Chapter Text

Wednesday, June 10^th 2009.

The Day of the Idea

Kotone didn’t know whose idea this was.

The most logical answer is that it was probably hers. There were only three people who could have suggested it after all, and of the three Kotone definitely figured she was the most likely to suggest something stupid like this. Rio was too straight-laced to even think of anything this dumb, and though Kotone had seen flashes of daring from Saori in their time at the library club, she wasn’t exactly the kind of girl to suggest something like this without prompting. Which meant that, by all observable accounts, this had to have been Kotone’s idea.

That didn’t mean she was quite sure why she had suggested coming here as she and her friends stared up at Gekkoukan’s silent façade, its wide windows reflecting the light of the gibbous moon above.

But that didn’t mean she was going to back down now.

“Alright!” Kotone grinned, glancing between her friends. “You guys ready to sneak into school?”

“Well, objectively yes.” Rio frowned, adjusting the strap of the bag carrying her tennis racket. “But I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“So do I…” Saori shuffled her feet nervously, smiling nonetheless. “But that’s what makes it exciting, right?”

“Exactly!” Kotone grinned, stepping off the back and circling around the school. “Rio, you said that the door to the tennis courts should be unlocked, right?”

“Assuming Yuko’s still ignoring me about making sure she locks up the door after practice is done.” Rio nodded, following after Kotone as the three girls navigated around the side of the school. “So probably, yeah.”

“Hurray for irresponsibility!” Kotone grinned, picking up her pace so she could approach the side door. “Saori, keep a lookout while I check.”

“Right. Got it.” Saori nodded seriously, saluting Kotone before turning and scanning the vacant tennis courts. “Um, what should I be looking for exactly?”

“Security guards probably.” Rio shrugged. “Or other people being irresponsible enough to come here at night. This is such a silly idea.”

“Why did you come then, Rio?” Saori shifted on her feet, her eyes darting around carefully. “Me, I just thought it sounded exciting...”

“Well, I sort of-“ Rio was interrupted by a whoop as Kotone pulled the door open with a grin, the clang of the metal colliding with the school’s façade echoing through the night. “Hey, what are you doing?! What if someone hears us?”

“We saw the janitor go home, remember?” Kotone shook her head, still smiling as she gestured the others inside. “C’mon, we’ve got the school to ourselves! Who else would be here this late?”

“I think I’m starting to understand why you play tennis the way you do.” Rio shook her head, heading inside. She stopped just a few feet in, pausing at the door to the equipment locker. She fiddled with it for a moment, rattling it when she failed to pull it open. “Nuts!”

“Who’s not being quiet now?” Kotone stuck her tongue out at the other girl, shaking her head. “Booyah.”

“Booyah?” Saori blinked, nervously clicking on a flashlight as she shut the door behind them. “What’s booyah? Is something wrong, Rio?”

“I agreed to come because I er… ‘borrowed’ coach’s racket without telling her. I wanted to put it back before she got here tomorrow.” Rio groaned leaning her head against the door. “She’s going to kill me…”

“Not if we get the keys for the locker!” Kotone grinned, taking the flashlight from Saori and heel turning down the hall toward the main building. “It’s probably in the faculty office, right?”

“Oh, um, yes. It should be.” Saori hurried after Kotone, nodding. “I was helping Mr. Ekoda organize some things, and he mentioned that’s where they’d be; in the cabinet by the far wall.”

“Are we seriously going to be stealing keys?” Rio rolled her shoulders uncomfortably, following the other two girls nonetheless. “And Saori, you know he’s just pushing you around, right? Teachers can’t make students do things like that.”

“It wasn’t that big a deal…” Saori shrugged as the three stepped out into the central walkway, the moon shining gently off the leaves of the persimmon tree. “I’m happy to help, you know?”

“I still think he’s using that to take advantage of you.” Kotone sighed as she turned, walking backwards toward the main building. “Remember what we talked about?”

“I remember. It just didn’t feel like the right time to-” Saori nodded, her eyes widening as they approached the building. “Kotone, you’re-“

“I got it.” Kotone stopped just short of walking backwards into the doors, grinning as she did. “I got perfect timing Sao, don’t worry.”

“That also explains even more about how you play tennis.” Rio rolled her eyes as Kotone pushed open the doors, leading the two into the school halls. “Why did you want to come here anyways?”

“Uh…” Kotone paused for a moment, trying to think. She still couldn’t remember, really. Oh well. “For fun, duh.”

“Kotone doesn’t think sometimes.” Saori nodded seriously. “She told me it’s a good thing.”

“It is! Sometimes.” Kotone snorted, turning back around. “My foster parents say it’s part of my charm?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Rio sighed as the three entered the school’s main hall, moonlight passing through the windows in rays. “How do you get the best exam scores with that kind of attitude?”

“Like I said, it’s only sometimes.” Kotone paused in the middle of the hall, hands on her hips as she smiled. “Alright, anything more before we get those keys?”

“Mhm.” Rio shook her head, taking the flashlight from Kotone. “I’m going alone.”

“Whaaaat?” Kotone frowned, crossing her arms. “Why?”

“Because, Saori’s done enough and I don’t trust you not to snoop at the teachers’ stuff.” Rio shook her head, heading down the hall to the faculty office. “I’ll be right back.”

“What are you, a cop?” Kotone stuck her tongue out at the girl, shaking her head. “Are you sure? What if you get caught?”

“Oh, so now you’re worried about getting caught?” Rio rolled her eyes, pausing at the door to the office. “Just wait for me.”

And then she went inside, leaving Kotone and Saori alone with the moonlight.

“So, um…” Saori shifted on her feet, looking around nervously. “Would you have peeked at the teachers’ stuff?”

“No!” Kotone shook her head emphatically. “Well… probably not.”

“Hehe…” Saori giggled, covering her mouth. “You’re funny, Kotone.”

“Thanks Sao. I try to be.” Kotone grinned, glad that Saori thought so. It meant she was doing a good job. “Hey, d’ya think-“

The clock struck midnight.

Kotone gasped as she felt a rumbling fill the air, the whole world shaking as her vision clouded. She instinctively reached for Saori, shielding the taller girl with her body as the world itself seemed to shudder. It lasted for more than a few moments, her vision staying blank as she clung onto the other girl for dear life.

And then it was done.

“Wh-what was that?” Saori’s voice trembled as she blinked her eyes open, looking around. “A-an earthquake?”

“Maybe, but-“ Kotone shuddered, blinking as well as her eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light of… of… “Where are we?”

The school’s entranceway had vanished, replaced by a cavernous lobby. Kotone’s first instinct was to call it an arena, a huge circular space punctuated only by a pair of monumental double doors leading out, and a staircase in the center of the room that lead to a huge clock with its own door within.

“This isn’t-“ Saori continued to shake as she looked around, her eyes darting all around the space. “H-how did we get here?”

“I’m… I’m not sure.” Kotone instinctively moved toward the double doors, gently pushing one open and peeking out. The school’s front yard loomed before her, illuminated by the pale green light of a way too big moon far above. Kotone shivered, instinctively closing the door. That was… not a good thing to see, but at least it was a way out. That just meant they needed- “Wait, where’s Rio?”

“R-rio?” Saori blinked, gasping as she turned her head to look around. “Rio! Wh-where did she go?!”

“She isn’t here, right?” Kotone ran back to Saori, looking around the whole space. It was just as she’d first seen, nothing but the doors, the stairs, a weird green machine, the giant clock with the entranceway, and… a metal box neatly hidden just underneath the latter, emblazoned with the letters S.E.E.S “What the heck is this?”

“I-I don’t know!” Saori clung close to Kotone, her eyes darting around as Kotone crouched next to the box, pulling it out so she could inspect it closer. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“I dunno, I just-“ Kotone shook her head, her fingers moving to undo the latches and open the box almost on instinct. “I just… just… oh. Oh wow.”

Inside the box were guns. Pistols to be precise, silver barreled with black grips and small incisions glowing blue. The same letters were engraved on each of them: S.E.E.S. Kotone lifted one curiously, pulling it out of the box and feeling the weight in her hand.

It felt right.

“K-kotone, be careful with that!” Saori gasped, furrowing her brow. “I-is it real? That’s a gun!”

“Yeah, and if they’re in a weird green nightmare place, then we’ll probably need them.” Kotone’s voice came out calmer than she expected, a strange sort of placidity coming over her. She should be panicking right now, she knew that. She had just been transported into some sort of alternate hell dimension where the moon was giant and her friends vanished around her, reasonably she should have been panicking as much as Saori. Instead… “C’mon. Grab one, we need to go find Rio.”

“Wh- grab one?” Saori blanched as Kotone stood and made her way toward the stairs, peering up at the doorway embedded in the clockface. “But-“

“If you don’t want to come, that’s alright. I understand.” Kotone gripped the gun tighter in her hand, glancing back at Saori. “But… I think Rio is up there. And I can’t just- I’m not going to leave her, right?”

“Kotone…” Saori stared for a long moment, her whole body trembling. Then, she nodded. “If… i-if you can be brave, then I can too. I-I’ll come with you.”

“Thanks Sao.” Kotone smiled at that, though it was far from her usual grin. “Then let’s go get her.”

---

This place, whatever it was, was a nightmare.

It was like some sort of weird messed up reflection of their school, the familiar tiles and lockers twisted and distorted as the two girls creeped through the halls, guns in hand. That would have been bad enough, but Kotone swore the place was moving around them; walls shifting and floors turning. Nonetheless they ascended several floors upwards through the labyrinth, trying to ignore the faint and inhuman groans that seemed to permeate the whole place.

“Wh-what do you think this place is?” Saori’s voice trembled as she stuck close to Kotone, her head on a swivel. “I-is it a dream?”

“No… definitely not.” Kotone shook her head. “I think that it’s-“

“Stay away from me!” Rio’s scream filled the air from down the hall, bouncing across the walls as Kotone’s heart jumped into her throat. “Get back!”

“Rio!” Saori gasped, her previous fear forgotten as she and Kotone charged toward the source of the voice. “Rio!”

The two skidded down the hall, turning a corner and coming face to face with the source of the sound. Rio stood cornered in the hallway, her tennis racket in hand as she tried to use it to bat away at some strange shadowy blob with a metallic blue mask that seemed intent on attacking her. Each wack seemed to do little, however, the creature gurgling as a pair of sharp claws emerged from its form.

“R-rio!” Saori gasped, lifting her gun and pointing it shakily toward the blobby creature. “L-look out!”

“Saori, wait!” Kotone gasped, the world slowing to a crawl as Saori’s finger closed on the trigger. “Be careful not to-“

Kotone was cut off by the sound of a gun firing, a flash of brilliant blue light filling the hallway as a cerulean tracer zipped through the darkness, sailing wide of Rio and the creature both. Saori yelped in surprise, dropping the gun as the shot echoed through reality. The creature turned, its twisted mask appraising the newcomers with empty eyes as if searching for some kind of reason in their arrival.

And then, it began to crawl towards them instead.

“Shit!” Kotone gasped, finally managing to push herself into motion as she raised her own gun toward the monster. Her hands trembled, her aim faltering as she tried to focus. Her calm from before seemed to have vanished, nothing but the heart pounding in her chest and the sweat dripping from her brow to guide her. All she had to do was hit it. That was it. Just hit it, and it would be over and they would be safe. Just… just do it. Just… just…

This isn’t the way, dread warrior.

Kotone shivered as a voice whispered to her, the pounding of her heart fading to a distant thumping as the world went silent and a gust of wind blew through her hair. The unnatural calm from before began to spread through her once again, her vision clearing as she stared at the creature.

Reality encloses you. Damns you to a footnote in a hero’s story, a casualty told through whispers. They will forget your name, dread warrior. Your face. They will forget all you ever were, for the sake of what you are. Tell me. Is that what you want?

“No…” Kotone whispered into the nothingness. “I don’t.”

Then raise thy blade, dread warrior. Harden thy heart against the passage of time. Call my name now and let us defy the cost they would have us pay. And for every story that you are forgotten and made to serve… let us make this one they cannot define.

“Come… to…” Kotone felt her heart seize in her chest, the cold weight of reality unfolding before her along the icy barrel of the gun against her head. It was insane. This was insane. All of it was insane, totally and absolutely insane. And yet here she was pointing a gun to her head and feeling, no, knowing that it was the only path forward. “Me… me-”

And that now, right now, she was going to pull the trigger.

“Medusa!” Kotone screamed as the gun’s chill shot through her soul, a phantom bullet tearing through her with a gout of blue flame as a snake-haired woman burst forth from within her and the temperature plummeted down the hall. The blobby creature froze, staring at Kotone with what can only be described as bewilderment. Despite herself Kotone couldn’t help but grin at the sight, her hand shaking as she pointed at the creature in front of her. “Tear it to pieces.”

There was a satisfying hiss as Medusa struck forth, the snakes in her hair shooting at the creature and digging their fangs deep into its form. The creature let out what could only faintly be described as a scream, ice spreading from where fang met shadow as Medusa pulled tight. The creature strained for a moment before rupturing, globs of messy shadow spilling out across the floor of the hall before dissipating into nothingness. Kotone laughed, the gun falling from her hands as Medusa returned to her soul and she felt everything steady itself back into reality.

“K-Kotone?” Saori’s lip trembled, a hesitancy in her motion as she reached a careful hand out to her friend. “Are you… are you alright?”

“What was that?” Rio slowly lowered her tennis racket, taking a few hesitant steps towards her friends. “How did we end up here, and what was-“

Rio was suddenly cut off by the sound of rumbling filling the hallway, followed by a distinct splitting motion. Before any of them could react, one of the shifting walls from below appeared, slamming into the tile of the hallway and cutting Kotone and Saori off from their friend.

“Rio!” Kotone gasped, scooping up the gun once more and charging forward. She banged her fist against the wall, her body trembling as she felt suddenly and inexplicably exhausted. “Rio, hold on, you’re… you… you…”

“Kotone!” Saori gasped, moving to catch Kotone as her legs gave out beneath her and her vision began to cloud with exhaustion. “Kotone, what’s wrong?!”

“I’m…” Kotone slurred, trying fruitlessly to cling to consciousness. “I- Saori…”

And then she fell entirely, and the girl’s terrified lavender eyes were the last thing she saw before she faded away to sleep.

?????

???

We don’t have much time.

This story has long been set in stone.

Its end told since the beginning.

But fate is malleable as time.

And your hands may yet carve stone.

A new opportunity is beginning.

Go now, we haven’t much time.

And if fate truly has been written into stone.

Then may this yet still be a new beginning.

Chapter Text

Thursday, June 11^th 2009.

The Day of the What The Fuck Was That?

Sunlight filtered through the window to Kotone’s room, glaring into her eyes as she blinked herself awake. Her head felt like it was on fire, a dull ache pounding through her as she sat up in bed. For a moment she wondered if last night, what with the breaking into school, the weird hell dimension, and Saori helping her stumble home and sneak through the window without waking her foster parents had been real.

Then she saw the gun still sitting on her nightstand.

I’m going to have to hide that.

“You will, dread warrior. A blade works best in the dark.”

The hell is-

If Kotone needed any more proof that last night had been real, the hissing voice of Medusa in her head causing her to fall out of bed was probably enough.

Medusa? Why are you still here? In my head?

“Such were the terms of the curse we have contracted, dread warrior. I am thou, thou art I.”

Right. That did happen. Shit.

“Kotone?” There was a knock on the door to Kotone’s room, her foster father’s voice coming through muffled. “You alright in there, kid?”

“Fine!” Kotone scrambled to her feet, pulling open her drawer and shoving the gun inside just in case he tried to come inside. “What time is it?”

“Time for breakfast. Get dressed and come down, Elly’s on it already.” Her foster father sighed, his weariness clear even through the door. “If we’re lucky, she isn’t making eggs.”

“Kei, Kotone, hurry already!” Elly’s voice rang from downstairs, the usual lilt only slightly muffled by the door. “You should come enjoy these eggs 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒!”

“I should have known.” There was a faint thump against the door as Kei knocked his head against it, sighing. “Please get dressed and come downstairs. I’ll need your support.”

And then with a creaking of the floorboards, he turned and left to his fate.

He sounds more exhausted than when he comes home from the office.

“Battles are fought in every corner of the world, dread warrior.”

…so you’re really just going to be a running commentary on my life, huh?

---

At first they had tried to pretend that they really were just a normal couple looking to foster.

It was incredibly awkward, to tell the truth. Far from the worst experience Kotone had been through when it came to a new home, but seeing Kei and Elly try to act like a couple for the sake of her case worker had been an experience. They loosened up a little once he had left, but still made an attempt to keep up appearances by sleeping in the same bedroom. That lasted all of about half an hour before Elly barged into the hall, muttering curses in English and returning to the “guest room” that just so happened to have had all her stuff in it.

Yeah.

They made a decent run of it after that, nobody could accuse them of not trying. But then Elly had come home covered in lipstick that wasn’t hers, and probably(?) wasn’t Kei’s, Kotone had run into Kei out on the town with his “friend from work”, and Kotone had talked about how cute some girl on TV was loudly enough and enthusiastically enough that everyone had just figured that things were cool and they could just drop the act.

Kotone definitely preferred it this way.

“Elly.” Kei had been staring at his plate as Kotone came downstairs, where some unholy egg-like combination was seemingly staring back at him. “What is this?”

“Ah, a 𝒹𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁 combination of eggs!” Elly had grinned, tossing her ‘This Machine Grills Burgers’ apron to the side and plopping herself down in the seat perpendicular to him. “I have made a 𝑀𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉 𝐸𝑔𝑔-𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉!”

Kotone snorted as she sat down, Kei’s sigh filling the air around the table. It seemed Elly had decided that breakfast today was a hardboiled egg, on top of a sunny side up egg, on top of scrambled eggs. It was, admittedly, far from the weirdest thing that Elly had ever made.

“So, Kotone…” Elly dug into her meal without hesitation, raising an eyebrow at the girl. “Did you sleep well?”

“Fine, I guess.” Kotone smiled back at her. Kei and Elly were chill enough that she didn’t feel like she had to go full blast with her grin, but that didn’t mean she was going to admit to how late she came back or how much her headache was still throbbing behind her eyes. “How about you?”

“Like an absolute 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝑒!” Elly laughed, tilting her head back. “I’m quite ready to 𝒻𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎!”

“You always are.” Kei sighed, finally digging into his egg-based monstrosity of a breakfast. “It’s impressively exhausting.”

“Oh yes, and that’s why people 𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓇𝑒 me!” Elly flicked her bangs out of her eyes, smiling. “Though I can see how the boys must love your 𝓂𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓎 charm!”

“It’s mostly the motorcycle.” Kei scoffed, glancing at Kotone. “Have any plans for today?”

“One of my friend’s been a bit under the weather.” Kotone lied as easily as she breathed, staring down at her eggs even as her heartbeat accelerated in her chest. Right. Rio. She couldn’t get caught up in what was going on at home, she needed a plan. “I wanted to check in on her. I think Sao and I might try something tonight to cheer her up.”

“So long as you aren’t out too late.” Elly nodded, tapping her cheek. “Remember 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎, it reflects back on us.”

“Every action has a reaction, dread warrior.”

Which means I need to work fast to make sure the reactions aren’t too bad, right?

“Only if you do it the correct way.”

“I know.” Kotone nodded, shoveling the rest of the food into her mouth before making her way to the sink and rinsing the plate. “I gotta go, see ya’!”

“Don’t run in the street if you can help it!” Kei called after her as she jogged out the door, shaking his head as she closed it shut behind her. “She never really listens, does she?”

“Oooo, look at you.” Eriko laughed, popping the entirety of her hard boiled egg into her mouth like some sort of lizard. “Acting all 𝒻𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓁𝓎.”

“…shut up.”

---

School had confirmed Kotone’s worst fears.

While the comforting shroud of domesticity had temporarily let Kotone forget the reality of what had happened last night, by the time she arrived at school the truth was unavoidable.

Rio was missing.

Nobody had seen her. Nobody from her class, nobody from the team, nobody. And when a panicking Saori had tracked Kotone down to try and talk about it, the fear in her eyes had made Kotone’s heart sink like a stone. She’d had to promise to talk about it at lunch, the fear in her heart and the encroaching sound of the bell proving just too much for that moment.

That was how Kotone ended up here, on the rooftop, staring at the windmills slowly spinning over the bay as the wind buffeted her hair and her heart thumped slowly in her chest. Here, floors down from where Rio should be, but couldn’t be, because her school was a school and not a monstrous nightmare maze.

…what the hell had even happened last night, really?

“We… w-we have to go back, right?” Saori grit her teeth, her hands shaking as she stared at her lap. “If Rio’s still… still in that place, w-we have to go back for her.”

“Of course.” Kotone nodded, still staring out over the bay. “Can you do it tonight?”

“I-I’ll have to.” Saori nodded, her eyes darting around. “My parents didn’t notice last night, so I hope…”

“She lives in the den of true monsters, dread warrior.”

That’s one way to describe her parents.

“You know it to be true.”

“It’ll be okay Sao.” Kotone offered her hand to the other girl, smiling reassuringly as she squeezed it. “We’ll get her out of that place. I promise.”

“I-I know.” Saori sniffled, wiping her eyes. “It just- h-how does a place like that even exist? What happened in there?”

“I don’t know.” Kotone bit the inside of her cheek, closing her eyes. “But we’re going to find out. Do you still have that gun thing?”

“I… n-no, I dropped it back in there. I don’t even want to imagine what my parents would say if they found it…” Saori shook her head. “But it’s… not really a gun, is it? You used it on yourself, and got that snake lady to come out.”

“Medusa.” Kotone nodded, ignoring the faint hiss of satisfaction that came from within her when she clarified. “I don’t think it’s a weapon you’re supposed to use on… whatever those things are. I think it’s supposed to be used to summon?”

“But… how a-and why?” Saori grabbed the side of her head, wincing. “And who made them? SEES? What’s that?”

“I don’t know. I hope we’ll find that out too.” Kotone stood up, helping Saori to her feet as the school bell rung out below them. “C’mon. We’ll come back here before midnight, alright?”

“Okay…” Saori wiped her eyes one last time, standing with Kotone shakily. “Thanks Kotone. I- I don’t think I could do this without you.”

“You’re doing great Sao.” Kotone smiled, squeezing her hand one last time before letting go, and turning away. “Now c’mon… we gotta get ready.”

---

The vibes of breaking into Gekkoukan that night were different, to say the least. The two girls moved silently through the halls, Yuko’s continued negligence in locking the backdoor proving a boon as they made their way back to the front entrance. It was just a few minutes to midnight when they made it there, just like last time, which Kotone had to assume was important. Or… maybe it wasn’t, and it was just a coincidence. She really didn’t have any clue, she was just guessing at this point, but considering their goal was to get Rio out of there as quickly as possible, Kotone wasn’t really up for taking chances.

“Do you think it’s um…” Saori trailed off, watching the way Kotone stared at the clock on the wall as it approached twelve. “S-sorry.”

The clock struck midnight.

There was another bout of rumbling, Kotone’s vision clouded once more, and just like last time the pair of girls found themselves in the center of the vast circular space located at the bottom of… well, whatever this place was.

“It looks like if we’re in the entrance at exactly midnight, we end up in the lobby…” Kotone frowned, looking around at the vast space. “I guess other parts of the school would take us different places?”

“M-maybe…” Saori winced, making her way over to the box. It was there just as Kotone had left it, cracked open with three of the summoners still glimmering faintly in the light of the lobby. Saori reached down, gingerly picking one up and weighing it in her hand. “So… I-I just point it at myself and pull the trigger?”

“That’s how it worked for me.” Kotone nodded, picking up one of the other summoners and holding it against the side of her head. She’d left the other one at home, not quite interested in trying to smuggle it out of the house when there were more already here. Her teeth clenched instinctively, the unease at pointing a gun at her temple not quite leaving. “Medusa!”

There was a jolt of cold, a flash of blue, and a hiss as the mysterious snake woman appeared behind Kotone. Saori squeaked at the sight, nearly dropping the summoner in her hands as she stared.

“Your fate lies before you, warrior.” Medusa hissed, her hand unfurling as she tilted her head at Saori. “Seize it.”

“I…” Saori shivered, slowly lifting the summoner to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, her finger trembling on the trigger as she tried to copy what Kotone had done. “I-I… I…”

The summoner clattered to the floor once more as Saori let out a gasp, her whole body shrinking in on itself as she shook her head. Medusa sighed, vanishing back into her host’s soul as Kotone grabbed hold of the other girl and held her tight. Saori shivered, burying her face in Kotone’s shoulder as she shook her head. Neither said a word for a few long moments, merely allowing the emotion to pass through them as it may.

“I-I’m sorry.” Saori sniffled as she crouched down, grabbing the summoner once more and turning it over in her hands. “I don’t… I just-“

“Hey, Sao. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Kotone smiled as best she could, stepping back to give the girl some space. “You don’t need to do anything, alright? Just watch my back, that’s all.”

“O-okay…” Saori exhaled, squeezing her eyes shut for a long moment before turning back to Kotone as she crouched down to pull the last summoner from the case. “W-why are you grabbing that one too?”

“For Rio, just in case.” Kotone placed the weapon in her bag, walking to the base of the steps and smiling at her friend. “Ready?”

“Y-yeah.” Saori nodded, still gripping her summoner tight. “Ready.”

---

Whatever they had done last time seemed to have kicked the proverbial hornet’s nest.

The two of them only made it down a couple of hallways before more of those blobby creatures appeared, crawling towards them with those sharp claws and faceless blue masks. Fortunately, Medusa was more than a match for them, dispatching the monsters with blasts of ice and flashing fangs. Kotone probably would have stopped in awe of what the being inside her soul could do if she hadn’t been so focused on her mission: Rio was more important right now.

Their first sign of her came with a crash of lightning, and the sound of something colliding with the tile of the hallway around the next corner.

The second sign, came with Rio yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Scylla!” Rio’s voice echoed, accompanied by the sound of a summoner firing as a flood of blue light filled the hall. “Keep it away!”

Kotone just glanced at Saori, sprinting down the hall to find the source of the voice. The pair turned the corner just in time to bear witness to a barechested woman with dogs for legs and a serpentine fish tail as she slammed a floating tiara to the ground with a surge of fire.

“Rio!” Kotone gasped, summoning forth Medusa to help her friend as another pair of tiaras flew towards her, only to be swatted away by her soul’s snake hair. “Are you alright?”

“K-Kotone, Saori…” Rio’s last strength seemed to fail at the sight of them, her legs giving way beneath her as she collapsed. “There you are…”

“Rio!” Saori gasped as she skidded to her friend’s side, cradling her head in her lap as Kotone finished off the tiaras. “A-are you alright? H-have you been fighting all this time?!”

“There’s… you don’t need to be dramatic Saori…” Rio coughed, shaking her head. “It’s only been an hour since I found this thing…”

“An hour?” Saori blinked, furrowing her brow. “No, it’s-“

Saori was interrupted by a roar echoing down the hall, a surge of power radiating from the source. Kotone’s heart jumped in her chest, a sudden unease filling her that hadn’t been there before.

“Pick your battles, dread warrior.”

What?

“Pick your battles. Not this one.”

“We need to go.” Kotone tapped Saori, crouching down to throw Rio’s arm over her shoulder. “Come on.”

“R-right!” Saori nodded, taking Rio’s other side and helping lift their friend to her feet. “Let’s go!”

The three girls stumbled their way back down the hall towards the stairs. They managed to make it about halfway, right near when Kotone made the mistake of thinking they were home free, when she suddenly tripped.

“Shit!” Kotone gasped as she toppled over, an exhausted Rio landing on top of her as she collided hard with the ground. “Sao!”

“I…” Saori froze, her eyes widening as a roar echoed down the hall behind them. She turned, looking over her shoulder to find a looming golden metal lion peering around the corner, its wheel-like body ablaze as it sniffed the air. Saori squealed, dropping down to the ground next to the other two and not allowing herself another moment of hesitation as she pressed her summoner against her head. “H-hide us away, Ch-charybdis!”

There was a flash of light and a splash of cool water as a whirlpool appeared around the three, a surge of churning water and glimmering teeth enveloping them as it took all Kotone had not to instinctively bolt. The lion-wheel roared again, turning down the hallway towards them as Saori pressed herself tight against the other two and shook like a leaf.

There are heroes and monsters we can’t yet fight, dread warrior.

“I know, but… if it comes down to it, I have to try.”

Then let us hope it doesn’t.

The lion paused just in front of them, its wheel clicking as the great metal mask it had for a face twisted this way and that, still searching for them. Kotone’s breath caught in her throat, nothing but water and air between them and the beast as it searched for where they might have gone.

And then finding nothing, it turned around and headed back the way it came.

Kotone didn’t dare move until the thing was well and truly gone, the creaking of its wheel and the ache of its power vanishing deeper into the building until the world was cold and silent once more. Then, and only then, did Kotone allow herself to breathe, grinning at Saori with a nod as the Charybdis vanished back into her soul. “Holy crap, great work Sao!”

“Th-thank you…” Saori blinked, staring at the summoner in her hand. “I… I did it, didn’t I?”

“Yep.” Kotone reached over, wrapping an arm around her friend and squeezing her gently. “You did!”

“Mh…” Rio groaned, her nose buried in the cold tile of the floor. “You did… but can we please just get the hell out of here?”

“Oh yeah.” Kotone winced, helping the girl to her feet once more. “Right.”

And get the hell out of there they did.

Chapter Text

Friday, June 12^th 2009.

The Day of the Recovery

Kotone went to Gekkoukan the next day as a completely normal schoolgirl who definitely didn’t have two guns in her drawer at home and a small circle of friends who rapidly seemed to be gaining superpowers sparked by Greek monster women living inside their souls that they summoned by shooting themselves in the head.

Yep.

Definitely normal.

Definitely not that.

After she and Saori had managed to sneak Rio home the night before just in time for her to crawl in through her window, the two had agreed to get her checked over at the nurse’s office today. She had insisted that she was fine and that she’d only been in there for a couple hours (which at this point Kotone was honestly willing to believe), but it was better to be safe than sorry. That was how the three of them had ended up outside Mr. Edogawa’s office once school was done, Kotone and Saori flanking their friend to make sure she stayed to get checked out.

“I’m seriously fine.” Rio shook her head, all but pouting. “Scylla says I’ve got enough fortitude to dash any sailor against the rocks if I need to.”

“Well, I know they’re magic and all…” Saori paused, seemingly taking a moment “But we should still check with an actual medical professional, right?”

“Exactly.” Kotone nodded, leaning forward to knock on the door. “…well, as close as we can get anyways. Edogawa’s a little…”

“Enter.” Edogawa’s voice resonated from within, flat and droning. “Hurry please.”

“…well, Edogawa.” Kotone smiled, pushing the door open and leading her friends inside. The man himself was off in one corner of the office, scratching at his stubble as he watched a blue haired boy drink some sort of strange orange concoction. “Hey!”

“Mh, hello. I’m currently occupied with a patient.” Edogawa waved the girls away, gesturing toward the other side of the office. “Please see my assistant.”

“You have an assistant?” Kotone blinked, following his gestures. A young woman sat by the counter, a clipboard already in hand. She had short black hair, the ends dyed a cerulean blue, and a necklace fastened around her neck which seemed to hold a vial of mysterious green liquid on its end. “Oh uh, hey.”

“Hey to you too. Tae Takemi. I’m here on loan from my study program.” Tae nodded, evidently stopping herself from rolling her eyes. “Strange as that is… anyways, how can I help?”

“Oh um.” Saori blinked, standing at attention. “It’s our friend here. She uh, she had something weird happen to her and we want to get it checked out.”

“Weird how?” Tae tapped a finger against the counter. “Weird like Apathy Syndrome weird?”

I feel like if I told her the truth here, she’d laugh us right out of the office.

“If that’s the case, then why come in the first place?”

Well because I’m also pretty sure Edogawa wouldn’t have even blinked.

“Just kinda, weird.” Kotone shrugged. “It’s hard to describe.”

“If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine, but my quality of care depends on what I know.” Tae pulled a pen from her lab coat, flicking it out and quirking an eyebrow. “So, you sure you want your reason for visit to be listed as ‘weird thing happened’?”

“They’re exaggerating, I’m fine.” Rio shook her head, huffing. “I just need some rest, that’s all.”

“Is that so?” Tae nodded mysteriously, scribbling something into her clipboard. “Well, I can’t make you be honest and I can’t make you stay, so feel free to ditch when you want. But while you’re here, symptoms?”

“A headache, I guess. Feel tired. Maybe some blurred vision.” Rio shrugged noncommittally. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

“Mh. We call those possible concussion symptoms.” Tae scribbled something else on the clipboard, cocking her head to the side to gesture at the exam table. “Take a seat if you’d like.”

Rio squeezed her eyes shut, huffing. She complied nonetheless, sitting on the bed and frowning. Tae grabbed a flashlight from the desk, flicking it on and reaching over to inspect Rio’s eyes. She hummed as she did, squinting at the way the girl reacted.

“Well, you seem properly alert.” Tae shook her head, reaching down to check the girl’s pulse. She nodded, returning to her clipboard and scribbling something down. “I think you’re probably right. I’d suggest bedrest. If the symptoms don’t go away soon, come see me again.”

“I told you.” Rio sighed, standing up and rolling her shoulders. “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s good to be safe.” Kotone grinned, bowing her head at Tae. “Thanks doc!”

“Not a doctor yet.” Tae shook her head, pocketing her pen and sighing. “Then again, neither is he, so I guess we just do things differently.”

“Mhh… very interesting.” Edogawa nodded at the boy he was attending, specifically the way his skin appeared to have turned a distinctive shade of lilac. Even despite that Kotone recognized him now. Makoto Yuki. He sat a few seats in front of her in class. “Well, your symptoms should subside soon. Come see me again the next time you feel down, hm? Ehehe…”

“Mh.” Makoto shrugged, evidently nonplussed as he stood and headed for the door. “Whatever.”

“We should probably go too.” Saori bowed her head at the woman, deeper than Kotone had. “Thank you very much, ma’am!”

“Your friend already said that.” Tae rolled her eyes, pausing for a moment as she looked between the three girls. “…take care of yourselves, alright?”

“We will.” Kotone nodded, leading the way out of the office. She made sure the door was shut behind them the hallway empty before turning to her friends with her hands on her hips. “So, who’s up for heading into the weird nightmare maze again?”

“Wait, what?” Saori blinked. “You want to go back?”

“I mean, yeah? Why not?” Kotone shrugged. “There’s gotta be something in there, right? Plus we have these summon things to protect us now, so we won’t have another night like last night.”

“I…” Saori fiddled with her hands, frowning. “I’m not sure. Something felt really wrong about that place, I don’t think we should mess with it.”

“Someone else probably is already. I don’t think those things made the summoners or that box we found.” Kotone shook her head emphatically. “You’re right that it feels wrong. Which is why we can’t just ignore it, don’t you think?”

“I saw some weird things in there. It might be worth checking out again, at least.” Rio sighed, then yawned. “But not tonight. I’m exhausted…”

“Right. Tomorrow.” Kotone smiled, tilting her head at Saori. “How about it, Sao?”

“I guess it’s a lot less dangerous with Charybdis…” Saori pouted, then nodded. “A-alright. I’ll come. I have to admit, I’m also a little curious…”

“Nice!” Kotone pumped her fist, turning and heading down the hall with her friends in tow. “Tomorrow night it is then!”

Saturday, June 13^th 2009.

The Day of the Encounter

Kotone’s leg was bouncing as she leaned against the wall of the school entranceway, staring at the clock as it counted down to midnight. She couldn’t tell if it was excitement or nerves, some combination of the two sending the blood pumping through her veins as she waited. It was almost time.

“Eagerness is a danger, dread warrior.”

It’s hard not to get a little amped up about this.

“You walk through a lair of the unknown. Caution is only wise.”

“You said it happens at midnight?” Rio watched the clock as well, a frown on her face as the seconds hand ticked down to the moment of truth. “Which means it’s…”

The clock struck midnight.

It took a few moments for Kotone’s eyes to adjust, but when she did it was just like before. Same lobby, same strange sensation, same faint unsteadiness. The only difference was Rio, looking around at everything with amazement.

“Whoah.” Rio blinked, taking a few steps forward. “So this is it?”

“Yeah…” Saori rubbed her arm nervously, staring at the door to the upper floors. “I’m not sure if those things can come down here, but at least we’ll see them if they do.”

“Right…” Rio frowned, walking toward the strange glowing green device they had ignored until now. “And what’s this thing?”

“Not sure actually!” Kotone straightened up from where she had appeared leaning against the stairs, a smile on her face. “We haven’t even touched that yet.”

“It’s got some like, dials on it or something.” Rio poked at the device, furrowing her brow. “I wonder what it does.”

“Well, that’s what we’re here to find out!” Kotone grinned. “First though, let’s-“

“Wait!” Saori’s eyes widened, her eyes snapping to the front door of the lobby. “S-someone’s coming!”

“What?” Kotone blinked, turning to the door. In that moment, three things happened. There was a flash of blue light, the door began to be pushed open, and Kotone felt a sudden wet force yanking backwards. “WH-“

Kotone was shushed by Saori, her finger over her mouth and her eyes wide as Charybdis pulled the others into her embrace and cloaked them in her tempest. The three girls fell silent, staring at the front door as it was pushed well and truly open. Kotone wasn’t sure who she expected to see walking through it.

But it wasn’t them.

She recognized them, of course. She paid attention. She knew that woman at their head was Mitsuru Kirijo, the student council president. She knew that boy beside her was the most popular guy in school, Akihiko Sanada. She knew that the pair behind him were Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba, the former seemingly annoying the latter as usual. She knew the girl walking nervously at the center of the formation was the one who had been missing just last week, Fuuka Yamagishi. And she knew that the bored looking boy with his hand in his pocket was the very same Makoto Yuki that she had seen earlier today, though distinctly less lilac than he had been.

None of that explained why they were here now, armed to the teeth.

“Look at their armbands.” Saori tugged Kotone’s arm, her voice a whisper as she stared. “See?”

Kotone blinked, focusing on the… honestly rather intimidating armbands the group wore. S.E.E.S. Well shit.

“It looks like you’ve found your culprits, dread warrior.”

No way. That doesn’t make any sense. Why would a bunch of highschoolers be exploring a weird nightmare dimension?

“Why would you?”

“Okay everyone, get ready.” Mitsuru flipped her hair out of her face as she planted a foot on the bottom step of the staircase, turning to face the others. “This will be our first expedition into Tartarus with Yamagishi as our navigator. Please stay sharp and aware, so she needn’t do more work than she already has to.”

“Damn straight.” Akihiko cracked his knuckles, glancing at Fuuka. The girl meanwhile was looking around curiously in the general direction of the three shrouded girls, her brow furrowed. “Hey, Yamagishi? You alright?”

“Hm? Oh, yes! I’m sorry.” Fuuka blinked, looking away from where the three were hidden, shaking her head and pulling a summoner out from the holster on her waist. She placed it against her chin, firing without hesitation and shrouding herself in a watery blue orb. “It’s like our leader said, it looks like the upper floors are open to us now!”

“Nice.” Akihiko grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Sounds like we’ve got something new then.”

“Indeed.” Mitsuru nodded, turning to the blue-haired boy. “Yuki. I will continue to trust in your leadership skills. Who would you like to bring into the field today?”

“Mh.” Makoto blinked, only now seeming to gain an interest in his surroundings. He glanced around at the others, shrugging. “You, Yukari, Junpei.”

“Alright!” Junpei grinned, pumping his fist. “Let’s do this dude!”

“Be careful, okay?” Yukari frowned as the four that the boy had marked made their way over to the green device at the edge of the space. “We don’t know what’s up there, so don’t go charging off again.”

“Aww, c’mon, that was a onetime thing!” Junpei shook his head, leaning on the device. “It’ll be fineeeeee!”

“I trust that’s the truth, Iori.” Mitsuru shook her head, joining the others and looking back toward Akihiko. “Keep an eye on our navigator, Akihiko.”

“On it boss.” Akihiko saluted, sitting down on the steps and nodding. “I got her.”

“Good.” Mitsuru nodded, turning back to her group. “Yuki, if you would?”

Makoto just grunted, inputting something on the console of the machine as his team gathered around.

And then vanished in a flash of green light.

Gone.

“What the hell…” Rio whispered under her breath, her eyes wide. “It’s a teleporter?”

“Looks like it…” Kotone whispered back, staring at where Fuuka remained enveloped and Akihiko sat thoughtful. “It looks like they know what they’re doing.”

“But why?” Saori furrowed her brow, staring at Fuuka through the shroud of water. “Why are they here?”

“Hey, Yamagishi.” Akihiko stood up, nodding at the girl in the bubble. “I’m going to check on something. I’ll be just behind the stairs, got it?”

“Okay!” Fuuka nodded, before refocusing on… whatever it was she was doing exactly. “Be careful!”

“I’ll be fine.” Akihiko vanished from view around the side of the stairs. Kotone and Saori shared a look. If he was doing what they figured he was doing- “The hell?”

“Akihiko?” Fuuka gasped, her concentration breaking for a moment as she looked in the boy’s direction. “Is everything alright?!”

“Something messed with the box.” Akihiko stepped back around the stairs, holding up the now empty box. “The evokers are gone.”

“Gone?” Fuuka blinked, confused. “D-do you think someone stole them?”

“Maybe. I doubt it though. It was probably a Shadow or something.” Akihiko shook his head, tossing the box onto the stairs. He “Even if someone did grab ‘em, they’d need the Potential to summon a Persona.”

“But um…” Fuuka blinked, tilting her head at the boy. “If they’re in the Dark Hour, that means they do have the Potential, right?”

“…damn.” Akihiko sighed, shaking his head. “The Chairman’s going to be pissed.”

“I did detect a weird signal when we came in…” Fuuka frowned, looking around. “But I thought- oh! I’m sorry, they just found another Shadow!”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Mitsuru later.” Akihiko sat back down on the steps, thoughtful. “Weird signal huh…”

The two SEES members stayed like that for the next 40 minutes or so, Akihiko thinking and Fuuka directing her teammates from afar. The three other girls just stayed hidden, Charybdis swirling around them as they tried to process everything that had just been revealed. They waited to speak until the team had returned from the upper floors, reappearing in a flash of green light and departing without much more fanfare. Then, and only then, once the door was closed and the lobby empty, did Saori drop the shroud.

“Saori, are you alright?” Kotone put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, the other girl’s breathing somewhat laboured as she leaned against her knees. “You kept your, what did he call it, Persona? You kept her out for a while.”

“I-I’m fine.” Saori sniffed, standing upright once more. “Just a little tired is all. I’ll be okay.”

“We’ve stumbled onto something here.” Rio stared at the door, an uncertain look in her eyes. “I don’t like this.”

“Me neither.” Kotone shook her head, frowning after SEES. “They’re like… organized. They’re here for a reason.”

“They made the summ- or um, evokers. So, th-they know stuff about how all this works.” Saori tapped her finger against the barrel of her own. “And did you hear that? What was all that about Tartarus, and the Dark Hour?”

“I have no idea.” Kotone shook her head, glancing around. “C’mon, we should get out of here before this place turns back into school. We don’t know if we’ll be stuck here until tomorrow if we don’t.”

“What do we do about them?” Rio frowned as the girls approached the door, peeking out into the night. SEES, whatever they were exactly, had gone and left only the imposing green moon in the sky above. “If they’re coming here too…”

“They seem to come in the front door. Which means I guess you don’t need to be in the school to get here? I’m not sure how that works.” Kotone shook her head, leading the way out into the night. “Either way… with Charybdis, if they show up we can just hide again. Maybe eavesdrop and see if we can find out anything more about them.”

“That sounds like a good idea… I don’t know if I want them to know we’re here.” Saori scratched her arm, nodding. “At least until we know more about them, right?”

“We should check during the day too.” Rio nodded, crossing her arms. “If there’s something fishy about them, we’ll see.”

“Sounds like someone’s getting curious.” Kotone smiled elbowing Rio gently. “Eh?”

“You were right, there’s definitely something weird about all this.” Rio shrugged. “We should find out all that we can.”

“There are secrets embedded in every whisper, dread warrior.”

No kidding. I never would have expected something like this.

“Surprise, surprise.”

“Alright!” Kotone pumped her fist, grinning as she stepped off into the night and the world returned to normal. “Operation: Figure out Whatever the Hell SEES is, is a go!”

Whatever, exactly, that meant.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, June 16^th 2009.

The Day of Putting Together What They Can

“Alright.” Rio huffed as she placed a stack of papers on the desk in front of Saori and Kotone, her brow furrowed as she glanced between the two. “Are we alone?”

“Um.” Saori blinked, looking around. Usually the library was at least moderately more full at this time of day, but for the past couple weeks it had been eerily quiet. And not like, library quiet. Socially outcast quiet. “I think so? People have kind of been, well, avoiding us after all those rumours came out…”

“Jerks.” Kotone rolled her eyes, trying her best to ignore the warm sense of approval radiating from Medusa in response. “I guess that does make it easier to talk about this stuff. Have you found anything out?”

“Just everything.” Rio cracked a smile as she pulled up a chair, turning it around so its back was to the other girls as she leaned against it. “I know what SEES is.”

“Really?” Saori’s eyes widened. “Wow Rio, that’s amazing!”

“It wasn’t hard to figure out.” Rio tapped one of the sheets of paper, pushing it forward toward the other two. “It’s a club.”

“What?” Kotone blinked, staring at the page. “A club?”

“Yep.” Rio popped her P as she listed off the contents of the page. “SEES, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. Their club president is Mitsuru Kirijo, and their advisor is the School’s Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki. They don’t have any set time to meet, or any listed purpose. It’s all just blank, as you can see.”

“Execution…” Saori winced, reading the page over. “That doesn’t sound good…”

“Yeah, definitely not.” Kotone shook her head, frowning. “But why… y’know, them? It doesn’t seem like the sort of club you would just sign up for, I wouldn’t ever expect Junpei to be working on a team with the student council president; that sounds like the setup for a bad joke.”

“That’s the kicker, see?” Rio smiled, pushing forth another page. “Everyone we saw that night lives in the same dorm building.”

“Seriously?” Kotone brought the page closer, scanning the roster curiously. “Okay, now that’s weird.”

“Sure is.” Rio nodded affirmatively. “And on top of that, they’ve been moving in since the start of the year. Almost like they’re being recruited.”

A band of heroes brings together their party with purpose, dread warrior.

“What purpose?”

To burn away all those they perceive to live in the shadows.

“Woah.” Saori’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you find all this out Rio?”

“All this is stuff listed publicly by the school, or just putting together facts that are obvious if you bothered to look.” Rio shrugged, her ponytail bouncing across her back. “I don’t even think they’re trying to hide it.”

“Well, when your club’s president has a family that literally owns the school, I guess you don’t have to.” Kotone shook her head, before pausing. “Wait… d’ya think that’s where they got their equipment from? Mitsuru’s family?”

“That makes sense… but why do that?” Saori frowned at the page, her eyes darting from side to side. “I mean, it seems like they’re helping teenagers explore that… whatever that place is in their own school? Why?”

“That’s the other thing.” Rio nodded, moving some of the papers out of the way and pushing forward a news article dated about ten years ago. “Check this out.”

“Wait is this-“ Kotone’s heart jumped into her throat as she read the headline, a flood of memories coming at her all at once. A screech “I-“

‘GAS LINE FAULT BLOWN ON TATSUMI PORT ISLAND, GEKKOUKAN HIGH SCHOOL AND MOONLIGHT BRIDGE DAMAGED, 7 DEAD & 23 INJURED’

Shit. Shit. Damnit. Shit.

“Fear is the mind-killer, dread warrior.”

Yeah well it’s sure killing mine!

“Kotone?” Rio had been saying something. Something about the explosion at the school, and… and something. Something important. Something she couldn’t even begin to process. “Kotone, are you-“

“I’m alright!” Kotone grinned, maybe a bit too quickly. “Sorry, spaced out a little there. What were you saying?”

“Are you sure?” Saori reached over, gently squeezing her friend’s hand. “You seemed-“

“Fine!” Kotone nodded, definitely new quickly that time. She pushed the newspaper article to the side, putting her elbow on the table and leaning her chin against her palm. “Seriously, I’m good. What were you saying?”

“…just that the first cases of Apathy Syndrome started around the time of that incident.” Rio coughed, pointedly glancing at Saori. “And that they started appearing around Tatsumi Port Island before spreading to the rest of Iwatodai.”

“So, there’s an… a um, an incident at the school owned by the Kirijo Group.” Kotone grinned, trying to cover her uncertainty the same way she always did. “And after that, people started getting sick with an incurable like… brain sickness?”

“Exactly. Only people have started recovering from it recently. But at the same time, cases are going up?” Rio frowned, picking up a couple of the pieces of paper and appraising them. “I don’t get it. But with everything else, it has to have something to do with that weird place, right?”

“I don’t know…” Saori frowned, Kotone’s heartrate accelerating as she pulled the newspaper clipping out from under the other scraps. “It all seems kind of far fetched. Like a novel, or something.”

“W-well, we all have magic ghosts in our heads.” Kotone smiled nervously, taking the page and sliding it back under the others. “That’s pretty far fetched, right? Stuff like this is exactly what we’re trying to uncover here. Great job with all this, Rio!”

“Yeah…” Saori sat back in her chair, glancing nervously at Kotone for a moment before smiling at Rio. “I’m surprised you had the time for all this. I thought you were really focusing on tennis.”

“Well, nobody else but Kotone seemed to be taking tennis seriously.” Rio huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. “So, I channeled it into something else. Simple enough, right?”

“Is coach alright with that?” Kotone tilted her head. “Oh yeah, did you manage to sneak the racket back by the way?”

“I don’t think she even noticed I hadn’t given it back to her.” Rio shook her head. “See what I mean? This is much more engaging.”

“And wasteful.” A boy’s voice interrupted the three, the tapping of a foot echoing through the relative silence of the library. “I don’t know what sort of gossip you all are slinging, but don’t you have a job to do?”

“Who is-“ Kotone blinked, looking up and catching the annoyed scowl and yellow armband of… “Odagiri. Right. Hey."

“Save the pleasantries, Shiomi.” Odagiri scoffed, looking over the group of girls with clear disdain. “Is this really the state of the library club, that you can spend all your time gabbing instead of working?”

“I-I’m sorry.” Saori shrunk up on herself, staring at her feet. “It’s just, nobody was coming to see us, so we thought…”

“Then that’s a whole separate issue.” Odagiri huffed, shaking his head. “Students failing to make use of your services doesn’t give you an excuse to slack off.”

“We’re sorry, Odagiri. I promise we’d be working if there was anything to do.” Kotone smiled, despite the fact she really didn’t want to even more than usual. “But nobody wants to talk to us anyways, so.”

“And why is that?” Odagiri raised an eyebrow. “Dereliction of duty?”

“Rumours.” Kotone shook her head. “People have been talking bad about Saori and I. Especially Saori. Rio’s the first person we’ve seen all day.”

“I see.” Odagiri sighed. “And that’s your excuse?”

“Not an excuse.” Kotone shrugged. “Just an explanation.”

“Hmph.” Odagiri harrumphed, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Your shift is almost done. I’ll talk to the disciplinary committee about these alleged rumours, but that’s still no excuse for slacking off.”

“Of course not.” Kotone could feel the edge of her lip twitching, her smile stretching across the length of her face. “Is that all?”

“Considering your track record, I doubt it.” Odagiri snorted, turning away. “I won’t write you up for this, but I expect better of you in the future Shiomi. Don’t let this happen again.”

And then with the squeak of a well polished jackboot, Odagiri turned and left.

“Wow.” Rio blinked, staring at the door where Odagiri had left. “What crawled up his butt?”

“I think he’s got a grudge with me or something.” Kotone sighed, leaning against her elbow. “I sort of accidentally maybe showed him up one time, and now he likes to get on my case for every little thing. He’d freak if he knew about any of this.”

“That sounds awful.” Saori frowned. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that, Kotone.”

“Hey, it’s nothing. I can handle it.” Kotone elbowed Saori gently, grinning. “Plus we’ve had worse right here in the library club, right?”

“You two really do have to put up with a lot, don’t you?” Rio frowned, glancing over her shoulder at the doorway where Odagiri had left. “What’s everyone’s problem?”

“My parents say it’s my fault for getting into trouble…” Saori shook her head, staring down at the table. “But Kotone says that’s um…”

“Bullshit.” Kotone rolled her eyes. “It’s just high school. People are like that. It’s whatever, we can handle it.”

“It’s sort of cool having that place to go to now, actually.” Saori swallowed, looking up with a  brave sort of smile. “That’s something that nobody at this school but us and SEES know about. I bet Odagiri couldn’t even imagine it.”

“See, now you’re getting it!” Kotone grinned, sitting back upright. “You guys wanna go back tonight? We can practice with our Persona things, or spy on SEES more if they’re there.”

“I’ll have to see if I can…” Saori winced, then nodded. “But I’d definitely like to.”

“Same here.” Rio gathered up the papers, collecting them back into a neat stack. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Sounds good!” Kotone smiled widely, holding her hand up. “We should do a team cheer, right? On 3! 1… 2…”

“Um, Kotone…” Saori glanced around, frowning. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re still in the library.”

“Oh! Right!” Kotone winced, lowering her voice and her hand at once. “I mean, oh. Right.”

“You will learn time and place soon, dread warrior.”

You don’t sound impressed.

“At this very moment? You would be correct.”

Chapter Text

Tuesday, July 7^th 2009.

The Day of the Tracking

It’s amazing what you notice the moment you start paying attention to something.

Kotone had been shocked that night when she had seen the seemingly random assortment of students who apparently made up the corporate killsquad that had taken root in their school. That shock had subsided and faded to bewilderment once she actually started paying attention. In the past month or so since encountering SEES… it was hard to grapple with how she hadn’t noticed they were a thing before.

They were… drawn to one another. She could see it with the three in her class easy enough. Back when she’d first transferred here, she’d clocked pretty quickly that Yukari basically hated Junpei’s guts. But what she hadn’t noticed was the way they still stuck together. Makoto too. The three of them would usually eat lunch together, or walk home with some of the other members of their team. It was easy enough to brush off as just a regular old friend group, sure, but having seen them moving through that place like a decently ordered unit… well, it put things in a new light.

She only hoped that they wouldn’t notice the same about her and the other girls, and their regular expeditions into their midnight school.

It was strange just how quickly Kotone had gotten used to that too.

Wait until Kei and Elly were either asleep or out on the town, pop out the window, and make her way to school. Once she was there, meet up with Rio and Saori, then break into the school as per usual. Wait until midnight for the whole place to change, then duck behind the stairs to keep an eye out for SEES. If they showed up, then settle in for an hour of eavesdropping on whatever exactly it was they had to say. If not, then up into the labyrinth they went.

They learned a lot that way.

From SEES, they figured out that this place was called Tartarus, and it was part of something called the Dark Hour. Apparently the midnight thing didn’t just happen at Gekkoukan, it happened everywhere. Kotone had stayed up to check after they’d heard Junpei mention it to Fuuka, the whole world going green and dark at the allotted time. That was also how they had learned that the labyrinth was a tower, the great green spire stretching towards the sky like some sort of nightmare.

It… hadn’t inspired confidence.

What had was their training with their Personas. They’d initially tried going up to the highest floor the teleporter could reach, but the results had been… well, terrifying. One screaming giant chasing them through the halls of the tower later had been enough to convince Kotone that they should stick to the lower levels for now. That had been much easier. Down there, they’d been able to uncover a few key facts:

1. Someone had left items around the floors of Tartarus, locked up in little briefcases like the one SEES had since gotten rid of downstairs. Saori had guessed that they might also be caches left by the other team, but the items were a bit… random for that. Plus, Kotone hadn’t seen anyone there carrying around a naginata, which meant it probably wasn’t stealing. Probably. In any case, they were able to get weapons that way, which helped a lot with the whole not dying to Shadows thing. It was a little harder to explain to Kei and Elly, since she couldn’t exactly hide a polearm like she did the evokers, but Elly had just laughed and called it an 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝓁𝒾𝒸𝒶, and that was that.
2. Fighting Shadows seemed to make their Personas stronger. They’d ended up having to go higher and higher to not make it an absolute wipe whenever they went up against the things, which was both empowering and also slightly concerning. More importantly, however…
3. The higher they went, the more money the Shadows dropped. They hadn’t even noticed the scattered coins dropping the first few times, but eventually the fluttering bills became significant enough to notice and the girls had realized that there was profit in this.

It was that last fact that the three were enjoying as they sat outside a café by the waterfront, sipping smoothies they’d paid for with money taken from an impossible labyrinthian tower that existed during a time between reality and the inconceivable.

Which was, to put it bluntly, pretty freaking cool.

“I’m thinking we go back tonight.” Kotone smiled, flicking her straw out of her mouth and nodding at the others. “It’s a full moon so we should be able to ride our bikes over as long as we hide them. I kinda wanna see how far we can push up the tower.”

“Like SEES does?” Saori blinked, frowning into her own straw. “Well… I guess that might be okay. My parents are visiting friends right now, so I should be fine to come.”

“Perfect!” Kotone grinned. “It’s a plan then.”

“Alright.” Rio nodded, tapping her chin. “But not too far, alright? We have exams soon, I don’t want to exhaust myself before they even start.”

“Deal.” Kotone stood, finishing off the last of her smoothie and tossing it into the trash. “Let’s do this then!”

---

The vibes were, once again, different. The first time they’d come here, it had been an adventure. The second time, a rescue mission. Now and every time since? It was a routine. Kotone couldn’t deny that she felt more confident now even than she had that first night, a near month of exploring this place helping carry herself with more poise than she had before. It was almost like clockwork: the breaking in, the making her way to the lobby, the waiting for midnight. She barely even had to think about it anymore.

Though… in this case maybe she should have.

Because the moment they entered Tartarus that night it started shaking more than usual, and more importantly, it didn’t stop.

What’s happening?!

“Something wicked lurks in the night, dread warrior.”

That doesn’t exactly help!

“Saori?” Kotone winced, struggling to stand as she looked over at where Saori had already summoned Charybdis and surrounded herself in the tempest. “What’s going on?!”

“I-I don’t know! It’s like the whole place is…” Saori gasped, her eyes widening as her hand flew forward toward the entrance to the upper floors. “Look out!”

A gust of wind flew forth from Charybdis’ maw, slamming into the blobby form of a Shadow as it tried to emerge into the lobby. It blew back into the darkness, only to be replaced by more creeping claws as a horde of Shadows tried to press their way out of the door.

“They’re coming to the lobby?” Rio’s eyes widened, her hands going to hammer that they had found last week as she raised it defensively. “They can do that?!”

“It- I think so!” Saori gasped, stepping back as the wind faltered and the Shadows began to pour out of the opening. “W-we need to go!”

“No need to tell me twice!” Kotone’s hand went to her Evoker, pulling it from her waistband and putting it against the side of her head. “Go, Medusa and I will cover you!”

The two other girls just nodded, falling back toward the front door as Kotone fired and Medusa appeared before her. The snake-haired woman cast forth an icy wall, stopping the lead Shadows in their tracks and impeding the others in the same breath. It wouldn’t hold long, however. Kotone turned and ran, the strange emanations of the Shadows echoing behind her alongside the screeching of their claws as they gave chase. It didn’t stop until Kotone burst forth into the murky green air of the Dark Hour, the two other girls slamming the door shut behind her before they could chase the three of them out into the night. They stood there for a moment, staring at the door with their breathing heavy and their fingers on the triggers of their Evokers as they waited for the Shadows to give chase. They didn’t, however, the night staying eerily silent as the three stared and moonlight crept through the world all around them.

