Welcome To Hashi High: A Persona 3, 4, and 5 Crossover

A Leader's Duty

The only thought in Yu's head was that Shadows were almost impossibly slippery. He was arms deep in the pool of darkness that threatened to swallow Daisuko, trying to dig the girl out. It was hard to tell where her actual body was, and the high pitched screams of terror weren't helping in the slightest.

There! Yu's fingers grabbed onto what he assumed was Daisuko's clothes, but it was hard to tell. Nevertheless, he ground his heels into the ground, muscles straining as he struggled to pull her from the clutches of her master. Allow me to lend you my assistance, Yu. Electricity crackled around him as he called upon Izanagi's strength, his power doubling at once. With a crackling sound, Daisuko broke free from the Shadows, falling into Yu's arms.

There was a shaking roar, the temple quaking in a threatening manner. Rise's panicked voice crackled through his head, setting his nerves on edge.

"The temple is going to collapse!"

"And that's not all." Futaba zipped over on top of her ship, analyzing the pool of Shadows that was starting to bubble up from the ground. "Those Shadows are sucking the life out of the temple. I think they're an extension of Apophis!"

A screech rang through the building. It carried a huge amount of power, a feeling that Yu instantly recognized. You know that power all too well, other me. That power of a god. He grit his teeth and stood, grabbing Daisuko and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Yu called upon a feature of Izanagi, the long, whiplike ribbons shimmering into view and wrapping around Daisuko.

"Everyone, get out! Navis, help make sure everyone gets down safely." Akira had Nash draped over his shoulder, holding their wrists to keep them in place. "Yu, Minato, let's blast away those Shadows to keep them at bay." The thief held out his free hand, Arsene's long claws framing the Shadows. Power concentrated around those massive talons, and Yu felt a shiver go down his spine.

There was always that weird feeling of fear around Akira normally, though after watching him fight, Yu discerned that it was from his Persona. Being fused like this though, it only made that unrelenting fear stronger. It was interesting to say the least. The curse attack exploded from each of Akira's fingers, five razor sharp strings stabbing into the mass of Shadows.

The ear splitting screech from the Shadows didn't deter the wild cards, as the heat from Minato was practically overwhelming at this point. The blue haired boy had Aigis leaning on him, but that wouldn't stop him from accomplishing what he needed to do. His cheeks were puffed out alongside his chest, those gray eyes lighting up with the blazing inferno within. Minato's fire was a terrifyingly powerful element, especially when he stoked it like this. At once, Minato belched out the blue flames, the fireball colliding with the Shadows and filling the room with the blaze.

Yu felt Izanagi stirring, electricity wrapping those blunt golden claws. His power of the storms was something he took pride in, a way for him to take out his enemies in a flashy, fast way. The blobs of Shadows were almost smeared across the room, all they needed was a little push. In a flash of lightning, Yu summoned his massive blade, electricity from his claws arching into the metal as he threw it. The sparks exploded into huge bolts as they impacted the Shadows, flinging bits of black matter everywhere.

"Now we have to get the hell out of here!" Yu turned towards the stairs, noticing how cracked they had become. This would be precarious. He led the way, jumping across the stairs and over the holes in the floor. The other Persona users were just a few steps ahead, the Navis working hard to get everyone out. My other self, be warned. Apophis wants his Acolyte back, and he will rip apart this temple to do it.

As if on cue, an earth-shattering roar shook the building harder. "Give me back my Acolyte!" What sounded like something devouring the top floor made the temple shudder. "She has done nothing but sinned, so why do you need her? Return her to me, and you'll make it out of here alive!"

Not a chance you overgrown snake.

Yu hurtled himself down the steps, a breath of relief leaving him when he saw the window. The Persona users were sliding into it as fast as they could, and whoever was already inside was helping the others through. Yu unwrapped Daisuko from the ribbons, knowing he couldn't hold her like that in the real world. He held her in his arms, risking a look back to check on Akira and Minato.

Akira was right behind him, Nash still draped over his shoulder. He was doing fine, though his face was looking strained. He must not have been used to carrying someone like this, but he'd make it to the window with ease.

Yu shifted his gaze past Akira just in time to see Minato throw Aigis from him as a piece of rubble fell on his leg.

"Minato!"

Yosuke was by Yu's side in a flash, taking Daisuko from his arms. The gray haired boy dove for Minato, Akira right behind him. The piece of rubble was heavier than it looked, and even with the three wild cards struggling to get it off it barely moved. Yu screamed in frustration, muscles straining as he struggled to lift the rock enough for Minato to escape.

"Let's use our Personas, Yu."

Yu nodded, watching as Akira dug his claws into the rock. He spread those huge wings, pulling on the rock to try and get it to move. Yu plunged his sword under the rock, lifting it slightly to get those ribbons underneath. He wrapped them around the rubble, then pushed harder on the sword. Minato was using Orpheus' lyre to push as well, and after almost pushing themselves to their limits, he was able to get free.

The other Persona users had gotten Nash, Aigis, and Daisuke out and were returning to assist the leaders. Minato was limping heavily, and Yu could feel that he had pulled something in his back. The three stumbled to the window as the temple crumbled behind them. With one last burst of energy they fell through, the glass shaking as the world behind it trembled.

Yu was panting, laying face up on the floor of Naoto's room. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, though at Naoto's prodding he sat up.

"We've relocated Aigis to her room, and Nash and Daisuko are in the common room. Daisuko lost consciousness, but Nash has stayed awake." Yu managed to get to his feet, looking at Minato and Akira. Akira was simply winded, though he seemed to be fine. Minato was testing putting weight on his hurt leg, wincing when he did so.

"Go check on Nash and Daisuko. I'll take Minato to go see Takemi." Akira forced his shoulder under Minato's arm and started to walk out of the room. Yu stretched his back, feeling the joints pop musically. He left the room as well, plodding to the common room.

Daisuko was indeed slumped over on the couch, her body shivering as she slept. Yu looked over at Nash, who was reclining in a chair with a foggy look in their eyes. Clearly they were awake, but as to whether they were actually processing anything was another question. Yu huffed softly and walked to his room.

He always kept spare blankets on his shelf for emergency situations, though after they had started rescuing people, he started stockpiling more. Yu grabbed two blankets and walked back. He laid one on top of Daisuko, noting how she stopped shivering as much after a bit. He wrapped the other one around Nash, though once he was done they blinked at him.

"Who are you?"

Yu bit his lip. His body ached terribly, but everyone else was busy right now. He had to explain everything. "You were kidnapped, and happened to be conscious for the entire thing. It...couldn't have been a pleasant experience. My name is Yu Narukami by the way, I'm one of the ones who rescued you."

Nash seemed to be coming back to earth, the color returning to their face. "You saved me?" They wrapped the blanket tighter around their shoulders. "Thank you. For saving me. I really appreciate it."

"It's really no problem. We see people in trouble and we help." Yu gave them a soft smile, despite being so tired. "It's what we can do, when no one else can help."

"When no one else can help, huh? Is that why you saved her?" Nash pointed to Daisuko, who had since curled in on herself under the blanket. Yu hadn't really thought about why he had risked his life to save her, but the more he thought, the clearer the answer was.

"That's partially it. I just couldn't ignore her, not when she was so scared. No matter what, when someone's in danger, I just have to help." Yu smiled more.

"That's why I'm the leader of the Investigation Team."