April 28th, Tuesday
The dark ambience of the Dark Hour was broken by the wet steps of two teenagers. The eerie winds coiled around them, the waxing crescent in the sky dimly illuminating the streets of Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai. . .
"If we're going to do anything, then you need to learn how to fight." Angel stated as he and Rio marched through the darker side of their world.
"I'm an athlete. I think I can hold my own." Gekkoukan's Volleyball Team Captain remarked confidently. She was even dressed in her volleyball uniform. It didn't provide the most protection, but it was flexible and easy to move in.
"Fighting in here is nothing like in the real world." The First-Year stated sagely, coming to a stop upon spotting a number of Mayas down the road. . . "For one, have you realized how light you are?"
"Sort of. . .?" Rio tapped her foot on the pavement, noting how the air seemingly split at the smallest movements.
"To keep it simple, we're physically stronger during the Dark Hour. We punch harder, move faster, but there is a downside." Angel elaborated, placing one foot ahead of the other and summoning a katana into his right hand. "Basically, do not let them touch you."
His body seemingly flickered before Akeboshi dashed forth, leaving behind a gust of wind as he raced down the street!
"Woah?!" Rio exclaimed, staggering as the young man blitzed past the three Mayas, sword parallel to the ground. . . A second passed before all three Shadows burst into dust.
"Lesson One, taking Shadows by surprise is always the best option." Angel declared, swiping his blade before letting it dissipate into the air.
". . . Geez, that looked so cool." The girl blushed lightly before jogging to catch up with her kohai. "So. . . Before we move on, uh. . . Can I have a weapon?" She requested with a nervous laugh.
"What did you have in mind?" The redhead asked, turning to her and holding out his hand. In a bright flash of light, dozens of medieval weapons floating in the air around him. . . All of which fell to the ground and made quite a ruckus.
"Uh. . . How about something close up? I do need to get close to purify them after all. . ." Iwasaki sweatdropped at the sheer amount of metal on the street, knowing fully well she'd never be able to find what she needed in the mess.
The boy hummed and began digging through the pile of blades, clubs, and spikes, tossing stuff every which way without a career in the world. It took him a minute, but he eventually stood straight.
"I have no idea what weapons fit that category."
"Do you even know how to use these things?!" The Second-Year yelled incredulously, her partner shaking his head incessantly. She let out a sigh and crouched down, carefully sorting through the arsenal. . . "I guess this should do fine."
Rio grabbed hold of a small leather scabbard, unlatching the strap and taking hold of the thick grip, gently sliding out a tanto knife. She placed the weapon back in its sheath and hooked it to her hip.
"It suits you." Angel commented, a small smile etched on his face.
"Thanks. . ." The seventeen year old grinned. "Now, on to lesson two!"
—
Lesson Two: Know your enemy
A bolt of electricity struck an Eagle, and a ball of fire hit a Maya! Both Shadows cried out as they were wiped from existence! Angel lowered his palms and ducked, a Book flying overhead! He rose up and slammed his arm into the Shadow, hacking it in two before turning to Rio!
"Every Shadow has strengths and weaknesses! Hit that weakness and they'll be stunned!" He called out, Twins rushing towards him!
Meanwhile, two Tiara's chased down Iwasaki! She took a deep breath and drew her knife, letting them get just a bit closer before whirling around, slashing at the Shadows with the tanto! One Tiara evaded, but the other wasn't as lucky, the blade cutting through its side! It broke apart into a cloud of black and red as the other Tiara whipped itself towards the girl, Rio jumping away! The Shadow charged and she kicked off the ground, moving at crazy speeds as she jammed her knife into the Tiara! It's body vanished and the teen landed gracefully.
"Phew! This is a great workout!" Rio stood tall as she spotted another Shadow, this one beelining towards her! The Drive Shadow began to spin, knocking other Shadows as it neared her! "Weaknesses, huh? Let's see if you're weak to this!"
Rio Iwasaki clasped her hands together, a white aura emanating off her body as she called upon the powers of her soul!
Rising from the bright shine was the Ray of Light, the Intrepid Knight! The Shadow she purified the prior night howled as it reeled back it's lance, the tip shining blue!
Frei!
The Ray unleashed an azure sphere of nuclear energy, the ball of power crashing into the Drive Shadow and exploding, sending waves of force through its body and bringing it down!
"Woah, that's awesome!" Rio cheered, only to yelp as she found herself in midair, Angel clutching her to his side!
"Don't celebrate yet! We're still surrounded!" He commanded, firing a Mamudo to the street below! The ranks of their enemy were cut down as vicious violet markings and curses reached and grasped the Shadows, darkening until the monsters in their grasp were deleted! The Second-Year held on tight as they landed, Angel quickly setting her down and looking to the approaching horde.
