6/8
Mukuro paused at the gates of Gekkoukan High as she heard Junpei call her name from behind.
"Hey, sup?" he asked. "You left a bit early, Mitsuru-senpai wanted me to pass somethin' on to ya!"
"Oh?" Mukuro was admittedly curious after Mitsuru had been out all of yesterday.
"Well, she wants us gathering in the faculty office during lunch," Junpei explained. "We're 'sposed to ask about Fuuka Yamagishi... but asking Mr. Ekoda for an explanation sounds like a real pain in the ass!"
"If he knows anything, maybe it's worth our while," Mukuro offered.
"But missin' lunch over it?" Junpei asked indignantly. "...This is so lame, especially after our adventure out by the station the other night!"
"I trust you're better now? Took a pretty bad hit from what I could tell," replied Mukuro.
"Yeah, I'm fine, now. Good thing we had Sunday off," said Junpei with a small but reassuring smile. "Still, it was pretty satisfyin' watchin' you kick those guys asses!"
Mukuro smiled back. "Sixteen or not, I am a trained soldier-for-hire, Junpei."
The boy chuckled. "True that, I'll make it up to ya for havin' me and Yuka-tan's backs once we tackle this mission we got ahead'a us!"
It was Mukuro's turn to chuckle a little. "I'll hold you to it," she said as she clasped her school bag in her hands and headed to the doors, Junpei alongside her for another day of classes.
The door to the faculty office slid open as Mukuro stepped in, followed by Yukari and Junpei as they found Mitsuru waiting for them. The third-year wasn't alone, however, nor was she even talking to the teacher Mukuro knew to be Mr. Ekoda, who'd commented on her during introductions at school and had taught Classic Literature.
The latter, Yukari noticed, was instead consoling a tanned, redhead student she recognized as one of the bullies from the other week when Fuuka disappeared. Gone was any of the arrogance she last saw her with and instead the girl was curled into a sitting fetal position as she wept in front of the teacher, trembling and terrified.
"Kirijo? What's going on, here?" Yukari asked, surprised.
"I decided to come here personally for this," Mitsuru explained before glancing over at the seated teacher, who was still trying to calm the frightened redhead girl down. "...Mr. Ekoda, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi."
The mention of the name got an immediate, unexpected response from the redhead, whose eyes suddenly went wide in horror as she recoiled in her seat.
"N-NO!" she screamed, her face pale and her eyes bearing dark circles and wet from tears, it was evident she'd gotten little to no sleep in the past several days, by Mukuro's observation. "Please...! I-I... swear, I never thought it'd turn out like this!" The girl dug her fingers in her hair, on the verge of crying again. "Fuuka... my god, I'm so sorry!"
"I remember you... your name's Natsuki Moriyama, right? You're in class 2-E as well," Yukari said as approached cautiously. It was clear none of this was faked, the girl's remorse was entirely genuine, as was how terrified she looked. Mitsuru, however, was far less sympathetic as she gave the redhead a stern glare.
"What do you mean? What did you do to Yamagishi?" she asked sharply, only for Mr. Ekoda to raise his hand in objection.
"Hold on, Kirijo-kun, this is not an interrogation. Stop scaring her," he ordered before turning his attention back to the girl seated before him. "...Moriyama, you don't need to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea."
The girl, Natsuki Moriyama shook her head frantically. "Fuuka, she... she always looked so f-frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time," she said, her voice trembling along with her body as she struggled to speak despite her anxiety. "It's when I r-realized, she may be a model student but deep down she's just like us... and because of that, I always knew exactly what buttons to push, see if I could get her to cry, too."
She let out an anxious whimper, tears welling up in her eyes again. "...W-We were... j-just messing with her that day, too, on May 29th... then we got this idea where we took Fuuka to the gym at the end of the day, and locked the door from the outside."
"Wait, what?!" Junpei gasped, before his shock turned to disgusted anger. "...You trapped her inside?!"
"That's incredibly cruel. Why would you go that far?" Mukuro asked sharply, folding her arms and glaring at the other girl in disdain.
"Kuzuryu overheard us, she made some off-handed comment and it gave us the idea," Moriyama muttered softly, cowering under the young soldier's gaze.
"So she knows about all of this, too?" Mukuro asked, her tone getting more dangerous and wondering if she'd have to track her down as well.
"No! She had nothing to do with this!" Moriyama countered quickly. "...She didn't take us seriously at all, said if she were gonna break someone she'd lock them in a closet like solitary confinement, but she's never serious about that stuff anyway... so we thought we could prove we weren't all talk if we... did that."
The redhead girl looked down at her lap, ashamed. "...W-We suspected Fuuka was also afraid of the dark, so we figured it'd really get to her, too..."
"...I overheard you and that other girl, Maki, talking about it," Yukari frowned in disgust, folding her arms as well. "How could you think that was okay to do?!"
Moriyama shook her head frantically. "We realized that!" she cried. "That's why that night, Maki got really worried what we did might actually make Fuuka commit suicide, so she went back to the school by herself... but sh-she never came back..."
"...And then the next morning Maki was found laying outside the front gate," Mukuro said, finishing for her, getting a nod from Moriyama in response.
"...I-I hurried to the gym, so I could let Fuuka out, but the door was still locked," she explained. "So... I opened it and she was gone! Me and my other friends... w-we all freaked out! It would have been impossible for her to get out on her own and no one's seen her so she couldn't have been let out, either!" The girl broke into barely contained sobs. "Starting that night we all went out looking for her... but every night, one of us didn't come back, and then they all ended up just like Maki did!"
Mitsuru scowled as Moriyama finally broke down completely, though her attention was not on her, but the teacher. "...Mr. Ekoda, all this time you reported Yamagishi's absence as due to "illness", but the truth of the matter was she went missing and it's clear to me you had to have known this!"
Mitsuru took a step forward, her glare deadly, now. "Explain yourself!"
The man flinched at the third-year's tone. "I-I was thinking of the students, of course!" he protested indignantly. "You children may not understand, but we have to consider the future of everyone affected!"
Mitsuru, however, did not appear swayed at all. Rather, the teacher's excuse only angered her further. "...So you chose not to report a missing child for "the good of the class", and not because you didn't want the police involved?"
"It... it was in her best interest!" Mr. Ekoda pleaded. "I wouldn't want her records stained because of this disappearance!" he explained. "H-Her parents agreed!"
Mukuro's brow furrowed in suspicion. "...You're lying," she said. "This wasn't about her, you just didn't want all of this to affect you, right? Did you also know Fuuka was getting bullied?"
"N-No! Of course not!" Ekoda protested, but his tone was unconvincing as he wilted from Mukuro's iron stare. He knew the military school rumors about her, but the look she gave him was more like that of a seasoned killer.
"Mr. Ekoda, like my fellow student, I'm finding that hard to believe," Mitsuru said sharply as she approached, past Mukuro and over him, her teeth grit as she spoke. "What I have reason to suspect now, is that to protect your career you ignored your responsibilities as a teacher. Despicable!" she snapped, clenching her fist. "You may go, now. We'll handle the rest."
"W-Wait!" the teacher begged frantically. "You don't have the-!"
"I'm Student President, and Miss Ikusaba here is on Student Council as well, so we are within right to investigate and consult on matters concerning students' well-being," Mitsuru explained matter-of-factly before giving him an icy gaze. "...Don't worry, this won't be the last you'll be hearing of this."
Once Mr. Ekoda had left, Mitsuru took a seat in his empty chair, leaning in as Moriyama struggled to calm down. "I have one more question, Moriyama," she said, her tone now much calmer and more empathetic. "...It's regarding your friends, did you notice anything unusual about them before they went missing? Anything at all?"
Taking a few breaths and wiping away her tears, Moriyama gave a slow nod. "Y-Yeah... a voice," she said, her breath growing more rapid as though she were growing fearful of something. "...A really creepy voice... first it was Maki... w-we thought Kuzuryu was messing with us because she was there when Maki first heard it, but it wasn't," she explained. "Maki assumed she was hearing things, then, but... it didn't stop with her, even after what happened to her, then it was all the others, all of them mentioned it right before they'd go missing and end up like Maki did."
"What did it say?" asked Mukuro. "Did they tell you?"
Moriyama nodded. "...Every time, first with Maki, said the voice was whispering to them, that it was calling their name."
"It's the same as how Natsumi described her behavior when I spoke to her the other day," Mukuro said. "...Her story checks out."
Yukari's eyes went wide with realization. "Senpai," she gasped. "...You think it's... could it be...?"
