Chapter Text
Yu woke up in an unfamiliar house, in an unfamiliar bed. Unfamiliar sights filled his vision, alongside the unfamiliar scent of furniture that isn’t his.
His mind felt empty…which was good, considering how he recalled it running a mile a minute last night. And it seemed like it was bound to happen again, as every event from last night caught up to him.
Yu's hands kept shaking. Nanako was kidnapped. They had to save Nanako. Why was it that she in particular made Yu’s anxiety peak? He was always worried when he had to save the others, but now…? Yu was absolutely terrified.
…It’s because… we could always fail.
Yu furiously shook his head. Get those thoughts out right now. They're not going to fail this one. Not a chance.
Yet Yu's hands kept shaking. The only other explanation was a lack of nutrition. With that in mind, Yu needed to find something to eat, or at least some water to drink. Yu got out of the bed he was in, giving a passing glance at the room he was in. Ribbons, sequins, glitter, sewing supplies and a bunch of other arts and crafts tools were just lying around everywhere. The room smelled very sweet, and not the type of smell you'd get from perfume. The bed he was on was a tad small for him.
…
…This is Heart’s room. He's in…Heart’s house?
Yu reached the door and opened it. He didn’t hear anyone talking downstairs, so that either meant that he was alone or there was at least one person. Sure enough, Yu walked into the quiet living room with tension.
Yu eventually saw her. Heart was seated in the kitchen, dead asleep and sprawled across the table. A green blanket was draped over her shoulders, and there was a once warm cup of milk by her arms. A note was placed on top of Heart’s head.
Yu picked it up and read it.
"I'm so sorry to hear what you're been through, Yu. No one should ever go through the pain and fear that I have when my little Heart went missing. I pray that she returns to us safely. We're all thinking of you."
…Heart’s mother.
Yu folded the paper and put it in his pockets before gently nudging Heart awake. "*Snrk* Mrmk-!?" Bleary orange eyes soon landed on him. "M…Mister Yu…" Before Yu could even think of what to say, the waterworks came pouring out of Heart. Fully awake, she jumped up and latched onto him, tears staining his clothes. Yu didn't know what else to do at this moment.
He opted to return the hug.
It took a lot for Yu to not break down right then and there. Yu didn’t know how to approach this going forward. All he knew was that he didn’t have to go alone. Even if he couldn’t show it at the moment, he was forever thankful for that.
When Yu blacked out, his friends took him to Heart’s House, as it was the closest to where the accident took place and the closest to the hospital. Yu and Heart wasted no time going there in order to check on Dojima. He could only accept so many visitors, but the staff gave Yu a pass due to familial relation.
Yu walked into Dojima’s room. He was thankfully conscious once more. Akatsuki and Naoto were already there, checking up on the poor man. Yu knew that Dojima was hurting just as much as he was, so that, plus the sorry sight…
…It took a lot for Yu to not lose his composure then and there.
Dojima saw him first. "Yu…" Never has Yu heard his voice so weak. It was obvious how much Dojima hated the sorry state he was in. Yu didn't know what to tell him, but it didn't matter, as Dojima had plenty to say himself.
"...I'm sorry," he weakly began. "...For everything. I didn't know how to handle the situation, and now…!" Dojima made a horrible grimace. "...Nanako is gone. Damn it all…! I know that she's terrified right now…hoping that someone would save her…and yet, here I am…"
Do not ever misread Dojima's feelings. Dojima loved Nanako above all else. Yu knew this was true, down to the bottom of his heart. Dojima turned towards the three beside his bed with pleading eyes. "There's still…quite a lot that I don't understand…but I know that you're the only ones who can do this…! I'm begging you…save Nanako…! Please…!"
Dojima slowly raised up his hand. Yu subconsciously found himself grasping it gently. Dojima's hands were shaking…
…This really was all or nothing.
Yu's hesitation and fear finally vanished for good. His weak grip tightened, and his hazy gaze of uncertainty was replaced with cold determination. "I'll save her," Yu quietly vowed. "I'll…no, we'll bring her back. I promise."
The last rescue and the most important one. Yu cannot fail.
"...I'm sorry."
Akatsuki broke the silent elevator ride back to the main lobby with an apology. Yu turned towards the PI in question, who kept staring straight ahead. His face was hard to read, which it normally was.
"...What for?" Yu tentatively asked. "If it was for telling Dojima-san the truth, don't be. Given…what was about to happen, he deserved to know."
Akatsuki shook his head, face hardening. "I mean…in general." Yu's eyebrows widened a bit, before falling down. The silver haired transfer found himself staring at the floor, feeling that fear and paranoia strike him again.
"I- no one should ever go through this," Akatsuki continued. "It's one thing to commit such a heinous crime. It's another to drag such a young child into it as well. I…I can't relate. I don't think most of us can. But…"
Akatsuki looked at Yu directly.
"I won't let you handle this alone. I promise you that."
Yu felt a hand grasp his own. "I couldn't have said it better myself," Naoto told him. "...Senpai, please don't worry. I'll do my utmost to save Nanako-chan. After everything you've been through…I…I can't give it less than my all."
…
For the third time today, it took Yu almost all of his willpower to not break down on the spot. It spoke volumes on how two of the most stoic people he knew were keeping him calm.
…Never alone.
Yu stepped into the lobby, and was greeted by all of his friends silently sitting around the waiting room. The tension could be cut with a knife, though it was obvious as to why.
Ragna saw them first. Without hesitation, he shot up from his seat and faced Yu directly. "What's the plan?" He quickly asked. "When are we going to do this?"
Naoto gave Ragna an odd look. Make no mistake, she wanted to save Nanako just as badly as they all did, but would Yu be willing to just jump into business right away?
Naoto got her answer. Yu gave her a side glance, then a nod. I'll manage. The silver haired transfer reached into his pockets, pulling out something.
His tv glasses.
"Now," Yu answered. "We're going in right now."
Unlike most times, where Yu entered the tv last, Yu entered the tv at Junes first. The moment his feet made contact with the Midnight Channel's floor, he felt…
…Various odd sensations.
Warmth.
Fear.
Innocence.
Purity.
Longing.
Paranoia.
Terror.
Fear.
Anxiety.
Determination.
Not only could Yu sense Nanako's feelings…he could sense Namatame's, as well.
…The strangest thing, however…was that Yu didn’t sense any malice, like he expected. Did Namatame just…not feel hatred?
…Or maybe…?
"Whoa…! W-What's the deal with this place…!?"
Yu turned around and faced Teddie. "You feel it too, right?" Yu asked. "Those…feelings."
"Huh? No, I mean the fog!" Teddie waved his arm out wide. "Why is it so thick and musty!? It's not always like this!"
Yu looked around, taking note of how the fog was still rather visible even with his tv glasses off. Against his better judgment, he took off his glasses for a split moment. His vision was instantly blotted the musty yellow fog, up to the point where it felt like it was actively trying to blind him. It’s getting worse. Much more incentive to go and finish this. Yu turned around, and saw all of his friends behind him, ready whenever. All of them, except for Akatsuki. The PI was seemingly fiddling with his eyes…?
“Oh!” Teddie perked up upon seeing that. “Yo, Akatsuki! Are the contacts working fine for you? No itch? No stress? …No blindness?”
Akatsuki blinked a few times, looking around. “...Yes…yes, they work.” True to the purpose of contacts, he didn’t look much different, since there was no glasses frame on his head. “I have to say, it’s inconceivable how these manage to work so well.”
“I already said it’s a trade secret!” Teddie said with a wink. Then he got serious. “But can we discuss glasswork at a later time? We got better things to worry about!”
Right. The group turned to Rise, who nodded with conviction. She summoned her Tarot Card, and shattered it via clasping her hands. “Alright…get to work, Kanzeon!”
What appeared to be a shinier, silver version of Himiko appeared behind Rise, and did its work. Everyone except for Yu did not know about Rise’s evolution prior to this, so to say that they were caught off guard would be an understatement.
“...That way.” Rise pointed her finger upwards, where the ladder leading up to Heart’s sky palace. “I…I sense…warmth…?” Warmth that might be snuffed out if they didn’t hurry. “Okay, let’s go! Nanako’s up there, without a doubt!”
Yu wasted no time in scaling the ladder that led to Heart’s dungeon. Was it possible that Namatame was simply hiding in what he believed to be the safest spot in the Midnight Channel?
…No. It’s something else entirely.
Yu reached the first step platform, and was greeted to what seemed to be a beanstalk. It was obvious where it led to, even without Rise’s guidance. The question was…why a beanstalk? What metaphor did this describe for Namatame? Or Nanako…?
Yu pondered these questions as he scaled the beanstalk. It was thankfully easy to climb, despite its seemingly bulky size. Like Heart’s climb, the climb was long and arduous, but Yu didn’t have room to care considering what was at stake here.
Eventually, Yu reached the top. The aesthetic was very similar to the aforementioned citadel that belonged to the group’s resident pink haired maiden. Right in front of Yu was a silver gate with a sea of flowers wrapped around them, and the marble pillars surrounding the gate. The brilliant blue sky had a visible rainbow piercing the sky, clear as day.
Yu heard a few gasps behind him, knowing those belonged to his friends. “This is…Nanako-chan’s dungeon?” Yukiko asked out loud. “It looks like it came straight from…”
“...From a storybook?” Rise finished. “Like a storybook version of…Heaven.”
Yu’s jaw clenched. “...Like Heaven, huh?” At that sentence, It clicked for most of them. Some of the others, like Ragna, Hyde, Ruby, Heart, Yumi and Akatsuki, were still lost. Yu turned around, facing the rest. “...Nanako told me how much she missed her mother,” he quietly explained. “...So did Dojima-san. Knowing how the Midnight Channel works…”
…This was a deep seated metaphor for how deep within Nanako’s heart, she missed her mother above all else.
“...*Sniff*”
Ruby suddenly started crying. It didn’t take much for everyone to know why that was. The pain that came with Ruby relating to Nanako, alongside the sudden pang of empathy about the fact that Nanako had to go through such a horrible thing…
…Ruby couldn't take it. “W-wwaaaahhhh…!” She openly wailed as heartache attacked her without remorse.
Before anyone could do anything, Ruby found herself wrapped into a hug. By Ragna, of all people. “...I get it,” he muttered, tightening his grip on her. “...I really do.”
Few things meant more to Ragna than family, blood relation or not. Ragna himself has lost so much in the past. While he never expressed it outwardly, he didn’t want anyone else to ever experience what he had.
…And yet…some of these guys already have. Ruby, Yumi, Naoto… Is that just fate…? Is that going to happen to everyone here?
…No way is he letting fate repeat itself. Not to these guys.
Ruby eventually calmed down. “I-I’m sorry, guys…” she whispered. “I…I just miss my mom, too…” Ruby wiped her eyes. “...But I still have my dad and uncle. A-And Yang, and…you guys. The same goes for Nanako…r-right…?”
Yeah…
Yu took a deep breath. He CAN’T fail this. “I’m gonna need all of you for this,” he said. “We have to give it our all.”
To Yu’s increasing joy, everyone agreed with him. “Of course, man!” Yosuke said with determination. “We have time to give Namatame what he deserves, but now…? We just have to get Nanako out of here, stat!”
Akatsuki placed a hand on Yu’s shoulder. “Remember what I promised you back at the hospital.” Yu would never be alone in this.
…Like always. Yu always had someone backing him up in his endeavors. This wouldn’t be different.
Hang in there, Nanako…!
I’m… we’re going to save you!
Heaven was quiet. Eerily quiet.
Not because of the lack of banter that the team tended to lapse into. The fantasy dungeon was just quiet in general. No sounds of Shadows, no hypothetical audience talking throughout the area…nothing. The only thing that was audible was the sound of fourteen people running through the marble corridors. The path ahead was seemingly a maze, but Yu knew where to go by simply playing hot and cold with the feeling of warmth that he could sense ever since they stepped foot inside the Midnight Channel. It was a feeling that everyone could sense, not just Rise.
As Yu ran, he kept glancing around his surroundings. …This really is a fantasy version of the afterlife. This place has to be tied to Nanako. If she was capable of subconsciously forming a dungeon…does that mean that she has a Shadow? …I pray that she doesn’t….she’s too young to go through such a thing.
Another odd thing. Yu…didn’t feel any hatred towards Namatame for doing this. “That could always change,” is what Ragna would probably say. Make no mistake, he needs to pay for this, but…
…Just focus on what Yosuke said. There will be time to get answers. For now, we just need to get Nanako out of here.
