As the invigorating light of Unicorn's magic flowed through him, Youhei watched in wonder as his flesh knitted itself back together and the pain faded. Not for the first time did he thank providence for Ikeda's as yet unique healing abilities. Watching how much it took out of the girl was an eye opener though, as Youhei himself hadn't had much experience with using his Persona for casting magic. By the time he and Yoromatsu were back in good shape, Ikeda seemed as ready to drop as they had just been. We really need another healer, he mused, wondering if he could acquire other Personae, as Yoromatsu had. But that was a thought for another day and there were more pressing matters to attend to. Shirogane's explanation was flavourful, but ultimately revealed little in the way of information. 'If the kid's been taken, shouldn't we report it or look for him or... something?' It would probably be pointless, he realised. The whole affair had happened during the Dark Hour, so it clearly wasn't something the police could handle. If it was Strega who had him... Suddenly his stomach knotted up and Youhei flinched as he remembered what had happened in Tartarus, what he had done... A sickly fear invaded him as he put two and two together. 'W...what if those cultists want revenge for what I... f-for what happened the other week..?' He must have been whispering without realising, because Yoromatsu continued without batting an eyelid and Youhei thanked him for that. Pointless speculation or emotion wouldn't solve the problem and they would need to stay focused if there was any hope of finding Takahiro ali... soon. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop a pervading sense of guilt and some of it surely showed in his manner as they trudged off back to the dorm.
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Youhei had skipped his afternoon lessons, instead heading home early to spend some time in quiet reflection. He had long since claimed the roof as his own special place, somewhere that no-one ever bothered him, where he could simply sit and think in silence. A small mound of smoked cigarettes had accumulated next to him as he wracked his mind for clues about the kidnapping. They hadn't seen anyone suspicious nor found anything relevant at the scene, which could have meant any number of things... Did Takahiro go someplace else before he was taken, or was the culprit simply that good at covering their tracks? And why bother giving a message if they didn't ask for a ransom? The more he thought about it, the more likely his initial theory seemed... and the worse he felt. SEES had lost a lot of people since he joined, but they had all just transferred away or decided not to get involved; the idea of a member dying in the line of duty... terrified him. During battle it never really occurred to Youhei that his opponents were aiming to kill and the miraculous power of healing magic had all but eliminated his fear of injury. But Shadows fought you head on, they didn't kidnap people... which meant that a human was responsible. And that scared the living shit out of him.
By the time his phone went off, summoning him to the meeting room after school, Youhei had mostly come to terms with the guilt. He could only do what he could do and that was play his part in the rescue of his teammate. He was still scared shitless, but at least he could function now. With a deft flick of the wrist, Youhei sent his last half-smoked fag end soaring over the railings and headed inside to where the others would soon assemble. Since he had come home early, Youhei was apparently the first there and leaned up against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He would wait for the others before heading in.
Youhei had skipped his afternoon lessons, instead heading home early to spend some time in quiet reflection. He had long since claimed the roof as his own special place, somewhere that no-one ever bothered him, where he could simply sit and think in silence. A small mound of smoked cigarettes had accumulated next to him as he wracked his mind for clues about the kidnapping. They hadn't seen anyone suspicious nor found anything relevant at the scene, which could have meant any number of things... Did Takahiro go someplace else before he was taken, or was the culprit simply that good at covering their tracks? And why bother giving a message if they didn't ask for a ransom? The more he thought about it, the more likely his initial theory seemed... and the worse he felt. SEES had lost a lot of people since he joined, but they had all just transferred away or decided not to get involved; the idea of a member dying in the line of duty... terrified him. During battle it never really occurred to Youhei that his opponents were aiming to kill and the miraculous power of healing magic had all but eliminated his fear of injury. But Shadows fought you head on, they didn't kidnap people... which meant that a human was responsible. And that scared the living shit out of him.
By the time his phone went off, summoning him to the meeting room after school, Youhei had mostly come to terms with the guilt. He could only do what he could do and that was play his part in the rescue of his teammate. He was still scared shitless, but at least he could function now. With a deft flick of the wrist, Youhei sent his last half-smoked fag end soaring over the railings and headed inside to where the others would soon assemble. Since he had come home early, Youhei was apparently the first there and leaned up against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He would wait for the others before heading in.