Mitsuru nodded as she looked back at the group. "...Yes, it's clear now it's definitely them. No doubt about it," she said. "...Up until now we've never been able to predict who exactly would become aware during the Dark Hour. This voice must be the key... meaning it doesn't just happen randomly, rather, they're actually drawn in. They are indeed targeting humans... Shadows are very much the enemy of mankind."
"What do we do with her, though?" Mukuro asked, glancing down at Moriyama, who had begun to weep again, quietly muttering apologies to Fuuka to herself.
"With it being a full moon, we'll keep her at the dorm for tonight. It should be the safest place," Mitsuru explained, rising from her seat and looking back down at the still seated Moriyama. "...Moriyama, listen... if you hear a voice like the one your friends described, you tell me, and do not leave your room no matter what happens. If you can handle that, you should be fine, understood?"
"But... what about Fuuka... w-what happened to her?!" Moriyama whimpered, trembling as she looked up at her anxiously.
"For now, don't worry about her, just go and wait for me at the dormitory I stay at as soon as classes are over and do not leave, got it? We'll take care of things soon as we get back." Mitsuru rose from her seat. "Ikusaba, Iori, Takeba, we'll meet after school in the student council room to discuss tonight's plans. We're going to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi... if my guess is right, she's still inside this school. Till then, all of you return to class."
Mukuro cocked a brow at Mitsuru's words, but did not question, suspecting the older girl would explain later. "Understood," she said, turning to leave, followed by Yukari and Junpei.
Once they'd gotten into the hall, Mukuro paused, feeling like she was being watched for a moment.
"Hey! You comin', Mukuro? Lunch is gonna be over soon and I wanna eat!" Junpei called out.
Glancing back one last time at the sound of retreating footsteps, Mukuro then turned and looked back at him and Yukari and followed them back.
"Good, everyone's here," Mitsuru announced once everyone had arrived in the now otherwise empty student council room. "...Tonight we will be infiltrating the campus. Our objective is to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi."
"Uhh... I ain't gettin' it," Junpei said, scratching the back of his head. "...Are you sayin' Yamagishi is actually inside the school somewhere?"
"...And why are we doing this at night, anyway?" Yukari asked. "At midnight the place turns into..."
"I think I get it," Mukuro said, folding her arms as she looked over at Mitsuru. "...Fuuka was inside the gym the whole evening, and the school transformed into Tartarus during the Dark Hour while she was still in it, correct?"
"That's exactly it," Mitsuru said with a nod. "...And considering where she was, as soon as the Dark Hour came, Fuuka was spirited away into somewhere inside the labyrinth itself rather then the bottom floor."
"...Meaning she's inside Tartarus itself," replied Mukuro.
"Yup, and the labyrinth itself is constantly rearranging itself as well," Akihiko mused. "...She'd have gotten lost in no time."
Yukari's eyes went wide. "Wait a sec! You're saying she's been trapped in there ever since she got locked in the gym?"
"That was ten days ago!" said Junpei, frowning. "...No matter how ya look at it, if she's been in there that long, then sorry, but... there's no way she could still be alive, now!"
"I wouldn't lose hope just yet," Akihiko said, giving a reassuring smile. "Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour at midnight, so where does it go the rest of the day?"
"Who can say," Mukuro mused, bringing her hand over her chin in curiosity of the question. "Does it just... cease to exist? There are consistent things inside including the teleporters, so it has to end up somewhere."
"Maybe it's more a matter of time moves differently inside it," Akihiko offered. "It's only a theory, but I think it's possible. What I mean is, what's been ten days for us or those outside Tartarus, may be only about ten hours for her... so there's still a chance she's alive."
"Wow, ya think so?" Junpei asked, his spirits rising at the thought, but only momentarily as a different thought crossed his mind. "Wait, hang on, but isn't the Dark Hour pretty brutal, though? Even on us?"
"True, even then ten hours straight is a lot of time, even we aren't doing them all at once," said Yukari. "...Then there's the fact we won't exactly know where she is. As you said, being in the gym means she wouldn't just be at the entrance."
"So you're saying we should just abandon her then?!" Akihiko snapped, anger swiftly taking hold and his fist striking the nearby wall.
"Akihiko's right," Mukuro said. "My time in Fenrir taught me that despite the... probabilities not being in her favor, we at least need to assume she's still alive and a rescue is still possible until confirmed otherwise."
"Exactly!" said Akihiko. "As for finding her, I have an idea: We enter Tartarus the same way she did, by going into the gym to the place she was locked in and wait there until midnight. It'll be the quickest way to hopefully get near where she likely is."
"Is that really gonna work, though?" asked Yukari.
"In all honesty, I can't say I fully agree with this," Mitsuru objected. "If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus as well..."
"Well I'm not just gonna stand here and do nothing if there's even a chance she can be saved!" Akihiko replied, scowling. "If something happens that we could have stopped I'd never forgive myself!"
Mukuro looked over at him curiously, there seemed to be more to it then simply rescuing Fuuka, she felt, though it wasn't her business nor something to ask about here. Giving an affirming nod, she approached and stood by his side. "...I stand by my own point as well. I'll come with you, Akihiko."
"Thanks, Mukuro," Akihiko said with a grateful smile. "...How about the rest of you? You all with us or we gonna just do this ourselves?"
"Alright," Mitsuru said with a nod. "I'll admit you're not wrong. Even if it's risky, you have a point... we can't just leave her trapped there."
"We really won't know until we try," Yukari agreed.
"Guess we're sneakin' into school, then!" Junpei joked, "...If that's the case, I got just the thing!" he said, flexing his arm in anticipation.
"Once it's evening, we'll gather at the control room back at the dorm and get in touch with the chairman," Mitsuru explained. "...And then, we'll meet back up at the school before midnight, preferably by about 11:30," Mitsuru said. "We'll have a small window of opportunity to get inside and make it to the gym and then be ready."
"Good idea," Mukuro nodded. "Just point me where you need me."
"I will, soldier," Mitsuru said with a small smirk. "...Then it's settled. Furthermore, with it being a full moon, we'll need to be ready for any perils if it's like the last two."
As the group dispersed from the student council room, Mukuro paused again as she entered the hallway, feeling like she wasn't quite alone as the others left.
"What's up?"
Mukuro turned and saw Natsumi Kuzuryu emerge around the corner, sipping a drink from a thermos in her hand.
"Nothing, why?" Mukuro asked.
"No reason, other then I saw you go in the faculty lounge after Mr. Ekoda took Moriyama there after she had a total freak-out in class during lunch today," the blonde said, eyeing Mukuro with suspicion. "...She was on edge all day, first her friends, now her... pretty weird, huh, considering the whole ghost story and all... feel like sharing anything?"
"She's the one who locked Fuuka Yamagishi in the gym," Mukuro said. "Apparently she overheard you say something about doing so?"
Natsumi raised a brow. "I'm not culpable in any way. I didn't tell them to do that, and what they do is no business of mine to get into, anyway," she said flatly. "...But regarding that, you think the guilt's getting to her? Still doesn't answer one question... what happened to Yamagishi? No one's seen her for days."
"Mr. Ekoda says she's been staying home due to illness," Mukuro replied. "I'd think you of all people would have heard that from him."
"True," Natsumi said, taking another sip of her drink. "...Funny, though, then why have Moriyama and her friends been having this happen? Doesn't sound like they were the ones who let her out, though... if anyone. If Yamagishi were alright, I'd think they'd have forgotten about it by now, as if they know something..." The blonde gave a devious sneer as she looked at her. "...I suppose as that foreign show Edogawa loves to quote says, "The truth is out there", right? One way or another I'll find out what's going on!"
Mukuro wasn't sure what the other girl meant by that as Natsumi screwed the lid back on her thermos and placed it back in her bag as she turned and went the other direction, Mukuro herself deciding to head back to the dormitory. As Mitsuru and the strange boy had noted, a full moon would be tonight, chances were this mission would have more to it then just finding Fuuka...
Evening had fallen as SEES gathered at the control room of the dormitory's top floor. Weapons ready, arm-bands clipped on, the group was ready to go, save for one unexpected snag...
"...I can't seem to get ahold of the chairman," Mitsuru sighed as she turned away from the control console.
"Well that's not a big deal, right?" Yukari asked.
"There is one issue, without the chairman, I'm not sure how we're going to get inside the school," Mitsuru explained.
"No need to worry, I got it all set!" Junpei said with a smirk.
"All set?" Mitsuru asked, eyes widening with concern. "You... mean, an explosive?!"
"That could lead to a lot of questions tomorrow," Mukuro said, folding her arms.