Yu shoulder tackled a door open without much thought. The motion revealed a room that was essentially a miniature garden, filled to the brim with blooming flowers. In the center of the room was another beanstalk, presumably leading up to the next floor. In front of the beanstalk, however, was a trio of three spiraling, silver priest heads stacked on top of one another, spinning in different directions. The bizarre sight made Akatsuki pause, and hesitate. These were Shadows, weren't’ they…?
“Those are Apostate Towers!” Rise announced. “From a first glance, my guess is that they will absorb Electricity!”
“Alright, then…!” Yu flipped his Tarot card and instantly crushed it. “Go, Mada!” The blueish-green deity of darkness came forth, and blasted fire everywhere via Agidyne. Fire seemed to be a safe option, so that allowed Ragna and Yukiko to quickly follow suit.
The room suddenly got extremely hot. Akatsuki had to cover his face a bit, as the flame that came flying out ended up blocking his vision. Not only that, but the flames hurt to look at. It was that plentiful. But it somehow wasn’t enough. Akatsuki smelled sulfur, and realized that this was about to be the thunder powers that these Shadows can utilize. Didn’t Rise say not to use electric based attacks?
“WATCH IT!”
Not even able to register Hyde’s call, a stray bolt of lightning struck Akatsuki’s chest dead on. Akatsuki, obviously not expecting it, recoiled back.
…But the move…didn’t hurt. If anything, it made him feel…rejuvenated?
Akatsuki wiped his hand as if he was sweeping off any stray dirt that was on him, then suddenly bolted forward as the flames died down. Spotting one of the Apostate Towers in front of him, Akatsuki instantly delivered a dashing knee towards it, knocking the three heads down and stunning them.
Akatsuki would’ve followed up, but more lighting was sent his way. Even though they also struck him dead on, he didn’t feel anything other than the sudden short lived burst of adrenaline. The other two Apostate Towers didn’t seem to realize that their Zio based attacks weren’t working a bit too late, as they were suddenly struck down by a red flash.
“Hey!” Ruby called. “Akatsuki, act as bait! We’ll just attack them while they’re distracted!”
The PI raised an eyebrow for a brief moment, but upon seeing Heart finish off the first Apostate Tower he attacked, Akatsuki decided to put his trust in that.
With that in mind, Akatsuki recklessly got close to the towers, but not too close, lest the others would accidentally attack him via their wide scale moves. Akatsuki would drive his heel into one of the Apostate Towers, brushing off whatever loose spark would come out, and allow another person to simply run up and deliver a sneaking blow.
By the time the Apostate Towers vanished into nothing, Akatsuki’s clothes were burnt to hell and back. Black spots stained every part of his clothes, and his hair was a tad frazzled. Yet…he felt completely fine.
Rise stared at him for a bit, before nodding to herself. “I think I finally got it, now. He’s absorbing electricity attacks. Similar to how Heart can nullify light attacks, and how Yukiko can reflect fire spells sometimes.”
“Is that what I was doing…?” Akatsuki placed a hand over his chest. “How? Is that just the power that a Persona can grant you?”
“You know it!” Ruby smiled, and gave Akatsuki a pat on the back. Which was a bad, bad move, as Akatsuki was brimming with electricity. “YOWWWWCH!!!” Ruby leapt a few inches back and held her hand tightly with the other. The entire exchange made Akatsuki unintentionally chuckle.
“Personas are more than meat shields, FYI,” Hyde told him. “Taking a wild guess here, but I think you might be electric based. We’ll find out down the line either way, but…try to focus on that. You’ll know it when you know it.”
After hearing him say that, Yu realized that they’re not really guiding Akatsuki through this as well as they could. Ragna said this in passing a good while ago: This was why they should do practice sessions. But they were always in a time crunch. This time crunch in particular being tighter than average.
Thankfully, Akatsuki wasn’t completely unused to fighting within the Midnight Channel, due to the mini escapades he went through before he faced his own Shadow. They had to press on, and hope that Akatsuki could either learn what he could do quickly enough, or that Yu and the rest can cover for him for long enough.
“I see something coming up,” Yumi suddenly announced. “Something…enormous.”
Yumi pointed ahead, and past a sudden left turn was what seemed to be a huge lion-wheel. The same lion-wheel that Naoto fought in Akatsuki’s dungeon, but this time coated in flame. The Brave Wheel noticed them the exact same time Yumi noticed it, and on cue, it’s invisible engine revved up and suddenly bolted towards them.
“Whoa, split!” Kanji shouted. The team leaned on either side of the hallway they were in, hoping that they could evade the giant motor Shadow careening towards them at breakneck speeds. Before it blitzed past them, Yumi shared a look with Chie, and both nodded, getting the same idea.
“Freeze!”
Both girls summoned their Personas, and froze the floor in front of them. The action caused the Brave wheel to lose traction, slip and crash. “Alright!” Chie cheered. “Someone snipe it!”
Yukiko was about to, but…”No fire!” Rise cried. “Use something else, lest you’d just heal it!” Yukiko turned to the only other person who can reach that far, who happened to be Teddie. The boy in the bear suit clenched his paws in determination, and used Kintoki-Douji to hit it with a spear of ice.
A strange circular barrier flashed in front of the Brave Wheel last minute. Yu’s eyes widened. “Teddie, watch out!”
“GRRRRHK!”
Teddie was caught off guard by his own Ice spear shooting back and decking him right in the face. It didn’t hurt as much as it appeared to be, but it was still rather rough. The boy in the bear suit buckled back, slipped on the ice that was set up, and fell on his ass. “Oi! Who gave it a reflector!?” He growled.
Naoto helped him up. She pointed upwards, where there was what seemed to be a duo of floating heads of women with purple hair and domino masks that almost all Shadows had. They were wearing crowns that contained a floating tome on top of them. Said tome was open, and glowing with the same color that the circular barrier had. “Most likely them,” Naoto told him. “I believe that was…Makarakarn?”
“Naoto’s right,” Rise confirmed. “I think those Maniacal Books can use Tetrakarn too, which reflects physical attacks. If you guys don’t hurry, we won’t be able to hurt them at all!” With that being said, it was obvious that the group needed to take those two out first. And if worst comes to worst, Ruby could always disable their reflectors.
The problem, however…came in the form of a motor engine revving up and rapidly approaching. The gigantic Brave Wheel was up once more, and it shot out a giant Heat Wave that nicked the team and melted the ice that was coating the floor, before charging again.
The Brave Wheel struck Kanji dead on. Were it not for him summoning his Persona to grab it by the sides and slow it down, he would’ve been sent flying. It still wasn’t enough to save him completely, as he was sent skidding back a fair distance away, and was seemingly losing the battle of force against the Brave Wheel. “Tatsumi-kun, disengage!” Akatsuki called. “Disengage!”
“Damn it…!” Kanji did not disengage. Instead, he buckled up, and got serious. “Kill this asshole, Rokuten Maou!”
Kanji’s Persona transformed. Instead of the predominantly black robot shape that was Take-Mikazuchi, a swole, red flame robot came forth. With complete ease, Rokuten Maou pushed the Brave Wheel off of them, and swung its flaming club at them, sending it flying across the air. The Brave Wheel struck one of the Maniacal Books, and both ended up falling off of the ledge and down back to the first floor.
The other Maniacal Book remained, but it didn’t last long against fourteen Persona users. It evaded Yumi and Ruby’s ice and wind shots respectively, and attempted to stir up some wind of its own. However, it was swiftly taken down by Hyde as he suddenly slashed upwards, using his sword and Ishikori-Dome’s razor wings in accord.
“Is everyone okay?” Rise asked. Multiple nods were returned. “Alright, good. We still have a ways to go, so let’s keep it moving! Keep this pace up, everyone!”
The ascent continued. The tension remained the same. The pace was unchanged. Was it because of their Personas that they weren’t feeling tired at all? Was it the adrenaline pumping through them that made them ignore their exhaustion? Or was it a secret third thing? It wasn’t like any one of them was going to question it, not when it’s helping them make this amount of progress easily.
Yu was grateful that his friends were keeping their promise about this. But…at the same time, Yu felt like he was overworking them a bit. It was a paradoxical mix of “Not wanting to push them” and “not wanting to waste any time with this.” Who knows what Nanako was going through right now? Will she hold up for long enough…?
…Would they be well enough to fight for their lives if worst comes to worst?
“I-I’m sorry, guys…I…I just miss my mom, too…”
“...”
Yu made a pained face. At that, his pace slowed down, enough for everyone to notice. “Dude, what’s the matter?” Hyde immediately asked him. “You think you might need a break?”
Yu shook his head. “...Sorry. It's just…My mind’s…working overdrive,” he quietly admitted. It wasn’t like anyone could blame him…this was the first rescue mission that was personal. If Yu was completely honest, he barely cared for Saki when Yosuke dragged him into the Midnight Channel for the first time. Yu only talked to Saki once. He initially stuck around only because he was being considerate, but then it quickly evolved into a genuine need to keep everyone safe, and then into the need to catch the culprit once and for all. …Not only that, the hundreds upon hundreds of questions Yu had about the Midnight Channel, Personas, and such as a whole. The more he got involved in this case, the closer he got to what he wanted to so desperately find out.
…That’s the number one goal at the end of all this. The truth. But that’s just Yu’s perspective. There were thirteen others he was concerned about.
Yu turned around fully, facing the group while still walking backwards. “...I might sound a bit overbearing, but…are you all sure you’re doing okay?” Yu’s eyes lingered on Ruby a bit longer compared to the others, something that Ruby did not fail to notice.
“You’re…asking us?” Yukiko sounded absolutely baffled as she asked that. “Yu-kun, that’s something we should all be asking you.” The Amagi heiress scratched her cheek, as she spoke in a lower tone. “...You know you don’t have to put up a brave front for our sake.”
“...But he’s still asking, Yukiko,” Chie simply countered. She gave the silver haired leader a grateful smile. “That’s just the type of person he is.”
“I always said you were too sappy…” Ragna muttered. “But that ain’t a bad thing. Honest. To answer your question…I’m okay, at least. Just…a few things hit a bit too close to home.”
“...Nanako is kinda like me…isn’t she?”
All eyes landed on Ruby. “Some of you guys weren’t there for that, but…before I was saved, I saw the grave of my mom. I…I hardly remember her, because she passed when I was really, really young, but she still holds a special place in my heart. The main difference was how like everything else that bothered me, I just tried to bury it further. Nanako doesn’t.”
And that’s why the dungeon looks like a fantasy version of Heaven. It was like Heart’s, but the innocence wasn’t a semi-façade. It was pure and honest. Ruby gave a small smile, as she looked up. “...But like I said. I still got Qrow and Yang. And my old man, all the way back home. And you guys, too!”
“...Heh,” Yosuke placed a hand over her shoulder, the same time Ragna did. “Yeah you do, you dork.”
“I’m your dork.” The scene made Chie finally connect the dots, and stupidly ask “Yo, you guys are a thing, now!? WHAT!?” All Ruby and Yosuke did was give her an odd look. “Ummm…yeah?”
“Jealous, Satonaka?” Yosuke teased. Bad move, and he knew it. After all, Yosuke was the culprit behind the “Swimsuit/crossdressing incident,” so playing with romance like that was something he could no longer get away with, now that he’s dating someone. He held up his arms in self defense, trying not to get punched by an angry Chie. “It’s a joke, calm down! Please!”
“Annnnnyway…” Hyde interrupted. He turned towards Yu. “I meant what I said to you a while back, man. I’ll follow you anywhere. End of. So don’t worry.” He said this while casually holding his sheathed sword over both of his shoulders, the same way Yuzuriha tended to do in that lackadaisical way of hers. The gesture contradicted the pure honesty that was present in Hyde now, ever since he said what he said to Linne.
Hyde let out a soft laugh, as Kanji punched his shoulder. “You readin’ my mind or somethin’ dude? Or are you crampin’ my style?” The delinquent did say the exact same thing to Yu, after they saved him from the bathhouse. After saving his life, it’d only be fair to risk his for theirs, in his eyes. Of course, Yu didn’t want that to ever become a reality, but the fact remained that Kanji was 100% willing to do something like that. Poetic how he chastised Yosuke for actually doing something that Kanji would do if worse came to worst.
Yu eyed the few friends that he’s forged unbreakable bonds with with a fond expression. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Ragna, Kanji, Hyde, and Rise…
They really were there with him through thick and thin.
“Mister Yu!”
Yu felt a nudge, turning to his side, he saw Heart pointing up, where there was another beanstalk leading up. “Up there! We gotta get a move on, okay? For Nanako!”
Of course, there were the others…Ruby, Heart, Naoto, Yumi, Akatsuki…and of course, Teddie…the bear who started this all. Yu hasn't known them as long or as well as he knew some of the others, but he knew enough to believe that they were still willing to go this far for him. Yu eyed said bear, noticing how he had a faraway expression on his face.
