-Yukiko’s Castle, Front Gate-
The quartet walked down the wide path of stone tiles leading directly to the large castle towering over them. Stone fences taller than they were lined either side of the path, dividing it from the green gardens for visual’s sake. Statues of rearing horses made of white marble faced the road at regular intervals. Up close, the central keep loomed tall and lined with so many red-tinted windows that it was hard to tell where the roof ended and the red and black sky began. The castle was actually of a Western baroque design rather than the Japanese style. The outer wall before them kept them from reaching the keep without passing through a partially open rolling portcullis and the all-too familiar color-changing portal just beyond.
“Well, this certainly looks like the place we saw last night,” Shirou noted. “Good job, Teddie.”
Satonaka looked around with a frown. “I don’t see any cameras. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Whoever filmed this place probably packed up and ran after the ‘show,’” she spat. She looked like she wanted to kick something.
“Again with this ‘filming’ thing?” Teddie asked bewilderedly. “I already told you that there’s none of that here.”
“You’re absolutely
sure there’s no one else here?” Yosuke asked the bear dubiously.
The doubt apparently struck a nerve, and Teddie flailed its arms angrily and gnashed his teeth. It almost gave Shirou the sense that he was channeling Taiga… almost. “YES! How many times do I have to repeat myself?! The only things that live here are me and Shadows! It’s been like this since the beginning, and I never sensed anything different until people were dropped in a week ago!”
“That still doesn’t make any sense!” Yosuke argued. “’Since the beginning’ of
when?”
“How should I know?! I’m a bear, not a clock!”
Shirou hummed, trying to ignore the escalating fight between man and mascot at his side. “I doubt there’s any real filming involved for this. Most magi have a rampant dislike towards anything electronic when they can use magecraft to do the same thing. Though it could still mean the culprit is in the minority if he was studying the Midnight Channel and its ties to TV.”
“But Yukiko was on the channel before was kidnapped,” Satonaka reminded. “What does that mean?”
“It could mean anything, but we’ll have time for that later. We can ask Amagi-san herself if she knows anything after we rescue her.” Shaking off the questions with no answers, Shirou turned towards Yosuke and Teddie, both almost nose-to-nose and growling.
Chie nodded, ignoring any and all impulse to just rush on ahead while Shirou calmed the others. She feverishly wanted to find Yukiko now, but Yosuke did the same thing the other day looking for the Konishi store and nearly gotten them all killed by a bunch of Shadows for his trouble.
Awkwardly fiddling with the rolled-up chain whip at her waist and the bag over her shoulder, she calmed herself with deep breaths. She had to believe that everything would be alright.
Unfortunately for her optimism, the whip might not do as much as she wanted: in order to make it more portable, she had Daidara make it shorter, something he had no experience with. A five-section whip was less deadly than the traditional nine-section one, but at least the tip was still sharp. The image of her using it effortlessly to save Yukiko from Shadows and Shirou watching was a helpful motivator, or so she told herself.
<><><>
-Yukiko’s Castle, First Floor-
The inside of the castle was just as regally appointed as the outside. Brilliant red carpets with golden linings were laid out in center of the hallways and placed over red and gray checkered tiles of glossy stone. The walls and ceiling were all tall, with the same colors seen on the floor. Vast windows framed by red and gold curtains towered over them, though they could see nothing through the blanket of red-tinged fog outside. The walls towered so high it was impossible to see the ceiling in areas, though high arches periodically stuck out from the shadows from which crystal chandeliers hung. Doors they passed by or walked through were of gold-plated wood, and had a somewhat mystical
chink to whenever they swung open. The more the explorers saw the castle, the more they were convinced it had some sort of magical grace to it.
There was also a thicker bank of fog inside than out. The glasses filtered away what was right in front of them, but even these couldn’t pierce the fog more than a dozen meters before everything blurred into an impenetrable haze. Every sound had the quartet freezing in place, ducking behind pillars in case Shadows roamed the halls. None of them wanted to fight if they could avoid it right now, especially with Yukiko somewhere waiting for them.
Teddie again proved his worth by guiding the trio through the maze-like building. Whether just from having a good sense of smell or something more supernatural, he only needed a few sniffs to guide them away from Shadows and dead ends, and he remembered each turn they took unerringly. He even “smelled” someone on the floor above them, all the more prompting Chie to egg him and the boys to hurry.
It actually looked like they were going to slip through the entire labyrinthine first floor without issue until they came to yet another sharp turn in the hallway. “Wait,” Teddie squeaked, stopping and sniffing quickly. “Shadows at 3 o’clock.”
Yosuke smirked. “Oh, so you
are a clock after all.”
“Yosuke.” The warning tone from his red haired friend quickly diffused any growing argument with Teddie on the spot. As quietly as they all could, the four crowded at the corner of the wall and peeked around it.
Some ways down were two different kinds of Shadows: one was similar to the Slipping Hableries in appearance but with a zebra striped pattern and black tongue in contrast to its pink lookalike. The other took the form a spiraling length of paper-like ribbon with several fins sticking out so that it resembled a fish. The body had small rune-like letters that would glow red and fade away periodically. All the fins (the tail, head, and sides) appeared to be made of stained glass, and a feminine noh mask marked “II” was placed in a way that looked like its eyes and face towards the fish’s “head.”