"We really haven't much time if we wanna get there before the Dark Hour, though," Akihiko remarked.
"Whoa, all I did was just kinda... unlock a door before I left," Junpei uttered, blushing. "Seriously, where the heck would I even get an explosive?!"
"I don't know, you tell me," Mitsuru said dryly. "...Anyway, we may as well get going then, if the matter's been resolved."
"Agreed, good work, Junpei," Mukuro said with a small smile.
"Heh, thanks!" Junpei blushed sheepishly. "Alrighty, well if that's settled, let's do this!"
As the group reached the school, Mukuro noted how every light was out, no sign of life anywhere save for the sound of night time wildlife that made their homes in the trees and foliage surrounding Gekkoukan and within its gates. Fortunately, the full moon's light helped illuminate the evening, even if only a little, and Mukuro's own experiences in Fenrir had allowed her to adjust to the dark more quickly then the others as Junpei lead the group towards the door he'd tampered with earlier.
"...Let's see if your plan worked," said Mitsuru, stepping forward and testing the door's lock, finding it giving no resistance as it swung open with ease. "Très bien!"
"See? No problem! I... am a genius!" Junpei declared proudly.
"Is that really something to brag about?" Yukari asked, unimpressed.
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" replied Junpei.
"It did, we just need to find the gym, now, right?" asked Mukuro.
"Yeah, but it's likely locked as well, we should find a place to get ourselves ready," said Akihiko. "Your classroom should work, right?"
"That's reasonable," Mukuro said with a nod.
"...Tray Ben?" Junpei muttered to himself as he looked over at Mukuro. "Any idea what that means? Lousy third-years and their French..."
Mukuro shrugged. "...I've heard it before in Fenrir, but never thought to ask," she said, earning a disappointed sigh from Junpei as they and Yukari followed Mitsuru and Akihiko to their classroom.
"Can we please turn on the lights, at least?" Yukari asked, if a little anxiously, once the five of them had reached their destination, Akihiko closing the doors behind them.
Junpei smirked knowingly. "Awwww, scared, Yuka-tan?"
"N-NO! Of course not!" Yukari protested, blushing in embarrassment. "I just... can't see in here, Stupei!"
"Hey, that was uncalled for!"
"And implying I'm scared of the dark wasn't?"
"Enough, you two!" Akihiko cut in sharply. "Honestly, it's best we left them off so we don't get caught, not that we could switch them on, actually, they cut the power off at night anyway to save on energy costs."
"I... don't really like sneaking around," Yukari uttered softly.
Mukuro folded her arms and turned her attention to Mitsuru. "So, now what's the next step?"
"Like Akihiko said, we'll need a key to the gym," Mitsuru explained. "It should be either in the faculty office or the janitor's room. The three of you can check the faculty office, and Akihiko and I will go and check the janitor's room. After that, we'll meet in the main hallway on the first floor, understood?"
Mukuro nodded. "Understood."
"The faculty office, huh?" Junpei mused. "Ooh! Let's see if we can find some test questions while we're at it!"
"Much as my own grades could use some work, aren't midterms already over, though?" Mukuro asked, cocking a brow at him.
"...Way to ruin my excitement," Junpei sighed, slumping a bit.
"In that case, maybe I should check the faculty office, too! Sounds kinda interesting!" Akihiko offered with a smirk.
"Aside from the fact any unscrupulous act under my supervision will be severely punished?" Mitsuru warned in a dangerous tone with an equally dangerous gaze to go with it. "Is that how you'd like to end your evening, all of you?"
Mukuro felt a pang of guilt in her stomach, Mitsuru certainly did give the sort of natural air of authority worthy of a commanding officer of Fenrir when she wanted to. "I... doubt there'd be anything since like I said, midterms just ended," she uttered.
"I was just joking!" Junpei laughed nervously, wilting under Mitsuru's venomous death-glare. "...Heh, besides like Mukuro was sayin', there probably ain't anythin' worthwhile anyway!"
"And all I meant was there's a higher chance of finding a key, there!" Akihiko insisted.
"I'll leave nothing to chance! Iori, you're coming with me, now" Mitsuru stated sharply. "Takeba, you come with us. Akihiko, Ikusaba, don't make me regret sending you two to investigate the faculty office. If I have any notion you're seeking out and acquire anything other then the key we're looking for, I promise execution! Understand?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Akihiko stammered, wide-eyed a moment while the others left to go find the janitor's room. "Well, Mukuro, guess it's you and me, huh?" he asked, Mukuro noticed in the dark he seemed to be averting his eyes from her a little.
"...It would seem so," the dark-haired girl nodded, feeling a redness forming in her pale cheeks.
"Well... better not waste time!" said Akihiko, leading the way with Mukuro following close behind. No sooner had the two of them made it to the stairs, however, that a shrill scream echoed down from the other end of the hallway, causing both to pause, Mukuro promptly slipping out her combat machete and taking a fighting stance as she faced the darkened hall they'd come down.
"S-Sorry!" Yukari's voice called from the other end of the hall amidst the sounds of Junpei's laughter. "My phone... it just went off and startled m-would you SHUT UP ALREADY, Stupei?!" she protested indignantly, though it only made him laugh harder.
Mukuro and Akihiko let out relieved sighs as Mukuro sheathed her weapon again.
"I hope Mitsuru can handle those two, they're like an old married couple, I swear," Akihiko chuckled. "C'mon, let's hurry."
Unfortunately, no sooner had the two made it downstairs when another obstacle presented itself. The front door to the school clicked, and began to slide open as Mukuro and Akihiko hastily ducked behind a column together.
"The night guard," Akihiko whispered, peering around the corner as the flashlight panned around the main area as its owner did a loop around before heading back outside. "...Heh, talk about lucky. If we got caught we'd at least be expelled! I mean, sneaking around the faculty offices at this hour?" he laughed a little, turning back at Mukuro and pausing, noting how close together the two of them were from their hasty hiding effort.
A minute felt incredibly long as the two stared silently at eachother in the darkness, neither certain if they should address the compromising position they'd ended up in first.
Even in the dark, the moonlight their only illumination from the high windows, Mukuro was... Akihiko buried those thoughts as she looked at him with curious eyes.
Her intrigued blink as she stared back only added to it. Her chest rising and falling with her soft breaths as all the professionalism she'd carried on the way in was momentarily gone.
The sight of the clock on the wall thankfully, he deemed, restored his focus. "...C'mon, the faculty office is right near here, and we got lucky but he might come back..."
Mukuro sighed, shaking her head as her own head cleared, and she felt the blush fade from her face and her heartbeat return to normal. Part of her mentally cursed at her stoicism as a soldier breaking like that, yet another part, she couldn't help but feel disappointed the moment was over.
She shook her head to further clear her thoughts as she stood and followed Akihiko.
We're on a mission, Mukuro. No time for what might be a...
The young soldier hoped Akihiko didn't hear her slap her own forehead.
He can have any girl, literally ANY girl he wants. One that's soft, gentle, not scary or with a history like mine, why would he settle for...
"Here we are!" Akihiko got her attention, sliding the door to the faculty office open and leading her inside the darkened room and to a pegboard on the wall where various keys were hung, Mukuro following him inside shaking her past thoughts out of her head to help search.
"Did you find the key?" Mitsuru asked as she turned and saw Akihiko and Mukuro returning to the main hallway where they'd had their close call with the security guard.
"Yup, piece of cake!" Akihiko said with a smirk, jingling the key in his hand.
"Very good, we'll be dividing into teams again, now," Mitsuru explained. "Three of you will enter Tartarus through the gym, hopefully bringing you close to where Yamagishi may be, one will remain outside with me so we'll be able to enter the bottom floor lobby of the tower once it appears. Once inside, I'll attempt to pinpoint her position and guide you to her."
"I'll partake in the retrieval," Mukuro said, stepping forward.
"I'm going in, too," Akihiko said, stepping up alongside her. "Ikusaba can take the lead as usual."
"I'll take third, then," Yukari offered.
"Wait a second, Yuka-tan!" Junpei interrupted anxiously. "Remember how I accidentally screwed up with the monorail? Gimme a chance to make up for that!"
"C'mon, how long ago was that? I think we're over it, now," Yukari said, folding her arms and cocking her head at him. "Besides, it can't always be about you, and you didn't "accidentally" screw up!"
"Alright, Junpei, we'll give you another shot," Akihiko said with a smile. "We're going with a fast retrieval so a strong offense is what we want to plow our way through anything that we run into. You'll do better providing support for Mitsuru in case any other problems come up. Settled?"
"Fine," Yukari sighed.