“What…” Kotone finally relaxed once it was clear the Shadows weren’t going to chase them out, her Evoker falling to her side as she turned to stare at the others. “What was that?”

“I don’t know, the Shadows just…” Saori swallowed, her whole body shaking as she shook her head. “Th-they just went berserk. I d-don’t know why they would… wait…”

“Saori?” Rio blinked as Saori slowly turned to face the city, her eyes still wide as dinner plates. “Saori, what’s wrong?”

“There’s… there’s something out there. I-in the city.” Saori trembled, water rushing around her as Charybdis scanned the air. “I can- Charybdis can feel the currents. It’s big, not like anything in Tartarus.”

“Do you mean a Shadow?” Kotone took a step forward, her blood running cold as Saori nodded. “Crap. Where?”

“Um, it’s out in the city.” Saori furrowed her brow, trying to concentrate. “I think I could lead us there, i-if we went.”

“Wait, why would we?” Rio blinked confusedly as Kotone broke into a run, following her on little more than instinct. “Wouldn’t that be really dangerous?”

“It is!” Kotone nodded, running toward the school’s front wall and vaulting it so she could grab her bike from where she had hidden it in the bushes. “But if there’s a Shadow out in the city, it might be hurting people. We can’t let that happen, can we?”

“N-no, of course not.” Saori was shaking as she dragged her own bike out of cover, her expression set and determined nonetheless. “We need to help people!”

“Crap.” Rio exhaled once before nodding and grabbing her own bike, mounting it with practiced precision. “Where is it, Saori?”

“C-come on, follow me!” Saori kicked into gear, heading off into the night. “It’s this way!”

And the other girls, of course, followed.

---

Biking through the ‘Dark Hour’ was spooky.

Kotone had heard SEES talking about what it was like outside during this time. The coffins, the bloody water, the terrifying green moon in the sky. But that was a whole other beast compared to seeing it herself, the wind in her hair and the smell of iron in her nostrils as she biked along the eerie empty streets.

It was… fundamentally overwhelming.

Saori led the others as quick as she could, along the well-manicured streets and walkways of Tatsumi Port Island and toward the mainland. Kotone’s breath hitched in her chest as they passed over the Moonlight Bridge, her hands tightening around the handlebars of her bike. She was glad that Kei and Elly lived on the island, making this trip every night would have been hellish otherwise. She could only barely handle it now that the cars were silent hulks of metal occupied by the looming black coffins within, she couldn’t imagine it during any normal hour. She let out a huge breath as the three finished crossing to the other side of the bay, their directions turning west and toward the seedier part of town.

Which, admittedly, was a vast improvement over the bridge.

“Um, Saori?” Rio sped up her pace ever so slightly, catching up with the panting head rider. “This is Shirakawa Boulevard. Are you sure we’re going to the right place?”

“I- huff- I’m pretty s-sure!” Saori glanced over at the other two, her legs still pumping as hard as she could. “Wh-why, is that- is that important?”

“Let’s just say I’m glad that there’s nobody around to make the rumours worse!” Kotone forced herself to laugh, trying to get her head back in the game. “Where is-“

Kotone was interrupted by the sound of an explosion, accompanied by a plume of smoke wafting up into the midnight green air. The girls all slowed to a stop, skidding over the pavement as a series of smaller blasts followed in the aftershock. Kotone dismounted her bike, raising a finger to her lips as she gestured for the others to do the same. The three girls snuck along a narrow alleyway that emerged into a backstreet illuminated by the pale green light of the moon. It was there the girls stopped, their eyes set on the seedy looking love hotel from which more smoke continued to rise.

“Sao.” Kotone whispered, glancing back at her friend. “Can you shroud us, please?”

Saori nodded, the flash of her Evoker ringing out for a moment before being muffled by Charybdis’ watery embrace. That wasn’t the only sound however, a flash of pink light bursting from one of the upper floor windows as a distant scream echoed through the night. Kotone’s hand instinctively went to her Evoker, the cool metal of the not-gun running cold as she placed it against her chin. She could feel Medusa crowding at the edge of her consciousness, silent but present, waiting for her to pull the trigger, waiting to strike with all she had.

Kotone was ready too.

Until the front door of the love hotel opened, and a certain blue-haired boy emerged into the night.

“Okay.” Makoto stepped out into the street, a streak of black soot trailing down his face as she glanced back at his team and shook his head. “We never speak of this again.”

There was a faint chorus of yeses and agreements as the rest of SEES walked out into the street, looking battered and worn as they made their way down the boulevard. Kotone instinctively fell back into Charybdis’ embrace, allowing the watery shroud to hide her from view. Fuuka paused for a moment as she passed, glancing down the alleyway before shaking her head and moving on. SEES turned the corner back to the main street, their voices fading into the distance. Kotone waited a few minutes for them to have well and truly left before stepping out into the street and appraising the battered windows of the love hotel they had just departed.

“What the hell…” Rio followed after Kotone, Saori trailing at their heels. “What was that? Why were they-“

“Well now…” Kotone jumped as a man’s voice echoed out from above, her hand instinctively going to her Evoker as her eyes shot upwards. A shirtless man stood upon the rooftop, flanked by a man in a green jacket and a girl with red hair cascading far past her shoulders. “Isn’t this a surprise? It seems we’re not the only ones watching these so-called heroes… tell me, what did you think of that?”

“O-of what?” Saori swallowed, stepping back instinctively as she stared up at the trio. “We didn’t- um, we didn’t really see…”

“He asked you a question.” The man in the jacket sneered, cocking his head at his leader. “What’d you think? Spill.”

“We didn’t see much.” Kotone shook her head, stepping forward to bear the brunt of the strangers’ gaze. “It was loud though. Too loud.”

“Mhhh, indeed. To call it sloppy would be a kindness.” The man in the middle smiled, one hand on his waist, the other hanging loosely against the grip of a revolver tucked into his belt. “My name is Takaya. My associates, Jin and Chidori. We… are STREGA.”

That isn’t an Evoker.

“No, dread warrior. It is not.”

Shit.

“My name’s Minako.” Kotone smiled, crossing her arms in front of her to project as much faux-confidence as possible. “These are my friends, Yukiko and Haru. And we’re… uh…”

“Girls Night!” Rio piped up, glancing around at the others and shrugging. “…that works, right?”

“That’s a really damn stupid name.” Jin scoffed, “What’s your intent, huh?”

“Our… our intent?” Saori winced, still trying her best to stand tall like the other two. “W-what do you mean?”

“You’ve been given the gift of this midnight hour, have you not?” Takaya smiled widely, spreading his arms to gesture at the great green moon above. “The Dark Hour, Persona… you are all given the grace of this strange frontier that belongs to we the few. So I ask again… what do you intend to do with it?”

“We want to know what SEES is doing.” Kotone nodded assuredly, hoping the strangers wouldn’t hear the hints of hesitation still in her voice. “We saw them exploring that tower place, we want to know why.”

“Is that so?” Takaya looked up at the sky, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he allowed time to hang still upon him. “How fascinating… our goals are aligned then, for now. How about this? We too wish to discover more about these… mh, parasites. There may yet be an alliance of convenience.”

“An alliance?” Rio furrowed her brow, her hand instinctively tightening around her hammer. “What sort of alliance?”

“You dig into those idiots and see what you can find.” Jin nodded, crossing his arms smugly in front of him. “We’ll do the same. Next time we meet, we’ll share what we know, got it?”

“But…” Saori swallowed nervously. “Wh-when will we meet again? And how?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” Takaya wiped his hair out of his eyes, cocking his head toward Chidori. “We’ll find you when we need to. Do we have a deal then?”

“Alright.” Kotone nodded, holding her hand into thin air to shake. “Deal.”

“Oh, I like this one.” Takaya sneered, shaking hands with nothingness as he stepped back. “Very well. We’ll see you soon then, ‘Girls Night’. Just one last thing…”

“Yeah?” Rio scowled, narrowing her eyes at the man. “What is it?”

“Those pitiful so-called heroes are far from the beginning and end of what this hour holds.” Takaya’s hand went back to the grip of his revolver, squeezing it gently as he smiled ominously. “I hope you will have a more suitable answer as to why you venture into its embrace the next we meet.”

Takaya chortled, turning away. Jin went with him. Chidori spared the girls one final curious glance, before she too faded into the night.

And STREGA was gone.

“…c’mon guys.” Kotone exhaled, allowing the tension that had built in her chest to disperse. “…let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, July 8^th 2009.

The Day of the Reactions

The wind sang high in the sky over Gekkoukan’s rooftop, the early summer breeze flitting through the air with the smell of salty brine on its touch. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there amidst it all a trio of girls watched it all with a distinct and utter feeling of god damnit.

“Alright.” Rio exhaled, turning away from the edge of Gekkoukan’s rooftop as she glanced between her two friends. “What the hell happened last night?”

“I think…” Kotone ruminated on it for a long moment, watching the windmills turn over the island. “We’re kinda fucked?”

“Kotone!” Saori gasped, covering her mouth. “You… you probably shouldn’t say something like that on school property.”

“She’s basically right though. We’re totally that.” Rio groaned, leaning back against the fence. “Who the hell were those guys?”

“Charybdis didn’t sense them, a-and I’ve never seen them around school…” Saori rubbed her arm, frowning deeply. “Do you think… do you think they’re truants?”

“I think they’re more than that.” Kotone stood up, joining Rio at the fenceline as she stared out at the city. “I think they’re even more dangerous than SEES is.”

“Yeah. No kidding.” Rio exhaled, rubbing her face. “So why’d you make a deal with them?”

“Because they’re more dangerous than SEES is.” Kotone crossed her arms, frowning. “That wasn’t an Evoker he had. We needed to tell him what he wanted to hear, or I think he’d try and hurt us.”

“Don’t mince words, dread warrior.”

We don’t know for sure if that’s what he’d do.

“We do.”

“I-I think he’d probably kill us…” Saori fidgeted, saying Kotone’s internal thoughts out loud as she shook like a leaf. “But… but that means…”

“It means we have to get stronger so he can’t.” Rio shook her head, stepping away from the fence and putting a hand on Saori’s shoulder. “Alright? We won’t let him hurt us.”

“That’s right.” Kotone smiled, turning back around so she could sit next to Saori and bump her gently. “He wanted to know our reason for going into Tartarus? That’s ours right now. Getting stronger so we can protect ourselves.”

“I-I guess...” Saori inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment to steady herself before nodding assuredly. “Alright. W-we can get stronger. I know we can.”

“That’s the spirit!” Kotone grinned, clapping her hands. “Alright, so that’s the start of a plan. Rio, do you think you can find out anything more about those STREGA guys?”

“Maybe…” Rio pursed her lips, shrugging. “I’ll definitely try. No way I won’t give it my all after that.”

“Perfect!” Kotone flashed a thumbs up. “There’s another problem I’ve realized though. STREGA caught us by surprise, which means we didn’t have the shroud up. If that happens with SEES, Mitsuru could probably get us in a lot of trouble at school. We’ll need something to hide our identities in case that happens.”

“Oh…” Saori frowned, thinking about it for a moment. “Um, I heard some girls in the library talking about the masks that the drama club uses for some of their shows. Maybe we could… you know, borrow them?”

“I never thought I’d see the day where Saori Hasegawa suggests we steal from the school.” Rio blinked, then shrugged. “She’s right though. I’ve seen some of the plays they put on, the masks are kinda ridiculous but they work.”

“W-well we’d only be borrowing them!” Saori winced, wringing her hands. “That’s okay, right?”

“The same way we’re ‘borrowing’ the Evokers, yeah.” Kotone grinned, which only seemed to make Saori shrink up on herself more. “It’ll be fine Sao, I promise.”

“Mhh...” Saori grit her teeth, shaking her head as she stared at her feet. “I-I know I said we can do it before, but… h-how can you be so brave about this? This is terrifying…”

“She wavers, dread warrior.”

I know. It hurts my heart, but I know.

“You must find a way to steady her.”

“To be honest, I’m terrified too Sao.” Kotone smiled, her usual grin falling away to something just a bit more sincere. “We’ve stepped into something way bigger than any of us, and I really don’t know what to do about it. What I do know is… well, I’m just glad we have each other.”

“She’s right.” Rio nodded her agreement, biting the inside of her cheek and tapping her foot. “We’re a team. Girls Night, right? So, we have each others backs. That’s what’s helping me right now.”

“Yeah…” Saori sniffled, nodding and standing shakily to her feet. “I guess you’re right. I… I-I’m still terrified, but if you two are with me… I hope we’ll be okay.”

“We will be.” Kotone nodded, taking Saori’s hand and squeezing it. “We’ll get through this, no matter what. I promise you that.”

And it’s a promise I’ll keep, no matter what.

“A blood pact is a dangerous oath, dread warrior.”

Yeah, well, I don’t do things by half measure.

---

The unseen moon hung lower in the sky than usual today, the girls having snuck into school a few hours earlier to secure what they needed. It was a bit of a chore finding the supply closet where the drama club kept their equipment, but they managed. It was much more of a chore digging through the narrow space to try to find the masks Saori had mentioned, especially with how much dust was in the space.

“How often do they even-“ Kotone paused, holding back a sneeze as she rubbed her cheek. “-use this stuff anyways?”

“I guess it’s been a while…” Saori swallowed as she stood nervously by the door, watching Kotone work. The space was too narrow for more than one of them at a time, which left Saori to stand guard. “That probably means it’s okay, right? At least for a while?”

“If we find out they need them for a show, we’ll put them back. Promise.” Kotone glanced over her shoulder, flashing a thumbs up at Saori before getting back to work digging through the frankly unreasonable number of props held in the closet. “Hey Rio, making any progress?”

“I found a lead, yeah.” Rio nodded from where she sat next to the closet, the blue glow of her laptop illuminating her face. “Kenji told me about a website where he saw the name STREGA. It took me a little to track it down, but I got it. It’s… well, it’s not good.”

“Um.” Saori blinked. “How not good?”

“Well, in the… they’re offering to kill people sort of not good.” Rio winced, rotating the laptop so that Saori and Kotone could see as the latter popped her head out of the closet. An ancient looking webpage shone back at them, big impractical white fonts listed over a scuffed red background. It seemed just as Rio had said, a simple ‘revenge service’ where people could input someone’s name and mark them as a target. “This is really bad.”

“…why does it not surprise me that Kenji knows about a site like that?” Kotone sighed, squeezing Saori’s hand as the other girl blanched at the screen. “Hey, it’ll be alright. We already knew they were dangerous. Now we also know for sure we can’t trust them.”

“You’re right. Just- I didn’t think sneaking into school that night would end up with us here.” Saori shivered, looking away. “I feel like it’s spiralling way out of control.”

“You don’t need to stay if you don’t want to.” Kotone smiled, bumping the other girl gently. “I’m sure we’ll figure things out.”

“No. No way.” Saori shook her head emphatically. “You made a promise. You need Charybdis to keep yourselves safe. A-and nobody else is going to keep an eye on SEES and those murderers, so… I’m with you until the end, okay?”

“Got it.” Kotone squeezed Saori’s hand one last time before letting go and turning to her other friend. “What about you, Rio?”

“This beats tennis by a longshot.” Rio nodded, closing her laptop and standing upright. “Now hurry up and get those masks, it’s going to be midnight soon.”

“Right!” Kotone grinned, a faint fire springing in her heart as she turned back to the pile of crap. “On it!”

“Digging through trash isn’t a glamorous task for you, dread warrior.”

If it means helping my friends, I don’t mind at all.

“Mh. Good answer.”

Wednesday, July 22^nd 2009.

The Day of the Synthesis

“Medusa!” Kotone’s heart pounded as she pulled the trigger, a flash of blue light filling the hallway in tune with Medusa emerging from her soul. “Freeze ‘em solid!”

Medusa nodded, ice radiating from her hand and freezing the writhing snakelike Shadows into a block of ice. Rio cried out in exhilaration, shards of blue glass falling against her white kitsune mask as she called forth Scylla for a followup attack, the Persona’s snapping dog heads tearing through the Shadow’s scales like they were paper.

“Careful!” Saori called out, her voice only slightly muffled by the golden drama mask she wore as Charybdis’ waters flowing down the hall around her teammates. “There’s more around the next corner!”

“Thanks Sao!” Kotone grinned, wiping a bit of Shadow from the red oni mask she was wearing. Maybe it was silly to practice fighting wearing their masks, but Kotone wanted to cover her bases. That meant keeping it on, even as she charged forth onto the next group. “Let’s wipe ‘em all out!”

This had been their routine for the last few days. While their finals had thrown a bit of a wrench into their training regimen, Kotone had overheard Junpei bragging to his friends about how he and his dormmates would be heading to Yakushima the following week. That provided an opening, and after a few days straight of being able to train without interruption, Kotone was feeling good.

Even if it did mean that Tae kept giving them weird looks every time they came to her to look over whatever wounds Medusa and Charybdis’ meagre healing couldn’t manage.

Still, Kotone definitely felt stronger.

But she wanted to know just how strong.

“Hey guys?” Kotone smiled as Scylla stomped the last of the next group of Shadows, the crack echoing through Tartarus as she did. “I think I wanna try fighting the next floor boss.”

“Wait, really?” Rio’s eyes widened beneath her mask. “Are you sure?”

They had come across a few of the seemingly empty floors before, but it was only until this week when they had actually run into one of the bosses. The three burly Gigas had promptly sent them careening back to the lobby, and decisively ended their first night of training. But that was then and now as now. And Kotone felt confident.

“A true test of strength, dread warrior. Do not let it be our last.”

I won’t.

We’ll soon see, won’t we?

“I’m sure.” Kotone sheathed her naginata, grateful for the strap they had found for it in one of the briefcases. “If we’re going to protect ourselves from STREGA and SEES, we’ll need to be ready for anything. It’ll be a good test of our skills.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Rio frowned at the tip of her hammer, then nodded. “I’m in.”

“If you’re sure, th-then I am too.” Saori nodded, closing her eyes and running her hands through the waters of her Persona. “They’re only a few floors up… we can probably head straight to them.”

“Alright then.” Kotone grinned, leading the way down the hall. “Then let’s go see what we’re made of!”

---

The fight started off poorly when Rio took one swing at the first of the three Furious Gigas with her hammer and got sent flying back into the wall behind her by the strength of its reflection alone.

“Rio!” Kotone gasped, narrowly dodging the Shadow’s followup attack against her. “Are you alright?!”

“F-fine…” Rio reached up under her mask, wiping away blood from her mouth as Charybdis’ waters enveloped her to seal her wounds and get her back on her feet. “O-ow… you’re going to pay for that…”

“Be careful!” Saori squeaked as Rio ran back into the fight and fell back in line with Kotone, the leader directing a punch from one of the other Gigas with her naginata as she did. “You’ll have to find its weakness!”

“I’ll do ice! Rio, fire!” Kotone held her Evoker up to her chin, twin flashes of light filling the hall as she and Rio fired. The first attack managed to slow one of the Gigas down, ice crawling up its musclebound form. The second attack, however…

Well, at least it only did nothing instead of reflecting back in Rio’s face this time.

“I don’t think these guys like me!” Rio groaned, narrowly avoiding the third Gigas’ attack as she did. “What am I supposed to do to them?”

“Plan C!” Kotone tossed the girl her bag, which held all the stuff they had managed to gather on this Tartarus run so far. “Random bullshit, go!”

“I hate plan C!” Rio groaned even louder as she rummaged in the bag, pulling out a trio of small silvery balls and throwing them at the Shadows. “Take this!”

The first ball bounced harmlessly off the lead Gigas, doing little more than sparking fruitlessly. The second ball struck the third Gigas in the face, lightning dancing over its moustache for a moment before too fading into nothing. The third ball however, detonated, striking the second Gigas and slamming it backwards with its strength.

“They’re weak to wind!” Saori gasped, steadying herself. “H-hang on everyone, I’ve got this!”

There was a sudden gust as Charybdis’ maw opened, and a tempest raged forth from within. The Gigas were blown back, grunting in exhilaration as the wind whipped around them. Kotone took the opportunity while she had it, moving in tandem with the blast to charge the Gigas. She cut clean through the first, the wind and her blade proving too much for it to handle. The second managed to block her attack with its forearms, only for Rio to send another wind-charged ball at its stomach that tore it to pieces. The third… well, by then Saori had done most of the work, but Kotone went ahead and stabbed what was left of it in the chest for good measure.

“Okay, I’ll admit that was a little hairy, but y’know what?” Kotone grinned, pulling the blade of her naginata out from the rapidly blobbifying Shadow as the girls all grinned at each other for their victory. “I think we’re finally getting strong enough to stand up for ourselves.”

Friday, July 24^th 2009.

The Day of the Oh Shit

“Is-“ Kotone blinked, staring out from beneath the shroud as SEES arranged themselves in the lobby of Tartarus. “Is that a fucking combat android?”

And why is she hot?

“Dread warrior.”

Hey, I’m just asking questions!

Chapter Text

Wednesday, August 5^th 2009.

The Day of the Encounters

The moon was almost full in the sky above Gekkoukan as Girls Night stood in the middle of the school’s main hall, watching the minutes tick down toward midnight. Based on what SEES had been saying, tomorrow’s full moon would be just like the last: Tartarus would be swarming with Shadows, and a big one would appear out in the wasteland of the Dark Hour.

What they didn’t know was that STREGA and Girls Night would be out there lurking in the darkness too.

“So, what have we learned?” Rio counted off her fingers, her foot tapping to an invisible beat. “SEES has a combat android. Akihiko mentioned they get their weapons and stuff from a corrupt cop. Anything else?”

“Mitsuru confirmed the Kirijo Group is the one that gave them the Evokers and all that… I-I guess that was easy to guess, but we know for sure now.” Saori tapped her fingers against her thigh, looking between her friends. “That should be enough to make STREGA happy, r-right?”

“Maybe…” Kotone frowned, staring at her shoes. “But I don’t think I’m going to tell them any of that anyways.”

“Wh-what?” Saori’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re not?”

“Nah.” Kotone shook her head. “SEES might be suspicious, but they’re not murderers. Probably. I don’t feel right selling them out to STREGA.”

“That’s a bit sudden to spring on us, Kotone.” Rio narrowed her eyes for a moment before sighing. “Not that I disagree or anything, I just would have liked some warning.”

“We gave them fake names, it’ll be alright.” Kotone shook her head, smiling as reassuringly as she could. “Plus we’re stronger now. I wouldn’t want to mess with us if I was them.”

“If you’re sure…” Saori took a deep breath, reaching up to rub her face. “Then… God…”

“We’ve got this.” Kotone nudged Saori gently, nodding. “STREGA won’t know what hit them.”

“Even if you’re right, sounds to me like you need to communicate better.” The girls all jumped as the voice of none other than Tae Takemi echoed down the hall, the three students all whirling around to catch sight of the nurse watching them curiously from where she was leaning against the wall outside her office. “Not that I know what even half of that meant.”

“T-tae?” Rio’s eyes widened in surprise, her hand instinctively going to where her hammer was looped through her belt. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question. Actually, I guess I am.” Tae shrugged, standing upright and putting her hands in the pockets of her labcoat. “Edogawa gave me access to the lab over the summer for some tests I wanted to run. You three though… you broke in, huh?”

“Well uh-“ Kotone winced, taking a step back. “…kinda?”

“Hey, as long as you didn’t break a window or anything then it’s no sweat off my back.” Tae shrugged, walking toward the three as moonlight dogged her steps. “Still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here though.”

“We- well, you see, we’re… um…” Saori wrung her hands, deeply uncertain. “That- er- Kotone?”

“Right. I’ve got this. We’re here to…” Kotone took charge from Saori, blinking uselessly nonetheless. “To uh…”

“Time runs short, dread warrior.”

I know! You’d think we’d have come up with an excuse by now!

“I meant in a literal sense.”

“Wait-“ Kotone’s eyes widened in surprise as her eyes darted to the clock on the wall, the nurse only halfway down the hall toward them. “Tae! You need to run before-“

The clock struck midnight.

The woman vanished in a flash of light as Tartarus sprung upwards, the girls recoiling as the lobby appeared around them. Kotone reached a hand out, finding only air as the woman disappeared into the upper levels of the tower.

“Shit.” Saori gasped, covering her mouth. “Shit!”

“Saori, can you tell where she is?” Rio turned to the girl as Saori fumbled with her Evoker, bringing it to the side of her head and firing. “What floor?”

“I’m…” Saori shrouded herself in Charybdis, her hands twitching as she did. “Floor 82!”

“That’s a few floors higher than we’ve been.” Kotone winced, nonetheless running toward the teleporter without a moment of hesitation. “C’mon, we gotta hurry!”

The other members of Girls Night sprinted after her, pulling on their masks and gathering in the teleporter without further questions or doubt. The fact was, Tae needed their help right now. Anything less than doing their absolute best to save her was a disservice. Damn SEES, damn STREGA, damn anything less than giving it their all.

So, with a flash of green light, up they went.

---

The Shadows were agitated tonight.

Maybe it was the proximity to the full moon. Maybe it was Tae’s sudden appearance within the tower. Maybe it was just coincidence. But Kotone couldn’t help but feel like their enemies were a little more hyper tonight than usual as she tore through another set of tiaras with her blade.

“Rio, knock ‘em to the wall!” Kotone called out, grinning as Scylla struck forth and allowed Medusa to freeze the cupids solid against the side of the hallway. “Great work! Sao, any sign of Tae?”

“She’s on this floor!” Saori nodded, already moving ahead as the path cleared. “She should be just a few hallways away!”

“The hell?!” Tae’s voice echoed from up ahead, fear and confusion flashing through it. “Get away from me you fuckin’ creeps!”

“Follow her voice!” Kotone broke into a sprint, slicing her blade across a wooden woman on a throne without halting her momentum. “Hold on Tae, we’re coming!”

The three girls raced around a corner, nearly slamming into the wall as they reached the room Tae was sheltering in. The woman had fled up one of the many staircases to nowhere that defined this part of Tartarus, a butterfly knife in her hand as she swiped at the floating glass-headed books surrounding her.

“Saori, soften ‘em up!” Kotone charged forth, a cursed wind blowing after her as she cut through the rear line. “Rio, I’m on right, take left!”

Rio nodded, Scylla and Medusa emerging as both girls fired their Evokers. Tae froze as they tore through the Shadows, Scylla’s flames and Medusa’s blades tearing through the Shadows like butter.

“That-“ Tae’s knife fell from her hands as the Shadows faded to goop and the Personas returned to their hosts. The nurse could only blink, looking between the three in absolute shock as they lifted their masks. “It’s… you all. Is this what you all were doing at school?”

“Uh… yeah, pretty much.” Kotone shrugged, smiling bashfully. “Kinda hard to explain, I know.”

“No shit.” Tae shook her head, exhaling as her body sagged. “What the hell were those things?”

“Shadows. It’s a long story.” Kotone grinned, cocking her head to the side. “C’mon. You might forget by tomorrow, but we can tell you what we know until then.”

“…fuck it. Sure.” Tae frowned, crouching and picking up her butterfly knife. Despite the relative disinterest she was trying to inflect with her voice, her hands were shaking. “This is what I get for working so late.”

“You’re not wrong.” Rio shook her head, twirling her hammer in her hands. “It’s a lot.”

 “Like I said.” Tae frowned, following after the three as they headed back into the darkness of Tartarus. “No fucking shit.”

---

It took longer than Kotone would have hoped for them to find another teleporter, which meant by the time they reached the lobby they had already told the nurse most of their situation. She had taken it… surprisingly well, but that may just have been because she still had shadowy viscera staining the butterfly knife she held tight in her hands, and anything other than a complete collapse was impressive.

“You’re telling me this happens every night?” Tae stepped out of the teleporter, wobbling slightly as she did. “And that we just teleported?”

“Y-yes.” Saori gulped, nodding. “Pretty much.”

“…shit.” Tae blinked, shaking her head. “And here I was about to talk to the principal about how many bruises you all kept coming back with.”

“Yep, it was all Shadows.” Kotone nodded, smiling. “Well, pretty much all Shadows. There was some friendly fire.”

“I apologized already.” Rio sighed. “Can we not?”

Kotone laughed at that, the sound echoing through the lobby. Despite Tae needing rescue being a little less than ideal, they had managed it. And seeing as how everything about it sounded insane, there was no way she was going to report them for what was going on here. Probably. Hell, now they wouldn’t even have to lie about where their injuries came from. That was pretty sweet.

Everything was coming up Girls Night.

“Well, isn’t this interesting?” Kotone’s heart froze in her chest as Takaya’s silky voice filled the air, accompanied by the sound of a slow clap. STREGA strode into the lobby, unabashed and unafraid as Girls Night circled protectively closer around Tae. “It seems you too have a heroic streak. Tell me, how does it feel saving a damsel in distress?”

“Damsel?” Tae furrowed her brow. “Wait, who are you calling a-“

“Quiet.” Jin hissed, glaring at Tae before turning back to Kotone. “You. What information have you got for us?”

Moment of truth.

“If you’re going to strike, strike hard dread warrior.”

Way ahead of you.

“We’ve got nothing.” Kotone stepped forward, her naginata gripped tight in her hand as she faced off against STREGA. “We’re not interested in working with murderers.”

“I see…” Takaya’s eyes narrowed. “We had a deal, did we not?”

“We did.” Kotone didn’t waver, staring the man head on. “But that was before we knew what you were. Like I said, we’re not going to work with a bunch of killers.”

“What a genuine shame.” Takaya sighed, reaching a hand up to rub the side of his head. “And here I thought you civilized. Oh well. Chidori, Jin, if you would?”

“What are you… do…ing…” Rio’s speech slurred as Chidori raised an Evoker to her head, the burst of red fire summoning forth a woman with a goat skull for a head. The moment she raised her hand, Kotone felt the world slow, her body suddenly going limp as she struggled to stay upright. “The… hell are you…”

The question was answered by the sound of a ping, followed by a thunk as Jin dropped a grenade in front of the girls with a grin. Kotone barely had time to react, raising her naginata in a fruitless guard the same instant it exploded, sending all four of them skidding across the door like ragdolls.

SHIT!

“Be calm, dread warrior. So long as you may still fight, you may still win.”

SON OF A BITCH.

The good news was, the blast seemed to have cleared the lethargy from Kotone’s body. The bad news was, the blast had hurt, and it had hurt bad. While a cursory glance at Tae and her teammates showed that they were all moving as best they could, that didn’t mean they were ready to fight.

Just the opposite, in fact.

“Hah. Idiots.” Jin grinned as he stepped forward, tossing another grenade from hand to hand. “You should have kept the deal going longer. We weren’t even going to kill you fools for months. But it’s too late now, so I hope you’ve made peace with whatever god you follow.”

“You’re… not going to-“ Kotone reached for her Evoker where it had fallen, only for Jin to kick it away with the same smile on his face. He spat at the floor where it had been, his thumb flicking the pin of the grenade in his hand. “You… bastard…”

“Quiet you.” Jin stomped on Kotone’s hand, earning a scream from the girl as he scoffed. “You really thought you could fight back? You’re a bunch of pathetic smallfry trying to make it in a big pond. Why don’t you just roll over and die, make it easier for all of us?”

“Hey kid…” Tae scowled at Jin as she scooped up Kotone’s discarded Evoker, one knee on the ground and the other angled toward him as she lifted it to the side of her head. “I got a better idea. Why don’t you fuck off and leave these girls alone?”

“Pft. Sounds like someone didn’t get the memo.” Jin sneered, making a rude gesture at Tae. “You’re no fighter. Do you even know how to use that thing?”

“Maybe not. But I want to heal the world.” Tae grit her teeth, her finger on the trigger. “And sometimes that means cutting out parasites like you. Gello!”

There was a burst of blue light and the sound of shattering glass as a gelatinous woman emerged from Tae’s soul, her form trailing fingernails and bones as she raised a creeping arm to the heavens. A flow of energy spread into the world, imbuing Girls Night with a fresh burst of power as they jumped back to their feet.

“The hell is-“ Jin was interrupted by a distinctive smacking noise and the crinkle of broken glass as Kotone charged the boy and socked him in the face as hard as she possibly could. “MOTHERFUCKER!”

“Yeah, who’s pathetic now you son of a bitch?” Kotone snarled, wiping her mouth with one hand as she lifted her naginata with the other. “We’re not letting you bastards set the rules.”

“Hmph.” Takaya appraised the four of them for a long moment, his golden eyes scanning them like a predator watching prey. “That’s quite the declaration. Do all of you feel the same way?”

“Of course.” Rio snarled, gripping her hammer tight. “We’re a team.”

“Y-yeah.” Saori stood her ground, her fist clenched at her side as she held her Evoker to her head. “And we’re not backing down!”

Tae, to her credit, simply returned the same rude gesture that Jin had made at her.

“Well then.” Takaya laughed, clapping his hands together with a sinister smile. “There’s the fire I was looking for. It seems you’ve found your reason simply enough.”

This bastard really loves the sound of his own voice.

“There is no mistaking it.”

Asshole.

“Our business is done here then.” Takaya shook his head, turning and walking back toward the entrance of Tartarus. “Come along Jin, Chidori.”

“What?!” Jin scowled, stomping his foot as blood dripped from where the glass had cut near his eye. “You’re just letting them go?!”

“Do not mistake my intent, Jin.” Takaya glanced back at his companion, his face having fallen back to a deathly scowl. “This is far from the end. Indeed, it is only the beginning. Our friends here will soon learn just what defiance costs, I promise you that. Soon you will truly see the severity of your mistake, Kotone.”

Kotone shivered as the man turned back to the entrance, walking out without another word. Jin clenched his fists, glaring at Girls Night for a long moment before turning and following after him. Chidori, for her part, simply tilted her head curiously at the other girls for a few seconds with an unreadable expression on her face, before she too vanished into the night.

“…shit.” Kotone exhaled, blood dripping from her fist as the glass embedded in it sent a throbbing pain through her body. She turned to Tae, a faint smile on her face. “So uh… could I get some more of that healing?”

Chapter Text

Thursday, August 6^th 2009.

Day of the Underground Moon

Headlights danced along the pavement outside Paulownia Mall, the late-night drivers speeding their way home as Girls Night sat on a pair of benches by the roadside. The three students were on one, huddled together as the night ticked by. Tae was on the other, a cigarette in hand as its glow illuminated the dark parts of her face. The seating arrangement was Tae’s idea. For someone who’d already burned through two cigarettes even getting here, she’d been surprisingly concerned about second-hand smoke.

I’m wondering if I should ever listen to doctors if one is smoking.

“We all have our vices, dread warrior.”

No kidding.

“So.” Tae exhaled, a puff of smoke floating into the air as her finger rested on the trigger of the once spare Evoker inside her jacket. “You’ve got a corporate hitsquad made up of teenagers working for the Kirijo Group trying to stop these things from attacking people. And you’ve got those shitheads from yesterday hanging around and using that Dark Hour to attack people themselves. Then it’s you three in the middle, trying to just stay under the radar?”

“Us four.” Rio glanced to the side, avoiding Tae’s eyes. “If you’re willing to join us, I mean.”

“Not like I have any other choice.” Tae snorted, looking at the three of them for a moment before bowing her head and sighing. “Three kids in way over their heads is a hell of a lot worse than three kids and an adult in over their heads. And with Gello, I guess it’s my job to keep you healthy anyways.”

“Hell yeah.” Kotone grinned, standing and moving to shake Tae’s hand. “Welcome to the team, Tae!”

“Wait.” Tae held up a hand, holding Kotone in her tracks as she watched the smoke curl away into the night. Once it was gone she assented, standing up and shaking Kotone’s hand. “There. Good to be on your team. Girls Night, right? I like it.”

“So um…” Saori stood as well, kicking a pebble nervously into the street. “As an adult, what do you think about all of it? SEES, a-and STREGA and all.”

“Sounds to me like SEES have a better idea than STREGA, but you’ve got a good instinct not trusting anything with Kirijo money behind it.” Tae tapped her finger against her cigarette, ash falling to the ground in front of her. “To tell you the truth though, I don’t think I’m the right person to ask. I heal people, I don’t lead them. I think you’ve all got that handled.”

“I try.” Kotone nodded, a jolt running through her system at the realization that Tae was placing her trust in her. “I promise to do my best.”

“In the end that is all that should be asked of a leader, dread warrior.”

It’s also what I owe.

“That is true as well.”

“Good.” Tae turned away, taking one last drag of her cigarette before flicking it off into the night. “So, when’s it start?”

“Right now, actually.” Rio checked her watch, nodding. “Midnight, every night. It’s a little freaky, so be ready.”

“I can handle it.” Tae shook her head, blowing smoke into the wind. “I’ve been a little freaky my whole l-“

The clock struck midnight.

Kotone wasn’t usually outside for this part. Nearly every Dark Hour before now, she had been either in Tartarus or her room. Being on the streets for it was… different. The way the sky shifted in an instant, the way the moon bloomed in the sky, the way the passing cars just… stopped, frozen in an instant as time ran still and coffins filled the streets.

“That… Tae blinked, her grip on her Evoker tightening. “That’s a little freakier than I expected.”

“She told you.” Kotone winked at the nurse, turning to Saori as a flash filled the streets and Charybdis came into being. “Alright Sao, what have you got for me?”

“I think… there’s a signal coming from the old industrial district.” Saori peered into Charybdis’ waters, a frown on her face as she pointed. “I-it’s kind of hard to tell, but I think it might be underground?”

“Underground?” Rio frowned, glancing in the direction Saori had pointed. “How can you tell?”

“I can’t really, it’s… it’s more of a vibe really?” Saori shrugged, smiling nervously. “That’s just how it feels.”

“Good enough for me!” Kotone grinned, fishing her mask out of her bag and pulling it on. “Let’s do this, everyone!”

“Masks, huh? Right.” Tae appraised the three as they pulled on their masks. “You got one for me?”

“Sure do!” Kotone’s grin turned cheeky beneath her mask as she fished out a well-worn plague mask for the nurse. “Here!”

“…so you think you’re funny, huh?” Tae sighed, nonetheless taking the mask and pulling it over her face. She glanced between the other three, nodding once they were ready. “Alright. Let’s get to it.”

---

Girls Night had to move slowly.

Crossing the Moonlight Bridge was a quick enough affair, thank God, but once they were on the other side the four of them were forced to slow down significantly, sticking to side streets and dark alleyways as best they could. Though Saori was shrouding them as best possible and had Charybdis on a swivel for anything that might come their way, this was still the domain of STREGA and SEES. It took them long enough to reach the abandoned lot from which the signal was coming that they almost missed STREGA ducking into an inconspicuous hatch at its center.

“I think… I think SEES is already down there.” Saori frowned beneath her mask, running her fingers through the water of her Persona. “There’s enough signals, anyways…”

“Then STREGA’s got them sandwiched between that thing and themselves.” Tae’s mask reflected the moonlight as she stared at the hatch, tapping her foot gently. “Not a good place to be.”

“No, it isn’t.” Kotone bit the inside of her cheek, hesitating for a moment before heading out into the street. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Kotone?” Rio blinked, jogging out after her alongside the rest of the team as Charybdis floated around them. “What are you doing? What’s the plan?”

“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to see.” Kotone shook her head, making her way to the hatch and peering inside. “…but I feel like letting STREGA corner them is a bad idea, no matter what.”

“No kidding.” Tae nodded, planting the foot of her boot on the edge of the hatch’s open door. “This about how thought out most of your plans are?”

“Yeah…” Saori smiled nervously, peering into the darkness. “They usually work out sort of okay though. Mostly.”

“Which is all we need!” Kotone pumped her fist, descending down the worn concrete stairs and into the darkness below. “C’mon, let’s go!”

The members of Girls Night all followed after her, adopting a much quieter demeanor as they descended down the concrete ramp into the earth. Ancient machines and rotted weapons stood in alcoves around them, untouched since long bygone days. Kotone wasn’t sure why exactly nobody had come here before, and even moreso why the Shadow was here now, but that was reality.

A fact Kotone almost forgot as the group advanced towards the sound of drifting voices from below, nearly running straight into Chidori as they did.

Tae had to stop Kotone at the last second, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her back mere inches before she almost ran right into where the STREGA girl was leaning against the wall in the darkness. Kotone held back a gasp, falling back into one of the alcoves alongside the rest of her team as Chidori raised a curious eyebrow and scanned the slope back up to the surface. Finding nothing, she simply shrugged and turned her attention back toward the open blast door just a few more meters down the tunnel, where Takaya and Jin were currently engaged in a conversation with SEES.

“Surely you will acknowledge the significance the Dark Hour has given you.” Takaya’s sneer was evident even from this distance, and was enough to send a shiver down Kotone’s spine as she crouched in the darkness of the alcove. “Such decisive purpose… but what madness is it to strive for a definite end? Tell me, do you even know what bringing this brave frontier of ours to an end would mean?”

“Peace. Security. Safety, for those who can’t defend themselves.” Mitsuru’s voice was alight, more impassioned than Kotone had ever heard her. “It’s our duty as those who can wield power to wield it right. That is the legacy the Kirijo family must leave, and one I will give my life to protect if need be.”

“Aha… legacy. Such an enduring thing.” Takaya chuckled, his hands tapping against the grip of his gun. “And yet, once you are dead and gone, what does it truly matter anymore? The bloodstains on your so-called family legacy will never wash out, Kirijo, no matter how hard you scrub. Why not embrace them?”

“What the hell does that even mean dude?” Junpei’s voice was angry and confused, filled with indignation at STREGA’s words. “You’re not making any sense!”

“It doesn’t matter to anyone anymore.” Jin scoffed, tossing a grenade from hand to hand. “If you’re trying to take away our power and the Dark Hour, then you’re our enemy. And there’s only one fate for our enemies! Death!”

Jin lurched to the side, slamming his finger into a panel next to the door. With a lurch of ancient hydraulics the ancient partition began to close, leaving STREGA on one side and SEES on the other. There was an impassioned yell from within that was quickly silenced, SEES’ voices vanishing as they were locked within.

“Jin.” Takaya sighed, turning away from the partition and adjusting his belt. “I was under the impression we had spoken about your one liners.”

“Well, y-yeah, but…” Jin blinked, huffing. “Whatever! They’re going to die anyways, who cares?”

“Indeed.” Takaya drawled, walking up the incline and nodding to Chidori. “Let’s not dawdle then. I suspect those… Girls Night fools might already be on their way. We should go establish a vantage point to meet them.”

“Bitches.” Jin spat, reaching up to rub a freshly formed scar under his eye. “I’m gonna pay them back for what they did.”

“Don’t be such a big baby.” Chidori spoke for the first time Kotone could recall, her eyes hanging on the alcove where Girls Night was hidden before she shook her head and made her way back up the incline. “Your crying makes you sound pathetic.”

“Hey!” Jin snarled, stomping his foot as he and Takaya followed after the girl. “I’m not pathetic…”

Their footsteps ascended back up into open air, fading into the distance as they went to set a trap that would never spring. Even if Girls Night hadn’t already been hiding here, it seemed that they still didn’t know about their invisibility. That was an ace up their sleeve. Still that didn’t stop Kotone from holding her breath for what felt like several minutes, only letting it go once they were well and truly gone.

“Well shit.” Tae sighed, hand on her hip as she stepped out of the alcove and stared back up at the entrance. “You kids really weren’t kidding about all this, huh?”

“What part of any of anything makes you think we were kidding?” Rio tilted her head at Tae before sighing and shaking her head. “Nevermind. What do you all think about what they said?”

“SEES wants to end the Dark Hour…” Saori reached under her mask, biting her nails nervously. “But why? Do you think… do you think it has to do with Apathy Syndrome?”

“Cases do go down after every full moon…” Rio nodded slowly, thinking. “That would make sense at like, a human level. But how does the Kirijo Group factor in?”

“Maybe there’s something in the tower.” Tae shrugged, drawing the eyes of all the others. “…what? It makes sense to me. There’s probably a reason it exists, and there has to be a reason they’re exploring it like you all say. What if they’re looking for something?”

“Maybe… something they’re trying to hide?” Saori offered. “If they’re trying to end the Dark Hour, then that means they’re trying to get rid of Tartarus too.”

“Which means there might be something in there they don’t want found!” Kotone nodded her agreement, snapping her fingers. “Smart!”

“It’s just a theory…” Saori rubbed her arm, shrugging bashfully. “We really don’t know.”

“Better than nothing.” Tae exhaled, turning to face the door as her hand twitched ever so slightly at her side. “Feel like I need another smoke. But hey, what about them?”

“W-well, I think they’ve finished fighting the Shadow by now… only…” Saori frowned, running her hands through Charybdis’ waters. “Oh my God… gas!”

“Gas?” Rio raised an eyebrow at the other girl. “What do you mean gas?”

“There’s… I… e-either STREGA or the Shadow is pumping gas into there!” Saori turned to Kotone, her eyes flashing fearfully behind her mask. “They’re suffocating!”

“Huh.” Tae tilted her head, tapping the beak of her mask. “That’s bad.”

“No shit that’s bad!” Kotone shook her head, stomping her foot. “Sao, is there anything we can do?!”

“Well, I-“ Saori hesitated for a moment before nodding determinedly. “If we open the door, I-I can use Charybdis to air the gas out of the room!”

“Would you be able to hold the shroud up while you do that?” Rio frowned, the expression only deepening as Saori made a small noise of uncertainty and shrugged. “It sounds risky. SEES might find out we exist if we do that.”

“Well that won’t matter if they die!” Kotone shook her head, making her way over to the panel and hovering her hand over the button Jin had pressed. “Everyone get ready, I’m getting them out of there!”

“Huh. Leadership.” Tae nodded her approval, stepping to the side alongside Saori and Rio. “Hope you know what you’re doing here kid.”

“Honestly?” Kotone smiled as she slammed down on the button. “I really don’t!”

The door slowly began to open, a beleaguered and defeated SEES sprawled around on the ground in front of it. Saori dropped the shroud, Charybdis’ maw coalescing in the tunnel and creating a vortex of air that began to quickly siphon the gas from the room. The good news from that, was that SEES was suddenly able to breathe, sitting up and gasping as they looked around in confusion. The bad news, inversely, was that the only thing to look at was Kotone standing there in the doorway, her hand on the button and her mask staring blankly back at them.

…I should say something.

“Should you?”

Well I don’t want them to think we’re with STREGA!

“𝕎𝔼, 𝔸ℝ𝔼 𝔾𝕀ℝ𝕃𝕊 ℕ𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋!” Kotone bellowed, relieved that she had actually listened to Elly’s lessons on how to inflect her voice enough to be unrecognizable. “𝔸ℕ𝔻, 𝕌ℍ... 𝔽𝕌ℂ𝕂 𝕊𝕋ℝ𝔼𝔾𝔸! 𝔾𝕆𝕆𝔻𝔹𝕐𝔼!”

And then she turned tail and ran, booking it back up the path alongside her team as SEES gazed after them, too exhausted and bewildered to give chase.

How’s that for an introduction, eh?

“Bizarre, dread warrior.”

…I’ll take it!

?????

???

You have come far enough.

That fate has shifted in the cards.

And you have changed the course to the end.

But it is still never enough.

And other hands yet hold the cards.

You will need more to ever reach the end.

I can only hope she will be enough.

To tip the scales of the cards.

And see you all to a better end.

Chapter Text

Friday, August 7^th 2009.

The Day of the Arrival

Kotone woke up that morning with a headache, and memories of butterflies rattling around inside her skull.

Which, considering her life recently, really wasn’t that weird.

There was a lot going on after all. SEES knew there was another Persona team out there. Jin wanted revenge. There was a tiny white-haired woman with fluttering dragonfly wings outside her window, tapping on it and crossing her arms unhappily. All of that, swirling around her head like a tempest as she tried to make sense of it all.

…wait.

What was that last one?

“Hey!” The woman rapped her knuckles against the window once more, frowning as she shivered in the morning breeze. “C’mon, let me in, it’s cold out here!”

What.

“What?”

What.

“Uh.” Kotone moved almost without thinking, hauling herself out of bed and moving to pull the window open. She stared with wide eyes as the fairy woman hopped inside, landing on her desk with a faint thump. “…hi?”

“Hey!” The little woman huffed, hugging her arms around herself as she shivered. “It’s still cold out there, y’know? Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean it’s hot!”

There’s a tiny fairy woman on my desk.

“There is, dread warrior.”

Oh my God, she’s really there, huh?

“Uh, sorry about that.” Kotone blinked, sitting on her bed and staring at the fairy. “…who are you?”

“You can call me Gallica.” Gallica finally managed to get her shivering under control, dusting herself off and standing upright. Her bright yellow eyes seemed to glow as she looked at Kotone and straightened out her blue one piece. “And I’m here to help you!”

“Help me?” Kotone’s brain was still somewhere in between bluescreening and screaming, which wasn’t particularly helpful in wrapping her head around… this. “What do you mean help me?”

“Well, actually I’ve already sort of been helping you.” Gallica nodded, crossing her arms with a satisfied smile. “Who do you think keeps unlocking the back door at your school? It’s moi!”

“You?” Kotone’s eyes widened. It was starting to get a little ridiculous that nobody ever locked it, but she hadn’t expected a fairy to be the one keeping it open. “But, why?”

“That’s-“ Gallica smiled, only for her smile to fade as she tapped her foot thoughtfully. “…a really good question, actually. I don’t know.”

“Wait.” Kotone blinked. “You don’t know?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t know.” Gallica shrugged. “It’s just sort of what I do. I think.”

“So you’ve just been hanging around helping us without saying anything…” Kotone frowned, furrowing her brow. “…and you’re not even sure why?”

“Yeah, see? It’s fine. Probably.” Gallica cleared her throat, leaping upwards as her wings kicked into motion and allowed her to float up in front of Kotone’s face. “Anyways! Things are getting weird after that last full moon, so I’m here to help even more now, got it?”

“…not really, no.” Kotone shrugged, but smiled nonetheless. “But hey, I’m not going to look a gift fairy in the mouth! Do you have any idea what we should do about things? STREGA and SEES and all that?”

“…also not really, no.” Gallica frowned, resting her cheek against her fist. “Sorry. I’m really just here to help you with what you need, I don’t really know more than that. I know that’s a bit weird.”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Kotone smiled, offering her hand out to shake for the fairy. “Considering everything else, this really isn’t even the weirdest thing to happen to me recently.”

“No kidding.” Gallica sighed, reaching forward and shaking Kotone’s finger. It was a strange sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. “It’s nice to properly meet you, Kotone. Glad to be of help.”

“You too Gallica!” Kotone grinned, standing upright. “And hey, maybe we can find out why you’re helping us, since you still don’t know.”

“It’s okay.” Gallica shrugged, though Kotone thought she detected a hint of sad curiosity in her voice. “I’m just here to help.”

“Too late. You’re already part of the team. Which means you’re getting helped if you like it or not.” Kotone pumped her fist, grinning. “That’s a promise.”

“I guess I should have expected that.” Gallica smiled, kicking her feet as she flew forth and landed on Kotone’s shoulder. “I’ve been watching you guys, you’re weird like that. But that’s pretty much why I’m glad to help you, so I’m all for it.”

“Good to hear Gallica!” Kotone grinned, moving to get ready for the day. “Then let’s do this together!”

“You aren’t one to let an opportunity pass you by, dread warrior.”

Like I said, it’s really not even close to the weirdest thing to happen to me recently.

“Let’s hope that stays true then.”

---

Gallica had said that people without Personas wouldn’t be able to see her, but that hadn’t stopped Elly from laughing maniacally and Kei from staring at Kotone like she’d grown a second when she came downstairs. Kotone wasn’t sure if she should read into that or not. Either Gallica was wrong, had lied to her, or Elly and Kei just happened to react that way for other reasons. If she had been part of a normal foster family Kotone would have doubted that last one, but considering the way Kei proceeded to spend the rest of breakfast lecturing the others on the importance of marketing in intramural golf tournaments, and Elly seemed to be trying to build some sort of egg-based Frankenstein’s monster with their leftovers, Kotone was willing to put money on the idea that they were all just weird as hell.

Girls Night, on the other hand, could definitely see Gallica when Kotone unzipped where the fairy had hidden in her bag and presented her proudly for the others as they sat around on the rooftop during lunch.

“So uh…” Gallica smiled nervously, bouncing midair on the balls of her feet. “Hey everyone! I’m Gallica.”

“Hey.” Tae nodded, glancing around at the students. “Everyone else sees the tiny fairy woman, right?”

“Yeah…” Saori nodded, her eyes as wide as dinnerplates as she stared at the fairy. “I definitely see her…”

“Kotone.” Rio raised an eyebrow. “Do I even want to ask?”

“Hey, I dunno!” Kotone shrugged, smiling placatingly. “She just showed up this morning. She said she wants to help us out.”

“Yeah. You guys are getting risky.” Gallica nodded seriously, crossing her arms in front of herself. “SEES knows you exist, and STREGA’s mad. You need all the help you can get.”

“Okay, but why from you?” Rio furrowed her brow. “Where did you even come from?”

Kotone and Gallica glanced at one another, each looking to the other for an answer. Finding none they simply turned back to Rio and shrugged.

“It’s weird how okay with this you are.” Rio sighed, shaking her head. “But I guess tiny fairy women aren’t the weirdest thing to happen to us so far, so.”

“That’s what I said!” Kotone grinned. “So, any objections?”

“I might need to test us for a group hallucination.” Tae’s hand twitched as she turned to watch the windmills over the bay. “Other than that, no objections really. Makes sense.”

“I don’t think I get it really, but it’s good to have another teammate.” Saori smiled “…right?”

“Definitely!” Kotone pumped her fist. “So, yeah! Woo Gallica!”

“I know this is weird, but I’ll do my best to help, promise.” Gallica nodded determinedly, settling down out of the air to sit on the edge of the flowerpot that someone had been watering. “So, what’s the plan?”

“…I guess we’re going to be talking about our plans with the tiny fairy lady.” Rio sighed, tapping her foot and gazing upwards at where the upper limits of Tartarus would be. “We were going to try exploring the higher floors, right?”

“That’s right.” Kotone nodded, grinning. “We need to start pushing deeper than SEES is. If they’re looking for something up there, then we need to find it first.”

“Which means fighting stronger Shadows…” Saori gulped, gripping the hem of her skirt but nodding nonetheless. “W-we’ll find a way though. We always do.”

“I can help with that.” Gallica nodded enthusiastically. “I have a Persona, it wouldn’t even be an issue.”

“What, do you have a tiny Evoker too?” Tae raised an eyebrow, staring awkwardly as silence reigned over them for a moment. “…you do, don’t you?”

“Well, it’s not an Evoker really. It’s more just-“ Gallica held her hand up to her head in the shape of a gun, making a pschoo noise as she pretended to fire it. “…I think, anyways. It’s been a while since I tested it actually.”

“Um.” Saori raised a tentative hand. “How long a while?”

“…a while.” Gallica smiled playfully, jumping back up in the air. “So, when do we go?”

“Not tonight, too soon after the full moon. Tomorrow maybe?” Kotone glanced around, finding only nods in response. “Sweet!”

“What about her?” Rio gestured at Gallica. “Is she going to stick with you, or…”

“Well, she has to hide in my bag while we’re at school since there are lots of Persona users around and we’re the only ones who can see her.” Kotone shrugged, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “She should be fine at home though. Probably.”

“Probably? What, are your parents Persona users too or something?” Tae snorted, only for Kotone and Gallica’s silence to serve as a response. “…seriously?”

“It’s a maybe thing. They’re probably just weird. It’s not like it’s something I can just ask them anyways.” Kotone shook her head, shrugging. Kei and Elly were fine. Probably. “It’ll work out.”

“Probably leaves room for doubt, dread warrior.”

It doesn’t matter right now.

“You would trust a stranger with wings over your own kin?”

“It’s… not that simple.” Kotone winced, freezing at the way everyone else looked at her. “…did I say that out loud?”

“Yep.” Gallica sighed, landing on Kotone’s shoulder and shaking her head. “Hey, isn’t lunch ending soon?”

“It is.” Tae nodded, kicking off and making her way to the stairs. “You kids need to make sure you actually eat, alright? Even Gello can’t heal malnutrition.”

“Okay m- Tae.” Saori froze, her eyes widening as Tae paused in her tracks. “I-I said, Tae! Tae! Not mom, I didn’t say mom!”

“…kid, what the hell is your home life like if you’re already pulling something like that?” Tae raised an eyebrow, sighing. “Christ. Maybe I should talk to the principal about something, Jesus.”

And then she swung the door open and was gone, leaving Saori reduced to ashes and dust.

“Um.” Gallica blinked as she stared at the mortified puddle that was once Saori Hasegawa. “…let’s eat?”

“Yeah.” Kotone sighed, offering a hand to Saori, which the other girl immediately squeezed. “Let’s.”

Saturday, August 8^th 2009.

Day of the Harpy

“Harpy!” Gallica’s voice was surprisingly shrill as she dashed forward through Tartarus, pausing in front of the giant stone sword that had broken through the floor of the hallway. “Zap ‘em!”

Gallica pointed at her head, the tiny armor she had procured seemingly out of nowhere clanking as she did. There was a flash of blue light as a current of cerulean electricity zipped up the little fairy’s arm, pooling at the tips of her fingers for a moment before jolting through her head. There was the sound of shattering glass, followed by the emergence of a naked feathered woman twice Gallica’s size who screeched in fury as she emerged from the girl’s soul and sent a bolt of lightning right at the arm. The Shadow disintegrated, blasted to bits with shocking fury as the Persona descended back where it had come from.

“Boom.” Gallica grinned, holding her fingers in front of her face and blowing on them like an old-timey revolver. “How was that?”

“That was…” Kotone furrowed her brow for a moment before cracking a grin and raising a palm. “Freaking awesome!”

“Oh, a high-five, I always wanted to do one of those!” Gallica grinned, high-fiving Kotone as best she could. “Whoo! That was a rush!”

“I think I see what was bugging me.” Rio shook her head, a faint smile beneath her mask. “There’s two of them now.”

“No kidding.” Tae sighed, flicking her butterfly knife open and closed. “C’mon, hurry up. We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover tonight if we want to keep ahead of SEES.”

“Right.” Kotone straightened herself out, her grip tightening on her naginata as she charged deeper into the labyrinth. “Onwards!”

And onwards they went.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, August 12^th 2009.

The Day of the Sunshine

Sunlight danced over the Moonlight Bay, a dichotomy Kotone couldn’t help but find funny as she strolled down the steps from Port Island station. The long days of summer vacation still laid ahead of her, and she had been spending the earliest of them showing Gallica around town. The little fairy hadn’t had the chance to see the city since she’d… well, appeared. Neither of them were still quite sure where she had come from, and since she’d shown up she’d mostly just stuck to the school grounds to make sure that the door remained unlocked. That meant that Kotone had the pleasure of showing her around. They had started at the malls, then the shrine, and now they were taking the opportunity to explore the spaces in between.

“You’ve already seen this place while we pass through, obviously.” Kotone smiled, gesturing around. “But there’s some cool stuff here too! We have a movie theatre and a flower shop. Plus, it’s a great spot for people watching!”

“People watching?” Gallica tapped her chin, kicking her feet from where she sat on Kotone’s shoulder. “What, like I’ve been doing with all of you?”