Lesson Three: Shadows are everywhere
"That's a lot. . ." Iwasaki gulped fearfully, Akeboshi grasping his left wrist with his right hand and taking aim, the temperature rising as he conjured a powerful flame. . .
Agilao!
A blaze thrice as powerful as an Agi rushed out of his arm, striking the Shadows and creating a wall of flames!
"Watch my back. These things can come from virtually anywhere." He informed, the girl snapping out of her daze and rising to her feet.
"Right!" Her Ray returned to her, hovering over the teens.
The Shadows closed in, only to be met with their deaths. . . .
—
Lesson Four: Don't get hit
Lesson Five: Attack with purpose
Lesson Six: Watch your surroundings
Lesson Seven: Don't overexert yourself
Lesson Eight: Don't let your heart waver
—
Rio Iwasaki danced from Shadow to Shadow, twirling as she ran her tanto through the mystical beings time and time again! She cut down a Tiara, dashing to a Eagle and severing its wing before cartwheeling away from lightning bolts! The Maya was soon met by a blade to the mask, Rio sprinting towards a Gigas Shadow! She strafed, evading flame blasts before she slid beneath the muscular Shadow's legs, slamming her hand onto one of its ankles!
The Gigas was enveloped in a white shine, it's darkness purging in the face of overwhelming light. . . It's dark marks glowed red as it's skin became a heavenly white. . .
She's purified it. Rio arose, The Mythical Gigas and Intrepid Knight standing behind her. . .
The Shadows fell one by one, her Rays following her lead, the Gigas punching through Shadows as the Knight repelled the enemy with heavy swings of its lance!
At last she stabbed a hole through the left of the Twins Shadow, both sides disappearing as she turned her glare towards spectating Mayas. . .
They shivered and darted away, squealing as they did. . .
Lesson Nine: Shadows are human
A significantly larger number of Mayas were seen scrambled away from Angel Akeboshi, the boy regrouping with his ally as the cowardly Shadows ran.
"Show off." Rio sighed, the remaining shadows cleaned up by her Rays.
"I'm showing off? Look at yourself, Iwasaki-senpai, you're a natural. . ." The First-Year flashed her a bright smile, the Second-Year blushing at her kohai's praise.
". . . Is that the last lesson, Akeboshi-kun?" She wondered.
". . . Actually, there's one more." Angel chuckled as the clocks across the city began to tick, the green giving way to the natural deep blues of the real world.
The Dark Hour had concluded for the night. . .
———————————————————————
Velvet Path
Once the Dark Hour came to an end, the members of SEES left Gekkoukan High and returned to the Iwatodai Dorms. . .
"Man, I'm beat!" Junpei yelled as they stepped into the lounge, yawning as he stretched his arms.
"How many floors did we go through?" Yukari asked, miffed at just how sore her body was compared to how little their leader seemed to be feeling.
"Fourteen." Minato answered blankly, nonchalantly cranking his neck as he made a beeline for the stairs. Sleep was calling their names. . .
"Get some rest, you three. You deserve it." Mitsuru assured, smiling at the three Second-Years. Her encouragement was music to their ears. . . .
—
Whilst those four were at Tartarus, Akihiko was left behind to monitor the situation outside the Tower of Demise. . .
The radars that scanned for Shadows were either busted again, or whoever was fighting those Shadows was a real monster. Dozens of stray shadows would show up at one place before vanishing and appearing somewhere else, a cycle that repeated for the entire duration of the Dark Hour. . .
"Looks like someone's having fun." The Head of SEES giggled as she entered the room, amused at the annoyed sigh the whitette let out.
"If you must know, it was actually pretty eventful." Akihiko grumbled, hitting a few buttons to replay the radar activity he'd observed.
". . . Seems like this other Persona-User has gotten stronger, or at least more efficient." Mitsuru deduced, analyzing the disappearing dots displayed on the monitor. . .
"And that's what's worrying me." Sanada let out a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he gazed to the screen, to the empty silhouette representing their mystery man. "What you, Shinji, and I were able to do back then was nothing like this. Even now, it'd take us and the others to even match what this guy is doing. . ."
"Akihiko. . .?"
". . . I feel so damn helpless. I get that exploring Tartarus is important, but so is fighting out there. . ." The young man grit his teeth, glaring at the sling his arm remained in.
His friend gently placed a hand on his shoulder, the small gesture doing wonders to ease his nerves. . .