"...And with that, all the teams are set!" Akihiko declared.
"Thanks, man!" Junpei grinned. "I won't let'cha down!"
"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Yukari.
"What's wrong, Takeba? You got a problem staying with Mitsuru?" asked Akihiko.
"Uh... n-no! It's okay!" Yukari replied hastily.
"...In that case, let's get into position already! It's almost time!" Mitsuru ordered, paying Yukari's anxiety no mind. "...Ikusaba, Iori, Akihiko, head to the gym. Yukari, come with me. The Dark Hour will be upon us soon..."
Natsuki Moriyama shivered in terror as she sat quietly on the bed of an unused dorm room as she saw everything suddenly become bathed in an unnatural darkness, a sickly green glow from outside providing the only light in the room that made it appear decayed.
"My god..." The girl hugged herself, whimpering as she looked around in alarm. "W-What is this...?"
She began to hyperventilate, gripped in terror as her gaze fell upon the eerie full moon outside, tears welling up in her eyes "...Guess I'm alone, after all," she uttered, defeated and broken.
The thought of how she'd laughed when Fuuka panicked at the doors being locked, it filled her with a nauseous self-loathing beyond anything she'd ever experienced before. This terror she was feeling, she could feel it in her gut, those horrible voices, now this horrible wrongness of how the world now looked, as though she were slowly sinking into Hell, like she now felt she truly deserved.
"...Fuuka," she sobbed, "...I'm so sorry!"
...It should have been me... Fuuka never deserved any of this, she thought, tears rolling down her cheeks and making no effort to stop them.
An distorted, inhuman voice whispered her name, startling her. Moriyama knew those voices, the ones her friends heard, the ones she'd begun to hear, like horrible things drawing ever-closer to drag her off to whatever nightmare the world around her was affording a glimpse of.
"N-NO!" she cried out, burying her head in her hands and trembling in fear. "I don't want to hear this! Please! Stop it!"
Her cries, however, did not seem to placate the voices, which instead only grew louder, into a hideous cacophany whispering and moaning her name over and over, as if beckoning her, though she could not see where they were coming from, yet also not wanting to.
A murkiness suddenly entered the girl's mind, the fear she felt slowly fading as the nightmarish voices resounded deeper into her mind, sinking teeth into her consciousness as she slowly stood, her eyes glazing into a thousand-yard stare.
"I... have to... go to school... tell her... I'm sorry..." Moriyama's voice had degenerated into an empty monotone as she slowly made her way to the door, a vacant look on her face as though she were now in a trance, at the mercy of the ghostly voices echoing around her compelling her to follow.
She would not be the only person, however, who'd visit the Dark Hour that evening...
Natsumi Kuzuryu's camera fell from her hands as she stared agape taking in the sight of the massive tower that had risen to the heavens, and that she'd watched Yukari Takeba and Mitsuru Kirijo just walk right in without hesitation after the heavy chimes finished ringing from it.
A strange darkness, puddles of a substance that looked like blood, the way-too-big full moon in the sky bathing everything in a unnatural green light, and of course said tower looming before her.
This had not been what she expected to find after eavesdropping on Mukuro and her friends' conversation in the Student Council room. The plan had been simple; return to the school and stay hidden when it got dark, follow and take photos for anything strange, get one of Mukuro and her friends and confront her later.
"This has to be some kind of dream," she uttered to herself, pinching her shoulder and quickly confirming it not to be the case at all. This nightmarish mockery of Tatsumi Port was very much real.
She had to find the guard. She'd figure an explanation later, recalling having seen him go around the corner a few moments before Yukari and Mitsuru had come outside the school from her hiding place. He couldn't have been far as she'd figured out his patrol route and with it being midnight he may have been taking a break, now. Moving past the gate, Natsumi turned the corner, pausing at what appeared to be a black coffin positioned upright, a strange red smoke emitting from it.
...Right where she'd figured the guard would be.
"W-What the hell... is going on, here?!" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she collapsed to her knees, the yakuza daughter's life and full awareness of her family's business had offered no fortitude against what she was seeing now, feeling as though she'd stepped into a horror movie as she then heard unearthly squelching, gurgling, croaking noises and ghostly moans nearby...
A chill went down the normally hardened girl's spine, in this otherworldly darkness she felt it in her gut she did not want to meet who or what those sounds belonged to...
She'd seen her schoolmates go into that tower, and rushed back towards where the entrance was as fast as her legs could carry her. If she made it back to where the entrance was and go look for them, maybe they knew something! Why else would they have made plans for coming to the school so late and claiming Yamagishi was here somehow if they didn't?
Those thoughts, however, were interrupted as she felt yet another migraine like the ones she'd had on and off the last few days begin to build up again. Natsumi grunted in pain, collapsing to her knees and holding her aching head as curling into a fetal position on the pavement just near the entrance.
Mitsuru sighed as she fiddled with the knobs of her communication system hooked up to her motorcycle in the main lobby of Tartarus, Yukari watching her work and unsure what to say amidst the awkward silence between them before Mitsuru finally spoke up.
"...We still haven't heard back," she said, shaking her head in concern. "...The transmission range is at max and I can't get a trace on them."
"That's... not the only thing I got on my mind, Mitsuru," Yukari said softly. "I'm worried about that girl, Moriyama... think she'll be okay at the dorm?"
"Unfortunately, no place is truly safe in the Dark Hour," Mitsuru explained. "...But we couldn't risk bringing her here, either... a normal person who isn't a Persona-user should be kept away from Tartarus, and having one of us stay behind to watch her wasn't an option, either."
Yukari gave a slight nod. "...Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, still feeling concerned. "We are all here for Yamagishi-san's sake, too."
Static suddenly cut on the radio equipment.
"Mitsuru! Can you hear me?" Akihiko's voice spoke through the radio on Mitsuru's equipment, prompting a sigh of relief from the redhead.
"I'm here. I've confirmed your position," Mitsuru said. "...You're higher up then I expected, nearly out of communication range! Is everyone alright?"
"...n't... kno... got... parated..." Akihiko's voice began breaking up through the communication radio, until all Mitsuru or Yukari could hear was static.
"Akihiko! Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted into the device, turning the knobs but not getting a signal.
"Is he out of range?" asked Yukari, worried. A distant whimper suddenly caught her attention. "W-What was that?!"
"It came from outside. Go check it out, yell for me if it's a Shadow!" ordered Mitsuru.
Cautiously, but with haste in her step, Yukari made her way to the entrance, pausing as she saw a familiar face at the doors, looking dazed and rubbing her eyes with her thumb and index finger.
"K-Kuzuryu?! What are you doing here?!" Yukari gasped, the blonde now having Mitsuru's attention as well.
"What am I doing here?! What are you doing here?!" Natsumi asked, her voice strained as she fought off the headache she had while Yukari rushed to her side. "What's going on here?! What is this place? What happened to the guard?!"
"Senpai, what do we do?" Yukari asked, looking back at Mitsuru, who sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Seems tonight's not in our favor," Mitsuru muttered to herself before standing up from her task and approaching. "Kuzuryu, it's difficult to explain everything here, but to abbreviate, we are trying to find Yamagishi. We believe she's trapped in this place and we're waiting to hear back from Mukuro and the others who are further inside right now looking for her. Now, I have some questions for you, that might help clear things up... one, have you heard any voices that were calling to you that led you here?"
The blonde shook her head. "No, I just overheard your conversation in the faculty lounge and eavesdropped on the student council room, after. Mukuro was being kinda suspicious and I figured she was hiding something, and you all live in the same dorm and it sounded like you knew what was going on so I followed," she explained. "...If anything I'd get some photos of any weird stuff and make her spill to me next club meetup."
"She's definitely lucid," Yukari said.
"Very well, second... have you been feeling ill since this phenomenon occurred?" Mitsuru asked.
"Aside from the migraines I've gotten the last few days you'd have, too, if you had to put up with Edogawa's ramblings, no," Natsumi replied. Her eyes went wide as she looked back outside. "Wait! My camera!"
Mitsuru's brow furrowed in curiosity, pinching her chin in thought as she regarded the confused girl. "Listen, I need you to remain put here with us for now. It's very dangerous out there at the moment, and even more dangerous up those stairs. Stay put until Mukuro and the others return and I'll explain everything."
"Won't she..." Yukari began, before realization hit. "Oh, right..."
Mitsuru nodded, if things went as expected, Natsumi wouldn't remember any of this once the Dark Hour ended.