“Teddie?” Yu called. Teddie jerked up. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, um…just thinking about Nanako too, you know…?” Teddie clenched his paws again. “I gotta keep that promise…not just for me! For her, too!”
Teddie was able to keep his first promise up until this point. And by no means was he willing to stop now.
“...Kanji?”
Kanji perked up, and glanced behind him. While the others trailed ahead, Yumi loitered at the back alongside him. Given her expression, it looked like she had something on her mind… “Somethin’ up, Yumi-senpai?”
Yumi seemingly hesitated as she looked ahead. The gentle maiden was eying Yosuke in particular, who was eying the sky alongside Yukiko. They were both seemingly counting something.
Yumi inhaled. “From…what I can gather, this entire ordeal started when someone close to Yosuke died, is that right?” She asked. “That isn't the reason we're continuing this now, is it?”
“Uh, no?” Kanji scratched the back of his head. “Well…I mean…sh*t, now that I think about it, you only got roped into all of this ‘cuz of me.”
Kanji did pressure Yumi a bit to give them an answer on helping them save Naoto or not. That was when they all thought that the case was over. When they all believed that Mitsuo kidnapped Yumi, then jumped in himself. Nonetheless, Yumi didn't hold any ill will towards Kanji or anyone else for asking her to help. Yumi joined because she wanted to pay them back for saving her. Yumi stayed, because…
…
“…Well…that's…that's the thing,” Yumi muttered. “If not to save someone, then why else would I be doing this? That's something that I ask myself, sometimes. I imagine that's the type of question Akatsuki-san asks himself regularly.”
Kanji gave Yumi an odd look. “Don't you wanna stop the bastard who's doing this, though? That's why I'm still here, anyway.”
“T-That, too!” Yumi hastily added on. “But…maybe it's just me. I feel as if…there should be more to it than that…” Kanji was about to reassure her that there really didn't need to be, aside from the wish to keep others safe/give the criminal their just desserts/goodness of her heart, but the delinquent thought about Yumi in action so far.
Yumi…always tended to push herself. She didn't have much restraint, ironically. Yet it was usually okay, because Yumi had crazy amounts of stamina which allowed her to let loose in the first place. And it's not like Kanji was just going to stand there and let herself get hurt if things get nasty. Yumi was someone worth protecting-
…
…Oh.
Kanji looked away, making a weird face. His face showed the tiniest tinges of pink, something that Yumi didn't fail to notice. “Kanji? What's wrong?”
“Errrr. Uh.” Kanji shook his head, muttering “F it” under his breath. Getting over his nerves, he faced Yumi directly, and clearly spoke.
“I think you just care about us, Yumi-senpai.”
Yumi blinked.
Blinked again.
“...I…I do,” she whispered. Yumi did care for them.
Like she cared for her sisters.
In such a short amount of time, too…
…It’s as if…Yumi was the group’s-
“Mom…?”
“W…Where are you?”
“Why did you disappear…?”
“I miss you…”
“Please…please come back, mom…”
Everyone froze, as a familiar voice rang out. The group kept frantically looking up towards the sky, in order to find the source. Even if they knew full well that it would be futile, they still tried.
The voice continued.
“I'm not lonely, though…I have my dad with me. Dad is always at work, so he doesn't have much time to play with me. And dad can't cook well or do laundry, either. He tries his hardest to be nice, but he's still a little scary…but I still love him.”
“I also have my big bro with me. Big bro…and all of his friends. Whenever dad can't play with me, they're always around. So that's why I'm never lonely.”
“Don't worry, mom.”
“I'm…not lonely…”
Nanako's voice stopped.
“...” Yu's head was low, making it impossible to see his face. Although nobody was sure if they wanted to. His hands were tightly clenched, and trembling.
Yumi opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Yu suddenly sprinted ahead. “Y-Yu!? Wait!”
Even as everyone else ran after him, Yu didn’t stop. The silver haired leader vanished from sight in no time, quickly outrunning everyone in no time. “Yu-senpai, no…!” Rise cursed. “Guys, we can't stall anymore! I feel this presence alongside Nanako, and it's rapidly getting stronger!”
“That's probably Namatame, the bastard,” Ragna spat. “If it is, then that answers the question of how he got away. He jumped in and took Nanako with him.”
“But…” Yukiko began. “If he is the culprit, then he should know how dangerous the Midnight Channel truly is! Why risk throwing himself in here, too? He's not like Mitsuo, who didn't know any better!”
“...Are you sure about that?” Yukiko and the others gave Akatsuki a confused look, but the PI didn't elaborate further. He turned towards the right, pointing ahead. “There's Narukami-kun! After him!”
In the distance, Yu was visible, and he was seemingly in the middle of a scuffle, evident by him tightly gripping his katana. “Get out of my way…!” Yu summoned Mada and had it use Foolish Whisper against his opponents.
Yu's opponents were revealed to be two Carnal Snakes and two Dark Eagles. The mute spell came in clutch, because one of the Dark Eagles was moments away from casting Mahamaon, but was stopped by it becoming mute. That didn't stop the muted Shadows from just regularly attacking. Yu dodged one swipe from a Carnal Snake, but got nicked by the other, which made him stumble into the diving arc of the Dark Eagle. Yu would've gotten his face cut were it not for Akatsuki jumping in front of him at the last minute and raising both of his arms in front of him, blocking the attack.
A square shield of sorts propped up in front of him, and as soon as it made contact, Akatsuki retaliated with a very fierce upper hook. “Get lost…!” The same counter technique that Chie used.
Akatsuki wasn't done. He suddenly leapt up after the Dark Eagle that was sent away, and lifted his leg up high. He crushed the Tarot Card in his hand, and Hachiman quickly flashed behind him for a split moment, before coating Akatsuki’s legs in a dark blue light.
For a split second…one of his eyes turned completely black. A red pupil shined brightly within.
“NOW BREAK!”
Akatsuki did the exact came axe kick that he delivered to his Shadow, except it was much more controlled in intensity. The impact was still unbelievably powerful, evident by the ground shaking as Akatsuki's foot made contact with the ground, Dark Eagle underneath it.
That was Primal Force.
Akatsuki quickly glanced at Yu. “You all right!?” He asked. At Yu's nod, Akatsuki helped him up. “Then, fight on!”
Yu stood back up. Now with his friends backing him up, Yu could focus. The other Dark Eagle was out of reach now, circling around the group above them, while the Carnal Snakes were coiling around them in a menacing manner.
Yu honestly didn't have a plan on how to handle the rest in an efficient manner. But he did have faith in the judgment of his friends. All he needed to do was give one of them an edge up. Yu flipped his Tarot card again, and crushed it. “Come on, Odin…Mind Charge!” The Norse God of War appeared, and powered Hyde up. The boy from Kanzakai let out a startled yelp at that.
“M-Me!?” Hyde cried. “What the hell am I supposed to do!?”
Yu let out a chuckle. “What you always do.” Which was… what!?
The pair of Carnal Snakes suddenly lunged towards the group. Hyde felt instinct kick in with no prior warning, and his movements became automatic.
Heat came, even with no prior exposure to it.
“Blazing Outrage!”
The hilt of Hyde’s sword flashed red on its own, and Hyde suddenly slashed his sword in an x-shaped motion, creating a wave of pure fire. With a second slash, he sent the wave forward at breakneck speeds, causing the wave to envelop the Shadows ahead of him with ease. The slash expanded in size and height as it traveled, catching the Dark Eagle that was out of reach as well, vanquishing all three Shadows into nothing.
Hyde exhaled, a bit drained from the move. His stamina quickly replenished itself, however, which…wasn't normal. “Good job!” Rise cheered, while hugging him. Was…Rise always this radiant? Even Hyde had to admit, he always thought that Rise was very pretty, even before he realized his feelings for her, but…certainly not to this extent.
As if noticing this, Rise winked at that. “I'm a walking, talking pick-me-up now!” She explained. “All thanks to Kanzeon!” Rise turned to face Yu, taking on a more stern expression. “That being said, don't do that, Yu-senpai. Again…we all get it. That's a bigger reason why you should consider your own safety, too.”
Yu looked down in shame. He did…lose it a bit. Since this was Yu, “a bit” translated to “quite a lot”. “I'm…really sorry.”
“It's all good, man.” Yosuke poked Yu's forehead. “You don't want Nanako to see you like this, do you? We gotta greet her with a smile. Alright?”
That…sounded nice. In Nanako's eyes, this might all seem like a bad dream. That's why they had to be there for her once she woke up.
The skies around them are getting a bit hazy. It's not the fog that always lingered inside the Midnight Channel. This was something a tad different. “Everything looks different,” Hyde pointed out. “Does that mean we're getting closer, Rise?”
“We should be, but…” Rise narrowed her eyes as she seemingly tried to focus. “Nanako's feelings are starting to get drowned out. I sense something else.”
Kanji couldn't help but growl. “It's Namatame again, huh?” To his surprise, Rise shook her head.
“It's…hard to describe it. It's just…”
“N-No…”
“That's not it…that's not it at all!”
“I just wanted a quiet life…I wanted everyone to not live in fear…!”
“Don't twist my words like that…!”
A different voice. “...It's that,” Rise finished. “The thing is…it feels like…something other than what I sense from Namatame.”
Yu let out a hum. “...That might just be an ‘after the case’ question,” he muttered to himself. Speaking up louder, he said “Keep pressing on, but keep your eyes peeled for anything.”
Yu said “keep your eyes peeled,” but Heart heard something noteworthy in the distance. It sounded like…hooves galloping on concrete and stone…? “I think a Shadow is coming!” She announced.
Akatsuki saw it first. Along the path was a white ghost knight riding a ghost horse. The major parts that were visible were the blinding suits of armor they wore. “That's that Shadow that I encountered when I first went inside the Midnight Channel,” Akatsuki muttered out loud. “Is that just another variant…?”
Yu stifled a growl. “Everyone, we should stop focusing on defeating the Shadows,” he said. “Wasting too much time might come to bite us in the near future. Just knock them aside and run!”
That's the game plan from now on, it seems. It meant that the team didn't need to give themselves boosts in order to get an edge up anymore. Things might get a little more reckless, but they could handle it.
Thankfully, it was just the one Intrepid Knight. As it charged, the Shadow started to surge with a potent energy. It was ready to utilize a Power Charge…
…That instantly fell apart once Kanji used Ziodyne. As the knight fell over, Kanji let out a scoff, before running ahead, completely ignoring it. The rest quickly followed after.
They didn't get much farther as two more Intrepid Knights blocked their path as soon as they turned the corner. “I got this!” Hyde shouted. He performed the motions for his new Blazing Outrage technique, sending a dual wave of pure electricity from the blade end of his sword. The attack struck true, sending the two knights down.
Continuing further, the team eventually reached a central room with a noticeable hole in the center. One deep enough to send someone falling to their potential doom if they happened to slip and fall. Around the hole was a flower bed, alongside an unnaturally colored vine of cherry blossoms…
“...That's not a vine,” Yukiko realized. “That's a Shadow!” The Blossom Nyogo unfurled itself, revealing its lithe form completely. The Shadow swung its head, and weren’t for them ducking, it would've cleaved Yukiko and Naoto's heads off.
Yukiko grit her teeth, and summoned her Persona, burning it alive. The sudden burst of flames caught the Blossom Nyogo off guard, and it helplessly fell on the floor once more. Now they can-
“Petal…BURRRRST!”
Without any prior warning, Ruby suddenly darted forward, feet leaving the ground. In one swift motion, she swung her scythe in a wide arc and spun like a drill clockwise, kicking up a sea of turbulent wind as she ripped right through the Blossom Nyogo, destroying it. Ruby regained her balance and skidded to a stop just as quickly as she began the motions to her move.
“Keep going!” Ruby said to the others. She opened the door on the other side of the room and kept pressing on. Yu was thankful that he made the right call, but he was starting to get paranoid. This was too smooth. Were they really just getting good at what they do, and nothing more?
Rise did say that she's “a walking, talking pick-me-up now,” and Yu noticed how whenever he was close to her, he felt his exhaustion slowly fade over time. Rise’s new Persona was also something she can utilize whenever she wished. Was that why everything felt easier?
Whatever made this easier. Whatever made them find Nanako quicker. Ruby found the next beanstalk going up, and Yu wasted no time scaling that one.
…Is the invisible sun starting to set? The brilliant blue sky was replaced with a bright amber one. It was another beautiful side of Heaven that was marred by the immense time crunch the Investigation Team had.
The tactic of “Hit and run” was working rather well for them, cutting some corners by simply knocking whatever stood in their way off into the abyss. In the back of Yu’s mind, he knew that they can’t keep getting away with this, however. Shadows and the like always found a way to hinder them from getting to the bottom of things.