Most frustratingly, just beyond the milling Shadows there was a staircase leading higher into the castle.
“A Lying Hablerie and a Calm Pesce,” Teddie whispered. “I think the first one is similar to the Shadows you fought the other day, Shirou-sensei, right down to the weaknesses. But you might have trouble with the other one.”
“Is there no other way around?” Satonaka asked.
“No. The stairs are just past these Shadows, and I know this Yukiko-chan girl is higher up in the castle.”
“Guess it’s a good thing you have me around then,” Yosuke smiled. He looked a bit excited at the idea of a fight… too excited.
“Wait, Yosuke-!”
He ignored Shirou’s warning and jumped out of the corner, pushing the play button on his MP3 as he did so.
A power-up theme song was what he needed for his first big entrance. Then he gave a loud whistle with both hands to call their attention. When they both turned to him, he cupped his hands and yelled at them. “Hey! Lockjaw and Flounder! Mark this image in your heads before you die!”
“What the hell is he doing?!” Chie cried from her hiding spot.
Ignorant of their worries, Yosuke calmed himself, closed his eyes and held his hand out. This was it; his big moment. Shirou was a magus, but if he could manage to summon his Persona, so could he. He
knew the power was inside of him. Hell, he could
feel it, just waiting to be released, and he was going to show these Shadows he meant business.
Right… “Per-”
About… “-So-”
Now! “Na!”
His hand clenched to… nothing. Slowly, he opened his eyes and kept opening and closing his hand, starting to realize something was off. No floating card, blue glow, no ninja-frog-man, no swell of power… He did it right though, right? Then again, how the hell did those
shonen heroes do stuff like this in the first place?
The Shadows exchanged brief glances at the slightest turn of their bodies, showing their confusion in dull reaction. The students and bear were just as baffled. “He’s… doing it wrong, isn’t he?” Satonaka finally asked.
“Yep,” Shirou answered. It never occurred to him that he didn’t teach Yosuke how to awaken his Persona until now, either, so he felt partly to blame.
Ignoring the blank looks from both his friends and the Shadows he swaggered, Yosuke calmed himself and tried again. “COME, JIRAIYA!” This time he outstretched his hand high above his head, finger wide and hoping something would fall or fill into his palm. Still nothing.
He clapped his hands together, forming a popular hand-seal he saw on a show once. “Persona Release: Jiraiya Jutsu!”
When the silence continued, he drew his nata and crossed them to an X shape. “Bakunetsu Tenkyoken!”
In a panic, and unaware of the growing sweat rolling the present faces of everyone (even the Shadows), he spouted more words and did more stances, each more ridiculous than the last. “Fang Blade! Bankai! It’s Hero Time! I Choose You! Kaioken!”
Teddie blinked at the last phrase. “Kai-oh-
what?”
“And he has no idea what he’s doing,” Satonaka said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Nope,” said Shirou, solely tempted to mimic her expression.
“PERSONA!” Yosuke shouted, going back to the original phrase with different octaves and swinging open to the air for a card that wasn’t appearing. “PersoNA! PerSOOOna! PER-sona! Persona! Persona! PersonapersonapersonapersonapersonapersonaPERSONA! ”
It was this final attempt that the Shadows lost patience and charged him. The floating mouth reached him first, opening its maw so comically wide the bottom and upper lips nearly touched the mask on the back of its body. The tongue of the growing darkness lashed out to bind Yosuke place just to make the full body bite accurate.
Fortunately he saw it coming, but had nearly wet himself seeing the pitch-black void of the mouth with wide eyes and shrunken irises. “YIPE!”
He only intended to hop back a short distance away, but instead he found himself propelled all the way to the wall as if launched there. He slid down to the floor, confused at his speed while the Shadow painfully crunched on its own teeth.
“Whoa…” He
never felt so nimble before in his life!
It was at this point that Shirou decided to step in, and properly showed how it was done. Without a word, he marched by the corner, held out his hand, and crushed the Izanagi card. The Persona materialized right by his side, hovering beside him and mirroring Shirou’s movements exactly.
Before the large-mouthed Shadow could recover, man and Persona struck as one with their blades piercing flesh. It was still strange to see himself both using his own katana and Izanagi’s naginata at the same time through their connection, even if the nature with his power letting him handle the information smoothly. Shirou and Izanagi pulled back their blades to strike the finishing blow but failed to notice the fish-like Shadow swim through the air behind their backs. He turned just as it was half-way into a backflip, intending to club him with its heavy tail fin. He hesitated in surprise, and was sent flying by the blow.
“Emiya!” Satonaka cried.
Yosuke broke out of his stupor from his brief moment of superhuman reflexes in time to see the two Shadows corner his friend. Like the other day, a sense of fear nearly rooted him rigid to the floor. It quickly passed, as if his desire to fight back was answered by the inner spirit in him (whether it was his Persona or just adrenaline, he didn’t know or care). “Not while I’m here you won’t-!”
Before he could even think about what he was doing, he sprinted forward until he was up to the flying fish and drew his knives. The moment he reached the Shadow, he slashed horizontally with the first knife before bringing the second down on the startled creature’s back and dropped into a crouch. Winding up, he brought the first knife back up in a rising uppercut that sent the Calm Pesce spinning into the air before it flopped to the ground.
