Yosuke's POV:
"Rise-chan!" I yell, pushing past the door before anyone else can.
"Please... stop..." She begs. She has her hands on her ears, sitting powerlessly at the podium her Shadow stands on.
"Aw, come on!" The Shadow groans. "You want everyone to see the real you, don't you!?"
"No..." She cries. "Please! I don't want any of this!"
"You're just a slut," the Shadow slurs. "You want everyone to see the sexy side of Risette, don't you!?"
"I don't!" She objects. "I... I just want to be a normal girl..."
"Rise-chan..." Yukiko sighs.
"It's all lies!" Her Shadow cackles. "I'll show you who I really am. Get ready everyone, because I'm about to bare it all!"
"B-bear it all!?" I splutter.
Oh, come on! Feel something, dammit! Why aren't I feeling anything!?
...It's 'cause we gotta save her... right? No, it's gotta be... otherwise I'd be... well, a little more excited...
Shit... I bet Yu's pants are so tight right now... Geez, why the hell am I thinking about Yu's dick!? I'm starting to sound like Kanji...
If anything, I should be focusing on my own dick... Nah... That sounds weird, too.
"Rise-san! No!" Chie yells frantically.
"I promise you'll enjoy it," the Shadow giggles.
"Don't do this..." Rise pleads. "Please... This isn't what I want... You're..."
"No! Don't say it!" Yu yells.
"You're... not me!" She screams.
"Here it comes!" The Shadow moans, humping the pole more energetically as we watch it unleash the inner Shadow.
"M-mine wasn't like this... right, Senpai?" Kanji murmurs, turning to Yu.
But I notice how Yu ignores him, almost immediately drawing his weapon.
Sheesh. What's up his butt?
~~~
Yu's POV:
"Careful, Chie," I mutter, ordering Yukiko to cast Diarama on her.
"S-sorry, leader." She quickly gets to her feet after the Shadow hit her with fire.
"I'm gonna need my Attack increased," Yosuke says.
"On it," I sigh, performing Tarukaja.
He summons Jiraya elegantly, slicing his Arcana in the air, hitting the Shadow with Power Slash.
I can't take my eyes off him.
He's here for her.
He'll always choose her.
I'm nothing to him.
"Senpai, watch out!" Kanji yells, pushing me to the ground to evade the attack.
"...Sorry," I murmur.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Yosuke turn his attention to me. To my surprise, he has a worried frown on his face. I catch his eye, but for a mere moment before he starts shaking his head and looks away. My heart sinks.
"Stop... starin' at him," Kanji says lowly.
"How can I?" I frown. "How am I supposed to just stand back and let this spoilt idol take him away?"
"No, I mean, stop focusing on him," he mutters. "We gotta save this chick."
"I- I know..."
"Get your ass into gear, Senpai."
"You're really mature for your age, you know that, Kanji?"
"Wasn't what you were saying the other day," he hums.
I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I was just frustrated."
"Eh, what can you do?" He shrugs. "Now, come on." He holds out a hand for me on the ground. "Let's go save her."
~~~
Yosuke's POV:
"Our attacks aren't making a dent," I huff, trying to catch my breath. "What the hell are we gonna do!?"
Yu looks away.
I mean, what the hell!? He's supposed to be our leader, dammit!
"...Are we gonna die...?" Yukiko mutters darkly.
"Ain't nobody gonna die!" Kanji declares.
"Shit!" Chie yells. "She's charging up again!"
"...What should I do...?" Teddie mumbles.
"Teddie, help us!" I snap.
"No," Yu frowns. "Teddie. You have to get out of here before it wipes you out, too."
"You're gonna let this thing kill us!?" I scoff.
"We're powerless," he murmurs. "What's it gonna matter?"
"Senpai..." Kanji frowns. "C-come on. Get to your feet."
Yu tries, but quickly falls down, completely and utterly drained.
Honestly, we all are.
But suddenly Teddie starts moving. He moves in front of us, as if protecting us.
"...Teddie?" I say.
"M-my body... it's moving on its own!" He exclaims in a state of panic.
"This doesn't look good..." Chie mutters.