As if Yu predicted fate, he came across another black door. As soon as his hand hovered over the handle…
“S-Stay back!”
A man’s voice screamed out from nowhere. It made everyone but Yu hesitantly take a step backwards. The voice sounded legitimately desperate.
“Stop getting in my way! Please!”
“I’m…!”
“I’m…trying to save this girl!”
Yu didn’t falter. “I am, too.” He grabbed the handle and pulled back. As soon as the door swung open completely, a bright bolt of electricity. The sudden bolt struck Yu dead on, getting some of the others hurt a tiny bit as well.
The light died down as soon as it appeared. The team feared the worst had happened, but…Yu stood completely unharmed, eyes hidden under the shine of his glasses. His shadow was replaced with the Rachel shaped Persona, Takamagahara, vines curling around his arm.
In front of the team was an oversized World Balance, like the smaller ones that were found in Naoto’s secret base. Bigger size meant it would be harder to take down.
But Yu wasn’t afraid. His soul pulsated, and he felt a power that…felt completely foreign. It felt foreign, but the motions and effects felt natural to him…!
The power of fates colliding…!
“Tempest Dahlia!”
Part of Takamagahara’s outfit transformed into a raincoat, and it used part of it to shield Yu as they both gestured forward with their hands. With absolutely no prior buildup, a powerful tempest stirred up. The sky darkened as harsh rain suddenly came alongside the F5 level winds that came forth from the silver haired leader. The move was vaguely similar to Yosuke and Ruby’s time and tested Garudyne spell, but it felt like it went beyond that.
Yosuke’s jaw dropped. “Holy-!“ To add on to whatever Yu was doing, a whole slew of raw debris came forth, picked up from the turbulent winds that Yu stirred up. The various floating rocks and crystals around the dungeon got caught up in the wind, smacking the World Balance aside along with the already powerful winds.
The winds eventually died down, alongside the sudden rainfall. The World Balance was down, but not out. Yu hunched over a bit, as the sudden unexplainable move tuckered him out a tiny bit. Yu eyed his hand for a split second. I know that some Personas have signature moves, but…that seriously felt unreal. Is this their true potential?
Yu’s hand clenched into a fist. If this power is part of his repertoire, then he had to utilize it whenever he could. This is most likely how Hyde feels with his own Persona…! Yu turned around, facing the rest of the team behind him. “Don’t hold back, everyone! Let’s hit it with all we got, then move on! We can do this!”
On cue, the giant World Balance managed to right itself up once more. The sensitive air that was once tinged with sulfur and ozone was now replaced with rising heat. Everyone knew what was coming, but the question was, who would be in the crossfire…?
The World Balance suddenly turned, and everyone knew.
Ruby.
It was logical. Ruby was much more susceptible to fire than the rest of the team. All of the Shadows they're faced seemingly knew what was weak to what, as if they knew a universal principle that the Investigation Team did not. Perhaps the Shadows actually did.
The flames were aimed at the one most susceptible to it. So the easiest way to counter it was to get the one who was the least susceptible to them in front of them.
All Ruby saw was a red blur suddenly place itself in front of her. “Y-Yukiko…?”
*FWOOSH*
The flames licked Ruby’s body, but the majority of them didn't touch the girl from Vale. No, it was Yukiko who took the brunt of it. As the flames died down, Ruby’s fear and shock turned into utter confusion as Yukiko stood tall. Her clothes were halfway burned to nothing, but her blackened skin remained unharmed. “W-Wha!? Why did you-?”
Yukiko half turned, and smiled. “Why do you even have to ask that?” She responded. “You did something similar not too long ago, right?”
"D'awww, don't sweat it. We're pals, remember? I got your back."
It clicked. And as it did, Yukiko turned back towards the World Balance, determination maxed. “Come, Amaterasu! Retaliate tenfold!”
Yukiko’s ultimate Persona did just that, sending a sea of flame forward just like the World Balance did to Ruby. Upon impact, a small gasp came from Rise. “Yukiko-senpai's flames are doing so much damage!” She announced. “I…I think it was because of the storm that Yu-senpai used earlier!”
Upon closer inspection, the team noticed that the World Balance's body was now generally more brittle and cracked. “It…turned old,” Chie muttered. “...Ohhhh! Like how we did a few dungeons back!”
“It being weaker means it's easier to take down,” Hyde mused. “Keep it up, Amagi! You can do it!” As Ruby scrambled away to safety, Yukiko grit her teeth as she kept the stream of fire going uninterrupted.
Without warning, the Amagi heiress buckled back a bit, as the World Balance suddenly shot its own stream of flame once more. The two streams clashed like a energy beam struggle you'd see in Anime and such. Not used to resistance attacking her, Yukiko had to narrow her eyes and really focus.
Yukiko felt her strength quickly wane. “I…don't think I can keep this up!” She announced. At this rate, she might need to drop the attack and try to leap away. She could also take the attack again, but if the attack blows up, her friends might get caught in the crossfire…!
“Hey, don't worry…! I got your back!”
Yukiko saw a familiar mop of white hair stand by her. Ragna stood by Yukiko’s side, pulling out his sword quickly. Like he did last time, he had his Ultimate Persona overlap its own hand with his, and both the hand and his sword were coated in flames. Some of the flames that Yukiko was shooting out were suddenly drawn into Ragna’s blade, adding onto his own sword.
“Get out of here!”
With a sudden flourish, Ragna swung his sword forward, sending another concentrated wave of flame that stacked onto Yukio’s own stream of fire. The flames that Ragna shot out were a shade darker than Yukiko’s own, and once the two different flames made contact, an explosion occurred. The explosion actually wasn’t as big as everyone expected it to be.
But it was, without a doubt, extremely powerful. The team saw whatever traces of the World Balance vanish into the sky. That was a completely efficient time saver . All thanks to Yu and Takamagahara. Although, given Yu's now semi-exhausted status, he most likely isn't used to doing something like that frequently yet.
Ragna smirked, and simply attached his sword to his back once more. “And that’s that.” He then turned to Yu with narrowed eyes. “Alright, listen. I know that weird asspull you just did is tied to Big Nose and your ‘Wild Card’ thing. When we're done with all of this, you're pressing him for answers, got it?”
Yu eyed his hand. Even if part of him knew that Igor wouldn't give a straight answer, he would try anyway. All he gave in reply was a curt nod. Yu was going to take a page out of Hyde and Teddie's book. Accept the possibility that there won't be a proper answer to this, but persevere anyway.
They have much more important matters than this.
Almost there.
Yu's heart rate finally started to accelerate. He just knew that they were in arms reach at this point. Yu tried looking past the railings by the edges of the hallway, and looked down.
It was impossible to see the bottom of the Midnight Channel, ever since they reached the gates of Heaven. Naturally, it would still be impossible, even as the now orange skies illuminated the area around them. How deep this place went was a question that they were about to answer.
If Namatame was at his wit's end, then there's no telling what he'll do once cornered. The others deliberately avoided talking about how Namatame kidnapped Nanako, mainly for Yu’s sake. But either way you sliced it, that was a possible reality that Yu had to face.
…The worst could always happen. Even if they did everything to prevent that from happening, it could still happen. It's been like that since day one, with Yosuke.
Something was always, always trying to stop them from doing what they did, paranormal or not. …Why? Who would gain from Yu’s failure…?
It's thoughts like those that would anger Yu, only slightly. Maybe there actually is a possibility that everything they were doing would just make things worse in the long run.
…But considering all of the lives he's saved, all of the friends he's made, and all of the growth he's experienced, Yu highly doubted it.
Yu's resolve was iron-clad. Such was the strength of his faith that he didn’t flinch at what seemed to be a muscular cyclops bound upside down to a rolling razor disc hurtling towards him at breakneck speeds. It caught everyone else off guard, but not him. As soon as the Chaos Cyclops made contact with Yu, he used Izanagi to deflect the razor blades and send it careening towards the side.
Yu didn’t spare it much more of a glance. After all, there were thirteen other people who could take over. And they did, evident by the sounds of multiple Tarot Cards being crushed. Yu didn't need to monitor all of his friends 24/7. He trusted their ability to handle themselves. That being said…
A white tank suddenly rolled into view. Similar to the tank that wrecked Yukiko back in Rise’s dungeon. It was moving with clear speed, aiming for Akatsuki.
The PI simply repeated what he did to his own Shadow, and stopped it in its tracks via his bare hands. What made this still very impressive was how he wasn't powered by pure rage and resolve. It was just Akatsuki and the boosts he got from being a Persona user within the Midnight Channel.
“Akatsuki, that's still a tank!” Hyde warned. A tank that had its nozzle aimed right at him. Getting this close to a Shadow was never a wise idea, but Akatsuki wasn't privy to that knowledge.
Or perhaps he didn't have it in him to be afraid.
With a kiai shout, Akatsuki suddenly thrusted the palm of his hand to the side, with enough force to dent it, even. Knowing that it was going to fire anyway, Akatsuki leapt back as it did just that. The jammed recoil shot that was supposed to come out didn’t cause it to blow up, but it still twitched involuntarily and slumped to the side. Yet, it was still active.
“Nice!” Akatsuki felt a powerful presence build up from beside him. Turning to the side, he saw Hyde with his transformed Persona, pointing his sword forward. “Now let me finish it!”
The hilt of Hyde’s sword flashed a deep midnight blue, and with a flourish, he performed his Blazing Outrage technique once more. Instead of fire, there was that powerful force that was present in Naoto’s Megidola skill instead.
Akatsuki didn't miss Wakahiru-me smirking as Hyde’s attack landed. Nor did he miss the smirk falling as it was revealed that the Hallowed Turret was still active. “Aw, what!?” Hyde cried. “It's still not enough!?”
“Then how about this!?” Yu suddenly made his presence known again by suddenly flashing forward, thrusting his sword forward with nothing but speed, power and accuracy. A sonic wave of sorts surrounded Bolt Cutter as he somehow managed to pierce the Hallowed Turret and vanquish it once and for all.
Lightning Flash.
Yu let out a relaxed breath. “...Can I be honest? I seriously had doubts about this entire venture, but seeing how easily we've been handling things…I can't help but be optimistic.”
“Heads up!”
Yu, Hyde and Akatsuki instinctively ducked as two Chaos Cyclopses suddenly sailed over them, crash landing on the floor painfully. Where did the second one come from?
Yu didn’t have much time to question it further, as Chie suddenly leapt over the three, and delivered a falling axe kick onto one of them. “Are you ready for this!?”
With no warning, Naoto appeared on the opposite side of Chie, and together, they both performed a simultaneous sequence of attacks with their weapons and Personas in accord. The combination move swept up the two Shadows into the air, and as they fell, both Chie and Naoto focused, and spoke as one.
Chie had Tomoe perform a wide slash with its ice covered naginata at the exact same time Naoto swept her foot in a large arc in the opposite direction. Both attacks were, honestly, very impractical when performed together, but the sheer power that came from the perfect synergy completely blew every drawback out of the water.
As the Shadows vanished, Chie smirked and struck a confident pose, while Naoto…slipped and fell on her ass, as she wasn't used to kicking that high yet. Not only that, but Naoto was running on adrenaline this entire time. “Guhh…! S-Satonaka-senpai, if you can give me an earlier heads-up next time…!”
“Sorry! I'm, uh…” Chie helped Naoto back up. “...Not much of a long term planner. But it's not like we always need to think of some super complex plan all the time. Sometimes you just gotta go for it.”
Chie turned towards Yu and Akatsuki. “Anyways, were you guys saying something?”
Akatsuki eyed Yu. All the silver haired transfer did was shake his head and chuckle. They've already heard his sappy admissions hundreds of times, so he didn’t really bother repeating himself. Which is why he instead asked “What was that move you two just did?”
Chie glanced behind her, seeing the rest of the team behind them, looking around frantically with confused faces. It looked like they actually lost track of one another in the midst of whatever they were fighting. “Uh, refer to my previous statement of ‘On the fly plan.’ I was just doing what my instincts told me. Didn't know we were trying to plan something out…”
Naoto quickly took her cap off and dusted it. “‘Clash Assault.’ There. We can at least give it a name to make it seem like we know what we're doing.” Akatsuki chucked at that.
Yu nodded. “Good enough for me.” With that, he turned around and headed into another room that was in front of them. This room had another beanstalk leading up to who knows where. Though Yu had a gut feeling that this would be the final one…
The final one…
Last time they thought that, Naoto got herself kidnapped, and Akatsuki blundered his way after her. Was this really the final one?
Yu…honestly didn't care about that right now. In the end, he just wanted his sister back.
Looking back at it, that's why he didn't find himself angry at Namatame. Though that can change at any given moment…
“...There. Nanako's behind those doors. I'm sure of it.”