"I understand your concern, Aki. . ." Mitsuru spoke softly, every bit as worried as her teammate. "But Tartarus has answers, it has to. . . And we have to find them. This. . ."
This is our way of saving lives.
———————————————————————
Scarlet Path
May 1st, Friday
Tao Isonokami left the Girl's Dorm, walking with pep in her step. The 1st day of May was no ordinary old day. . . well it was to everyone else, but not to her. Not to her and Angel.
It was the anniversary of the day they first met. It'd been ten long, long, years. . . and Tao was glad to have spent them all with him. . .
She'd already planned everything out. All Isonokami needed to do was make it though school and then she and Angel could have the rest of the day to themselves. . . .
—
What the ravennette did not account for was Volleyball Practice. Since she was new, and had a lot to improve on. . . Rio Iwasaki was not taking 'No' for an answer.
"Might as well make the best of it." Tao thought sadly whilst changing into her uniform. When she was ready and made her way into the gymnasium, a standoff broke out between Rio and the team. . .
"A break? Practice just started not even ten minutes ago!" The Team Captain exclaimed, clenching her fist as the whole Volleyball Team stood against her.
"We're all tired! It's not like we're gonna make the finals or anything anyway!" A short-haired girl argued, flinching at the clear frustration on Rio's face.
"We could. . . if we tried! Really tried!" Iwasaki took a deep breath, reigning in her temper. If she could handle Shadows, the absolute worst of humanity, should could handle her teammates. "True, our team may not be the best, but who knows what we can do if seriously put our minds to it. . ."
You're the only one who wants to take it that far.
Rio felt her breath die in her throat as the team awkwardly looked towards a girl with buns. The silence reigned supreme for some time before the girls began to leave, and their Captain didn't have the heart to tell them that practice wasn't even over. . .
". . . . . . . . Why are you still here, Isonokami?"
"Oh uh. . ." The newest member of the team froze up.
"Practice is over, apparently. . . Go ahead and leave. I'll be fine on my own." Rio murmured half-heartedly. . . Her hand rose to catch the volleyball Tao threw at her.
"And that's my point. You can't catch the ball." The First-Year claimed smugly, a small smile spreading across the Captain's lips.
"So, that's how it is, huh. . .?"
Thus began today's Volleyball Practice, or in other words, one-sided domination of Tao Isonokami. The poor girl didn't stand a fraction of a chance against the Second-Year. . .
"So. . . Uh, is this how things always are?" Tao asked as the heat of the round began to die down, the girls simply passing the ball back and forth.
". . . Yeah." Iwasaki admitted depressingly, laughing lowly at her own expense. She caught the ball, hesitating to throw it back. "All I want is to play some Volleyball, but everyone else just spends practice talking about guys or loafing around." Her grip on the ball tightened, her fingernails digging into the sphere. With another deep breath, Rio calmed herself down. . .
There was no use in getting mad over it.
"I'm sorry." Tao apologized, lips pursed in sympathy.
"Don't be, I shouldn't even be dumping all this on the new girl. . ." Iwasaki sighed, finally passing the ball. "But. . . Thanks for listening."
"No problem. . ."
As the First-Year returned the pass, Rio took notice of something odd. . .
Had she not been exposed to the Dark Hour, not seen the Tower of Demise, not fought the manifestation of humanity's darkness, the Captain of the Volleyball Team would've just thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. . .
The lights of the gym shined upon them, and yet. . . Tao Isonokami didn't have a shadow.
———————————————————————
Velvet Path
The three members of SEES seeing real combat arrived at the hospital, entering Akihiko Sanada's room. . . And to their surprise, their senpai was not alone.
"What are all you guys doing here?" Akihiko asked, standing beside the young man in the trench coat.
"We came to see you." Minato replied quickly, deep blue eyes scrutinizing the long-haired teen. . .
"I was only here for a check up." The whitette remarked, his mystery guest glancing to him.
"Is that it, Aki?" The darkly dressed young man questioned, voice a tad higher than the Second-Years expected.
"Yeah, thanks." The patient answered, the visitor scoffing.
"I don't have time for this shit. . ." As he made his leave, the gray eyes just below the hem of the beanie locked with Minato's irises.
No words were exchanged, but it was clear to Yukari, as the only one who noticed, that they communicated something to the other. Whatever that was eluded her.
"Who-Who was that?" Junpei's inquiry snapped her out of her thoughts.
"A friend from school. . . Sort of." Akihiko retorted with a grimace. "You know how the cases of Apathy Syndrome have been all over the place lately? Well, he knows people who are suffering from it, so I was asking him about it."