"Is it normal for him to be glowin'!?" Kanji yells over the charging noise that emits from the bear.
"Teddie!" Yukiko calls, desperately.
"S-something's happening to me!" He cries aloud, his whole body shaking.
"Everybody! Duck!" Yu shouts.
And then it all goes black.
~~~
Yu's POV:
"What... happened?" Kanji murmurs, getting to his feet.
"T-Teddie?" Yosuke scoffs, rubbing his eyes.
"Teddie!" Chie calls as we all rush over to him. "Oh, man, oh, man!"
He looks severely disfigured, if anything. His body is nowhere near as plump as it used to be. He's... flat, really.
"Did I do good, Sensei?" He croaks.
"You didn't just do good," I shake my head. "You saved our lives."
"R-really!?" He splutters excitedly.
I give him a hand up, to which he accepts with a great effort.
"Rise!" Yosuke calls, diverting the attention back to the podium.
He rushes over to her, closely followed by the others - excluding me and Teddie.
"Are you alright?" He asks, propping her up.
"Yu-kun! Get over here!" Yukiko snaps at me for my rudeness.
I bite my tounge, swallowing the masses of words I could have responded with.
I take Teddie by the hand - or, rather, paw - and drag him over to the others.
Rise looks up at me, hazily. But she smiles.
"H-hey, there," she says quietly. Her voice is still hoarse after the screaming she had forced out when confronting her Shadow.
"Are you alright?" I breathe.
"F-fine, thanks..."
Yosuke helps her to her feet. "Do you feel alright to stand?" He asks her. "Do you want me to carry you?"
"It's alright," she giggles softly, blinking a couple of times before turning to her other self. "So... This thing was inside me, huh...?"
"That's right," Yukiko nods.
"I get it now," Rise sighs. "I was just trying to figure out who the real me was. But... There is no real me."
"...No real me?" Teddie echoes.
"Everything I've displayed to the public... They're all part of me, whether I like it or not. That includes you, too," she sighs. "I'm sorry. You must have been in a lot of pain up until now."
"Rise-san..." Yosuke says softly.
He lifts his hand to touch her shoulder, but quickly decides against it.
Good.
The Shadow takes her hand to stand up, lifting its head.
"I'm you, and you're me," Rise shrugs.
The Shadow nods slowly before disappearing into the sky, becoming a mere card in Rise's hands. She clasps it carefully to her chest.
Chie smiles. "Wow, Rise-chan... You were-"
Rise groans a little, falling to the ground. Unfortunately, I'm the closest to her, so she latches onto me as she falls.
"Dude," Yosuke snaps.
I don't even want to think about how this looks right now.
She grabs my shirt, clinging to it tightly. "You saved me," she smiles. "Thank you."
"I- I saved you, too!" Yosuke interjects.
"Right," she giggles, turning her head toward Yosuke. "Thank you, too, Yosuke-kun."
"Y-yeah..." He nods, his cheeks turning a brighter shade.
"...There's no real me?" Teddie murmurs.
"What?" I ask, pulling away from the girl and standing to face Teddie.
"Be careful," Rise warns, grabbing my arm to stop me from going any closer. "There's something coming out of him!"
"O-out of him!?" Kanji splutters.
"Real me?" A distorted voice calls, emerging from behind Teddie.
"Wh-what on earth is that!?" Yukiko gasps.
"Teddie's... Shadow?" Yosuke says slowly.
Teddie falls backward at the sudden shock, crawling his way back to us.
"Yes... That is so..." The Shadow murmurs.
"H-holy shit..." Yosuke whispers. "Th-that thing's... huge..."
"Stand your ground, Yosuke-kun!" Rise demands.
"O-oh, uh, yeah!" Yosuke quickly straightens himself up, gripping his weapon.
"What do you seek?" The Shadow asks. But... It seems like it's asking me, as oppose to everyone else.
"The truth," I say, trying to hide my fear.
"Don't bother," he scoffs. "There is no such thing."
"No truth...?" Teddie frowns.
"Don't listen to him, Ted!" Kanji yells.
"Why bother?" The Shadow sighs. "Isn't it better to live in blissful ignorance?"