"Kuzuryu, it's important you keep calm, though," Mitsuru explained. "Things... happen, during this phenomenon if you're... unprotected. I can't explain but negative emotions will only put you in danger. You have to stay calm, despite everything."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!" Natsumi protested angrily. "Between everything going out and the school turning into a giant freaky tower and all the other weird shit, how do you expect me to be calm?! Tell me what the hell's going on here and maybe I will!"
"Kuzuryu, you need to trust me," Mitsuru stated very sharply, clenching her hand. "...I told you, I'll be able to explain it after we're done here. Until then, do NOT let yourself get anxious, got it?"
Natsumi's usual bravado deflated, she'd seen and experienced far too much in just a matter of minutes unlike anything she was used to or could handle and practically crawled towards the entrance of this place that she just silently nodded her head, which she felt another throb in that took out the rest of her resilience and followed Yukari and Mitsuru with a dumbfounded look on her face over to where she saw a motorcycle had been parked, taking in the bizarre surroundings and shifting formations of the tower's vast lobby area...
Mukuro's eyes fluttered open as she found herself within the sickly purple cavernous part of Tartarus the group had last seen when they'd come. She'd lost consciousness the instant the Dark Hour had hit, and now, standing herself up on the rocky floor, the teen looked around, noticing she was alone.
"Junpei? Akihiko?" she called out, looking down the eerie cavelike passages illuminated by pulsing purple light.
"I see you're awake," a familiar, young voice said, causing Mukuro to turn. The boy who'd visited her in the Dark Hour several times stood behind her, smiling softly at her. "This is the first time we've spoken outside of your room in a while, isn't it?"
"I suppose so," Mukuro replied, recalling when she'd first met him in the dorm lounge when she'd first arrived. Still, she wasn't exactly expecting to encounter him here in Tartarus of all places. "...What are you doing here, what's this about?"
The boy chuckled. "I told you, I'm always with you!" he said with a mellow smile, before giving her a concerned frowned. "...However, we don't have much time to talk. Tonight... there will be more then one of them... you'll face two ordeals."
"Two?" Mukuro asked. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know," the boy said. "Be ready, they will come soon, so hurry... she is waiting for you... you will need her if you should hope to win, find her before they come."
"She? You mean Yamagishi?" Mukuro asked.
The boy nodded. "You may also gain another asset to survive them, but we shall see," he said. "See you, hopefully we will meet again!"
The boy smiled,, silently vanishing before Mukuro's eyes in a puff of black smoke and ashes.
"...kur... lright? ...too far... can't provi-... -kup...!" Mitsuru's voice cut through her communicator suddenly.
"Mitsuru?" Mukuro asked, speaking into it as she took in her surroundings. "Mitsuru!"
"...uku-ro? y-... there?" Mitsuru's words broken and interrupted by static noise. "...zury... here... -ry if you ca-! Fi... -kihiko and the others...!"
Mukuro raised a brow. She couldn't make sense of any of what Mitsuru said, it seemed unless she found Junpei and Akihiko, she was alone in looking for Fuuka.
Brandishing her combat machete, Mukuro approached several intertwined tentacles covering a passage till they parted away and allowed her access. A Shadow was ahead, its tarlike body slithering across the cavern floor as glowing red eyes sought out prey. Mukuro ducked behind a fleshy column, watching as it passed by before carefully proceeding further.
"Akihiko... -thers aren't on this floor!" Mitsuru's voice crackled on the communicator.
"Who's there?" a soft, timid female voice suddenly spoke, causing Mukuro to pause in her search. The young soldier looked around, but did not see anyone.
"Are you human?" the voice asked, Mukuro heard a faint echo to it this time, confirming it'd spoken within her mind rather then aloud, as she noticed another Shadow nearby had not reacted to it. She spotted the stairs ahead.
"Where am I? Why am I here? Someone... please! Answer me!" the voice cried out, though within her mind, Mukuro felt as though it was calling from up the stairs as well.
Yamagishi... it has to be Yamagishi! she thought to herself as she rushed up the tall stone steps to another green doorway surrounded by rotating gears, the light fading as she stepped through it into another purple cavernous corridor of Tartarus.
"Please! Someone answer!" the voice pleaded.
"Fuuka? Fuuka Yamagishi?" Mukuro called out, no longer caring if she alerted any Shadows. Thankfully she did not see any yet.
"Mukuro?" a male voice she recognized to be Akihiko's called back, prompting her to sprint in the direction of where she'd heard it and finding him and Junpei both standing at the end of the corridor.
"Akihiko! Junpei! I'm here!" she called out, rushing to join them.
"Heeeeey, there she is!" Junpei chuckled, grinning as Mukuro came over.
"You two alright?" she asked.
"We're fine, we ran into a couple'a Shadows here and there, but we managed!" Junpei said with a proud nod.
"Probably best we not enter Tartarus again that way, though," said Akihiko. "Junpei and I got lucky we weren't too far apart from eachother but you wound up a whole floor down."
"At least we're a full unit again," said Mukuro. "By way, did any of you happen to hear a voice? It was female, sounded young, I think it might have been Yamagishi's."
Junpei's eyes went wide. "I did, right as I woke up! It was kinda like..."
"Who's there? A-Are you... human?" the voice suddenly cried out nervously, but now very close by and clearly being spoken aloud from what Mukuro could tell.
The young soldier turned around sharply. "Fuuka Yamagishi?" she called out. "Are you nearby?"
"It's okay, we won't hurt you!" Akihiko said.
"Yeah, we came to rescue ya!" Junpei added.
From behind a fleshy stalagmite formation twenty feet away, a figure emerged and stepped out. A pale girl in a Gekkoukan High uniform, with a teal turtleneck shirt and white tights underneath. Short hair in a bob cut framing a pair of doe-brown eyes staring at the group timidly.
"Uhh," the girl whimpered softly as Mukuro approached her.
"Fuuka Yamagishi, correct?" the dark-haired girl asked. The other girl nodded.
"Y-Yes! Th-that's me!" the girl, Fuuka, stammered.
"Wow! You're alive! That's awesome!" Junpei cheered as he rushed over as well. "Never fear, the heroes are here!"
"Good to see you're okay!" Akihiko said, approaching and giving her a reassuring smile. "Come with us, we're here to rescue you."
The girl promptly fell to her knees, clasping her hands and bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you so much! I-I was so...!"
Mukuro knelt down next to her, noticing the other girl looked ready to cry. "No need to get worked up, we're gonna get you out of this place and back home safe, now."
"I'm fine, I promise!" Fuuka said, managing a small smile. "Sorry, I-I'm just... I'm so relieved! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Looks like I made the right call," Akihiko said with a warm chuckle. "I'll see if I can contact Mitsuru, let her know we found you and you're alright."
"But... what is this place?" Fuuka asked, looking over at him. "One second I was at school, a-and then..."
"It's... kind of a long story," Junpei explained. "We'll tell ya about it once we get'cha outta here."
"Mitsuru?" Akihiko said, pressing the switch on his communicator, but only getting static. "...No good," he sighed, frowning.
"We may need to just look for one of the teleporters to get us back down to the main floor," Mukuro said.
"You're not hurt or anything, are you?" Mukuro asked. "This place isn't exactly safe."
"Yeah, you've prolly seen the monsters roaming around, right?" Junpei asked.
"I can manage," Fuuka said with a nod, though Junpei's words struck a chord with her that made her tremble. "...A-And... I did sense s-something dangerous in here. I've... g-gotten by without them finding me so far, though."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you've managed to avoid them this whole time?!" Akihiko asked, stunned. "How's that even possible?!"
"Um, it's... hard to describe," Fuuka explained, "...But it's like I could... tell where they are."
"Whaddya mean, you sayin' you're psychic or somethin'?" Junpei asked, confused.
"She must have the same power as Mitsuru!" Akihiko deduced. "...Actually, it might be even stronger."
"How so?" asked Mukuro.
"Well, Mitsuru's Persona has always been more combat-focused to begin with," Akihiko explained, getting a confused look from Fuuka. "Here, keep this with you," he said, taking a spare Evoker from his vest and handing it to her. Fuuka, however, only looked more distressed.
"Wha?! This is a gun!" she protested.
"No, more a... lucky charm," Akihiko said with a reassuring smile. "It doesn't actually fire bullets."
"Um... okay," Fuuka still looked unsure as she stared down at the gun-shaped object resting in her palms.
"We can explain later, for now it's best we get out of here," Mukuro said, recalling the strange boy's words to her earlier when she'd first woken up.
"Agreed, let's see if we can find one of the teleporters," Akihiko said.
"Check it out, though..." Junpei wandered over to some nearby windows carved out of the organic cavern walls, staring out them. "...The moon, it's huge!"