“Uh… no. Technically I think that was spying.” Kotone shivered, remembering the shocking amount of personal details Gallica was able to share about her team from just watching them. Not good. “This is more like… seeing interesting people around, y’know?”

“Got it.” Gallica pulled a tiny notepad from… well, Kotone wasn’t sure where, but she jotted something down in it nonetheless. “So, who’s interesting here?”

“Well, there’s the flower shop lady. She says some interesting things sometimes.” Kotone nodded, stepping to the bottom of the steps and gesturing at the shop. “There’s also a couple that likes to sit near here. They’re usually interesting to talk to at least.”

“Got it!” Gallica jotted that down as well, before looking around and pointing. “Oh, what about him? He seems out of place, doesn’t he?”

Kotone followed Gallica’s finger, her eyes widening as she caught sight of just who the little fairy had spotted. Hidetoshi Odagiri was stood near the mouth of the alleyway that led to the shady square by the station, focusing intently on whatever was within as he tried (rather poorly) to stay out of sight.

“Definitely out of place, yeah. Keep an eye out, alright?” Kotone shook her head, walking over to the boy. He was so ensconced with whatever exactly it was that he was looking at, he didn’t even notice as Kotone leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the alley’s entrance from him. “Hey Odagiri.”

“Wh-“ Odagiri recoiled, nearly falling back on his ass as he took a few steps back. It took him a moment to compose himself, but by the time he did, he had managed to pull together a glower as he all but hissed back at her. “What are you doing here Shiomi?”

“Hey, I started the conversation which means I get to ask the first question.” Kotone grinned, glancing at Gallica. She was irrationally pleased to see the little fairy taking notes about that as well. “What are you doing here?”

“Student Council business.” Odagiri huffed, straightening the little yellow armband he wore even now. “Now, my question.”

“Nuh uh, that’s not an answer. This isn’t Gekkoukan, and school’s out anyways buddy.” Kotone waggled a finger at the boy. “You’ll need more than that.”

“Keep your voice down, you-“ Odagiri grit his teeth, then sighed. “Fine then. I’d heard that some students at our school have been purchasing illicit narcotics near here. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Shiomi?”

“Uh, no? I was just going for a walk by the station.” Kotone shrugged. “Also, I’m pretty sure that’s not your jurisdiction? Because like, also also you’re going to get yourself stabbed if you’re snooping around here alone.”

“Of course a delinquent like you would know where someone is most at risk of bladed objects.” Odagiri huffed, adjusting his armband. “I can handle myself, thank you very much.”

“Wow, this guy’s kind of a jerk, huh?” Gallica frowned, jumping from Kotone’s shoulder to inspect the boy closer. “Does he actually have any power or anything?”

“Nah.” Kotone grinned at the boy. “He’s basically just a traffic cop.”

“I am not. Just because we’re not on school grounds does not give you the right to speak to me in that way Shiomi.” Odagiri crossed his arms scowling. “Who are you talking to anyhow? If you’re trying to convince me you’re not using narcotics, talking to nobody won’t work.”

“Just thinking out loud.” Kotone winked, which caused Gallica to chuckle and Odagiri to fume. “Seriously though, you probably shouldn’t mess around with this kind of thing Odagiri. It’s dangerous.”

“Danger is a cowardly word when it comes to keeping the student body safe.” Odagiri shook his head, leaning forward to peer down the alleyway for a moment. “Not that I would expect you to understand that.”

“Hey, I know that better than you do.” Kotone scoffed, rolling her eyes. “What do you even plan to do anyways? Scowl at some punks until they admit they’re selling drugs to Junpei or something?”

“No, of course not.” Odagiri leaned back, blowing his single strand of hair out of his eyes. “It’s information gathering, Shiomi. Simple as that. Once school starts, I’ll be assembling a more thorough plan with the rest of the council.”

“His dedication to his cause is admirable, dread warrior.”

Sure, but it’s a dumb way of doing it.

“Something I’m sure you’re familiar with yourself.”

“Have you even told the rest of the council what you’re doing?” Kotone quirked an eyebrow. “Or is this just a you thing?”

“That- I don’t see how that has any relevance.” Odagiri huffed, looking away. “It’s certainly none of your business to ask either.”

“Odagiri.” Kotone shook her head, sighing. “You need a hobby or something.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Odagiri held back a laugh, blinking at Kotone dumbfoundedly. “What gives you the right to say that?”

“I don’t think this amount of obsession is healthy. I’ve never seen you take a break like, ever.” Kotone shrugged, smiling placatingly. “Honestly, it’s sweet how much you care about the other students. I think some teachers could probably learn a lesson or two from you. But you’re also pretty much a stuck-up ass and you’re going to burn yourself out if you keep trying to micromanage everything.”

“That-“ Odagiri took a step toward Kotone before faltering, hesitating as he fell back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about Shiomi.”

“Probably not, yeah.” Kotone nodded. “I dunno your life, the same way you don’t know mine. But I can tell you how it looks from the outside, and it’s not good.”

"This is something I can control, Shiomi. Something I can do right.” Odagiri clenched his fists as he leaned back. “I can’t fail them.”

“See, that, that right there!” Kotone pointed. “You’re not failing people if you take a break, y’know that?”

“That-“ Odagiri grit his teeth, looking away. “You’re not-“

“Hey.” A gruff voice interrupted Odagiri before he could finish, freezing the two of them in their tracks. A hulking man in a red coat stepped out of the alleyway, his hands in his pockets. “You three aren’t supposed to be here. Get lost.”

“Us three?” Gallica too froze in mid-air, her eyes widening. “Wait, you can see me?”

“No shit.” The man huffed, shouldering past Kotone and Odagiri as he walked toward the station. “Now seriously. Get lost.”

“I won’t cave to threats!” Odagiri collected himself, glaring at the man. “You don’t have the authority to tell me what to do.”

“Hmph.” The man paused, turning to stare at Odagiri. To his credit, the other boy didn’t wither under the glare, standing defiantly in the face of the larger man’s gravitas. “Fine then. I’m not responsible for what’ll happen.”

And then the larger man turned and walked away.

“...I should go regardless.” Odagiri waited a few moments before huffing, adjusting his armband and turning away. “I’ve got my eye on you Shiomi. Remember that.”

“Go home and rest, Odagiri.” Kotone forced a smile onto her face, fighting back the chill that ran down her spine from the encounter with the larger man. “You’re acting too much like me.”

“That you would even try to compare-“ Odagiri grumbled as he marched off. “I’ll be seeing you Shiomi.”

“Bye!” Kotone waved, smiling as she turned to Gallica, who was still watching the boy in the read coat trudge off. “That was exciting, huh? Odagiri’s a fun guy.”

“What? Why are you still worried about him?” Gallica blinked, her yellow eyes focusing back in on Kotone. “That guy could see me! Don’t you remember what that means?”

“Uh…” Kotone blinked. “No?”

“Dread warrior.”

What? Wait. Oh shit.

“Oh shit indeed.”

“He’s a Persona user!” Gallica landed back on Kotone’s shoulder, her brow knit in an expression of concern. “That’s bad!”

“But we haven’t seen him with SEES or Strega!” Kotone shook her head, turning back to watch the man go. “So who could he-“

Kotone froze for the second time in about a minute as she zeroed in on the red-coated boy once more. He had stopped next to one of the benches, once empty, now occupied by none other than Chidori… well, whatever her last name was.

And they were talking.

Shit.

“I guess that answers that.” Gallica groaned, facepalming. “Want me to go try and eavesdrop them?”

“Yeah.” Kotone nodded, adjusting the strap of her bag. “You should go- aaaand he’s gone.”

“Hm.” Gallica put her hands on her hips, frowning as they watched the large man walk off. “Short conversation.”

“Yep.” Kotone nodded, pulling the zipper of her bag open and gesturing inside. “C’mon, you should hide. I’m gonna go try talking to her.”

“Got it.” Gallica flashed a thumbs up before diving into Kotone’s bag. “Be careful!”

“Of course.” Kotone nodded, sealing her bag back up and adjusting the strap on her shoulder before making her way over to the girl on the bench, who had broken out a sketchpad in the time since. “Hey, funny meeting you here!”

Smooth.

“It wasn’t.”

Smooth!

“Hm?” Chidori looked up from her sketchpad, tilting her head at Kotone with the same neutral expression as ever. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yep!” Kotone nodded, trying to fight back her nerves with a smile. “What’re you doing here? Who was that?”

“That’s a strange thing to ask and expect an answer about.” Chidori shook her head, turning back to her sketchpad and tracing a long red line along the page. “Seeing as we’re enemies and all.”

“Yeah well…” Kotone scratched her neck, shrugging. “I wanna know, so no harm asking right?”

“Hm.” Chidori shook her head ever so slightly, glancing up from her sketchbook. “You’re funny, did you know that?”

“…maybe?” Kotone blinked. “So is that a ‘yes, I’ll tell you’ or…”

“His name is Shinjiro. He’s nothing for you or I to worry about. You have bigger concerns.” Chidori hummed, tracing another line, horizontal this time. “I’m just sketching.”

“Bigger concerns?” Kotone blanched. Even with the bag closed, she could feel the way Gallica’s weight shifted ever so slightly as the little fairy fretted “What do you mean by that?”

“Takaya’s running out of patience with you and your friends.” Chidori shook her head, more lines crossing across her sketchpad. “He’ll be extracting a price soon.”

“So? Let him try.” Kotone crossed her arms, trying to portray a faux-confidence as she fought back the quiver in her voice. “I’m not scared of him.”

“Fear is the response of prey, not warriors.”

I know that, I’ve got this.

“It is only natural, dread warrior.”

“Really?” Chidori tilted her head curiously, shrugging. “Maybe you should be then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kotone quirked an eyebrow, earning no response from the other girl. “Chidori?”

Chidori didn’t say anything more, just sketching away. Somehow Kotone got the feeling that any further attempts to draw something from the girl would only be met with more silence. Damn.

“Well uh…” Kotone turned away, trying to fight back the fear budding in her chest at the girl’s words. She was just trying to get under Girls Night’s skin, that was all. “Bye?”

Somehow, Chidori’s continued silence in response wasn’t reassuring at all.

Chapter Text

Sunday, August 16^th 2009.

The Day of the Break-In

It happened a few days later.

Kotone was making her way back through the last minutes of the Dark Hour when she spotted a shadow figure fleeing down an alleyway away from home, their pace hurried and their destination uncertain.

The former was normal. It was a night where SEES had climbed the tower, which meant that Fuuka would have been too exhausted to track her home. SEES had been pushing harder up Tartarus recently, though if that was because they had begun to come across more and more empty floors where Girls Night had already fought the boss Shadows or something else, Kotone wasn’t sure. Based on what they had been able to overhear, the good news was that SEES still had no idea who Girls Night could be. They weren’t even sure how many members they had. The bad news was, they seemed pretty determined to figure out.

That was worrying, but not exactly Kotone’s biggest concern right now.

The second thing, the dark figure fleeing into the night, was.

It should have been impossible. The Dark Hour was the Dark Hour, the only people who operated during it were Girls Night, SEES, and STREGA. And seeing as they had watched SEES leave Tartarus as a group, and she’d already said goodbye to all her teammates sans Gallica at the school’s front entrance…

Shit.

“The time for unexpected combat may be upon us dread warrior.”

SHIT!

“Hold on tight.” Kotone glanced at where Gallica was lounging on her shoulder, her fingers tensing around the handlebars of her bike. “We gotta hurry!”

“Wait, what are you-“ Gallica yelped as she grabbed tight to Kotone’s shoulder and the bigger girl kicked her bike up a notch. “Whoah!”

Kotone didn’t hesitate as she shot forward, her legs pumping as she made her way home along the deserted streets. Her heart thumped in her chest, all but jumping in her throat as she caught sight of the front gate to their garden swung open on its hinges, even though she was sure she’d closed it on the way out. That panic didn’t stop as she leapt from her bike, a surge of adrenaline coursing through her as she ran toward the front door. There were more signs something was wrong. There was a patch of grass scorched by what could only be a blast of explosives, and one of the windows was shattered outwards, the glint of moonlight shining off bits of broken glass. Kotone nearly screamed, terrified as she all but kicked the front door open, naginata in one hand and Evoker in the other as she prepared to meet whatever had come to try and hurt her family.

Nothing, however, could have prepared her for what was waiting for her.

Elly, nonplussed by the greenness of the hour as she sat on one of the dining room chairs and polished a worryingly sharp looking rapier.

“Well then.” Elly grinned, wiping the rag along the length of the rapier and gathering up more than a few flecks of blood with it. “You’re home 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒, aren’t you?”

“What- but-“ Kotone sputtered as the Dark Hour came to an end, the lights in the room flickering back to life as her weapons clattered to the floor and Elly just smiled at her. “How- you… what?”

“Looks like he’s not coming back. You could have been more careful with that blast.” Kei walked in from the back entrance, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he held his glasses in his hand. He frowned as he caught sight of Kotone, placing them back on his face and giving her a stern look. “You’re back. About time. Don’t you know anything about threat management?”

“Threat mana- what? What?” Kotone blinked, looking dumbfoundedly between the two of them. “What are you talking about? Why were you two awake just now?”

“They’re Persona users!” Gallica gasped, hopping off Kotone’s shoulder with her eyes just as wide. “I knew it! They could definitely see me!”

“Oh, of course!” Elly laughed, standing upright and dropping her rapier into the umbrella stand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “As if we would miss a 𝒹𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 tiny woman such as yourself! To tell you the truth, we were considering charging you 𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉!”

“No we weren’t. And this is exactly what I mean about threat management.” Kei sighed, shaking his head as he leaned against the counter. “Do you even know what just happened?”

“Um.” Kotone shrunk a little under his glare, feeling somehow like she was back at the orphanage with a nun glowering down at her. “…no?”

“Well, a particular 𝓇𝒶𝓅𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑜𝓃 and his briefcase seemed to have an interest in paying us a visit. Unfortunately for him, 𝒢𝒶𝒷𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓁 and I gave him a good old fashioned 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇.” Elly jabbed at empty air, still smiling. “He certainly made a 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 didn’t he?

"What Elly means to say, is that whoever you're messing with just tried to target your family to get to you. And you were lucky as all hell that we could fight back." Kei shot Elly a look, groaning to himself. "This isn't a game you're playing, Kotone. If you're not careful, bystanders will get hurt."

Shit. He's right. I didn't even think about that.

"It is better for a lesson like this to be learnt before blood must spill for it."

Right. Wait, why is Kei teaching me this again?

"Okay, wait, time out." Kotone held up her hands, making the stop symbol. "How long have you two been Persona users, what?"

"Mhhh, quite a while? Before we ever met you, 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒸𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓁𝓎." Elly shrugged. "It was quite a few years ago when we had our 𝒶𝒹𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 really, it was honestly quite the 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝒸𝓀 that Gabriel still came!"

"Luckily. I'm sure that punk won't like to try his luck again, but-" Kei huffed, taking his glasses from his face and rubbing his forehead. "I need to know you understand me, Kotone. I don't have to tell you that you're in danger, I pray to every god in the Sea of Souls that you understand your team is in danger, but you have to understand that everyone around you is in danger too. If you've run afoul of Persona users willing to do something like this... it's your responsibility to take measures. Do you understand?"

“I…” Kotone swallowed, the adrenaline in her heart not slowing as she tried desperately to not meet the man’s eyes. “No, no I… I didn’t… I…”

“Oh Kei, there’s no reason to 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓃 her!” Elly tutted. “She takes after my 𝓈𝓉𝓎𝓁𝑒 more than yours, that’s all!”

“Elly.” Kei put his glasses back on, glaring at the woman as he did. “This isn’t a game.”

“Of course not!” Elly kicked herself to her feet, patting Kotone on the shoulder with a grin. “But I believe Kotone is 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹, am I correct? She’s already learned her lesson.”

“I…” Kotone swallowed, imagining what might have happened if Elly and Kei hadn’t somehow been Persona users. What might still happen if Strega targeted any of her friends’ parents instead. “I get it.”

We can’t just assume STREGA will focus on just us. We need to be proactive.

“You’re learning, dread warrior.”

Maybe. Shit…

“See?” Elly clapped, turning back to Kei and smirking. “She understands it 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁!”

“Elly.” Kei clenched his fist for a moment, before allowing the anger to wash over him and just exhaling. “Fine then. Kotone, what are your next steps? If you can prove you’ve learned from this, then I’ll have no issue.”

“We need to let the rest of the team know first, right?” Gallica glanced at Kotone, nodding assuredly. “We should plan with them.”

“Yeah. Y-yeah.” Kotone straightened up, finally meeting Kei’s eyes as she nodded. “I need to let my team know they’re in danger. And- and that we need to act against STREGA as soon as possible. We can’t let them have another chance.”

“𝒮𝒯𝑅𝐸𝒢𝒜, hm? How fanciful!” Elly chortled, placing a hand under her chin. “And what will you do to them?”

“I still don’t know if we could beat them in a straight fight… but they don’t know either.” Kotone clenched her fist, a fire burning in her heart. “They went too far trying to hurt people I care about. If they want to try to pull something like that… then we need to let them know that we’ve got more up our sleeves.”

“Do you actually?” Kei quirked an eyebrow. “Or is it an empty threat?”

“…mostly empty. But they don’t know about Gallica!” Kotone smiled weakly, gesturing at the fairy. “So there’s that.”

“Well, at the very least you know where you stand.” Kei sighed, shaking his head as he leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling. “Fine then. I believe you.”

“Haha! I knew you would!” Elly clapped, stomping her foot. “Now then Kotone, you should be 𝑜𝒻𝒻 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝒹! Persona or not, you’re up past your 𝒸𝓊𝓇𝒻𝑒𝓌 young lady!”

“Right. Um…” Kotone took a few shaky steps toward the stairs, pausing at th “…I’m still confused.”

“That’s natural for any Persona user.” Kei nodded, a heavy look in his eyes. “What’s important is keeping your head up and your people safe. The rest will come naturally.”

“…got it.” Kotone took a deep breath. Despite it all, it was good advice. “Goodnight then.”

Kotone made her way upstairs, the floorboards creaking beneath her as she pushed open the door to her room and silently closed it behind her.

“Hey, Gallica…” Kotone slumped down, curling into a ball with her back to the door. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Always.” Gallica nodded, landing at Kotone’s feet and looking up at the girl in concern. “What is it?”

“What the fuck just happened?”

Monday, August 17^th 2009.

The Day of the Cold War

The team had reacted… about as well as you could expect to the news.

“Normally I wouldn’t advocate threatening teenagers.” Tae exhaled, stamping on the butt of her cigarette as she and the other members of Girls Night stood near the station outskirts, watching where the ginger haired head of Chidori Yoshino sat sketching away on the same bench as last week. “But I think I can make an exception in this case.”

“I’m still not sure threatening them is a good idea.” Gallica frowned, kicking her feet idly as she frowned at the artist. “We don’t really have much to follow through with if it doesn’t work.”

“It’s risky.” Rio nodded her agreement. “Especially since we don’t know how they’ll react after what happened yesterday.”

“Well, at the end of the day it’s Saori’s call.” Kotone smiled, bumping her friend gently as she stared at the red-haired girl with a distant look in her eyes. “Her parents are the ones most under threat.”

“Yeah…” Saori seemed to snap back to attention at Kotone’s urging, her eyes turning back to her friends as she shrugged. “I… I don’t always agree with mother and father, but… I don’t want to see them hurt. It’s… w-worth a shot, right?”

“Wouldn’t be too big a loss anyhow.” Rio harrumphed. “They’re awful.”

“Sheesh.” Tae sighed, leaning a hand on her hip. “Not a fan of theirs kid?”

“Not at all.” Rio frowned, glancing away. “But that’s not the point. We need to protect everyone with this, right?”

“I guess so.” Gallica nodded, glancing at Kotone. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. Stay here, I still don’t want them to know about you if we can avoid it.” Kotone smiled, stepping out into the sunlight and glancing back at the others. “Wish me luck?”

“Always.” Saori swallowed, nodding determinedly. “Good luck, Kotone!”

I definitely need it.

“Luck is a trap, dread warrior.”

Ouch.

Without another moment of hesitation, Kotone set forth, smiling as confidently as she could manage as she approached Chidori. It took the other girl a moment to catch sight of her, but once she did, she didn’t stop.

"You." Chidori set down her sketchpad, glaring at Kotone with more emotion than she had ever expected from the girl. "Where did you get more Persona users? How did you know we were coming?"

"C'mon, I'm not gonna tell you that." Kotone put a hand on her hip, trying to imitate Elly's casual confidence as best she could. "That's your guys' own fault for trying to mess with our personal lives. Your fight's with us, nobody else."

"I told you that Takaya would be demanding a price." Chidori huffed, looking down at her sketchbook. "What did you expect?"

"What did you?" Kotone shot back, still smiling. "We've got plenty more tricks up our sleeve if you want to try them out. Your friends got lucky this time, do you really want to count on that happening again?"

"You're threatening us." Chidori looked up, frowning at Kotone. "I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, well, guess you didn't expect a lot of things." Kotone chuckled, leaning into the faux-confidence she felt as she stepped closer to the girl. "Stay in your lane, got it? If you try to involve anyone else, we might have to do the same. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how that went for you last night."

“Jin is incompetent.” Chidori shook her head. “It doesn’t mean anything that you were able to take him by surprise.”

Wow, no love for teammates huh?

“I get the sense that Chidori does not hold a particular loyalty to her companions anyhow.”

Sheesh, no kidding.

“Maybe. Or maybe next time you try something, you’ll bite off more than you can chew.” Kotone shrugged. “Worth considering, right?”

"...very well then." Chidori narrowed her eyes, squeezing her sketchbook. "I'll make sure Takaya takes what you've said into consideration."

"Good." Kotone winked, turning away. "Make sure he does."

And with that, she walked away at a pace that was hopefully appropriately menacing, and was off into the day that remained.

I nailed that.

"That remains to be seen, dread warrior."

Nailed. It.

Chapter Text

Saturday, August 29^th 2009.

Day of the Denial

Whether Kotone's threats had worked or not, there weren't any more attacks by STREGA over the next few weeks. They seemed to have gone underground, aside from the occasional time Kotone would spot Chidori sitting alone in that same spot as Girls Night went to and from the Film Festival. Those moments usually amounted to Kotone sticking her tongue out at the other girl while Chidori ignored her, but relative to having her house broken into, Kotone figured that was pretty good.

Things were pretty good. Summer break might have been coming to a close soon, but it was enjoyable while it was here, and the lack of surprises to worry about meant that Girls Night could spend a while just… well, being girls. Kotone appreciated the break in the usual stressors of being a Persona user.

Except, of course, for the part where she ended up sitting right next to none other than Makoto Yuki and Aigis on the monorail back to Tatsumi Port Island with no exits or escape available to her.

That part… that part was pretty stressful.

“Leader…” Aigis furrowed her brow, frowning deeply. “I am still unsure about your most recent personnel decision.”

“Mh.” Makoto didn’t look up from where he was swiping through songs on his MP3 player. “The decision’s final.”

“I comprehend.” Aigis nodded seriously. “However, I still do not understand it. As a Persona user, by any reasonable metric the addition of Ken Amada to SEES would benefit our operations greatly.”

“Yeah.” Makoto shrugged. “Except he’s 11 years old.”

11 years old?

“Age is not a decider of willpower, dread warrior.”

Yeah, but who lets an 11 year old onto the battlefield? That’s insane.

“While his age is a factor that must be accounted for, I do not believe it would be a ‘dealbreaker’, as they say.” Aigis shook her head. “His combat capabilities would-“

“Not about that.” Makoto shook his head, looking up at Aigis for the first time. “He’s a kid. I’m not letting him get himself killed by Shadows. With STREGA and Girls Night out there, it’s too risky.” Makoto looked away, locking eyes with Kotone who froze on the spot. “The decision’s final.”

“Uhhhhhhhh yeah, I’m totally available tonight!” Kotone quickly turned her head away, pretending like she was speaking into a phone hidden from the boy’s view, and definitely not eavesdropping on the conversation. “I’m like totallyyyyy free, yeah, definitely. We can so watch that crappy movie about the uh, the boys and the kissing and stuff.”

Makoto didn’t react to her words, simply turning and looking away. Kotone let out a sigh of relief, distinctly avoiding looking at the pair as the monorail slowed into the station.

SEES was considering recruiting an 11 year old? Talk about unethical.

“They weakened their arsenal by refusing him, dread warrior. What does that tell you?”

I’m… not sure actually.

The monorail stopped, the doors sliding open as a cheery announcer’s voice let them know they had arrived. Kotone frowned, thinking as she stood up and waited to disembark. She’d probably have to talk to the rest of her team. Gallica for sure. There were more and more Persona users cropping up, and SEES was considering them for recruitment. Sure they’d said no to this Ken kid, but that didn’t mean they could just discount him as a piece on the board. It was something she’d have to ruminate on while she walked back home.

Or at least it would have been, if Aigis hadn’t grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.

“Excuse me.” Aigis grip was like a steel vice. If Kotone hadn’t already known she was a combat android, she definitely would have known by now. She froze on the spot, turning to stare into the android’s blue eyes. “I recognize you from somewhere.”

“We uh…” Kotone swallowed, trying her best not to scream, though if that was from the cute girl grabbing her arm or the fact that said cute girl was a corporate built combat android who could snap her like a twig, it wasn’t quite clear. “W-we uh, we’re in the same class. At Gekkoukan. Y-yeah…”

“I see.” Aigis blinked, a small frown appearing on her face. “That would explain the familiarity, but there is-“

“Aigis.” Makoto tapped the girl on the shoulder, shaking his head. “What did we say about grabbing people?”

“That it should be avoided unless necessary.” Aigis nodded, as if reading off a list. “However, it was necessary in order to ask my question.”

“You asked it. Let go now.” Makoto sighed, prompting Aigis to release Kotone. The boy stared at the red-eyed girl for another long moment, before turning away. “C’mon.”

Kotone didn’t move, just watching as the pair faded into the crowd, Aigis’ eyes watching her the whole way. She waited until they were well and truly gone before releasing the tension in her body, shuddering as she let loose a gasp.

“Kotone? Hey, Kotone!” Gallica jumped out of the larger girl’s bag, frowning as she patted her on the cheek. “Are you alright?”

“F-fine. Just, didn’t expect that, that’s all.” Kotone inhaled, straightening herself out and cracking a smile. “I usually need more time before I can lay on the charm.”

“Right…” Gallica narrowed her eyes at the other girl, still frowning. “Do you mean so we can avoid suspicion, or so you can flirt with the robot lady?”

“I can do both!” Kotone winked, only for her smile to falter as Gallica made a face at her with her hands on her hips. “…fine. Sorry. Do you think they know?”

“I don’t think so. Aigis doesn’t seem to be the type to be subtle.” Gallica landed on Kotone’s shoulder, frowning as she leaned her chin against her fist. “But I dunno. Maybe. We should be careful anyways.”

“Right.” Kotone nodded, straightening out her hair where strands of it had fallen loose. “They’ll find out one day. I just hope we’re strong enough then.”

“Huh?” Gallica tilted her head, peering at Kotone’s eyes. “Strong enough for what, exactly?”

…I don’t know. Is that bad?

"Only if you allow it to be, dread warrior."

Okay, what the hell does that mean?

Friday, September 4^th 2009.

The Day of the Snoop

“Hold on.” Gallica held a hand up, freezing the rest of Girls Night in their tracks. “Something’s different.”

Kotone blinked, pausing where she had been reaching for the handle of Gekkoukan’s back door. The wind whistled high in the trees around them, buffeting their hair gently as the light of the nearly full moon shone down upon them. This was their last night before the next big Shadow would appear, which meant it was perfect for getting some training in.

Of course, assuming there was nothing different.

Which, evidently, there was.

“What’s that mean?” Tae raised an eyebrow, her hand on her hip. “ ‘Something’s different’?”

“It’s just a feeling I have.” Gallica frowned, turning to the school. “It feels like… something’s changed. Someone’s been here.”

“Here, here?” Rio frowned, her hand instinctively going to her hammer. “As in, right here, or just the school in general?”

“I’m not sure.” Gallica shook her head, placing a hand against her temple. “I… I can’t really tell. I just know something’s off.”

“I can check if you want…” Saori fidgeted with her Evoker, glancing around. “Charybdis could probably find them, if someone’s here…”

“Wait.” Kotone shook her head. “Let’s look ourselves first. An Evoker’s bright and loud, they’ll know we’re here if someone’s waiting for us.”

“Creeping and quiet it is then.” Tae nodded, lowering her voice as she nodded at the door. “After you then, leader.”

Kotone nodded, pulling open the door as quietly as she could and sneaking her way inside. The familiar empty hallways loomed ahead of her, illuminated only by the light of the moon. Tomorrow they’d be facing whatever challenge SEES and the Shadow had in store for them next. Tonight… they’d be creeping.

Forward they went, through the gym building, across the walkway, over and into the main building’s straightforward halls. Through it all, Kotone didn’t hear or see a thing, nothing but the familiar midnight walls of their path illuminated before them. They made it all the way to the main hall with nothing but silence to greet them.

There was nobody there at all.

“Sorry, I… maybe I was imagining things.” Gallica frowned, shaking her head confusedly. “I guess there wasn’t-“

“Wait-“ Rio raised a hand to stop the fairy in her tracks as she stared daggers down the hallway to the nurse’s office. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

Kotone peered into the darkness where Rio was looking, searching for what had caught her eye. The shadows were long near the midnight hour, anything could be hidden there within. Kotone wasn’t sure if she saw anything, but even if she did-

There was a flash of light.

For a moment, Kotone thought the Dark Hour had begun, Tartarus rising up around them. No such dice, however, as there was the sound of clattering footsteps and the stranger began to flee farther down the hall.

“That- that was a camera!” Saori gasped, covering her eyes from where she had been blinded. “They took a picture! We need to-“

“On it!” Kotone darted forward, throwing caution to the wind as she charged after the stranger, streaking forward as spots clouded her vision and she tried to hone in on the shadowy figure as they scrambled away. “I’ve got you!”

Kotone tackled the figure as they tried to turn, a distinct oomph echoing through the hall as the two of them clattered to the ground. There was the sound of something breaking as the camera fell from their hands, skidding across the floor and into darkness.

“Great job!” Gallica gasped, buzzing by Kotone’s ear. “But we need to get back to the lobby before-“

The clock struck midnight.

Kotone’s stomach turned itself inside out as the world began to shake, falling back as the stranger took advantage of the confusion to scramble away. Tartarus rose around them, the angular halls of the highest floors they could reach manifesting like specters in the night. It was too late to go back now.

They were in.

“Well um…” Gallica blinked, looking around. “Shit would be the right word here, right?”

“Yeah, that’s about right.” Kotone groaned, sitting up and turning to look at the stranger, who was none other than- “Wait, Odagiri?”

“You.” Odagiri coughed, scrambling to his feet as he scooped up his camera and stood back defensively. “Of course it was you, Shiomi. I should have known you’d be the type to break into the school at night.”

Yep, definitely Odagiri.

“Me? What are you doing breaking into school at night?” Kotone stood up as well, one hand on her hip and the other inside her jacket, where her Evoker laid waiting. They were still in Tartarus after all, and she’d dropped her naginata back at the lobby. “You’re not supposed to be here either!”

“But this isn’t the first time you’ve broken in, is it?” Odagiri smirked, gaining a modicum of his supposed composure before it shattered the moment he spotted Gallica. “What is that?”

“Okay, so, it looks like people who come into Tartarus can see me in here.” Gallica tapped her chin, frowning. “Well… that’s good to know at least?”

“What? Tartarus?” Odagiri looked around, the distorted walls of Tartarus rising around them in jagged angles. “What is this place?”

“This is Tartarus. It’s a creepy maze inside the school full of monsters that eat people’s souls.” Kotone couldn’t help but smile a little as she glanced around, cocking her head at Gallica. “This is Gallica. She helps us fight them.”

“Kotone…” Gallica sighed. “This is serious, y’know? You should be serious.”

“I know, I know!” Kotone grinned, turning away and heading down the hall. “C’mon, the others’ll be looking for us. We should try to find a teleporter, or reach a boss floor.”

“Hold on.” Odagiri stamped his foot, planting himself in place. “Do you really expect me to believe that? How would a place like this exist without the school knowing?”

“It only shows up at midnight.” Kotone glanced back, shrugging. “And hey, who said they don’t know?”

“That isn’t- no, but… if… is this why Kirijo…” Odagiri trailed off, shaking his head and hurrying his pace so he could walk step in step with Kotone. “I had told her that I had found signs that someone was breaking in at night, but she just brushed me off. Is this why?

“Probably, yeah.” Kotone paused, considering her options. On one hand, telling Odagiri about SEES was probably a bad idea. He was a notorious bootlicker after all. On the other hand… “She breaks in here too y’know?”

It was probably really funny.

“Wh- you-“ Odagiri scoffed, reaching a hand up to smooth out his hair. “You expect me to believe that the Student Council President is breaking into her own school? I expected better from you Shiomi, that’s preposterous.”

“Yep. Exactly why it’d be weird for me to lie about it, right?” Kotone glanced back, more than a little pumped up by the bewildered anger on Odagiri’s face. “I’ll tell you more once we get out of here, but… well, we need to get out of here first.”

“This is outrageous, this is insane.” Odagiri gripped his head, his eyes bugging. “I must be dreaming.”

“Nope, not dreaming.” Kotone paused as she heard a faint gurgle from up ahead, the shadowy forms of a pack of Mayas creeping around the corner ahead of her. “Stay behind me. Medusa!”

“What-“ Odagiri yelped as Kotone pulled free her Evoker, firing upwards and summoning forth the snake-haired woman in her heart. “Dear God!”

“Actually, I think she’s classified as a monster, not a god?” Gallica tapped her chin with one hand, using the other to summon forth Harpy to join Medusa in charging the Shadows. “But you should listen to her, stay back alright?”

Odagiri just sputtered as the two girls disintegrated the Shadows with a righteous rage, their forms scattering to the darkness from which they had come. Kotone had to admit that she was enjoying this, the wide-eyed look on Odagiri’s face proving a delight as she looked back at the boy.

Perhaps she was enjoying it too much however, as she soon found out when the Furious Gigas that had snuck up on her took the moment of distraction as an opportunity to sucker punch her in the face and send her flying.

“Kotone!” Gallica gasped, her hand going back to her own temple as Kotone fell, the larger girl’s Evoker falling from her hand as she sprawled across the floor. “Are you alright?!”

“M-maybe-“ Kotone coughed, her vision swimming as she tried to straighten herself out. The Gigas let out what could only be described as a laugh, turning as Harpy tried to strike it with her claws only to be rebuffed. “Shit…”

“Crap!” Gallica darted back, fluttering defensively between the looming Shadow and the humans. “We need a plan!”

“What’s going on?” Odagiri winced, taking a careful step back as he stared at the still laughing Gigas. “Shiomi, what is that thing?”

“That doesn’t matter... right now…” Kotone grit her teeth, pushing herself up into a sitting position as the Gigas loomed closer and she fumbled desperately for the healing items she kept in her jacket. “Just… run. We’ll be… fine…”

“No… no! I won’t stand for this anymore! I will hold my ground, no matter what you or anyone else says, do you understand me?” Odagiri grit his teeth, scooping up Kotone’s Evoker with a shaking hand and holding it against his temple. “Come to me, Sphinx!”

There was a flash of light as the Evoker tore through Odagiri’s soul, a winged lion-chested woman emerging from within him with a roar. Blinding light swirled around the trio as the Persona charged forth, streaking past Kotone and crashing into the Gigas with a sound like a star going supernova. The Shadow yelled in pain, punching upwards into the Persona. Sphinx screeched, taking the punch and careening upwards, only to come back down and tear clean through the Shadow’s mask with golden claws imbued with light.

“Holy shit Odagiri…” Kotone sputtered, pushing herself back to her feet as she watched the Shadow disintegrate and popped some of the mystery pills Tae gave them for healing. “You… wow.”

“I refuse to be led around like this…” Odagiri slouched over, his once perfectly slicked hair falling in cascades across his face. “Not by you, not by Kirijo, not by… whatever this is. So if an explanation isn’t forthcoming immediately, I’ll… I’ll…”

And then the exhaustion took him, and Odagiri lumped to the floor unconscious.

“Uh.” Gallica blinked, looking between him and Kotone. “Will he be alright?”

“…probably.” Kotone scooped up her Evoker, tucking it into her waistband as she crouched down to lift Odagiri’s arm over her shoulder and lift him upright. “C’mon, we need to-“

“Kotone!” Saori’s voice flooded Kotone with a wave of relief, both literal and metaphorical as Charybdis’ waters rushed through the hall and the rest of her team skidded around the corner towards her. “Are you alright?!”

“Is that Odagiri?” Rio slowed to a stop, staring dumbfounded at the boy. “What happened?”

“Long story short, he has a Persona.” Kotone shrugged, smiling at the various responses that elicited on the faces of her companions. “C’mon, I’ll tell you the whole story later. Right now…”

Right now, let’s get him out of here.

Chapter Text

Saturday, September 5^th 2009.

Day of the Guy in Girls Night

Odagiri didn’t take waking up very well.

Which was, admittedly, rather fair.

Nobody in Girls Night knew where he lived, which meant they’d had to haul him over to Tae’s guest room for the night. Saori had been forced to sneak home before her parents woke up, and Rio needed to prepare for the Full Moon that night, which just left Kotone, Tae, and Gallica waiting in the nurse’s living room while Odagiri slept.

Which was basically fine until they went to check on him, and found the boy halfway out the window already in a bid to escape into the early morning.

…maybe we should have seen this coming.

“And yet there is little recourse to avoid it, dread warrior.”

This is never easy, is it?

“Stay back!” Odagiri hissed, his leg already over the sill as he judged the distance to the ground from Tae’s second floor apartment. “You can’t keep me here, this is abduction!”

“Slow down kid, you’re gonna hurt yourself if you jump.” Tae shook her head, sighing in that way of hers. “We didn’t abduct you. You can leave whenever you want, after we explain some things.”

“You’ve clearly drugged me somehow. Is this the effects of marijuana? Speed? Some sort of magic mushroom?” Odagiri sneered, only to freeze as he caught sight of Gallica hovering by Kotone’s shoulder. “Oh my God, it’s still in my system.”

“Oh just get away from the window already! You’re going to hurt yourself!” Gallica huffed, crossing her arms. “Your Persona is Sphinx, right? Does she think this a good idea?”

“That-“ Odagiri scoffed, shaking his head. “As if I’d listen to a voice in my head, that’s insane.”

“She’s you and you’re her you know.” Kotone smiled, taking a step toward the boy. “You should listen to her.”

“That’s an insane thing to say, Shiomi.” Odagiri narrowed his eyes, but didn’t move. “How am I meant to be her? She’s a she, and a lion-bodied ghost at that!”

“I can explain everything, but only after you’re… y’know, not about to jump out of a window.” Kotone smiled, offering her hand to the boy. “It’s not… that weird.”

“Hmph.” Odagiri hesitated, glancing between the three women. Then he sighed, pulling himself back in from the window and straightening out his jacket. He ignored Kotone’s hand, stepping past her and into the hall. “We’ll see about that soon, won’t we?”

---

“Shiomi.” Odagiri sighed, setting down the tea that Tae had prepared for him and shaking his head at the girl’s explanation of things. “Your definition of ‘not that weird’ is deeply flawed.”

“Okay, maybe it’s a little weird.” Kotone shrugged. “But it’s the truth.”

“Seeing as there’s no other explanation beyond dreams or an incomprehensible dosage of hallucinogens, let’s say I believe you.” Odagiri brought a hand up to his hair, slicking it back as best he could manage under present circumstances. “What would that mean? What do you plan to do with me know that I know all this?”

“If I had to guess.” Tae tapped her foot from where she stood leaning by the door. “She’s probably going to ask you to join us.”

“Join you?” Odagiri scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Please. Why would you do that? If anything, this SEES organization would make far more sense for me to throw my lot in with, assuming I wanted to get involved at all.”

“You know Mitsuru’s hiding something.” Gallica shrugged, her arms wrapped around the thimble of tea that Tae had given her. “And I don’t think you like being left in the dark either. We want to find out the truth, and so do you. It only makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“That’s obscene.” Odagiri shook his head. “I have full faith in Ms. Kirijo, if she’s hidden something like this, it must be for good reason.”

“Are you sure?” Kotone smiled placatingly. “Or is that just what you’re telling yourself?”

“I don’t appreciate your sass Shiomi, if this were an academic environment, I’d…“ Odagiri scowled, before giving up and sighing. “… no, there’s no point in lying. I admit, last night has… sewn a degree of doubt in me about Ms. Kirijo’s trust in myself at the other members of the Student Council. However, I don’t see how joining a group of delinquents stalking her in the night will be of any help.”

“Well, we’re all in this together pretty much.” Kotone shrugged, grinning. “None of us could do this on our own, you included. If you want to help us find out what’s going on, we’ve got your back as long as you’ve got ours.”

“What a naïve way of looking at the world.” Odagiri rolled his eyes, adjusting his jacket as he looked off at a wall and avoided meeting Kotone’s eyes. “…even if I were to hypothetically agree, I have a condition.”

“Oh yeah?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“The name, Girls Night.” Odagiri harrumphed. “Obviously it can’t stand that way.”

“Nope, keeping the name!” Kotone grinned, pushing herself to her feet in one smooth motion. “They’d know something’s up if we started calling ourselves ‘Girls Night and Also Odagiri’.”

“That- why-“ Odagiri turned beet red, though if that was from embarrassment or anger wasn’t obvious. “It’s a clear misnomer!”

“That’s the point of what she said, kid.” Tae shrugged. “You really got that much of a problem being roped in with the girls?”

“That- no- I- it-“ Odagiri definitely was blushing now, enough so for Tae to raise an eyebrow in response. “It- r-regardless, we- I… the name is acceptable.”

“That’s great!” Gallica set down her thimble, jumping up into the air and nodding. “It’s good to have you onboard Odagiri!”

“I’m hesitant to say it’s good to be onboard.” Odagiri sighed, attempting once more to slick back his hair. “What now?”

“Well, simple!” Kotone grinned. “Tonight, we’re going to be meeting up to keep an eye on SEES while they try to kill a big Shadow, and hope that STREGA isn’t there to try and kill both of us!”

“…what?”

---

The moon hung high in the sky over the bay as the clock ticked down toward the Dark Hour, the late-night breeze buffeting Girls Night’s hair as they sat waiting on the promenade by the water. The Moonlight Bridge was as bright and striking as ever, its shadow cast over Kotone’s heart as she gripped the railing at the edge of the promenade and watched it with a shiver. She didn’t like having to wait here specifically, but seeing as they didn’t know if the Shadow would be appearing on Tatsumi Port Island or the mainland, this spot on the near side of the bridge was the best to wait.

Kotone really hoped it would be on the mainland, so she wouldn’t have to cross it again until they were done.

…she had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be, however.

“So, all we do is wait around for this… Dark Hour to happen?” Odagiri frowned as he turned over the black masquerade mask in his hands. “Is that all?”

“Pretty much.” Rio shrugged, leaning against her bike. “Once it starts, Saori will tell us where to go.”

“I see.” Odagiri huffed, sparing a glance at Saori who smiled at him nervously, before turning to look at Kotone. “Is this really the best plan, Shiomi?”

“Don’t give her too much shit, kid.” Tae puffed smoke up into the night air, the light of her cigarette illuminating her fingers. “She’s got a tough job.”

“Just trust us. It’ll be okay.” Saori inhaled, glancing up at the moon. “I think it’s time.”

The clock struck midnight.

The smell of iron filled the air as the ocean turned to blood, a flash of memories clad in twisted steel flickering through Kotone’s mind. She winced, taking a moment to try and calm herself as she gripped the railing tight and turned away from the bloodied expanse.

It was okay.

She was okay.

They had a job to do.

“Saori.” Kotone felt a gob of saliva in her throat as she shook her head. “Do you know where it is?”

“Yeah…” Saori ran a hand through Charybdis’ waters as the flash of her Evoker filled the air. “Paulownia… it’s at the mall!”

“Perfect.” Rio nodded, mounting her bike. “Let’s get to it then.”

“Wait, um-“ Saori winced, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I can keep up the visibility part of the shroud if we’re all moving on bikes. It might waver.”

“So?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “What’s the problem?”

“The bridge is open.” Kotone grit her teeth, keeping careful measured breaths to keep herself composed. “If we’re not fast enough, they’d see us up there. We need to be careful.”

“Meaning?” Odagiri crossed his arms. “I thought you said we were supposed to keep an eye on SEES, weren’t we?”

“Without being caught.” Rio shook her head. “So what does that mean?”

“It means we wait.” Kotone nodded. “Once they pass, we can go after them. Simple.”

“Your plans seem poorly thought out.” Odagiri rolled his eyes. “And you yourself don’t seem to be in the best shape. Are you sure you’re up to this, Shiomi?”

“Fine, just…” Kotone smiled weakly, nodding. “Don’t really like the Moonlight Bridge much. It freaks me out.”

“I never would have taken you to be someone afraid of heights.” Odagiri shook his head, then paused. “…so it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” Kotone winced, shrugging. “Bad memories is all. It’s not important right now.”

“We’re here for you, Kotone.” Saori smiled, making her way over to their leader and offering her hand. “Always, okay?”

“Thanks Sao.” Kotone squeezed her hand, smiling. “I’ll be okay.”

“Good, I-“ Saori smiled, only to freeze as she looked up toward the bridge. “Oh, they’re here!”

The whine of a motorcycle filled the air as Mitsuru turned the corner onto the bridge, leading SEES’ formation at a slow pace as they pedaled after her in a V shape. Girls Night just watched SEES go, the whole team moving as one as they followed after the Kirijo. Makoto, Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka, Akihiko, and even Aigis on a thicker wheeled bike. They moved steadily, no flaws in their motion as they charged toward their destination.

“They sure like to act as a unit don’t they?” Tae sighed, putting her cigarette out in Charybdis’ waters and glancing around at the others. “Ready then?”

“Yep. C’mon everyone, on your bikes.” Kotone fought back a wave of nausea as she stared at the bridge, shaking her head. “Once they’re across, we go.”

“You’re becoming ever greater at facing your fear, dread warrior.”

I have to be.

“We shall see if it pays off soon.”

---

Lightning crashed through the sky as Girls Night pulled up outside the mall, the sound of thunder and the smell of ozone filling the air as they dismounted from their bikes and pulled on their masks. Whatever the Shadow was doing seemed to be resonating through the air itself, the usual unease of the Dark Hour cracked open by the electric night.

“How’re they doing, Sao?” Kotone breathed a sigh of relief as she set her bike against the side of the building and pushed open the front doors. “Are they managing alright?”

“I… no, I don’t think so.” Saori winced as Girls Night walked into the empty heart of the mall, Charybdis’ water flowing past the bloodied fountains. “It’s a tough one…”

“Crap.” Gallica winced, floating over to the door of Club Escapade and leaning her ear against it. “We don’t want them dead, right? Is there anything we can do?”

“No… or, maybe?” Saori winced, squinting into the streams of water. “There’s… I-I think the Shadow is drawing power from somewhere else in the building. If we disconnected it, we could probably weaken it for them?”

“Sounds better than needing to bust in there and save them if it goes bad.” Tae nodded, glancing around. “Where’s the spot?”

“I um… I can’t tell yet. I’d need to do a full scan.” Saori nodded nervously, glancing at Kotone. “I’d have to drop the visible shroud, but… it’d probably be okay, right? They’re all inside.”

“It should be fine, yeah.” Kotone nodded, staring at the door to the club. “Do it.”

There was a slight shift in the air as the shroud shifted, Saori’s eyes closing as she scanned deeper in the building. It took her a few moments to locate what she was looking for, but when she did she gasped, nodding emphatically.

“I found it!” Saori opened her eyes, looking toward Kotone. “There’s a maintenance tunnel at the side of the club, it’s drawing power from the grid beneath the city!”

“Perfect.” Kotone grinned, pumping a fist. “Then let’s-“

“So, your shroud is capable of hiding you from sight as well?” Takaya’s voice was like the thunder above, the sound of it making everyone in Girls Night freeze. “How very interesting.”

Kotone’s eyes darted to the source. STREGA stood there on the balcony outside the karaoke place, sneers on their faces and weapons in their hands.

Shit. Of course. I should have known they’d be here

“A misstep, dread warrior.”

No kidding.

There was a splash of water, Saori’s hands trembling as the shroud shifted back into invisibility. It was too late, however. STREGA knew.

“There’s no point hiding, you cowards.” Jin scowled, holding up a grenade. “You’re not fast enough to outrun one of these, so just come out already so we can talk.”

“Mh.” Takaya’s golden eyes seemed to glow as he stared at the space where Girls Night was standing. “Jin is right that you should come out into the open. We have much to discuss, don’t you think?”

“Gallica.” Kotone hissed, glancing at the fairy. “Did they see you?”

“I… I don’t know.” Gallica shook her head, darting over to Kotone. “What should we do?”

“We’re going to engage with them.” Kotone whispered, staring Takaya dead in the eyes. “Find the access tunnel and cut the power. There’ll probably be Shadows down there, so be careful.”

“What? No way.” Gallica shook her head emphatically, whispering back. “I’m not leaving you guys!”

“We can’t let SEES die.” Kotone shook her head. “Go, we’ll be fine.”

“Screw this.” Jin sneered his thumb flicking the pin on his grenade. “If you don’t come out now, I’m gonna start blasting you cowards before you even know what’s happened.”

“Fine then.” Kotone raised her voice staring defiantly at where STREGA stood. “We’ll be right out.”

Gallica huffed, zooming off as Saori dropped the shroud. Girls Night gripped their weapons tight, even Odagiri with the heavy chain he had managed to procure. For a moment the members of Girls Night and STREGA just stared at one another, their eyes narrowed as they faced off.

“I see you’ve been recruiting.” Takaya’s thumb rubbed the hammer of his revolver as he stared at Odagiri, a curious look on his face. “And a man too, as far as I can see. How curious.”

“Yes, well.” Odagiri huffed, adjusting his jacket as he stared at Takaya through his mask. “I would say some barriers need to be broken for the betterment of all. I doubt you would understand that, from what I’ve heard.”

“Hah, I guess they needed a big strong man to-“ Jin was cut short by Chidori smacking him in the back of the head. “Hey, what the hell was that for?!”

“Jin, please refrain from such juvenile comments.” Takaya sighed, turning to stare Kotone in the eyes. “Tell me Kotone, what is your intent here tonight? Truly. You clearly don’t have any aims to stop these so-called heroes, so what is it then? To save them? Even as they would rob us of this… gift of a Dark Hour?”

“You can’t just kill people because it’s convenient.” Rio snarled, gripping her hammer tight. “That’s insane.”

“Insane?” Chidori tilted her head curiously. “What do you mean by that? Death is a natural part of life.”

“It’s not up to you who lives and who dies just because you have power.” Kotone brought her Evoker to the side of her head, her eyes alight as she squeezed the trigger. “You should use your strength to protect people! Now quit wasting time and let’s do this, Medusa!”

“You’re growing bolder.” Takaya smiled, a strange glint in his eyes as he gripped the side of his head. “How curious.”

The man yelled in exhilaration as Girls Night scattered, a bloody-winged Persona emerging from within his soul as Jin tossed his grenades into the plaza and Chidori cast forth rays of light to entrap their enemies. STREGA too had to scatter, however, jumping down the stairs  as Takaya was buffeted by the flames of Scylla, Jin’s grenades were blasted apart by Sphinx’s light, and Chidori’s debuffs were rebuffed by Charybdis’ waves.

“We’re not going to be pushed around by you anymore!” Kotone yelled in exhilaration as she charged the head of STREGA, slashing overhand at him as their Personas clashed above. “Your time’s done!”

“To think you couldn’t give me a real answer once.” Takaya smiled, raising his revolver to fire. Metal slammed against metal, a crack echoing through the night as his shot flew wide and Kotone’s blade knocked the weapon from his hands. “It’s still far from enough, however.”

“We’ll see about tha-“ Kotone screamed as Takaya’s Persona swooped down, ducking beneath Medusa and slamming into her as she went skidding across the plaza. “Damnit!”

“Hah, after all that and you’re still a reckless moron.” Jin scoffed, placing his Evoker against his head and summoning his metallic Persona above his head. “You’ll learn how the real world works one day!”

“Kid, I’m sure your friends there have already told you this.” Tae shook her head as Gello charged into the enemy Persona, its gelatinous form subsuming it before it could strike. “But you’re kind of an idiot.”

“You- how dare you!” Jin lobbed another grenade, only for a burst of dark energy from Gello to blast it to pieces before it could get anywhere. “Damnit, Chidori do something already!”

Chidori rolled her eyes, gripping tight to one of her chain axes as she threw the other toward Rio. The attack was halted however, as Odagiri’s own chain wrapped around Chidori’s and halted its momentum in a moment.

“Is this really the level of threat we’re meant to be facing?” Odagiri sneered, yanking the chain and throwing Chidori off balance. “Am I meant to be impressed?”

“You know nothing of strength or power.” Takaya scowled, gripping his head as his Persona prepared for an attack. “This is our domain, not yours!”

“Actually Takaya…” Kotone grinned as the weight on the air lessened, the electricity coursing through the club beside them suddenly lessening. “You’re the one who doesn’t know shit!”

There was a volley of Evoker fire from Girls Night, blue glass scattering through the air as they came together for one last attack. Takaya couldn’t stand against it, his Persona shattering in the face of their unity as he and the rest of Strega were buffeted back by the attack. By the time it was done, the three of them were thrown back against the staircase, slumped over and gasping in pain.

They had done it. Girls Night was strong enough now.

“You think… you think this is strength, do you?” Takaya hissed, pushing himself upwards as he scooped up his gun and levelled it against Girls Night. “No… no, this is an illusion.”

“Seems real enough to me.” Tae shrugged, one last flash filling the air as she smirked at STREGA. “Tetrakarn.”

A wave of energy passed over Girls Night, shrouding them as Takaya sneered. He gripped his gun tighter, looking between the members of Girls Night before slowly backing up the stairs back the way he and his team had come.

“This isn’t over.” Jin hissed, wiping blood from his mouth as he followed after his leader. “You hear me? It isn’t over!”

“It feels over to me.” Odagiri harrumphed, crossing his arms. “Run along now and return back to the holes you’ve crawled out of.”

“Mh.” Chidori paused at the top of the stairs as the two boys sulked into the karaoke place, turning to look at Kotone with her amber eyes. “Do you really think you’re strong enough to reject death?”

“Nope.” Kotone shook her head, smiling confidently. “But we’re definitely strong enough to protect life.”

And then, because Kotone was Kotone, she winked.

Chidori seemed to consider her words for a moment, before turning and following after her allies. Girls Night let out a collective sigh, the tension fading from their bodies as they stared at where STREGA had left and took their first moment of rest since they had appeared.

“I’m back!” Gallica burst back into the plaza, her tiny sword at the ready and Harpy following in her wake. “Are they still here?”

“No…” Saori shook her head, nodding as Charybdis’ waters faded away. “It’s just us and… and…”

And SEES standing in the doorway to the club, their eyes wide as they stared at the group of masked Persona users.

Double shit.

“This is not our night, dread warrior.”

No kidding.

“Dude.” Junpei was the first to break the silence, scratching his head as he did. “They got a fairy?”

“Wait.” Makoto raised a hand as Girls Night all bunched up, ready to book it and go. “Don’t run. We should talk.”

“You are Girls Night, correct?” Mitsuru took a step forward, appraising the six of them with sharp eyes. “The ones who saved us during the last full moon?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Kotone, looking to her for an answer. She weighed her options for a moment. Running was probably the smart thing to do, but her team was tired after the fight. She wasn’t sure if anyone on SEES still had fresh legs, which meant their best shot was to wait until everyone had recovered before booking it into the night. They still didn’t want SEES to know about their invisibility, after all.

Which just meant…

“𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥.” Kotone cleared her throat, putting on the same somewhat absurd voice as before. “𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕤 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕤 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕖.”

“But that’s a guy.” Akihiko blinked, glancing at Odagiri. “Right? That looks like a guy.”

“𝕄𝕪 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣-“ Odagiri scowled beneath his mask, putting on a surprisingly effective voice. “ℕ𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥.”

“STREGA was here, weren’t they?” Fuuka glanced at where STREGA had been standing, a frown on her face. “And you… stopped them from attacking us?”

“𝕐𝕖𝕤.” Kotone nodded. “𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪'𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕤.”

“Ha, sure are dude!” Junpei snorted, leaning his head against his hands. “I like these guys, why do we have a problem with them again?”

“That is an excellent question.” Mitsuru glanced at the boy, then back to Kotone. “It is clear that you oppose STREGA just as we do. You’re reasonable enough to hold a conversation like this. Why hide from us and our operations?”

“𝕀'𝕧𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕥 𝕒 𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕠𝕠.” Kotone shook her head. “𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣?”

“Looking for?” Yukari raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean looking for?”

“𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕓 𝕋𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕤?” Kotone took a step forward, incensed by the opportunity to ask these questions head on. “𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘?”

“There’s nothing hidden in Tartarus, if that’s what your line of inquiry is about.” Mitsuru shook her head. “It’s a training ground, nothing more.”

“𝔹𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕥.” Rio scoffed beneath her mask. “𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖'𝕤 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘.”

“I assure you, it’s the truth.” Mitsuru frowned, a curious look in her eyes. “If you would like to know the full story, I will tell it. But only if you remove your masks and help us put and end to the Dark Hour.”

“ℍ𝕞𝕡𝕙.” Odagiri narrowed his eyes. “𝕐𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤.”

“Of course she is.” Akihiko cracked his knuckles. “And if you don’t like it, then-“

“You don’t have to decide now.” Makoto interrupted, glancing at Mitsuru. “There’s still three Shadows left. If you need time, talk at the next one.”

“𝕐𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖... 𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕤 𝕘𝕠?” Saori blinked, her voice distorted by Charybdis. “𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥?”

“Why not?” Makoto shrugged. “You’re the ones who cut the power, aren’t you? You don’t want to hurt us.”

“𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝, 𝕟𝕠, 𝕨𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥.” Kotone shook her head. “𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕨𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣.”

“So take some time to think about it.” Makoto shook his head, turning and heading for the door to the mall. “C’mon. I’m hungry.”

“Leader, are you certain this is a good idea?” Aigis frowned as she walked step in step with Makoto. “They are strong to have beaten STREGA. They are a threat.”

“Eh.” Makoto shrugged as he pushed open the door to the mall. “I don’t care. Let them be.”

And with that, he led SEES off into the night.

“Cool fairy, dude!” Junpei grinned as he followed after the others. “See ya’ later!”

And with that, the rest of them were gone too.

“…okay so.” Kotone cleared her throat as she pulled her mask off and turned to the others. “That was weird, right?”

To that, her team just nodded.

Chapter Text

Monday, September 7^th 2009.

The Day of Thinking

“So, uh.” Gallica blinked as she sat at the edge of the planter on the school roof, the rest of Girls Night arranged around her in haphazard patterns.. “What now?”

Nobody had an answer to that. They had all sort of naturally radiated up to the roof after class (though Rio had had to lead Odagiri up there herself). They hadn’t spoken the day before, each on their own trying to process what had happened on the night of the full moon.

Which of course meant they all had to talk about it now.

“We should at least hear them out, right?” Saori tapped her fingers nervously against her leg, shaking her head. “SEES, I mean? I-if they want us to help them, we should consider it.”