Rise pointed at the oversized large doors in front of the large group. Even if she didn't say that, the group could easily tell from the overwhelming sense of purity behind them. There was also a seemingly never ending sense of dread around them. Not behind the doors, around them. The two energies weren't mixing.
…Not yet, anyway. The longer she's here, the more at risk Nanako is. That's the main danger present.
Yu didn’t get much of a chance to wait and prepare himself, as Yosuke suddenly took the initiative and pried the doors open. Nothing but a bright light creeped out from behind the doors, but that didn't stop everyone from rushing in anyway.
…Everyone except for Yu. In an ironic sense, Yu only started to hesitate now, where it mattered the most. A far cry from how quickly he rushed through the rest of this entire place. Why…why was he hesitant now? Is he afraid? It would make the most logical sense, but that somehow didn't seem right…
“̴I̵f̷ ̷y̶o̸u̴ ̷k̸e̴e̴p̵ ̷c̷h̶a̷s̴i̴n̸g̷ ̵t̵h̸e̶ ̶t̸r̶u̸t̸h̷,̷ ̸a̷ ̸w̵h̶o̷l̴e̷ ̸l̴o̵t̴ ̶o̶f̴ ̷i̶t̴ ̶i̷s̵ ̷g̴o̵i̶n̴g̷ ̴t̸o̴ ̶c̴o̷m̸e̷ ̵o̸u̶t̵ ̵a̷t̵ ̷o̷n̸c̶e̷…̸”̶̷
̵“̶.̸.̸.̷N̵o̷t̸ ̶t̸h̶a̷t̵ ̸y̵o̵u̴'̶d̷ ̴r̵e̴m̸e̸m̸b̴e̷r̴,̶ ̵y̴o̶u̵ ̷F̶o̸r̸g̸e̵t̸f̶u̴l̷a̵m̶n̷e̸s̵i̷a̴c̴j̶e̵r̷k̶w̸a̶r̷d̶!̵”̷
A voice. A voice that wasn't his. A voice that was suddenly filled with nothing but contempt and bitterness. Was this the source of the foreboding energy around him?
“̵.̸.̵.̷N̶o̶.̸ ̵ ̸N̴o̸,̴ ̴t̵h̶a̵t̵'̶s̷…̷t̵h̴a̸t̷'̸s̶ ̸n̷o̶t̶ ̴y̴o̶u̴r̶ ̶f̷a̸u̶l̸t̵.̴ ̴ ̸A̶h̷,̶ ̵d̷a̶m̴m̴i̴t̶…̸!̵ ̶ ̶I̴t̵'̴s̶ ̵n̴o̷t̴ ̷y̴o̷u̵r̵ ̸f̸a̸u̴l̶t̵ ̸t̵h̴a̵t̴ ̴y̷o̵u̴'̶r̵e̴ ̸l̶i̶k̴e̵ ̸t̶h̷i̶s̴,̶ ̵b̴u̷t̷…̴b̵u̵t̴ ̵m̷y̵ ̴h̵e̴a̶r̸t̴ ̶k̵e̸e̴p̴s̸ ̵s̴a̵y̵i̶n̸g̵ ̴o̸t̶h̴e̶r̸w̴i̷s̷e̵!̶ ̷ ̷D̵a̶m̷n̵ ̸i̸t̵ ̷a̸l̴l̵…̶!̷”̶
Yu scratched his temples, feeling a headache from the sudden voice in his head. The reason he wasn't freaking out was because this isn't the first time disembodied voices came and went through his head and there were still pressing matters at the moment. But still…
…This voice came up in the past…back in Mitsuo's dungeon. He didn’t want to keep ignoring it like this, so…
“I'm sorry…” Yu slowly began. “Did I…do something…?”
The voice let out an audible gasp, before falling silent. After a moment, it spoke again, with the same bitter voice from before.
“̴.̴.̶.̸I̶ ̷t̴h̵i̵n̷k̶ ̷y̴o̴u̸ ̷s̴h̴o̶u̶l̷d̵ ̵g̶o̴.̴ ̵ ̷J̴u̶s̸t̷…̶j̴u̸s̵t̴ ̶f̷o̵r̸g̵e̸t̴ ̸i̷t̷.̵”̴
A shaky exhale.
“̷F̴o̷r̸g̶e̶t̷…̷a̸n̴d̷ ̶f̷o̴r̴g̶e̷t̴…̶a̴n̷d̷ ̶f̵o̸r̸g̶e̴t̴.̶ ̴ ̷N̷o̷ ̴m̶a̴t̵t̸e̵r̶ ̶h̸o̶w̷ ̷m̸u̸c̸h̶ ̸i̶t̸ ̷h̷u̶r̵t̸s̴ ̶m̷e̸…̶I̷ ̷h̸a̷v̸e̶ ̸t̸o̶ ̸r̵e̸m̶i̵n̸d̸ ̴m̶y̵s̵e̴l̶f̴ ̵t̷h̴a̷t̸…̵”̸
̶“̸.̵.̸.̴I̵t̶ ̴m̸a̴y̷ ̵b̴e̴ ̶f̷o̶r̶ ̸t̴h̸e̴ ̴b̵e̴s̵t̶,̶ ̵m̴y̶ ̵l̴o̷v̴e̸…̷”̸
…The voice stopped.
Yu shook his head. Whatever that was…there's definitely no way he would ever forget something like that. If he somehow had, then…there was obviously another powerful force at play. Surely the voice knew that much? It said so itself…
”It's not your fault that you're like this, but…but my heart keeps saying otherwise…”
...
…Another one to the pile.
Without any more hesitation, Yu ran through the open doors.
Yu came across Hyde, who was halfway across the bridge that was connecting the door to the sky podium in the center. It looked like Hyde was in the middle of running back to get Yu. Sure enough… “There you are!” Hyde said with relief in his voice. “What happened!?”
Yu shook his head as he kept running ahead. “Nerves,” he quickly answered. “I'm really sorry.” Without looking back, he ran up to the podium, where his friends were waiting at the bottom of a small staircase. Half of his friends were giving Yu worried looks, but the other half was looking up, where…
“S-Stay back! Not another step! Stop! STOP!”
“Haaah…! B…Big bro…!?”
There. Both Nanako and Namatame looked absolutely awful. The man was fiercely holding Nanako's arm and her throat, but he also kept them away from their general direction.
Akatsuki narrowed his eyes at the frantic man in the delivery man's outfit. “It's him,” he quietly growled. “Without a doubt.” Ragna looked seconds away from charging in, but was seemingly reeling himself in from the skin of his teeth.
Namatame was the very definition of frantic. “Stay back, all of you…! I…I have to save this girl…! This is my last chance…!”
“Let her go!” Hearing Ragna, Kanji, Yukiko and Yumi scream that at him just made things worse, evident by him tightening his grip on Nanako.
“Everyone, please be calm!” Naoto warned. “He's clearly stressed and delirious…there's no telling what he could do!”
“Naoto, look at who he's with!” Ragna hissed back. “If you have a plan on how to get him away from Nanako, do it now!” Naoto opened her mouth to speak again, but was silenced by Yu raising up a hand without breaking eye contact with Namatame. If someone needed to speak, it would be best to be the leader. The one who's been doing this the longest.
“Let Nanako go,” Yu said. Quietly, but firmly.
Namatame seemingly didn't register the question. “I…have to save this girl…I can't fail now…”
The man blinked, eying the majority of the group. “You guys…haha…!” A weird smile appeared on his face. “I saved some of you, didn't I…? So…I am making a difference.”
Hyde squinted his eyes at Namatame for the longest time. For quite a while, the idea of this delivery man kept giving him deja vu, ever since they first caught wind of a delivery man doing the deed. “...You ‘saved’ some of us?” He asked Namatame. “You…you were the guy who ‘saved’ me, weren't you…!?”
Namatame's shaky eyes met Hyde's. “I had to…I had to save you! I…I couldn't risk it…!”
"Please…I need you to forgive me for this. I… have to save you.”
“...Yeah.” Hyde growled, as the elusive memory finally returned in full. “I almost died afterwards, though.”
That actually made Namatame crack a bit, evident by his expression faltering. Capitalizing on that, Ruby decided to speak up. “Don't you feel it, too? The air around this place…the fog that muddles your mind…you should’ve at least seen one Shadow by now! Why kidnap people and put them in here!?”
Namatame gulped, frantically shaking his head. “I had to! If I leave them in the real world, they'll die…!” Namatame eyed Hyde again. “I know you were close to dying! That's why…! That's why I did what I did!”
“So you did kidnap him,” Kanji growled. “Like the rest of us.” That was one of the longest mysteries that was on the team's plate: How did Hyde get thrown inside the Midnight Channel when he wasn't on the news, or the talk of the town? Hyde’s initial hypothesis was the actual truth…Namatame met him one fateful day and threw him in on his own accord. "Why" was another question.
Namatame nodded again. “I did kidnap you…” he quietly admitted. His breathing was starting to pick up speed again. “It's the tv…it…it tells me who's going to be next…whenever it rains…then I save them…”
Ragna couldn't take it anymore. “You keep f*ckING saying that!” He screamed with no regard for tact. “When is it going to sink in!? You almost got us all killed when you put us IN HERE!!!”
“Is ‘saving’ us just your fancy way of saying you tried to kill us!?” Yosuke angrily questioned. “Is it!?”
“W-What!?” Namatame frantically shook his head, eying the floor with a faraway look. “I'm not trying to murder anyone! I just want to-”
“Your actions contradict your words,” Akatsuki cut off. “Look at yourself. Just think. Why would we lie to you about this!?”
Lie…
Lie…!?
Namatame's delirious expression grew angry. “Stop…stop lying! Why else would you follow me here!? You're trying to stop me! You're going to get this girl killed!” With that, he tugged Nanako away from the group.
“No!” Heart almost ran ahead, but was pulled back by Rise. The Idol quickly racked her brain to figure out a proper response, as logic clearly wasn't working. She considered biting their losses and actually rushing him, knowing full well that Naoto and Akatsuki wouldn't like that.
And she almost said as such, were it not for her Persona-boosted hearing picking up what Namatame mumbled to himself.
“I can't fail again…I already failed three times…I…I can't fail again…”
Rise eyed Namatame again. “‘Three times?’ Only two people died.” Mayumi and Saki. Morooka doesn't count, because that was Mitsuo. “You don't even know what you're talking about! That proves it!”
Namatame shut his eyes. “I know what I'm doing!” He rebutted. “I…I slipped up, but still! I'm making a difference, that much I'm-”
His voice died in his throat, as his eyes suddenly landed on Yumi’s cold gaze. “...Wait…no, no, that's right…! You were at the concert, weren't you!?” Namatame looked to the side, seemingly contemplating something that only made sense to him. “You were there, even after I could’ve sworn that I didn't get to you in time…”
“What are you…?” To say Yumi was lost would be an understatement, obviously. However, the snowy maiden was quick-witted enough to piece together how Namatame was starting to recognize that his own logic isn't holding up, and moved in to strike. “...In that case…you didn't ‘save’ me, like you claim. Yet I'm still here, aren't I?”
“That…doesn't…make sense…”
It…seriously didn't.
Namatame said it himself. If he didn't save them, then they would've died.
Namatame didn't save that young lady, yet in his sea of hasty paranoia and fear…he forgot that she still lived.
Why? Why? He didn't save her, but…it still…turned out…okay?
He failed in saving her...
...And he also didn't.
“That…that doesn't make sense,” Namatame slowly repeated. His breathing seemed to slow down, and his glossy eyes started to finally focus. His grip on Nanako loosened up, but he was still holding onto her.
…Was this working?
Namatame did a shaky gulp. “You…Y-You guys know something that I don't, do you…? Why did you follow me here, then!?”
Yu took a step forward, despite his friends’ suggestions otherwise. Now's not the time to answer Namatame's questions. Not when he's the one putting everyone in danger.
The entire time, everyone did their hardest to distract Namatame from the person he was saving, but now…now was the perfect time to address it once more.
Yu eyed the distraught deliveryman with a pleading look.
“I just want to save my sister.”
“Let her go. Please.”
…Save…her?
…
…Are they…one and the same…?
…Seeing Yu's legitimate concern, Namatame slowly obliged.
As soon as Nanako left his grip, Yu rushed in and quickly caught her, sliding down to catch her. Nanako was shaking. She was trying her hardest to breathe, but it looked like even doing that hurt her. “Big…brother…”
Yu hugged her tighter. “I'm here. You're going to be okay, I promise…” Were it not for the presence of Yu’s friends, he most likely would've broken down right then and there. Getting her was the main goal. Now…
A choked grunt escaped Namatame's lips. Looking up, Yu saw Hyde rugby tackle Namatame using his entire body. The boy from Kanzakai leapt towards Namatame's stomach, immediately knocking both of them down and the wind out of Namatame's sails. Done so the delivery man doesn't get any ideas.