Yosuke was the center of attention once again by all parties, and even the auburn haired student couldn’t believe what happened. He
knew there was no way he was that fast or strong in the real world.
The pause quickly passed as a thunderclap went off and a blue bolt struck the Lying Halberie from above. It flinched as if emitting a voiceless scream as electricity crackled around its body before it slumped to the floor with its kin. Izanagi stood in the distance, hand outstretched towards the fallen creature. Shirou, still on the floor, had his hand out in a similar gesture as if guiding his Persona.
Remembering himself, Yosuke went over and pulled him to his feet. “Thanks for the cover, man.”
“Likewise,” the magus smiled.
“Guys!” Teddie called out. “The Shadows are down, but they’ll recover soon! You have to finish them off before they get back up!”
The students looked at the downed Shadows: the Calm Pische was on its supposed belly as if washed up on a beach, but its fins were already pushing against the floor as it attempted to lever itself back into the air. The Lying Halberie was lying on the side of its mouth, tongue lolling on the carpet and staining the carpet with its drool even as it started trying to curl the slimy appendage under itself.
“Should we focus our attention on the fish first before the mouth?” Shirou suggested as he shouldered his sword while his Persona readied its weapon for another attack.
Yosuke stared at the Shadows a moment longer before smirking. “I got a better idea. Shirou, follow my lead!”
“What le-“
“DOGPILLLLLLLE!”
As he shouted, Yosuke charged again and started hacking at both Shadows while staying on top of them. Shirou hesitated for a second before joining him, stirring the fog into a whorl around them as they continued to hack at the Shadows alongside his Persona. Any movement was met with brutal hacking and kicking to keep them pinned down as they ripped them apart.
From Teddie and Chie’s perspective, the fight was obscured by the cloud of disturbed fog their friends were making and the various sounds of battle. They thought they could make out a few swords, arms, fins, and other parts popping partly out amidst the chaos, but it was all too fast to get a clear picture. When the fog finally settled, Shirou and Yosuke were sheathing their weapons, and Izanagi faded into his owner’s body. The only thing left of the Shadows was a single mass of black-red ink slowly dissolving.
“Wow!” Chie whooped, rushing over to them. “You guys make fighting Shadows look easy!”
“That’s because it
was easy!” Yosuke winked. “Though to be fair, they looked stronger the other day at the fake Shopping District.”
“Small Shadows like those can swarm together, but are easy to beat if you take advantage of their weaknesses,” Teddie explained. “There’re a whole lot of them in this castle though, so fighting non-stop could get exhausting by the time you run into a big Shadow, like Yosuke’s.”
Or Yukiko’s, thought Chie. If her friend was thrown into a world that had their own emotions kill them, it was only a matter of time before it showed up to do just that.
I have to save her. Only I can save her. Or so she told herself.
Chie had tried to ignore the sense of hopelessness in watching her classmates fight. As expected, Emiya made use of the sword better than the golf club, with Izanagi following like a dance partner. Hanamura screwed up on his first big summoning (something she would probably tease him about if she wasn’t so tense) but had managed to jump right back into the fighting. In a way, it was brave of him to fight the Shadows without knowing how to call his Persona, and a massive improvement from back at the distorted shopping district.
The guys looked about ready to move on, but Shirou stopped and stared at a blob of black that resembled the Lying Hablerie. “Emiya?”
“Come on, partner. Let’s go.”
“Don’t worry Shirou-sensei; the Shadow is dead and nothing else is going to pop out from it.”
Shirou ignored them, instead walking closer to the dissolving Shadow and, to his friends’ vocal dismay, touched it. Idly casting Structural Analysis, he saw that the majority of the remains read as made of shadow just like the door in his dream with the fog and the Ghoul. But he could also make out a few flickering lights inside, each brimming with an untapped power: one was white and dull as glass, with a shattered image at the center. Another looked like a dark and red X with as much foreboding feeling as a Shadow. The third looked like a yellow-orange glow that had some power inside it, and vaguely reminded him of a regular Tarot. And the last one was a blue flicker, with a picture of a small winged girl shown.
Then he recalled what Igor said to him earlier today, on how Persona and Shadows were one in the same.
“When you defeat them, there is a possibility that it will revert to a Persona, without an anchor to the human that formed them.”
As his hand neared the lights, they started dancing faster, going in their own orbits and threatening to erode faster in the Shadow’s remains. Shirou had a feeling he could only grab one of the lights before the others disappeared, and that he did not want to accidentally get the black-red X light.
“They may be hard to grasp, and it is entirely your decision to avoid them. But should you wish to obtain their power…”
The magus watched carefully on the blue light, circling further and slower than the other lights. He eased his hand to make the right timing, ignoring the possible consequences of catching the wrong card or extending his time limit.
“-You must master your fear and reach out for them.”
With Reinforced reflexes, he snatched it in his palm and closed it tight. Similar to when he summoned Izanagi, the sound of glass shattered echoed from his hand and burst into light that briefly blinded the hall. The darkness subsided immediately, the other lights disappearing with it. “WHOOOOA!”
Yosuke slowly lowered his arms from his face, prior rising to block out the sudden flare. Chie and Teddie did the same. “What just happened?”
“I think… Emiya summoned his Persona inside that muck?” Chie guessed.