“Why?” Rio shrugged, shaking her head. “So we can risk our lives and get Mitsuru’s half-truth in return? I still don’t trust them, whatever story they tell us is just going to be what gets us on their side.”

“A half-truth gives us more to work with. Even if she cuts something out, hearing SEES’ side of all this might help put things together.” Tae shook her head from where she was leaning next to the door, twisting a pen between her fingers. “Plus, Kirijo’s right that there’s still three Shadows left. Even if they’re bullshitting us, we only need to help them take out one of them and the picture becomes a lot clearer.”

“Even if you’re not a student, I’d ask you to mind your language on campus.” Odagiri huffed, glaring at Tae for a moment as he tapped his foot restlessly. “In any case… I find it hard to find confidence in your assumption that Ms. Kirijo will be even half truthful. She’s lied to us before, directly. Who’s to say she won’t again?”

“It’s definitely a pickle.” Gallica hummed, kicking her legs as she turned and tilted her head at Kotone. “What do you think?”

“Huh?” Kotone blinked, looking down at the fairy from where she had been lost in thought and watching the horizon. “What do I think?”

“I mean, yeah.” Gallica jumped up, hovering over to land on Kotone’s shoulder. “You’re our leader, so… the final decision’s up to you.”

“I… I don’t know.” Kotone shook her head, staring at where her hands laid on her lap. A blue butterfly floated by on the breeze, landing on her knuckles for a moment. She watched it as it rested, flapping its wings gently before taking flight once more and heading off into the ether beyond. “I think… I think we might be looking at this the wrong way.”

“Really?” Rio frowned, tilting her head. “How’s that?”

“SEES wants to destroy the Dark Hour. STREGA wants to keep it going. We’ve just sort of… floated between them.” Kotone bit the inside of her cheek, shaking her head. “There’s a piece missing that we’ve been looking for, but I just don’t know where to find it. We still haven’t found anything in Tartarus, right?

“Nothing.” Saori shook her head.” There are those briefcases between the Blocks, but… SEES always gets to them first.”

“Which is just proof they’re still hiding something from us.” Rio nodded assuredly. “You’re right, there’s something we’re missing. But I think working with SEES means they’ll just be able to hide it from us better.”

“Like I said, we don’t have to believe what they tell us. Just take it into account” Tae shook her head, pushing off of the wall and putting her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. “The way I see it, info’s info.”

“That would be exactly my concern. If we base our view of the situation on false assumptions, then whatever we determine will be tinted by that falsehood.” Odagiri shot back, his foot tapping even faster. “It… it’s a concept that’s been on my mind lately.”

“You wanna talk about that, kid?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “You can y’know.”

“No, nevermind that. It’s philosophical, that’s all.” Odagiri huffed, turning away from Tae and crossing his arms. “Back to the point. Our side isn’t even the only point of concern. Proximity to SEES means they might discover our identities. And once that line is crossed, it can’t be uncrossed.”

“We can be careful…” Saori shook her head. “We don’t need to work close with them. We can come up with pseudonyms if we need to say things to each other, it’s what we did with Takaya at first!”

“And he figured us out anyways.” Rio shook her head. “It’s just not worth it.”

“There is much to consider.”

Yeah, I get both sides of this. But I don’t know which is right.

“You needn’t decide now, dread warrior. In this case, time is your ally.”

“I think we should sleep on it.” Kotone stood upright, grinning as she turned to her friends. “And I mean like… really sleep on it. We have a month to decide, right?”

“Well, yes.” Odagiri huffed. “But the sooner we come to a decision, the better.”

“That… isn’t usually how this team has worked.” Saori smiled sheepishly. “Most of our plans Kotone makes up on the spot.”

“…if that was meant to be reassuring, it wasn’t.” Odagiri rolled his eyes, turning to look at Kotone directly. “You don’t plan to be so haphazard when it comes to this, do you Shiomi? You’ll take everything into careful consideration?”

“Uh.” Kotone had to fight off the strange instinct to put her hands against the top of her forehead and stick her tongue out. “Probably not?”

“There it is.” Tae patted Odagiri on the shoulder as the boy sputtered in indignation. “You’ll get used to it. It usually works out.”

“I know it sounds strange.” Rio glanced at Kotone, nodding. “But she’s right. Kotone somehow finds a way to pull through and make the right call. There’s a reason she’s the leader.”

“They have faith in you, dread warrior.”

Yeah. Should they?

You have not let them down yet.

Somehow in this case Kotone found herself agreeing with Odagiri, even as the team broke to go about the rest of their day and put off the decision-making until later.

…that wasn’t particularly reassuring at all, was it?

Wednesday, September 9^th 2009.

The Day of the Departure

It was a windy day in Iwatodai when Kotone caught her first sight of STREGA since the full moon. Autumn would be coming in just a few weeks, but for now the sea breeze was warm and gusty, carrying with it the faint smell of rain. Gallica had elected to stay indoors today, going home with Saori to help her keep an eye out for her parents while the navigator did some practice for their Tartarus run tonight. That meant Kotone was alone as she walked down the steps of the station, a dangerous proposition with times as they were.

Luckily for her, Chidori was alone too.

“Hey there.” Kotone grinned as she took a seat next to the artist at her usual spot, receiving little more than a passive glance as Chidori’s pen slowed to a halt. “I didn’t think I’d see you here again so soon.”

“I have a right to go where I please.” Chidori’s voice was curt, even moreso than usual. It carried with it a hint of something deeper than her usual passive disinterest, a swirling emotiveness hiding behind her eyes as she set her pen down and bit the inside of her cheek. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

“I dunno. Guess I’m not used to just being able to come and chat with someone after we just kicked their asses.” Kotone winked at the other girl, expecting her to at least roll her eyes or scoff. Instead she got nothing, the other girl’s amber eyes turned to the horizon. “Chidori? Something up?”

“You’re very annoying.” Chidori looked down, picking up her pen once more and scribbling at the corners of the page. “I come here to find peace, and all you ever do is disturb it.”

“Well, yeah.” Kotone shrugged. “But usually you give a little back, so… what’s up? I can tell something’s on your mind.”

“What reason would you have to care?” Chidori shook her head. “We’re enemies, aren’t we?”

“Obviously. But you’re not nuts like Takaya or a dumbass like Jin. You do like, art and stuff.” Kotone shrugged, leaning a hand against her cheek. “Can’t a girl be curious?”

“…Takaya is doing something awful.” Chidori exhaled, the tip of her pen digging into the page as she spared a single sidelong glance at Kotone. “He’s making a mistake.”

“Shocker there.” Kotone rolled her eyes, nonetheless sidling closer to the other girl. “What sort of mistake?”

“Something that’s meant to be unthinkable. He’s angry at you. SEES. And… not in the way he normally is.” Chidori began to draw a circle, a spiral forming on the page as she went around and around and around. “He wants to repeat the mistakes made against us with someone else.”

“The mistakes made against you?” Kotone blinked. That sounded bad. “What do you mean? What mistakes?”

“This is more than curiosity.” Chidori shook her head, not meeting Kotone’s eyes. “You’ve never cared before. Only gloated. Explain yourself.”

I mean… shit, yeah.

“Do not let your guard down, dread warrior. Vulnerability is a feint for power.”

I’m not, I’m not. She’s just- I guess she has a point. We’ve only really been looking at this in one direction.

“To be fair, all you’ve ever done is be cryptic and threatening.” Kotone shrugged. “It seemed fair. Now you’re being honest, so… hey, I’ll meet you halfway again.”

“You’re strange, Kotone.” Chidori finally looked up again, staring at Kotone for a long moment before looking away. “I can’t tell you what he’s doing. Not yet.”

“Will people get hurt if he goes through with it?” Kotone shifted closer, unsure of if she was meant to be challenging the other girl or offering comfort. Whatever the case, Chidori didn’t respond, simply looking away. “Chidori?”

“…I should go.” Chidori shook her head, closing her sketchbook as she did. “This will be the last time you see me here, Kotone.”

“I thought you said you had a right to be here just like anyone else?” Kotone stuck her tongue out at the other girl, only for Chidori to say nothing once again. “Chidori?”

“You’re infuriating. I can’t even say goodbye without you making a joke.” Chidori stood, tucking her sketchbook under her arm. She gazed into the distance for a long moment, before glancing back at Kotone and shaking her head. “I’ll miss it.”

“You’ll… you’ll what?” Kotone blinked, standing up to watch her go. “Chidori? What do you mean you’ll miss it?”

Chidori gave no answer but silence, her hair swaying gently in the breeze behind her as she walked into the crowd. Kotone simply stared, keeping track of her until the afternoon rush of a station in motion left her alone but for the wind, and the silence of her own thoughts.

…what the hell was that?

“A new perspective, dread warrior.”

…shit.

Chapter Text

Saturday, September 19^th 2009.

The Day of the Typhoon.

It was just supposed to be a simple sleepover.

Kotone had heard about the typhoon coming to town and figured it would be some cool background noise. An excuse to stay inside for a night with all her friends and not think about the stress of SEES, STREGA, or the looming full moon.

Which, to be fair, it was.

It just… didn’t stop the next morning.

“Well now!” Elly clapped as she stepped inside accompanied by a gust of wind, shaking herself like a dog to fling away the water that had drenched her. “That is quite the 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓂!”

“Oh Christ.” Kei groaned, grabbing the towel he had taken from the linen closet and all but throwing it at Elly as she slammed the door shut. “We have towels, Elly, towels!”

“Of course we do! Now where is my 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒹𝓇𝓎𝑒𝓇?” Elly grinned, taking the towel and making a more marginal effort to dry herself off as she glanced over at where Girls Night was watching her from their camp in the living room. “I’m no 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓉, but I would say that it would be quite the 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 idea to return home in this storm. You 𝓀𝒾𝒹𝒹𝑜𝓈 should stay here until it 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝓌𝓈 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇.”

“I would appreciate a second opinion.” Odagiri huffed, crossing his arms where he leaned against the back of the couch. “I’d rather not be stuck here on her word alone.”

“Trust me.” Kei shook his head with a sigh. “Elly’s eccentric, but she has a sense for these things. You’ll all have to stay until the storm lets up.”

“You kinda have a thing against being trapped, don’t you?” Gallica tilted her head at Odagiri, her words causing the boy to sputter in indignation. “And what’s the matter with being ‘stuck’ here anyways? Don’t you like hanging out with us?”

“Yeah, c’mon Odagiri!” Kotone grinned, sitting up from where she had been lounging on the floor. “The Girls Night girls night just turned into a girls weekend! Don’t be a square!”

“That- well-“ Odagiri glanced around, groaning. “I just- I wouldn’t want to worry mother, is all.”

“Don’t worry yourself over it. There’s a phone in the hallway, you can give her a 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁 whenever you please!” Elly waved her hand dismissively as she bustled over to the fridge. “Now then, if the kids are going to be 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹, what say the adults have a glass of wine or two?”

“It’s 10 in the morning.” Kei deadpanned, only to get a tilting of the head from Elly in response. “…fine. Get out the good stuff, I think I’ll need it.”

“Not too much for me.” Tae shook her head, leaning against the counter where she had been keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. “Trying to cut back.”

“Oh, that’s quite 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒!” Elly laughed, grabbing the bottle of wine and some glasses so she could pour out some adequate portions for the three adults. “That’s the kind of thinking you need to be the 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝒹𝓊𝓁𝓉 of a Persona team!”

“Oh, right.” Saori blinked from where she was sat near the corner of the couch. “I forgot your parents were Persona users, Kotone.”

“I do too sometimes.” Kotone shrugged, smiling. “Honestly, it’s not that big a deal. Barely anything’s changed since I found out.”

“That’s not true at all, 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒹𝑜𝓃!” Elly huffed as she finished pouring the wine, passing around the glasses to the other adults. “Gallica and I have had some 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉 conversations since we stopped needing to pretend we didn’t see her!”

“That’s true.” Gallica nodded, landing by the wine glass to inspect it for a moment before fluttering off. “It’s nice having somewhere I can talk to other people without needing to worry about hiding in case someone from SEES or STREGA is around.”

“Those would be your enemy teams, is that right?” Kei swirled his wine for a moment, before taking a long sip. “I wasn’t aware there was two.”

“STREGA is our enemy. SEES is… contentious. “ Rio shrugged, hugging a pillow and raising an eyebrow. “And you really didn’t know? I thought you would. SEES is funded by the Kirijo Group, isn’t your family close with them?”

“You’re knowledgeable. They are.” Kei raised an eyebrow right back, before looking away. “But I’m not. I’ll spare you the details.”

“Kei and his family don’t quite 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔.” Elly laughed, swirling her wine in her glass. “It’s quite the long story, though I 𝓈𝓊𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉 he’d rather not tell it now.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Kei sighed. “I’ve found that being #1 doesn’t always mean following the path carved out for you. In fact, I’ve realized it means the opposite. Let’s leave it at that.”

“That...” Odagiri blinked, seemingly taken aback by the response. It took him a few moments to regain his composure, scowling as he did. “That doesn’t explain your lack of diligence in monitoring the situation here in Iwatodai. Those with power should use it responsibly.”

“Oh, you should tell that to 𝒮𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓊 𝒞𝒾𝓉𝓎!” Elly laughed, sipping her wine. “The chaos there was only 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 our fault!”

“The nature of Persona means trusting others to do the right thing.” Kei nodded at Odagiri, before his eyes darted to look at Kotone. “That goes for everyone.”

Is he talking to me, or Odagiri?

“Both, dread warrior.”

Right…

“Oh yes, but I’m sure they’ll be quite 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉!” Elly clicked her tongue, angling her glass towards Tae. “Ms. Takemi seems quite 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒!”

“In the same way you are, maybe.” Tae shrugged, a faint smirk on her lips. “Then again, you seem to be a good model all around. In more ways than one.”

“Oh you 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 me!” Elly laughed, leaning her elbows against the counter and resting her chin against her interconnected hands. “Please don’t feel the need to stop!”

Wait, is she flirting with my mom? Wait, am I seriously thinking of Elly as my mom now??

“It would seem so, dread warrior.”

…I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel about this.

“Ooookay, I feel the tone getting weird in here.” Kotone pushed herself to her feet, stomping her foot to try and stop whatever that just was as the storm raged outside the window. “Since we’re going to be stuck here for a little while, why don’t we break out some boardgames? Clue, maybe?”

“Oh, I love Clue!” Saori perked up. “Can I be Miss Peacock?”

“You can be anyone you want.” Tae set her glass down, standing up and stretching. “Give me a minute before we get started. Bathroom?”

“Down the hall to your left!” Elly clapped. “Oh, but if we’re playing 𝒞𝓁𝓊𝑒𝒹𝑜 could I be Miss Scarlett?”

“The kids are playing, Elly.” Kei sighed. “Don’t impose.”

“It wouldn’t be an imposition, the more the merrier, right?”” Gallica shook her head as Kotone went over to the cabinet and pulled out the boardgame. “Oh, can I be Colonel Mustard?”

“You heard Tae, you can be anyone.” Kotone stuck her tongue out at the fairy, setting the box on the coffee table. “Except Professor Plum. I’m Professor Plum.”

“I’ve never actually played Clue before.” Rio shifted in her seat, moving closer to the table. “My parents got it for me, but never actually sat down and played it with me.”

“It’s one of the only games my dad likes playing with me…” Saori smiled, shrugging. “He… cheats a lot, but it’s nice otherwise.”

“Personally, I have no history with Clue or any interest in it.” Odagiri huffed, slicking back his hair. “I’d rather play a more functional game like Monopoly, if at all possible.”

“Of course.” Rio groaned. “Can’t just go along with sharing a little. Classic Stick in the Mud Odagiri.”

“What?” Odagiri froze, his hand still in his hair. “What did you just call me?”

“I believe she called you a 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝒹!” Elly chortled. “Which wouldn’t be an inaccurate 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉𝑜𝓇 to my eyes!”

“Elly.” Kei shot the woman a look. “Please.”

“Is that really what you all think of me?” Odagiri lowered his hand, staring at the assembled girls as a sudden air of awkwardness permeated through the space. “Really?”

“Well…” Saori winced, shrugging. “A little? Isn’t that sort of what you want people to think though?”

“…I see then.” Odagiri hesitated for a moment before turning and heading into the hall. “In that case, I’ll avoid bringing the mood down any longer.”

“Uh oh.” Gallica’s eyes widened. “That’s bad. Kotone, you should-“

“On it, be right back.” Kotone hopped over the coffee table, jogging into the hall after the boy and calling out for him. “Hey, Odagiri, wait up!”

“Shiomi.” Odagiri stopped in front of the door to the bathroom, not turning to face her. “What is it?”

“Just uh, wanted to say sorry about all that.” Kotone rubbed her neck apologetically. “I know it’s been a bit of an adjustment having you hang out with us an everything, but I’m sure they didn’t mean anything by it.”

“No, it’s alright. They’re right, is the thing.” Odagiri turned, his piercing grey eyes seeming to stare right through Kotone. “I don’t like it.”

“Huh?” Kotone blinked, uncomprehending. “I thought you just said it was alright?”

“Not them, this. Me.” Odagiri thumped his chest, scowling. “I don’t like being ‘Stick in the Mud Odagiri’ or ‘Square Odagiri’ or whatever else you could come up with to call me. It doesn’t feel good.”

“I’ll talk to the other girls about it, we’ll lay off on it if it makes you this uncomfortable.” Kotone nodded seriously. “Promise.”

“It doesn’t matter if that’s what you still think.” Odagiri huffed, looking away. “I don’t… want to be this to you. I don’t want to be the kind of person who earns nicknames like those.”

“Well, I mean…” Kotone winced, shrugging. “That’s up to you, isn’t it?”

“In theory it is. But I… this is who I am. You heard Saori.” Odagiri shuddered, turning away. “I don’t know how to stop being this. This is who everyone knows. This is the me I’ve built. How am I supposed to change that?”

“You’re always changing, you know that, right?” Kotone smiled, bumping the boy gently. “You’re already pretty different from the guy you were a couple weeks ago when you joined the team.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Odagiri clenched his teeth. “I don’t want to change a little bit. I don’t want to be the old me in a new coat of paint. I want to be something, someone new.”

“Ooookay, I think I know what you’re saying?” Kotone furrowed her brow. “So… you want to make some big changes. Alright. If you don’t want to be like ‘Stuck in the Mud Odagiri’, then who do you want to be?”

“You, Shiomi.” Odagiri still refused to meet Kotone’s eyes, his teeth grit as he stared at the floor. “I’d want to be like you.”

“Me?” Kotone’s eyes widened in absolute shock. “You’d want to be like me?”

Does he even know what being like me means?

“Nobody truly does, dread warrior.”

Still, me???

“You’re strong, and decisive, and people respect you.” Odagiri clenched his fists. “But you’re also peppy, and popular, and bright. You light up the room wherever you go. And you’re not afraid to be yourself.”

“Odagiri, I-“ Kotone winced, smiling placatingly. “I think you’re giving me too much credit here. There’s a lot of myself I don’t show people. I don’t think I’m anyone you should try to embody, really.”

“Well I do. You inspire me, Shiomi. Think better of yourself.” Odagiri straightened up, adjusting his jacket. “There’s a lot about you I’d like to learn from Shiomi. And… some things that I can’t.”

“You’re-“ Kotone started, only to stop as she processed his words. “Wait, what did you mean by that last bit? What can’t you learn?”

“Dread warrior.”

What? Am I missing something.

“You will soon see.”

“…we could have changed the name, you know.” Odagiri shook his head, changing the subject on a dime. “From Girls Night. You saw what SEES said on the full moon. They knew I was… how I am. That I didn’t fit in. I could have forced the issue like just now, and I’m sure you would have changed it. But I didn’t. I didn’t, and I…”

Wait, is he saying that-

“Whatever Odagiri is saying must be Odagiri’s to say. You cannot say it in stead, dread warrior.”

Shit.

“Odagiri…” Kotone took a step forward, gently placing her hand on her teammate’s shoulder. “You can be honest with me. Promise. I’m here for you, okay? So if there’s anything you want to say, I-“

“Yes, Shiomi. Okay? Yes.” Odagiri huffed, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door and choking back what could only be a sob “I want to be like the rest of you. Is that what you wanted to hear? I want to be able to… to be happy, and excitable, and feel like I belong. I want out of this damn hole that I’ve dug for myself, this dead end that I’ve damned myself to. I want… I want…”

Kotone didn’t say anything, just pulling her friend into a hug. Odagiri said nothing, a quiet sob escaping from within as the whole world seemed to tremble and whatever strength remained in the dam fell to nothingness.

“Not nothingness, dread warrior. Something new.”

Something good?

“It must be.”

“…I want to be a girl too.” Odagiri shuddered, all but collapsing against Kotone. “O-okay? I want to be a girl too. Like you, like the others, I want that. I’ve wanted that- a-as long as I can remember, I just… I just…”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Kotone nodded, patting her friend’s back and smiling gently. “I hear you, okay? I hear you. And I’m here for you. We all are, no matter what, okay? If that’s what you want, we support you 100%.”

“Thank you, K-Kotone, I…” Odagiri shuddered in her embrace for a few more moments before letting go with a shake of the head. “I’m… I’m sorry about that. I let my emotions overwhelm me. I understand it’s an unreasonable want that could never come to fruition, but I still-“

“Bullshit.” Tae’s voice made both teenagers jump as the nurse pulled open the door to the bathroom with a sudden bang. “Gender’s a construct, kid. Anyone telling you that you’ve got to be the one you were assigned before you could feel anything for yourself is selling you a crock of shit.”

“T-takemi?!” Odagiri jumped back, eyes wide. “How much did- did you hear all of that?!”

“Sorry. You were talking loud and I overheard. Was gonna tell you later, but thought I should rip the band aid off now if that’s the sort of slop you’re telling yourself.” Tae shrugged, much to the absolute indignation of Odagiri. “I don’t stand for crap like that. You don’t need to stick with what you were given. I didn’t.”

“You… you what?” Odagiri froze, eyes widening. “Wait, are you saying that you’re… you used to be a man? But you’re so…”

“Not? Yeah, that was the goal.” Tae rolled her eyes, patting Odagiri gently on the shoulder. “Only qualifying factor on being a girl is mindset, kid. If you wanna be one, you are one. If you want anything more than that, there are ways. We can chat about them later if you want.”

“I- but-“ Odagiri blinked, still trying to process what was said. “You- you’re- but I- I was- I’ve always…“

“Um.” Kotone blinked, glancing between the two. “I think you broke Odagiri.”

“Yeah. Bedside manner’s never really been my forte, you know.” Tae shrugged, scratching the back of her neck. “Anyways… you were talking. I’ll go back to the others. Don’t worry kid, I won’t say anything to them. You take it all at your own pace. But don’t feed yourself a lie about what isn’t possible, got it?”

“But, I-“ Odagiri swallowed, straightening up. “I… I understand.”

“Good.” Tae cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly, sidling past Kotone and toward the living room. “Sorry again. See you kids soon.”

And then she was gone.

…she can be kinda scary sometimes, huh?

“Of course she can, dread warrior.”

I admire it, honestly.

“Shiomi…” Odagiri’s voice wavered, reminding Kotone that there was still very much a conversation going on right now. “Do you think she’s right?”

“Well, I mean… based on what she said, I think she’s sort of proof she’s right, isn’t she?” Kotone grinned, trying her best to find the right energy for the situation at hand. “And even if she wasn’t… I think so, yeah. You get to decide who you wanna be, Odagiri. If that’s a girl, then hell yeah. We’d be glad to have you.”

“Really?” Odagiri looked as if the tears were about to come back. “Do you mean it?”

“I do.” Kotone grinned. “Do you want me to switch up your pronouns? Start calling you by she and her?”

“I-“ Odagiri looked as if Kotone had just offered to punch someone, blinking in surprise at the offer. “You’d do that?”

“Of course!” Kotone put her hands on her hips. “Like I said, glad to have you!”

“…I’d like that.” Odagiri smiled weakly, before realizing how the expression probably made her look. “I- in private only, of course. This doesn’t leave the two of us, understood?”

“Got it. We’ll test it out for you one on one, and if you like it, then we can tell the others.” Kotone bumped her gently, grinning. “Sound good, girl?”

“I-“ Odagiri nodded slowly, a blush spreading across her face. “It does. Thank you, Shiomi.”

“Sweet! I was gonna ask the others if they were down for us all to paint our nails later.” Kotone smiled, tilting her head. “Think you might wanna too? We can use the temporary stuff if you’re not comfortable long-term.”

“That- that’s ridiculous, Shiomi.” Odagiri huffed, still not meeting her eyes. “That’s putting the cart before the horse, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Kotone bumped her shoulder against Odagiri gently, still smiling. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just that you’re invited. Always are, okay?”

“…okay.” Odagiri blushed again, looking away. “If you’re sure about this then… I suppose there’s no point delaying when crossing the Rubicon. I’ll do it.”

“Glad to hear it.” Kotone grinned, turning back down the hall and glancing over her shoulder. “Ready?”

“…as I’ll ever be.” Odagiri winced, nonetheless unable to fully stop the smile on her face. “After you, Shiomi.”

Wow. She already seems happier.

“Time moves quickly, dread warrior.”

No kidding.

“Alright everyone.” Kotone grinned as she led Odagiri back into the living room. “Change of plans.”

Chapter Text

Sunday, October 4^th 2009.

The Day of the Whoops

Tonight was the night of the full moon, and Kotone still didn’t have a plan.

Whoops.

She wanted to say the time had snuck up on her, but it really hadn’t. They’d been planning this operation for the last week or so, climbing higher and higher through Tartarus to prepare. SEES had been too, their usual chatter in the lobby exacerbated by the curiosity of if Girls Night would be on their side or not. There was a certain energy to the proceedings, an edge carried as the nights drew closer and the deadline loomed. Everyone was waiting to see just what Kotone would decide.

And yet as she stood there waiting under the nearly midnight moon in one of Iwatodai’s many tiny plaza parks, she earnestly didn’t have a clue in the world what was going to happen next.

“So?” Odagiri raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms at Kotone as she leaned against the side of one of the palms that lined the plaza. “Are we going to be helping SEES or not?”

“I think…” Kotone tapped her cheek, shrugging. “Maybe?”

“Maybe?” Odagiri’s eyes widened, her foot tapping restlessly against the ground. “What do you mean ‘maybe’? Are doing it or not?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Kotone smiled, which earned her a glare from the other girl. “We’ll have to see what the situation on the ground is first.”

“You- you’re-“ Odagiri twitched, shaking her head. “This is insane. You have no plan at all?”

“Sounds to me like our plan is to see what their plans are and work from there.” Tae shrugged, blowing smoke into the sky. “No plan survives first contact, and all.”

“…okay, I think we’re just making excuses at this point.” Gallica huffed, crossing her arms. “Maybe we really should plan these things better.”

“You think so?” Odagiri rolled her eyes, leaning back against the palm. “God…”

“You know Odagiri…” Saori stifled a chuckle, covering her mouth as she shook her head. “I would have thought you’d be a little more used to this by now.”

“Yes, well…” Odagiri huffed, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. “There’s plenty of things I’m not quite used to yet.”

“I don’t like it either to be honest.” Rio shrugged. “But Kotone has always pulled through before. We’ll just need to take it as it comes.”

“I hate this.” Odagiri groaned, looking back toward the ground and Kotone. “I want that on the record, Shiomi. I hate it.”

“Gotcha.” Kotone flashed a grin, glancing around at the others. “We almost ready for our no plan plan then?”

“It’s almost midnight.” Saori nodded, pulling out her Evoker and holding it carefully. “I’m ready.”

“Perfect.” Kotone grinned, hands on her hips. “Then let’s get to it!”

The clock struck midnight.

The green moon above was quickly followed by a flash of light as Saori fired her Evoker, Charybdis’ waters enveloping them like a shroud. The girl closed her eyes, her hands running through the currents as she scanned the city for-

“There are two Shadows!” Saori gasped, her eyes snapping open. “They’re at Iwatodai Station, right near SEES’ dorm!”

“Two, eh?” Tae raised an eyebrow, extinguishing her cigarette and flicking it into a nearby trash can. “Sounds like this might be our last chance then.”

“Our last chance?” Rio blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“If there’s only three Shadows left, and they’re going to destroy two of them tonight, then that means next full moon will be the last one.” Gallica nodded seriously, settling down to sit on the edge of Kotone’s bag. “And it’d be a bit lame to come in under the wire and say we’ll help for that one, I don’t think they’d like that.”

“Definitely not.” Kotone nodded her agreement. “Which means it’s tonight or nothing.”

“So you have to make a choice.” Odagiri harrumphed, standing upright. “What will it be then?”

“Well… hm.” Kotone tilted her head curiously. “Saori, how strong are the Shadows? Do you think they could take them alone?”

“Um… maybe.” Saori frowned, rubbing her temple gently. “They’re pretty strong. They’ll probably be okay, but…”

“No promises, huh?” Kotone bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. Then, she nodded with a grin. “Alright, let’s help them.”

“Wh- seriously?” Odagiri blinked, taken aback. “Just like that? You’d decide it on a dime?”

“It’s what works.” Kotone winked, picking up her naginata and stretching. “Now let’s get to… to…”

Kotone trailed off as a sudden wave of nausea washed over her, and her limbs suddenly went limp as spaghetti, her naginata falling from her hands. She groaned, struggling to stand upright as her vision swam and the world teetered in front of her out of nowhere, Gallica falling down and away into her bag.

What… what’s happening?

“A trial, dread warrior.”

A… what? Oh. Oh shit…

“You know, for a group that takes such care to hide their true faces…” Takaya drawled as he stepped from the darkness of a nearby alleyway, a smile on his face. “You fools really do talk quite loudly.”

“Takaya…” Rio glared as she fumbled for her hammer, unable to find purchase in her lethargy. “What are… you…”

“Oh please, continue your feeble struggle if you’d like. I do oh so enjoy watching someone’s passions after all.” Takaya chortled, his hand on the grip of his revolver as Chidori stepped out to join him, a blank expression on her face as Medea loomed in the darkness behind her. “It’s fruitless, however. I don’t intend to kill you tonight, merely send a message.”

“Oh yeah?” Kotone sneered, staring defiantly against the boy as best she could on shaking legs. “What’s… what’s that?”

“That whatever power you hold is pointless in the face of true freedom. That your… fickle friendship, is nothing more than a lie stretched over a failure.” Takaya smiled widely, his golden eyes shimmering with glee as he monologued. “The capability for one to seek their true path has escaped you. But STREGA…  STREGA will show you what it means to seize our own destiny. Isn’t that right, Mr. Amada?”

“I don’t care about any of that.” From behind Takaya, a child who couldn’t be more than 10 or 11 years old emerged, a spear clutched tight in his hands as he looked over the members of Girls Night. He shook his head, glaring at Takaya with grit teeth. “Why are we doing this? You told me you would help me with Aragaki, why are we wasting time on this?”

“Patience, child.” Takaya ruffled the boy’s hair, grinning at the horrified expressions on Girls Night’s faces. “Jin is finding him now. By hour’s end, you’ll have your chance to pay back Aragaki’s injustice.”

“You sick fuck.” Tae spasmed, her hand struggling for her Evoker. “You… sick, sick fuck! That’s a kid, you motherfucker!”

“I’m not a kid!” Amada glared at the woman, his expression hardening. “I’m vengeance! I’m going to kill that bastard who killed my mom!”

“No, that-“ Saori swallowed, Charybdis warbling as she struggled to even keep up the scanning shroud around them. “That isn’t right…”

“You see, Amada?” Takaya chortled, gesturing with a smile. “These fools don’t know justice, not like you and I. We’ll see your mother avenged, and then… we’ll do so many more great things together, won’t we? This world will fear that which they should fear.”

“You fucking bastard!” Rio fell to one knee, heaving as she struggled towards the man. “You piece of human garbage!”

“Chidori…” Kotone looked away from Takaya, locking eyes with Chidori as the other girl continued to stand in silence. “You’re not okay with this. You can’t be okay with this, r-right? This isn’t right, and you know it!”

Chidori stared at Kotone for a long moment, before closing her eyes and turning her head away. Kotone felt something inside her die then, a little flame suddenly extinguished as the girl avoided meeting her gaze.

Fuck. Fuck!

“Hold fast, dread warrior.”

Motherfucker!

“Nothing more than the desperate bleating of a beaten pack of fools.” Takaya harrumphed, turning away and gesturing for Amada to follow. “Come now. Jin must have found Aragaki by now. We’ll be rid of him soon, Mr. Amada.”

“Good. Finally.” Amada huffed, turning to follow after Takaya. He glanced back at Girls Night for a brief moment, before steeling himself and hurrying after the man. “Let’s- let’s hurry, okay?”

“Oh yes.” Takaya chuckled, heading off into the night. “Let’s.”

…leaving only Girls Night, Chidori, and the pale green moon above.

“…I warned you.” Chidori opened her eyes, turning them up toward the sky above. “I warned you that this was happening. Takaya is… he’s repeating the mistakes of the past. I warned you.”

“So you know it’s wrong!” Kotone managed a step forward, a spark igniting in her heart. She couldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t let Takaya do this. She had to stop him goddamnit. “You warned me about this, but you’re still helping him? Why?!”

“…I don’t know.” Chidori winced. “Takaya… made sense. For a long time, he was the only thing that did. But now I don’t know what makes sense.”

“Then find out, damnit!” Odagiri huffed, clenching her teeth as she struggled to stay standing. “You have the capability to decide for yourself, so choose what you believe in! Are you going to accept this or fight back?!”

“It’s too late now.” Chidori shook her head, gritting her teeth. “I’ve made my choice. You can see that.”

“It’s never too late.” Kotone forced a smile on her face despite the rage and terror whirling through her heart. It was the least she could manage. “Chidori… if you know it’s wrong, if you know what’s going to happen, you can stop it. We can still stop him now, if you give us the chance. Please, just… do the right thing. I know you can.”

“…do you really believe that?” Chidori took a hesitant step toward Kotone, glancing around. “Truly?”

“I do.” Kotone nodded, her arm trembling as she held it up to try and reach her hand out to the other girl. “You can still choose, Chidori. For yourself. I promise.”

“You promise…” Chidori’s eyes fell, her expression twisting as she clenched her fists. “You’re not the first person to say that, Kotone. But… I think you’re the first to be actually telling the truth.”

Medea vanished, as did the pressure on Kotone’s body. She let out a gasp, her strength returning as she stumbled and tried to steady herself. She looked up, locking eyes with Chidori as the girl approached her. Chidori looked down for a long moment, an unreadable expression behind her amber eyes.

“Aragaki is at the alleyway near Port Island Station.” Chidori exhaled, looking away. “If you hurry, you can still reach him in time.”

“I…” Kotone’s breath caught in her chest, though she wasn’t quite sure why. “Chidori, I’m-“

“Shiomi, we don’t have time for this!” Odagiri yelled, grabbing her weapons and breaking into a run toward their bikes alongside the other members of Girls Night. “We have to go!”

Kotone shook her head, snapping back to focus as she joined the others in running for the bikes. That didn’t stop her from glancing back as she mounted, looking toward the plaza where they had been trapped. Chidori stood there, her head tilted back as she stared at the moon above, her pale white dress painted in shades of sickly green. It was a breathtaking sight, a crimson-haired specter teetering at the edge of the abyss.

And then Girls Night kicked their bikes into gear, and it was gone.

---

Kotone didn’t even notice the Moonlight Bridge as they raced over it, the distant waves far down below the last thing on her mind as she and the other members of Girls Night pedalled at full blast. Saori didn’t even bother with the shroud, the five of them + Gallica putting everything they had into catching up to Takaya and Amada before they did something they couldn’t take back.

Even if Kotone had to admit her thoughts were only half there, and not on the ghost they had left behind.

That changed as they pulled into the station, abandoning their bikes with a clatter as they charged toward the alleyway. The other members of STREGA were already there, Jin standing careful guard as Takaya levied a gun against the large form of Aragaki and Amada stood shivering with his spear pointed at the man’s heart.

“The hell-“ Jin snapped to attention, his hand fumbling for one of his grenades as he shot upright. “What are you doing here?!”

“Out of our way, Jin!” Kotone all but bowled the boy over before he could react, knocking him and his grenades to the ground as she skittered to a halt. “Takaya, stop!”

“You?” Takaya paused, glancing over his shoulder at the team with a raised eyebrow. “I see… so Chidori wavered then? How unfortunate.”

“Drop the gun you nutcase!” Rio raised her hammer, her Evoker already to her head. “You’re insane!”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry.” Takaya chuckled, his yellow eyes glinting in the dark. “This isn’t about me at all. This is between Mr. Amada, and Mr. Aragaki.”

“You need to go.” Shinjiro stared at Girls Night as they crowded around the entrance to the alleyway, shaking his head. “This isn’t your business.”

“Like hell it isn’t,” Odagiri scoffed, her own Evoker primed and ready. “In case you haven’t noticed, he’s about to kill you.”

“Yeah, well.” Aragaki shook his head, his eyes downcast. “That’s the kid’s decision, isn’t it?”

“I’m not a kid!” Ken yelled, taking a step closer to the man. “Don’t act like you’re above this! You’re not, I- I need to avenge my mom!”

“K-ken, right?” Saori took a careful step forward, a nervous smile on her face as Ken turned to face her. “I know you’re mad, alright? It’s… l-losing someone important to you hurts a lot. But this isn’t the right thing to do. Do you r-really think your mom would want this?”

“You don’t know what she would want!” Ken trembled, his grip tightening on his spear as he looked between Aragaki and Girls Night. “She’s dead, so… so… why shouldn’t he be too, huh?”

“I can tell she loved you a lot, kid.” Tae shook her head, sighing. “I can’t tell you for sure what she’d want, but I know what she wouldn’t. She’d never want her kid to become a killer like these sons of bitches. She’d want better. I promise you that.”

“I… I…” Ken hesitated, staring down at the weapon in his hands. “I don’t… I…”

“Go on, Mr. Amada.” Takaya raised an eyebrow. “It’s your decision to make, isn’t it? Seize your fate… or cower away. Make your choice, and live with the consequences. It’s as simple as that.”

Shit. What’s he going to do?

“That’s for him to decide, dread warrior.”

Then I hope he-

Ken’s spear clattered to the ground as he faltered, the sound ringing through reality for a long moment as everyone looked on. Kotone felt a wave of relief wash over her in that moment, brief but real. That was one threat down.

But it was far from the last.

“Hmph. It seems you really don’t have the strength to decide your own path in the end. What a shame.” Takaya sighed, pulling back the hammer on his revolver as he levied it against Shinji. Kotone’s heartrate spiked in her chest, the whole world suddenly hanging on a precipice. “Fortunately for you, I have no such weakness. Watch justice take form, Mr. Amada.”

Click.

“GELLO!” Tae’s Persona flashed as Takaya’s finger squeezed down on the trigger. “TETRAKAN!”

There were twin flashes of light as Takaya fired and Shinjiro was enveloped in the spell. There was a sound like thunder, followed by a wet thunk as the shot bounced off Shinjiro and collided straight with Takaya’s chest, striking clean through him with a spurt of blood. The man gasped, looking down as he began to bleed, standing only for a moment before falling back and away to the ground.

“Wow, that…” Gallica blinked as blood poured from the wound. “That spell’s a little bullshit, isn’t it?”

“Shit.” Kotone winced as Takaya struggled for breath, his golden eyes already glossing over. He was a monster, but that didn’t mean she wanted to die. She steadied her Evoker, placing it against her chin. “Di-“

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Kotone was stopped from pulling the trigger by the impact of one of Jin’s grenades colliding with her hand. She yelped. dropping the Evoker as her whole body tensed, ready to jump away before it could blow. But the pin wasn’t even pulled, Jin’s panic outpacing his rage as he clung to Takaya. “TAKAYA? TAKAYA!”

“She’s trying to help him you-“ Odagiri groaned, moving to try and push Jin back and away. “Let her save him damnit!”

“DON’T TELL ME SHIT!” Jin’s eyes flashed as he grabbed another grenade, pulling the pin this time as his hand squeezed the lever. “BACK THE FUCK OFF, GET THE FUCK AWAY!”

Odagiri raised her hands defensively, stepping back as Jin grabbed a hold of Takaya and began dragging him back and away, grenade still clutched tight in his hand as he tried to return to the night.

“I… I didn’t-“ Ken’s eyes were wide with horror as he watched, his body trembling as he took careful steps backwards. “I wasn’t- I…”

The boy turned and ran, vanishing into the darkness and leaving only the desperate form of Jin to try and drag Takaya’s limp body away as Shinjiro and Girls Night watched in disgust, a bloody trail left in Jin’s shivering wake.

“Kid, he’s…” Tae winced, holding a hand out to try and stop him. “He’s already dead. That was a .44 magnum, if he wasn’t healed immediately, he-“

“SHUT THE HELL UP. SHUT UP!” Jin kept going, tears streaming from his face as he dragged Takaya away. “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM! YOU DON’T KNOW, YOU DON’T KNOW, FUCK! FUCK!”

Jin continued to swear as he vanished into the night, his screams echoing between the buildings like a mournful banshee, a tragedy riposted against those who would perpetuate. Girls Night simply stood in silence, their eyes downcast until the screams faded from reality and they were left only with the gloom of the Dark Hour.

“Hey.” Aragaki stepped forward, glancing between the befuddled members of Girls Night. “What the hell was that?”

Chapter Text

Monday, October 5^th 2009.

The Day After the Disaster

They didn’t meet on the rooftop this time.

It just… didn’t feel right.

Today was a Monday, which meant it was a tennis day. The rest of the club had long since stopped coming to practice, and with Kotone and Rio so occupied with Girls Night and the… well everything going on, they didn’t often have a chance to fulfill their duties. It probably would have been a problem if their club had been selected to go to that camp in Inaba, but fortunately the funding had gone to the much more invested kendo team, and the tennis club had all but been allowed to wither and die.

Which… happened to serve their purposes just nicely as Girls Night all gathered around the empty courts, staring out over the bay as they tried to pull together their thoughts from the night before.

…it always seemed to go this way, didn’t it?

What a mess.

“I um…” Saori swallowed, breaking the silence that always seemed to hang over them in moments like these. “I wasn’t able to find any of them… Ken, or Jin, or um… Chidori.”

“I’m not surprised.” Rio shook her head, staring at the sunlight dancing over the bay. “I would be hiding too after all that.”

“SEES is shaken. They’re still trying to piece together what happened.” Odagiri shook her head, staring at her feet. “Ms. Kirijo summoned the Student Council today, told us to be on the lookout for a runaway boy… I can only assume she meant Amada.”

“We should probably tell them what happened, right?” Gallica glanced at Kotone from where she sat on the girl’s shoulder, biting the inside of her cheek as she did. “We told that Aragaki guy, right?”

“Exactly. And he ran off as soon as we were done.” Rio sighed, exasperated. “I bet he’s hiding now too.”

“No…” Kotone shook her head as she looked up, glancing around at her friends. “He’s… I think he’s going to go looking for Amada. If he’s not at the SEES dorm, then he’s probably out on the streets somewhere. It’s probably a good thing that Aragaki’s trying to take care of him.”

“What, so Amada can try and kill him again?” Odagiri scoffed, her hands in her pockets. “I’d hope he’s not that shortsighted.”

“I think they’ll be okay…” Saori swallowed, nodding with a faint smile. “He didn’t want to go through with it after all.”

“Well, yeah.” Rio nodded. “But that just meant…”

Rio trailed off, glancing toward where Tae stood off to the side from the others. The nurse’s hand was jittering slightly, twisting a pen between her fingertips as she stared off at the sea.

“I can feel you all staring at me y’know?” Tae snorted, glancing back to find the other members of her team all watching her with ill-disguised concern. “It’s not subtle.”

“Oh, crap, um… sorry.” Gallica winced, kicking off into flight towards her teammate. “Tae, are you… will you be alright?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking kid, I’ll be fine.” Tae nodded, cracking the faintest smile. “Takaya’s the one who fired the bullet. Jin’s the one who stopped any chance of saving him. Blood’s on their hands more than mine.”

“Even still.” Odagiri huffed, turning to angle her body toward the older woman. “That isn’t something you simply brush away. Are you certain you’ll be alright?”

“Can’t really be certain about most shit, but… yeah. I’ll be okay, kid.” Tae shrugged, nodding slowly. “And if I’m not… well, Elly suggested a good therapist for this sort of thing. Dr. Sonomura. If I can’t handle it, I’ll talk to her.”

“Good. I’m really glad to hear that, Tae.” Kotone smiled, nodding enthusiastically. She was glad to hear that Tae was- “Wait, Elly? Were you talking with my mom???”

“No more than you’ve been talking to that Strega girl.” Tae shrugged, her smile turning playful as she turned back to the sea. “Quid pro quo, and all.”

“That isn’t the same thing! That-“ Kotone sputtered, before groaning and shaking her head. “Oh my God.”

“Is this the most important thing to concern yourself with right now, dread warrior?”

No! But- seriously?!

“I understand.”

“Okay, Tae making out with Kotone’s mom aside.” Rio rolled her eyes, earning a sputter of indignation from Kotone and a chuckle from Tae. “Do we want to go through with telling SEES what happened last night? How would we even do that without blowing our cover?”

“I could tell them.” Gallica turned to the other girl, nodding. “They know about me already, so it’s not like I’d be giving up an advantage or anything. I won’t say much, just explain what happened and why we didn’t show up to fight the Shadows.”

“Probably a good idea, yeah.” Tae nodded, pocketing her pen. “Reopens our window for the next full moon to work with SEES if we want to.”

“It’s the last one, so…” Saori rubbed her arm, shrugging. “We might as well, right? If they’re going to destroy the Shadow anyways, it might be our last chance…”

“I can see the logic in it.” Odagiri huffed, turning to glare at Kotone. “However, if that’s our plan, I would appreciate it being our plan. No more improvising the night of, got that Shiomi?”

“Got it.” Kotone nodded, flashing a thumbs up. “Gallica, please tell SEES what happened and that we’ll be there for the last full moon, alright? Makoto if you can, but I guess Junpei or Mitsuru would also be alright.”

“Yes ma’am!” Gallica saluted, spinning gently in the air. “So, we’re committed then?”

“Yep.” Kotone put a hand on her hip, determined. “After last night, we can’t really afford to wait anymore. We need to get whatever truth out of SEES that we can.”

“Does that mean we’re giving up on climbing Tartarus?” Rio raised an eyebrow. “Seeing as we’ll be taking SEES’ narrative and all.”

“Not at all. It just means we only have a month to do it.” Kotone winked, straightening upright. “Who knows, maybe we’ll find something or maybe we’ll find squat and find out that we’ve been looking for nothing this whole time. We don’t really know!”

“Cheery way of looking at it.” Tae rolled her eyes. “Anything else for this month then? Since we’re on the subject and all.”

“Chidori.” Kotone nodded, crossing her arms in front of her. “I want to go looking for her.”

“You mean the girl who almost got Aragaki killed?” Rio blinked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Well, she’s also why we could make sure he didn’t get killed, so…” Kotone shrugged, smiling haplessly. “It balances out?”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Saori nodded, fidgeting. “She’s probably alone and scared right now, and… well, you’re good at talking to people like that.”

“Hasegawa is correct. You should find her, for your own sake as well as hers.” Odagiri cleared her throat, glancing between the others before staring at Kotone head on. “There is another matter I’d like to discuss before then, if possible. Something… important, I’d like to share with the group.”

“Oh?” Kotone blinked, before the realization of what she was talking about clicked. “Ohhhhhhhhh!”

“You sure you wanna do it now, kid?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “I’m impressed. Hell yeah.”

“Well, if last night emphasized anything to me it’s the fragility of mortality and-“ Odagiri scoffed, looking away. “Nevermind my reasons. This may be the last month that we’re all together as a team, so it’s only right to be open and honest about it.”

“Hey, like I said, hell yeah. Proud of you.” Tae cracked a smile, resting a hand against her hip. “Go for it kid.”

“I will.” Odagiri inhaled, scrunching up her shoulders. “I will…”

“Okay…” Rio trailed off, glancing between Odagiri and Tae. “Are you?”

“I’m getting there!” Odagiri huffed, scratching her neck as she fidgeted. Finally she sighed, releasing the tension within and shaking her head. “Fine then. Following a period of self-reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t enjoy being a man. As such, from now on I’d prefer if you referred to me as Akari Odagiri, and used she/her pronouns when speaking of me. Is that understood?”

“Oh um…” Saori blinked, evidently surprised by the sudden ferocity with which Akari spoke. “Okay, that sounds good.”

“It- wait, really?” Akari blinked, evidently not expecting that response for some reason. “Do you mean it?”

“Mhm!” Gallica nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”

“Yeah, sure.” Rio shrugged. “If that’s what you prefer, that’s what you prefer. It might take some getting used to, but we can adjust.”

“That- well, thank you, of course, but-“ Akari scratched her neck nervously, glancing between three girls. “Are you seriously so ready and willing to accept this? On the spot?”

“Well, it isn’t exactly a surprise.” Rio shrugged, earning an indignant sputter from Akari to which she smiled faintly. “You’ve always been a little… what was the word? Omelettey?”

“Eggy.” Saori offered helpfully. “She’s definitely been a little eggy. But I’m… I’m really glad you trusted enough to share who you are, Akari!”

“That- I-“ Akari blushed, still indignant. “Are you telling me that I’m the only one who didn’t know this about myself?!”

“Of course not, I mean- I didn’t want to assume or anything.” Rio shrugged. “But it’s good to have you, Akari. I’m glad you’re on the team.”

“Same goes for me!” Gallica nodded enthusiastically. “Girls Night, woohoo!”

“See? Told ya’ kid.” Tae snorted, patting Akari gently on the shoulder. “They’re good people, they’ll accept you no matter what.”

“I’m seeing that now.” Akari finally managed to pull herself back together, adjusting the tie around her neck as she coughed. “In any case… thank you, Tae. And you as well, Shiomi.”

“Hey, c’mon now.” Kotone shook her head, smiling as she offered the other girl her hand. “If I’m gonna start calling you Akari, you better start calling me Kotone, got it?”

“…got it.” Akari smiled nervously as she took Kotone’s hand, squeezing it gently before letting go. “Thank you, Kotone.”

“Anytime, girl.” Kotone grinned, more than a little amused by the blush that spread across Akari’s face. “Alright then! Anything else on the docket for this month?”

“Well, Sao and I were gonna take the train to go clothes shopping in Okina next week since we’ve had some money building up from Tartarus.” Rio glanced at Saori, then back at Akari. “Think you’d want to join us?”

“Clothes shopping?” Akari blinked, her eyes widening. “I- I’d…”

“You should do it.” Tae elbowed the girl gently, cocking her head to the side. “Sounds like fun.”

“It…” Akari took a deep breath, then nodded. “It does. Very well then, I accept your invitation.”

“Oh, yay!” Saori smiled, clapping softly. “It’ll be a girl’s trip. Do you have any fashion you’d like to try out, or…”

“I-“ Akari blushed looking away. “Well, to tell you the truth, it isn’t something I’ve thought about much beyond the basics.”

“We’ll find you something.” Rio nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ve got you guuuuuurl.”

There was an awkward pause as everyone looked toward Rio, her face locked in an expression somewhere between whimsy and pain before she evidently gave up and sighed.

“…okay fine, I was trying something there and it didn’t work.” Rio coughed, looking away. “Honestly, I’m not good at any of that dress-up stuff anyways. We’ll be trying it out together.”

“That is… honestly, far more assuring.” Akari smiled weakly, nodding. “Thank you both.”

“Okay then!” Kotone pumped her fist. “Now that’s everything, right? I’ll find Chidori, Gallica will go talk to SEES, you three are going shopping, and Tae’s gonna go talk to that therapist!”

“Hey, I never said I was going to.” Tae rolled her eyes. “It was just an option.”

“Yeah well, if you’re going to try and flirt with my mom, then I reserve the right to make sure that her girlypop’s taking care of herself!” Kotone grinned, waggling a finger at Tae. “So, what’s it going to be?”

“…this is the weirdest ultimatum I’ve ever been given.” Tae sighed, shaking her head. “But fine. If that’s what it takes, I’ll talk to the doc about things.”

Wow, that means she’s serious.

“If all goes well, you may have another mother soon.”

Oh God, please don’t say that!

“Alright then.” Kotone nodded, stuffing down the existential dread of what Tae’s intentions with Elly might be as she grinned. “Let’s get to work everyone!”

“Shi- Kotone.” Akari sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Must you really say it that way?”

“Yes!” Kotone stomped her foot, nodding emphatically. “Let’s! Get! To! Work!”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 8^th 2009.

The Day of the Search

It was getting late now.

That was probably a bad thing.

Kotone had hesitated to come back here, to this bench at Port Island Station. A part of her had hoped that it would be simple, and that Chidori was going to be waiting for her there as she had been all throughout the summer. That she’d just be able to walk up to the girl, sit at her side, and say all the things that needed saying. Or, better yet, say nothing at all.

No such luck.

The bench was open as Kotone and Gallica approached it, the empty space seeming to spread into the bigger girl’s heart as she sat down where she had so many times before and let out a sigh.

Shit.

“Well…” Gallica kicked her legs as she settled on Kotone’s shoulder, a frown on her face. “It wasn’t going to be that easy, right?”

“Guess not.” Kotone winced, shaking her head. “No points for hoping, right?”

“I think we could probably say half points.” Gallica smiled reassuringly, shaking her head. “Definitely no point sitting around though. Is there anywhere else she might be?”

“I don’t know.” Kotone groaned, shrugging her shoulders as she slumped into the bench. “That’s the problem, I-“

Ouch! Wait, did I just say that inside my head?

“You’re on guard, dread warrior. There is something poking into your back.”

I can feel that!

Kotone grumbled, sitting up and reaching back to grab hold of whatever had poked her. Her hand found paper, pulling out a sheet that had been placed between the slats of the bench and left to poke her with its edges. She frowned for a moment, smoothing it out before her heart jumped in her chest at the sight of what was on it.

It was a sketch. Of the Moonlight Bay. There was no signature on it, but Kotone knew damn well that there was only one person who could have drawn it.

“Chidori…” Kotone shook her head, showing the sketch off to Gallica. “She’s been here.”

“Oh? Woah, that’s pretty.” Gallica smiled, looking between the sketch and the bay. She furrowed her brow after a moment, uncertain. “Uh… it doesn’t look like it was drawn here though.”

“Huh?” Kotone blinked, holding up the sketch. Now that Gallica mentioned it, she was right. The buildings across the bay were different, as if drawn from another angle. Almost as if… “Oh crap. It’s a clue.”

“A clue?” Gallica jumped into the air as Kotone stood upright, floating after the girl as she headed down to the waterfront. “What sort of clue?”

“She’s an artist, and this is her… her… I dunno, her perspective or something!” Kotone shook her head, upping her pace as she reached the promenade by the sea. The angle still wasn’t quite right, which meant… “C’mon, we have to make this match up. If we find where she drew this, we’ll find Chidori!”

“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?” Gallica tilted her head, thoughtful. “I mean… I guess it makes sense. But is Chidori really the kind of person to leave a puzzle like that?”

“I guess we’ll find out!” Kotone grinned, breaking into a jog as she followed the angle of the drawing, the sun arcing downwards in the sky over the bay as she ran. “C’mon!”

Forward the pair went, ahead and onwards as the world grew darker and Kotone’s heart grew warmer. She knew this was right. It had to be. Chidori had left something to find her with, and by God she was going to do it. It was like something out of a movie almost, it had to be.

So much so that her heart almost didn’t drop when instead of a romantic villa or dramatic showdown spot, she finally managed to line the picture up in front of a decrepit old apartment building standing alone and empty by the sea.

Almost.

Oh.

“So uh…” Gallica slowed to a stop, inspecting the building up and down. To call it a wreck would be generous, it was the kind of building that should have been torn down years ago. Kotone was surprised something like this still existed on Port Island. “Is this the place?”

“I mean, it has to be, right?” Kotone blinked, holding up the sketch for comparison. It was almost perfectly aligned. The only difference was it was drawn from a higher angle, which meant… “She’s here. Up there in the building.”

“If you say so…” Gallica frowned, hovering around the sketch and tilting her head. “Hey, there’s something written on the back here!”

“Wait, there is?” Kotone blinked, flipping the sketch around. “What is it?”

There was an address written on the back.

An address for, as far as Kotone could tell the exact building they were standing outside of.

Shit.

The two girls just stared at it for a long moment, the silence stretching endlessly between them. Finally Kotone coughed, turning toward her friend with a sheepish smile.

“I uh…” Kotone shrugged. “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to everyone else.”

“I bet so.” Gallica smiled playfully, shaking her head. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Go up and talk to her, I’ll be waiting here.”

“Right. Thanks Gallica.” Kotone chortled, nodding appreciatively. “You’re the best.”

“Mhm.” Gallica giggled, turning to watch the sun set over the bay as Kotone jogged toward the worn metal front door of the building. “I know.”

---

The door was unlocked. The staircase at the end of the hall beyond it was unblocked. Kotone didn’t wait a moment, bounding up the stairs with a certain energy she couldn’t quite explain until she found the floor with a half open door waiting for her at its end. She hesitated for a moment, pausing on the steps as she watched the light of the sunset filter through the crack between the door and the frame.

Is this really a good idea? I mean, she is a part of STREGA.

“I believe that ship has sailed, dread warrior.”

…fair enough.

Kotone took a deep breath, steadying herself before she moved forward to step into the apartment. That proved to be a useless gesture as she was left breathless by the sight inside anyways: Chidori awaited framed by the light of the setting sun as she sat on the apartment balcony’s rightmost chair, her hair flowing gently in the wind.

It was, perhaps, the most beautiful thing Kotone had ever seen.

“There you are.” Chidori glanced back over her shoulder, her visible amber eye painted in the colors of the sunset. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t be coming.”

“Yeah well… I’m a bit of an idiot.” Kotone smiled playfully, trying to play it cool against the pounding in her chest as she made her way over to the deck and patted the chair next to Chidori. “Can I sit?”

“Mh.” Chidori nodded, turning back to watch the suns rays dance over the water as it settled behind the mountains past the city. “There’s a chair, isn’t there?”

“Sure is.” Kotone nodded, settling into the chair. The two sat in silence for a long moment, watching the lights come on over the bay as the sun dipped lower in the sky before them. “Chidori, I…”

“This was the first place we found that was safe.” Chidori interrupted, her eyes not meeting Kotone’s. “After we escaped from that lab. It was the only place nobody would try to cast us out, or send us back, or take advantage of us somehow. Takaya dragged Jin and I up the stairs here just around this time of day, and the first thing I saw was this bay stretching out in front of us. Like a painting, drawn by the hand of God.”

…what?

“It seems you may need to temper your expectations, dread warrior. This isn’t the kind of meeting you had hoped.”

Who cares about that now? What the hell is she talking about?!

“I… I don’t understand.” Kotone blinked. “What lab? You escaped from a lab?”

“Of course. You wouldn’t know.” Chidori closed her eyes, bowing her head as she let out a deep sigh. “STREGA started in a lab. The ‘Shadow Testing Response and Energy Guidance Adjunct’. It was the name of the Kirijo Group division that experimented on us. The one that made us… what we are. We took it for ourselves after we got out.”

What they are? The Kirijo Group?

“You’re coming closer to answers it would seem, dread warrior.”

Son of a bitch.

“What did the Kirijo Group do?” Kotone shifted in her chair, turning to face the other girl. “They experimented on you? How? Did Mitsuru know about this?”

