Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

With the preparations complete, it was time to spring into action - Sato had managed to evade notice from the large Shadow and thus position himself for a sneaky attack upon the sword hand. Akane and Rui charged forth to engage it before Akane unleashed a Kill Rush upon the foe - which was met with a veritable barrage of blows in turn. Kotori winced at the sight as not all blows could be entirely averted whilst keeping up the assault - but luckily, Sato was ready to back up the frontal assault with a decisive strike to disarm the Shadow. Kotori meanwhile was far more preoccupied with the immediate aftermath of the assault; calling Kikuri-Hime to her side before using her to cast a healing spell on Akane: "Diarama," she said, her persona following suit as the wounds and fatigue sustained from the Shadow's counter-attack quickly began to fade.

Still, this was little relief for the bespectacled girl as she quickly looked around to see if anyone else was sustaining any attacks whilst she was focused on healing just a single person - but just as she did, a series of explosions tore through the knights and scattered their menacing assault in unison; Zeke's cry ringing out as the briefly stunned knights were easy targets for the other half of the group.

For the moment, they had the upper hand it seemed - if they could press their advantage now, they might just be able to use the momentum to carry themselves to victory. At least, Kotori hoped that was the case as she was starting to feel the strain of a prolonged tense battle setting in once more. With a quick shake of her head she tried to clear herself of it - succeeding only partly - before focusing on the others who might be in need of her healing.

Once Sato was in position, Akane launched an attack on the shadow, and prince countered Akane's persona with its own slashes. It deflected all of Akane's strikes with relative ease, but as it was swinging, it was clear to see that the shadow was sacrificing its grip in order to match the speed of the Kill Rush and then some. As the shadow went for a retaliation slash on Akane, Sato launched an arrow from his bow, and combined with a Garu from Chronos, the projectile lodged itself in the shadow's hand with great force. The power of the hit effectively disabled its hand just enough that the sword flew away from it due to the wind blast. The disarmament plan was a success, and the advantage was shifted to the investigation team.

As Sato was running back to main group to avoid getting picked off by himself, the other rest of the battlefield lit up in crimson explosions as a hawk cry echoed throughout the room. That bird was so weird. Regardless though, it was their time to strike, so Sato resumed his previous position in the formation and prepared to hit the shadow with Hama as soon as the front-liners gave the signal.

Akane Hanazawa // Sapphire Inn | Royal Suite - Main Room
Sunday, July 5th, 2015

With their plan succeeding, Sato was able to get a solid strike in and was able to disable it's hand and send the sword flying, successfully disarming the shadow. And thanks to Kotori casting a Diarama on her, Akane was able to get out of the exchange with minimal damage. It was then Kami decided to call in a Airstrike, with the bird returning once more to give them aid.

Saying her thanks, she called forth Setanta and prepared to strike with another Kill Rush once Rui gave the order.

"We're clear here for now, it'll be some time before the knights get back up", they were indeed knocked down, many of them seething with eletricity as they were stunned.

"Perfect... All hands forward, this is our chance", with that, both parties lurched forward on the command of Sato's bow, striking the sword out of the shadow's hands. As it's blade jutted out of the ground yards away from it, it turned forward with what may be a panicked expression, before it was beaten to hell and back by both parties. As soon as the smoke cleared, the shadow was flung back, the princess was slain as it crawled back up, grabbing it's blade from the ground.

"No... None of you... Understand at all...!", another arrow from Sato was fired, but it was struck down immediately. However, this left the shadow open, it's wide, tired swing made it an easy target for Sato's Persona Chronos to blast it head on with Garula, before he fired another arrow, staunching it's attempted followup swing as it imbedded in it's shoulder, and followed with another arrow to it's leg, bringing the shadow to one knee, before Sato's Persona promptly flew forward, and uppercut the shadow into the air with yet another Garula.

The shadow landed crumpled on the ground, sword well away from it as everyone began to surround it. As the shadow's strength was failing, so were the knights as Kami witnessed the armor simply break away, revealing people. He recognized none of them, but he can tell some of them were mobsters just by some tattoos and choice of clothing.

"Do you know how it feels... To be scorned... Just for doing what you felt was right? Just for following your heart, treated like some... Monster... An abomination, disappointment... Jun... No... Me... I just wanted to be happy...", the shadow was referring to Jun who had watched the entire battle from the center. It seems this was her moment.