"Ignorance is not the truth," Yosuke mutters. "And I wanna know everything. I don't care how bad it hurts. How weird it is. I wanna know everything."
Everything.
"I- I don't get it," Teddie whines, becoming more and more frustrated. "You're just using a bunch of big words because I can't understand them! I don't know if you know this, but I'm trying my best, here!"
"It is those efforts I am calling futile."
"F-futile?"
"You are hollow. Empty."
"N-no..." Teddie shakes his head.
"Teddie..." Rise says softly.
"I- I'm not hollow!" He snaps. "I'm not empty!"
In the same moment, he charges at his Shadow head-first, only to be pushed back by the force.
"Dammit, Teddie," Yosuke sighs. "How many times do we have to go through this before he can predict the outcome!?"
"How are we supposed to fight this!?" Yukiko asks, watching the Shadow grow larger to its full form.
"We can't fight this thing without Teddie," Chie murmurs.
"I... I think I can help..." Rise says slowly.
"What?" Kanji scoffs, turning to her.
"I can sense it. It's my Persona's ability. I might be able to help you."
"Help us?" I frown. "But you just awakened... I don't think it's a good idea to-"
"Hey, back off, okay?" Yosuke says. "She can do it, you know?"
I bite my lip. "Fine."
"But, man, Rise... You really are amazing, huh?" He smiles. "I mean, coming in to save our asses at a time like this-"
"Will you stop flirting with her!?" Chie yells. "We have bigger problems, here!"
Flirting... He was... flirting with her...
Fuck.
~~~
Yosuke's POV:
"Hold your attacks!" Rise demands.
"What?" Yu scoffs.
"I sense something big..." She mutters.
"You're being ridiculous," he frowns. "He's almost down, see? Just a little more."
"Dude," I snap. "Listen to her, will you!?"
"If I just hit him one more time-"
"Fucking guard, you idiot." I snatch his Arcana from his hands.
He blinks a couple of times, stepping backwards in shock. But then he shakes his head. "Whatever. I don't need that."
"Yu, no!" Chie screams after him.
He charges at the Shadow with great speed, his katana swinging in his arm.
"Narukami-kun!" Yukiko yells.
"Sensei!!" Teddie manages to get out.
But the Shadow heard us. Of course it heard us. He knew Yu was going to attack. He knew it, and so he dodged it.
"Fuck..." He whispers, getting back on his feet.
"Dammit, Yu..." I groan.
"Watch out!!" Rise shouts.
In the next moment, the Shadow's hand strikes our whole team. But Chie, Yukiko, Kanji and I block the attack. Yu doesn't.
"Shit..." He breathes, laying on the ground.
"Senpai!" Kanji yells, running towards him.
"Yu!" Chie cries.
"Narukami!" Yukiko sighs.
Is... is he okay?
"G-guys..." He splutters. "I'm f-fine..."
"Senpai..." Kanji mumbles.
"Here," I say, casting Diarama on him.
He smiles at me weakly. "Thanks."
"Why didn't you hold!?" Rise snaps, joining the rest of us.
"I..." He shakes his head.
"I'm trying to help you!" She frowns.
"I don't need help," he grunts.
"Rise, excuse him," I say. "I don't know what's been going on with him lately."
"With me?" He scoffs, pointing a finger to his own chest.
"Don't," Kanji sighs.
"You guys better hurry and finish it off," Rise says, backing away again.
"Maybe you should sit out for this one, Narukami-kun..." Yukiko suggests.
"No," he snaps. "No. I can do it."
"You need to start listening to me," Rise sighs.
I watch as he pulls a face. "Whatever."
Could... could I have been wrong? Does he even like Risette...?
"Senpai, let me handle this," Kanji says, turning to Yu.
"H-huh?"
"I'll get revenge for what he did to you," Kanji swears.
Yu's expression softens a little, followed by a small smile.
Kanji's being... awfully nice to him... I swear there's something I don't know...
Kanji hits the Shadow with one final blow before it collapses to the ground, shaking the whole area around us.
"This is... my Shadow?" Teddie croaks, slowly making his way toward the figure.