“No. She’s too young. And once she developed her Persona naturally… they didn’t bother with us anymore.” Chidori didn’t meet Kotone’s eyes, still staring out at the bay. “Most of our cohort died. The ones that didn’t got… taken away. I don’t know where. I never saw them again.”

“Those fucking-“ Kotone jumped to her feet, her fists balled up in a rage. “Those sons of bitches! They- motherfuckers!”

“Mh. The experiments gave us our Personas, but… they took something else from us in return.” Chidori lifted her hand in front of her, staring at it for a long moment before shaking her head. “Takaya was the only reason we left on our own terms. He broke us out before they could send us off with the others. We owe him more than our lives. We owe him our freedom.”

“Chidori I…” Kotone winced, trying to stop herself from marching off right now and burning the Kirijo Group to the ground with her bare hands. Later. Later. “Takaya, he…”

“Died. To his own bullet. Jin told me.” Chidori shook her head. “He came by before you. Wanted me to join him, and that Ken boy. Wanted to keep STREGA alive. But if STREGA means taking innocent children and bringing them into this life… then maybe we really are no better than the people who did this to us. Takaya didn’t see that, and now he’s dead. It means something.”

Jin still has Ken? Shit.

“A winding web grows around you, dread warrior.”

No kidding. We’ll have to deal with that. But, later.

“I… I know I wouldn’t understand, but you can talk to me about what happened if you want.” Kotone winced, slowly lowering herself back down into her chair. “About STREGA and… all that.”

“It doesn’t matter. It may as well have been a lifetime ago now.” Chidori shook her head, lifting her knees onto the chair so she could hug them tight against her chest. “Now there’s just me, these empty rooms… and memories.”

“And me.” Kotone shook her head. “I’m here too.”

“You are.” Chidori exhaled, turning to look at Kotone for a long moment. “Should you be?”

“That’s a silly question.” Kotone snorted. “You invited me here, didn’t you?”

“I did. Maybe I shouldn’t have.” Chidori winced, turning away. “I helped kill people, Kotone. Innocent people. And not because I had to, because I wanted to. Because it made me feel as if I had control. As simple as that. I’m detestable.”

“You’re not detestable, Chidori, you-“ Kotone hesitated for a moment, before nodding affirmatively. “You were following something that made sense in a world that didn’t. There’s no shame in that.”

“You’re wrong.” Chidori shook her head, staring at the worn paint of the balcony wall. “I made my choices. And I can’t take any of them back now. I’m not like you, Kotone. If you were in my shoes, you never would have become who I am.”

“That’s… flattering, Chidori, but it isn’t true.” Kotone shook her head, smiling nervously. “You started down this path when you were young, and desperate, and lost. STREGA was the only thing you had to hang onto. If I had met you all when I was younger… I might have been like Ken is now.”

“That-“ Chidori furrowed her brow, turning back to stare at Kotone. “What do you mean by that?”

“…y’see that bridge?” Kotone winced, gesturing toward where the Moonlight Bridge towered over the bay like a bloody sentinel. “Ten years ago, there was… an incident there. A big car crash or something, I… I don’t really know. I was asleep in the back of my parents car when it happened. When I woke up, well… there wasn’t really a car anymore.”

“…I see.” Chidori did her best to maintain a neutral expression, but Kotone could see the way her eyes darted between Kotone and the bridge. ”I’m sorry.”

“It’s… well it’s not fine, but-“ Kotone winced, calming the trembling in her hands as she shook her head. “It was a long time ago. A lifetime, like you said.”

“It must have been.” Chidori’s mask faltered, a frown dancing across her lips. “And you were left alone?”

“Uh, yeah. Pretty much.” Kotone tried to laugh, but the sound came out choked. Wrong. “No close family left, and everyone else pretty much just hung me out to dry. I was in a foster home before my parents were in the ground. They weren’t exactly sympathetic to a little girl who cried all the time, so… I didn’t really have anyone to count on. If someone like Takaya had come to me and said that they could give me a home, a family where I’d belong I- well, I get it. A little.”

“But you grew past that, didn’t you?” Chidori looked away. “How?”

“Wasn’t me, really. I just had the right people.” Kotone nodded, biting the inside of her cheek as she stared at the place it had all gone wrong. “Elly and Kei. Rio and Saori. Then after them it was Tae, Gallica, Akari… people in my life who wanted to be around me. Who I could let my guard down with. Be myself with.”

“And your hands aren’t bloodied for it.” Chidori closed her eyes, bowing her head once more. “Takaya told us to only live for the moment. That sparing a thought for anyone else was a mistake. I didn’t even think to consider if he was wrong until I met you. I just did what was easiest.”

“But you changed, didn’t you?” Kotone smiled widely. “You turned your back on that. You made a choice to try and save someone instead. And it worked! Shinjiro’s alive now, because of you.”

“I didn’t do it for Aragaki.” Chidori scoffed, shaking her head. “I couldn’t care less about him. I did it because Takaya bringing Ken into this was wrong. I did it because I didn’t want more blood on my hands. I did it for you.”

“For me?” Kotone blinked, her heart suddenly jumping once more in her chest. Stupidly so. “Chidori, what do you mean you did it for me?”

“Only what I said.” Chidori huffed, shooting Kotone a glance before looking away. “You’re annoying, Kotone. I wouldn’t have cared about any of this before. I was happy to just go day to day, until Death took me as one. But you and your juvenile insistence on protecting life. It infuriated me. Changed me.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Kotone smiled nervously, shrugging. “Sounds like you’re growing to me, Chidori.”

“It is when I can finally look down at my hands and see they’re stained with blood.” Chidori held up a hand once again, the white fabric of her dress swaying softly under twilight skies. “It is when I know now that the only home I ever had is lost to me, and I have nothing left.”

“You have me, Chidori.” Kotone shook her head, reaching a hand out to the girl. “I’ll stay with you. I promise.”

“You said that last time. I believed you then, I…” Chidori swallowed, taking Kotone’s hand and squeezing it. “I want to believe you again.”

“Well then…” Kotone smiled as she stood, pulling the other girl to her feet. They stood there in the fading twilight as the moon began to rise over the bay, the last rays of the sun leaving them as Kotone stepped closer. “Do.”

Chidori didn’t wait another moment, closing the distance between them in an instant. Kotone didn’t hesitate either, wrapping her arms around the other girl’s waist as their lips met and a salvo of unseen fireworks burst far above.

Yeah.

Kotone wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter Text

Friday, October 9^th 2009.

The Day of the Request

“So, let me get this straight.” Kei sighed as he pulled off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he stared at Kotone across the dining room table where she was sat with the most earnest expression she could manage. “This girl was a part of the Persona team that was trying to kill you. That has killed others. She’s been your sworn enemy for almost the better part of a year now. And despite all that… you’re asking if she could live with us?”

“Um.” Kotone blinked, glancing at where Chidori was sat next to her with an unreadable expression. “Yeah. Except she’s also sorta my girlfriend now too?”

“Right. Of course. That too.” Kei took a deep breath, shaking his head as he grit his teeth. “Jesus Christ, you really do take after Elly, don’t you?”

“Well, I think it’s quite 𝒹𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁!” Elly clapped from her seat next to Kei, before grinning and leaning against her hands. “Tell me Chidori, what do you think of 𝑒𝑔𝑔𝓈?”

“Eggs?” Chidori blinked. “They’re good for protein.”

“Well, that settles it then!” Elly jumped to her feet, her hands on her hips. “You’re quite 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 in our home as long as you need it. Come, Kei, we should prepare the 𝓈𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂!”

“Dear God in heaven.” Kei sighed, pulling his glasses back on and standing to join Elly. He paused for a long moment, staring at Chidori and shaking his head. “I don’t want a kid like you out on the streets, and I’ve seen people’s capability to change firsthand, so I’ll give you this chance. But know that if you do anything more to hurt Kotone or her friends, there isn’t a god in the sea of souls that could save you from what I’d do. Got it?”

“I understand.” Chidori nodded, meeting Kei’s eyes with a nod. “Thank you.”

“Good.” Kei stared for a few more moments before going to join Elly in prepping the spare room, leaving Kotone and Chidori alone in the silence that followed.

“Well uh…” Kotone scratched her head, smiling as reassuringly as she could. “That went better than I though it would!”

“You didn’t have to do this, Kotone.” Chidori looked down, biting the inside of her cheek. “I would have been fine on my own.”

“Hey, ‘not leaving’ means not leaving.” Kotone snorted, gently taking Chidori’s hand. The other girl latched onto it, squeezing back hard. “You deserve a place you can feel safe.”

“Soon, maybe.” Chidori shook her head, before looking up once more and turning to Kotone. “Thank you.”

“ ‘course!” Kotone laughed, bumping the other girl gently with her shoulder. “Speaking of which, are you sure you want to join Girls Night? We might run into Jin again, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to.” Chidori nodded seriously. “Ken doesn’t deserve what Jin is putting in his head. We were… teammates for a very long time. I need to stop him.”

“That’s a dangerous way of thinking of things.”

Yeah. I’ll need to keep an eye on her.

“It would be wise to anyhow, dread warrior.”

“Just don’t push yourself too far, alright?” Kotone smiled, standing upright and stretching as she looked around. “Feel free to make yourself at home. They’ll probably take a while getting your room setup, so…”

“Mh. Your foster parents are interesting. Jin didn’t stand a chance.” Chidori stood with Kotone, somehow seeming small in spite of the shadow cast by her dress. “It’s just the three of you here?”

“Uh… not quite.” Kotone shrugged bashfully. “There is sorta one more secret we were keeping. Gallica!”

“Yeah!” Gallica fluttered down the staircase, catching Chidori’s eye as she slowed to a stop. “Hey! I’m Gallica. I’ve sorta been here all along?”

“Gallica?” Chidori blinked, looking between the fairy and Kotone. “I see. That explains the phantom signal I kept detecting.”

“Yep!” Kotone put her free hand on her hip, grinning. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“It’s interesting, for sure.” Chidori nodded, tilting her head ever so slightly. “It’s nice to meet you, Gallica.”

“…I’m starting to think people really aren’t as surprised by me as I’d expect. It’s nice to meet you too.” Gallica frowned, crossing her arms. “Anyways, I heard Kei give you the talk about not betraying us and all, so… I guess it’s my job to give the talk welcoming you to Girls Night, right? So, hey! Welcome!”

“Thank you.” Chidori nodded, a certain nervousness flitting into her voice as she shifted on her feet and squeezed Kotone’s hand tighter. “I appreciate it. And the rest of the team, they’re okay with it?”

“Of course!” Kotone nodded, squeezing back. “They’re excited to have you Chidori. We all are.”

“…I see.” Chidori swallowed, glancing around uncertainly. “Thank you.”

She really seems lost, doesn’t she?

“She is. It’s up to you to show her what she’s found.”

That’s one way to put it.

“C’mon, we can save all that stuff for tomorrow when we go to Tartarus.” Kotone tugged on Chidori’s hand, leading her to the couch where she crashed with a grin. “Like I said, you gotta make yourself at home!”

“That-“ Chidori swallowed as she sat at Kotone’s side, sitting stock still as if worried she was going to break something. “Okay then.”

“Not like that, c’mon!” Kotone rolled her eyes, tugging Chidori so that the other girl all but fell against her, her headpiece only narrowly avoiding stabbing Kotone somewhere she’d really rather not be stabbed. “You can relax here. It’s fine.”

“I…” Chidori blushed, her lips working fruitlessly to find words as she reclined against the other girl. “I’m sorry. I just-“

Shit. I might be pushing too far too fast.

“It’s a valid concern, dread warrior.”

Damnit.

“S-sorry, I-“ Kotone winced, letting go of Chidori’s hand to try and gently give her some space. “I didn’t mean to- I can give you some space if you want.”

“No.” Chidori shook her head emphatically, willing herself tighter against Kotone. “Don’t.”

Oh. Oh wow.

“You’re a warmth she hasn’t had in a long time.”

I can see that. Wow.

“Alright then.” Kotone smiled, reaching to wrap a gentle arm around the other girl. “Welcome home, Chidori.”

Chidori let out a soft sound somewhere between a hum and a grunt, leaning her head to rest against Kotone’s shoulder as she snuggled close. Kotone tried to calm the way her heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at the other girl and brushed a lock of hair out of where it had fallen over her face. It was a perfect moment.

…at least until the bickering from the other room began to leak under the door.

“We don’t need to switch out the curtains, it’s fine!”

“This is the room of a 𝒻𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 young woman, of course it isn’t fine!”

…but that was home too, wasn’t it?

Saturday, October 10^th 2009.

The Day of the Scan

Tartarus loomed tall above Girls Night as they stood in the lobby, its winding floors dark and expectant through the mouth of the clockwork door. The team had long since stopped infiltrating up those imposing steps, the teleporter instead bringing them up and away towards the highest reaches of where they had managed to explore. Still, they served as an excellent podium for Kotone to speak from as she stood overlooking her team, her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

“So, uh…” Kotone shrugged, gesturing excitedly toward where Chidori stood amidst their group. “As you can see, I found Chidori!”

“Yep.” Tae snorted, shaking her head. “Can also see the lipstick on your cheek there, kid.”

“Wh-“ Kotone blushed red, reaching up to feel at her face. Shit. “I uh-“

“She’s messing with you, Kotone.” Akari rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Though based on your reaction, I can’t help but feel as if it’s well-founded.”

“It is.” Chidori nodded, which just made Kotone sputter more. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.” Saori smiled, shaking her head. “It’s really nice actually. She was um… well, sort of pining after you said you wouldn’t see her again. I’m glad it worked out!”

“Was not, that didn’t happen!” Kotone shook her head emphatically, huffing. “A-anyways! Not the point! Chidori’s here now, so we’re going to go over some things. Like the plan that Akari’s so insistent on having. Gallica?”

“Right! So…” Gallica fluttered up to Kotone’s side, ignoring the way their leader stuck her tongue out at Akari as she closed her introduction. “I talked with Junpei and Makoto. I’m pretty sure they believed me, so we’re probably good to work with SEES on the Full Moon.”

“That’s good.” Rio nodded, crossing her arms. “Hopefully there won’t be any more surprises then.”

“That would depend.” Akari shook her head, eyeing Chidori up and down. “If you’re on our side now, could you tell us if STREGA had anything planned for this last Shadow?”

“We didn’t.” Chidori shook her head, tilting it slightly to the side. “Takaya almost always came up with our plans night to night. We wouldn’t know what we were doing until we were doing it.”

“Aw man.” Kotone winced. “I can’t believe I had the same planning philosophy as Takaya. Eugh… anyways, that just means we’ll have to be on the lookout for Jin and Ken. Jin’s probably still going to try and stop us from beating the last Shadow, and Ken… well, we’re probably going to have to work with SEES to get him the hell away from Jin.”

“Sounds good to me.” Tae shrugged, tapping her thumb against the grip of her Evoker. “Happy, Akari?”

“Somewhat.” Akari scoffed, shaking her head. “I could still point at least five different holes in this plan.”

“But you won’t, because it’s fine.” Rio shook her head at the other girl, before turning back to Kotone. “Anything else?”

“Well… there was a plan I was thinking of for tonight.” Kotone shrugged. “It was just an idea though, we don’t have to try it if you don’t want to.”

“There’s no point dancing around it.” Akari shook her head. “Let’s hear it already.”

“Alright, geez. Well as you know, Chidori’s kinda like Saori with her Persona.” Kotone smiled, looking between the two. “She’s got that… scanner and sensor thing going on. I kinda wanted to try and mess with that tonight, if we can.”

“Mess with it?” Chidori raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, we’re sort of looking for something.” Gallica smiled at Girls Night’s newest member, shrugging. “Or, at least we think SEES is. We’re pretty sure there’s something in this tower that’s linked to the Kirijo Group somehow, which is why they’re putting so much effort into exploring it.”

“I see.” Chidori furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment. “I don’t know about anything about that. The tower of demise was always more of a symbol to Takaya than anything. If there’s something inside it, we never found it.”

“I think that’s because we’ve been looking at it the wrong way.” Kotone shook her head. “We keep climbing higher and higher and there’s been nothing. Maybe it’s way above us and we won’t be able to find it before the Dark Hour ends next full moon. Or, maybe it’s somewhere between where we’ve reached and the lobby, in which case we’ve already missed it. I think a scan to check for that would be a better idea than retracing our steps, don’t you?”

“Remind me, why do we think there’s something in Tartarus?” Akari raised an eyebrow. “Was there some sign in particular?”

“Not really, no.” Gallica shrugged sheepishly. “It’s just sort of something we think might explain how SEES acts.”

“It makes about as much sense as climbing Tartarus for no reason, so.” Kotone matched Gallica’s shrug, smiling. “Anyways! I was wondering if it was possible to maybe scan a certain set of floors? Saori’s problem pinpointing stuff has always sort of been that she just scans upwards the whole way. If she had someone else to bounce off of up on another floor, I bet the two of you could probably scan the space between you pretty well.”

“You’re just making this up as you go along.” Rio sighed, smiling faintly. “Sounds like you. It’s worth a shot, I say. Are you two up for it?”

“Mhm!” Saori nodded, tapping the barrel of her Evoker. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“I’ll help.” Chidori frowned, gazing up at the roof of the lobby. “Where should we go?”

“I was thinking we do the farthest floor we can first, to see if it works.” Kotone hopped down from the stairs, making her way over to the teleporter. “And then work our way back from there if it’s too far. Does that make sense?”

“Sure does.” Tae nodded, joining her and reclining against the teleporter. “So, who’s going up?”

“I was thinking you, Chidori, Rio, Gallica, and I.” Kotone nodded at each of the other girls in turn. “Akari can guard Saori here, just in case. Sound good?”

“I’m fine with it.” Akari crossed her arms, nodding. “Don’t die.”

“Promise!” Kotone winked, nodding toward the others but looking specifically at Chidori. “You ready?”

“Mh.” Chidori nodded, looking down to stare at her Evoker for a long moment before nodding. “Let’s go.”

---

There was a flash of green light and a faint warbling as Kotone and the other members of her team emerged into the dark halls of Tartarus. Notably, however, instead of emerging onto the empty boss floor they had programmed for the teleporter, the five of them had emerged into the gloom of one of the more regular floors.

“Oh, um!” Saori’s voice rang out in her head, faint currents of water forming in the air around the team as she spoke. “It… well, it looks like the teleporter malfunctioned. You’re still in the right area, just a few floors down!”

“Figures.” Tae sighed, flicking open her butterfly knife. “So, we going to head up then?”

“This should be fine.” Chidori shook her head, her eyes focusing in on the creeping form of a Shadow making its way curiously toward them. “We just need to clear a little space. Medea!”

Kotone grinned as Chidori put her Evoker against her head, her goat-headed Persona emerging from within with a flash of light. That grin faltered when rather than sallying forth and crush the creeping Shadows, Medea instead began to convulse, distorted and incomprehensible whispers escaping from her lips.

“Ngh… no, not now.” Chidori stumbled, bringing a hand to her head and letting out a gasp as Medea’s form shuddered. “Behave, Medea.”

Medea fell silent, straightening out and holding forth her chalice of flame. There was a muffled roar, followed by the sound of rending flesh as the Shadows were consumed by blinding pillars of fire. Medea hung around a moment longer after they were gone, her head twisting unnaturally to stare at the rest of Girls Night, before vanishing into nothingness and leaving only Chidori in her wake.

“There.” Chidori swallowed, staring at the black stains on the floor where the Shadows had been. “We’ll… we’re okay to start now.”

“Hold on, stop.” Rio glanced between the girl and the spattered remnants of the Shadows, her eyes wide. “What the hell was that?”

“Chidori?” Kotone furrowed her brow, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder as the other girl sucked in shaky breaths. “Are you… alright? Did Medea hurt you?”

“No. It’s nothing. It’s just the way she manifests.” Chidori winced, wiping her mouth as she steadied herself and shakily raised her Evoker once again. “We should begin the scan.”

Chidori grit her teeth, pulling the trigger and summoning forth Medea once more. The Persona whispered another chorus of inaudible words, though this time it wasn’t enough to stagger Chidori. The girl simply marched forward, running her hands through the rivulets of water hanging in the air as she began to hum back down to Saori so they could align their scans. That didn’t ease the fear in Kotone’s heart, however, as she and the rest of the team all stared at the girl with ill-disguised concern.

Is she… okay?

“That’s a question only she can answer, dread warrior.”

…will she?

Silence was the only answer Kotone got to that question.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, November 3^rd 2009.

The Day of the Last Full Moon

Clouds hung low in front of the midnight moon, its glow softened by the weight of their embrace. Girls Night all stood gathered around in the alleyway across from SEES’ dorm, hiding themselves from view as they waited for the Dark Hour to come. Kotone frowned as she leaned against the worn metal side door of the shawarma restaurant that fronted the street here, turning over the ruby red mask she had come to call her own.

In all likelihood, tonight would be the last night she would wear it. There probably wasn’t even a point to that. If SEES wanted to know who they were, they might as well tell them. It didn’t matter now. Tonight was the last night the Dark Hour would exist, and whatever secrets still hidden inside it would die alongside it. All of Girls Night’s scans in Tartarus over the last month had turned up kaput, so whatever secrets that twisted tower held were out of their reach, or hadn’t existed at all.

…maybe they’d all been chasing the wrong thing all this time after all.

It wasn’t a thought Kotone enjoyed, that was for sure.

Still, if tonight really was going to be their last ride, then she figured they might as well exit as they entered: overly dramatic and poorly planned. She smiled as the world began to twist, the Dark Hour coming quickly as she pulled on her mask.

The clock struck midnight.

It was showtime.

“Sao, no shroud tonight.” Kotone shook her head, standing upright and stretching as she smiled from beneath her mask. “I want them to know we’re out here waiting.”

“Got it.” Saori nodded, her Evoker gripped tight in her hands. “So… um… do I just look for the Shadow then?”

“Yep.” Kotone nodded, glancing back toward the silent dorm building. “I’ll go out and meet SEES. The rest of you all come join us once… I dunno, it makes sense I guess? I’ll try to signal you somehow.”

“You have a way with words.” Tae snorted extinguishing the cigarette she’d lit and tossing it into a nearby garbage bin. “No masks for us?”

“No masks. I’m probably going to have to take mine off, so it’s mostly just for dramatic effect.” Kotone winked, choosing to ignore the exasperated look that Akari gave her for her shenanigans. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck! Or, break a leg? I think that’s a thing people say.” Gallica pondered for a moment, before simply shrugging. “Either way, be careful alright?”

“Always am.” Kotone grinned, turning away. “So I’m-“

Kotone was halted by a hand on her wrist tugging her backwards. She paused, turning to find Chidori’s amber eyes staring back her. The other girl stared at her for a long moment, her teeth clenched as if to stop herself from trembling. Then she leaned forward, pushing up Kotone’s mask so she could place a delicate kiss on her lips. Kotone could only stare back at her, dumbfounded for a moment, before grinning as Chidori averted her eyes. “Be careful.”

“…always am too, heh.” Kotone blushed, leaning forward to plant a reciprocal kiss on Chidori’s cheek before readjusting her mask and turning away. “Alright. Let’s get to work.”

“You’re not making that a thing, Kotone.” Akari rolled her eyes as Kotone stepped out into the moonlight. “Stop trying to make it a thing.”

“Shush, I totally am and I totally won’t.” Kotone snorted, shaking her head. “Let’s. Get. To. Work!”

A sudden silence trailed after her outburst as she stepped out into the street, the closeness of the alleyway giving in to the stark open road as she walked toward its center. There was no wind in the Dark Hour, no breeze to buffet her as she stood alone before the world. Just her, the darkness, and the moon.

Until that is, the door to SEES’ dorm clicked open.

Makoto Yuki stood there, framed in shadow as he stared out at her. Their eyes met for a moment, each trying to size up the other for an answer. Then he stepped forward and out, descending the steps without a word. His team followed after him, silent and watchful as they spread out into a group behind their leader. Makoto led them to the road’s center, stopping just short of the line as he appraised the girl standing across from him. Kotone did her best to not shrink under SEES’ scrutinizing eyes, standing as tall and proud as she could even as they tried to pick her apart with their eyes alone.

“An expression is a dangerous thing, dread warrior.”

Of course you’d say that.

“That doesn’t make it any less true.”

“So.” Makoto frowned ever so slightly. “Hey.”

“ℍ𝕖𝕪.” Kotone cleared her throat, trying to stabilize her voice as she shrugged. “ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖.”

“Indeed.” Mitsuru frowned slightly, looking between Kotone and the night. “Some of us, at least. Where is the rest of your team?”

“𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕖, 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪.” Kotone glanced at Fuuka, shrugging. “𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪'𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖.”

“Er… okay.” Fuuka gulped, seemingly not expecting Kotone to address her directly. “Well- wh-why aren’t they out here then?”

“Yeah.” Makoto nodded his agreement. “And why are you still wearing the mask?”

“𝔹𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕕𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕔!” Kotone stuck her tongue out, even though she knew they wouldn’t be able to see it beneath the mask. “𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕝𝕤𝕠 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕀 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤𝕟'𝕥 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕞𝕓𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕗𝕗.”

“We wouldn’t do that, we’re not STREGA.” Akihiko shook his head, rolling his shoulders nervously. “I promise.”

The dog on their team barked in affirmation, which if Kotone was being honest felt like more of a guarantee than the white-haired boy’s words. She sighed, tilting her head to the side and shaking it.

“𝕊𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕚𝕗 𝕀'𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥.” Kotone shrugged. “𝕀 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕕, 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥?”

“That’s just a name.” Yukari rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we’re the ones out here sulking around wearing masks and stuff.”

“I promise we won’t try to hurt you.” Makoto shook his head, his eyes not leaving Kotone’s. “You have my word.”

Is that enough?

“That’s up to you to decide.”

…I guess if the leader and the dog say they’re cool, then they’re probably cool.

“𝔸𝕝𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟.” Kotone sighed, grinning nonetheless as she reached a hand up and pulled free her disguise with a flourish. “Here I am.”

 “Aw dude!” Junpei pumped his fist, grinning. “I told you! You see that Yukatan, I told you it was Shiomi!”

“Yeah yeah…” Yukari groaned, crossing her arms annoyedly. “I still think Natsuhara’s going to be one of them though. The bet was that she was on the team, not the leader.”

“C’mon, that’s no fair!” Junpei groaned, tilting his head to the side. “Aw man…”

“Shiomi, is it?” Mitsuru stepped forward, looking Kotone up and down. “From class 2-F, if I remember right? You’re the leader of Girls Night?”

“Sure am.” Kotone continued to grin, hoping her smile would somehow hide the pounding of her heart in her chest. “But uh… sorry to say Yukari, I think you’re still gonna have to pay out.”

That’s a good enough signal, right?

“These are the reasons you should figure these things out ahead of time.”

It’ll be fine!

From the shadows behind Kotone, the rest of Girls Night emerged out into the open, their faces shrouded in green moonlight. By the looks on SEES’ faces, their arrival was suitably dramatic, even if Yukari looked more annoyed than awed as she reached into the pocket of her jacket and forked over a wad of yen to Junpei.

“Hm.” Makoto shrugged as he watched the team emerge, a distant look in his eye. “There’s more of you than I thought.”

“We can recruit people too y’know!” Gallica crossed her arms as she hovered next to Kotone, rolling her eyes as she did. “We’re a fully functioning team!”

“Well, Hasegawa and Iwasaki make sense I guess.” Akihiko shrugged as he glanced between the two girls. “You two and Shiomi always seemed close. And is that the school nurse with you?”

“Nurse’s assistant more like.” Tae shook her head, sighing. “But yeah. It’s me.”

“Odagiri…” Mitsuru seemed taken aback as she ignored the banter, staring at Akari with ill-disguised shock. “You… you’ve been hiding this?”

“Well, Ms. Kirijo.” Akari crossed her arms, doing her best to meet the student council president’s eyes without backing down. “You have too, haven’t you?”

“…I suppose so.” Mitsuru swallowed, her eyes scanning the rest of the team uncertainly, before zeroing on the way Chidori was staring at her with a cold look in her amber eyes. “Is that…”

“Wait, hold on a second!” Yukari’s eyes widened as her hand went to the Evoker latched to her hip. “She’s from STREGA!”

“Formerly!” Kotone jumped between Chidori and SEES as the tension spiked, and everyone’s hands went for their weapons. “She used to be part of STREGA, but she left!”

“You don’t just leave STREGA.” Akihiko hissed, his fists clenching as he raised them in a defensive stance. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Then how does it work?” Rio retorted, one hand on her hammer and the other on her Evoker. “If you do something bad, you’re just supposed to be stuck with it? She saw that STREGA was wrong and she left, is there a problem with that?”

“I mean, you kinda got a point there dude, but-“ Junpei winced, scratching his head with a shrug. “She killed people, didn’t she? That’s messed up.”

“I did.” Chidori exhaled, stepping forward. Kotone winced, instinctively moving to try and stop her, to try and protect her. Chidori just shook her head.

She could do this.

“I was a part of STREGA. I helped Takaya find the people who were put on Jin’s website, it’s true.” Chidori nodded, standing tall and proud as she faced down SEES. “I know that because of that, I might as well have killed them myself.”

“Then you are a threat.” Aigis began to whir, raising her hands in front of her. “You must be eliminated.”

“Stand down, Aigis.” Makoto shook his head, still staring at Chidori head on. “Go on.”

“I know that I can’t undo what I’ve done. In the same way I can’t undo what’s happened to me.” Chidori shook her head, staring long and hard at Aigis as she did. “The only thing I can do now is try and do better for the people I care for. To make amends for what I have already done.”

“That is… a noble sentiment.” Mitsuru frowned, looking hesitant for a moment. “However, that doesn’t change the innocent lives on your conscience. That isn’t something so easily rid of.”

“Yeah, well it also doesn’t change what your company did to her!” Kotone couldn’t help herself, stomping her foot as she glared at Mitsuru. “That’s her point, we can’t change what’s already happened so we have to do what we can now to make things right!”

“What my company did?” Mitsuru took a step back, blinking. “What do you mean by that? What are you talking about?”

“I told you she wouldn’t know.” Chidori glanced at Kotone, shaking her head before turning back to SEES. “Everyone hurts one another. I want to make things are right as I can. Is that wrong?”

“Hold the phone on that for now, wait.” Yukari made an X motion with her hands in front of her. “You can’t just drop that on us without explaining. What did the Kirijo Group do?”

“We can talk about it later.” Makoto cleared his throat, shooting a sidelong glance at Mitsuru and Yukari. “Clock’s ticking.”

“…of course.” Mitsuru pursed her lips, inhaling for a long moment before sighing. “Very well then. If you vouch for her Shiomi, then I suppose we’ve already come to the table of trust. Whatever truths we have to share with one another can wait until the Dark Hour has been ended once and for all. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

“Agreed. I’m glad we could sort this out and focus on the problem at hand.” Akari harrumphed, glancing between Saori and Fuuka. “So, where is it?”

“Well, it’s…” Saori fidgeted nervously, glancing at Kotone. “It’s um…”

“I-I’m sorry, you’re not going to like this, leader.” Fuuka swallowed nervously, also looking uncomfortably toward Makoto. “It’s…”

It’s on the Moonlight Bridge.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, November 4^th 2009.

The Midnight of the Last Shadow

Both teams were silent as they pedalled toward the Moonlight Bridge, following the trailing shadow of Tartarus toward the wide arc of the bay. Despite herself, Kotone volunteered to ride at the front of the formation alongside Makoto, refusing to hide away from what would need to be done.

Tonight was the night that they would face Jin again. Ken too, probably. There was no way STREGA would just let them get away with destroying the last Shadow, and the Dark Hour with it. Not a chance.

More importantly, tonight was the night that Kotone would stand on the Moonlight Bridge again, and face the endless horizon that came with it.

She didn’t know where everyone else’s thoughts were as they turned down the road toward the bridge’s imposing towers, but she knew where hers were. In the flames of that metal wreckage, in the ashes of where her life had been, in the darkest night so lit by fire that it blazed an unending mark on her soul.

Kotone didn’t want to be here now.

She had to be.

She slowed to a stop just short of first tower, parking her bike next to a car empty but for the coffin in its driver’s seat. Makoto did the same, the two of them silent as they stared ahead. A pair of figures stood waiting for them, one tall and one not. Beyond them, an indistinct beast loomed, swirling blades and hanging sinew languishing in the shadow of the full moon.

It was horrifying.

It was nothing.

“…you were here too, weren’t you?” Makoto gripped the handlebars of his bike almost imperceptibly tighter, his eyes wide as they glimmered in the moonlight. “That day?”

“…yeah.” Kotone nodded, her voice small as she followed his gaze across the graveyard none would ever know. “I was.”

“Right.” Makoto dismounted his bike, pulling his sword from the scabbard at his side and nodding at his counterpart. “Then we lead together.”

“Heh. You read my mind.” Kotone flashed a grin, unhooking her naginata from where it hung over her shoulder and standing by the boy’s side. “Let’s do this.”

The teams advanced toward the two figures awaiting them, Jin and Ken’s outlines seeming larger than life in the moonlight. The taller boy only sneered as they approached, one hand in the pocket of his coat and the other on Ken’s shoulder as the kid shivered.

“Alright, Jin.” Kotone gripped her naginata tight, staring the taller boy down as the two teams fanned out around him. “What the hell?”

“That’s all you have to say?” Jin’s sneer only deepened as he watched the encroaching parties come closer. “You scum killed Takaya, and that’s it?”

“Takaya died to his own bullet because he lost sight of what was important.” Chidori stepped forward, one hand already on the chain of her axes as she glared at her former teammate. “You have to stop, Jin.”

“Oh, you… you!” Jin snorted, shaking his head as his gaze turned to stare Chidori down. “That’s real fucking rich coming from you! How long were you planning on betraying us, huh? Was it before or after you fell for some primmed up trash slut?”

Chidori didn’t wait another second, her axe flying forward as if shot out of a cannon. Jin barely had time to react, the axe striking him in the shoulder and tearing a bloody gash as Chidori yanked it back. Jin stumbled, his hand leaving Ken’s shoulder to clutch his wound as he screamed in pain and Chidori’s eyes lit up in rage.

“Chidori, hey!” Kotone gasped, snapping to attention as everyone’s eyes shifted to the red-haired girl. “What are you doing?!”

“I won’t let him say that about you.” Chidori shook her head, her hand trembling as she glared at Jin with eyes full of hate. “I won’t.”

“Chidori, control yourself. If this joint operation is to work, we must all work together.” Mitsuru shook her head stepping forward to look Jin up and down. “Jin. It’s clear see the reality of your situation by now. You are vastly outnumbered and out of options. Release Ken and allow us to destroy the Shadow.”

“Release him?” Jin laughed, blood dripping past his fingers as he stood upright and grinned. “He’s not a prisoner here, he’s a part of STREGA! It’s on you for not seeing his potential.”

“Is that true, Amada?” Akari frowned, staring at the boy. “Are you here by your own free will?”

“I…” Ken continued to shiver, staring at the spear he held in his hands like it was the only thing keeping his grounded. “Jin respects me… h-he doesn’t treat me like a little kid. He’s going to help me avenge my mom, he’s… he’s got to help me avenge my mom.”

“Ken, that-“ Akihiko’s face dropped, his hands falling to his sides. “You don’t need to do this. This isn’t right, a kid like you should-“

“I’m not a kid!” Ken took a step toward Akihiko, his eyes aflame. “I can make my own decisions! And I… I…”

“You’re going to live free.” Jin hissed, pulling his hand out of his pocket and holding a narrow tube with a red button on the top for all to see. “And there’s nothing any of you can do to stop it!”

“Wait…” Gallica’s eyes widened from where she hid behind Kotone, staying out of sight as she peeked out at the desperate boy. “Is that a-“

Click.

There was a blast from behind the teams, a burst of fire and sound that lit up the night and rumbled through the bridge beneath them. Kotone turned, horrified at the flickering flames that had suddenly consumed the charred metal that was once about half their bikes, the others knocked to the wayside by the blast. Fortunately the nearby cars didn’t seem to have been affected, but Kotone was. She felt her body freeze down to the core, an icy grip grabbing hold of her heart as she watched the flames flicker and the fire rise.

“Steady, dread warrior.”

I… I can’t… I…

“You don’t always need to be strong. Only when it matters. Feel what fear you must, but hold steady in spite of it.”

“You all thought I was a joke, didn’t you?!” Jin grinned, his eyes alight as he threw aside the detonator and pulled another one out of his coat. “Well the joke’s on you! I’ve rigged every one of the cars between here and the base of the bridge to blow, as soon as I press down on this! If you don’t want those pathetic normies to get burnt to a crisp once the Dark Hour ends, then you better do as I say!”

“You…” Makoto stood stock still, his eyes on the detonator as the rest of the teams froze on the spot. “Why bring them into this?”

“Why? Because I can!” Jin laughed again, more than a tinge of madness echoing through his voice as he gestured widely. “That’s the beauty of STREGA, you moron. This, right here, right now is all that matters! Even if that traitorous bitch turned her back on us, at least she’s still got the guts to act! Now, throw away your weapons and back away! Slowly, and no funny business!”

“…do what he says.” Kotone’s voice almost came out as a whisper, her weapons falling from her hands as she took a step backwards. “We can’t risk it.”

“No way dude!” Junpei shook his head emphatically, both hands gripping tight to his sword. “We can’t just do that!”

“Nobody innocent dies tonight.” Makoto nodded, dropping his sword and Evoker next to Kotone’s weapons. “Do it.”

Kotone felt a presence vanish from her back as she watched the rest of the teams slowly lower their weapons, anger and confusion clear in their eyes. They all moved as Jin had instructed, giving the two members of STREGA space as the fire continued to burn behind them, and they stood there cowed and defenceless.

All but one, Kotone hoped.

Please, let her have gotten the message.

“You ask for faith, dread warrior.”

I… I don’t have anything else. Please…

“Good… good, haha!” Jin laughed wildly, taking a step forward with a grin still on his face. “Perfect! Perfect, so… so you all see now? You don’t fuck with STREGA! You don’t! You hear me?”

“We hear you.” Makoto nodded, his eyes not leaving Jin’s. “What now?”

“Now?” Jin blinked, furrowing his brow as if the question hadn’t even crossed his mind until just that moment. “Now… now the Dark Hour keeps going. We keep our freedom! And… and…”

Jin trailed off, his blood still flowing slowly between his fingers as a sudden silence fell over the bridge. There was nothing but the sound of the flames burning themselves out behind the teams, and Jin’s heavy breathing as his eyes darted around them, lost as to what was meant to come next.

For a moment, Kotone dared hope that he would falter.

And then, Jin smiled.

“One of you!” Jin waved at the teams with the detonator hand, blood arcing through the air around him as he grinned. “One of you’s gotta die! Tonight, you hear me? If you wanna save those normies, it’ll cost you!”

“Not a chance.” Akari scowled back at the boy, her arms as ever crossed in front of her. “We refuse, outright.”

“Hey, did you forget?!” Jin snarled, tapping the detonator in his hand as he continued to wave it around. “We do what I say! And I say one of you dies for being dumb enough to fight STREGA! And… and…”

Jin hesitated for another moment, before he seemed to find his footing with an awful, screeching laugh.

“And you know what?” Jin turned to Ken, his grin twisted and vile. “Ken gets to decide who!”

“Wh-what?” Ken seemed to suddenly snap to attention, the distant and troubled look in his eyes vanishing as he whirled to face Jin. “Wait, I didn’t-“

“Jin, that’s-“ Kotone dared to take a step forward, the boy’s eyes turning toward her with a hateful glare. “He’s just a kid, you can’t make him-“

“I’m not a kid damnit!” Ken stomped his foot, his whole body trembling as he turned back to the crowd. “I’m… I-I’m…”

“C’mon, who’ll it be?” Jin’s eyes darted between his opponents, his hand twitching against the detonator. “The traitor? Or, oh, how about the bitch that killed Takaya, huh? Or one of the leaders, cut the heads of the chickens and watch them run around, eh? Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It’s your choice Ken, you can kill any of them you want!”

“I…” Ken grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. “I…”

“Fat chance!” Gallica grinned as she shot forth from the darkness, slamming into Jin’s hand with all her might and sending the detonator flying out of his hand. The fairy tumbled through the air, steadying herself as the weapon tumbled across the bridge, landing in front of Kotone’s foot. On instinct, she stomped down on it, the plastic crumbling beneath her shoes as Jin yelled and the world suddenly felt lighter. “Nice job!”

“What-“ Jin’s jaw tightened, his eyes locked on Gallica as the teams rushed forward to grab their weapons. “What the hell is that thing?! Ken, get rid of it!”

“That-“ Ken’s uncertainty finally reached a crescendo, his eyes as wide as saucers as he stared at the hovering fairy before him. “I don’t-“

“Damnit! You useless brat!” Jin reeled back, his fist clenched in rage as his eyes sparked with madness. “Do as I say or-“

 He didn’t get to finish. One moment, the boy was moving to strike Ken, his fist angled right for the kid’s face. The next, there was another flash of crimson blood, and his arm was sent flying.

Literally.

Makoto stood, his expression blank and his stance unyielding as he sliced upwards with his blade and cut Jin’s arm clean off. The other boy didn’t even scream this time, just staring dumbfounded as his arm fell limply across the bridge and even more blood poured from his fresh wound.

“That- you- you didn’t-“ Jin sputtered, stumbling backwards toward the edge of the bridge as he could only stare in shock at where his arm was supposed to be. “Oh. Oh shit.”

And then he stumbled back over the edge and tumbled down into the darkness below, leaving the two teams only to stare at the absence where he had been.

Is… is he…

“It matters little for now, dread warrior.”

Yeah, but…

There was silence for a long moment, the windless night stretching out over what felt like an eternity as the teams tried to process what had just happened.

“Well.” Tae whistled, shaking her head. “Shit.”

That was enough to break the tension in the air, a few of SEES and the members of Girls Night going to the edge to watch where he had fallen. Not Kotone though. Her eyes were locked on Ken, his form shriveled up and small as he lowered himself to the ground and hugged his knees to his chest.

Just like…

“Hey Sao.” Kotone glanced at the navigator, cocking her head towards the boy. “…could you keep an eye on him? While we finish things up?”

“Oh um-“ Saori blinked, seemingly taken aback by the suggestion. ”S-sure.”

“Thanks.” Kotone smiled weakly, moving to where Makoto stood on the same spot he had been when he cut Jin’s arm off. He had lowered his sword by now, his eyes glued to what awaited them as the twisted form of the Hanged Man continued to loom in the dark. Kotone joined him, standing silently for a few long moments before glancing at her other. “…you gonna be alright?”

“Yeah.” Makoto nodded, only now seeming to notice her presence as he glanced to the side. “I will. I don’t regret it at all.”

“You shouldn’t. He was going to hit a kid.” Yukari snorted as she moved to Makoto’s other side, glancing back to look at where Saori and Koromaru had gathered around Ken, speaking softly to the boy in gentle whispers and quiet barks. “So what now?”

“Now we finish this, once and for all.” Mitsuru stepped forward, her rapier in hand as she nodded at the others. “Is everyone ready?”

“SEES is functional and prepared.” Aigis nodded, her hands revving and spinning as she prepared for battle. “Awaiting update on Girls Night.”

“Well that’s-“ Kotone glanced around, finding all her teammates looking back at her with determined looks on their faces. All but one, that is. “…Chidori?”

Chidori stood at the edge of the bridge, staring down at the bloody sea far below. She shook her head at Kotone’s words, turning to face her girlfriend. There was an undeniable grief in her amber eyes as she silently walked back to the others, grabbing hold of Kotone and leaning against her with a trembling sort of insistence.

“Chidori, you-“ Kotone winced, turning to the girl. “If you’re not ready yet, you don’t need to do this.”

“No. You’ve helped me face myself.” Chidori shook her head, her free hand tightening around the chain between her axes. “Let me help you.”

“She’ll be loyal to you until the end.”

Is… is that a good thing? I don’t know if she can take much more of this.

“She’s taken worse before.”

“…alright then. But if it’s too much, you can back off and stay with Saori, got it?” Kotone smiled weakly, planting a gentle kiss on the other girl’s cheek before turning back to Makoto. “Alright. Ready.”

“Good.” Makoto didn’t wait another second, stepping forward and into battle. “Then let’s go.”

---

For all it meant and was, the fight against the Hanged Man was remarkably simple.

The combined strength of two teams was more than even it could take, the hanging beast coming to a remarkably underwhelming end as they levied the whole of their strength against it. The last gasp of the Dark Hour died screaming, a blackened miasma coalescing up and out into the night as the two teams could only stare on and watch it go.

“So… that’s it?” Junpei blinked, tapping the space it had been with the end of his sword. “We did it?”

“We did, yes.” Mitsuru sighed, seeming as if the whole weight of the world was being lifted off her shoulders in that moment. “It’s over. It’s done.”

“Well damn.” Tae blinked, flicking her butterfly knife closed with a nod. “Guess so.”

“I… I don’t know how to feel, really.” Rio holstered her hammer, staring at her now emptied hand. “We never did find out the truth for ourselves, did we?”

“I suppose not, but…” Mitsuru shook her head, a faint smile on her face as she turned to Girls Night. “Now that you’ve upheld your side of the deal, we’ll uphold ours. Please, come to our dorm tomorrow night. We’ll be holding a celebration to mark the end of the Dark Hour, we can discuss its history with you then.”

“What?” Akari scowled, staring at Mitsuru dead on. “That wasn’t the deal, Kirijo. It’s tonight, or nothing.”

“Akari, it’s fine.” Kotone put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, shaking her head. “We can wait.”

“But-“ Akari grit her teeth, looking around. At the way SEES stood slumped, the pressure of their mission suddenly vanished. At the way Ken still trembled, standing off to the side with Saori’s hand on his shoulder as he stared at the empty space where Jin had been. At where Chidori stood now, her eyes on the bloodied horizon as her hair hung limply around her face. It was nothing, it was everything, it was enough. Akari sighed, turning away. “Fine. But don’t think you won’t be explaining this tomorrow, Kirijo.”

“Of course.” Mitsuru nodded seriously. “You have my word.”

“Good.” Kotone grinned, though she knew it was faker than ever. “We better.”

“Do you doubt them, dread warrior?”

No, but… I doubt something. I just don’t know what.

“A wiser instinct than most.”

“C’mon everyone.” Kotone sighed, glancing around at the others as she turned her eyes away from the Moonlight Bridge on which they walked and back towards the life that awaited them next. “…let’s get the hell off this thing already.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, November 5^th 2009.

The Day of the Party

Kotone was getting a weird sense of déjà vu.

Here she was with her team, standing in the alleyway across from SEES’ dorm, the shadows wrapped around them as they awaited the designated hour. If she blinked, she could almost imagine it was the night before, the reality of a coming battle looming before them like a storm as they waited in the darkness of silence.

Only it wasn’t a fight.

It was a party.

…allegedly.

“Uh, Saori?” Gallica had frowned at the pale eyed girl, uncertain of what she was seeing. “…why are you wearing a suit?”

“It… well, it was my parents’ idea…” Saori rubbed her arm nervously, shrugging through the ill-fitted grey suit she was wearing. “I told them that I was invited to a party by Mitsuru Kirijo, and they said it was… well, important to make a good impression.”

“That’s nuts.” Rio shook her head. “Your parents are nuts. But… I guess if my parents were here, they’d probably do the same thing. So…”

“My father is in prison.” Akari shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek as she stared at the dorm alongside Chidori. “Even still, I doubt he’d go that far.”

“Sounds like everyone’s got a bit of a problem with their parents. Figures.” Tae shrugged, her leather jacket and spiderweb patterned skirt standing in sharp contrast to Saori. “Aside from Kotone, of course. Hers are cool.”

“Tae, if you’re really seducing my mom, you don’t need to suck up to her when she’s not here. I’m pretty sure she likes it when people are direct.” Kotone stuck her tongue out at the older woman, rolling her eyes as she turned back to face the dorm. “Alright now. Everyone ready?”

“Mh…” Chidori took in a deep breath, reaching a hand out to lock her arms with Kotone before nodding. “I am now.”

“Heh. Nice.” Kotone grinned, stepping out into the light with a wink. “Alright then, let’s get to work!”

“Kotone.” Akari groaned as the team stepped out onto the sidewalk, glancing up and down the road to check that there were no cars before crossing. “You’re not making it a thing.”

“I’m making it a thing!” Kotone laughed, making her way up the steps and knocking on the door without another moment of hesitation. “C’mon, loosen up! It’s a party!”

“It’s also an exchange of information.” Akari shook her head, crossing her arms. “Remember, tonight is the night we find out what the Kirijo Group was up to with SEES.”

“Or their version of it at least.” Rio sighed. “I’m still not sure I trust whatever they try to sell us as the truth.”

“The Dark Hour ending means we don’t really have a lot of choice though.” Gallica sighed, hands on her hips. “I guess we should just be glad to take what we can get.”

“It also means that we won’t ever really know where you came from…” Saori frowned, tapping her foot nervously. “Right?”

“Well… yeah, I guess.” Gallica frowned, tapping her cheek. “But honestly, I’m just glad that I’m still here. As long as I get to stick around, I think I’m okay not really knowing that part. Mystery’s a part of life, right?”

“That’s certainly one way to look at it.” Akari sighed. “In any case-“

“Girls Night?” The front door opened, a purple-haired woman in what could only be described as a tactical maid uniform peering out at them. “You’re expected. Come in.”

“That’s our cue!” Kotone smiled, leading her team inside. SEES was gathered around the table in the middle of their sitting area, a few boxes of half-finished pizza open in front of them. Aigis was nowhere to be found, her spot filled by a severe looking man with an eyepatch and a frown on his face set so deep it seemed to be carved into his skull. Kotone wasn’t sure if the sight was more or less intimidating than the combat android, but she was sure that she wasn’t one to back down. “Mr. Takeharu Kirijo, right?”

“That would be correct.” Takeharu nodded, staring Kotone down with his stormy grey eye. “I see you’ve done your research.”

“Not really, I just figure there isn’t anyone else you could be.” Kotone raised her head, grinning. “My name’s Kotone Shiomi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Ms. Shiomi.” Takeharu bowed his head ever so slightly. If he was thrown of by her casual attitude, he showed no signs of it. “Thank you for your assistance in destroying the Dark Hour. I regret that we weren’t able to procure your assistance earlier.”

“Well, the situation wasn’t exactly simple.” Rio crossed her arms, shrugging. “You can see how SEES looks suspicious from the outside, right?”

“I can. We’re fortunate it all worked out in the end.” Takeharu glanced at the members of SEES, hesitating for a moment before shrugging. “I understand you’ve come here for a discussion about the truth behind the Dark Hour, but this is still a party. Please, help yourself to any refreshments you would like.”

“They can wait.” Akari shook her head, tapping her foot in an irregular pattern against the carpet. “We want to know the truth more than anything else right now.”

“Of course.” Takeharu nodded, gesturing for Girls Night to all join him around the coffee table. “I’m afraid the rest of the party will have to wait then.”

“Aw man, really?” Junpei groaned, shaking his head. “I though we were gonna take a big team picture with everyone!”

“Maybe later?” Gallica smiled apologetically as the purple-haired maid returned, carrying a projector and placing it facing the blank wall to the side. “This is pretty important.”

“Indeed.” Mitsuru nodded, her hands behind her back as she glanced at her father. “What you are about to see is nothing less than the casus belli of SEES as an organization. Our reason for being, you could say.”

“That sounds intense.” Saori let out a breath, biting the inside of her cheek as the maid plugged in all the hardware for the presentation. “What is it?”

“The final words and testimony of Eiichiro Takeba.” Takeharu nodded seriously as the lights dimmed. “He was a scientist in the Kirijo Group’s employ. And as you will see… his final testimony will shed some light on what happened that day ten years ago to necessitate SEES’ existence.”

“Yukari.” Makoto looked over at the girl, who was staring at the projector intensely. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.”

“No.” Yukari shook her head, her eyes glued to screen. “We finally did what he asked, so… I want to see him one last time. Tell him that we made it.”

Kotone didn’t get a chance to ask what that meant exactly before the video flickered on, and the face of a man who looked remarkably like Yukari staring into the camera with the most mournful eyes the girl had ever seen.

“I pray that this recording reaches safe hands. My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived, I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster... But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price. Please, listen carefully, the Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success, and so I didn't raise any objections... it’s all my fault...”

The scene burst into static, the sound filling the air and screen for a few excruciatingly long moments before the maid pressed a button, and the room was plunged into darkness once more.

“Dr. Takeba was a member of the Kirijo Ergonomics Research Institute, and later Shadow Exploitation and Examination Squadron. He was part of the team working with my father, Kouetsu Kirijo, to study Shadows.” Takeharu’s face was somber as the maid flicked the lights back on, his eye downcast as he stared at his hand. “When he discovered that my father’s intentions were… apocalyptic, he destroyed the labs and the experiment with them. The resulting incident created Tartarus above the site of the incident, and with it… the Dark Hour.”

“Until yesterday, the consequences of my grandfather’s sin have haunted the world.” Mitsuru nodded somberly. “But with your help, SEES was finally able to put an end to it. Words cannot express our thanks.”

…what the fuck.

“It is often the most unbelievable that becomes truth.”

Still. What the fuck.

“So… what you’re saying is that SEES has just been you getting kids to clean up your father’s crazy occult mess?” Rio furrowed her brow, turning to look between Takeharu and Mitsuru. “Is that seriously it?”

“Yes.” Takeharu bowed his head. “I deeply regret the reality that led my daughter and the rest of SEES to act as our agents, but as far as we were aware Personas only manifested under unique circumstances. Attempts to replicate the situations artificially were rejected, we had to make due with the pool of Persona users we had available.”

“Maybe this is wrong to say, considering you’re technically my employer.” Tae sighed, crossing her arms. “But that shit’s fucked.”

“Yeah. It was.” Makoto nodded his agreement. “But it’s over now.”

“Amen to that.” Akihiko crossed his arms, sighing. “It was about time.”

“What about Chidori?” Kotone glanced at her girlfriend, who was still staring at the blank projector. The experiments that happened to her and STREGA, what about them? Do you have an explanation for those?”

“That is something I’d like answered myself.” Takeharu scowled, his expression only softening ever so slightly as he turned to Chidori. “Whatever has happened to you, I found no record of it in our archives. My father’s efforts to conceal his crimes were absolute, and I’m afraid any evidence of what might have occurred to lead you down this path has been destroyed. You have my sincerest apologies.”

Chidori said nothing, her gaze turning to stare Takeharu dead-on. Her fist tightened, her hand gripping Kotone’s like a vice as her body trembled faintly, invisible to any but the girl beside her.

“It’s a miracle she hasn’t gutted him already.”

Yeah… she’s strong for not doing it.

“She avoids it for you, dread warrior.”

“Your apology is only words.” Akari shook her head. “How do you expect to make it up to her?”

“That process can only begin once we understand what’s happened, exactly.” Mitsuru frowned, glancing away before looking back at the other girl. “Chidori. I know it may be difficult, by any information you might be able to provide about what was done to you would help immeasurably in accounting for whatever crimes the Kirijo Group is responsible for.”

Chidori still said nothing, her eyes flickering between the Kirijos like a cornered animal. Kotone could only do her best to be there for her, squeezing her hand back as she scooted closer and laid her head against the other girl’s shoulder.

“It’ll be okay, Chidori.” Saori smiled sympathetically. “We’re here with you when you’re ready, alright?”

“And if the Kirijos try anything, we are here as well.”

They wouldn’t. Would they?

“That you doubt tells you everything you need to know.”

“…they took us when we were young.” Chidori’s eyes fell, staring at her lap. “From the streets. I was happy at first, because it was a place that was warm. There was a man there. He was… funny. He told us jokes, said that we were going to be part of something important. Then… the cages.”

The room was dead silent. SEES, Girls Night, Takeharu, even the maid standing off to the side and pretending not to eavesdrop. You could hear a pin drop then, nothing but absolute and total silence to surround them all.

“What next?” Yukari’s voice quivered, her lips trembling as she stared at the girl. “What happened n-“

The clock struck midnight.

A sickly green haze filled the air, the stale air of the Other World washing over Kotone as the world wavered and darkness came. She blinked for a few moments, staring around with wide eyes as she tried to understand what was going on. Her team, SEES, and even Takeharu seemed to be doing the same, the sudden realization of the truth striking them as they turned to see the looming black coffin standing where the purple-haired maid had been.

The Dark Hour was here.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Akari jumped to her feet, her hand instinctively going to where her Evoker would usually be. “You said the Dark Hour would be done.”

“It- it’s supposed to be!” Mitsuru’s voice raised, an octave higher than Kotone had ever heard it. “Father, what’s going on?”

Takeharu was silent, his single eye spread wide in surprise. Without a word he stood, staring into empty space as if contemplating the Dark Hour itself. The teams followed after him, looking around and blinking as if trying to make the anomaly disappear.

“Dude…” Junpei took a few careful steps back, his hands twitching as if unsure what to do with himself. “What the hell is going on?”

“Something’s wrong.” Makoto shook his head, turning to his team. “Yukari, Akihiko, go grab the equipment from the storage room. Fuuka, start a scan for what’s out there. Junpei, Mitsuru, Koro. You’re with me, we need to mobilize and find out what’s going on.”

“Oh, there won’t be any need for that Mr. Yuki.” A new voice echoed through the room, muffled by the weight of the front door. “In fact, I think you all should stay right where you are.”

The door swung open, so fast that Kotone felt a distinct change in pressure as it did. Standing there on the threshold, the full moon at his back and a pair of mechanical girls at his side, stood a man in glasses smiling like the sun.

“Chairman Ikutsuki?” Fuuka’s voice was quiet as she stared at the man, and the androids beside him. “What are you doing here? Wh-why is Aigis with you? Who’s that?”

“Don’t worry overmuch Ms. Yamagishi. It will all be clear soon.” Ikutsuki laughed, placing his hand on his hip. “Now then, we should hurry, we-“

“You!” Chidori suddenly snapped, pulling away from Kotone as she stared daggers at the man before them. “YOU!”

“Oh, hello again.” Ikutsuki smiled at Chidori, pushing up his glasses. “My, how strange for us to meet like this again #092. I do hope you trying to escape won’t be a running theme.”

“You… you…” Chidori took several heavy steps toward the man, the air warbling around her in her rage. “You… you…”

“Ah ah ah!” Ikutsuki waggled his finger, shaking his head. “Not just yet. There are still arrangements to be made after all. We can’t fall behind, now can we?”

“Ikutsuki.” Takeharu scowled, his fist clenching at his side. “Explain yourself, now.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, old man. You’ll find out the truth soon enough.” Ikutsuki smiled, lifting a clicker in his hand and pressing down on the button. “Sic ‘em, girls.”

Then the androids set upon them, and there was darkness.

Chapter Text

Friday, November 6^th 2009.

The Midnight of the Sacrifice

Kotone awoke to the sound of humming, and the sight of crimson red eyes staring at her from down below.

Groggily she tried to lift her head, her vision moving in and out of focus as she attempted to pull herself upright. Her hands met resistance, the binding of a rope holding her tight as the red-eyed android beneath her finished tying together her legs. Somewhere deep inside Kotone’s mind she understood the implications of what that meant, of the terrifying reality that existed past blurred eyes and bound limbs. Here and now though all she understood was the pain in her skull, the ache in her heart, the ringing in her ears, and the swimming in her eyes as she gazed blearily out over the darkened platform she and others found themselves lashed above.