The battle was a blur. Jun's defiance had been talked down by her schoolmates, few of whom she recognized. So this is what they've been doing after they disappeared. She mused, hanging back and fighting the bitter taste in her mouth of watching others fight for her. Her pride would have demanded that she fight her own battles, but she was persuaded not to step in. She realized how ill-prepared for the fight she was when the others began summoning fantastical beings to fight her 'shadow'.

She had watched in awe as they battled the monstrosity that claimed to be her. They refused to be daunted and when the knight finally collapsed, she found her own strength returning. Strange, she had not realized she had crumpled into a sitting position on the floor. She walked up to the knight, eyes downcast and afraid to look at anyone else. She did not like that her inner demons were being put on display for all to see. The blonde gangster knew what she had to do, however.

She just wish there wasn't an audience watching her make peace with her own dark self. The girl bowed her head. "Thank you for giving voice to my fears. Now I realize how foolish I was." Her fists were clenched. She felt vulnerable, but at the same time empowered by the moment of admitting her weakness and failures. Her swordplay training was returning to her - knowing your own weakness is just as important as knowing your enemy's if you wish becoming a stronger fighter.

"You were right. I'm too afraid of the hold that man has on my mother and I. Afraid that I will be forced to live a lie for the sake of a man who never raised me until it was convenient for him. Ashamed of who I am, I indulge in petty rebellion and cowardly lose myself in the thrill of it. I know that now. You are me... but I will not allow that to be true any longer." She lifted the sword she had scavenged and pointed it at the knight. "I will not tolerate this weak, petty display any longer. I will face my problems head on and work for my own happiness."

The shadow seemed to melt away with a knowing smile. Was that it? An anti-climatic end to an epic battle. "So... what now?" Jun asked her fellow students as her legs lost strength again and she sat herself down before she fell.

TRACK: Aria of the Soul

As their vision returned to them, they beheld a long dining room. The first thing they would notice is the decor, blue all over, in different tasteful shades and high class furnishings. Paintings along the wall depicting some rather specific events. In front of them on the table was a carving depicting a particular number and card, for Jun, it was "The Devil", while for Katsuro, it was "The Justice". As they looked down they noticed that their clothes were different too. Katsuro wore a simple suit under a dark blue hood with gold trimmings and a side cape, while Jun wore a three piece suit, fully done up in proper.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room", they heard a voice, they looked to the end of the table to see a man with a long nose and wide, piercing eyes. It was certainly a strange person they were looking at.

"A place between mind and matter, dream, and reality. I, am Igor, only those who have signed a contract may enter this place, and it appears we've finally filled every seat at this table too", they looked around to the other seats. It was true, every other table had a silhouette sitting at it, but some of them were recognizable.

"And this is Henrietta, she will be helping you along your journey", he motioned to the long haired woman next to him.

"Now then... You have drawn, the Devil Arcana. Impulse and sin are nothing new to you, but impulse and sin no matter the reason, is still a mere distraction. It appears you have overcome this and come to realize what you truly want", he began.

"And now... You, have drawn, the Justice Arcana. One must seek guidance amidst a time of crisis, for a long time you have gone into disarray, as there was no one you could refer to, but that will have changed now, perhaps these new friends you have made, will be there to fill the gap", it was a personal topic, but more importantly... How did this man know about all this? When either would try and ask, they would find no voice left their mouth.

"For now...", Igor clicked his fingers and Henrietta left, shortly to return with two keys on a cushion, that she would begin to walk around the table and hand to both Jun and Katsuro.

"These are keys you may use to access this room again, you will return here later of your own accord, or of requirement, but until then... Farewell", and with that, they lost consciousness.

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

In the opening wrought by Akane's assault, Sato managed to deliver the decisive blow - his arrow loosened the large Shadow's grip on its sword further yet and the follow-up wind blast finally struck it clean out of its hand. With the knights stunned from the heavy bombardement, everyone was quick to realise that this was their opportunity - and thus all attention was focused on the main opponent. Momentarily unable to strike back, the attacks poured in from all sides - magical and physical, the Shadow came under heavy fire until it was reeling. It attempted to fight back even as its princess was slain, a certain distress audible even through its twisted voice - until a choice arrow fired by Sato finally breaking its desperate defense - and making the fatal opening which allowed him get a clean hit with Chronos' wind magic. He seized the opportunity to lay down a final follow-up together with his Persona to put the Shadow down for good.