Mukuro came over, staring out the windows as well, now, at the massive, full moon giving off its sickly green light. Maybe it was her imagination, she thought, but now that she was looking at it, the moon seemed closer then it'd been the previous times it'd been full.
"There is some research that indicates that Shadows are affected by the phases of the moon," Akihiko explained as he and Fuuka came over as well. "...Although, the same thing is true with humans."
"That would explain Yuka-tan's mood swings!" Junpei joked, blinking when all he got were stares. "...Hey, there was a full moon that night we went on the monorail, right?"
"...And on the night the dorm was attacked back in April. I remember seeing it when that big Shadow showed up," Mukuro said.
"Today is June 8th, the monorail incident was May 9th," Akihiko mused. "...Then the assault on the dorm was April 9th! Yes, it's definitely the case that they were all on a full moon."
Taking up his communicator once more, Akihiko switched it on. "Mitsuru? Mitsuru! Are you there? Come in!"
Amidst the static, Mitsuru's voice finally broke through.
"Akihiko!" her voice cried out. "Shadows... are...!"
"Mitsuru! Can you hear me?" Akihiko asked, speaking into his communicator.
"Ku... yu... wi-... -careful... -ry back..." Mitsuru's broken signal sputtered.
Akihiko cursed, clenching his communicator in frustration.
Fuuka's eyes suddenly went wide. "W-What is that?!" she cried out in alarm.
"What's wrong?" Mukuro asked. "You sense something here?"
"No, it's further down, much further down," Fuuka explained. "It... it's much bigger then any of the others I've sensed... it's attacking someone!"
"What the hell's goin' on?! I'm totally lost here!" Junpei protested.
Mukuro's eyes then widened in realization, recalling the boy's words. "Another of those big Shadows, like the ones we encountered back in April and on the monorail!"
"If Fuuka's sensing it, then it must be here in Tartarus!" said Akihiko. "They've been coming every full moon! We need to get back to Mitsuru and Yukari!"
"Fuuka, are you sensing any other signals on this floor?" Mukuro asked.
"Y-Yes! It's not a... Shadow, but I sense an energy signature nearby!" Fuuka said with a nod.
"It may be a teleporter! It'll get us back down to the main floor where the others are! Let's go check!" Akihiko said.
Emerging from the large teleportation platform in the lobby area, Mukuro and the others were treated to an unexpected sight.
Two towering, armored beings stood over the fallen Mitsuru and Yukari, both struggling to remain conscious and clearly overwhelmed.
One of the beings was an obese, feminine one with tiny limbs and a flowing white cloak with a high Elizabethan collar, brandishing a scepter in its right hand. Its rounded, metal torso resembling an ill-fitting metallic corset had a closed set of doors on its chest and its long, slim neck was decorated with purple and gold jewelry and its ovular head atop and sporting a tri-pointed white mask with a Roman numeral for 3 on its forehead, giving it a shape similar to a bowling pin with arms and legs.
The other was practically the opposite, being a tall, top-heavy knight-like entity in black plate armor with a red cross mark on its chest, with tasseled pauldrons, a short red cape, and long, skinny limbs. Its head resembled a knight's helmet, covered with a purple mask with five points resembling a crown with a Roman numeral for 4 on its forehead and dragging a massive claymore sword in its right hand.
"There's TWO of them?!" Akihiko gasped.
Two full moon Shadows... two ordeals, Mukuro remembered, clenching her combat machete.
She paused, however, as she heard a terrified whimper nearby, seeing another unexpected sight hiding behind one of the columns. "Kuzuryu?!"
"Mukuro? Yamagishi?!" Natsumi cried out, clearly panicking from her hiding place and getting the massive creatures' attention as they turned towards her. "Mukuro, what's going on here, what the hell are those things?!"
"What's she doing here?!" Junpei asked, confused.
"...Followed us, ended up in the Dark Hour somehow!" Mitsuru gasped out, struggling to stand.
"Nothing's working on them!" Yukari whimpered, her voice strained from pain.
"Kuzuryu, stay there and do not move from that spot! Junpei! Akihiko! Let's draw the shadows away from Yukari and Mitsuru!" Mukuro ordered, drawing her Evoker, the Shadows turning towards her with interest as Natsumi quickly ducked behind the column again.
"If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they got!" Akihiko said, brandishing his fists at them.
"Be careful! Normal attacks aren't working on them and they can redirect magic!" Mitsuru cried out.
It was then that Fuuka turned toward the entrance and gasped in surprise.
"What now?!" Junpei asked, his eyes going wide at what he saw.
It was Moriyama, staggering in through the entrance, seemingly in some kind of trance as her face was locked in a vacant stare, her arms hanging limply as she slowly entered.
"Fuu...ka..." she moaned, her voice all but devoid of emotion.
"Moriyama?! Oh no... the Shadows must've led her here like the others!" Mitsuru gasped.
"Fuu... ka..." Moriyama repeated, staring off listlessly as she came to a stop.
"No! Moriyama-san!" Fuuka broke into a run, rushing to the girl's side. "Please! You have to get out of here! It's not safe!"
Moriyama slowly looked over at her, her thousand-yard stare unchanging as she fell to her knees. "Fuuka... I... had to tell you... I-I'm sorry..."
With a load creaking of their armor, the Shadows promptly turned to face Fuuka and Moriyama, disregarding Mukuro and the boys as well as the defeated Mitsuru and Yukari, and began to advance on the two girls near the entrance.
"NO! TAM LIN!" Mukuro beckoned, firing her Evoker and the spear-wielding Persona appeared, charging them.
"HERMES!" Junpei's winged Persona unleashed a blast of flame at the two Shadows.
"PLOYDEUCES!" The muscular Persona of Akihiko fired a lightning bolt.
All of which fizzled out on impact as if striking an invisible force field.
The tall, masculine knight-like Shadow turned to face them, raising its sword and firing back a devastating blast of electrical and fiery energy of its own at them that sent them flying back.
"Fuuka..." Moriyama whimpered, cowering, now on the floor.
Fuuka looked back at her, then at the approaching Shadows. "I have to protect her!" she told herself, taking a deep breath as she took up the Evoker Akihiko had given her, recalling what the others had done, a voice like her own beckoning her to do so as well, with a single word.
"...Persona..."
The feminine Shadow closed the distance first, letting out an unearthly shriek that shook the room as it raised its scepter, its chest cavity suddenly flying open and unleashing a mighty, swirling gust of icy wind at the two girls.
The attack never hit.
A shimmering, bubble-like barrier had surrounded Fuuka and the now-terrified Moriyama, and in a bright flash of light, the Shadow's attack was reflected back, knocking both it and the other off their feet.
Moriyama looked up at Fuuka, who now had her hands clasped, both still inside the shimmering bubble which, from what Mukuro at the others outside it could see, seemed to be the lower of a tall, feminine figure in a flowing pink open ballgown with its arms spread wide towards the ceiling, its neck craned upward and its face covered with a blindfold and bathed in blue light that rippled off it as though it were underwater.
"...Yamagishi?" Natsumi stammered, peering from behind the column and surveying the scene before her.
"A Persona?!" Junpei gasped, struggling to stand.
"I... I can see them! These monster's weaknesses! Lucia! Let's do this!" Fuuka said, her eyes glowing a bright blue as she stood within the Persona's bubble, Moriyama cowering in fear behind her.
Mukuro stood herself up, the backlash the knight-like Shadow had sent had been brutal, but she was far from beaten. The enemies as well began to stand up as well, seemingly no worse for wear. "Then we have a chance," she said, taking up her Evoker.
"It's as I thought!" Akihiko said, standing himself back up. "Mitsuru, let Fuuka take over. Let's handle these guys!"
The Shadows let out terrible shrieks once more, a strange, spinning, wheel-like glyph surrounded by swirling colors briefly appearing above them before it vanished just as quickly.
"Their weaknesses have changed! I'll search for what they are now!" Fuuka shouted from within her Persona, going to her knees and closing her eyes to focus while the panicked Moriyama stayed close to her.
"That explains it," Mitsuru uttered to herself. "They're able to change their affinities!"
The knight-like Shadow bellowed as it swung its claymore at Fuuka, only to recoil as Mukuro dashed forward, leaping at it and swinging her machete at the exposed part of its arm and landing on one knee.
The Shadow had responded to the pain, but did not appear particularly injured, it seemed it was currently not overly vulnerable to regular attacks, still. Mukuro turned, glaring at it and waiting for a possible attack. Attempting a spell from a Persona was too risky if the attack could be redirected at them should she make the wrong choice.