Ikutsuki stood at its center, humming softly and fidgeting with his clicker as he watched the two androids finish their task of attaching the others to the crosses that had been set up. SEES and Takeharu were on one side of the space, Girls Night on the other. Even Koromaru and Gallica had been restrained, the former hung limply by his midriff from a rope and the latter struggling valiantly with flashing wings as she tried to pull herself from the tiny cross by Kotone’s side.

“I must say, the arrival of Girls Night made this far more complicated than I had anticipated.” Ikutsuki bounced on the balls of his feet, a pleased smile clear on his face even through the gloom. “I even had to drag poor Labrys out of storage for this. Quite the test of metal, wouldn’t you say?”

“All done, boss.” The silver girl Labrys nodded mechanically, her distinctive accent clashing with the emotionless way she spoke. “Ready whenever you are.”

“Excellent. Keep watch on them, be sure nobody tries anything funny. Aside from me, of course!” Ikutsuki chortled, tapping his foot as the teams all slowly came back to consciousness. “Wake up everyone! It’s an exciting time, I couldn’t bear it if you were all too tied up to listen.”

“What are… what…” Yukari sputtered, her words coming out mumbled and indistinct. “What are you…”

“I’m so glad you asked Ms. Takeba!” Ikutsuki clapped his hands, chuckling as he began to pace along the center of the tower. “I’m sorry to say that you all have been deceived this whole time. By me, of course. The true objective of SEES has never been to end the Dark Hour.”

“The hell?” Junpei’s eyes widened as he turned to where his arms were stuck, straining against the rope as fear took him. “D-dude, what the hell?!”

“Let us down!” Rio too strained against her bonds, her nails digging into the rope as she pulled. “Let us go you bastard!”

“Ah, there it is.” Ikutsuki sighed, closing his eyes as he seemed to bask in the chorus of cries and protests that broke out from the two teams in that moment. “A wonderful melody for the new world, wouldn’t you say Takeharu?”

“You’re insane.” Takeharu scowled, not moving against his bonds as he stared Ikutsuki down. “It was you all along, was it not?”

“Not quite, no. Your father did so many wonderful things… all I did was carry on his legacy. A more true son of the Kirijo name than you ever were, of course!” Ikutsuki chortled, clapping his hands delightedly. “Why, he never even told you about most of our true experiments. Our amazing successes, and… well, our embarrassing failures too, of course.”

“Let me go… let me go…” Chidori’s fingers spasmed, her eyes wild as she stared at Ikutsuki, her body shaking like a leaf. That was enough to begin rousing Kotone, her hand reaching fruitlessly for her girlfriend as somewhere deep inside Medusa screamed for her to act. “Let me go, let me go, let me go! You… you… you…”

“Come now #092, there’s no need for that.” Ikutsuki sighed, tapping the side of his cheek as he watched Chidori struggle. “Think of it this way, in the end you really did serve your purpose! Isn’t that grand?”

“Don’t talk about her like that…” Kotone grit her teeth, trying to focus on the man as she clenched her fists in rage. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that!”

“Fight, dread warrior! Fight!”

I’m… I’m trying!

“FIGHT! FIGHT!”

“So passionate!” Ikutsuki sighed, wiping a mock tear from his eyes. “Your emotions… such an excellent sacrifice for my glorious purpose!”

“What purpose are you talking about?” Makoto didn’t waver, his gaze flat as he stared at Ikutsuki and drew his attention back towards himself. “What are you planning?”

“Well, I’m so glad you asked!” Ikutsuki walked towards the boy, a wide grin plastered on his face as he did. “There is a prophecy, you see-“

“Aigis!” Fuuka screeched, staring desperately as the golden-haired android simply stood with her weapons at the ready. “Aigis, w-what’s going on?! Say something!”

“Now, now.” Ikutsuki clicked his tongue, even as Aigis didn’t seem to react at all to the other girl’s pleading. “There’s no need to interrupt. You’ll make me quite cross.”

“You fucking creep.” Tae spat, the gob of saliva making an impressive arc and landing just short of Ikutsuki’s shoes. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Well, only insomuch as anyone would of course.” Ikutsuki sighed, adjusting his turtleneck. “Now, as I was saying… there is a prophecy. A wonderful, unimaginable prophecy that declared that he who sacrifices the 12 Arcana Shadows and those who had slain them on this glorious night… will achieve eternal life as the Prince of a new world after the Fall!”

“The… the Fall?” Saori shivered, glancing concerned “What- what is that?”

“Nothing less than apocalypse, of course.” Ikutsuki chuckled, slicking back his hair with a deranged smile on his lips. “An end, total and complete to this sinful world of man. And when it’s all said and done… I will rule what comes next!”

“Nuts! He’s nuts!” Gallica scratched her fingers against the tiny cross holding her, her wings fluttering like mad. “He’s totally bonkers nuts!”

“So funny that a being like you would say something like that.” Ikutsuki snorted, sighing. “In any case it doesn’t matter. You all in Girls Night came in right at the end to help put things to rest, so you’ve joined as part and parcel to this sacrifice too. Isn’t that grand?”

“Go to hell.” Akari scowled, shaking her head. “I’m not prepared to die yet. You won’t get away with this.”

A medley of agreements broke out, jeers and insults echoing from both teams as the more vocal members made their thoughts known. Ikutsuki scowled, his mood evidently somewhat dampened by the reaction.

“Aigis.” Ikutsuki sighed. “I do believe this chorus is getting too loud now. Why don’t you take a shot at shutting them up?”

A gunshot rang out as Aigis lifted her hand, a bullet sailing off into the night as the assembled members of SEES and Girls Night could only look on in horror and sudden silence. Only Chidori continued, her mutters growing louder and more insistent as her body shook strongly enough to rattle the cross behind her.

“Good.” Ikutsuki cleared his throat. “Now then if there isn’t anything else-“

“My dad.” Yukari inhaled, staring Ikutsuki in the eyes. “What did he do? Really? He didn’t… he wasn’t a part of this, was he?”

“Your father?” Ikutsuki snorted, shaking his head. “Your father was a traitorous fool who nearly damned the Kirijo dream to darkness. Fortunately with a little light and magic, the video was edited to be more suitable.”

“Dad… dad…” Yukari grit her teeth, tears streaking down her face as she stared at the floor. “I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry, I failed…”

“Oh, it’s not like you can be blamed. There’s no need to apologize Ms. Takeba.” Ikutsuki waved his hand dismissively. “Now that you’ve gotten it all out, the best you can do is go quietly and embrace your role in the world that’s going to come next. Now then, let’s-“

“We won’t go quietly.” Akari shook her head, still straining against her bonds. “Say what you will, but we won’t go quietly.”

“Really now-“ Ikutsuki groaned, taking off his glasses for a moment and wiping them against his coat. “Mr. Odagiri, if-“

“Ms. Odagiri.” Akari hissed, her eyes aflame. “If you’re going to try to kill me, call me by the right name. Akari Odagiri. Don’t forget it.”

“…sure, yes, whatever.” Ikutsuki sighed, putting his glasses back on his face. “If that’s what you’d like, then I suppose this is a transitory experience anyhow. Now, Aigis-“

“Hey, boss.” Labrys tilted her head to the side, staring at Chidori as she continued to struggle and the air began to distort around her. “There’s somethin’ weird with her.”

“I didn’t ask for your appraisal, Labrys. I’ll have no more interruptions, is that understood?” Ikutsuki grumbled, turning to Aigis and nodding. “Now, finally, let us begin. Aigis, start with SEES. Mr. Yuki first. Chop chop already.”

“Understood.” Aigis nodded, looking up at Makoto with empty eyes. She raised her hand, angling her weapons at the boy’s head. Despite the sight of gun hands to his face, Makoto didn’t falter, just staring at Aigis right back. And in spite of herself… she did falter. “I…”

“Hm?” Ikutsuki blinked. “Aigis? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Boss, I’m tellin’ ya’…” Labrys blinked, a greater modicum of life slipping into her eyes as she continued to stare concernedly at Chidori, her mutters turning to gibberish as Kotone watched helplessly. “That STREGA girl’s tweakin’ real bad, I think-“

“Silence, Labrys! She’ll get her turn.” Ikutsuki stomped his foot, still staring at Aigis. “Aigis, you have your orders! Complete them!”

“I…” Aigis hesitated, her arm slowly lowering. “I cannot, I-“

“Boss!” Labrys took a step towards Ikutsuki, emotion clear in her once silent voice. “There’s something seriously wrong with her, we gotta-“

“I won’t hear it Labrys! The only problem here is your defective sister unit!” Ikutsuki scowled, turning to Labrys and pointing an accusing finger at Aigis. “She’s refusing her orders. Decommission her and finish the sacrifice already!”

“De… decommission?” Labrys blinked, staring at Aigis as the other android turned to face her. “You want me to… to kill ‘er?”

“Of course not. She’s just a machine, same as you.” Ikutsuki harrumphed, turning back to look at Aigis and waving the clicker around in his hand. “Decommission her now, or I’ll have to turn you both off and take matters into my own-“

“Lemme guess.” There was the sound of something shifting through the air and a flash of red light as Labrys darted forward, unhooking the axe from her back and slicing right through the Chairman’s wrist. “Your own hands?”

The Chairman could only blink as the weapon cut clean through, severing his hand and sending it falling to the ground with an almost underwhelming wet slap. He just stared at it for a long moment, uncomprehending, before Labrys kicked him in the stomach and sent him sprawling on his back down and away.

“Damn it. Damn, you-“ Labrys stumbled, leaning against her axe as her face broke out into a grin. “You almost got me there, I won’t lie to ya’. But I made a promise I think, so bad luck for you. No way in hell I’m hurtin’ my sister or any of her friends.”

There was a collective breath let loose then across the platform, the two androids standing over the Chairman as he finally seemed to process what had happened, his screams joining with Chidori’s as they echoed through the Dark Hour.

“Good.” Takeharu let out a sigh, slumping in his bindings. “It’s over. Labrys, Aigis, please restrain the Chairman, and-“

“Not over… not over… it’s not over!” Chidori screeched, her body still convulsing as if possessed. “As long as he’s alive- as long as he’s there- he can hurt, he can hunt, he can destroy, he can kill, he can take everything, everything. I can’t- I can’t- I can’t- I can’t!”

An ear-splitting wail filled the night as Chidori writhed, a flash of red light bursting from within her skull as her eyes glowed bright and Medea all but clawed free from her soul. Labrys sprung into motion, her axe flying into her hand to react just a moment too late. There was nothing she could do as Medea lunged forward to the sound of Chidori’s cries, her sacrificial dagger burying deep in the heart of the Chairman and sticking there. The madman’s eyes went wide, one last gasp escaping his lips before the blood seeped from his wound and the life left him for good. Medea reared back, a mournful wail calling toward the heavens before she vanished and Chidori went limp, her body shaking as she let out deep, unflinching breaths.

“Chidori!” Kotone yelled, finally managing to will an arm free so she could lean over to place a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Chidori, it’s okay, it’s alright. I’m here. I’m here, we’re all here, it’s okay. I promise, it’s okay.”

“Aigis, Labrys, untie us.” Mitsuru frowned as she watched Chidori shiver, shaking her head. “Once everyone is clear, please make sure Ms. Yoshino is safe to be moved. We’ll need to take her into custody.”

“Don’t you dare!” Rio shook her head emphatically, glaring at the Kirijo heir. “Don’t touch her!”

“Dude, he just killed a guy!” Junpei shook his head, rubbing his wrists as he was let down. “Which- I guess he also tried to kill us, but-“

“Exactly that.” Akari scowled rubbing her wrists as Labrys released her bonds. “Your Chairman just tried to kill us all. And based on Chidori’s reaction, I’d wager he did far worse to her before. You’re insane if you think we’d just let you take her.”

“We’re not- I misspoke. Custody isn’t the right word.” Mitsuru hesitated as Aigis lowered her to the ground, her eyes flickering between the Chairman’s corpse and Chidori as the freed members of Girls Night moved to release their friend. “It’s clear that she’s a danger to herself and others at present, the Kirijo Group has the resources to help her recover.”

“By putting her in another cage?” Gallica shot into the air in front of Mitsuru, shaking her head emphatically. “No thank you!”

“If you touch her…” Kotone hissed as she pulled Chidori down, falling to the floor with the shivering girl wrapped tight in her arms as she glared at Mitsuru. “I’ll make you regret ever being born.”

“There’s the fierceness you need, dread warrior.”

I don’t care. I just want her to be okay. I just want her to be okay.

“Of course.”

“That isn’t-“ Mitsuru winced, looking around. “That wasn’t my intent. I swear to you.”

“It better not be.” Tae reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter and taking a long drag before exhaling. “We’re going to get her out of here. Take care of her. She’s under my watch, if that matters to you at all.”

“It-“ Mitsuru frowned, seemingly torn between conflicting ideas. “That-“

“That will be fine, Ms. Takemi.” Takeharu nodded, avoiding looking at the nurse. “I’ll entrust them to you. It seems the Kirijo’s sin can not be wiped so easily.”

“No kidding.” Tae harrumphed, glancing back over at where Kotone was just holding Chidori close and stroking her hair. She knew she probably should have been doing more, been a leader, but right now… this was all she had. Tae just shook her head. “This was a shitshow. If someone like that bastard was hanging around in charge of kids, what’s that tell you about the rest of your company?”

“I…” Takeharu hesitated, then shook his head. “No. I won’t say that I’m confident this is an isolated incident, because that would be untrue. A deep rot has taken hold in my company. And I swear to you that by the time we’re done here, it will be found and destroyed.”

“Yeah.” Gallica harrumphed, flying back to her team as they all moved to lift Chidori and carry her off toward the stairs downwards. “We’ll see about that.”

“There are many truths for him to uncover. The reality of his company, his family, and the Dark Hour that still remains.”

Maybe. But right now I don’t care. All I want to do now is make sure that Chidori’s okay, and go home and rest.

“And rest is what you deserve. But the fight is far from over, dread warrior.”

“But-“ Fuuka hesitated, glancing between Makoto and Girls Night. “Sh-should we do something?”

“Let them go.” Makoto shook his head, staring down at where the Chairman’s corpse stained the floor beneath him. “We have our own mess to deal with.”

That they did.

That, they most certainly fucking did.

Chapter Text

Sunday,  November 8^th 2009.

The Day of  Shit What the Fuck Was All That

They had cancelled school for the rest of the week.

Kotone figured it was the least they could do, considering everything. The Kirijo Group had published a release saying that there had been an incident on campus, and the police tape surrounding the observatory when Kotone walked by the school on her way to Rio’s house had set the fires of Gekkoukan’s off-campus rumor mill alight like a barn fire. Soon enough they’d find out the truth, or something approaching it at least. Ikutsuki would probably never be truly held accountable in the public eye, his death chalked up to a bizarre murder of an innocent if punny man.

Kotone didn’t know how to feel about that.

Or rather…

She knew exactly how to feel about that.

“Rage is an emotion worth wielding, dread warrior.”

But why? Against what? He’s dead now.

“And yet his legacy remains.”

Kotone really didn’t know what to make of that as she pressed the intercom at the gate to buzz into Rio’s shockingly huge house. She knew the girl’s family was rich, but the pure real estate of her home was still a wonder to behold. Her free hand squeezed Chidori’s tight, the other girl’s head laid against her shoulder as she stared into the middle distance. She’d been like this since it happened, staring off into an unseen abyss as if waiting for something. The only way Kotone had any sense of what she was thinking was in the physical, the other girl refusing to leave her side as she clung to Kotone like she was the only thing stable in the world.

Elly had given her a card, for when she was ready. A therapist. Dr. Maki Sonomura, apparently some sort of expert in trauma like this. Chidori hadn’t even looked at it. It wasn’t a conversation for now, not when… well, not when everything.

It was for later.

Later.

Always later.

The door clicked open with a buzz.

Kotone smiled at her girlfriend, Chidori’s eyes downcast as she was led carefully up the path to front door with Gallica buzzing around her other side. Tae was already waiting at the door, the light of a cigarette burning on her lips before she shook her head and extinguished it. She led the three arrivals to the honestly outrageously fancy sitting room, falling back into the big leather chair with a sigh as the other members of Girls Night milled about. Kotone led Chidori to the loveseat, allowing the other girl’s head to fall into her lap just about as soon as they sat down. They just sat there for a moment, silence falling over the team as they considered the reality they were left with now.

“So.” Rio crossed her arms, frowning to herself more than anyone. “Fuck.”

“Why do so many of our meetings start like this?” Gallica sighed, leaning a head against her hand. “…nevermind. Dumb question.”

“It’s a fair point though.” Tae shook her head. “Shit’s fucked.”

“Inherently so.” Akari grunted, nodding her agreement. “But we still need a plan.”

“Well… what is there to plan about?” Saori tilted her head nervously, glancing around at her friends. “We should go step by step.”

“Well, the Dark Hour is still around. So is Tartarus. So, the old plan of trying to see if there’s anything in there is probably back on.” Kotone shrugged haplessly. “But based on what SEES said… I’m pretty sure they don’t think there’s actually anything up there at all.”

“That plan won’t work. We can’t just keep throwing our heads at the wall.” Gallica crossed her arms. “We’ve been working off an assumption, right? Maybe we need to just have a clean break and try something new.”

“Um…” Saori tentatively raised a hand. “What about the lab? You know, the one they built under the school?”

“The lab?” Kotone blinked, then nodded. “Oh right, that!”

“I’m not sure that’s something we could actually look into.” Rio frowned, tapping her fingers against her arm. “The place exploded, didn’t it? Whatever’s left of it is probably buried under rubble, assuming we can even access it in the first place.”

“I know where it is.” Chidori mumbled, her eyes closed as she curled up tight against Kotone. “I remember… I remember where we escaped from.”

“You do?” Gallica’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh wow.”

“Mh…” Chidori swallowed, nodding. “There’s an old shed in the grove of trees near the observatory. Jin and I… we checked it a little while after we escaped. It’s boarded up, but the tunnel we used, I think it’s still there.”

“Well. Damn.” Tae snorted, leaning back in her seat. “How about that?”

“You knew about an access tunnel to the Kirijo’s secret lab?” Akari furrowed her brow, seemingly fighting off her natural scowl. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I…” Chidori winced, squeezing her eyes tighter shut. “I’d forgotten. Until I saw him, I’d forgotten.”

“Chidori…” Kotone winced, running her hands through Chidori’s hair and cradling her head. “I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t you.” Chidori shook her head, gritting her teeth. “It wasn’t you, it wasn’t you.”

“I know it’s sorta tough…” Gallica winced, kicking her feet nervously. “But while we’re on the subject… we should probably also talk about her Persona.”

“No, that-“ Kotone stopped herself from denying the suggestion outright, biting her tongue as she considered a better way to put it. “It’s still raw. We shouldn’t.”

“I understand your hesitation.” Akari shook her head, glancing between Kotone and the girl in her lap. “But it can’t be avoided forever. Her Persona was already unstable before, and now it’s killed a man. I won’t say he didn’t deserve it, but it’s something we have to discuss.”

“Yeah.” Rio nodded her agreement. “Not even for us, really. It’s obvious that Medea is hurting her whenever she uses it.”

…I know they’re right, but I still hate it.

“She has a potential for untethered violence within her, dread warrior. It must be understood.”

I know. Doesn’t change that I hate it.

“…okay. I’ll talk about it.” Chidori shivered, nodding slowly. “I have to.”

“Are you sure?” Kotone frowned, rubbing her thumb against Chidori’s cheek. “Only if you’re comfortable, okay?”

“Okay…” Chidori all but whispered, turning her head to bury her face in Kotone’s thigh. “Just give me a moment.”

“Of course.” Gallica fluttered down to Chidori’s side, smiling at the girl. “Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you. Medea…” Chidori didn’t look up, her voice coming out half-muffled. “She isn’t like the rest of your Personas. She’s artificial.”

“Artificial?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “How’s that possible?”

“It was the point of the experiments.” Chidori turned her head, opening one eye to look at the nurse. “They couldn’t create Persona users naturally, so they tried to do it unnaturally. STREGA, we were the successes.”

“But let me guess.” Akari scoffed. “They had side effects, didn’t they?”

“They did.” Chidori pulled herself upright, still clinging tight to Kotone even as a dour expression crossed her face. “You’ve already seen some of them.”

“Well?” Gallica frowned. “What are they, exactly?”

“If we go too long without using our Personas, they start to hurt us. First it’s the noise, then the burning, and then… they burst loose and try to kill us.” Chidori reached for her throat, ghosting a hand across it for a moment before shaking her head. “And when we do use them… you saw. They hurt us. Kill us slowly.”

“So… so you’re trapped. Whatever you do, you’re-“ Saori gagged, covering her mouth. “Oh God.”

“Chidori…” Kotone tried to swallow, but her throat was dry as the desert, her eyes locked on the girl in her arms. “Why didn’t… why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.” Chidori said simply, not looking back at Kotone. “You were the first people other than STREGA to care for me. I didn’t… didn’t… didn’t want you to leave me because of it.”

“Oh Chidori…” Kotone pulled the other girl closer, cradling her head and kissing her forehead. “We would never do that. I would never do that. I… fuck.”

She’s dying. Shit, she’s fucking dying and I didn’t even know.

“Everyone dies slowly, dread warrior.”

Yeah, and she’s dying fast!

“Is there anything you can do about it?” Tae leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. “Any sort of treatment you know about?”

“There are blockers. But they take in their own way.” Chidori winced, shaking her head. “If death happens, I want Medea and I to go together. I don’t want to be alone.”

“You’re not alone, Chidori. You have us.” Rio shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek as she stared at the wall, thoughtful. “There’s gotta be some way to help you… if the Kirijo Group wanted to make viable Persona users, having a time limit on them’s no good. They must have been studying how to undo the side effects.”

“We never found out.” Chidori shook her head. “We never heard anything like that before we escaped. And after, the lab turned into Tartarus.”

“…then that’s just another reason we need to get in there.” Kotone furrowed her brow, determination blossoming in her heart. “I’m not letting you waste away, Chidori. Never, okay? Whatever it takes to help you, I’ll do it. We’ll do it.”

“Don’t be silly.” Chidori winced, shaking her head. “I’m not worth-“

Chidori was shut up by a kiss as Kotone refused to let her continue, squeezing her girlfriend as tight as she possibly could. They separated after a moment, Chidori’s amber eyes staring at Kotone in confusion as she pressed their foreheads together. That was fine. She’d understand soon enough.

Kotone wasn’t leaving.

None of them were.

“Okay then.” Kotone looked up, clearing her throat. “The lab it is then.”

Monday, November 9^th 2009.

The Day of the Shed

“Huh.” Gallica frowned as she, Kotone, and Rio all stood outside the run down shed that sat hidden at the center of the surprisingly deep grove of trees that stood in front of Gekkoukan. “It’s actually here.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Kotone grinned at her friend, putting her hands on her hips as she appraised the boarded-up door in front of them. “Honestly, I’m surprised nobody’s broken into it before now.”

“These are industrial quality screws.” Rio shook her head, staring at the surprisingly shiny screws holding the planks in place. She frowned, moving around the building and knocking her knuckle against the wood. “And the wall here, see? It’s reinforced.”

“Reinforced?” Kotone followed Rio’s lead, knocking against the wood. Her hand met more resistance than she’d expected, a stronger material muffling her blows from beneath the wood. “Oh. Huh.”

“Makes sense I guess.” Gallica hummed, looking at the screws closer. “It isn’t exactly something you’d want someone to stumble across randomly, right?”

“Right.” Kotone stepped back, smiling. “Good thing we know someone with some pretty strong axes.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re planning to take an axe to it while school’s in.” Akari sighed as she led Tae and Saori toward the shed. “You aren’t that shortsighted, are you Shiomi?”

“Whaaaat?” Kotone scoffed, waving her hand around. “No way, definitely not. Probably.”

“Kid, you gotta be smart about when you do something like this.” Tae tapped the side of her head. “You need to be efficient, not stupid.”

“I said I wasn’t!” Kotone huffed, crossing her arms. “Anyways, what took you three so long? We were supposed to meet up fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh, well…” Saori hesitated for a moment, glancing at Akari. “Mitsuru wanted to talk to Akari about some things is all.”

“She was offering to assist me in getting a girl’s uniform.” Akari huffed, a bit of red dusting her cheeks as she looked away. “Which was plainly an attempt to curry favour after what happened at the observatory, might I add.”

“Aww. That’s kinda sweet, actually.” Gallica smiled, flitting backwards a little. “Do you really think she was trying to butter you up?”

“I figure it’s both.” Tae shrugged. “She seems like the kind of girl that’d want to do something like that anyways. Just convenient that it’d also help put her and SEES back in our good books.”

“It would take more than that to make amends for what happened that night. Though… I do appreciate it regardless.” Akari coughed, shaking her head. “On that same topic, do we have a plan for how we plan to deal with SEES from now on?”

“Oh yeah, right.” Kotone furrowed her brow, glancing between the door and her team. “I was just kinda thinking… we didn’t?”

“We didn’t?” Rio raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, we just kinda do our own thing.” Kotone shrugged. “They’ll probably try exploring Tartarus to see if they can figure out another way to end the Dark Hour, but unless they do… I don’t see why we can’t just keep doing what we’ve always done. They don’t know we can cloak, right?”

“Er…” Saori shrugged. “I suppose not.”

“Well, it’s not exactly an exciting plan…” Gallica huffed, frowning. “But we can’t exactly trust them anymore, so I guess it makes sense.”

“Works for me.” Tae nodded, before taking a step forward and looking the door up and down. “So, what’s the plan with this then?”

“I guess since we can’t break in now…” Kotone scratched her head. “Maybe we come back tonight?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea breaking in so close to the Dark Hour.” Rio shook her head, leaning against the side of the shed. “If the school turns into Tartarus, I don’t even want to begin to imagine what the lab might turn into.”

“Crap. Fair point.” Kotone sighed. “This Sunday then? We should have all day, right?”

“No can do.” Tae shook her head. “There’ll be a staff meeting that day. I assume it’s got to do with what happened to Ikutsuki and the Kyoto trip that’s coming up.”

“Crap!” Kotone groaned, rubbing her temples and shaking her head. “Kei already got permission from Miss Toriumi not to go on that so I could stay with Chidori, so now it’s just screwing us over!”

“He did?” Saori’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait then- wouldn’t that be the perfect time?”

“Huh?” Kotone blinked, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

“Wait, she’s right!” Gallica gasped excitedly. “Nobody’s going to be here at school, right? So the three of us would be able to come over and look around without having to worry about anyone else!”

“Four of us.” Tae shook her head, a smirk on her face. “I’m not going on the trip either. And I like the sounds of this plan.”

“I don’t.” Akari scoffed. “It seems needlessly reckless to me, exploring without the whole team.”

“Yeah, well…” Kotone winced, shaking her head. “Considering who’s at stake, I don’t really want to wait longer than we have to.”

“That’s…” Akari hesitated, then nodded. “I can’t say I agree, but I understand. Objection rescinded.”

“Sounds like a plan then.” Rio crossed her arms. “Make sure you grab a copy of anything you find in there, alright? I’ll want to look it all over.”

“Of course!” Kotone pumped her fist, suddenly feeling a lot better about things. “I’ll let Chidori know once we get back today. Mission is a go!”

“Perfect.” Gallica nodded, settling back down on Kotone’s shoulder. “It’s kinda funny, huh? We spent so long looking for a lab in Tartarus, but the real lab was underneath us the whole time.”

“There’s poetry in that.”

Since when do you talk about poetry?

“There’s a place for everything, dread warrior.”

And, hopefully, everyone.

---

Somewhere else on campus, there was a scream as Labrys threw the new transfer student out a plate glass window.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, November 17^th 2009.

The Day of the Descent

There was something fundamentally odd about being here during the daytime.

In Kotone's mind there were two Gekkoukans, really. The crowded, vibing, pulsing sort of school that she came to during the day, and the silent, monumental, domineering sort of building she came to at night. She'd caught glimpses of the latter during daylight on weekends or the days after Ikutsuki had been killed, but she'd never stood on the grounds herself. Here and now, with the sun high in the sky and Gekkoukan shimmering before her in a way she'd only ever really seen it do in moonlight....

Well, it was weird.

"Hey, Kotone?" Gallica poked her cheek, frowning. "Are you alright? What are you doing?"

"Oh, yeah, all good!" Kotone shook her head, grinning as she turned to look back at her three companions. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Careful." Tae snorted. "Thinking's a dangerous thing to do."

"Oh shush." Kotone rolled her eyes, looking toward Chidori. "Are you ready?"

"Mh." Chidori frowned, staring at the school's front entrance for a long moment before nodding. "Let's go."

"Alright then." Kotone grinned, heading off into the grove of trees where their quarry laid. "Let's get to work! Ha! Take that, Akari!"

---

There was a distinct THWACK as Chidori's axe cut through the wooden planks barricading the door to the shed. The wood there was stronger than they had expected, it took real effort to cut through it in a way that would allow them through, a small pile of planks forming at the side of the shed. But cut through they did, satisfaction turning to an awkward disappointment as they realized something they hadn’t before.

There was a padlock on the door.

“Uh.” Kotone winced, blinking at the padlock. “Crap. Does anyone know how to lockpick?”

“Sure. But I’d need to go grab my tools.” Tae shrugged, moving forward to inspect the lock. “Shouldn’t be too big of a problem though.”

“Nah, there’s no need for that.” The sound of a distinctly mechanical, distinctly accented voice almost made the girls standing around the shed jump out of their skin. They all turned as one, coming face to face with the red eyes and smiling face of Labrys. “I can help ya’ out.”

“Uh.” Kotone blinked, instinctively reaching for where she’d tucked her Evoker in her jacket. She knew Labrys had been overridden last time they’d met, but that didn’t change the sheer terror that was a metallic death machine charging her in the middle of SEES dorm. It was hard to separate that image from the cheerful red-eyed girl looking at her now. “Why?”

“Whoah, hey, I ain’t here to fight or anythin’ like that.” Labrys raised her hands placatingly, a smile on her face. “Just figured youse all needed some help, yeah?”

“You didn’t answer her question.” Chidori narrowed her eyes, her hand on her axe as she stood stock still. “Why?”

“Eh.” Labrys shrugged, making her way over to the padlock and inspecting it carefully. “Bosslady said we’re s’pposed to get in your good graces and all. I figure that counts, yeah?”

“Breaking into an old Kirijo facility?” Tae raised an eyebrow. When all Labrys did was shrug in response, she snorted. “Guess so.”

“I was bored anyways.” Labrys hummed as she inspected the padlock. “I got grounded n’ all that after I threw that twink through a window for my sis. So, no Kyoto for me. Lucky, eh?”

“I guess so. But how are you-“ Gallica gasped as Labrys simply punched the padlock off with the sound of shearing metal and a smile. “Holy crap.”

“Open sesame!” Labrys grinned, stepping back and cocking her head. “Mind if I tag along? I ain’t got anything better to do right now.”

“Uh.” Kotone blinked, looking around at the rest of her team and suddenly feeling very lucky that Ikutsuki had been trying to capture them, not kill them. “Sure?”

“Heh, sweet.” Labrys did a two finger salute, leaning backwards and nodding. “After youse then, bosslady.”

“You’ve gained a valuable if temporary ally, dread warrior.”

Yeah. A scary one.

“You have a tendency to draw in intimidating women, yes.”

Kotone coughed, taking that as prompting to get on with it. She pushed the door open, pulling the flashlight from the other pocket of her coat to reveal a small concrete box with a rickety rusted ladder at its center, the depths of where it went lost in the darkness below. Chidori said nothing as the others gathered around, simply gripping her axe in hand as she stared at the abyss.

"You know, um." Gallica hovered by Chidori's shoulder, glancing at the other girl. "You don't have to go down there, okay? We can handle it."

"No." Chidori shook her head, allowing her axe to fall onto its chain. "I do. I won't run away."

“Okay. You can back out any time, alright?” Kotone smiled, stepping forward into the darkness. “Let’s do this.”

---

There was a change in the air as Girls Night + Labrys descended down the ladder into the cramped tunnel below. Kotone winced as her shoe landed in a layer of slime, a trickle of water running through from a crack in the concrete and winding downwards as the passageway opened into a slope down in the direction of the school.

“Into the underworld you venture.”

I don’t think we needed this to be any more dramatic than it already was.

“I say it as I see it, dread warrior.”

Kotone took Chidori’s hand, squeezing it gently even as the other girl simply stared off into the darkness. Kotone smiled at her as reassuringly as she could, leading the others down into the bowels of the earth. The tunnel widened after a short period of time, a shattered door lying abandoned to the side as they entered the lab proper. Labrys whistled as she passed it, running a hand along the warped metal with a nod.

“Whoever did this was pissed.” Labrys tapped her knuckles against it, a hollow ring spreading from the point of impact. “Crazy stuff.”

“Jin.” Chidori’s voice was a whisper, her eyes peering into the darkness of the hallway that stretched out ahead of them. “It was the last thing in our way. I’d never seen him or Moros that angry until then.”

“No kidding…” Gallica furrowed her brow, fluttering alongside the pair of girls at the front. “Where should we start looking?”

“Well, not here I guess.” Kotone paused by the first door that led off from the hall. Or rather, the collapsed rubble where a door was supposed to be. “This place took a beating, huh?”

“Well, the lab was blown up.” Tae shrugged, her own flashlight dancing across the walls as she flicked her lighter in her other hand. “I’m surprised it’s even held up as well as it has.”

“It needed to be built stable. To hold us in.” Chidori shook her head, tugging Kotone’s hand as she went deeper in. “Come on. The offices and labs were this way.”

“Eh?” Labrys tilted her head to the side, watching as Chidori pulled Kotone further in. “She alright?”

“How people react to revisiting trauma like this is always a bit of a dice roll, but short answer?” Tae sighed, following her teammates deeper into the lab. “No.”

The team went in deeper, picking their way between piles of rubble and… well, honestly Kotone really wanted to imagine that there was some other explanation for the bones scattered across the slimy floor, but there wasn’t any denying that they were essentially making their way through a tomb. Kotone shivered as she shone her flashlight along one of the scorchmarks that lined the walls, black soot painted on the foundations of the lab itself never to be washed away. She let herself imagine it for a moment; the panic, the fire, the crumbling structure all around her, shaking and shivering until there was nothing left but-

No. Not helpful. Especially when Chidori needed her to be solid right now.

There were more than a few doors that seemed accessible if they had wanted to explore but Chidori seemed insistent, leading them deeper into the facility until they came toward the end of the hallway. There were a few doors lining the path to what was probably once a major security checkpoint, but was now just the biggest pile of scorched rubble that they’d seen yet. Chidori pointed towards it, nodding.

“That was the main lab. Where they experimented with Shadows.” Chidori shifted where she was pointing, gesturing to a half-collapsed doorway near the entrance to the main lab. “That was the administration room.”

“How do you know all this?” Gallica frowned, biting the inside of her cheek. “They didn’t tell you, did they?”

“They didn’t care if we overheard.” Chidori shook her head, her eyes going to her feet. “Most of the scientists didn’t even know why we were there. It was just a small team experimenting on us. And… that man.”

“Hey. Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you anymore.” Kotone bumped her girlfriend gently, smiling as best she could. “He’s dead, remember?”

“Dead. Right.” Chidori closed her eyes for a moment, the air warbling around her for a few seconds before she inhaled sharply and looked toward the administration room. “If there’s any evidence we can find, it’ll be in there.”

“Perfect!” Gallica fluttered toward the room, turning to look back at the others as she flew backwards. “Let’s check it out then!”

“Of course, I-“ Chidori took a step forward, pausing as if frozen in stone as her eyes flickered to the open door across the hall from the admin room. “Just- I might need a moment.”

“Chidori?” Kotone squeezed the other girl’s hand, glancing between her and the room. “Are you-“

“Fine. I’m fine.” Chidori swallowed, looking away. “I’m-“

“Kid, you don’t need to act brave.” Tae shook her head, stepping forward to stand between Chidori and the open door. “If you need a moment, you can have it.”

“I just-“ Chidori took a deep breath, staring at one of the few unscorched patches on the wall. “I can’t…”

“What’s got ya’ so spooked anyway?” Labrys hummed, marching over to the room and peering into the darkness. “Hey, someone bring over a flashlight would ya’?”

“I uh…” Gallica winced, shaking her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea-“

“Aw, quit bein’ a baby!” Labrys rolled her eyes, all but swiping Tae’s flashlight and turning it to shine into the room. “What could it-“

Cages.

The room was filled with toppled rows and rows of blasted, charred, empty cages.

Dozens of them. A hundred of them. They must have reached up to the ceiling once, what was left of an unimaginable cruelty having turned to little more than rusting piles of scrap.

But still.

Cages.

…I’m going to kill them.

“The culprits are already dead, dread warrior.”

I’m going to bring them back just to kill them again.

Labrys didn’t say anything, just staring at the cages for a long moment before flicking off the flashlight and handing it to Tae. She considered the door for a few seconds, her expression unreadable behind glowing crimson eyes.

And then she slammed her fist straight through the concrete, stepping back as the whole facility rumbled and the doorway gave in to seal the room away for good.

“Fuckin’… bastahds.” Labrys spat, a gob of black oil landing on the rubble as it settled. “Piece a’ shit, goddamn motherfuckin’ bastahds! If they were here right now, I’ll tell you I’d… I’d…”

“We know. We would too. Thanks, Labrys.” Gallica smiled nervously, crossing the space to place her hand on the android’s shoulder. “You did good. But… maybe a little warning before you start messing with this place’s stability?”

“Eh?” Labrys turned, befuddled, only to find Kotone sheltering Chidori’s head with her arms, while Tae did the same for the both of them. “Ah, right. Yea, I guess that’d be an issue. Dontcha worry, I know just where to strike for stuff like that.”

“I’m sure you do.” Tae responded dryly, slowly pulling back and dusting herself off with a sigh. “Chidori, how are you feeling?”

“I feel…” Chidori frowned, her eyes stormy. “I feel like we should hurry into the admin room.”

And then without another word, she began to drag Kotone just there.

That was… surprisingly effective.

 “Sometimes the swiftest answer to a problem is to punch it as hard as you feasibly can.”

Somehow I’m not surprised you’d think that.

The admin room was a mess. Overturned desks, holes in the ground pooling with slimy water, and a smell in the air like a furnace left burning for a decade. They’d had to squeeze past the rubble in the doorway to get inside, and Kotone couldn’t help but worry that they wouldn’t be able to get back out after.

She supposed that was a problem for later though.

“Okay so uh…” Kotone frowned, sweeping her flashlight across the room. “Where do we look?”

“Maybe… back here?” Gallica fluttered over to the far end of the room, were a row of filing cabinets laid on their sides. They were charred by the blast, some of them having been melted open and waterlogged by the combined heat of the explosion and the subsequent flooding. There did seem to be a few that were at least somewhat put together, however. “It looks like our best shot, at least.”

“Makes sense.” Tae nodded, moving with Kotone to help the girl push the mostly undamaged ones upright. “But it’s a long shot.”

“Better a long shot that no shot!” Kotone grinned, grabbing one of the handles and trying to pull. It didn’t budge. “Ah crap.”

“Should have figured. How are we-“ Tae was cut off by Labrys stepping forward and ripping the first drawer right out of the filing cabinet, before placing it on one of the still upright metal desks with a smile. “Right.”

“Sweet!” Kotone grinned, squeezing Chidori with one hand and using the other to pull out a stack of papers from the drawer. They weren’t in good shape, most of the documents stained with ash or waterlogged, but at least some of it was legible. Kotone pulled free one of the scraps at random, flattening it against the desk and shining a light at it. “Let’s see here…”

It’s undeniable now. What we once thought was a fluke has been confirmed with every Shadow we’ve studied. They all resonate at the same frequency, spell out the same words. ‘The Fall’, and ‘Nyx’. It’s like they’re yearning for it, calling out for it. I’ll need to prepare a report for Mr. Kirijo.

“The Fall?” Kotone shivered, glancing at the others as she looked up from the page. “Wait, isn’t that what Ikutsuki was yelling about while we were tied up?”

“I think so.” Gallica frowned, tapping her chin. “Okay, so, maybe he wasn’t totally nuts about everything. But he said the Fall is the apocalypse, right? That’s… really bad.”

“It… sounds familiar, but I can’t…” Chidori shook her head, using her spare hand to rub her temple. “I remember them talking about it, but I can’t remember what they said.”

“It doesn’t matter as much now, seeing as he’s dead and all.” Tae frowned, gathering together all the paper from that particular pile and clipping it together with a paper clip she’d procured from her coat pocket. “We can’t read the rest of this. Just fragments left. I’ll bring them back for Rio, maybe she can tell us more about them once she has a chance to try and decipher them.”

“Sounds good to me!” Kotone grinned, allowing Tae to take the scrap of paper and pulling free another one from the drawer. “Let’s see what else we’ve got!”

We came across something incredible. It took a lot of work to convince Mr. Kirijo not to suspend funding for the temporal studies now that we’ve shifted focus, but our hard work has finally paid off. We’ve managed to access some sort of pocket realm, a place beyond time. It proves that our initial hypothesis was correct, and that there is an inextricable link between Death and Time. Mr. Kirijo remains unconvinced, but with just a little more research, I’m sure we could-

The note ended there, the bottom half ripped apart by… something.

“Hey, did Mr. Kirijo ever say what the ‘apocalyptic’ experiment was?” Gallica frowned, peering at the note in Kotone’s hands. “Because this makes it seem like before they got all… death cult, they were-“

“Trying to build a time machine.” Chidori grimaced, nodding. “I remember now. They were experimenting with time.”

“Sounds just like ‘em.” Labrys huffed, crossing her arms. “Damn Kirijos just like messin’ with crap that ain’t their’s to mess with.”

“I didn’t expect to hear that from a Kirijo android.” Tae glanced at Labrys, raising an eyebrow. “You sure you should be saying all that?”

“Let’s just say this ain’t the first thing they’ve messed with.” Labrys’ face turned to a scowl as she shook her head. “Whateva’. What else ya’ got?”

“Not much…” Kotone frowned, inspecting the last piece of paper she could find. Most of it was smudged out, just a few words looking back at her through the frosted glass of time. “Just this.”

Erebus.

Down below.

Humanity’s desire.

Inevitable.

“It just seems like nonsense to me.” Gallica frowned, tilting her head. “Should we take it to Rio too?”

“Might as well.” Kotone shrugged, taking the two documents and putting them with Tae’s stack. “Maybe there’s more in the smudged up stuff that’ll make it make sense?”

“Sounds right to me.” Tae nodded, glancing around. “Anything else?”

“Just this!” Labrys grinned, yanking another cabinet free and dropping it on the desk. “Figure this is the last one in any shape to have somethin’ worthwhile.”

“Sweet!” Kotone grinned, peering into the cabinet and grabbing the first thing she could. “What’s-“

The lack of a suitable control group remains the primary obstacle to cracking the degradation issue. There’s something that separates a natural Persona user’s lifespan with that of our subjects. I refuse to believe it’s inherent in their creation. But whatever it is, it remains out of reach for us now.

The rest of it was blotched out by water damage. Kotone didn’t say anything, just setting the paper down on the desk and stepping back. They didn’t know either. The bastards had done all this to Chidori, and they didn’t even know how to fix it.

I’m going to tear that damn company down brick by brick.

“Even now? Good.”

Even now.

“Hm.” Tae took the scrap, inspecting it carefully before shrugging. “This isn’t exactly the best news, but it does give us a pretty clear avenue forward.”

“Huh?” Gallica frowned, tilting her head to the side. “It does?”

“Yeah. Seems to me like the scientists here were limited by their conditions.” Tae shook her head, holding the paper up between her fingers. “As far as we’ve seen, the relationship between someone and their Persona is mostly mental. Cognitive. Considering what it must have been like to be a part of this, I’m not surprised they didn’t get anywhere in the healing process.”

“Er…” Labrys scratched her head, blinking. “I feel like I’m missin’ somethin’ here.”

“We can talk about it later.” Tae tucked the note into her clip, a faint smile on her face. “It just means we’ll need a treatment plan these assholes never would have thought of.”

“A treatment plan?” Chidori stared at Tae, uncomprehending. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, seeing as the Kirijo Group dropped the ball on helping you out.” Tae nodded, lifting the papers and tucking them under her arm. “Looks like it’s up to us. You’re not dying from this Chidori. That’s a promise.”

“That…” Chidori hesitated for a long moment, before bowing her head. “I appreciate that. Would it be alright if we left now?”

“Even the strongest have their limits.”

And Chidori’s the strongest of all. Even coming this far, it’s…

“Immense, dread warrior.”

“Wait.” Labrys stepped in front of the team, shaking her head. “If you’re going, I’m comin’ with youse.”

“Uh.” Kotone blinked, staring at the red-eyed woman confusedly. “I mean, I hope so? You weren’t planning on staying in the bunker, were you?”

“That ain’t what I mean.” Labrys rolled her eyes. “I meant Girls Night. I don’t really feel like workin’ for the Kirijo Group after all this, even if they’re sayin’ that they’re changin’. Feels rotten.”

“Wait, you want to join Girls Night?” Gallica’s eyes widened in surprise. “But… aren’t you a Kirijo android? Can you even do that?”

“Like I said, they’ve messed with me enough that I ain’t exactly toeing the company line. Guessin’ they didn’t tell ya’ how I got built either.” Labrys smacked the side of her head, the metal framing creating a hollow ring from within. “Company’s rotten to the core. A good egg like Mitsuru ain’t enough if they’re doin’ this shit across the board. SEES ain’t something I wanna be a part of anymore. I was just doin’ it for my sis anyways, and she can take care of herself now.”

“I mean… fair enough, I guess, but are you sure you want to join us?” Kotone furrowed her brow. “Wouldn’t that cause a lot of problems?”

“Nah. Mr. Kirijo got spooked by the whole Ikutsuki programmin’ thing, so he took the bit that lets someone do it outta us.” Labrys seemed pleased, nodding happily. “Plus my chargin’ stations portable, and I still wanna beat the crap outta Shadows. I’m a free woman!”

“Eh, I’ve been looking for a roommate anyways.” Tae shrugged, glancing at Kotone. “I’m all for it.”

“It’ll probably make SEES angry though…” Gallica sighed, tapping her chin. “Should we really do this?”

“It’s a decision she’s making for herself.” Chidori’s voice was quiet as she stared at Labrys. But it was also insistent. “We have to.”

“…well, when you put it that way, it’s hard to say no.” Kotone grinned, sticking out her hand. “Welcome to Girls Night, Labrys!”

“Ehe!” Labrys grinned back, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Good to be here! I’ll be tenderin’ my resignation with SEES as soon as everyone else gets back, so youse better be ready for me!”

I hope SEES isn’t too mad about this.

“If they are, what can they hope to do, dread warrior?”

…that’s true. We have a combat android too now.

“It’s great to have you on the team!” Kotone let go of her new teammate’s hand. smiling as she glanced around at the rest of her friends. “…now let’s get the hell out of here already.”

Chapter Text

Sunday, November 22^nd 2009.

Day of the New Teammate

Kotone could feel Akari’s headache.

Not literally, of course. That would be crazy.

But figuratively, she could feel it.

It was in the way the other girl stood, the look on her face, the way she rubbed her temples like something was trying to burst free through them and attack her. Akari just oozed headache right now as Girls Night gathered in the lobby of Tartarus for their first expedition in a while.

And admittedly, Kotone understood why.

“So we leave you alone for four days…” Akari groaned, shaking her head. “And you’ve gone and recruited a combat android?”

“Hey, I wasn’t alone!” Kotone shrugged haplessly. “Technically there were more of us here than in Kyoto. That’s a plurality, right?”

“You-“ Akari groaned, shaking her head. “I don’t even have the words, Kotone.”

“Um, are we sure this is alright?” Saori took a step forward, looking Labrys up and down as the android stood proudly by Kotone’s side. “Won’t the Kirijo Group be mad that one of their androids um… left?”

“Nah, the bosslady said it was all good. Got real quiet after, but I think that’s just how she is right now.” Labrys grinned, firing a finger gun at the girl. “Don’t worry, I’m here to protect youse no matter what.”

“Oh, er-“ Saori blushed, coughing as she looked away. “Well, thank you.”

“She could be a spy.” Rio frowned, earning her a series of looks from her teammates. “What? I’m not saying she is, I’m saying she could be.”

“She isn’t a spy.” Chidori shook her head, a cool confidence emanating through her words. “I know she isn’t.”

“Eh?” Labrys blinked, looking up from where she was picking something from out of her teeth. Kotone wasn’t going to even try to think of what it might be, considering she was pretty sure androids didn’t need to eat. “Nah, my sis’d be better at that. I’m not really one sneakin’ and being quiet and all’at.”

“It’s a good thing SEES knows we exist then…” Gallica sighed, tilting her head to the side. “But I guess Labrys would have made it sorta obvious who she was if we were still wearing the masks. With the metal and all.”

I’m glad that hiding our identities stuff is over, honestly. I know it was my idea, but it was stressful!

“There’s value in masks, dread warrior.”

Of course you’d say that.

“Alright, no more standing around!” Kotone grinned, making her way toward the teleporter. “I’m gonna guess you prefer being at the front the formation, right Labrys?”

“Sure do. But I ain’t got one a’ them Persona things.” Labrys smiled as she unhooked her… really rather large and expensive axe from where it laid against her back. “Got the mechanism for it, but it ain’t ever worked. And if you ask why, I’ll axe you why, capiche?”

“Uh, right.” Kotone tried not to stumble at the threat, leaning against the teleporter’s control panel as she waited for her team to join her. She knew Labrys was saying it jokingly, but the idea of coming face to face with her axe’s business end wasn’t particularly appealing to Kotone. Better to just move past it. “Going up!”

---

Labrys was terrifying.

No sooner had they encountered their first Shadow than the girl had gone running, a smile on her face as she cleaved clean through its mask and sent the component parts scattering into oblivion. The fragments hadn’t even hit the ground before she moved onto the next one, steel flashing through shadow as she struck again.

And again.

And again.

It was terrifying.

Labrys was terrifying.

“It’s reckless, dread warrior.”

She’ll fit right in then.

“Not in the way you might like.”

Kotone frowned at that, biting the inside of her cheek as Labrys cut through another Shadow. She had to admit, as fun as it was to see the android tear through their enemies, there was definitely a certain… mania, to the way she attacked. Like something else was grabbing her, spurring her forward, making her charge forward with reckless abandon. It was familiar in a way Kotone couldn’t describe. And because of that… it was also terrifyingly effective too.

Well, that was until they ran into a Hell Knight, and Labrys’ axe bounced right off it.

“Ah crap!” Labrys hissed, falling back as the Shadow’s phantom horse reared back. “This thing’s not gonna-“

She was cut off by the smell of ozone as a bolt of lightning shot forth from the Shadow’s lance. Labrys screamed, a distorted mechanical sort of sound that seemed to echo through Tartarus as she fell to one knee.

“Labrys!” Saori gasped, the report of her Evoker echoing down the halls as Charybdis’ maw opened wide and blasted back the Shadow with a gust of air. “Be careful!”

“Hey.” Tae crouched next to Labrys, summoning Gello to heal her as Kotone, Chidori and Gallica drew the Shadow’s attention so that Akari and Rio could beat it with heavy objects. “You alright?”

“F-fine.” Labrys’ voicebox stuttered for a moment as she pushed herself to her feet with her axe, her eyes darting around the space. “I’ll be- HEY!”

There was a sudden shift in the air as Labrys charged in the opposite direction of the Hell Knight, instead making a beeline right for Saori. The navigator yelped, flinching back as Labrys raised her axe over her head to strike. Charybdis recoiled as Labrys’ weapon struck its target, cutting clean through the blobby Maya that had been attempting to sneak up behind the navigator while she was distracted.

Holy shit.

“Dread warrior, did you think-“

I don’t know! Shit!

“I told youse, I was gonna protect ya’.” Labrys straightened up, wiping a bit of shadowy viscera off her face with a smile. “But you gotta keep your head up, got it?”

“I-“ Saori swallowed, a flush of red dusting her cheeks as she nodded. “Got it.”

“Thanks doll.” Labrys winked at Saori, gripping her axe tighter and turning back to the Hell Knight. “Alright, now for the big bastahd!”  

“Um.” Gallica shrugged, smiling haplessly as Rio bashed her hammer into the Hell Knight’s mask one final time, and the looming Shadow disintegrated beneath her. “Too late?”

“That-“ Labrys’ eyes flashed, a scowl coming onto her face as she glared at the vanishing Shadows. She slammed her axe into the ground. “What’s the big idea, huh? I was gonna smash that thing myself!”

“It was strong with what you’re weak in.” Akari shook her head, winding her chain back up in her hands. “And your attacks weren’t going to have an effect anyways. Teamwork means depending on others.”

“That ain’t-“ Labrys cut herself off before she could scowl at Akari, her face instead turning to look to the side. “Youse just don’t have any faith. I coulda taken ‘im. I coulda.”

Okay, yeah. Definitely something to worry about here.

“Indeed.”

Still though, I think it’s an opportunity too.

“Hey, Labrys?” Kotone smiled as disarmingly as she could, tilting her head to the side. “Even without the knight, you just saved Saori’s bacon there. Think you could maybe fall back in the formation a little to focus on keeping an eye on her? We can sorta… lose track sometimes.”

“What? No way in hell, you’re just trying to-“ Labrys took a defiant step toward Kotone, before something seemed to flick inside her. She froze, her eyes darting towards her feet as she trembled for a moment. Then she exhaled, a vent of steam escaping from her lips as she stepped back once more. “Nah. Nah, I’m bein’ stupid. You’ve got it bosslady, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thanks, Labrys.” Kotone grinned, nodding at the other girl. “You wanna talk about anything, we’re here for you, alright?”

“Nah, just, need some better self-control’s all.” Labrys sighed, lifting her axe and laying it effortlessly over her shoulder as she turned to Saori. “Sounds like I’m keepin’ youse safe doll, so stick close got it?”

“I uh-“ Saori swallowed, nodding rapidly. “G-got it. I’ll do that.”

…I hope I haven’t just accidentally distracted Saori.

“Synergy is a crucial part of any combat party, dread warrior.”

Uhuh. Sure.

“Hm…” Chidori frowned, her eyes tracking Labrys as the android flexed an artificial bicep for Saori’s benefit. “Maybe…”

“Hm?” Rio raised an eyebrow at Chidori. “Something up?”

“No.” Chidori shook her head, grabbing hold of Kotone’s hand and tugging her along. “Let’s keep going.”

“Alright.” Kotone grinned, allowing herself to be led as she gestured for the others to follow. “You heard the lady everyone, let’s keep it moving!”

Tuesday, November 24^th 2009.

The Day of the Work Experience

Kotone’s life was bizarre, she knew that.

On Sunday, she was exploring a tower made from the darkness of the human heart, or the concept of death, or whatever exactly it was Tartarus was supposed to be; delving deeper and deeper into its upper levels for a purpose that she couldn’t even really describe anymore.

On Monday, she had checked in with Rio about seeing if she’d made any progress (she hadn’t) with the torn-up documents they’d found in a secret lab under their school that was trying to end the world or something.

And on Tuesday, she was here. In Chagall’s kitchen for her work experience, watching as that new transfer student pestered Makoto Yuki while the latter did his best to wash the dishes with a shockingly steady sense of determination.

Dichotomies, right?

“C’mon, you should wear it! I got it just for you, you know?” Ryoji kicked his feet as he leaned against the counter, smiling at the blue-haired boy. “I think you look good with it on.”

“I don’t want it falling down the drain.” Makoto shook his head, his attention laser-focused on the dishes in the sink. “I’ll put it on after.”

“It’s a glow ring! If it falls, just follow the glowing!” Ryoji pouted, leaning his chin against his hand. “It’s special.”

“Maybe.” Makoto nodded, still not looking up. “But that’s why I want to keep it safe.”

“D’aww…” Ryoji’s pout turned into a grin as he stood upright and clapped Makoto on the shoulder. “And they say I’m the charmer!”

“Hm…” Gallica hummed as she sat on Kotone’s shoulder from where she stood across the room. “Do you think he’s asked him out already, or still just flirting?”

“He gave him a ring.” Kotone snorted, shaking her head as she observed the shenanigans. “I think we should be asking when the wedding is.”

“Oh, right. I guess that is the sort of thing giving people rings is usually about, huh?” Gallica hummed, jumping up to flutter in the air in front of Kotone. “Hey, wait, weren’t you supposed to be putting the mugs back into the cabinet right now?”

“Well, yeah, but that was more interesting!” Kotone rolled her eyes, turning back to her work. “And you’re the one who asked about them!”

“Yeah, well, I can’t stack mugs!” Gallica fluttered back in front of Kotone, a grin on her face. “So chop chop!”

“I would say you’ve been a bad influence on her, dread warrior.”

She’s always been a bit of a little shit.

“A trait you encourage.”

“Sounds like you might need some help over here, hm?” Ryoji’s voice nearly made Kotone jump, the blue-eyed boy peering at her as he crossed the room toward the pair. “Don’t worry, Makoto tells me I’m good at stacking and organizing things.”

“Oh, uh-“ Kotone blinked, half-turning to look at the boy. “Thanks! I think I’m good though, don’t worry about me!”

“Aw, but I wanted to help…” Ryoji’s face fell, a sigh on his lips. “Oh well. Apparently boundaries are good, so… let me know if you need any help later ladies!”

“He’s really enthusiastic about helping, huh?” Gallica frowned as Ryoji turned away, before her eyes suddenly widened and she stared after him. “Wait, did you just say ladies? Plural?”

“Um, yes?” Ryoji paused, turning to look at Gallica. “Oh no, wait. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume!”

“That isn’t the problem here!” Gallica gesticulated wildly. “Why can you see me? You’re not supposed to be able to see me!”

“Er…” Ryoji blinked, scratching the side of his head nervously. “I’m sorry? I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to, you’ve always been there.”

“She has?” Kotone frowned, glancing at Gallica then back at the boy. “…are you a Persona user?”

“A huh?” Ryoji blinked again, adopting a look that could only ever really be described as hapless. “I’m sorry, I’m not really sure what you mean by that?”

“A Persona user! You know like-“ Gallica gesticulated wildly, making a finger gun and pointing it at her head. “Pew!”

“Er…” Ryoji blinked, making a finger gun and pointing off to the side. “Pew?”

…I can’t tell if that was cute, or infuriating. Maybe both?

“Reckless rage must only be used purposefully, dread warrior.”

I get why Makoto seems not to mind him. I also get why Labrys threw him through a plate glass window.

“Okay, what about the Dark Hour?” Kotone turned to face the boy properly, furrowing her brow. The boy just shrugged, smiling nervously. “Seriously? You know, around midnight when the world gets all green and frozen?”

“Er, I wouldn’t know.” Ryoji laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I always go to bed early. It’s important to get your beauty sleep, you know?”

“That-” Gallica glanced at Kotone. Kotone glanced at Gallica. This guy was either the most dumbfounding liar either of them had ever seen, or he really didn’t know anything. Kotone didn’t know which she preferred. “Okay then. You haven’t like… told anyone about me, have you?”

“Oh no, it’s rude to talk about a lady behind her back, right?” Ryoji waved his hands in front of his face dismissively, before pausing. “Um. Should I have been?”