Teddie blinked, noticing Shirou and the new guest in front of him. “But… was Izanagi always a small winged fairy?”
Shirou himself was surprised. He didn’t exactly know what would happen when he would catch the card, but hovering before him (as well as the others) was a small red-haired girl with teal-colored wings. He could barely make out her smaller features, as she was about the size of his palm, but he could see her blue leotard and matching arm gloves and stockings.
The fey took a look of her surroundings before staring back at Shirou.
“So you’re the one who freed me.”
The students and bear gaped at the fairy-like creature’s words. “I-it… she talked!” Chie cried.
“Of course I talk!” the fairy huffed, turning to her. “Just because you don’t see us Pixies all the time doesn’t mean we don’t exist or don’t know how to talk!”
“Pixie?” In his mind, Shirou gulped. Magi had stories about faeries, and whether you survived an encounter with your body or mind intact was basically a coin toss. It was unknown if this was Persona or an actual faerie masquerading as one if that was possible. Again, he silently wished that he was a more knowledgeable magus.
The dubbed Pixie nodded back to Shirou. “Yep yep! And I need a new home to get my strength going. Let’s see…”
She took a quick glance around the group, and settled her eyes on Yosuke. “You!” pointed the Pixie. “Your energy is closely related to mine, so you’ll be a good vessel!”
“V-vessel?!” Yosuke paled, tempted to simply run away from the manic little sprite. It sounded ominously close to being possessed, and like hell he was going to let that happen! Too bad she was flying faster than he expected.
“Heeeeere I gooooooo~!” she sang, making a beeline for Yosuke’s forehead…
BONK!
…And, accompanied by a sound akin to two coconuts knocking together, the fairy and the human collided and fell backwards onto their backs. Pixie recovered first, sitting upright with tears in her eyes and a big red bump on her head. “Owwie… I thought he looked empty, but his head’s already full: someone beat me to it. No fair.” Despite the situation, it was hard to be angry at the tiny pixie as she rubbed her head with a confused pout.
Yosuke, also sporting a red bump, was barely coherent from the head butt. He was currently seeing a swarm of Pixies flying around in circles over his eyes. “Whoz uppdee haded?” he slurred from on his back.
Chie and Teddie quickly went to Yosuke’s side, propping him upright and trying to rouse him back to awareness, leaving Shirou to pick up the Pixie. However, he did so up by pinching her wings, which caused her to yelp and squirm away not even half-way up.
“OWOWOWOWOW!” she snapped, beating her small hands against his fingers. “Watch the wings, buster!”
“Uh, sorry.” Shirou, nonplussed at hurting the possible Persona, let go. She caught herself before she had dropped a few inches with a flutter of her wings.
Pixie frowned and crossed her arms, staring at the magus intently from top to bottom. “Hmm…” She flew up to Shirou’s head and knocked on his forehead softly. “Looks like you’ve got more room than him, but there’s something already in there… weird.”
She drifted slightly away for another once-over. Apparently satisfied, she smiled. “You’re not exactly my type, but you
did save me. And you seem to be connected to your idiot friend over there.”
“Hey! Yosuke isn’t that bad,” Shirou defended instantly without a second thought.
Pixie giggled. “See, that’s what I’m talking about! Keep that up and I’ll be charged up in no time!”
The magus blinked. He had no clue what she was going on about… although… maybe the Social Link he established with Yosuke yesterday? Before he could ask the Pixie about it she added, “Is it okay if I tag along? I’ll help out anyway I can!”
Seeing a chance, Shirou immediately took it. “Then, could you help us find someone?” he asked, hoping the former Shadow had more information than they did. “A young girl named Yukiko Amagi.”
“Name doesn’t ring any bells, but sure, I’ll help! Just call out my name – Pixie – and I’ll be there in a flash!”
She flitted back an inch or two, and then sped forth into Shirou’s head. This time she disappeared in a veil of blue light and Shirou felt the Pixie’s energy seep into his own, settling right next to Izanagi deep inside. It was not as strong a sensation as his first Persona, but he could tell she was inside him, at least.
“Ooooh… “ Shirou turned to the sound of the groan. It came from Yosuke, who had just managed to get himself back to normal by means of vigorous shaking from Chie and a few slaps from Teddie. “Where’d that Pixie-thing go?”
“Uh, I guess she became my new Persona… sort of.” The students and bear blinked owlishly at his vague answer, which left Shirou himself honestly confused. Luckily before it got any more awkward, Satonaka shook her head as if dispelling the odd images in her head.
“Ugh, never mind. Let’s just put that aside for now; at least until after we save Yukiko.”
The collective nods approved of her vote and they hurried onwards.
<><><>
-Yukiko’s Castle, Second Floor-
For his part, Yosuke ignored the ecstatic praise Teddie gave to “Shirou-Sensei” on the fight earlier: calling him a natural and how great he was. Shirou was being modest about it, but it was clear he was in the limelight as far as Teddie was concerned. The whole Pixie thing made them forget about his earlier screw up, and while he wasn’t too keen on being butt of the joke all the time, he was thankful for it happening this time.