The Shadow decided then to make another move, raising its blade and swinging it in a blur of motion. Focusing, Mukuro leaped back, avoiding the swings as time slowed down for her and allowing her to avoid being sliced to pieces by the attack and sliding out of the way, the stray strikes clacking and cutting into the floor.
The feminine Shadow let out a low noise that sounded like a cackle as it twirled its scepter, its chest cavity opening once more as it stood beside the knight-like one, electrical energy building up within it.
"I GOTCHA!" Akihiko cried out, rushing to the front. "POLYDEUCES!"
Akihiko's Persona emerged, spreading its arms to take the impending lightning bolt that came their way, Akihiko himself wincing in pain.
"Hey Yamagishi! Any luck?" Junpei called back, shielding himself from the bright light of the colliding electricity.
"It's coming... I see it! Their weakness is now fire!" Fuuka shouted.
"Got it! HERMES!" Junpei beckoned, firing his Evoker as his Persona appeared.
"JACK O'LANTERN!" Mukuro yelled, summoning the lantern-wielding pumpkin Persona in the cloak and hat, both unleashing blasts of flame at the two opponents. The Shadows howled in pain as they both toppled over, smoke and sparks trailing off them.
"NOW!" Mukuro ordered, she, Akihiko, and Junpei made a dash for their fallen enemies and attacked all as one.
The Shadows grunted and shrieked, struggling against them as they retreated from their counterattack as they stood themselves back up, the feminine Shadow twirling its scepter and the rotating glyph once more appearing above the two beings.
The knight-like Shadow let out a deep, unearthly bellow as it became engulfed in a red light, before swinging its massive blade again and striking the ground, causing an intense tremor and shockwaves that rippled across the ground and tripped Junpei and Akihiko. Fuuka winced as she struggled to maintain her Persona's power to protect her and Moriyama while Mukuro rolled back and moved to a kneeling position as she raised her Evoker again.
"Fuuka! What's their weakness?" she shouted urgently.
"Magic won't work! Use force!" Fuuka shouted back quickly.
"ZOUCHOUTEN!" Mukuro cried out, firing her Evoker as an armored, green-skinned ogre-like Persona appeared and swung its spear at the two enemies while Akihiko and Junpei struggled to get back up.
From her hiding spot, Natsumi watched Mukuro and her other schoolmates fight against the monstrous beings, summoning spectral creatures of their own to fight back. Mukuro's latest one was now parrying and striking at the tall knight-like one in an intense fight while the others were ending up more on the defensive, now. It was all too much for her, why the hell did she of all people get caught up in this! If she survived this, somehow, she was considering abandoning club activities altogether. She grew worried as the feminine-looking one with the cloak raised its scepter once more, that glowing glyph and prism of energy spheres spinning once more.
Shimmering light engulfed the two Shadows, the knight's sword glowing brightly and the feminine Shadow's chest cavity opening again as a flurry of glowing arrows of light burst forth from it, exploding like fireworks as they impacted against the floor and struck the ground and their targets. Mukuro leaped out of the way, the explosions everywhere reminding her of the battlefield as she weaved about in a focused battle trance once more as the Shadow's onslaught continued relentlessly on her teammates and threatening to breach Fuuka's barrier.
"Their weakness... it's darkness, now!" Fuuka cried out.
"GURULU!" Mukuro shouted, drawing her Evoker, only for the knight-like Shadow to turn, pointing its blade and firing a beam of light from its blade. Mukuro's eyes went wide as the beam struck her point-blank, sending her flying. Her chosen Persona, it seemed, had a weakness to the attack as she felt pain rack her body.
"MUKURO!" Yukari cried out.
The young soldier cursed as she felt herself hit the ground and tumble across the floor. The use of her battle trace moments earlier had slowed her down.
Dread filled Natsumi's stomach as she watched the monsters turn their attention back to Fuuka, Akihiko and Junpei attempting to summon their Personas to hold them back as the two Shadows continued to advance. There was no way she'd get past them to the entrance, Mitsuru and Yukari were still barely able to stand despite their effort.
"We need to help...!" said Yukari, bringing up her Evoker. "IO!"
Yukari's Persona appeared, emitting a faint green light on the others before suddenly fizzling out. "N-No!" Yukari stammered, too weak to fight now and collapsing to her knees again, gaining the Shadows' notice.
"No... not like this!" Natsumi pleaded through grit teeth, fear yet also rage building up inside her, and just as quickly, another migraine struck, causing her to collapse to her knees, holding her head in pain.
"Kuzuryu!" Mitsuru staggered to her feet, making it over to the fallen blonde's side.
"S...Something... in my head..." Natsumi screamed out in agony, flailing on the floor and gripping her head tighter.
"Kuzuryu-san!" Fuuka cried out, her attention now turning towards her and the other girls as well, even the Shadows seemed to gain interest. "I'm sensing a presence... in Kuzuryu-san!"
"Could it be...?" Mitsuru pondered, looking at her own Evoker then looking at the girl on the floor before her.
"Hurry! I can't keep them back for long!" Fuuka shouted, trying to focus and maintain her Persona longer as the feminine Shadow returned its attention to her and the others.
"You think?" Yukari asked, looking at Mitsuru.
"I do. Kuzuryu, use this!" Mitsuru said, holding her Evoker out to her.
"You kidding?! I don't wanna die here!" Natsumi protested through grit teeth.
"There's no time! You saw what the others did, right?!" Mitsuru ordered. "Do it, and you may survive this!"
Shaking, Natsumi took the gun-shaped object despite the pain, almost instantly, she felt a voice within her mind speaking, beckoning her, a single word in her thoughts as she stared at the others fighting for their lives.
No... I won't die here...!
Fear evaporated, rage took over as she placed the Evoker to her head, that single word waiting to be spoken...
"PERSONA!"
Natsumi's eyes went wide, blue light erupted from around her as she felt a tremendous surge of power erupt within her, as if she'd just downed an entire energy drink. From the light, arose a slender, feminine figure in a black bodysuit made of silk thread wrapped around it, its legs, arms, hands, and face covered in metallic silver armor and its body covered in a black coat with spiderweb patterns on it. Its right hand's clawed fingers gripped a sword resembling a giant sewing needle, its metal mask resembled the shape of a spider, sporting eight glowing red eyes where its face should be and a large spider-like abdomen resembling a sewing spool looked welded to the small of the Persona's lower back, a long thread coming out the bottom and feeding into its needle-sword and its leg armor ending in sharp high heels resembling de-threaders.
"Arachne..." Natsumi uttered, standing up and lowering the Evoker as the Persona loomed over her, a devious smile spreading across her face as she felt the rush of power and energy flowing through her now. "Ohhh, ho-ho! How the tables have turned!" she sneered, clenching her fists. This power, this being that appeared, felt like a part of her. "Alright, let's TRASH THESE SHITBAGS!"
The stunned Yukari and Mitsuru watched as the new Persona, Arachne, aimed its needle-sword, its eyes glowing as dark crimson smoke and swirling purple energy crackled and gathered at its tip and fired at the two befuddled Shadows before the feminine one could raise its scepter again, blasting them both off their feet and to the ground.
"It worked! Her Persona's element must be darkness!" Fuuka shouted.
"Everyone! Let's get 'em!" Akihiko ordered, he and Junpei took fighting stance, Mukuro taking lead.
"I got your backs, now!" Natsumi cackled gleefully, a wicked sneer on her face as she pointed at the enemy. "Don't fuck with a yakuza, you freaks! Make 'em scream, Arachne!"
The Persona unleashed another brutal blast of sinister eldritch energy at the fallen Shadows, causing them to cry out in agony as they struggled to stand again.
"Well done! I think I can give you strength now, too, everyone!" Fuuka said with a smile, focusing and a wave of refreshing blue energy spilled off her Persona like water and engulfed Mukuro, Akihiko, and Junpei, filling them with a surge of power as well, now.
"LET'S GO!" Mukuro ordered, leading the charge as the three of them rushed forward, attacking with everything they had this time in a flurry of strikes and blows as the Shadows cried out in pain, Junpei and Akihiko double-teaming the knight-like Shadow while Mukuro then dashed across the corpulent form of the feminine one and plunged her machete into its forehead. The three retreated back, as the two beings exploded and dissolved away in twin bursts of smoke that dissipated in the air.
"Phew... close call!" Junpei breathed out. "Awesome work!" he said, looking back at Fuuka.
"I... didn't even know I had this kind of power!" Fuuka gasped as she relaxed, her Persona fading away in a blue glow of light.