Hyde shuffled around so he faced the delivery man while still keeping his weight on him. “Understand this: You did much more harm than help. If you wanna make sure you don't rot in a prison cell longer than you have to, start talking.”
Namatame kept his eyes shut in pain. “Please, don't hurt her…” he weakly began. “This place…it's a safe space. I wanted to keep her safe. You have to believe me on that…!”
“It's not, Namatame,” Akatsuki sternly told him. The PI walked into Namatame's line of vision. “That's something that you need to understand first.” Akatsuki looked off to the side, eying the rest of the group cradling Nanako. “...Even if you did have the best intentions, and that's a very large if, you need to understand what this place is. From the sounds of it, it's clear that you don't.”
“But that's…!” Namatame tried to rebut, but he couldn't. He tried again, to the same end result. “How else did…?” Namatame eyed Yumi again. It all looped back to her. This one simple girl was the deciding factor that broke down all of Namatame's shaky logic. Namatame didn't save her. Heck, the tv didn't even warn him first, and before Namatame knew it, she was inside the tv. She was in the safe space with no interference on his part. Who put her there? …These guys? They followed them here, so they have to be the one who did the job, right? But…they just said this place isn't safe, so they wouldn't put someone in here if that's the case! But she still ended up in here, and came out fine, right…!?
…Right…?
Namatame gagged. The overload of facts that aren't adding up to one another clashing with his deadset beliefs actually managed to make him pause and use logic once more, miraculously. Exhaustion was suddenly hitting him too, making it so he couldn't have it in him to belive himself any further, physically or mentally...
…Not only that, but he felt some ultimate evil force suddenly rear itself close by. Evident by Hyde and Akatsuki tensing up, he wasn't the only one who felt that.
“Does anyone else feel that!?” Yukiko frantically asked. “What's going on!?” Akatsuki felt that this sense of foreboding pain was…oddly familiar…
…Again with this.
Everyone except Nanako froze. That seemingly never ending sense of dread he sensed around this room was making its presence known fully. Something dangerous is coming. Yu quickly stood up and backed away, frantically eying his surroundings.
“This was it,” Akatsuki quickly announced. “Back in my dungeon, when I told you all I heard a voice in my head. This was it.”
That means that something dangerous is coming once more.
Am I actually misinterpreting your intentions and beliefs? That is simply impossible. The human heart does not lie, no matter how much you may say otherwise.
Tell me…are you really that fickle? How can you pursue the truth with your own eyes if you continue to change your beliefs on a whim? All death is equal, but that is only if one stays true to themselves. Should they stray…their final moments will become less dignified. Is that a reality that you're willing to accept?
My question is not rhetorical, Taro Namatame.
Answer me.
It's addressing him!? All this did was flare up Namatame's panic again. Needless to say, his mind wasn't sound enough to give an actual answer. “...”
…Well, then.
I let your first misdemeanor go unpunished, and I gave you children of man what you wanted. Now that it is clear that you would simply repeat this offense. I see that was a mistake.
You all…have genuinely angered me. If death does not claim you now, let this punishment be your last warning. Do not soil my gift of guidance again.
The voice ceased. Energy started to swirl around the center of the heavenly podium, forcing Hyde and Namatame to quickly get up and run away. The energy was similar to the one that comes from a Shadow Self after they've been rejected one too many times, but…it felt less human. More…indescribable, if that made sense.
“What in the f*ck is happening!?” Ragna shouted what everyone was thinking. “Just when I think that we avoided a fight breaking out…!”
Yosuke stifled a growl, as he held a hand in front of his face. “This is beyond awful! But…now that I think about it, this confirms my theory!” Yosuke quickly turned to Yu. “You called it! This rabbit hole goes really deep! It's much more than the murder case, and the fact that this is happening even after we stopped Namatame and saved Nanako confirms it!”
“I…I don't…” Heart started to seriously panic. “Is the Midnight Channel…alive!? Why is this even happening!? I'm just so lost!!!”
The dark air subsided. In the center of the room was…something that the Investigation Team couldn't have ever expected.
Floating above the ground was a figure with a negative/monochrome color scheme. Humanoid. Female. Around their height. The major tell was that her entire body was an endless black void. She also appeared as if she was cel-shaded in via bright white lines. The white outlines made it so that she very clearly looked like she did not belong here. Not in the “reality/Midnight Channel” sense, in general.
All she wore was a robe with a hood. The hood was not on, revealing her medium length hair. The only source of color was her left eye, which was a strange, sickly green…brown…rainbow layered eye with a black pupil. Her right eye was just not there, and neither was her nose or mouth.
There was another source of color on her, in the form of a strange necklace with what seemed to be an unfinished diamond on it. Seven studded nodes were on it, with various colors.
Blue.
Purple.
Red.
Pink.
Light blue.
Brown.
And finally, yellow. The yellow color was repeatedly fizzing out, as if it was a dying lightbulb.
There was one more source of color on her person. In her left hand was what seemed to be an absolutely dirtied bamboo comb. It was halfway broken, and most of the bristles were broken off, but she held onto it like it was a lifeline.
The figure kept staring at the floor. Then…
She spoke.
“...Oh. I'm…back. ‘Back’ in quotes.”
Her eye then met Yu's, and Yu's only.
“My love…! I finally, finally, FINALLY get to see you again! You look just as I remember you. That makes me…beyond happy…!”
When she spoke, everyone else tensed up or covered their ears. Nanako subconsciously squirmed in Yu’s arms, forcing him to back up some more. “Why is she so loud…!?” Naoto hissed. “My mind literally feels like it's ringing!”
It…didn’t hurt Yu, though…? One of his arms let go of Nanako, and found purchase on Bolt Cutter. The figure's eyes darted towards it.
“You're…really going to fight me? …I should've figured. I know I'm not the real ‘her,’ after all. I'm just a clone of the ‘dead memory of the old goddess.’ Hahaha…it really is like you to ‘push their buttons’ like that. And yet, you push on ahead even when people tell you to stop. I used to hate that part about you so much…”
Yu found his voice. “Just…who are you?”
“You can understand her?” Ruby asked. Understand? She's talking to him. As if sensing Yu’s confusion, Ruby elaborated. “She just…sounds like loud tv static to me! Like, SUPER loud!”
On cue, she spoke again.
“Oh, so that's one of your new friends! I guess that's cool. …Except it's NOT. You managed to make memories with THEM, but you couldn't remember the ones you made with ME, huh? Not even after you promised?”
The grip on her comb tightened.
“...Forgetfulamnesiacjerkward. You forgot about me. Like walking into a room with no idea why, you forgot. Like a set of misplaced keys, you forgot. Like the things you don't get from a grocery run, you forgot. Like the names of people you’re introducing, you forgot. Like a frozen steak that was supposed to defrost, you forgot. Like lyrics to a song, you f*cking forgot.”
“...I can't believe I loved you. You broke our promise. Breaking promises is the only thing you're good at, you
forgetful
amnesiac
absentminded
apt to forget
vague
abstracted
scatterbrained
heedless
neglectful
careless
unmindful
disregardful
inattentive
lax
pipe dreaming
negligent
LYINGf*ckFACE!”
Whatever indecipherable point she was trying to make, Yu's friends had had enough at this point. The figure was forced to dodge a sudden surge of pure fire, courtesy of Yukiko. The sudden surge of heat forced Yu to crouch down and brace himself for the forceful hot wind.
“I'll say it again,” Yukiko darkly began. “We've gotten this far. We are not backing down. Not against whatever unknowns are thrown at us. Not when we've gotten this far already.” Yukiko gave Teddie a glance, and a nod. What were they…? …What did Teddie…?
Yumi quickly ran up to Yu, and knelt down to his height, while his friends were getting ready to face whatever this being was. “Listen to me, Narukami,” Yumi calmly and clearly said. “Don't hold this against any of us. This is a choice that we all decided on. You need to get Nanako to a hospital immediately. That's what matters the most. Don't come back until she's safe, and even then, you shouldn't return. Do you understand?”
…Wait, why are they talking as if…!? “Y-You guys, you seriously aren't planning on-!?”
“Uh…” Ragna casually looked around, before giving Yu a casual shrug that Yu really did not like. “...Y-Yeah? Ain't smart to start swinging while Nanako's still here, man. You worry about getting her to safety.”
“Yeah, man!” Chie flashed a co*cky grin. “We can take this…skinwalker! Bring it on!”
Yu hated this immensely. He tried setting Nanako down in order to reach for Bolt Cutter. “I can't let you all do this alone. It's…it's not right!” Having his friends fight what seemed to be his battle really didn't sit well with him. “Not only that, what if something bad happens to-”
“The hell, man!?” Yosuke turned around, and he actually looked offended. “We've been doing this for how many months, and you still don't trust us!? Come on, Partner…”
“Sheesh, Yu-senpai…” Rise chided with a joking smile. “Have some faith in us! We're gonna beat this thing's butt, and we're gonna meet you back home, and Nanako's gonna wake up! And that’s that!”
“Oh, and, um…” Naoto pointed a finger at Namatame, who was unconscious at this point. The most probable explanation was that his mind couldn't take what he was seeing and hearing and just shut down. “If you could also make sure that Namatame is accounted for as well, Narukami-senpai? That will make everything easier in the future.”
“But-”
Heart huffed at Yu's final attempt to argue. “Butts are for doing your duty! Get him out of here, Yum-Yum!”
The last thing Yu saw of his friends was Yumi’s cheerful smile, as she used Ninigi to warp him, Nanako and Namatame back to the entrance. “Well…bye for now! We love you!”
Yu knew a lot of them through and through. He had to, considering how much they've all been through. So he knew more than anyone…
That their joking, cavalier attitude about what was happening was just their way of hiding the fact that they're completely scared sh*tless.
The entrance to the Midnight Channel was absolutely quiet. Yu hated it. Yu didn't hate a lot of things, but he hated this.
Looking up, the first thing he saw was the mysterious door to the Velvet Room. The place that existed between dreams and reality, mind and matter…
Recalling what Ragna said about how Igor and Margaret absolutely know things, Yu was actually considering barging in there and raising hell until he got answers. Thankfully, for his sake, he kept calm.
They're guides. Not cheat sheets. That's what Heart once told him when he told her the details behind them.
Yu wasn’t always mad about their secret keeping, it's just that…the more things the Midnight Channel threw at them, the less justifications about that he found.
…
…Whatever. Yu's sister is in critical condition. The culprit is right here. Yu needed to handle this.
“Alright…’Kusumi-Yasakani?’” Rise announced while analyzing the being with Kanzeon's goggles. “That's your name, huh? Weird. Anyways, thanks for waiting! Kick her ass, everyone!”
The being, Kusumi-Yasakani, tilted her head. She spoke once more, and nobody could make heads or tails out of the ear splitting tv static that came from her. But if a certain silver haired leader was still present, he would’ve heard this:
“‘Kusumi-Yasakani?’ What, a mix of me and the thing that made this happen? Sounds…lazy. Buuuut I guess it's just more proof that you don't remember, Rise.”
“Come onnnnn~ It's me, remember~?”
“I'm your friend, Marie~!”
“I'm goin’ deaf after this,” Kanji quipped. “Uh, yo, you guys sure this has nothin’ to do with that bastard, Namatame?”
“I'm…FAIRLY positive that this is just the Midnight Channel itself,” Ruby muttered. She tightly gripped her scythe, hunched over and ready to move whenever. “Sorry, Ted.”
“...” Teddie gave the figure a very long look. “‘When the truth comes out, a whole lot of it's going to come out at once…’ Man, oh, man. This place is seriously starting to drive me bear-serk….”
“A mystery for another time,” Akatsuki simply told him. “Like always, I presume.” At Teddie's determined nod, Akatsuki couldn't help but crack a smile. “Until then…lead us to victory, Hanamura-kun!”
“Me!? Uh, f*ck! Uh-” Yosuke was not ready to be the one regularly barking orders, but like it or not, he had to. He had the second largest amount of experience amongst them. The team had to remember that Yosuke’s judgments would obviously be vastly different from Yu's, and had to adjust properly. “Okay, uh…keep your distance! Gauge what she can do while you all steadily pick away at her!”
“Not a garbage plan!” Chie joked. “I can do that!” She ignored Yosuke’s irritated growl and just had her Ultimate Persona throw her naginata at Kusumi-Yasakani. Obviously, she didn't stand there and take it, vanishing and reappearing somewhere else.