"Wow... Even Teddie has a Shadow..." I murmur.
"I... I..." He chokes up.
"It's alright, Teddie." Yu puts a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this."
"R-right! I can... do this..."
"Are you alright?" I head toward Rise.
"I'm more worried about Teddie," she admits.
"Y-yeah..." I nod, turning back to the bear.
"I... I don't know who I am..." Teddie says slowly, his mouth morphing into a frown. "I- I've thought a number of times, but... I never figured it out..."
"You're not alone, Teddie," Yu smiles.
"...I don't have to do this on my own?"
"No way," Chie chuckles. "We're always gonna be with you, Teddie!"
"S-Sensei... Chie-chan..." He weeps.
Why is he bundling those two together? Is he going after Chie, too!?
"H-hold up..." Kanji says.
Teddie turns back around to the Shadow, watching as it transforms.
"Is that... a Persona?" Yukiko asks.
"D-damn..." I splutter.
"I sense great power from it," Rise smiles weakly. "I'm happy for you, Teddie."
She then falls forward enough for Yu to catch her.
Are you fucking kidding me!? Again!?
But... he tenses up. The dude fucking tenses up! There's no way he isn't used to girls touching him... right?
He quickly helps her to her feet, pushing her back.
"D-dude!" I snap.
"What?" He frowns, pulling his shirt back down.
The hell does he mean 'what'!? He coulda carried her to the entrance and everything! Playing hard to get, huh? Dammit...
"Let's get you out of here," Chie says, propping her upright.
"Yeah," I nod. "This fog can't be good for you..."
"Thank you," Rise smiles, followed by a short cough.
"Narukami-kun?" Yukiko calls, turning when she realizes that Yu isn't following.
"S-sorry," he splutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm gonna... hang back for a moment."
"...Really?" Chie frowns.
"What, you gonna have a fun time on that pole, are you, Yu?" I laugh.
He doesn't find it funny.
"...Kanji?" He says quietly.
Kanji sighs, as if reading his mind. "Sure."
"Y-you're stayin' with him?" I scoff, open-eyed.
"He needs me."
How many people is he gonna lead on? Geez...
"Well, hurry!" Teddie whines. "In the meantime, I'm gonna get back into shape for you, Sensei!"
Yu gives him a brief smile. "I'll be expecting great things, Teddie."
"You are looking a bit... flat," Yukiko mutters.
"Okay, I don't wanna talk about Teddie's body," I groan. "Let's go."
~~~
Yu's POV:
"What's the matter, Sen—"
I push him against the seat, sitting on top of him.
"H-hey," he splutters, clutching the arms of the chair.
"Tell me I'm enough," I beg, feeling tears swell in my eyes.
"What are you talking about?" He frowns.
"Tell me I'm worth it, Kanji," I plead. "Tell me I'm great. Tell me I'm hot. Tell me I'm the greatest guy you've ever met."
"S-Senpai..."
"I'm... I'm worthless," I breathe, resting my head against his shoulder, feeling the tears trickle down my cheeks.
"Hey, that ain't true..." He says, running his hand up and down my back.
"It is," I sob. "What am I compared to an idol? No, scratch that: what am I compared to an idol in a strip club!?"
"That's—"
"You could see him, Kanji," I bite my lip. "You could see the way he looked at the Shadow. The way he eyed her. The way he was getting a bunch of impure thoughts about her."
"That's not true."
"He's gonna fall for her," I whimper. "He is, Kanji. I saw it."
"He was lookin' at you more than he was lookin' at the girl."
"Wh-what?" I ask, pulling back.
"Everytime she did somethin'... risqué... he turned to you."
"...Y-you're serious?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, Senpai."
"...So... He... He might feel the same?" I feel my heart leap.
"Hey, don't get too excited," he warns.
"K-Kanji," I grin. "He might like me!"
"M-maybe, but—"
"Holy shit..." I climb off him, giving him a hand up. "Holy shit."
"D-don't get your hopes up, 'cause—"
"What are you waiting for!?" I scoff. "Let's go meet them at the entrance!"
~~~
thanks for reading:)
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