may have infatuated him, but she was Ann's best friend for years.

Kamoshida's eyes dropped and his shoulders slumped. "Just… finish me off. End it all."

Ann's fists curled, the leather straining, her teeth grinding. After tense seconds, she let out a primal scream. Carmen hurled an ice ball.

Akira's heart jumped in his chest.

The ball struck the balcony and exploded. Shards of stone flew and a part-frost-encrusted Kamoshida tumbled back into the throne room.

Ann sucked in a deep breath, her teeth clenched. "A brain-dead shit-head can't confess his crimes."

Kamoshida gathered himself back onto his knees, looking up at her through teary eyes. "What would I do now?"

Ann lowered her pistol. "Atone for your sins. Every. Last. One."

Kamoshida bowed until his forehead touched the floor. After a moment, Akira could've sworn he saw the pattern of tiles below through the bowing Shadow's body.

Akira opened his mouth to ask Morgana if Kamoshida was supposed to turn translucent when a tremor shot through the castle.

Morgana's eyes snapped wide. "The Palace is crumbling! Let's get out of here!"

Friday, 22 April 2016
Shujin, Front Gates

"The destination has been deleted. Thank you for your hard work." Akira's phone said, the alley around them hemming in the sound and making the soft voice seem louder.

Ann sucked in a breath, pressing a hand against her side. "Holy shit. And I thought fighting that demonic Kamoshida was bad."

Akira coughed once, then spat blood at the dirty alley pavement.

Ann's eyes widened. "You're bleeding."

Jaw shifting, Akira flinched in pain. "I must've bit my tongue. It's nothing."

Ryuji pushed up from bracing against his knees, holding his weight off his left leg. "What did that nav thing mean?" He brought up his own smart phone. His eyes widened. "Dudes, the bookmark is gone!"

Ann sat against one of the air conditioning units. "The… the Palace is totally gone?"

Morgana stepped out from behind Ryuji, a smirk clear despite the gold medal held in his mouth. He hopped up next to Ann and set it down. "Heh heh."

Ann stared down at it. "What about the crown?"

Morgana sat. "This was the root, or perhaps seed, of Kamoshida's distorted desires. To him, the medal is worth as much as that giant crown in the Palace."

Ryuji's lips curled in disgust. "An Olympic medal. Figures that perv couldn't let go of his past glory."

Ann glanced at Akira, then to their shape-changed guide. "Does that mean his heart changed?"

Ryuji stood straight. "Wait, if we got his medal here…"

Morgana shook his head. "This is a manifestation of his cognition. Kamoshida's real Olympic gold is still wherever he keeps it." He prodded the medal with a paw. "I guess in a twisted way, I can understand one part of his desire. Once you've gotten an Olympic gold, what way is there to go but down?"

Ann let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god, at least we won't be arrested as thieves. Does this mean his heart changed?"

Morgana's confidence flagged. "It… should."

Ryuji disassembled his shotgun and hid its sections in his school bag. "Should ain't good enough when I've got an expulsion comin' up in less than two weeks."

Morgana stood, tail twitching in agitation. "I can't give you answers when I don't have them. It's not like I've got a dozen toppled Palaces under my belt. This was my first success." The tail lowered. "But the whole castle collapsed. That must have been a lot of suppressed weight pressing down on him."

Ryuji glanced at Akira. "Hey, since when are you the quiet one? Don't you wanna know too?"

Morgana sighed. "We'll just have to be patient." He narrowed his eyes at Akira. "Now stop looking gloomy. Kamoshida's Shadow said he's returning to his self in reality. Even if he was scum, maybe he regained his conscience." He took in a steady breath. "Whatever happens to Kamoshida, we definitely saved a lot of people."

Ann struggled to make a smile. "Yeah." She looked over the alley at Akira. "What about you? You haven't said a word since the throne room."

"It's time to go." Akira turned and limped off at a speed as close to a power-walk as he could manage.

Morgana sighed. "I'll go keep an eye on him. You two rest up."

"Make sure he goes to that doctor," Ann called after them.

Friday, 22 April 2016
Evening
Inokashira Park

Akira pumped his arms, racing over the paved path. Every limb ached and stabbing pains lanced through his torso, but not enough to drive away a dozen voices haunting his mind.

"There's no way a nice girl like that would be caught dead with Kamoshida," he remembered saying.

"You better not," Ann snapped at him days ago. "Kamoshida's harsh enough when he doesn't think we're 'distracted'."

Akira dodged around a clump of three strolling pedestrians, his hip protesting at the change in momentum.

Shiho's voice sounded in his mind's ear, "Not at all, I think it's a very good goal to work towards. It's something good for society and good for you."

"We're best friends, have been since middle school. She works so hard and I can't… I can't mess up something she loves."

Akira's heart pounded, and his limbs felt like lead.

"Try not to worry about the things people say," Shiho told him.

"Don't be so nosy," Ann snapped.

Despite his efforts, Akira's jog slowed and the light-headed sensation failed to take away his pain.

"Just make sure not to screw things up for Shiho."

"It's okay, Ann. I think he does mean well."

Heaving breaths and stumbling, Akira returned to Yongen. Once there, the feeling of sweat-salt crusting his exercise shirt diverted him to the baths across from Leblanc. Even as he sat back in the hot water, it felt like crushing weight pressed down.