Kusumi-Yasakani did… something. The motions were so fast, and for some reason, looking at her hurt as she moved hurt the team's eyes quite a lot. It took a lot of power to not look away.
A monochrome bolt of unidentifiable energy struck Rise head on. The Idol let out a paralyzing scream as she crashed onto the floor, Persona vanishing. “Aw, hell! Rise!” Kanji cried.
“I'm okay…!” She quickly announced. Looking up, she saw Kusumi-Yasakani staring back at her, tapping the side of her face. If she had a mouth, Rise would imagine that it would be smirking.
As she quickly got up, she tried to summon her Persona again, to no avail. “Whuh!?” No matter how hard she tried to will it into existence, the Tarot Card just didn't come back. It wasn’t like she was silenced, either! Rise could still form words! “I can't summon Kanzeon! Why!?”
“What do you mean you can't!?” Hyde shouted back. He turned towards Kusumi-Yasakani with a glare. “The hell did you do!?”
All he got in response was more ear rending static. That only pissed off the boy from Kanzakai ever further. With no hesitation, he slashed his own Tarot Card in two and brought forth Wakahiru-me. “Strict Daze!”
A blade beam of wind that Hyde had stored a few floors back flew out as he slashed upwards alongside his Persona on loan. It was quick enough to find purchase on Kusumi-Yasakani, despite her attempts to dodge it again.
Kusumi-Yasakani faced Hyde with a critical eye. He was very freaked out by the bizarre rainbow colors peering back at him. Colors…that looked oddly similar to the one that Shadow Teddie had.
“Hyde, fall back!” Shouted Yosuke. Hyde did as such, allowing Yosuke and Ruby to rush forward. From the looks of it, they were doing their time and tested tactic of “Hit and run Garudynes.” Ruby called it “Operation Youthful Storm.”
However, Kusumi-Yasakani would not just stand there and take it. With a sudden flourish, she spread her arms out wide and spun in a clockwise circle. Frost started to cover her hands, and a flurry of Mabufudyne's winter ice started to spread out everywhere. “Whoa! Bail! Bail!” Ruby cried. She managed to get away in time, but Yosuke wasn't so lucky. Thankfully, he didn’t get hurt too bad, evident by him managing to land back on his feet and charge once more once he saw that Kusumi-Yasakani had stopped spinning.
Yosuke flipped his right arm up, sending his twirling knife alongside it, up close and personal. It unfortunately didn't land, and neither did the follow up downward slash he tried. Instead of going for a third strike, this time Yosuke leapt over Kusumi-Yasakani, landing behind her. The being did not let Yosuke out of her sight the entire time, something that he was banking on.
C'mon, anybody! Yosuke cursed internally as he was prepped to charge in again. Try a surprise attack!
Yosuke’s prayers were answered. A blade of pure light got dangerously close to Kusumi-Yasakani's head, and she was forced to lean to the side and turn around. Naoto was right behind her, gun pointed right at her. With no hesitation, Kusumi-Yasakani pointed her busted comb at Naoto, and let loose a blast of monochrome lighting.
Naoto was faster. “Evade!” In one swift motion, Naoto rolled underneath Kusumi-Yasakani and popped up next to Yosuke, righting herself back up seamlessly. As for the lighting bolt that Kusumi-Yasakani fired…
It struck Akatsuki, who parried it. The impact gave the PI some sort of hyper charged high, and that allowed him to suddenly close the distance and counterattack with a fierce jab at breakneck speeds. A strangled gasp escaped Kusumi-Yasakani, letting everyone know that their strikes are doing damage.
Yosuke couldn't help but smirk. “Jackpot!” He let loose a blast of Garudyne the same time Naoto fired a stream of bullets. The bullets were laced with Yosuke's wind, adding an extra bit of power to them.
Yosuke slowly nodded to himself as he kept an eye on Kusumi-Yasakani. “So far, so good…Rise! Is everything alright!?”
“No!” She called back. “I still can't call my Persona! I think that was her plan from the start!” Given Kusumi-Yasakani putting her hands behind her back and “innocently” tilting her head, Rise just may be right. Seeing that flared Rise’s irritation. “Just because I can't use it doesn't mean I'm useless!” The Idol quickly got up, and started digging in Heart’s bag for supplies. She pulled out one of the mysterious Diamond shields and activated it. These were items that they saved for emergency purposes, like now. Cuts the time and energy it would normally take to boost everyone.
When Kusumi-Yasakani saw that, her eyes widened. With no hesitation, she extended both of her arms out. The Almighty energy of Megidolaon spread out everywhere.
The light was bright, but the impact wasn't enough to knock anyone down. “Perfect timing, Rise,” Yukiko praised. “As long as we keep this pace, we should be-”
Yukiko was cut off by Kusumi-Yasakani suddenly screeching at the top of her lungs, or whatever equivalent she had. It was loud enough to shake the floor, even. Kusumi-Yasakani wasn't using her awful voice to sneak in a free hit, so it indirectly confirmed that she was just throwing another temper tantrum.
…That's what it looked like from the rest of the team's perspective. Yu said she was saying words, but for some reason, only he could understand her. He didn’t elaborate on what he heard, either…not that he had much time to; they booted him out of here. There was no other way for them to understand what was coming out of her mouth, and honestly, they didn't care. This entire expedition was under a tight time crunch.
After the floor stopped shaking from Kusumi-Yasakani's rant, Chie cracked an eye open. She bore witness to Kusumi-Yasakani sprinting towards her, broken comb held like she was aiming to impale her with it. Whoa! Suzuka-Gozen! In the nick of time, Chie summoned her Persona and had it spin around it a wide circle. While it did so, Chie herself performed a leg sweep in the opposite direction.
Kusumi-Yasakani fell for it. The being slid under Suzuka-Gozen's laser staff, but she got caught in Chie's leg sweep. The actual counter to that would be to simply stop running and back up. Chie couldn't help but let out a chuckle as her move worked out. “Yeah! Akatsuki-san taught me that one!” After finishing her sweep, she tried performing another axe kick on the fallen Kusumi-Yasakani.
Kusumi-Yasakani hovered away, as if she just remembered that she could do that. Floating higher into the air, she spread her arms out wide, and summoned a translucent, crystal shaped blue barrier of sorts. In the center of the barrier was a symbol of a sickly, pulsating purple magatama. Like the being herself, it just looked like it struggled to simply exist here.
The question is…is that just a symbolic meaning or is that actually the truth? Naoto thought to herself. One one way to find out. She aimed her gun upward, narrowing her eyes. “Permission to fire, Yosuke-senpai!”
“Permission granted!” Upon hearing Naoto fire, he ducked low. “Go, Heart!” Heart leapt onto Yosuke's back, using it as a footstool to get an additional boost in height. The pink haired maiden sailed right towards Kusumi-Yasakani's barrier, reeling her fist back before shooting it forward at the last minute.
“Ka-BAM!”
Kusumi-Yasakani blocked the bullets with her barrier, no problem. But the sudden impact of a jarringly powerful punch from a heartful maiden? That was another story. The barrier shattered upon contact, and Kusumi-Yasakani fell back onto the floor. The being looked exhausted, evident by her fists tightening against the ground.
Heart landed beside her, fists still raised. This is…easy? I still feel this nauseating sense of dread emanating from her…but nothing crazy has come up. …Yet.
On cue, Kusumi-Yasakani started to hover off the ground once more. She started to speak again, evident by the ringing in Heart’s ears picking up again. Heart did the smart thing and backed away from the skinwalker.
Kusumi-Yasakani screamed again. Her body involuntarily twitched and convulsed in multiple directions briefly, before going still. “That's not good,” Heart stated the obvious.
“HEART, WATCH OUT!”
Yumi’s cry came a moment too late. Kusumi-Yasakani suddenly moved, and her left hand no longer had the bamboo comb in it. Nothing but pure, black, darkness enveloping it in its entirely.
Kusumi-Yasakani delivered a merciless palm strike directly into where Heart’s namesake was.
The being's left eye was now gone. Her right eye was now visible, and it was a dark, dull red. Cold. Unfeeling. Judgmental.
Just as suddenly as she moved in, Kusumi-Yasakani removed her palm from Heart’s body. It didn’t pierce her body, but considering the wave of pure blackness lingering from where Heart was struck…
“You BASTARD!”
Ragna crashed down from nowhere, attempting to slam Kusumi-Yasakani with his sword. Kusumi-Yasakani dodged the strike, and managed to halt the follow up overhead sweep Ragan attempted with her bare hands. Before Ragna could pull away, Kusumi-Yasakani jolted her arms in opposite directions.
The motion made Aramasa bend unnaturally, rendering the sword useless. Worming the sword out of his hands, Kusumi-Yasakani suddenly flew close for the kill.
Unlike Heart, Ragna was still quick enough to react. “No!” Whether it was desperation or denial, Ragna had Kuraokami overlap it's ruinous hand over his own as he recklessly spun in a crooked circle twice. One sideways loop, one upwards loop. The dark flames of Kuraokami extended his range considerably, temporarily turning Ragna into a spiraling hellsphere.
…Where did she-
“Up!” Ragna followed Kanji's shout. There she was. Kusumi-Yasakani was floating higher than normal, gazing down at all of them with a cold eye. There was a sizable gash on her right side, revealing that Ragna’s desperation attack did land. Ragna scowled, preparing himself to try and play the long range game now that his sword is done for.
“There it is,” Yosuke muttered. “She's finally had enough. But so do we.” Kusumi-Yasakani vanished from existence, but Yosuke soon followed suit.
The following sequence would serve as a reminder of why Yosuke was the unofficial second in command. Both battlers constantly flashed around the podium, their clashes and strikes ringing across the entire area. Kusumi-Yasakani tried on multiple attempts to attack one of the hapless members of the Investigation Team, but Yosuke was always there to block, deflect or drag away. “I used a Super Sonic,” Rise revealed, still digging in the fallen Heart’s bag. “That's why he's fast enough to keep up. Ruby, please say that Heart’s going to be okay.”
Ruby didn't respond right away. The girl from Vale was in the middle of reviving Heart, and her focus was taken away multiple times by Kusumi-Yasakani trying to stop her. Knowing that the only thing saving her from instant death was the protection of her friends was a major motivator.
Thankfully, Ruby managed to pull it off. A huge chunk of her stamina vanished, but she felt Heart’s chest unconsciously rise and fall once more. “She's gonna be okay for now,” she told everyone. “Though she's gonna have to sit the rest of this out. We need to-”
“GHURK-!”
Yosuke harshly crash landed onto the floor, forcing the once grouped up team to scatter. Yosuke took a nasty hit, ruining his momentum completely. Looking back up, the Team saw that Kusumi-Yasakani had another barrier up, protecting her from harm.
However, instead of the magatama based one, this one was a...dark black ribcage that completely covered her. “Blocked my attacks,” Yosuke coughed. “...Caught me off guard.”
Yumi narrowed her eyes at the descending figure of Kusumi-Yasakani. Then I will simply strike harder. Yumi spread her arms out wide, which was a silent command of “Back away.”
Everyone did as such, and Yumi started to quickly conjure up an oversized needle of pure ice. Something that not even Kusumi-Yasakani can shrug off.
The plan fell flat, as Kusumi-Yasakani vanished once more, quickly reappearing right in front of her. Upon seeing the same palm of darkness in Kusumi-Yasakani's hand once more, Yumi’s eyes widened.
Impact.
“...Heh.”
Kusumi-Yasakani's eye widened, as she looked up and saw Hyde taking the blow. Despite her hand drilling into his stomach, the boy from Kanzakai grabbed her hand with both of his.
Heart taking an attack that was the personification of absolute darkness was something very life threatening, indeed. But to Hyde, the sensation was similar to the one he'd get when he stubbed his toe. All thanks to his resistance to darkness. “Hey…” He told Kusumi-Yasakani. “If you want to kill me…you actually gotta try.”
Chie leapt over Hyde, welding Hyde's glowing sword of wind. The only amount of sword training Chie ever had was when she swung sticks around as an eight year old, but funnily enough, Kusumi-Yasakani didn't know that. Still, she didn't move, placing trust in her shield to protect her.
The sword clinked off of Kusumi-Yasakani's shield, forcing Chie to stumble back and leave herself wide open. The being decided to simply try again, attempting to strike Chie with her palm of darkness. That was the plan, until Ruby appeared from nowhere and sweeped Chie and Hyde aside as she dashed. That moved them out of the path of Yumi's attack, which she was still preparing. Naoto gave her a Mind Charge, which made the attack even stronger than before.
Even if the charged Bufudyne didn't hurt her, it still sent Kusumi-Yasakani flying. The move that they needed.