Kotori, meanwhile, kept an eye out throughout it all - ever wary for any would-be surprises from either the Shadow or its knights - but also doing what she could to aid the assault with her Kikuri-Hime's help, lending her lightning strikes to the assault. It was only when the Shadow finally began to flicker and disperse that Kotori gave a sigh of relief - and the fatigue of the fight made itself known in full, even as the armour surrounding the knights began to dissolve in flakes and gave way to the unconscious prisoners therein. Kotori took a moment to catch her breath - even as she felt the almost familiar uncomfortable feeling as the shadow, now in its original form, began to speak.

As ever, it unashamedly spoke of the feelings that had been suppressed and locked away - a look at another person's inner thought which was no doubt embarassing for them, but also for Kotori who still didn't know how to balance wanting to help the conflicted kidnapees and also respecting their privacy in such moments. As such, there was little choice but to listen though - even as Jun stepped out from the protective circle that had been formed around her by the party and confronted her shadow. Kotori didn't recognise the girl - at best, she was vaguely familiar much in the vein of other schoolmates whom she might have seen but never talked to before.

Much like the times before, she couldn't help but feel some measure of worry about what might happen if Jun didn't accept this turn of events and denied her other side - but much to Kotori's relief, this did not come to pass. Instead, Jun acknowledged that, though she may not like it, she was acting in a manner that she herself no longer knew the real reason for - and instead chose to live her life according to her own choices and on her own merits. A small smile came across Kotori's face at those words - which in turn marked the transformation of the shadow; a bright light cast across the entire room as a new figure took its place: Mordred, Jun's persona.

The girl turned to face the group, evidently full of questions about what had just happened - but those would have to be answered at a later time as the tell-tale signs of fatigue made themselves known; forcing Jun to sit herself down lest she fall - which immediately preceded the loss of consciousness. Though she'd seen this pattern repeat several times now, Kotori still couldn't help but worry that everything was alright; even as everyone else started to get ready to leave the mirror world behind with Jun being carried and headed for the hospital. Having used the brief exchange as an opportunity to catch her breath, Kotori accompanied the others - at least until everyone went their separate ways from the warehouse that marked their entrance to the mirror realm.

It would be with no small amount of relief that Kotori arrived arrive at home - both knowing that another kidnapping victim was safe but also to be able to lay down to rest; even if it didn't last too long before she recalled that the finals were coming up soon and she still had some studying to do for the day.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Classroom 2-2 | Monday, July 6 2015 - Morning

This time around, it seemed that the usual rumour mill surrounding the kidnappings was quite a bit quieter - which didn't come as too much of a surprise, seeing as the events had occured over the weekend and thus couldn't cause quite as much of a commotion as some of the previous incidents when the victims didn't show up for class. Still, Kotori still heard her fair share of stories being murmured on her way to her classroom - and not few of them were quite clearly being told as second-hand accounts or worse, seeing as there would have to have been at least a dozen kidnappings all over town for all the things she heard to be true.

Stymying the usual spread too were the not upcoming finals which hung over the whole school - some seemed to have already given up hope, others were just putting things off until whilst Kotori couldn't help but feel the usual pre-exam worries, even before the immediate tests began. In fact, she felt even more thereof as she had to regretfully decline multiple requests from other students that she helped them study - between her own studying, helping out at home, occasional forays into the mirror world and club meetings, she wouldn't have much of a reliable schedule; not even taking into account the fact that just imagining herself somehow trying to teach others made her nervous at the prospect.

Taking her seat in the classroom toward the front, Kotori gave a small sigh - but this time because she had inadvertantly reminded herself of the Agriculture Club meeting that was to take place later today. Whilst the colourful sight of the many flowers was always welcome, the same could not be said for the strange mood that hung between her fellow members, Shizuka and Matthew. Both seeing them as they were and also not knowing whether or how to help would do ittle to raise her mood for the rest of the day - which she already wasn't looking forward to, as she'd have to be paying a visit to the hospital later.

Shizuka Otonashi || Agriculture Club Garden (Courtyard) || July 6 MON: After School

Shizuka simply stared at the saplings she was watering, deep in thought all the while. Not only was she unable to continue with the venturing into the depths of the dungeon, she had to ask Matt, the upperclassman, to take her place in the dungeon party. While the student felt awfully guilty for having someone else be in danger in her place, Shizuka wondered if she could be of any use to the team in the future. "I must have been given these powers for a reason... It's only right to assist people in need with them...!"