Yosuke didn’t know why Shirou could easily summon Izanagi from the get-go while he couldn’t do the same with Jiraiya. He knew he had a Persona and felt some of that power flow through him when swinging his blades, but it was no hovering swordsman throwing thunder bolts. He considered asking Shirou for tips and pointers, but Satonaka was constantly egging them to hurry on and find Amagi. That was more important right now: this was a rescue op, and if they were lucky and found her, maybe they wouldn’t have to fight a giant Shadow version of the inn heiress. Those Shadows down below had been utter chumps in comparison to his own inner demon.
The quartet quickly reached the flight of stairs, seeing a short hallway and a large set of gold-gilded doors. Again Teddie stopped, sniffing intently in front of him. “I smell… a human on the other side! I think it’s that Yukiko-chan girl!”
That was all the encouragement Chie needed before she bolted past the others and threw the doors open, completely ignoring her classmates’ startled cries. It led to another hallway… and a black haired girl in a pink ballroom dress walking away from them sedately deeper into the castle.
“Yukiko!” Chie cried, running further ahead to see her with a surge of relief and joy. Yukiko was safe! Her best friend was safe!
And I’ll make sure she’s never in harm’s way again!
She stopped just a short distance from her, wanting nothing more for her to turn around so she could hug her face-to-face. “Yukiko, it’s me, Chie! Don’t worry! Everything’s going to be okay now!”
“Chie?”
A cold chill running down her spine nearly tore the smile off of Chie’s face. It was Yukiko’s voice, wasn’t it? Then why did it sound like it had some sort of cheap voice modifier over… Why did it sound like Yosuke’s…?
Her fears were realized as Yukiko turned around gracefully. She had the same black hair, the same high cheek bones, the same soft, pale complexion, and obviously the same princess dress she wore last night on TV. This time though, the girl’s bangs shadowing her face highlighted the glowing golden eyes replacing her normal brown ones, and, now that Chie was close enough to see it, a faint dark aura surrounded her, billowing like flame.
In that brief pause, Shirou, Yosuke and Teddie caught up to the girls and skid to a halt as they spotted the obvious differences from the normal Yukiko. The eyes alone were all the evidence they needed to know what they were looking at.
”Shit,” Yosuke bit out.
The Shadow was unaware of their apprehension: in fact she was ecstatic and clasped Chie’s hands into her own, a wide, warm smile lighting up her face.
“Oh it is you! I’m so glad you decided to come! I was getting worried that I wouldn’t find anyone in a large castle like this, and here you are, right as rain!”
“Amagi-san?”
She looked up to Shirou and the others, her smile growing.
“And you brought guests! Are they suitors as well? Not quite what I was expecting, but I could always use a new stuffed bear!”
“Wh-what are you talking about?” Chie finally squeaked.
Princess Yukiko giggled.
“Why, my search for Prince Charming, of course! Didn’t you see my special last night?”
The chestnut haired girl broke her arms free, stepping back to fully pull out her whip. While she knew the moves used in the movies with this weapon, she had no experience drawing it or setting her stance. She almost clumsily fished it out and ran her hand along its length to straighten it between her hands. “Where’s the real Yukiko?!”
“I am Yukiko,” she answered innocently, seeming to not understand the question.
“No you’re not! The Yukiko I know is sweet and shy and would never go off trying to ‘score hot studs’ wearing frilly dresses! You’re just some monster trying to kill her!”
“Yukiko” recoiled as if stung.
“How could you say that?” The Shadow asked, and held up either side of her skirt helm slightly.
“Don’t tell me it’s the clothes? I know they’re a bit too bright on the pink side, but I thought of you when I picked them.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You said red looked good on me.”
Chie flinched, and her chain slackened in her hands. “Huh?”
The Shadow stared off to the side with a sad expression.
“Yukiko: how I hated that name. Yukiko means snow. Snow means cold, melting, transient, worthless… and all those describe me perfectly. All I have going for me is inheriting an inn and even that…”
As if remembering a bitter memory, Shadow Yukiko trembled. When it passed she smiled, clasping her hands together as she turned back to her friend.
“But just like that, you found a silver lining in my life and said I looked good in red. You’re always so strong and cheerful, never afraid to do anything you set your mind to. My life was worthless before I met you and yet you always protect me. I could never thank you enough for all you’ve done, Chie.”
From the sidelines, the guys watched on with worry for a breakout that might happen. For now, the Shadow seemed civil and calm around her friend, speaking out her mind as if not knowing or caring they were within earshot. “Are these really Amagi-san’s thoughts?” Shirou asked aloud.
“Speaking from personal experience?” Yosuke shrugged. “My Shadow told me exactly what I was thinking deep down, and we heard…” Yosuke paused there for a brief moment, swallowed and continued. “We heard Saki-senpai just before that too. Amagi-san and Satonaka are practically inseparable, so I don’t see why they would lie to each other anyway. Unless if each Shadow is different, or they can lie to other people but not themselves. What do you think Ted?”
The bear was too engrossed in his own thoughts, complete with a furrowed brow and a hand scratching his “chin” pose to hear. “Score hot studs…” it repeated cryptically, with a slight note of yearning.
For the students, it was the first warning of what was yet to come from the bear.
Meanwhile, Chie stared back at the Shadow with wide eyes. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe she made Yukiko feel important. If anything, it was the opposite. And to hear it almost encouraged the little devil half of her conscience to take advantage of it.