"Right. . . Haven't they been decreasing as of late?" The Leader asked curiously, noting the slight pause before his senpai nodded.
"Hey Junpei, did you get what I asked for?" The older boy asked, his kohai whipping out Class 2-E's Roster. "Sorry for the trouble." With his bad arm, Akihiko took it.
"Hey, you probably shouldn't move that." Iori winded as the sound of a pop.
"Oh, it's nothing." The Third-Year tightly balled his hands into fists, the strain on his injured arm meaningless to him. "I've wasted enough time already. I need to get back to my training."
It was then that Yukari and Junpei recalled that their senpai was the Captain of the Boxing Team.
"By the way. . . Senpai, why boxing?" The Archer couldn't help but ask.
"You mean, why did I choose that sport?" Akihiko decided to just be honest. "Well, it's not the sport itself I like. I just wanted to learn how to fight. . . I know what it's like to be powerless. . ."
. . . And I don't want to feel that way again.
The Boxer then chuckled.
"Besides, I want to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself. . ."
. . .
. . .
. . .
". . . But why boxing, specifically? It could've been karate, or jiu-jitsu, or kendo. . ." As per usual, Minato's mind was elsewhere.
———————————————————————
Scarlet Path
Angel Akeboshi was seated on a bench, behind the playground at Naganaki Shrine. He wasn't here to visit the Scarlet Room, though he mused that he should see Tatsuya soon. . .
At the moment, he was just waiting for Tao to arrive. He'd been waiting for hours already, and was more than determined to wait however much longer it'd take. . .
The world began to blur, a yawn breaking out of his mouth. Between school, homework, single-handedly preventing an overflow of Lost Souls, and then doing so with a partner for the last few days, Angel hadn't slept in a while. . . The sun was already setting, and Tao hadn't made her presence known just yet. . .
". . . A little sleep won't hurt." Akeboshi yawned again, tilting his body so he could lay on the bench. Almost immediately a wave of exhaustion hit him, sleep desperately grasping at his body and mind. Turns out he was far more tired than he thought. . .
The moment he shut his eyes, Angel Akeboshi was out like a light. . . .
—
The setting sun painted Naganaki Shrine a deep orange, a dark honey hue residing over the world. . . The first stars to twinkle, aside from the Sun, were Angel's glistening aquamarine irises. . .
And the first thing his twinkling eyes landed upon was Tao Isonokami.
"Hey there. . . Mind if I take a seat?" His childhood friend asked with a laugh, lips spreading into a beautiful smile. . .
". . . Aren't you clever." Angel Akeboshi mumbled, a surge of nostalgia coursing through him as he clumsily sat up.
It was that single question that began their everlasting friendship. . .
Tao pat the bench and slowly sat to his right, the teenagers turning their gaze to the clear sky. . .
"Sorry I took so long." The young woman apologized, yawning as she stretched her arms. "Iwasaki-senpai was putting me through the ringer."
"It's a shame that it's too late for us to do anything this year. . ." The redhead let out his own yawn, feeling a weight on his right.
"At least we have each other. . ." Tao whispered, leaning against him as dots of light began to sparkle into place, the stars flickering atop the horizon. . .
". . . True."
For the last nine years, on every May 1st since 2000, the two friends would do something special to celebrate the day they met. This was the first year where time wasn't exactly on their side. It seems High School drained a lot of it. . . but, after being friends for a decade as of today. . . One another's presence was all they needed.
"Hey, Tao. . ."
"Hm?"
Do you ever wonder why we're here. . .?
Isonokami's metallic blue eye widened for a moment, the question taking her by surprise. Her lips thinned as she began to ponder, brows furrowing as she fell deep into thought. . . Why were they here? Well, who's to say. . .?
"You and these weird questions. . ." She murmured, organizing her many thoughts into a coherent answer while the twinkling stars began to form into constellations. . . "Well, I guess it is quite the mystery. But if I had to answer it. . . I'd say we're here to live. The 'why' doesn't really matter. . ."
What matters is that we're here.
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Um. . . I mean why are we here on the bench when we could be on the playground?" Angel elaborated blankly, his friend flushing a deep red as she started stammering!
"R-R-Right! I-I knew that! Uh, let's go have fun!" The ravennette jumped to her feet, dragging the redhead along.
Angel Akeboshi just laughed. It was like they were six-year-olds all over again. . . .
—
Light Arcana
Childhood Friend [Tao Isonokami]
Rank II
———————————————————————
(A/N - A little nod to the story that started my little journey.)
(Anyways, I do hope the pacing I'm going for isn't crazy because the pacing is probably the hardest thing to pin down doing a Persona fic.)