Kanji summoned Rokuten Maou, and had it slam its flame coated club on the floor, sending a shockwave across the entire floor. Kusumi-Yasakani simply countered it by hovering once more. The delinquent smirked. “Okay, go! Go!” He charged ahead, alongside Ragna and Akatsuki.
Hyde stood back with Teddie and Yumi. The boy from Kanzakai picked up his sword, and held it out in front of them, allowing them to grab onto the handle alongside him. “Freeze,” he instructed. “As much as possible.”
“You got it!”
“Understood!”
As Hyde’s sword instantly froze over, Wakahiru-me reappeared in front of the three. The Persona's expression was an emotionless blank, similar to how it was when it was Ishikori-Dome. Wakahiru-me spread her arms out wide, and the seven razor wings that were no longer with her reappeared, forming a sigil in front of her. The sigil started to hum with energy, until…
“Lacteus Orbis!”
What seemed to be a gigantic beam of blue colored hard light fired from Wakahiru-me, heading straight towards Kusumi-Yasakani and dropping the surrounding temperature down 60 degrees. Kusumi-Yasakani remained unharmed, thanks to that nightmare of a shield she had, so all she had to do was simply weather the storm. The being didn't lose track of the three men approaching her sides, so unless they were willing to get frozen completely in order to touch her, they couldn't do anything. Kusumi-Yasakani was safe. All she needed to do was wait.
“RRRAAAGH!”
Kusumi-Yasakani was not aware of Kanji Tatsumi's lack of fear. The delinquent didn't have it in him to fear death, dammit. He said it hundreds of times before: After Yu saved his life, he's willing to risk his for his senpai, and these guys.
Kusumi-Yasakani's ribcage shield could withstand anything except being grabbed, which is what Kanji just did. He just reached into the giant death laser and yanked Kusumi-Yasakani out. The sudden physical contact made the shield vanish instantly, making Kusumi-Yasakani vulnerable again.
Kanji threw Kusumi-Yasakani aside indiscriminately. His entire body was frosted over, forcing him to collapse. Yet he was still conscious, evident by his Ultimate Persona tossing its flame themed staff at Akatsuki. Despite it being almost two feet taller than him and semi-ghostly, Akatsuki caught it with one hand and just started going to town.
“Shatter…!”
Strike.
“Like…!”
Strike.
“Glass!”
An upward tornado slice sent Kusumi-Yasakani upwards, Akatsuki rose up alongside her, and it looked like he was just about ready to deliver the final crashing blow…
But he didn't.
Instead, he passed Rokuten Maou's club to Ragna. “There will be no more follow ups, for this next attack will strike you down!”
Akatsuki summoned Hachiman, and he used its awesome power to deliver a earth shattering punch to Kusumi-Yasakani. The impact was as loud as a cannonball firing, and it sent Kusumi-Yasakani down to the floor like a speeding bullet. The being was moments away from hitting the floor…
But instead got caught up in Ragna’s upward reverse grip swipe with Rokuten Maou's club. The impact made Kusumi-Yasakani freeze right on top of it. Her eye was completely wide with pain.
A few moments later…it went completely dim. Both of Kusumi-Yasakani's eyes were gone. The being slumped over the club, motionless.
It's over.
Now Ragna just needed to send a parting message.
The white haired senior hefted Kusumi-Yasakani's body off of the club, and twirled it around in his hand.
“You really don't want us to find the truth, huh?”
As Kuraokami coated the electric primmed club with dark flame, Ragna slashed sideways.
“What if I want you to stop us?”
Ragna hacked upwards, then down.
“What if I want you to kill us?”
Ragna repeated the full motion once more, before holding up the club above him. At the tip, the club started to surge with a nauseating mix of elements, looking seconds away from exploding.
…The wing of the Black Beast.
“...What if I want you to try?”
Ragna thrusted forward, impaling Kusumi-Yasakani.
Almighty Onslaught.
Nothing but dial tones.
Yu sat in the hallways of the hospital, hands shaking. Not because of Nanako's status. She needs rest, and plenty of it. The doctors can't accurately pinpoint the symptoms she has, mainly because she's been in the Midnight Channel for too long, but they reassured Yu that Nanako will be fine, given time.
Yu…wanted to be relieved. But…Nanako looked to be in critical condition. That's a major difference from the rest of his friends, who just had a seriously bad headache after being in the Midnight Channel for extended periods of time. It should be noted that victims don't get access to food or water for days straight, yet they don't suffer dehydration or starvation as badly as they should.
…Was it Nanako's age? Was that the reason she was affected harder than the rest?
Yu kept tapping his foot in anxiety. He got Nanako here. He told authorities about Namatame and what he did. He told Dojima that Nanako is back safe and sound…
…So why can't his friends pick up his calls and let him know that they're okay…!?
Yu pulled out his phone again and dialed Ruby’s number again. It went straight to voicemail, and it took a lot for him to not throw it onto the floor. Yu knew they had a point in getting Nanako out as soon as possible. Every second she spent in there was just another stack of Midnight Channel sickness that Nanako most likely couldn't fight off. Nanako didn't have a Shadow. She probably couldn't have one, since she was too young to have deep, philosophical views about her negative traits and inner wishes.
Yu should be relieved that it's over. Nanako's going to be okay.
Nanako is going to be okay.
Nanako is going to be okay…
…
…Yosuke might die again.
You all…have genuinely angered me. If death does not claim you now, let this punishment be your last warning. Do not soil my gift of guidance again.
Chie might die.
Yukiko might die.
Ragna might die.
Kanji might die.
“Oh, so that's one of your new friends! I guess that's cool. …Except it's NOT. You managed to make bonds with THEM, but you couldn't remember ME, huh? Not even after you promised?”
Hyde might die.
Rise might die.
Teddie might die.
Ruby might die.
“The hell, man!? We've been doing this for how many months, and you still don't trust us!? Come on, bro…”
“Sheesh, Yu-senpai…Have some faith in us! We're gonna beat this thing's butt, and we're gonna meet you back home, and Nanako's gonna wake up! And that’s that!”
Heart might die.
Yumi might die.
Naoto might die.
Akatsuki might die.
“You're…still here, Narukami-kun?”
Yu flinched. Looking up, he saw Adachi eying him with a concerned look. “Still worried about Nanako, I take it? Or maybe Dojima? I'll be here all night, so you shouldn't be freaking out too much, buddy. You should get home and get some rest, even if it might be a small amount.”
…Yeah…home.
Yu eyed his phone one more time. He can't go back to Junes…the store is closed. If they do get out, how are they going to exit the store without triggering any alarms?
…Yu needed to find another tv, stat. The one in his room is a tad small, but it might do the trick!
Without even saying goodbye to Adachi, Yu hustled out of the hospital and headed straight home.
This…is a terrible idea.
Yu eyed his tiny tv. He had to rearrange his furniture a bit to make sure he had enough leg room to work his way into this. Last time he put his head in the tv in his room, he fell out and bashed his head on the table pretty painfully.
Yu left Bolt Cutter back inside there, so he didn’t have to worry about being unarmed…the main problem is: Where will he end up? His friends chastised one another quite a lot for jumping back into the Midnight Channel via a tv that wasn't the one at Junes. Hyde did it, and ended up back in his dungeon. Akatsuki did it, and ended up in…Yukiko’s Castle, if he recalled? Rise did it, and ended up who knows where. Where will this take him?
…Hopefully close to Heaven.
Yu inhaled, then exhaled. Even if it's just a one man difference, Yu needed to help his friends. Even when Yumi said “don't risk coming back,” he still felt like he had to. Who knows if they're…
…Still alive?
Yu swiftly put on his glasses. Okay…here goes…!
With slow, careful movements…Yu slowly placed his hand on the tiny-
“PWAH!”
“GAAAAH!”
Yu screamed, leapt back, tumbled, and…bashed his head on the table in his room again. He was just suddenly jumpscared by something popping out of his own tv!
…
…Wait, WHAT!?
“Heya, Sensei! Wait, that stack leads to your house!? Holy heck!”
Yu looked back up, clutching his head in pain all the while. Taking up the entirety of his tv screen was Teddie's head, peeking out of it. The boy in the bear suit took a look around. “...Nice place you got here! Ooooh! Where'd you get that figure?”
For the first time in…probably ever, Yu was absolutely flabbergasted. Like…Yosuke comical levels of flabbergasted. The words he wanted to say all died in his throat. To be fair…one of his friends was just sticking out of the tv! HIS tv!
“Oof!” Teddie suddenly squeezed out, making a mess and almost knocking the tv over. “Someone kicked me out! I didn't even give the green light, yet!”
Yu found his voice. “The green…wha…!? T-Teddie, how'd you-!?”
Teddie hand waved. “Uh, remember how I created a tv stack that leads to Junes? Well, we tried leaving through the first one, but Junes is closed, so we can't leave through there! Security, I think. Sooooo…I just made another temporary tv stack!” Teddie folded his arms in thought. “I was trying to aim for Antenna Head's house, though…”
…He can…do that…?
Yu's tv rippled again. Another head popped out, and it was a familiar mop of black hair. “Teddie? Are you-oh! Hello, Yu-kun!”
Yukiko beamed at him, as if she wasn't just sticking her head out of his tv. She looked around, and connected the dots. “...Did we wake you up? Oh, I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to, honestly!”
That ain't it. But Yu didn’t get the chance to comment on that, as Teddie started to giggle. “First we had Teddievision, now we got Yukivision! Ha HA!”
Yukiko snorted. “Yukivision…!” The Amagi heiress cleared her throat, and then spoke in a cherry tone. “‘Tomorrow's weather will feature overcast skies in the morning, which will clear up as the evening arrives! Expect lukewarm temperatures all around the Inaba district for the rest of the week! Thank you for watching the Amagi Weather Report!’ BAHAHAHAHAHA! *snrk* HAHAHAHA!” Yukiko then promptly lost it at her own bit.
She eventually tumbled out too, alongside a third person who just slipped out completely. That also unfortunately knocked the tv off of the stand, though it didn't matter. “GAAAH! UUF! …Ouch.” Ruby held her arm in pain, as she landed on it funny. “Nice to know that Teddie didn't lead us to some stranger's house…oh, heya, Yu!”
Ruby got up, and stuck her head inside the tv. “HEY, THIS TV IS GOOD! IT LEADS TO YU’S ROOM! HE'S HERE!”
Ruby stuck her head back out and faced Yu. “Hey, did you take Nanako to the hospital? Is she gonna be okay?” Yu managed to nod after his mind had to process the question. “(Yahooo!) Right on!”
Yu opened his mouth to speak again.
*pi pi pi*
*pi pi pi*
*pi pi pi*
Ruby paled, as her phone rang. “Aw, poop.” With clear dread, she answered it. “...Hey, Uncle Qrow. I know it's-yeah, I-no-yeah, I-I know it's past eight, I was having-no, I'm having a sleepover. Uh-huh. Uh, Yu's house. …Yeah, he's here.” Ruby handed Yu her phone. “Say hi, Yu.”
Yu didn’t get that chance, as Qrow already started speaking again. “You really like not telling people things, is that right? Think that makes you cool?” Man is pissed.
“...” Yu sighed, plugging his other ear to drown out Yukiko’s laughing fit. “It's been a long night. I'm sorry.”
Qrow sighed. ” You aren't lying, are you bud…? Alright. I'll let this pass.” The tiredness in Yu's voice made the cavalier man from Vale fold. That, and… “And, uh, listen. Red told me about your cousin. Don't get bummed out about it. She doesn't want to see your sad face once you see her again, does she? Keep hanging on. For her.”
Yu finally relaxed at that. “...Yeah.” The silver haired transfer eyed Teddie, who was fiddling with his tv. It all started with him…and despite everything, he's still here, doing his part whenever his chance came up. It was thanks to Teddie that they found another exit, impractical as it may be.
Nanako's safe, like they said she would be. His friends are safe, like they said they would be. As long as those two things remain true…
…Yu figured that he'll be okay.
“Ow! Dammit!”
Yu looked down and saw Ragna trying to crawl out of his tv. The problem was that the tv was face down on the carpet, so the 6’3” Ragna was being pushed into the floor by those on the other side. Yukiko, Teddie and Ruby were doing more harm than help, yelling random unhelpful tips and all moving on their own plans. “Stop! Stop! You're not helping!” Ragna screamed. “Naoto-OW! STOP, NAOTO, STOP! STOP PUSHING!”
“The hell's happening?”
Yu cleared his throat. “Gotta go. Good night.” He hung up on Qrow, and rushed towards his fallen tv. “Yukiko, stop pulling his hair! If you need to pull, pull his arms instead! Slowly…! Slowly! No-*sigh* if you break my tv, you're buying me a new one!”
…Needless to say, Yu loved these guys more than anything. They were his best friends in the world.
They made him glad to be alive.