Lips parted to release a sigh. There was something else clouding her mind and it was the reason she would only visit the garden and not the actual agriculture club room nowadays. Matthew Harvester. In an attempt to recollect her thoughts of that fateful day, to why they were in such a state, Shizuka wondered if she were the one in wrong. Did she really do this for his sake? Was it some kind of repentance? Maybe she just didn't feel worthy of him anymore after her inner thoughts were revealed. But even then... wasn't Matt willing to accept her then?

Shaking her head off of those thoughts, the freshman proceeded to put on a pair of gardening gloves to pull out the weeds which had taken residence along the plot of land. It felt like it was just yesterday when the club members worked on this garden when it was freshly plowed for the club. Then there were times where the upperclassman would find the younger student here, just to help her take care of their plants. Smiling thoughtfully at the fondful memories, a teardrop ran along her cheek. "Huh...?"

Before it went out of control, Shizuka wiped away the tears with the gloved hand, unknowingly smudging soil upon her cheek slightly. Shizuka admitted, with tears as proof of this, she dearly missed the carefree days she had with Matthew.

---

Mako's face was the picture of focus as he stared at the screen in front of him, skillfully manipulating his onscreen avatar to savage his opponent, the complete rout he was delivering the only indication of the turmoil lurking behind his emotionless facade. He grimaced to himself as he finished off his opponent in Persona 4: Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, thinking that he should get some coffee and food soon, because that monologue sounded crazy, even to himself. He rotated his wrist, sighing to himself, before preparing for his next fight in the game, trying to ignore the impending situation that awaited him.

For what must have been the thousandth time since he got here and sent his text, he thought of Sato, trying and failing to ignore the flutter in his gut at the thought of the upperclassman. Although, wasn't that the point of this meeting? To stop ignoring it? He tried to concentrate on the game in front of him, but the dam had already burst, and there was no use trying to cram the feelings back in. He pulled away from the arcade cabinet as his virtual self of the hour was finished off, and jammed his hands into his pockets.

I really hope this works, he thought to himself. It's gonna suck if I did all of this pining for nothing.

The facts were these: Mako liked Sato. Not just as a friend, or a mentor, or senpai, but romantically. The times he spent with Sato... they made him happy. Happier than when he spent time with literally anyone else. And he really liked being happy. So, in the interest of not turning his life into a bad romantic manga or anime, here he was, having sent an invitation to Sato to come hang out, waiting to tell him how he felt, and hope to whatever entities dwelled in heaven that his senpai felt the same. He certainly seemed to- his speech to Mako during his first foray into the Mirror World at least implied that he cared significantly for him. But did "significantly" mean "romantically?"

Well, if I never ask, I'll never know. It was... nerve-wracking, sure. But he had to do it, or else resign himself to months and months of "Will I? Won't I?" bullshit shenanigans. All he had to do now... was wait.

...I really hope this works out.

Matthew Harvester || Agriculture Clubroom - July 6 (afterschool)

Another fight down another success, so why did it feel so pointless?
Thinking back on it Matt went through his day pointlessly to the point he was nearly oblivious to people talking to him during the day, after snapping out of it for a bit the boy mopped around until he decided to clear his head by going and watering the plants in the clubroom and maybe throw some research in to distract his thoughts.

After School he headed to the clubroom and secretly sighed with relief that he avoided Shizuka, “*sigh* huh? Why am I relieved?” With a confusing thought mumbled he started watering the plants.
Distant again in his thoughts Matt gazed out the window into the sky,
What the hell am i supposed to do? Is there anything I can do? Truthfully Matt’s never had to have so much trouble with emotions and people in his life, he would always get people caught up in his pace so quickly no one had time to think about it…. But now the pace was so…. Well slow.

*sigh* maybe if i have a change of environment I can thi- “OH SHIT” Lost in thought Matt didn’t realise he was drowning the flowers he was watering.
Now panicking the young stressed boy picked up the Lilacs and attempted to save them.

“DAMN IT WHY IS THIS SO HARD!?” If anyone walked by they would probably wonder why someones yelling strange words out, but to the boy it was confirmation in words of how heavy the feelings were.

As Rui walked through the white corridors of the hospital, he finally came to the ward of the people they rescued. One had visibly scary men in suits standing outside of it, he double-checked to make sure, and sure enough that was Jun's door. The two men wouldn't let him through, so he turned to the other door and entered.