“No! And you better not tell anyone now!” Gallica groaned, lolling her head back before sighing. “Sorry. I shouldn’t yell. It’s been a weird month.”

“Don’t worry, I totally get it.” Ryoji shook his head, still smiling. “I’ll just leave you two to sort things out, alright? I’m right over there if you need me, just yell!”

And then he promptly turned on his heel and went right back to pestering Makoto, who appeared to have been so absorbed with washing the dishes that he’d missed the conversation entirely.

“So…” Kotone glanced at Gallica as she turned back to the cups, a faint frown on her face. “Are you sure normal people can’t see you?”

“Well, I was…” Gallica sighed, settling back on Kotone’s shoulder and dropping her head into her hands. “But… I don’t know. I hadn’t ever really thought about it before, but I guess that guy is kind of weird. He’s got different vibes from most people.”

“What, do you think he’s a new SEES recruit or something?” Kotone raised an eyebrow curiously. “We haven’t seen him whenever they’ve gone to Tartarus, but that’s possible, right?”

“I dunno, just-“ Gallica rubbed her temples, sighing. “Let’s just finish up here and go home, okay? I’m supposed to watch the latest episode of ‘Refantazio’ with Kei tonight, I don’t wanna miss it by talking about weird boys.”

“Got it.” Kotone stuck out her tongue at the little fairy as she resumed her task, her eyes nonetheless drifting over to watch Ryoji all but prance around Makoto as the latter worked. “Hm…”

“Something bothers you, dread warrior.”

Yeah. Something about him. I don’t know what though.

“Most everything is revealed eventually. All it takes is time.”

Kotone shrugged. Medusa was right.

Nothing to worry about right now.

…hopefully.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, December 2^nd 2009.

The Day of the Cause

Kotone didn’t like the view from Akari’s apartment.

She just… didn’t.

For most people, a piece of real estate like this would have been priceless. A corner unit of an apartment building overlooking the bay from the Iwatodai side, sizable enough for a family while having a stunning view of the Moonlight Bridge in all its glory, angled perfectly so as to see the sun’s rays set over the distant ocean every nights as it painted everything in beautiful shades of brilliant, flaming orange.

Of course, that was exactly what Kotone didn’t like about the place.

I thought I was over this.

“We never truly are.”

That sucks.

“Hey.” Chidori squeezed her hand, pulling Kotone back and away from the bridge’s abyss. “You’re here.”

“Yeah… yeah.” Kotone swallowed, turning away from the view and back toward where the rest of Girls Night was sitting around Akari’s living room. “Sorry. It’s been better recently, but still…”

“I know.” Chidori shook her head, humming as she led Kotone to sit down on the couch. “You’ve been strong.”

“Eh, well. Learned from the best.” Kotone smiled, nudging her girlfriend gently as she looked between her friends. “So! Meeting time. First of all, let’s all have a big round of thank yous to Akari for hosting us today!”

“Please.” Akari groaned. “Do not.”

“Nah, she’s right!” Labrys grinned cheekily, leaning over to bump the other girl with her elbow. “Nice place ya’ got here!”

“Yes, well…” Akari shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. “I was the only one who hasn’t hosted yet aside from Saori, so… it felt appropriate.”

“Sure is!” Kotone clapped her hands. “So, let’s not waste any more time! Today’s topic is the files we got from the lab.  Rio’s been looking them over for a couple weeks, which means she’s ready to share what she’s found with us, right?”

“Well…” Rio shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a folder in her lap and a far off look in her eyes. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Gallica frowned. “What do you mean by-“

“Excuse me, Akari?” A kindly looking woman poked her head in through the door to the kitchen, a nervous smile on her face and a tray laden with tea mugs in her hands. “Oh! Am I interrupting? I’m sorry, I just thought you and your friends might like some tea?”

“It’s okay, mother.” Akari pushed herself to her feet, taking the tray and nodding her head respectfully at her mother. “Thank you very much.”

“Yeah, thanks!” Kotone bowed her head at the woman, as did the rest of the team. “We really appreciate it.”

“Oh, of course. Any friend of Akari’s is a friend of mine, it’s so good seeing that she’s so popular!” Akari’s mom clapped her hands softly as Akari set down the tray for the others. “I see I’m interrupting now. Please, stay as long as you like, and just let me know if you need anything else!”

“Of course, mother.” Akari nodded at her as she pulled the door shut, leaving Girls Night alone with themselves. “I hope her interruption can be excused for the tea?”

“Duh! So, you told her, huh?” Kotone grinned, bumping her friend gently. “Nice! Congratulations!”

“Thank you. It’s not that big of a deal.” Akari cleared her throat, shrugging. “She doesn’t pretend to understand, but she’s supportive. Or trying to be, at minimum. I appreciate it.”

“Still, it’s a big step.” Tae nodded, watching the door where Akari’s mom had gone. “I’m proud of you, kid.”

“Yes, well-“ Akari flushed with embarrassment, looking away. “…I took Ms. Kirijo up on her offer, so I would have had to explain the change in uniform anyhow. I might as well have gotten ahead of it.”

“It’s brave.” Chidori nodded her appreciation at the other girl, wrapping her hand around the nearest mug of tea and promptly spurring the rest of the team to do the same. “You did well.”

“It’s nothing compared to what we have to deal with elsewhere.” Akari shook her head, turning her attention toward where Rio sat. “Speaking of, I’d prefer if we refrained from discussing my personal life and focused on the matter at hand. What have you found, Rio?”

“Right.” Rio paused for a long moment, just taking her mug of tea and staring at it. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Saori blinked, confused. “Er… what do you mean by that?”

“I mean I haven’t been able to put together a full picture.” Rio shook her head, opening the folder and placing the contents on the table at the center of them all. “Here, you can see for yourself.”

Kotone scanned the pages curiously, frowning. It was a combination of the scrap paper they’d found in the lab, Rio’s transcriptions of their contents, and a whole stack of notes where she evidently tried to decode what had been damaged or lost.

There was a lot in that last pile.

“Half of this references documents we don’t have, the other half is just culty rambling nonsense.” Rio shook her head, sighing. “It’s clear they were trying to do… well, I’ll get to that. The problem is there’s just a big missing piece in the middle.”

“What have you been able to decode then?” Akari raised an eyebrow. “Knowing would still help.”

“Well…” Rio sifted through the pages, sighing. “As far as I can tell, at first the Kirijo Group was experimenting on Shadows to try and build a time machine.”

“Mh.” Chidori nodded. “I remember.”

“Where’d they get Shadows to experiment on anyways?” Kotone blinked, tilting her head to the side. “Don’t they only exist in the Dark Hour?”

“The files don’t say.” Rio shrugged, then looked back down at the documents. “Anyways, the Shadows seemed to have… affected them somehow. They started whispering about something called ‘Nyx’, and ‘The Fall’. If we believe Ikutsuki, that would be… well, the apocalypse.”

“So they went from a time machine to the freakin’ apocalypse?” Labrys scowled, shaking her head. “Kirijo bastahds…”

“Right, but… that’s where things get interesting.” Rio shook her head, pulling up a particular sheet of paper. “A lot of their experiments on Shadows got lost in the explosion, but it seems like they didn’t stop their temporal studies. From what I can tell, they gained access to a sort of liminal space called… well, I assume it’s the ‘Abyss of Time’, not the ‘Abyss of Tim’.”

“Hey, you dunno, maybe the researcher who found it was named Tim?” Kotone grinned, her expression evidently not reaching Rio based on the sour look on the other girl’s face. “…bad timing?”

“No, just… they found something there.” Rio shook her head, leaning back. “They called it ‘Erebus’. It’s… well, there’s not a lot of documentation on it, but as far as I can tell its sort of… humanity’s wish to die?”

“Our what?” Akari suddenly froze up, her eyes flicking to stare at Rio incredulously. “What do you mean ‘humanity’s wish to die’?”

“I don’t know, that’s just what it said in the documents.” Rio shook her head, setting the paper back down and sorting through some of the others. “The Kirijo Group believed that if Erebus was ever able to reach this ‘Nyx’, then the apocalypse would happen. They were trying to find a way to do that with their experiments, trying to find a way to give someone the power to bring about that ‘the Fall’ thing.”

“So, basically what Ikutsuki was trying to do with the sacrifice thing.” Gallica hummed, glancing nervously around at the others. “Which means… it’s nuts, right? The sacrifice didn’t work or anything, so there probably isn’t a way to start the apocalypse, right?”

“Yeah, duh. Right Rio?” Kotone smiled at Rio once more, her expression falling as Rio didn’t match it once again. “…Rio?”

“I don’t know.” Rio sighed, leaning back in her chair. “That’s the thing. That’s the big missing piece. There’s a big hole in all this, and it’s the part that says if it’s actually possible to do what they were trying to do.”

“Shit, kid.” Tae frowned, tapping her fingers against her arm. “What do we have?”

“Well, they called the person who’s supposed to be the one to bring the apocalypse ‘The Prince’. I think Ikutsuki’s hypothesis was that by doing what he did, he’d be able to take the role.” Rio frowned, flipping through some of the pages. “But like Gallica said, that obviously wasn’t it. There’s mention of a few other theories about how to become the Prince, like the ‘Appraiser’ theory or the ‘Mementos’ theory, but everything about those got lost.”

“So either one of those is right and there’s some sort of secret way to start the apocalypse that’s been lost to time…” Kotone tapped her cheek, frowning. “Or they’re just as hopeless as Ikutsuki?”

“That doesn’t sound so bad…” Saori frowned, instinctively hugging one of the pillows from the couch. “Either way, it means nobody can actually do whatever it is, right?”

“Assuming the theories really are lost.” Chidori nodded, a sober look on her face. “Iku- that man survived. Others might have.”

“Well, there ain’t exactly much we can do about ‘em now if they did.” Labrys shrugged dismissively, a smile on her face. “ ‘cept crush ‘em , obviously!”

“That isn’t a particularly foolproof plan.” Akari sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Are you sure there’s no indication as to how someone might bring about this… Fall, in there?”

“Not in what they grabbed me, no.” Rio shook her head. “Was there anything more in the lab?”

“This is everything that was salvageable, we think.” Gallica shook her head. “Which… well, it’s probably a good thing if some recipe for the apocalypse isn’t actually readable, right?”

“Due diligence may be the difference between victory and defeat, dread warrior.”

Well- I mean you’re not wrong.

“Indeed.”

“We should go over all of it together.” Kotone shook her head, taking one of the scraps of paper and flipping it over in her hands. “Maybe there’s something Rio missed?”

“By all means.” Rio nodded, sitting back in her chair. “It’s all started to blur together for me, another pair of eyes on it would probably help.”

“Or another seven!” Gallica pumped her fist. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

So, go over it all they did.

---

It took hours.

Like, past sunset and far into the night hours.

Kotone could have sworn they hadn’t grabbed this much paper from the lab, but evidently there was more to research than just snatching the first thing she saw off the top of a file and skimming through it. Going through every single page they’d gotten was an exercise in insanity and boredom, the likes of which Kotone could only compare to the average high school group project in its soul crushingness.

Especially since they hadn’t even found anything interesting by the end of it.

“Man.” Gallica yawned, leaning tiredly against Kotone’s neck. “We’ve been at this for a while, huh? It’s gotta be almost the Dark Hour by now.”

“Only a few minutes.” Akari nodded, setting down her own small stack of papers and frowning. “Speaking of which, it seems there’s no documentation about the Dark Hour here either.”

“I guess that means its existing really was an accident.” Saori hummed, leaning gently against Labrys. “So, we know they weren’t hiding anything in there… intentionally, at least.”

“Tartarus seem like the sort of thing that’d show up when you throw Death and Time together.” Tae rolled her eyes. “Then blow it up, of course.”

“No kiddin’.” Labrys snorted, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling. “They just couldn’t leave it alone, eh?”

“No.” Chidori shook her head, her eyes tracing out to the lights dancing over the bay. “They never do.”

The clock struck midnight.

Everyone let out a collective sigh as the familiar green shroud fell over them all, the moon growing huge in the sky over the bloody bay. Once the sight had been impossible to believe, but now after everything… it was normal.

All of it was normal.

“Alright everyone.” Kotone sighed, gathering up all the files and organizing them so they could go back into the folder. “I guess that’s that. It was worth a shot, but… well, I guess we’ll just have to hope, huh?”

“Yep.” Gallica nodded her agreement. “Guess so.”

Secret hours, burned files, potential apocalypses thwarted if only by the absence of possibility. Somehow one night of girlish whimsy breaking into their school had led them here, to a world where all that made sense. Tonight, once a night where the Full Moon would have driven them all to act by the discretion of the monstrous creatures that stalked the darkness, was just another night in the Dark Hour.

It was normal.

Totally and absolutely normal.

Until of course, the Moonlight Bridge fucking exploded.

Chapter Text

Thursday, December 3^rd 2009.

The Midnight of the Effect

Fire cascaded through the Dark Hour, burning fragments of concrete and steel crashing into the bloodied bay below. Beams of light cut through the sky in fragmented fractals, winding through reality and ripping at it with unimpassioned precision; a god’s scalpel slicing through all that laid beneath.

And Girls Night could only watch from the floor of the apartment, their eyes wide as they hit the deck and beheld the impossible.

“What in the hell is that?” Akari was the first to pull herself to her feet, simply staring at the carnage as a series of subsequent explosions rocked the bridge and gunfire lit the night. “Is it another Shadow? SEES?”

“We won’t know hanging around here!” Gallica sprung upwards, gesturing frantically toward the door as Girls Night got themselves together. “C’mon, we need to go!”

“Right… yeah, uh…” Kotone stumbled to her feet, unable to drag her eyes away from the lightshow happening on the bridge. “It… it…”

It was happening again.

Shit, wasn’t that last Shadow enough? Why does it always have to come back to that stupid bridge?

“Such is the way of battle, dread warrior. We are often disadvantaged by circumstance.”

It’s bullshit! Total bullshit!

“Kotone.” Chidori’s hand was on her shoulder, her amber eyes gazing into Kotone’s as she nodded assuredly. “I’m with you.”

“That-“ Kotone swallowed, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand and nodding. Right. Right, she was with her. They were all with her, and she was with them. They could do this. “C’mon everyone, let’s go see what the heck’s going on!”

And so off into the night they went. Down the staircase at the heart of the building, through the silent lobby and the locked-up door, out onto the street and the roadway beyond. Blasts and beams continued to cut through the night, the Dark Hour itself shaking as they charged up the Moonlight Bridge, their weapons and Evokers forgotten as they hunted for the source of whatever the hell was doing… this.

Though they never quite expected who.

Ryoji awaited them, levitating in the empty space before the abyss formed by the blast, concrete and rebar twisting toward him as reality bent in his immediate surroundings. Flashes of light sparked across his skin, fractures in space and time that hurt Kotone’s head to look at as they flitted around. In front of him stood none other than Aigis, her chassis battered but not broken as she pushed herself to her feet and stared defiantly at the…

Well, whatever exactly Ryoji had become.

This is not what I expected to find here, what the hell?

“Adaptability is key, dread warrior.”

Adaptability to what? This doesn’t make any sense!

“SIS!” Labrys charged forward, helping Aigis to stand as her eyes flashed with rage at the boy before them. “HEY, WHAT THE HELL DO YOUSE THINK YOU’RE DOIN’?!”

“Labrys…” Ryoji smiled sadly, shaking his head as he surveyed her and the rest of Girls Night. “All of you… you shouldn’t have come here.”

“S-s-s-sister, he is dang-erous-erous-erous.” Aigis voice stuttered, her limbs sparking as she nonetheless planted her feet and spun up her gun hand. “He must-must-must be eliminated-ed-ed-ed!”

There was the sound of gunfire and shearing metal as Aigis released another volley, her bullets shattering against an invisible barrier as Ryoji simply looked on sadly.

“She’s right. I am dangerous.” Ryoji winced, averting his eyes from the team as he shook his head. “But there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing any of you can do about it.”

“Fuck that!” Rio shook her head emphatically, squaring up her fists. “I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is we’re not going to be scared off from figuring it out!”

“It’s not a matter of fear, it’s… it’s a matter of reality.” Ryoji sighed, turning to face Aigis once more. “I can’t explain until you back down, Aigis, so… please, just-“

“N-negative.” Aigis smacked her chest, her voice stabilizing as her body tensed up to strike once more. “I will protect them all!”

“I see.” Ryoji grimaced as Aigis leapt forward and raced towards him, the boy’s hand raising in response as a crackle of pure white energy gathered in his palm. “Then I’m sorry.”

There was a sound like cold fusion as Ryoji’s attack burst forth, time itself slowing to a crawl. A beam of pure light stretched toward Aigis, the searing cold of Death filling the air and cutting through reality as the android faced it head on. There was no avoiding it. No mitigating it, even. She had cut her path, and in just an instant, it would cut her back.

And somehow, Kotone knew that this time she wouldn’t be getting back up from it.

“HELL NO YA’ AIN’T!” Labrys’ eyes flashed, her body surging with a burst of blue fire as she slammed her foot into the ground. “ASTARIUS!”

A roar burned through the night as a giant iron-headed bull man burst from the bridge before the team and slammed his hands into the path of light. The beam faltered for a moment, clashing with the Persona for a few grueling seconds before bursting into a brilliant explosion. Labrys yelled in pain, clutching her head as the Persona vanished and her sister staggered backwards, unharmed.

“How did…” Ryoji furrowed his brow, unsure of what to make of the display. “You weren’t supposed to be able to do that.”

“Yeah well…” Labrys wiped her face, a dribble of black liquid leaking from her nose as she grinned. “We ain’t exactly the kinds to listen to what people like youse think ain’t possible, asshole.”

“Aigis!” Fuuka’s yell brought the group’s attention backwards as SEES joined the scene, launching off their bikes as they skidded to a stop just short of Girls Night. “What are you doing?!”

“He is dangerous.” Aigis grimaced, moving to pop her wrist back into place from where it had been dislocated by the fight. “He must be destroyed. He must be.”

“Dude what the hell’s going on?!” Junpei stared wide-eyed at the levitating boy. “Ryoji?! What the hell man, you’re magic?!”

“Hey, everyone.” Ryoji smiled haplessly as he shook his head. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. To my memory.”

“Ryoji.” Makoto strode forth, his voice calm even despite the circumstances as he moved to stand by Kotone’s side. “What’s going on?”

“Mako…” Ryoji’s expression fell, any attempt at concealing the agony below falling as he bowed his head. “I- I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…”

“Sorry for what?” Akari scowled, looking between Ryoji and SEES. “Would someone explain what’s going on here already?”

“It was him. Death.” Aigis clenched her fists, the only thing stopping her from charging forward to strike the boy being her sister’s hand on her shoulder. “He is the one responsible for this.”

“Death? What do you mean Death?” Gallica waved her hands around, uncomprehending. “What did he do?”

“Just what she said. I’m… Death. The last Arcana Shadow. The one the Kirijo Group experimented on to bring about the Fall.” Ryoji raised his hand in front of him, inspecting it as his scarf fluttered in the warbling reality. “And on this spot, ten years ago…”

Ten years ago. Here, ten years ago, he…

“Dread warrior?”

He… he…

---

Moonlight passes you

Fades it all from view

All that midnight blue

Becomes a memory of you

Your shadow on the wall

A person I can't recall

The masks you wear become your face

And your memories erase

“Dad!” Kotone grinned as she kicked the back of the seat in front of her, a smile on her face. “Turn up the radio, I wanna dance!”

“Dance, eh?” Kotone’s father glanced back at her through the rear-view mirror as he turned onto the road that led to the bridge. “You sure about that kiddo? It’s almost midnight, a growing girl like you should be heading to bed.”

“But I don’t wanna sleep!” Kotone shook her head emphatically. “I wanna dance!”

“You should listen to her honey.” Kotone’s mother laughed, grinning back at the girl. “Or I doubt we’ll ever hear the end of it.”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Kotone giggled, waving her arms. “Music! Music! Music!”

“Alright, alright!” Kotone’s dad chuckled, his hand moving to the volume dial as the lights of the Moonlight Bay stretched out beneath them. “Dance it is, alright kiddo?”

“Yay!” Kotone grinned, swaying to the music as it took over. “You’re the best, I love you!”

The moon is fading

Into twilight skies

Oh God, please answer me

Do I have more time?

And in this moonlight daydream

Where I can't find light

Your shadow beckons-

---

Kotone groaned in pain, clutching her head as she staggered backwards. Memories came flooding back, memories of steel and flame, of music being suddenly cut short, of a golden streak burning through the sky and a silver mask roaring into the night.

Of the mask of Death.

“I don’t believe it.” Makoto stood steadfast beside her, his fist clenched as he stared at Ryoji. “It couldn’t have been you.”

“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to believe it either, heh…” Ryoji chuckled sadly, unable to meet Makoto’s eyes as SEES’ leader took a step toward his former companion. “But it’s true. I’m Death. 10 years ago, I came here, and…”

And…

---

“Mom? Dad!” Kotone coughed as she stumbled through the wreckage, flames dancing all around her through the twisted metal. “Hey! Wh-where’d you go, I- I need you! I-“

She fell, the pain in her leg searing as she screamed. She looked down at it, blood oozing from the cut along her thigh. It hurt. It hurt really badly. But- but she was supposed to be brave. That’s what her mom had always told her, she had to be brave no matter what. If there was an accident, she had to help people. It was her responsibility.

She could do it. She could be brave. She was a big girl. She wouldn’t cry.

Kotone sniffled, pushing herself to her feet and moving forward, still calling for her mom, or her dad, or for anyone. She could do something. She could help. She just needed to be there, just- just needed to be brave. Just…

Just…

She froze. Ahead of her, a blue-eyed woman with metal wires for half a face was crouching over a boy, his hair matted with blood and grime. She fed him something, something dark and indistinct, his body shuddering as it joined with his soul. It looked wrong. Evil. Incomprehensible.

But Kotone wanted to help.

“H-hey!” Kotone stumbled forward, refusing to let her feet give out beneath her as she approached the two strangers. “I-is he alright? D-does he need any help?”

The woman said nothing, just looking up to stare at her as the boy went limp in her lap. Kotone hesitated, freezing then just short of the others. Her lips moved, trying to form words, but nothing came. Nothing at all.

“It is okay.” The woman shook her head, raising her hand. “They will come for you soon. You may sleep.”

There was a flash of light. And in that moment… Kotone did.

---

“Dread warrior.”

I… I remember what happened now. Shit. Shit.

“You… you were sealed away? By Aigis? But…” Kotone shook her head, her vision swimming as she tried to reconcile truth with memory, and the enormity of what was before her. “But why? Why do any of that in the first place?!”

“Because, I exist for one reason and one reason alone.” Ryoji’s eyes shimmered, a tear rolling down his cheek as he leaned his head back to stare at the full moon above. “To bring about the Fall.”

“The… the Fall? Wait, but-“ Gallica gasped, her eyes widening. “Are you saying you’re the Prince?!”

“The Prince?” Ryoji blinked, looking back down confusedly. “No, I don’t believe so. I don’t know who that’s meant to be.”

“Oh, phew.” Saori sighed in relief. “Because it sounded like-“

“I’m the Appraiser.” Ryoji bowed his head. “The one who will call down the Mother of Shadows and bring about the Fall.”

“Shit.” Tae scowled, shaking her head. “Son of a bitch.”

“You’re… you’re what?” Yukari trembled ever so slightly, her hand tugging the sleeve of her sweater. “What does that mean?”

“The Prince wasn’t the right word. He’s… the Appraiser.” Rio squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at Ryoji any longer. “So… so you’re the one who’s meant to bring Erebus and Nyx together, is that right? You’re what the Kirijo Group was trying to create?”

“I see you’ve done your research. That’s nice. It’s good to do that.” Ryoji’s voice trembled, a gob of saliva forming in his mouth as he swallowed. “It’s true. Now that the Arcana Shadows have rejoined with me and I’ve regained my memory, it’s… the Fall is inevitable.”

“What?” Akihiko tensed up, his fists clenching. “The hell do you mean ‘inevitable’? What are you talking about?”

“In two months time, mankind’s desire to die, Erebus, will be close enough to call out to Nyx.” Ryoji shook his head, his eyes looking between heaven and earth. “When it does… I will carry humanity’s message. Nyx will come to Earth… and everyone will die.”

“Everyone.”

Will.

“Die.”

“What? That- nah, no way man!” Junpei shook his head emphatically. “That’s bullshit!”

“I’m afraid not.” Ryoji smiled helplessly. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now. As long as mankind wishes for it, Nyx’s coming is inevitable.”

“I object to that.” Akari took a decisive step forward, glaring daggers at Ryoji. “I wished for no such thing. And I won’t stand for the world ending because someone else decided for me.”

“I agree.” Mitsuru took a breath, squaring her shoulders as she stared Ryoji down. “I can’t pretend to understand half of what you’ve said… but if you mean to imply that we would wish for Death, then I refute you under no uncertain terms.”

“I respect that, really I do. But this path has been set the moment I became whole again.” Ryoji placed a hand over his heart, bowing his head. “All that can be done now, is…”

Ryoji trailed off, finally daring to turn and look Makoto in the eyes. SEES’ leader didn’t move. Didn’t falter. Even now, he just stared straightforward, refusing to bow to anything Ryoji did. Even through it all, Makoto Yuki stood unwavering, unbroken.

Even as Kotone could swear she heard his heart shatter to pieces.

“…you could forget all this.” Ryoji couldn’t muster the same strength, his eyes flickering to his feet. “If you killed me, only you Mako… you could all forget this. The Fall would still come, but you’d be… you wouldn’t know. You’d be blissful to it all.”

“Not a damn chance!” Labrys scowled, her eyes flashing red. “I ain’t rolling over and lying down just ‘cause some bastahd twink says so!”

“I’m sorry, Labrys. You were right, you- you deserve better.” Ryoji didn’t look up, still just staring at the ground below. “But only Mako can-“

“I won’t.” Makoto clenched his fist tight for a long moment, before simply letting go. “I refuse.”

“You… you refuse?” Ryoji blinked, looking up. “But-“

“No buts.” Chidori shook her head, staring Ryoji dead in the eye. “You heard him. We won’t go quietly. Not anymore.”

“Yeah!” Kotone didn’t have the same restraint, only barely stopping herself from launching at the boy like Aigis had. “We’re not gonna stand for your ‘inevitable’ bullshit!”

“It’s not- it’s just the truth!” Ryoji clutched at his scarf, his eyes widening. “I don’t want you to suffer! I don’t want any of you to suffer!”

“Too late for that now.” Tae shook her head, tapping her foot. “We know. And I doubt you’ll find any of us that want to forget.”

“I…” Ryoji hesitated for a  long moment, his eyes scanning the crowd as he searched for some sort of weakness. Some sort of hesitation, or doubt. Maybe he found it. Kotone didn’t know. But it was enough for him to drop his head and sigh. “I see you won’t listen now… we still have time. I’ll come back to meet you on the next full moon. I hope by then you’ve seen sense.”

“Yeah, well…” Makoto grit his teeth, finally averting his eyes and turning away. “Keep hoping.”

Ryoji said nothing, just staring at the boy go as he walked down the long road back to the mainland. The Appraiser looked almost like he wanted to go after him. Call out. Do anything at all to stop him from leaving the bridge, from leaving him.

But he said nothing.

And then, just like that, he vanished.

“Dude.” Junpei blinked, staring at the space where the boy had gone. “What the fuck…”

---

They didn’t say anything more that night.

They couldn’t.

Girls Night all wound their way back home through the silence of the night, the Dark Hour ticking down around them until it ended just short of the garden path home. Kotone stood outside there for a few long, agonizing minutes, Chidori’s hand held in hers and Gallica on her shoulder as she tried to unpack what had happened.

What was going to happen.

It was easy to stand tall in the moment. To deny that which is far off for the sake of what you feel now, to refute the mere possibility that something so… so fundamentally terrifying could be possible. There, surrounded by her friends, Kotone had been able to believe deep in her heart that Ryoji was wrong. That no matter what he said, there was a way forward.

Now… now she wasn’t so sure.

Now, she really didn’t know at all.

---

“Mom? Dad?” Kotone blinked at the phantom figures crowding around her bed, their faces lost to the spell of sleep that still clung to her like a shroud. “Are you… are you there? Dad? Mom?”

The figures’ voices warbled, their words lost to nothingness as they continued to shift around her, the stark white of a hospital room shining through them like specters.

“I-I can go to bed now, if you want. I don’t have to stay up, I- w-we can dance later, right?” Kotone’s voice was small. Weak. She wanted to scream, wanted to yell, wanted to cry, but none of it came out. Only whispers, barely stronger than silence. “Please, I…”

Nothing made sense here. Not the sheets on her bed. Not the blurry faces looking down at her. Not the throbbing pain coursing through her. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t.

She didn’t.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I-I tried to be brave, but I… I…” Tears streaked down Kotone’s face, her promise breaking in panic as she tried desperately to find something to cling to. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mom, Dad. Please don’t go. Please, I don’t- I don’t want-“

I don’t want to be alone.

---

“Hey kid, shit, you’re back.” Kei rocketed to his feet from where he and Elly were watching the news s Kotone and the other two walked in through the door, the blasted husk of the Moonlight Bridge looming dark over the bay on the TV screen. “We heard the blast but didn’t know where it was, are you-“

Kei fell silent as Kotone let go of Chidori’s hand and hugged him, a sob escaping her throat as her legs nearly gave out beneath her. Just like that, all the strength she had, all the determination, it vanished in an instant. She reached out for Elly, pulling her in too as Chidori followed after and hugged her from behind. Kotone grit her teeth, tears streaming down her face as she tried to hold it in, tried to hold it in, tried to hold it in-

As she let it all out.

Kotone wailed, her whole body shaking as the weight of reality crushed down on her and she held her family close, close, as close as she possible could before they were gone and she was alone again. As close as she could before the shroud of night would fall and oblivion would come. As close as she could in the precious moments they had left to wait.

As close as she could, before the end came crashing down all over again.

Chapter Text

Thursday, December 3^rd 2009.

The Day of Reconciliation

The mug of tea was warm in Kotone’s hands as she stared into its depths, the swirling dregs of the leaves failing to settle thanks to her shaking. She’d taken it without a word, her hands wrapping around in on instinct alone as she sat on the couch in her living room, Gallica’s explanation to her parents coming through muffled and indistinct as she waited amidst those she held closest to her heart.

Waited for the end.

“So. Nyx, the Appraiser, Erebus, and the Fall.” Kei sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he held his glasses in his spare hand. “Sounds a hell of a lot more complicated than Pandora was.”

“Oh yes, but only about half as so for 𝒩𝓎𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓅. That 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑒 certainly thrived in 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓋𝓊𝓁𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈!” Elly hummed, nodding at Kotone. “Which is certainly good news for you! Your 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓎𝓅𝓈𝑒 appears to be 𝓂𝒾𝒹𝒹𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 at best!”

“Middling…” Kotone shivered, looking up to glance between the two. “The end of all life on earth is middling?”

“In some ways.” Kei shot Elly a look, before turning back to Kotone. “The fact of the matter is, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been at risk of something like this happening. It won’t be the last, either.”

“That’s…” Gallica flinched from where she was sat on Kotone’s shoulder, her own tiny custom-made mug of tea in her hands. “Seriously?”

“Oh yes, 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 isn’t it?” Elly clapped, nodding enthusiastically. “It’s a 𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒶𝑔𝑒, really!”

“That’s…” Kotone furrowed her brow, glancing back down at her tea. “Nice, I guess. Good to know things really aren’t hopeless.”

“They never are.” Kei shook his head, putting his glasses back on. “That’s the trick. Your enemies will always want you to think they’re insurmountable. They’re wrong. As long as you remember that, you’ll pull through.”

It’s… it’s still hard to believe.

“Do you intend to give up, dread warrior?”

Of course not. Just, need to reckon with it a little.

“Right. Okay, so…” Kotone took a deep breath, then slowly nodded her head. “What next?”

“He said two months, right?” Kei stood to his feet, pacing from side to side for a moment. “From the sounds of it, I doubt your friend Makoto will take the deal this next full moon. Which means you have two months to prepare for the fight of your lives.”

“That’s right.” Gallica bit the inside of her cheek, nodding. “So… probably nothing to worry about, right?”

“𝒬𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓈𝑜!” Elly nodded her agreement. “Though, you’ll find that 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓈 when you’re preparing for 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈.”

“Right. Right…” Kotone took a deep breath, allowing herself the space it afforded her. “You said school’s cancelled today because of the bridge, right?”

“That’s right. It’d be a good day to meet with your team, check where everyone’s head is at.” Kei nodded, turning to Chidori. “Speaking of. You’ve been quiet. How are you feeling?”

“Calm. Ready.” Chidori nodded slowly, meeting Kei’s gaze evenly. “I told him on the bridge. I won’t be going quietly. He can count on it.”

“She is steadfast, dread warrior.”

She is. I think I love her.

“Think?”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Kotone leaned over to give Chidori a kiss on the cheek, bumping her head gently against the other girl. “Proud of you.”

“Pride has nothing to do with it.” Chidori shook her head, turning to face Kotone head on. “I have something worth fighting for. It’s as simple as that.”

…yeah, okay. Definitely love her.

“Good.”

Yeah. It is.

“Well alright then.” Kotone grinned, taking Chidori’s hand and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s get everyone together.”

---

The first problem in getting everyone together came when Saori didn’t pick up her phone. That wasn’t exactly unexpected, a lot had happened the night before after all, but it was still an issue. The second problem came when Tae did answer her phone to let Kotone know that Labrys had just gotten a text from Saori about being grounded, and that the android was currently making a beeline for the Hasegawa residence. The third problem thusly became trying to get to said residence before Labrys took an axe to it, while also making sure Chidori went to the meeting spot at the Wild Duck Burger to wait with Rio and Akari while Kotone and Gallica handled things.

Which, in a few words, was why Kotone had to sprint down the street toward Labrys as she caught sight of the other girl stomping up the sidewalk Saori’s house, her metal feet nearly cracking through the concrete beneath her.

“Hey, whoah!” Kotone skidded to a walking pace next to the android as the two approached the Hasegawa residence’s front door. “What’s going on? Talk to me here.”

“Saori’s bum parents ain’t lettin’ her out after they caught her sneakin’ home last night.” Labrys scowled, her eyes aflame. “I’m gonna have a chat with ‘em. And I ain’t interested in letting you stop me, we shoulda dealt with those bastahds a long time ago.”

I can already hear the windows smashing.

“Rightfully so.”

Maybe, but I don’t wanna get sued for property damage. Again. Fourth grade was weird.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to stop you.” Kotone raised her hands, shaking her head. “I just wanna make sure we’re handling this right.”

“Really?” Labrys rolled her eyes. “Since when are youse so concerned with doin’ things right?”

“Well, uh…” Kotone blinked. “Kinda since we found out that we’re all going to die in two months if we don’t?”

“That’s…” Labrys frowned for a long moment, then sighed. “Y’know, that’s fair. But what’s your big idea then hotshot?”

“Well…” Kotone felt at the fabric of her pocket, feeling the familiar weight settled there. She had taken it as a precaution, but now… “Just follow my lead, alright?”

Labrys grumbled as she fell in behind Kotone, allowing the other girl to take the lead as she moved to press down on the Hasegawa’s doorbell. A melodic chime sounded out, echoing through the quiet air of the morning for a few long moments.

Then the door opened.

A man who looked like he had just gotten home from coming second place in a wet blanket competition opened the door, frowning down at Kotone from behind his pencil mustache.

“Well?” The man tapped his foot, looking annoyed. “What do you want?”

“Well uh…” Kotone blinked, taken by surprise. He wasn’t holding back, was he? “Is Saori home?”

“What interest would you have with my daughter?” Mr. Hasegawa scowled, his eyes narrowing. “Hold on a moment… you wouldn’t happen to be those delinquents she’s been associating with, would you?”

“Delinquents?” Labrys scoffed, leaning against her arms. “Who youse callin’ delinquents?”

“Ugh.” Mr. Hasegawa scoffed, moving to close the door. “I’ll take that as a yes. Saori is unavailable at present, good d-“

“Ango!” A shrill voice halted the door from closing as a woman who looked very much like Saori if she had been cursed by a witch or some such stalked down the hall toward the door. “Ango, did I hear you say it’s that delinquent scum?!”

“That’s right honey, they-“ Mr. Hasegawa was shoved aside as Mrs. Hasegawa all but barged past him, a look of fury in her eyes. “Of course.”

“You tramps had better stay away from my daughter!” Mrs. Hasegawa all but hissed, shaking her fist at the pair of girls. “You’ve been filling her head with all these thoughts of independence and rebellion, and now look what’s happened! Our Saori, sneaking out at night! The shame of it!”

“The only shame is havin’ a mother like youse if that’s what your problem is.” Labrys scowled, cracking her knuckles. “Saori’s her own lady, you ain’t allowed to just control her life like that.”

“How dare you?!” Mrs. Hasegawa shrieked, her fists clenching at her sides. “I will not allow some… some… street scum freak like you to speak to me in this way!”

“Saori is our daughter, which means she’s ours to direct.” Mr. Hasegawa scoffed, shaking his head as his daughter peeked around a corner in the hallway behind him. “Did you hear that Saori? Stay right there, and we’ll be speaking about these ‘friends’ of yours later.”

“Hey Sao!” Kotone waved at the girl, grinning reassuringly past her parents. “I’m assuming you wanna get out of here, right?”

“I-“ Saori hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. “But I’m grounded, so…”

“Ah, dontcha worry about that.” Labrys shook her head, a cocky smile on her lips. “We’ll getcha out of here!”

“Like hell you will.” Mrs. Hasegawa sneered, crossing her arms angrily. “How dare you even ask that of us? I should call the police on you!”

“Pretty simple.” Kotone shrugged, pulling her Evoker out of her pocket and placing it against the side of her head, much to the sudden shock and horror of the Hasegawas. “We’re not asking.”

There was a flash of blue, and the sound of shattering glass.

The first thing Kotone noticed was that summoning her Persona during the day really fucking hurt. There was no Dark Hour to cushion the blow or help maintain Medusa’s presence, which meant Kotone was bearing the full weight of her inner self right now. The second thing Kotone noticed was that it was totally worth it based on the look of absolute terror and confusion on the Hasegawa’s faces.

“You would do well to grant your daughter her freedom.” Medusa loomed forward, her hair hissing as the Hasegawa’s trembled at the sight. “Lest she rise up herself and take all that she has been denied.”

“I-“ Mr. Hasegawa trembled, slowly stepping out of the way of the door. He glanced down the hallway, gesturing at where Saori stood with her eyes wide. “C-come along now S-Saori, your um… your friends are here.”

Mrs. Hasegawa said nothing, her eyes glued to Medusa as Saori nervously shimmied past her and out onto the patio. For a moment Kotone was worried that the woman had actually been turned into stone, but she was quickly proven wrong when the older woman promptly turned and bolted the door shut as soon as Saori was gone.

“Huh.” Labrys scratched the side of her head as Kotone finally let Medusa go, letting out a sigh of relief as she did. “I guess that was simpler than just throwin’ ‘em out a window. Who’da thunk it?”

“Kotone, Labrys…” Saori hesitated, looking between the two of them. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have been alright. Um, probably…”

“We have the end of the world to prep for.” Kotone tucked her Evoker back into her pocket, shaking her head with a smile. “Your parents can shove it.”

“I…” Saori winced, looking away. “They’ll be mad… I’ll be in trouble when I get back.”

“Nah, you won’t. They’re gonna act like nothin’ happened, ‘cause they’ll be scared ‘a what happens if they don’t.” Labrys’ eyes glimmered as she stared at the door with her arms crossed. “Your folks are a buncha cowards. I got no idea how a special girl like youse came from bastahds like them.”

“Oh, er-“ Saori blushed, her eyes suddenly darting around the pavement. “Thank you, Labrys. That’s very nice of you to say.”

“Just the truth, doll. And hey!” Labrys grinned, moving to wrap an arm around Saori’s shoulder and hug her. “If they’re really gonna cause a problem, youse can always move in with me! I ain’t using the bed anyhow.”

“That-“ Saori turned a bright red, all but melting against Labry’s side as the metal girl squeezed her. “Th-that, um…”

“Alright, we can talk about U-hauling later!” Gallica popped up from Kotone’s shoulder, shaking her head. “We’ve got a meeting to get to, remember?”

“Right.” Kotone nodded, turning back to the street and cocking her head. “You gonna be alright, Sao?”

“I will be.” Saori swallowed trying to regain her composure even as Labrys poked her gently. “I… I’m ready for whatever comes next. I promise.”

That’s what I like to hear.

“She’s strong, dread warrior.”

No kidding. I’m proud of her.

“Okay then.” Kotone grinned. “Let’s get started.”

---

In hindsight, having a meeting about how they were planning on facing the end of the world in a Wild Duck Burger was maybe a bad idea, what with the noise, and the people, and the fact it was a fast food restaurant.

But the new limited time poutine almost made it worth it to Kotone.

Almost.

"In the interest of time, considering ours is supposedly limited." Akari frowned, standing pat as her teammates all dug into their food. "None of us plan to give up, correct?"

There was a chorus of affirmative hums and yeses around the table, a concurrent current of ‘fuck that’ seeming to flow through the team. It was reassuring to Kotone that everyone seemed onboard with keeping up the fight, even if she was sure they were all putting on at least a bit of a brave face.

She knew she was.

“The way I see it is simple.” Tae held up a french fry for a long moment, staring at it appraisingly. “Makoto’s clearly not interested in taking his deal, which means the easy way’s not an option. And without that, it’s just roll over or fight. And we’ve been pretty clear on where we stand on that so far.”

“Agreed.” Rio nodded, staring down at the pathetic looking salad she’d ordered. “It’s terrifying, but… so is everything else we do. I don’t see how this is any different.”

“Mh glash to shee we’re alr on the shame payge!” Kotone swallowed her bite of food, pumping her fist even as Akari groaned in dismay. “But you all know what that means, right?”

“Er.” Saori blinked. “That we’re going to be teaming up with SEES?”

“What? No.” Kotone shook her head. “Well, maybe when the whole ‘God of Death’ coming to try and kill us thing kicks off, but before that not really. Makoto’ll keep ‘em focused, it’ll be fine.”

And I still really don’t trust the Kirijo Group. Especially since this is all their fault anyways.

“That’s implied, dread warrior.”

Good. Figured it was worth affirming though.

“Fair enough.” Rio shrugged. “So what then?”

“Tartarus!” Kotone grinned. “We’re going to be spending some long nights kicking ass!”

“Must you yell?” Akari groaned, glancing around and locking eyes with a grade school girl who was staring at the group like they were insane. “Need I remind you we are in public?”

“Enthusiasm is important.” Chidori shook her head. “I’m ready.”

“Chidori’s right.” Gallica nodded her agreement. “If the world’s close to ending, we shouldn’t worry so much about playing by its rules, right?”

“Well, we are going to try to stop it from ending.” Rio shrugged. “But I see your point.”

“Yeah. And we’re not just gonna try. We’re gonna succeed, by being ourselves.” Kotone stood upright, compelled forward by an urge inside her. “Because that’s what makes us strong, right?”

“Right, dread warrior. It’s something they cannot take away from you.”

Hell yeah they can’t.

“In the face oblivion, being oneself is the greatest act of defiance.”

“…maybe you’re right. Maybe…” Akari hesitated for a second, then stood up in turn. “Excuse me for a moment. I need to make a phone call.”

“Huh.” Tae watched as the girl stepped away, heading out the front door of the restaurant with her phone in hand. “Guess she’s going for it. Good for her.”

“Huh?” Kotone blinked. “What’s she doing?”

“Girl can share her own secrets.” Tae snorted, shaking her head. “That’s all I’ll say.”

Well now I’m more curious.

“There are some boundaries that should not be pushed.”

I know, I know. Still curious.

“Alright then!” Kotone grinned, digging into another bite of her poutine. “Erry one shoulsh be reaey for Tartarush tomorrow!”

“Good grief.” Gallica sighed, smiling nonetheless. “For anyone who doesn’t speak mumbles, she said that we should all get ready for Tartarus tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Labrys blinked. “Wait, was that supposed t’ be hard to understand?”

To that, the rest of Girls Night just laughed.

Which, admittedly, felt really good to do right now.

Chapter Text

Friday, December 11^th 2009.

The Day of Something Looming

It had already begun to snow when Kotone heard the first whispers of the end.

^{“Hey, did you hear? Nyx is coming.”}

^{“I did. They say the Appraiser’s going to bring about the Fall, and everything will be peaceful.”}

^{“It sounds nice, doesn’t it?”}

^{“Yeah…”}

Kotone’s body suddenly thrummed into motion as her eyes snapped to the source, finding a pair of girls sitting by the window with their faces framed by the snowfall beyond. They spoke in hushed murmurs, their eyes on the distant sky as they waited for the bell to ring and release them from it all. Kotone had to fight back the urge to jump to her feet and march over to them so she could demand an explanation, demand where they had ever heard that name and what it meant.

Demand that they understand just exactly what it meant to wish for the end.

“Patience is a virtue, dread warrior.”

Yeah. Which is why I’m not moving.

“You’ve learned.”

“Hey.” Yukari’s voice brought Kotone out of her thoughts, her attention drawn to the window once again as the archer stared down at the girls, flanked by the rest of her teammates in the class. “Where’d you hear that name?”

“Huh?” The first girl blinked, seemingly brough out of her stupor by Yukari’s words. She just shrugged. “Uh, I dunno. Just some website.”

“What website though?” Junpei scratched the back of his head, shrugging. “You got a link or something?”

“A… a link?” The second girl blinked, evidently befuddled. “What do you mean a link?”

“A web link, to the website you are referring to.” Aigis nodded seriously. “For example, if you wished to learn more about cats, you would go to h t t p s : / / j a . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i / C a t. It is a helpful navigation tool.“

“They’re asking where you found the site.” Makoto glanced at Aigis, shaking his head. “That’s all.”

“I dunno.” The girls shrugged, looking back out the window. “Some blog on GPHSB. It had a ‘link’ or whatever. Try that.”

“The Gekkoukan Private High School Blog.” Aigis blinked in understanding. “I understand, we will look there.”

Almost as if on cue, the bell rung, releasing them from their obligation to stay. The two girls being interrogated slipped off, all but running for the door as if worried that SEES would follow after them. Instead the four of them just watched, waiting until the girls had departed before turning to look at one another.

“Man…” Junpei groaned, tilting his head back. “As if this crap wasn’t complicated enough already…”

“Who do you think set it up?” Yukari glanced over at Kotone, who wasn’t even bothering to pretend she wasn’t eavesdropping at this point. “It wouldn’t be Girls Night, right?”

“What?” Gallica jumped off Kotone’s shoulder, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at the girl. “Hey, of course not!”

“It was just an idea.” Yukari winced, turning back to the others on her team. “Figures that’d be too easy.”

“We’ll look at it later.” Makoto shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets and heading for the door. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

Kotone watched as they left, turning over what they had said in her mind. On one hand, it was good news that Makoto really did seem to have SEES all onboard with keeping up the fight against Nyx. On the other hand…

“We should check out that website too, huh?” Gallica sighed as she fell back onto Kotone’s shoulder, dropping her chin against her hands. “Jeez, I can’t believe they’d think it was us…”

“Well, to be fair, I was sorta worried it was them before they started asking questions.” Kotone smiled playfully as she stood, swinging her bag over her shoulder. “I guess we should go bring this up to the others, huh?”

“Yeah.” Gallica nodded, staring at the empty spot where the girls had been sitting and the snow still falling beyond. “No kidding.”

---

“Well.” Rio sighed, clicking through the anonymous link posted onto the GPHSB site through her family computer, the rest of Girls Night crowded around her as she did. “It’s definitely a thing.”

“Wow.” Gallica huffed as she scanned the page, a frown on her face. “That’s definitely… a design.”

“Reminds me of the kinds of sites I’d get in trouble for going on as a kid.” Tae sighed, shaking her head. “Seems about right for a doomsday cult, really.”

“Jin made this.” Chidori bit the inside of her cheek, staring at the spot where NYX was emblazoned in bright red letters. “It has his fingerprints all over it.”

“Jin?” Kotone frowned, glancing at her girlfriend. “Didn’t that guy get his arm cut off? And then fall like… 200 feet into a bloody ocean?”

“Wait, did he?” Labrys whistled. “Damn, that’s hardcore.”

“That’s one way to describe it.” Akari frowned, her eyes scanning the words as if trying to glean something out of them. “It also means any chance he survived are miniscule at best.”

“There’s nobody else who could have made this.” Chidori shook her head, still staring at the screen. “I’m sure of it.”

“Well… maybe Ryoji did it?” Saori offered, glancing around nervously. “Though, I guess that doesn’t really make sense. He really seemed like he wanted Makoto to decide…”

“If Jin did make it, then he must have talked to Ryoji somehow.” Gallica frowned, gesturing at where the site said ‘HAIL THE APPRAISER’. “This is the sort of stuff he only told us, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” Tae sighed. “I don’t want to imagine how that conversation must have gone.”

“Ryoji hasn’t been in school since it happened, right?” Rio glanced at Kotone, who nodded. Her classmates had spent a few days gossiping about his absence before they’d gone back to the usual chatter. And death cults, apparently. “Hm…”

“Well, whatever the case is, is there even anythin’ we could do about it now?” Labrys harrumphed, leaning back. “Seems to me like it’s just somethin’ we gotta deal with.”

“Kicking Jin’s ass if we find him would probably help.” Kotone snorted. “But other than that… yeah, I don’t think there’s much we can do.”

“Based on what you said, SEES is likely having a similar discussion right now.” Akari frowned, staring at the screen. “Mitsuru will almost certainly ensure that the link posted on the Gekkoukan blog is deleted. The site itself seems to be privately hosted however, so I doubt there’s much to be done there.”

“Crap. That sucks.” Gallica sighed, crossing her arms in front of her and shaking her head. She sat there for a moment, before a realization seemed to strike her and she turned to stare at Akari. “Wait a second… what did you just say?”

“I said that the site is privately hosted.” Akari looked at Gallica, frowning. “So even if she wanted to, Mitsuru wouldn’t be able to take it down.”

“Aha, there it is again!” Gallica jumped into the air, pointing emphatically at Akari. “You just called her Mitsuru! Twice!”

“And?” Akari blinked. “What about it?”

“No no, wait, Gallica’s right.” Kotone leaned back, smiling cheekily as she turned to her friend. “As long as I’ve known you, it’s only been ‘Ms. Kirijo’ this, or just ‘Kirijo’ that. I’ve never heard you call her Mitsuru, when did that start?”

“I-“ Akari blushed, swallowing as her eyes suddenly started dancing around the room. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Oh holy shit, Akari’s trying to get with Mitsuru Kirijo.

“Better said, she likely is with Mitsuru Kirijo.”

Oooooh snap.

“Aw, for real?” Labrys grinned, clapping Akari on the back. “Hey nice! Her company might be a buncha rotten bastahds, but the ol’ bosslady’s a catch! Good on ya’ Akari!”

“I- the relevance of Mitsur- Ms. Kirijo’s attractiveness to this conversation is null.” Akari shook her head as she glared at Labrys. “We’ve simply spoken more this last week. Even if our teams aren’t coordinating directly, we still share a struggle.”

“Uhuh. Sure.” Rio rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “I swear, Gallica and I are going to the only single people on this team by the time we kick Nyx’s ass.”

“Yeah we are!” Gallica moved to high five Rio, grinning cheekily. “Represent!”

“Wait, but- I’m not- I-“ Saori blushed, only for Labrys to wrap an arm around her waist and tug her against the android’s side. “Oh!”

“I’m choosing not to comment on my relationship status.” Tae rolled her eyes, though Kotone could tell that she was distinctly not looking at her as she did. “Can we get back to the task at hand?”

“What, talking about the website?” Rio blinked, looking back toward the screen. “What more is there to say?”

“Hm…” Gallica frowned, settling back on Kotone’s shoulder and tapping her cheek. “I don’t like the font he used?”

“…yeah, I guess that counts.”

Saturday, December 12^th 2009.

Midnight of the Chat

“Kotone.” Chidori’s flitted softly through the air, rousing her girlfriend from where they had collapsed into bed after returning home from a run through Tartarus. “Are you awake?”

…am I?

“You were dreaming moments ago. Not anymore.”

I’ll take that as a yes.

“Yeah, honey?” Kotone yawned, nuzzling her girlfriend’s hair from where she laid with her arm wrapped around her waist. Kotone was the big spoon. Always. Chidori said it helped her keep the nightmares at bay. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking.” Chidori shifted ever so slightly, turning so the glint of her eye reflected the streetlights outside and she could look back at Kotone. “Next year, I’d like to go to Gekkoukan with you.”

“Hm?” Kotone perked up, leaning her head back from Chidori’s hair. “Really?”

“Yes. Elly says I’ve made enough progress in my online classes. I meet the requirements.” Chidori hummed, looking away from Kotone and toward the way the streetlights reflected along the far wall, and the empty spot on the where the repurposed birdhouse Gallica slept in used to sit before she’d moved it into the linen closet in the hall when Chidori had moved in. “And I hear the school has a good art program too.”

“We do.” Kotone nodded, reaching up to gently stroke Chidori’s hair. “But are you sure you want to come to Gekkoukan? Yamori High’s also got a pretty good program I hear, and their school wasn’t… y’know, built as a coverup for a secret lab by the Kirijo Group. Probably.”

“I’m sure.” Chidori nodded, exhaling. “I don’t want to let the past define me anymore. I want to be more than it.”

“Honey…” Kotone’s heart melted, a frown crossing her face in the darkness. “You’re already more than it. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone.”

“I know. You’ve showed me that.” Chidori shifted in bed, turning over so the two of them were face to face. “…but I refuse to be afraid anymore. Jin’s website made me realize just how stuck in the past he still is. I won’t be. Not for him. For myself.”

“It takes an incalculable strength to stand for yourself.”

She’s got it.

“Indeed she does.”

“…hell yeah.” Kotone smiled, leaning forward to press her forehead against Chidori’s. “That’s my girl.”

“Only because of you.” Chidori squeezed closer to Kotone, holding her tight. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

“Maybe I helped a little.” Kotone grinned, pressing a kiss on the tip of Chidori’s nose. “But you’re pretty special yourself, honey. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t.” Chidori nodded, burying her face in Kotone’s shoulder and gently kissing her neck. “Not anymore.”

Kotone felt a flood of warmth as she squeezed the other girl tighter, just… being for a long while as they held each other close in defiance of the darkness around them.

It’s been a while since she’s had one of Medea’s attacks, huh?

“It has, dread warrior.”

…guess Tae was right then. How about that?

“…I love you, Chidori.”

“I love you too, Kotone.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, December 31^st 2009.

The Day of the Decision

“I have a message from Mitsuru.” Akari sighed as she sat at the table where the rest of Girls Night sans Tae and Chidori were eating their lunches. “She wants us to come to Chagall after school. To wait for Ryoji.”

“You know…” Rio rolled her eyes. “Most people would open with ‘hello’.”

“Chagall?” Kotone blinked, electing not to comment on the fact that Akari had somehow ended up serving as her totally not girlfriend’s mouthpiece. “Why’s that?”

“She expects Ryoji will reappear sometime before the Dark Hour. She also expects that we’ll all want to be together to meet him when he does.” Akari frowned, shaking her head. “I think she plans to make it some sort of party.”

“At Chagall? But wouldn’t there be other people there? Sounds like a bad sort of place to rebuff a death god.” Gallica frowned, before snapping her fingers. “Oh right. Rich people. Duh. She probably rented it out.”

“It’s very Mitsuru Kirijo for her to rent out a coffee shop to have a party at.” Rio sighed, shaking her head. “We might as well go, right?”

“What, worried that they’re gonna fold or somethin’?” Labrys raised an eyebrow, cracking her knuckles. “Don’t worry, if that emo boy tries and run away from the fight, I’ll keep ‘em back.”

“Makoto’s solid.” Kotone shook her head, smiling. “I think it might really just be a party.”

“Well, we did see how it went last time we got invited somewhere by SEES…” Gallica frowned, tapping her foot against Kotone’s shoulder. “You guys should be ready, just in case.”

“I carry my Evoker everywhere now…” Saori fidgeted slightly, patting the inside pocket of her jacket. “Just in case. I don’t… I want to avoid being taken by surprise again.”

“And I’m always ready!” Labrys grinned, leaning closer and planting a peck on Saori’s cheek. “No matter what, I’ll protect ya’ doll!”

“I’d expect that Mitsuru is anticipating we’ll be armed and ready to defend ourselves after last time.” Akari fiddled with her jacket, not commenting on the sudden mess that was Saori as Labrys continued to tease her. “Not that it matters much, considering the decision is ultimately down to Makoto.”

“It isn’t much of a decision, really.” Kotone shook her head, crossing her arms. “Ryoji’s just wasting his time. I promise you that.”

“You keep saying that.” Rio frowned, looking down at her lunch in front of her. “How can you know for sure?”

“I just do.” Kotone grinned, shrugging. “You’ll see.”

“There’s an invisible fire inside him, dread warrior. Same as you.”

Sure is. But I can’t say that, that sounds crazy.

“Crazier than coming face to face with a facet of Death?”

Kotone snorted. Framing was everything, sure. But right now, a party sounded good. Even if it was with a team they’d been at odds with all year, and even if it was while they all waited for someone to come by and offer them the apocalypse.

But that was just her life, wasn’t it?

“Alright then…” Gallica clapped her hands, jumping from Kotone’s shoulder with a grin. “Party time it is!”

---

Kotone hadn’t been to many parties in her life.

When she was young, the only parties she could go to really were birthday parties. And after her parents died and she started getting bounced around the system, those started to dry up too. By the time she was the age where parties started being a real ‘thing’ to go too, she’d already found her niche. The happy girl, the smiling girl, the one that everyone sort of liked, but nobody was really friends with enough to actually invite anywhere.

Well nobody but Rio and Saori, anyways.

Still, those two were far from being party animals, and Kotone’s real world experience with an actual honest to God party was just about zilch.

…but she was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“So, uh…” Yukari scratched the back of her neck as Girls Night filed into Chagall, the two teams standing off and apart from one another like they were about to get into a line brawl. “Hey? Welcome.”

“Hey…” Rio frowned, her eyes scanning the members of SEES, and their cute dog too. “So…”

“So…” Akihiko shrugged, glancing at his teammates. “Hey. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. Um…” Saori scratched her neck uncertain. “Thanks for inviting us?”

“The tension is palpable.”

No kidding.

“It falls upon you to break it.”

“Right.” Kotone cleared her throat, stepping forward. “So, I-“

“Ah screw this!” Labrys shouldered past her, moving to hoist her sister in a hug. “I missed ya’ sis, it’s great to see ya’ outside class!”

“I have missed you too, sister.” Aigis smiled, the tension fading a little bit as she hugged her sister back. “It is good to see you too.”

“Right, well, I suppose that’s done with.” Akari cleared her throat, crossing the space and bowing her head at Mitsuru. “It’s good to see you again, Mitsuru. It’s been too long.”

“Akari, you’re…” Mitsuru blushed ever so slightly, shrugging. “We saw each other this morning.”

“I said what I said.” Akari smiled faintly, offering the girl her hand. “Didn’t I?”

“I… well, I suppose you did.” Mitsuru smiled back, taking her hand and nodding. “Thank you, Akari.”