"It's just what we'd hoped for. It's even more accurate then Mitsuru's!" Akihiko said.
"Heh, that was... unbelievable...!" Natsumi approached, grinning tiredly as a feeling of fatigue started to wash over her as her own Persona vanished as well that she could feel her legs nearly buckle.
"Having an awakening of your own was a real lifesaver as well, Kuzuryu. Nice work," Akihiko said, giving the blonde an approving nod.
"Awakening? What?" Natsumi asked, cocking a brow in confusion as she could feel a grogginess set in. "You mean... what happened back there with the... Persona-thing?"
"Wait! There aren't any more of them, are there?" Fuuka asked, looking around anxiously.
"Looks over to me," Mukuro said, making Fuuka relax.
"Moriyama-san, are you okay, too?" Fuuka asked, turning to face the cowering girl behind her.
"Fuuka... you...!" the girl muttered, still looking barely coherant for a moment before she seemed to start to come around. "...Y-Yeah... I... think so..."
"...Thank... goodness...!" Fuuka smiled softly, her legs then going wobbly as she collapsed to the floor, out cold.
"Fuuka!" Moriyama stood up and rushed to her side. "Oh my god! I-Is she okay?!"
"It's alright, she's just exhausted," Mitsuru explained, approaching. "It tends to happen from an awakening, I imagine you're feeling rather burned out yourself, Kuzuryu?" she asked, looking over at the blonde, whom she noticed was now on her knees.
"Y-Yeah. At least the... headaches are gone," replied Natsumi, more visibly tired, now, as well. "Thought for sure that last one was gonna kill me..."
"Headaches, random fevers, they're also occasional symptoms of someone with the potential on the verge of an awakening," Mitsuru explained. "...It's also a bit overwhelming when it first happens. A big burst of power, then you feel completely exhausted, the Dark Hour also induces the latter effect as well when exposed to it."
"...Dark... Hour?" Natsumi asked, confused again.
"I'll explain it all later," said Mitsuru. "For now, it's best we get you back to your dormitory while we take care of Fuuka as well."
"Fuuka..." Moriyama wept, clasping Fuuka's hand anxiously as she sat next to her.
"So... what do we do with Moriyama-san?" Yukari asked. "She clearly knows about the Dark Hour and Shadows, now, too!"
"It doesn't matter," said Akihiko. "...She isn't like us, so she won't have any memory of anything that happened during the Dark Hour once it ends," he explained. "...But the good news is, she didn't end up falling victim to the Shadows despite hearing their call."
"And... what about me?" Natsumi asked, rubbing her temple as she tried to fend off the grogginess.
"You've awakened to a Persona, so you'll definitely remember all this," Akihiko said. "Which brings up another matter entirely..."
"Whatever," Natsumi replied, shaking her head. "Fun as that was, I'm way too tired for any of this right now..."
Mukuro looked down at Moriyama, concerned. "So what'll happen to her, then? Do we need to keep watch on her from now on since she remained conscious?"
"Nah, I think she'll be fine, now," said Akihiko. "It's unlikely she'll get drawn in again now that we dealt with what had to be the cause of the problem."
"Still, won't she forget Yamagishi saved her life, though?" asked Yukari. "That doesn't seem right."
"Actually, I get the feeling things will work out," said Mitsuru with a reassuring smile as Mukuro went over to pick up Fuuka, Moriyama helping stand her up and continuing to whisper apologies to her.
"Still," Mukuro wondered as she approached the open doors. "Where did those two Shadows come from? Did they just... appear in here with you, Mitsuru?"
"They came in from somewhere outside of Tartarus, just like with the dorm and the monorail," Mitsuru explained. "...Wherever they appeared from originally, I don't know."
"Somewhere outside, huh?" Akihiko wondered, pinching his chin in thought. "Well, for now, let's focus on getting everyone back."
"Hm, on second thought I think it's best we get all three checked out," Mitsuru said. "Once the Dark Hour ends we'll get Fuuka and Moriyama to the hospital. Kuzuryu, you're going too. I know you have questions but I can explain them after."
"Oh c'mon... just...!" Natsumi almost stumbled in her step as she tried to stand back up.
"Here," Junpei said, coming over and helping her up.
"Wonderful, Iori of all people helping me up," the blonde muttered bitterly to herself. "...Fine, just lemme get my camera, it should still be outside. I gotta get some pictures while I can."
"Wouldn't do you any good, actually," Akihiko chuckled, "The Dark Hour shuts off all electronic equipment, so there's not gonna be any photos worth taking."
"Wha...?! You've gotta be... kidding me...!" Natsumi grumbled, deflating and reluctantly draping her arm over Junpei's shoulder for support as he helped her walk, Yukari coming to her other side to help.
Two ordeals, both gone, Mukuro thought to herself as she helped carry Fuuka, Mitsuru coming to Moriyama's side to make sure she was alright as well.
She admittedly felt exhausted as well, the fight had been far more intense then any she'd been in prior against these beings called Shadows with these last two having been especially formidable even for her. Their ability to switch their affinities even made her battle trance barely effective, as if these full moon Shadows were the evolving experiments of a greater force's attempts to study them, and find ways to counter their own skills. Fuuka's awakening to a Persona that could fully provide support and see through their trick, as well as Natsumi's unexpected arrival and own awakening adding an extra combatant in a fight they were otherwise on the defensive in with two teammates already pushed past their limits had been pure luck on their part.
It all made the young soldier wonder what it could all be building up to, with the strange boy from her visions' cryptic warnings that'd come true once again.
"You doin' alright, Mukuro?" The young soldier turned, cocking her head at Akihiko as he came up beside her as they left Tartarus.
"I am, just... tired and lost in my thoughts," she said softly.
"Pretty close call, but we saved Fuuka, that's what matters," said Akihiko.
"You're right," Mukuro said with nod. "Mission accomplished?"
"I'd say so," Akihiko chuckled. "Here, you're wobbling a bit." he moved his arms under Fuuka's unconscious form to help support her as well.
"Battle trance, it takes it out of me," Mukuro said, blushing a little. "...You were right about Fuuka."
"I don't believe in anyone being left behind," Akihiko smirked. "...Um, anyway, thanks for backin' me up on it."
"It's the same rules in the military," said Mukuro. "Even if we're trained to be desensitized to violence and... death, we don't leave someone behind."
"You'll have to tell me more about it sometime," Akihiko said.
"No, I don't," Mukuro replied, giving a small smile. "...It's in the past, now. I wanna take what I learned from it for what we're doing now instead."
Akihiko didn't answer, just giving a nod in response as though something else were on his mind at the time though Mukuro chose against prodding as she fought off the fatigue she was feeling from the night they'd had.
No sooner had they left the school gates and reached the sidewalks, the Dark Hour vanished, the moon once more giving off its normal illumination, and the otherworldly blackness fading away along with Tartarus, leaving Gekkoukan High once more in its place in the distance behind them.
"What a relief," Mitsuru said, turning her attention to the still-distressed Moriyama. "Good work, everyone, I'm proud of all of you. The hospital isn't far," she added, giving a small but genuine smile. In the back of her own mind, though, she wondered as well, what this could have been leading up to, with these full moon shadows each being increasingly more dangerous then the one before them.
Still, Fuuka had been saved despite the odds, and awakened to a Persona, and Natsumi Kuzuryu it had turned out carried the potential as well, Mitsuru thought to herself. She one thing for certain, though, that she had a lot to fill the chairman in on once she got in touch with him again.
A/N: Decided I'd get this chapter done first before I go back to Heart of Justice, where I'll likely be getting two chapters done there given it's time for a DIFFERENT navigator/support party member to be recruited there! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter plus the surprise new party member (as EpicLinkSam's "Nothing But The Truth" which this and Heart of Justice were inspired by brought one, I decided to take a chance as well with someone unexpected)! Seeya all next time when I return to HoJ!
0 - The Fool - SEES: Rank 3
I - The Magician - Junpei Iori: Rank 4
IV - The Emperor - Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Rank 2
V - The Hierophant - Bookstore Owners: Rank 3
VI - The Lovers - Yukari Takeba: Rank 2
VII - The Chariot - Aoi Asahina: Rank 3
IX - The Hermit - "MARY": Rank 3
XII - The Hanged Man - Seiko Kimura: Rank 3
XIV - Temperance - Sonia Nevermind: Rank 1
XVI - The Tower - Natsumi Kuzuryu: Rank 3
Mukuro's Personas: Omoikane, Jack Frost, Jack O Lantern, Inugami, Nigi Mitama, Zouchouten, Gurulu, Tam Lin