No, she wouldn’t play on those desires, but she wouldn’t deny what she heard. Not like Yosuke. “Yes… I do protect you, because you’re Yukiko too,” she slowly slipped her hands out of the Shadow’s hands, still fixed on her gentle Yukiko-like smile. “And it’s why I need you to tell me where the other Yukiko is and bring you back home.”
Shadow Yukiko’s smile dropped slowly, morphing to a confused look.
“Back?” she muttered softly. Almost so soft the distorted amplifier wasn’t there, and it gave Chie hope.
“This place is dangerous, Yukiko! That’s why we came in here to save you – both of you! – before something bad happens! Everyone back home is worried sick, especially your family at the inn-“
“NO!”
Streams of flame suddenly roared out and raced along the walls of the hallway, sending the would-be rescuers scrambling in shock at the literal eruption. Worse, the fires were no mere illusion or metaphor: the heat flashing across their faces was very real. Teddie’s puffy tail very nearly caught fire, and only a quick roll had spared the mascot from any serious damage.
It was far worse for Chie, who had witnessed the flames rage outward directly from the Shadow itself. The blast of heat had formed a searing aura around the Shadow that refused to singe it in spite of the heat, and the force was nearly enough to send her flying. It was still burning around her, a visual representation of her anger.
“I’ve wasted enough of my life slaving away at that ‘hot spot’ eyesore!” Shadow Yukiko scowled darkly, her voice nearly unrecognizable.
“I waited years for a chance to finally get out of it, and I’m not about to throw it away because they miss their little heiress doll.”
The Shadow turned like a noblewoman would, complete with a lift of her chin.
“If you want to help me get away, you’re more than welcome to join me. If not, you can go back and tell everyone I’ve happily eloped with my soon-to-be-Prince, and will never be coming back!”
“E-elope?!” Chie gaped. The very idea of that was ridiculous, and completely
not like Yukiko. Did she seriously mean to run away from home?!
From me?!
Then she remembered this was a Shadow, not the real Yukiko, and if Yukiko didn’t accept it, she would die. If the Shadow was this angry over something Chie had never heard from her friend before, then death was almost a given should they meet. “That’s it! You’re going back into Yukiko’s head and back home to your worried family
right now!”
“I’m NOT going back, Chie,” the Shadow growled, marching away without looking back at her.
“It isn’t up for discussion!” she snapped back, charging forward while twirling her whip to
put her in her place.
Realizing that Chie was no longer thinking straight, Shirou bolted forward to stop her from attacking. “Satonaka, stop!”
Shadow Yukiko strode over to a gargoyle ornament hanging by the side wall, trailing her hand over the head as she passed by it… and then “accidentally” turned the head a perfect ninety degrees to the left.
“Oops.”
With an ominous
thunk, the hallway floor suddenly collapsed on itself beneath the magus and the tomboy, sending them tumbling into the darkness below. “Whaaaaaaaaaah!”
The section of missing floor filled the entire width of the hall and covered nearly ten meters in length. There was no way across to pursue the Shadow. Yosuke and Teddie ran over to the edge and lost sight of their friends.
“Shirou!” “Chie-chan!”
The Shadow simply laughed haughtily and walked deeper into the castle, the event literally behind her.
<><><>
-Yukiko's Castle, First Floor-
When they finally hit the ground, they did not land in the center of the room beneath them. The trapdoor dropped them into a large open room, like a ballroom or forum. Rows of empty benches lined the perimeter of the room for visitors to watch a debate or watch a show. Pillars dotted the space at regular intervals, each with a red and gold banner draped down one side. Two rugs were placed in center at an angle to each other, with an ornate golden chandelier illuminating the space directly over the center.
Shirou forced himself to his feet, lightly shaking his ringing head while checking his hip for his sword and adjusting his glasses. Satisfied he could see and he was still armed, he quickly spotted Chie some distance from him on her hands and knees.
“Are you alright?” he asked as he walked off the aches, lending a hand to help her up.
Chie remained hunched slightly on the floor, not even noticing her classmate. “-she really-“
Shirou blinked at her muttering. “What was that?”
“Does she really…
hate Inaba? So much that she doesn’t want to go back? I get that the town’s boring and all, but I never imagined she was putting up with so much.” She looked up to the magus, frowning. “Does she hate me too, you think?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But if she really hated you, her Shadow wouldn’t have been so cordial, would it?”
“Maybe? I don’t know…”
“Well, let’s find out then. We came here to save her, didn’t we?”
Shirou offered his hand again, smiling in encouragement. Chie sat and stared for a moment longer before returning the smile. “Yeah,” she nodded, and took his hand.
Whatever peaceful moment there was between the two of them died the moment a third voice filled the room.
“Yeah, she better not hate me! After all I did for her!”
Chie paled and turned behind her. From behind a pillar, a Chie-lookalike stepped into view with the familiar tells: a subtle blue-black aura, golden eyes, and a twisted facial expression from a cynical smile.
“Yo-you’re… you’re-!”
"We are talking about THAT Yukiko, aren’t we? You know, the little princess who says I protect her?” The Shadow asked incredulously, almost breaking out with laughter.
“She actually believes that she’s useless without me! Oh, that’s rich, coming from her!”
Chie glared at the accusation. “Excuse me?!”