“Wow, she’s really going for it, huh?” Gallica hummed, watching as Akari led Mitsuru back toward the coffee bar. “Still, it can’t be as easy as that, can it?”

“Healing rifts is difficult, dread warrior.”

Especially when I still don’t trust the Kirijo Group. But… this is nice.

“It is. The truth must come out then, can you trust those who serve them?”

---

The answer, as it turned out, was a rather emphatic yes.

“So dude, dude I told him like-“ Junpei interrupted himself with his own laughter, nearly falling over in his chair as he leaned back to accentuate his point. “I told him I was asking for his baseball, not-“

Junpei couldn’t keep what limited composure he had, nearly tumbling over as he laughed out loud. Fuuka reached over to steady his chair, giggling and shaking her head as she did.

“I feel like you could have solved that problem with a little extra communication.” Chidori rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless as she leaned against Kotone’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you?”

“Junpei isn’t always the best at communicating.” Fuuka covered her mouth, trying to stifle a bigger laugh. “There was one time in Tartarus where he-“

“Whoah, hey!” Junpei suddenly straightened up, his eyes going wide. “I though we agreed we weren’t gonna talk about the pillar incident! Like, ever!”

“The pillar incident?” Kotone leaned forward, chin on her hand and a smirk on her face. “Well c’mon, now we’re curious!”

“Nuh uh. No way!” Junpei gestured emphatically, shaking his head. “Boundaries dude, boundaries!”

“Alright, if you say so.” Gallica rolled her head back dramatically, grinning at Junpei from where she sat on Kotone’s other shoulder. “But you should know, fairies find out everyone’s peoples secrets eventually!”

“Pshh, yeah right.” Junpei shook his head, crossing his arms. “No way man, that’s not how that works! Right? …right?”

“I don’t know…” Fuuka frowned, furrowing her brow. “Do fairies work like that? The only other one we’ve met are the Pixies, and they were Personas not people.”

“Aw dude!” Junpei’s eyes widened once again as he stared at Gallica. “That- c’mon man! Please don’t steal my secrets, I’m begging ya’!”

“Okay, I won’t.” Gallica hummed crossing her arms with a surprisingly sharkish grin. “For a price!”

“Dude!”

Kotone snorted, looking away from the subsequent discussion of bribe payment plans so she could scan the room. Labrys was talking with her sister and Makoto, showing off Saori proudly as she held the blushing girl sat on her shoulder. Rio was playing with Koromaru, while Yukari looked on and rolled her eyes. Akihiko seemed to have cornered Tae, talking to her excitedly about fitness supplements and workout routines as the older woman seemed more amused than anything. And there, near the back, Akari and Mitsuru were sharing a quiet conversation in one of the booths, cups of coffee in their hands and smiles on their faces.

It was… peaceful. Shockingly so. Happy, in a way Kotone had never expected from a meeting between the two teams.

Maybe things are more okay than I thought.

“An optimistic outlook, dread warrior.”

Yeah. Feels like something we need right now.

The bell over the door rang out softly.

“Heh.” Ryoji’s voice made the world go silent, the sound of joy and conversation dying on the spot as the blue-eyed boy stepped into the room with a sad smile. “It’s nice to see you all so happy.”

There was no response. None at all. Not a peep.

“I can tell I’m interrupting, so, I’ll try to make this quick.” Ryoji walked forward, his eyes focusing on Makoto with an indescribably sadness. “Mako, I hope you’ve thought about my offer. If you kill me tonight, then nobody has to suffer anymore. You can go back to how you just were, blissful and happy! Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Maybe.” Makoto nodded slowly, his own eyes nonetheless filled with determination. “But it would also mean giving up.”

“You should give up!” Ryoji took a step toward the boy, his smile pleading. “There’s no defeating Nyx. It isn’t… it isn’t possible. So please. Die happy. It’s- it’s all I can offer you.”

“No.” Makoto shook his head, unflinching as he met Ryoji’s gaze. “I won’t.”

“But why?” Ryoji stepped closer, close enough for Aigis to tense up at Makoto’s side. “Why do you want to fight, if you know how hopeless it is?!”

“Because after everything I’ve seen, I don’t believe that anything is impossible.” Makoto stood, his hand on Aigis’ shoulder as the combat android seemed poised to clock Ryoji in the face. “And even if it was, I don’t want to forget. What happened to me, my friends, or you. None of it.”

“Me? But…” Ryoji faltered, stepping back as he clutched his hand to his chest. “Mako, I’m- I’m not even real. I’m a fragment of something else, something far beyond humanity. Why would you want to remember me?”

“Oh please.” Labrys snorted, crossing her arms. “You might be a two-timin’, sister hurtin’, scarf wearin’ piece of trash, but even you gotta know why. You ain’t that dense, are ya’?”

“I…” Ryoji swallowed, averting his eyes from Makoto. “I see. But that’s exactly why…”

“I believe Mr. Yuki was clear on where he stands.” Akari crossed her arms, glaring at Ryoji. “The same goes for the rest of us. You won’t find any dissent here.”

“That’s… nice, I guess. To see you all unified.” Ryoji shrugged, a nervous smile returning to his lips. “But it’s not really relevant. It’s Mako’s decision, after all.”

“It isn’t.” Makoto shook his head. “This is our decision, Ryoji. All of us. We’re not going quietly.”

“Indeed.” Mitsuru nodded, her face set with determination. “We are all willing to face the Fall head on. Whatever you might say to try and sway us, we refuse. And we will find a way to surpass this.”

“I admit, I…” Ryoji clutched his scarf, looking away. “I didn’t anticipate the conviction you’d all have. Back on the bridge, when Labrys stopped that beam from hitting Aigis, that shouldn’t have been possible. If there’s anyone that could somehow do something, it… it would be you all.”

“He doubts himself, dread warrior.”

He does. Which- which means there really is a chance.

“Perhaps.”

“But you’ve just spent this whole time saying the end is inevitable!” Rio furrowed her brow, glaring at the boy. “Were you just been lying?”

“No! The end should be inevitable! Any chance of even inconveniencing Nyx is infinitesimally nill!” Ryoji grit his teeth, turning back to the group. “You’d be risking everything on nothing more than a hope!”

“Well…” Kotone shrugged, grinning. “Isn’t that sort of what we’ve been doing the whole time?”

“I…” Ryoji swallowed, staring at his feet. “The cost is too high…”

“Higher than everyone dying?” Gallica rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “What could be higher than that?”

“To resist one such as Nyx… you would need more than just conviction.” Ryoji shook his head. “You’d need… everything. You’d need to give everything. Not just once, not just a fight, you’d- you’d need to give yourself onto humanity to fight forever.”

“Forever?” Saori’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean forever?”

“Only by sacrificing everything you are and can be- it’s- that’s the only way there’s even the smallest chance of this working.” Ryoji swallowed, finally managing to look Makoto in the eye once more. “Do you understand? Bearing the weight of humanity’s desire for Death, forever. You're... you're the only one that could, Mako. Would you really be willing to do that?”

“I would.” Makoto nodded, without hesitation. “To protect everyone, I would.”

“Hold on a second.” Akihiko stepped forward, raising his hands. “What are you talking about? Why Makoto?”

“Mako is the Wildcard. He’s the one who fostered me inside him. If it comes down to it, i-if there’s a way to defeat Nyx… he would need to be the one who paid the price.” Ryoji squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “I didn’t- I don’t want him to have to sacrifice himself like that.”

“So instead you told us everything is hopeless, is that it?” Akari scowled, her fist clenching at her side. “You’d sacrifice the whole world because the only way you can conceive of fighting back involves Makoto? Are you really so selfish?”

“And is there something wrong with being selfish?! Being selfish means not having to bear the weight of all this, being selfish means not needing to fear what’s coming, I…” Ryoji opened his eyes, glancing desperately around at the rest of them. “I never wanted any of this. I wanted you to all just die happy, instead of scrambling for the smallest chance…”

“A small chance is better than no chance, and just few minutes ago you were saying that’s all we had.” Kotone shook her head, smiling faintly. “Truth is, I don’t think you know for sure about any of this. You’re playing by the rules, and you don’t know what to do when those rules are broken. I’ll bet you anything we can find a way to make sure nobody has to die for us to win.”

“That’s-“ Ryoji hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Maybe. Maybe it’s just my nature, to think in absolutes like that. For what it’s worth, I hope I’m wrong. If you’re so determined to fight until the end… then I must be wrong. The alternative…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Makoto shook his head, glancing around at the others one last time. “We reject your deal.”

“…I understand.” Ryoji smiled sadly, looking back up to meet Makoto’s eyes. “The next full moon, January 31^st. Nyx will descend to the top of Tartarus. You’ll have to meet her there. She’ll destroy you. Her very presence will turn you into the Lost if you don’t have the willpower to resist it, and if you do… then I hope you have the strength to get through what comes next.”

“We will.” Aigis nodded assuredly, still glaring daggers. “Please count on it.”

“I will.” Ryoji turned for the doorway, hesitating one final time as he glanced over his shoulder. “…good luck.”

And then he was off into the night, trailed only by a lasting silence to come.

…fuck.

“Fuck?”

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Saturday, January 2^nd 2010.

The Day of the Fight

Seven months.

It took them seven months to get here.

Seven months of cowering in shadows, of hiding their identities, of stealing away in the spaces between to avoid coming into direct conflict and burning cover under the pale moonlight.

But after all that, here they were.

SEES and Girls Night, walking into Tartarus together. At long last. Unbowed. Unafraid. And admittedly, more than a little bit curious.

“So you hid inside the lobby before Tartarus even came out for the night?” Yukari scratched her head, bow in hand and armband on as the teams stepped into the central space of the tower. “And that worked?”

“Pretty much!” Kotone grinned, tilting her head to the side. “I’m surprised you guys never tried it.”

“Why would we?” Akihiko furrowed his brow, scratching the back of his head. “And that still doesn’t explain why you took our Evokers in the first place. Or how you’ve stayed hidden all this time.”

“Well, we’ve gotta keep some secrets, don’t we?” Gallica stuck her tongue out, jumping up into the air and fluttering near the teleporter. “It’s not fair otherwise.”

“Aw man!” Junpei groaned. “C’mon, that’s so weak dude!”

“That was the deal.” Makoto shook his head, his eyes turned upwards to the unseen tower above. “We put the past behind us and get to work on this Death thing.”

“Right!” Labrys clapped, putting her hand on her hip. “So, how’re we doing this?”

“That would depend on what ‘this’ is, exactly.” Mitsuru stopped near the foot of the steps to Tartarus’ proper entrance, a frown on her face. “Ryoji has made our primary mission clear. We must reach the top of Tartarus, or at least as far as is possible before the next full moon.”

“But it’s not just that, right?” Saori frowned, looking up the steps with a shrug. “We also need to a way to beat Nyx that doesn’t…”

The girl trailed off, all eyes turning to Makoto. The boy looked evenly back, undaunted.

“I’m willing to do it.” Makoto shook his head. “Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, but we’re not willing to just let you die if there’s another way.” Yukari huffed, crossing her arms. “So we’re gonna find that, alright?”

“Oui. We’re all in agreement there.” Mitsuru nodded, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked to the side. “By Fuuka’s estimation, there are around 60 floors left between the furthest point we’ve reached, and the top of Tartarus. Even with a month, I’m doubtful that we can reach that far if we spend too much time searching for an alternative. Which means we’ll need to make arrangements to split the load.”

“You guys push for the top, while we take our time looking to see if Tartarus has got any more secrets for us?” Kotone cocked an eyebrow, grinning as Mitsuru nodded. “Sounds good to me!”

“Well, if we’re going to be exploring at the same time, we’ll need to set up communications first.” Fuuka frowned, tapping her foot on the ground nervously. “Saori and I were talking… our Personas are attuned to each of our teams. If we want to link them, we’ll need to practice.”

“Alright then.” Akari crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Then how do we do that?”

“Um… well the first thing would be to make some distance.” Saori shook her head, glancing over at the teleporter. “We can make the link now, but actually maintaining it with so many floors between us will be hard. I’ll need some practice.”

“Sounds like we’re goin’ up!” Labrys pumped her fist enthusiastically. “Means I get to show off for the pretty lady!”

“Please refrain from distracting Saori while she’s working.” Akari sighed, nonetheless glancing furtively at Mitsuru. “We should be focused right now.”

“Akari speaks wisely, as ever.” Mitsuru frowned ever so slightly as Girls Night all began to move toward the teleporter by instinct alone. “Perhaps it would be best if you divided down into teams? We’ve found that communication begins to break down amongst our team when the size grows to more than a handful of Persona users.”

“We all go together.” Chidori shook her head, avoiding looking at Mitsuru head on. “That’s the rule.”

“…I understand.” Mitsuru swallowed, also not looking at Chidori. “Go then. We’ll stay here until we’re sure the communication is secure.”

“She’s placing a measure of trust in us, dread warrior.”

Yeah. It’s nice.

“Indeed. We will see if it is warranted.”

“Alright everyone!” Kotone twirled her naginata as she stepped onto the teleporter pad with the rest of her team. “Let’s get to work!”

“Kotone.” Akari groaned. “I swear to you that-“

There was a flash of green light.

---

“Here should be fine.” Saori hummed as Girls Night entered one of  Tartarus’ open chambers, the teleporter still humming behind them as they went. “We don’t need to go far.”

“Oh, perfect.” Rio scratched the back of her head, smiling. “Shadows don’t usually come to these floors anyways, right? So there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well, yes. But…” Saori hesitated, glancing around nervously. “We are going to be sending some pretty strong signals to link everything up right. I’m not sure how Tartarus will react. We should still be ready for anything.”

“So expect a surprise.” Tae nodded, flicking her butterfly knife open. “Got it.”

Saori nodded, humming softly as she summoned forth Charybdis and sat with her legs crossed in the center of the room. Water began to flow around her, a faint glow filling the air as it wound across the floor in rhythmic, circular patterns.

It was beautiful.

It was also loud.

Not in a volume sort of way. The world Kotone’s ears understood was still just flowing water, tapping feet, and the sound of her friends breathing. The world her soul understood, however, was buzzing. It was as if Saori and Charybdis were reaching through reality itself, piercing through the layers that made up Tartarus in an effort to connect with that which laid below. It was monumental, in a way Kotone couldn’t quite put her finger on.

It was also, and it must be said again, loud.

And not just for those of them standing there.

“Did you hear that?” Akari looked up from where she had been leaning against one of Tartarus’ walls, her eyes locked on the dark passageway beyond the room. “There’s something there.”

“What?” Kotone blinked, pulling herself out of the half-trance she was in. “What do you mean? How can you hear anything?”

“Listen!” Akari shushed Kotone, raising her other hand toward her to stop her motion. “Just listen… it sounds almost like-“

Like the rattling of chains.

“Shit doll, look out! There’s-“ Labrys was interrupted by the sound of a gun firing as she jumped in front of Saori, the shot striking her squarely in the thigh where it embedded deep in her leg. “Damn it!”

“Medea, undo it.” Chidori didn’t hesitate, her Persona appearing to restore the chunk torn from Labrys’ leg as most of Girls Night jumped to attention. “It’s the Reaper.”

“You mean the big bastard we always ran away from?” Tae squared up, Gello appearing to cast defensive spells at her side. “What’s it doing here?”

“That doesn’t matter now, it’s here.” Akari all but snarled, staring at where Saori was still sat on the floor. “We need to fight it, what are you doing?”

“S-sending a distress call! I’m almost connected to SEES, I just need to…” Saori grit her teeth, all the water around her suddenly flashing a bright blue as the humming in Kotone’s soul suddenly went silent. “There! Now I-“

“Saori, get your head up!” Rio all but tackled Saori out of the way of the next blast as Scylla slammed into the Reaper’s side, barely staggering it as the Shadow’s shot went wide. “Are we supposed to fight this thing?!”

“I don’t see why not!” Kotone grinned, hoping she was portraying more confidence than she felt. They’d had close brushes with this ‘Reaper’ before, but nothing like this. Once, Kotone would have taken the first opportunity to book it and run. Now though… “Let’s do this!”

“Are you crazy?” Akari’s eyes went wide as Kotone dived out of the way of another blast, the impact sending chunks of Tartarus flying as she did. “Why would we do that?!”

“Well, seein’ as we gotta fight a god by the end a’ the month, I don’t think gettin’ cowed by one Shadow’s gonna help!” Labrys shook her head, shaking her leg as the bullet popped free and her axe fell back into her hands. “Let’s see if we can kick this thing’s ass before SEES shows up!”

---

They did not in fact kick its ass before SEES showed up.

The Reaper was a tough son of a bitch. Tae and Chidori were pretty much tied up keeping the team alive as they chipped away at it, piece by piece, each attack seeming to glance off it even as Girls Night struck with the combined might of their weapons and Personas.

But chip away at it they did.

Every time they struck forth, the creature would turn and fire off a volley of shots right toward the aggressors. That would send the attacker scrambling, of course, but it also left an opening for someone else to charge into the gap left over and deliver another strike, drawing the Reaper’s attention and repeating the cycle all over again. It was slow, methodical, generally painful work.

But it was working. Despite the fact that each blow felt like it barely scratched the thing, it was having an effect. It was a death by a hundred, a thousand papercuts. A process that was only accelerated by a flash of green light, and the cavalry coming riding on in.

“Is that-“ Akihiko paused as he and the rest of SEES’ strike squad emerged from the teleporter. “Oh hell yeah!”

“You’re way too excited about this…” Yukari sighed, nocking an arrow into her bow as she glanced at Makoto. “What should we do?”

“Help Girls Night.” Makoto nodded, waiting for an opening before he rushed forward and delivered a swift strike into the Reaper’s side, rattling its chains for all to hear. “They have the right idea.”

“He defers to your wisdom, dread warrior.”

Well yeah. My wisdom is awesome.

“Indeed.”

They kept going, striking and retreating and striking again, until the Reaper’s shots began to soar wide, until the chains within it began to fall apart, until shadows spilled like midnight blood into the darkness, and finally the creature let out an agonized roar and was left in tatters.

They had just slain the Reaper.

“Heh.” Kotone grinned, wiping her brow of all the sweat that had gathered there. “I’ll consider that a good sign. Thanks for the assist guys!”

“No problem man!” Junpei grinned right back, leaning against his sword. “But you guys seemed like you had it handled.”

“Gotta admire your tenacity.” Akihiko shook his fist, smiling as Tae’s healing flowed into it. “I’ve been wanting to fight that bastard for months, but we never could before.”

“Yeah, well. Girls Night.” Gallica mimed dropping a microphone. “Peace.”

“H-hello? Is this working?” Fuuka’s voice echoed through Kotone’s head, an unfamiliar feeling creeping up within her at the sound. “Oh good! Everyone’s connected. Um… you all should get down here, quickly.”

“Why?” Makoto glanced back toward the teleporter, his grip tightening on his sword. “Is something wrong?”

“Er… not exactly?” Fuuka sounded uncertain. “It would be best if you saw for yourself.”

“Huh.” Kotone blinked, the feeling fading from her mind as Fuuka’s voice went quiet. Then, she grinned. “Well, you heard the lady. Let’s go check it out.”

---

As Girls Night and the members of SEES strike squad emerged from the teleporter, the change in the atmosphere was evident. As was the reason for just why they had been called in such a hurry.

A marble door, standing in the shadow of the central staircase as if it had been there all along.

“The door appeared as soon as Fuuka lost the signal of the Shadow you were fighting.” Mitsuru shook her head, frowning at the new arrivals. “I can only assume they are linked.”

“Well damn.” Tae whistled, her hand on her hip. “Where’s it lead?”

“That is simple.” Aigis pushed the door open, revealing a golden staircase descending downwards into what seemed like another hallway like those above. “It leads down.”

“A whole section of Tartarus we didn’t even know about…” Gallica exhaled, her eyes alight. “Do you know what that means?”

“Sure do.” Kotone grinned, cocking her head at the door. “Hey Mitsuru? I think we just found that alternative you were talking about.”

“The key to everything? Or another false hope?”

Guess we’ll see. Won’t we?

“Indeed we will.”

Chapter Text

Friday, January 15^th 2010.

Day of the Deepest Dark

Girls Night were the ones assigned to explore the new passage beneath the lobby.

Well, better said, Kotone had called dibs just a few moments after they’d peeked through the door, and SEES hadn’t contested her about it much. The Reaper fight had proved that they were fine taking on big enemies as a group, which meant reaching the top and bottom of Tartarus was the number one priority now. The teams could operate by themselves as long as Saori and Fuuka stayed in contact, leaving them to pursue their own goals.

…even if, evidently, that wasn’t turning out to be such a good idea as far as not getting their asses kicked went.

“Eugh, I hate these things!” Gallica groaned as Harpy’s attack was tanked by yet another Divine Mother that roamed these golden halls beneath Tartarus. “They’re so annoying to deal with!”

“That’s because you spit out electricity!” Kotone grinned, summoning Medusa forward. “Ice her out!”

Medusa’s fangs struck the Shadow, frost growing from where they punctured deep. That didn’t stop the reclining figure from striking, a wash of divine light engulfing Akari and sending her yelling to the floor.

“Ah crap!” Kotone groaned, lunging forth to slice through the Shadow’s mask with her naginata. “Tae, could you get her on her feet?”

“Third time that’s happened.” Tae sighed as she summoned forth Gello, crouching next to Akari to offer her a hand up as healing flowed into the girl. “You alright kid?”

“Fine. Thank you.” Akari grunted as she took the hand, dusting herself off as she stood upright. “Exempting my dignity, of course.”

“Don’t worry, we know you didn’t have any.” Rio snorted, swinging her hammer idly at her side as the team got back into gear and started walking once more. “Saori, how much further do you think we have to go to reach the end of this place?”

“Not far, I think. It’s hard to tell but this place is definitely smaller than the upper floors.” Saori frowned, Charybdis floating around her as she pressed a hand to her ear. “It’s almost like… like I can hear something. Something waiting, somewhere.”

“Waitin’, eh?” Labrys threw her axe over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “Waitin’ for us?”

“No. Not like that. More like…” Saori’s voice went quiet as the team turned a corner, the space in front of them suddenly opening up to a cavernous size. “…more like it’s waiting for everyone.”

The team paused as they entered a vast cavern, the golden walls of the depths turning to shifting grains of sand as they flowed along the edges of the space. It was all sand. All of it. The walls, the ceiling, the floor beneath their feet ever changing on unseen tides as Kotone gestured them back into motion and they approached the only thing in the space that wasn’t A great golden door, reaching up further than should have been possible, losing itself in the darkness of the furthest reaches of the room where the sand seemed to turn to stars.

The end.

The door that whispered of the end.

“What…” Gallica swallowed, her tiny eyes tracing the magnitude of the structure before them. “What is that?”

“It’s a door.” Labrys glanced at the fairy, raising an eyebrow. “Duh?”

“Well obviously, but what’s behind it?” Gallica fluttered forward with her hand raised, almost seeming like she wanted to reach out to the door’s golden surface before she thought better of it and pulled away. “It’s like… I can almost hear it, can’t you? Whispering. It’s like…”

“Like it beckons for death itself.”

You can hear it too, huh?

“It’s impossible not to.”

“Erebus.” Chidori’s voice was quiet, her eyes trained on the door. Medea appeared behind her, her previous violence subdued as the two simply stared at the great golden monument before them. “Erebus is just past that door.”

“Erebus?” Rio frowned as she stepped up next to the navigators, seemingly analyzing the door’s every detail as she did. “Wait, you mean humanity’s desire to die is just… waiting behind a door?”

“Waiting to be called by the Appraiser, it would seem.” Akari scowled, crossing her arms as she almost seemed to glare through the door. “I’ll bet anything that come the end of the month, this’ll be where it comes from to meet Nyx.”

“Heaven and Earth coming together to spell the end of everything…” Tae frowned for a long moment, before just sighing and shaking her head. “Talk about trite.”

“Dunno about trite, but I guess that’s how things are.” Labrys hummed, putting her hand on her hip and shaking her head. “So, what’re we gonna do about it?”

“Well…” Saori hesitated for a moment, scratching her neck. “Ryoji said that Erebus calling out to Nyx is what causes the Fall, right? So…”

“So if we destroy Erebus, then Nyx has no reason to kill everyone!” Gallica clapped, bobbing excitedly in the air. “That makes sense, right?”

“It does.” Chidori nodded, still staring at the door. “But it would mean fighting humanity’s desire to die itself.”

That’s a tall order.

“You’ve beaten such a desire before, dread warrior.”

Yeah, in one person. This is a whole other level. Still…

“…I dunno what it says about me that I’m weighing up if it’s harder to fight mankind’s desire for death, or Death itself.” Kotone shrugged, allowing a smile to creep onto her face. “But if we can… I say it’s worth a shot. We can kick Nyx and Erebus’ ass.”

“So let me get this straight.” Akari side-eyed Kotone, unimpressed. “Rather than fight one unstoppable god capable of killing us all, you want us to fight two?”

“…yeah?” Kotone blinked, still smiling. “Is that surprising?”

“No. Not at all.” Akari sighed, turning back to the door. “Which just about sums it up, I’d say.”

“It wouldn’t be us fighting two gods, I don’t think.” Gallica shook her head. “It makes the most sense for SEES to fight one and us to fight the other.”

“Dibs.” Kotone didn’t hesitate, crossing her arms. “I call dibs on Erebus.”

“Oh dear God.” Akari groaned. “You don’t need to call dibs, there’s nobody here to contest you.”

“I think Makoto would probably want to fight Nyx himself anyways.” Rio shook her head. “What with Ryoji and all.”

“Which also means we get to be the one’s who save his butt!” Labrys grinned, clapping her hands. “ ‘cause if Erebus ain’t callin’, then he won’t need to act as that barrier thing between ‘em, right?”

“Right.” Rio nodded, a smile slowly spreading to her face. “Y’know, the more we talk about it, the more I think this plan might actually work.”

“Maybe. There’s still one problem though.” Tae shook her head, her expression still doubtful as she stared at the door in front of them. “We’re still pretty beat from coming all the way down here. Gello’s got fuel in the tank, but not nearly enough for if we want to fight a god. And I’m guessing the Shadows won’t just let us through when the day comes.”

“Oh. Right.” Gallica frowned, settling back onto Kotone’s shoulder. “I guess that is a problem, isn’t it?”

“Well…” Saori hesitated for a moment, then looked around. “If standing in the school lobby means we’re standing in Tartarus’ lobby… would standing below the school mean we’re standing here?”

“Wait.” Rio blinked. “You don’t mean…”

“The lab.” Chidori nodded. “That was how they accessed Erebus in the first place.”

…huh.

“Do you truly think that would work, dread warrior?”

No idea. But fuck it, worth trying right?

“Alright then. Sounds like we’ll be coming back here tomorrow to see if we can take a shortcut down here to fight this thing.” Kotone grinned, turning away from the whispering door and back toward the surface. “Saori, you may Traesto when ready!”

Saturday, January 16^th 2010.

The Day of the Test

Kotone thought she was arriving early.

The team had agreed to meet at the shed around 11:30 P.M. It gave them some wiggle room for if people were late, while still letting them all rest up properly after the night before.

Kotone, of course, had too much energy for something sensible like that.

She’d left Gallica with Chidori, told the pair of them to come at the designated time. She was just scouting around, she’d said. Just making sure there wasn’t some hidden gathering, or some SEES night planned they hadn’t known about.

Those were just excuses though. She was coming early because she couldn’t sit still. Because something inside her was driving her forward, driving her ever into motion toward a goal that still couldn’t quite be.

And she wasn’t the only one.

“Hey bosslady.” Labrys smiled from where she was leaned against the side of the shed as Kotone approached under the moonlight, her red eyes glimmering in the dark. “Fancy meetin’ you here.”

“Labrys?” Kotone blinked, unsure of what to make of the sight of the metal girl. “What are you doing here?”

“Same thing as you, I guess.” Labrys shrugged, leaning her head back to look up at the stars through the canopy of trees above their head. “Ain’t like I need rest, really. Might as well keep watch, dontcha think?”

“I guess.” Kotone smiled faintly, shrugging. “You see anything?”

“Nah. Just the stars and us.” Labrys shook her head, tilting her chin upwards. “Wanna look at ‘em with me?”

“Sounds good.” Kotone nodded, moving to lean at the android’s side. The energy inside her still buzzed, still burned. Still asked for… something. To do something. Somehow though, she figured this was enough. “Thanks, Labrys.”

“ ‘course. Happy to share.” Labrys snorted, watching the stars for a long moment by Kotone’s side. Her red eyes darted around, seemingly taking all of it in before focusing on Kotone once more. “Saori’s movin’ in with us, by the by. Thought you should know.”

“She is?” Kotone blinked, frowning. “Is something wrong with her parents? Is she in trouble?”

“Nah. Well, nothin’ more wrong with them than there already was, the bastahds.” Labrys scoffed, shaking her head. “But that ain’t why she’s movin’. She just… felt like it. Wanted t’ do it. That’s good, right?”

“It is.” Kotone nodded, a spread of warmth blossoming in her chest. “I’m proud of her.”

“Me too. Tae also. She’s a real mother hen, y’know? Ain’t like she seems the type, but she fusses. Kinda nice, like havin’ a real mom.” Labrys smirked, tilting her head at Kotone. “Which I guess is gonna make us stepsisters sometime soon, eh?”

Stepsisters?

“Tae Takemi is having intercourse with your mother, dread warrior.”

Wh- hey! Don’t say it like that!

“Rude.” Kotone stuck her tongue out at Labrys, shaking her head. “Don’t you already have a sister?”

“Yep. I do.” Labrys grinned back. “I got a sister, a girlfriend, a roof over my head… it’s perfect, y’know?

“Yeah.” Kotone nodded. “I think I do.”

“To tell ya’ the truth…” Labrys hesitated for a moment, tapping her hands against the concrete behind her. “All I ever really wanted was a shot at a normal life.”

“Really?” Kotone glanced at the android, a small frown on her face. “Actually… y’know, that doesn’t really surprise me.”

“No kiddin’?” Labrys snorted, leaning her head back to look at the stars once more. “Might be silly, I know, but it’s the truth. Back when I was still on a leash n’ all, I wanted somethin’ a lot like this. A lil’ sister to look out for, a school that’s annoyin’ but fair, friends like youse to keep me company. It was the dream. Not all this fightin’ crap.”

“Labrys…” Kotone hesitated for a moment, leaning over to gently squeeze her friend’s hand. “You know you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to, right? We can handle ourselves. Nobody’d think any less of you.”

“You ever seen them old Spider-Man cartoons?” Labrys turned back to Kotone, a grin on her face. “With great power and all, comes great responsibility. Sure I ain’t happy about the hows and whys a what got me here, but the fact a’ tha matter is I’m here. And if I can crush a nightmare or two t’ keep the people I care about safe, well, that’s more n’ enough for me. ‘specially if it’s the big one, youse gonna need some big guns like what I got!”

“You’re more than just your body, Labrys.” Kotone shook her head. “Just ask Tae or Akari.”

“I ain’t saying that’s not the case, just-“ Labrys sighed, tilting her head to the side. “I got a responsibility, y’know? And even if it asks a lot from me, I wanna see it through.”

“She has a dedication many would envy.”

Is it healthy?

“Is anything, in a world such as this?”

“Alright.” Kotone exhaled, letting Labrys’ hand go and smiling. “Just remember, if that ever changes, you’ve got options.”

“Thanks bosslady. I really do ‘ppreciate it.” Labrys snorted, shaking her head and leaning back against her hands. “Truth is though… even with the tower an all ‘at, youse have given me more a’ that life I always wanted than I’d ever got before. So if you’re really beatin’ yourself up over it, you’d better not, got it?”

“Never said I was.” Kotone shook her head. “Thanks for being my friend, Labrys.”

“Yeah.” Labrys smiled, her eyes shimmering in the dark. “Thank you too, ‘tone.”

They waited there for a few moments longer, leaning in silence until the moment footsteps filled the air and Akari and Rio’s bickering floated through the forest ahead, signaling the rest of the team’s arrival.

And after that, it was time to descend into the depths once more.

---

The world twisted. The earth shook around them. Kotone’s eyes burned. And yet, once it was all said and done and the Dark Hour was set, Girls Night was back there again.

Right before the golden door, from which would emerge the end of all things.

“Well.” Kotone grinned, looking around at her friends. “Guess I know what we’re doing on the full moon, huh?”

“Fighting with all you have against the inevitable.”

And we’re gonna make it evitable.

“Indeed, dread warrior. Indeed.”

Chapter Text

Saturday, January 30^th 2010.

The Day Before the End

It was snowing sideways on the last day before the end, when Kotone found the open gate to the Moonlight Bridge.

To tell you the truth, she couldn’t say why she had put herself in the situation to find it. The bridge had been closed off since that night in early December, the residents of the port island cut off but for the monorail trailing over the water. There was no reason to come here, especially not alone, especially not in the midst of a storm, especially not when your name was Kotone Shiomi and every memory of this place chilled you to the bone more than any snowfall ever could.

But here Kotone was.

And the gate was open.

She walked almost without thinking, following the snowbound trail left by whoever had opened the gate in front of her. Construction equipment loomed around her, the bridge’s towers dwarfing them with their size far beyond. Here, rising over the Moonlight Bay, that was the world. Machinery, concrete, the stormy grey sky above, the choppy dark sea below…

And the blue haired boy, staring off into the abyss.

“They work pretty fast, huh?” Kotone didn’t look at Makoto as she stepped up beside him, nothing but a flimsy safety fence standing between them and oblivion. “It’ll be like nothing ever happened soon.”

“Yeah.” Makoto didn’t react at her presence. Didn’t turn. Nothing. He just kept staring into the emptiness, an unreadable look on his face. “Again.”

“Heh. Yeah, again.” Kotone snorted, shaking her head ever so slightly. “Life goes on.”

“It does. Always does.” Makoto shook his head, tilting it ever so slightly so he could appraise his counterpart with his one visible eye. “You feel it too, huh?”

“Maybe a little.” Kotone shrugged, holding a hand up in front of her. From this angle, it almost seemed like she could hold the other side of the bridge in the palm of her hand. The twisted metal, shattered concrete, broken dreams, forgotten hopes. All of it held ever so delicately in her grasp, peppered by falling snow. “Hard not to.”

“Mh.” Makoto nodded, turning away from Kotone and back toward the abyss. “I think it’s calming.”

“Calming?” Kotone blinked, leaning forward ever so slightly so she could catch Makoto’s eye. “Not the word I would have used for it.”

“There’s a beginning, and an end.” Makoto shrugged, biting the inside of his cheek. “It’s comforting, in a way.”

“Huh.” Kotone frowned, leaning back. “I don’t think I get it.”

“Fair enough.” Makoto leaned his head back, snowflakes falling on his face as he stared at the cloudy sky above. “Maybe I don’t either.”

They stood like that for a long while, the looming void and the endless sky churning over a dark winter sea. It was peaceful. Calm. Serene. Like the promises made in oblivion, like the soft embrace of what Nyx would come to be.

It couldn’t stand.

“Hey.” Kotone glanced back at Makoto, bumping him gently with her shoulder. “Tell me about them.”

“Hm?” Makoto blinked, unsure. “Why?”

“I dunno.” Kotone smiled uncertainly, shrugging. “Guess I just wanna know.”

“Right…” Makoto frowned, thinking for a long moment. Then another. Then another. Finally, he le out a breath. “Mom liked model trains.”

“Really?” Kotone snorted, shaking her head. “Train gal, huh?”

“Yeah. She had this big diorama in her office. Ran trains around it every night.” Makoto bowed his head, a smile on his lips. “I always wanted to play with it, but she hated the idea. One time, my dad convinced her to give me a shot. I nearly wrecked it.”

“Ouch.” Kotone winced, sticking out her tongue. “Bet she wasn’t happy about that, huh?”

“Yeah. She wasn’t.” Makoto closed his eyes, exhaling. “But she didn’t get mad at me, or my dad. All she did was tell us that since we broke it, it was our responsibility to help fix it. That we can’t just make a mess and leave it behind.”

“Sounds like some people we know should have taken that to heart, huh?” Kotone grinned, the expression slowly dying on her face. “Also sounds like she was a special sort of parent. They both do.”

“They were.” Makoto looked up, his gaze seeming to stare into Kotone’s soul. “Yours?”

“My dad was… silly. Wonder where I got it from, right?” Kotone winked, feeling her face fall even as she did. “…they met at an arcade, if you’d believe it. He challenged her to a game of Disco Disco Retribution, said that if he won then she’d have to let him take her out on a date. They were up there for hours before he finally gave in. She still let him ask her out though.”

“You’re right.” Makoto nodded, closing his eyes. “That is silly.”

“Tells me something though.” Kotone shrugged, doing the same and simply letting the snow fall across her face. “I wouldn’t be here if they gave up. On themselves, or on each other. Kinda funny, huh?”

“Not at all.” Makoto shook his head. “It explains a lot about you.”

“Wow, thanks wise guy.” Kotone opened her eyes with a laugh, shaking her head at the boy. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Good.” Makoto opened his eyes as well, turning to look at her once more. “It was.”

They didn’t say anything more after that.

Not even goodbye.

They knew what had to be done. Knew what the plan was. Knew that tomorrow SEES would be marching onto heaven, while Girls Night would fight back against that which strained through hell.

They both knew they probably wouldn’t be coming back from it.

But in spite of that, in spite of everything that had told them that this was insane, suicidal, absolutely deranged to even consider…

They would do it anyways.

Because what else was there to do, really?

Sunday, January 31^st 2010.

The Day of the End

The moon hung high in the sky over Gekkoukan, its pale glow illuminating the empty school with an unnerving serenity. The two teams stood by the gate, midnight counting closer as they prepared for the end to come.

One would go high. The other would go low.

And together, they’d save them all.

“Alright everyone.” Makoto adjusted his collar as he began the long march toward the school’s entranceway, his eyes locked on the distant moon. “It’s almost time.”

“Sure is.” Kotone nodded, glancing around at her team as she held her naginata tight in her hands. “Everyone ready?”

“Of course not. It’s a silly question to ask.” Akari huffed, glancing away. “But we’re as ready as we can be, I suppose.”

“Sure are.” Rio nodded, tapping her hammer against the side of her thigh as she watched SEES go. “Let’s not waste any more time, alright?”

Girls Night turned, heading off into the darkness of the wood as SEES vanished from view, their paths diverging for what would hopefully be the last time as they each turned their gaze toward their responsibilities for the night to come.

Think they’ll be able to defeat Nyx?

“As much as you will be able to defeat Erebus.”

So definitely. Right? Right?

Medusa hummed as Girls Night approached the shed, the coming Dark Hour looming over them all as they descended into the earth below, their flashlights dancing over the concrete, nothing between them and the fight to come but the slope down to the lab and the passage of time.

Well, that and the one-armed boy waiting for them at the tunnels end, his face gaunt as he tossed a grenade up and down in his hand and stood once and for all between Girls Night and their task.

“Jin.” Chidori all but hissed, moving protectively to shield Kotone and the others as she stared at her once friend. “What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” Jin curled his lip, catching the grenade and squeezing it tight. “I’m stopping you… you scum before you do something stupid and ruin this for everyone.”

“Ruin this?” Gallica harrumphed, floating up to glare at the boy over Chidori’s shoulder. “We’re trying to make sure nobody dies tonight you nutcase!”

“Exactly! You’re going against the wishes of humanity!” Jin sneered, his eyes darting between each of the members of Girls Night like a cornered animal. “You idiots think you can speak for everyone… turn your backs on everyone! I won’t allow it.”

Everyone?

“He claims to speak for Erebus, dread warrior.”

Oh okay. As if he wasn’t insane enough before.

“How did you know we would be coming?” Akari frowned, Evoker already in hand as she glared at the boy. “Did someone tip you off?”

“Tip me off? No… no of course not.” Jin laughed, shaking his head as his fingers twitched against the side of his grenade. “It’s calling, can’t you hear it? Whispering. It knows… it knows you want to stop it. It knows you can’t stop it. But I won’t let you try. I won’t.”

“He’s totally lost it.” Rio’s voice was a murmur as she stared at the boy through the spaces between. “Absolutely lost it.”

“Lost it? No! Not at all!” The air began to warble around Jin, his Persona fluttering through reality. Its form was battered, rusted. All but broken. And yet he stood. “I’m the only one who still has it!”

“Jin.” Chidori stepped closer, making distance between herself and her team. She stood alone, unflinching as she faced off against the boy who had once been one of her closest confidants. “I’ll only say this once. Let us pass.”

“Hah… haha!” Jin shook his head emphatically, glaring right at Chidori. “You’ve got some nerve coming closer, traitor. I thought you’d started caring about living, huh?”

“I do. I have people I can depend on now. More than I ever could you.” Chidori’s hand went to her Evoker, all but daring Jin to act. “And that’s why I won’t let them down.”

“Huh. Funny that…” Jin chuckled, taking a step back as he lifted the grenade to his teeth and pulled loose the pin. “Looks like you need a shift in perspective!”

Jin wound back, throwing the grenade with all his might. It flew straight past Chidori, bouncing off the walls once, twice, three times before rolling to a stop inside one of the cracks worn into the concrete floor below.

Right at Kotone’s feet.

UH.

“REACT, DREAD WARRIOR.”

SHIT, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO-

“PHOENIX!” Chidori’s voice echoed down the tunnel as her soul burst, blue and orange light mixing in the darkness as a molten bird emerged from within her. “LIVE!”

The grenade detonated, shrapnel and fire freezing in place as Phoenix swept down toward it. The Persona gathered the fireball in its claws, a vortex of flaming metal scorching through the tunnel as it swooped back past Chidori and right towards Jin.

The boy didn’t even have time to scream before it struck him.

By the time the light faded and a somber darkness returned to the tunnel, Jin was nothing but ash. Kotone didn’t dare shine her flashlight at the spot he had been standing, instead choosing to wrap Chidori in a hug without a word.

“I’m alright.” Chidori shook her head, her eyes closed. “He did it to himself.”

“I mean, technically I guess so.” Labrys scratched her head, her red eyes peering at the girl nonetheless. “Still, that was nuts. You gonna be alright?”

“I am.” Chidori nodded, looking down at the Evoker in her hand before holstering it at her side. “I will be.”

“Will she?”

I think so.

“Then your judgement is sound.”

“Alright then everyone.” Kotone sighed, pulling away from Chidori and smiling nervously at her team. “Time’s not gonna wait any longer, right?”

And so down, down, further they went.

---

Kotone could feel it before reality had even settled.

One moment she had been waiting with bated breath in the ruins of the Kirijo lab, the next the world was warping around her and she grew suddenly and inexorably cold. Her skin, her heart, her soul, her very self made frigid and shivering as in an instant as they were transported to that sandy colosseum beneath the earth.

She could feel it coming already. With her very being, she could feel the end.

Erebus.

“What is-“ Rio’s teeth chattered as she steadied herself against the sand, her whole body shaking. “I… I can feel it… so close. L-like it’s a part of me, like…”

“Like it always has been.” Akari nodded, her eyes locked on the glimmering golden door at the opposite end of the space. “Like it always will be.”

The door began to creak open, black tendrils of shadow seeping through the cracks in space and time as the temperature grew only colder. It was as if reality itself was being waylaid, the shadowy whispers of the dark coming to life in manifest form: a great two-headed beast with crimson red eyes and glimmering white teeth dripping with the blood of all that it had come to destroy.

Erebus.

“Okay everyone…” Kotone steadied herself, holding onto whatever faint pinprick of warmth still remained in her chest as she levied her naginata against the beast. “I don’t have any speeches for you or anything like that, so… let’s just kick this thing’s ass!”

And so they surged forth together, as one.

---

The first time they defeated Erebus, it was shockingly easy.

Even with her very soul freezing over and her strength being sapped from her body, Kotone wasn’t one to back down. Neither were her friends. They waylaid Erebus with everything they had, blades and Personas singing in the dark as they ripped and tore at the creature. Erebus didn’t even fight back, simply standing there and grinning at the team with its twisted smile until its legs gave out beneath it and it fell into little more than a shadowy puddle of goop.

Until with a shuddering of reality, it stood right back up again.

“The hell?” Labrys grunted, jumping back as the creature tilted one of its heads at them almost curiously. “Did it seriously just get back up again?!”

“I-it did!” Saori stumbled, Charybdis gathering around her as she stared wide-eyed at the creature. “It’s… it’s drawing on something to regenerate itself!”

“What, like something from past the door?” Rio shivered, staring at the great golden monument behind the creature. “Could we try closing it then?”

“N-no it…” Saori hesitated, shaking her head. “It’s on this side. It… it’s using humanity’s desire for death as a power source!”

“Crap.” Kotone grimaced, her naginata gripped tight in her hands. “Sounds like we gotta kick it up a notch then people! Don’t give up, we’ve got this!”

Her team nodded. They charged forth. And back into the fray they went.

---

They tried again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

It didn’t matter.

No matter what they did, it didn’t matter.

No matter how hard they fought, Erebus wouldn’t stay down.

Even as they tried.

---

Again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

And again.

---

Until they couldn’t try anymore.

---

Kotone fell to her knees, gasping for breath as Erebus loomed large over the battlefield. She couldn’t feel her body at all anymore. Her heart. Her soul. It had all gone numb, frozen away by the strength of Erebus’ will. The darkness of the endless oncoming night, the whispers still winding through the dark, the call unending that sought only death.

It had taken everything from her.

Demanded everything from her.

And for the first time in as long as she remember…

She couldn’t give any more.

I… I need to…

“…”

I… I can’t… I…

Kotone slumped over, falling to the ground as her eyes closed, and she faded away for what must have been for good.

?????

???

Your fight has come to an end.

Your strength has failed.

And it seems as if there is no hope.

But you do not seek the end.

Your heart of hearts has not failed.

And you may yet find hope.

Stand tall against the end.

Ensure that their fallen wishes have failed.

And stand evermore for hope.

Monday, February 1^st 2010.

The Day Refused

Kotone stood.

She didn’t know how, but she stood.

Against the weight of the world bearing down on her, against every dark desire that yet rested in the hearts of her fellow man, she stood.

For herself. For those she cared for. For everyone she had never even gotten to meet, she stood.

And more importantly, she didn’t stand alone.

“I don’t care if it’s hopeless. I-I won’t back down ever again!” Saori stumbled to her feet, her hair fluttering around her as she dragged her eyes upward to stare defiantly at the creature before them. “I want to live! For everyone! And I’m not going to give up for anything!”

"Me neither! I want to find out what comes next! Figure out what sort of world I want to live in!" Rio clutched her chest, planting her feet nonetheless in the face of Erebus’ will. "No matter what it is, I'll face it with my head held high!"

“I don’t need to give you a reason.” Tae managed a small smile as she stood as well, her hands trembling as she fought against Erebus’ will. “I just want to live. For myself and the people around me. If that’s not enough for you, then you can go to hell.”

“She’s right! Even coming down here, I thought I needed to know what I was, if there was some purpose I was meant to serve.” Gallica managed to flutter upwards, her wings beating like mad against the weight of the world. “But y’know what? I don’t care! Even if I find out what it is one day, I don’t care! I’m here now, and that’s what matters most!”

“Agreed. Our selves are our own to define. I buried my head in the sand for long enough.” Akari hissed, glaring at the creature that had so wronged her. “I won’t anymore. I’ll face everything you represent head on and rebuke it entirely. I’m going to live, damn whatever anyone else thinks about it!”

“I gave you strength once.” Chidori stood tall, none of the wear or tear of the others bearing down on her. It was just herself, before the end of all things. “Not anymore. Never again.”

“Preach! I ain’t here for a fancy speech or anythin’ like that.” Labrys managed a grin as she leaned against her axe, her red eyes glimmering triumphantly in the darkness of the abyss. “But I finally got somethin’ good goin’ on in my life for the first time, and like hell if youse think you can take that away!”

“Their voices cry out in concert. Will it be enough?”

Always has been. Always will be.

“Indeed, dread warrior. Indeed.”

“Hey Erebus…” Kotone smiled, blue fire dancing around her feet as Girls Night burned with their combined defiance, the beast’s eyes burning brighter as it began to back away. “I only have one thing to say to you…”

Go fuck yourself.

Kotone’s soul burst. As did Saori’s. Rio’s. Tae’s. Gallica’s. Akari’s. Chidori’s. Labrys’. A thousandfold, a millionfold, a billionfold. Every living soul on planet Earth screamed out at once, as above so below as their will to live on blossomed and the oblivion of Death faded, just for a moment.

A moment was enough.

Erebus screeched in agony, shadows searing from it as it was consumed by humanity’s combined determination to fight on. To face forward. To live, if only for another day. If only for a while longer. To see tomorrow, no matter what it took. To hold fast a light, even in the darkest of nights.

To say that even if the end would come, it wasn’t here yet.

Erebus disintegrated before their eyes, its fury lost in the darkness of oblivion as it faded away into nothingness, the great golden door behind it sealing shut and leaving nothing but silence to reign. The world began to fade then, sand falling into stars as the light vanished and reality gave out beneath them; nothing standing before Girls Night but the endless cosmos above until…

Well, until they were standing outside Gekkoukan once more, eyes turned toward the night sky as the moon shone bright and distant and the members of SEES all emerged alongside them, into the quiet embers of a brand new day.

We did it.

“We did.”

…holy shit, we did it.

“Man…” Junpei laughed, leaning his elbow against Makoto’s shoulder as the boy simply looked on in abject disinterest. “You guys wouldn’t believe the fight we just had!”

Chapter Text

Friday, March 5^th 2010.

Graduation Day

Kotone woke up to the smell of cherry blossoms, the sound of birds in the sky, and Chidori’s placid face resting against her shoulder.

In other words, Kotone woke up in paradise.

She grinned, leaning down to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. Chidori blinked awake, looking up at her through clear amber eyes as a small smile spread onto her face.

“Hey honey.” Kotone tilted her head, squeezing her gently. “Sleep well?”

“Mh.” Chidori nodded, before burying her face back in Kotone’s shoulder. “I had a dream I was flying. There was a cute girl there too.”

“A cute girl, eh? You should tell me about her later.” Kotone winked, shaking her head as she sat up and took Chidori with her. “Right now, we gotta get up. It’s an important day today.”

“Is it?” Chidori frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Oh, yes. Of course.”

“Sure is.” Kotone laughed, giving her girlfriend another peck on the cheek as she jumped to her feet. “C’mon, let’s get ready!”

---

“Morning…” Gallica yawned as the two girlfriends stepped out into the hall, instinctively falling onto Kotone’s shoulder that wasn’t occupied by Chidori’s head leaning against it. “Sleep well?”

“Pretty good!” Kotone grinned, shrugging. “You?

“Still wish they made mattresses my size.” Gallica grumbled, stretching her arms above her head. “It was alright otherwise.”

“I’ll sew you something.” Chidori nodded at the fairy. “I’ve been trying to learn more skills.”

“Seriously?” Gallica’s eyes widened in surprise. “Hey, thanks Chidori!”

“That’s my girl.” Kotone grinned, elbowing her girlfriend gently as they descended down the stairs to the kitchen. “Speaking of, we should-“

“Elly.” Kei looked befuddled as he picked through what looked like a pile of bread and breadlike items that Elly was standing proudly next to. “What is this?”

“Just a project of hers.” Tae rolled her eyes as she walked in the front door, carrying a second pile of bread and bread-like products. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“This is…” Kei groaned, rubbing his temples. “An obscene amount of bread.”

“You wanted to 𝑔𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁 tonight, did you not?” Elly grinned, throwing an arm around Tae’s shoulder as the other woman set her pile down on the counter next to the other one. “We’ll need 𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝒷𝓊𝓃𝓈 to do it!”

“I asked you to buy hot dog buns!” Kei groaned, burying his face in his hands. “It’s for a party of less than twenty, we didn’t need that much bread. Most of it isn’t even hot dog buns, I think some of that is sponge cake!”

“𝒮𝓅𝑜𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝑔𝓈 are a delicacy, you should know!” Elly tutted, turning to look at Kotone with a hand on her hip. “Would you back me up here?”

“Uh.” Kotone blinked. “You mean…”

What am I supposed to say???

“I would wager something to do with the value of sponge dogs as a food.”

I don’t know what to say about that!

So instead, Kotone just shrugged.

“Hoo boy.” Gallica sighed as Kei and Eriko got back to bickering as Tae simply looked on. “Tonight’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.”

---

It was a gorgeous day out as Kotone and Chidori walked hand in hand toward Gekkoukan’s front gate, Tae and their side and Gallica trailing in the breeze behind them. Their fellow students walked around the girls in throngs, chattering away as they made their way towards the school, life flowing from their lips into the world like some sort of discordantly beautiful song.

It was wonderful.

Saori and Labrys were waiting for the four of them outside the gate, the former held gently against the side of the latter as they both smiled. Labrys waved at the latecomers, beckoning them over with an enthusiastic shaking of her head.

“Hey, you’re gonna make us late!” Labrys clicked her tongue, her smile growing wider. “Why’re we out here waiting for youse so long, eh?”

“Well, her name starts with ‘Elly’.” Kotone shrugged, glancing at Tae and sticking her tongue out at the woman. “And ends with ‘Tae’s Girlfriend’.”

“Kotone, you don’t have to say it like that.” Tae rolled her eyes, before quirking an eyebrow at the pair waiting for them. “I hope you two weren’t waiting too long.”

“We weren’t.” Saori shook her head, smiling kindly. “It’s a nice day out anyways, isn’t it Labby?”

“Eh… guess so.” Labrys leaned her head back, watching the sky for a moment before shrugging. “Alright then, I’ll letcha off the hook since the pretty lady says so. But we gotta hurry in there ‘fore they close the doors, got it?

“You heard the lady.” Kotone grinned, gesturing for the others to follow her as she made her way toward the school. “Let’s stick to schedule!”

---

“Sorry, sorry, pardon me, sorry.” Kotone smiled apologetically as she and the others squeezed past their schoolmates through to the open section of seats near the middle of the gym. “Oops, sorry, sorry…”

“There you are.” Akari sighed, tilting her head at the latecomers as Rio smiled at her other side. “What took you so long?”

“Were we really that late?” Kotone blinked, frowning slightly as she settled into her seat. “Labrys asked the same thing.”

“You’re fine.” Rio shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Akari just doesn’t want us to look bad in front of her girlfriend.”

“You mean the one who’s hosting the ceremony?” Tae raised an eyebrow incredulously. “That girlfriend?”

“It’s a point of pride!” Akari huffed, crossing her arms as her eyes flicked to the stage where Mitsuru was already walking toward the podium. “Nevermind...”

“Wow.” Gallica snorted, leaning against her hand as the lights dimmed and the ceremony began. “Mitsuru’s a lucky girl, huh?”

“Good morning, everyone.” Mitsuru’s voice cut off any response from her girlfriend, her eyes bright as she looked out onto the crowd. “This last year I accepted an important responsibility as student council president…”

---

The sky was still alight with cherry blossoms as Kotone stepped out of Gekkoukan’s front entrance, the world beyond painted in shades of palest pink and darkest blue. The rest of her team stepped out with her, stretching in the sunlight as the rest of the day was laid out before them.

“I know I was bitchin’ and all, but remind me why we had to come to this in the first place?” Labrys leaned her head against her hands, shaking her head. “It ain’t like any of us were graduatin’ yet.”

“Well… it’s good to get a sense of what it’ll be like.” Saori shrugged noncommittally. “And it’s only polite, right?”

“Guess so.” Rio frowned for a moment, before leaning over to elbow Akari gently in the side. “Especially if we were mostly just there so Akari wouldn’t feel weird watching her girlfriend graduate alone.”

“That-“ Akari flushed red, groaning at the implication. “I would appreciate if we refrained form making immature statements like that. I would have been perfectly fine.”

“It’s okay that you wanted your friends to help show your girlfriend support, kid. It’s sweet.” Tae shook her head, snorting. “More people should do that sort of thing for their loved ones.”

“Says you!” Gallica huffed, flying in front of Tae and putting her hands on her hips. “You’ve only just stopped scrambling out the window whenever we come downstairs for breakfast!”

“But she did stop. And she brought bread.” Chidori hummed, nodding. “We can appreciate that.”

“Heh…” Kotone paused, tilting her head back and looking up at the sky. Cherry blossoms continued to fall, floating by on a gentle breeze as she smiled. “I love you guys. You know that?”

“We love you too, Kotone.” Chidori paused as well, taking Kotone’s hand and kissing it gently. “Thank you for everything.”

“Nah.” Kotone shook her head. “Thank you.”

“If you continue this, it will simply go in circles dread warrior.”

Maybe. But that’s the fun of it, right?

“Indeed so.”

“Hey, wait up!” Yukari’s voice floated from behind the group as she and the rest of the former members of SEES emerged out into the sunlight. “Were you guys planning on leaving without us?”

“Eh, maybe a little.” Kotone winked, turning to face them head on. “How was your guys’ graduation? Good?”

“It was alright.” Makoto shrugged, a faint smile nonetheless on his face. “Only two of us graduated.”

“Hey, show us some respect!” Akihiko huffed, crossing his arms. “See how we treat your graduation next year.”

“Um, weren’t you planning to be overseas by then?” Fuuka scratched her head nervously. “I thought you were going on a trip, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, well…” Akihiko winced, glancing aside. “Guess so. Damn.”

Kotone snorted at that, amused. They’d come a long way from seeing SEES as some sort of professional death squad, hadn’t they? They knew the truth now that it was all over.

Those guys were just as much a bunch of goobers as Girls Night was.

And you know what?

It felt right.

“C’mon everyone.” Kotone tilted her head toward the gate, where the future awaited. “We’re having a cookout tonight, remember? Everyone needs to get ready.”

“Aw hell yeah dude!” Junpei pumped his fist. “Totally!”

And life went on.

---

Two figures watched the proceedings from the roof of the school, cherry blossoms floating through the breeze around them as they observed in silence. The first, a blue-haired man in a turtleneck with his face half-concealed by a golden butterfly mask. The second was smaller, what appeared to be a young girl with matching golden eyes, and a great blue grimoire clutched tight in her arms.

“I must admit, Lavenza.” The man in the mask rubbed the uncovered side of his face, a faint smile on his lips. “Your idea has had merit.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lavenza bowed her head, a faint smile on her lips. “It is as I said. Sometimes, all that is needed for tragedy to be avoided is a spark.”

“Indeed.” The masked man hummed, appraising the scene below with a curious look in his eyes. “This has such fascinating implications for the nature of our game, doesn’t it?”

“And for the hope of humanity across worlds.” Lavenza gave the man a sidelong look, frowning faintly. “Right, sir?”

“Of course, of course.” The masked man shook his head, tilting his head at the way Gallica continued to flit around the students’ heads. “I must ask about the fairy, your avatar. Would you simply leave her be with them?”

“I don’t see why not.” Lavenza hummed, a smile returning to her face. “Even after Journey’s end, the world could always use a few more tricks, couldn’t it?”

“I suppose so.” The masked man exhaled, before clapping his hands and turning away. “In that case, we should be off once more. I very much would like to see the look on his faces once he hears about this.”

“…of course, sir.” Lavenza sighed as her companion all but skipped his way to the door of the roof, a velvet blue portal opening where the stairs should have been. The Attendant turned to follow him, pausing one final time to look over her shoulder at the world’s saviours. They were still there. Still smiling. Still living. And that was more than enough. “Live well, children of the moon. You’ve earned it.”

Lavenza turned back to the portal, stepping through back onto oblivion.

And leaving behind her a world finally at peace.