Shadow Chie walked around the balcony, purposely swaying her hips and brushing her hand through her hair.
“Everyone knows that Yukiko’s the pretty one: long black hair, meek mannerisms, flawless skin, and a sexy figure that guys drool over.”
Her tone grew annoyed and bitter as it trailed off with the last thought.
“How many times did I have to stand by and listen to boys ask her out without even noticing me? Or the fact she turns them down willy-nilly? She doesn’t know how damn good she’s got it, and I’m never given a chance as even a rebound suggestion! She gets all the attention. All of it.”
Those words… they were-
“Satonaka, calm down.”
Emiya’s calming voice managed to break Chie out of her trance, and she immediately started slowly breathing to center herself. Her Shadow’s words were so hurtful, so
real, that she couldn’t brush them off as simply as she expected. She had thought that after seeing Hanamura go through this she was ready for it, but all it took was a single minute to almost tear her apart.
Turning back to the redhead, she felt a wave of relief seeing him looking at her with concern even as he kept a sharp eye on her Shadow. He wasn’t judging her on this. Hanamura and Teddie wouldn’t either, she knew it.
This is me. She is
me.
With a clearer head, she let out a long breath and turned back to her Shadow. “Yeah, you’re right. It hurts.” The Shadow stopped walking, the smile falling away to be replaced by a confused frown.
“I was jealous of Yukiko, and how all the guys followed her. Yukiko was the only one who noticed me, and it was a relieving feeling. It only grew knowing she feels the same as me. That envy… it’s a part of me I hated and wanted to forget for her sake. You’re a part of it, and I’m sorry for ignoring that all this time. You’re me… and I’m you.”
For a long while, the two Chie stared at the other’s mismatched eyes. A sense of calm filled the room, dwindling by the second. The relieved tension gave the students a sense of hope that they would walk out of this without a fight.
Then the Shadow broke into a knowing smile. “Ooooooh, I get it now~! You don’t really accept your flaws. You’re just saying that so you can get the kind of power Shirou-kun and Hanamura have and fight monsters. To be stronger, to keep precious Yukiko safe, and keep your leash on her with it.”
Chie flinched, especially at the mention of “Shirou-kun”, but remained undeterred. She just had to keep herself open. “I… might have thought along those lines, yes, but-!”
“But nothing!” Shadow Chie pointed.
“You thought that if you can’t get away with being as pretty as Yukiko, you might as well be strong enough to protect her. And you can’t even do THAT anymore, not like the guys and their Personas. Your confession isn’t genuine!”
“Yes it is!”
“No it’s not! You just want to accept me and pretend everything’s fine before I tell you the ‘real’ bad stuff: like the Junes-sized crush you’ve been picking up on Shirou-kun.”
Chie’s face paled. Her Shadow wasn’t really going to go there, was it…?
Shirou’s reaction was just as bewildering, and didn’t help at all for her emotional roller coaster. “Cr-crush?”
“Yes, crush.” The Shadow smiled softly, striding over to the magus.
“A crush on a new student who offers an umbrella to a wet stranger under a gazebo. A crush on a level-headed boy who isn’t swayed by Yukiko’s very presence. A crush on a magus who took control of an otherworldly situation like a leader. A crush on a hero who would give his life to save the people around him, just because he wanted to.” By the time she finished her list, she was up in front of Shirou and giving him a quick once-over.
“I would’ve preferred a guy a little smarter to help me out on study dates too, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Both students didn’t know what to think at the Shadow’s confession. For Shirou, he was surprised to hear anything remotely towards a crush aimed at him when he did nothing extraordinary to earn it. Chie, on the other hand, felt an odd mix of horror and shame hearing the Shadow blab about her most private thoughts.
Shirou recovered out of his stupor first, seeing Chie close to hyperventilating at the unintended reveal. “N-now Satonaka,” he regarded the Shadow, doing his best to avoid stepping away. “I’m flattered, really, but I’m no one special. Hell, I’m a third rate magus at best. I’m sure Yosuke would be more than cordial if-“
“Your naivety is only cute in small doses, Shirou-kun,” the Shadow cut him off.
“And I don’t want Hanamura. I want you.”
Between his own surprise and Chie’s growing panic attack, he could only stammer a weak reply. “B-but-!”
“’That world is no place for a girl’!” The Shadow mocked his tone. There was more surprise in the words she used than the tone in them.
“That’s what you said to me. I kind of hated the fact of being branded as some useless damsel. But I can’t remember the last time any boy called me a girl before so protectively. It made me… happy.”
The Shadow smiled seductively, lightly pulling his shirt closer to her.
“Yukiko can get her harem all she wants: I’ll reel her in for myself later. I’ve always supported her, protected her, and no one’s ever thought of doing that for me; except you, Shirou-kun. You’re mine, and not even Yukiko gets a say otherwise.” Her head leaned forward with parted lips to a stunned magus, while her other-self watched with wide, fearful eyes.
Fortunately, Yosuke and Teddie just barged into the room and saw the others. They were too far away to see the real action, but could tell that Shadow Chie was too close to Shirou for anything more than a verbal beating. “Get away from him!”
On a later date, Yosuke would look into his instinctive summoning and wonder at how he just
knew how to call Jiraiya properly upon seeing his friends in danger. But as it was, he was too focused in punching the Shadow away to think of anything other than the means to do so. So it came as an instant surprise to everyone but him that he swung his
nata, slashed a card that just appeared in front of him, and his Persona vaulted across the room with a rotating star on his pulled back hand, open for a palm strike. Shirou barely had time to pull himself away before Jiraiya was within striking distance.
WHAM! The metal cracked to her face, leaving a large, star-shaped bruise on her cheek. The force of the hit also sent her flying, crashing against the far wall hard enough to leave an impact mark sunk into the stones.
“Booya!” the headphone student cheered, raising his fist triumphantly in the air. His Persona quickly mimicked the action. “Satonaka’s Shadow is down and out on the first strike! Who’s the man? Who’s the man?!”
“Yosuke!”
“That’s right! It’s-Oww! Teddie, what-?” His cheering stopped when an annoyed Teddie bopped him with his hand. It took him a while to realize that he called his name in scolding, and that he could be at least a
little threatening with that mean scowl when he wanted to be.
“Yosuke, you idiot!” the bear cried. “You hurt Chie-chan!”
Shirou was just pulling himself up from overstepping his retreat, and almost missed Teddie’s critique. In worry, he looked around and saw Chie sprawled a ways away from where she was standing a second ago. There was a star-shaped mark on her cheek just like the one on her Shadow, and her. Immediately he ran to her as Yosuke stared in horror.
“B-but I hit her Shadow!” Yosuke defended, rushing over to her. “I know I did!”
“Her Shadow is still a part of her as long as she doesn’t reject it!” Teddie explained, also running to her. “You can’t kill it without killing Chie-chan too!”
Yosuke gulped, starting to realize how massive a blunder that would have been if his attack had been fatal. In the end, he couldn’t do anything unless Chie rejected the Shadow… and he might have unintentionally made it worse by hurting her.
Chie literally didn’t know what hit her: one moment she watched as a small, lithe version of Shadow Yosuke spring forward to attack her Shadow, the next she felt a sickening, invisible force sock her across the room. Her head hurt, it felt like the room was spinning, her mind and emotions were running wild… and seeing Shirou running towards her made her panic again and attempt to crawl away. “NO! Get away from me!”
Shirou stopped in concern, as did Yosuke and Teddie as they caught up. “Satonaka?”
“Do-don’t look at me! None of this is real! It’s NOT ME!”
“Quiet, you idiot!” Yosuke seethed. “Don’t make the same mistake I did!”
“I can’t do anything right on my own!” Shadow Chie mocked, pulling herself out of the wall and walking back to the group. Her aura was growing larger and more visible.
“I can’t win as a girl. I can’t win as a protector. I can’t even win against myself! How can I live with myself if all I’m just second best at EVERYTHING?”
“That’s not true!” Shirou snapped at the Shadow before turning back to the real Satonaka. He wasn’t going to let her tear herself down like this. “Satonaka, you came back here because of Amagi-san, right? You came back to save her even at a disadvantage. You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for, I know it!”
Chie seemed to ease at his compliment, looking back at him with a bit of surprise. His words, however, also encouraged the Shadow, who smiled affectionately in response.
“Awww, that means so much coming from you, Shirou-kun!”
Chie paled again. Shirou stuttered. Teddie and Yosuke glanced at him in surprise. The latter pointed to the Shadow while asking, “Did she just-?“
“SHUT UP!” Chie cried, huddling closer to ground. “EVERYONE JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!” Why, oh why did more people have to hear about this too!?
The boys flinched back, glancing between the hyperventilating girl and her growing Shadow. “This is beary bad!” Teddie shivered. “Chie-chan’s Shadow looks about ready to burst!”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Shirou whispered. He knew trying to calm her down would only add fuel to the fire (especially with Yosuke and Teddie around), but he didn’t like standing by before something happened.
“You can’t keep denying me!” Shadow Chie snapped.
“At the end of the day, I’m Chie Satonaka too, and I’ll scream to the world until I get what I want!”
Chie pulled herself up, glaring at the double-ganger with growing hatred and ignoring the others. “Shut up, you, you-!”
The Shadow threw her arms wide and glanced up to the ceiling, emulating her world-wide proclamation.
“I want Yukiko! I want a boyfriend! I want security and power and everyone to be my BITCH!”
The words came out before she could stop herself. “YOU’RE THE BITCH, YOU FAKE!”
A deathly silence followed, not unlike the other day. Chie clasped both hands over her mouth, staring with wide, worried eyes at her Shadow. Shirou and Yosuke tensed their hands over their weapons, waiting for the fight to start like on a Western shoot-off. Teddie cautiously stepped away from the two, warily watching the scenery as dark particles suddenly started filling the room.
“There’s one thing,” Yosuke finally answered, as Jiraiya floated behind him. “Get ready for a fight.”
“I was afraid of that,” Shirou grimaced, but all the same summoned his Persona card in his hand.
The Shadow grinned wildly even as flecks of darkness flowed from the air and into her growing aura. “
Man, are you stupid! All that preparation and all those fancy speeches, and you still manage to screw it up!” It threw back its head and laughed joyously as its form was increasingly obscured by darkness. “
Don’t worry though! When I’m done, I’ll get what I’ve always wanted: what you were too scared to take!”
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Originally Posted by Seika