Inside was Katsuro, he should recognize him. Shortly after getting Jun out, they went to his location and defeated his shadow, though it seems he also awoke to the power of Persona. It was a little like Alexei's awakening, whom did not stay long enough to generate his own dungeon from his shadow going wild. Regardless...

"Katsuro? I'm sure you've realized, you awoke to the power of Persona, and saw that other world...", one can already guess this was some kind of recruitment pitch.

"So I'll ask simply, do you wish to join us? We could use more people to fight with us. Even if you told others what happened, they won't believe you unless they've been to that world too", and with that he waited for his response.

For the first time in awhile, Akane was completely out of it and didn't pay attention to class. There was the unexpected double dungeon yesterday but she was up all night sketching. While that kind of behavior was typical for her, but she stayed up later than usual doing redraws. The pains of having standards being the one at fault here. With a sigh, she trudged onward to the clubroom but today she had no intention of drawing, but she didn't exactly have the kind of energy to be doing anything kendo related either.

Giving all the dungeons they've been through up 'till this point, she had quite a lot of material already. So the focus of today would be to organize what she has already and decide what gets included and what gets left out in the one-shot she plans to do for comiket. Ideally, she'd like to include two of the monsters in it. Maybe have one act as a sub-boss to stir things up and a final boss to conclude the issue.

Though, she'll also have to see if the story would fit an additional enemy. Adding too many of one thing and less of another tends to dilute the product. Especially in manga involving battle scenes, people tend to overload it with enemies and battles while ignoring story and character development where people don't know what the hell is going on. With a sigh, she placed her sketches back on the table in the clubroom and leaned back in her chair.

She needed a break, too many double dungeons and an all night drawing sessions does a number on ya. Deciding to get a little rest, she went to the corner of the clubroom and collapse onto her bean bag chair. With a yawn, she fell right asleep.

With that, the entire team realized there was nothing between them and beating the shit out of the shadow. And so they did. A flurry of magic, personas, and teens flying around with adrenaline overwhelmed the shadow within seconds. A perfected all-out attack! It was hard to see through the dirt flying around, but a part of the shadow evaporated into a cloud of darkness.

As everyone backed away, Sato watched with a indescribable vitriol as the shadow got back up to its feet, two hands on its sword. Before it could even say anything, Sato launched an arrow at it. It was easily deflected, of course, but what the shadow didn't realize was that Chronos was already behind it, swinging its scythe with the full force of a Garula behind it and knocking the shadow forward a good dozen meters. Not too far off from him now, Sato fired a few disabling arrows into its shoulder and its knee as it tried to hopelessly swing at anything. With it on the ground, there wasn't even an attempt to defend itself from the shadow as Chronos rushed forward and slammed the blade of its scythe into the shadow's back, before ripping it into the air and slamming it back down with another Garula. Upon crashing back onto the floor, the shadow faded back into a human form, a perfect copy of the victim.

As everyone surrounded it just in case, Sato took a moment to fix his hair, brushing the hair out from in front of his eyes. He didn't realize it in the fight, but the fatigue was hitting hard... A ringing in his ears dampened all his senses, but when he noticed the knights around them crumbling, the metal clanging against the floor, Sato couldn't help but smile through the headache. People fell out from inside, their style screaming gangs. The blonde girl collapsed.

Another job well done.

---

JULY 6TH 2015, MONDAY
Afterschool
It took Sato's eyes a bit to adjust to the relative darkness of the arcade. The sun was beaming outside, reminding everyone of how summer was coming up soon, and as a result, exams. It was a weird kind of atmosphere, really... not close enough to study much, but not far away enough to forget about it. It bugged him, even as he made his way into the arcade machine. He checked his phone again; he'd gotten the text just a few minutes after class had ended for the day. Sato had been considered going to the archery range, but this wasn't much of a question. It wasn't an if, it was a when.

Was this their "place" now? Even after having gone several times, Sato still couldn't really remember what any of the machines were, what the colorful anime decals were naming. It was... interesting. How Sato would never have come there if it was up to him, but that was part of the very charm he found himself thinking about every other minute in class: forward, bold, determined. Rash, quick to anger, strong headed. Maybe even single-minded, but it was hard to judge when the opposite was just as bad a color on himself. A negative and a negative make a positive, at least in math.

He was overthinking it again. There was no point in kidding to himself; he knew exactly where the P4AU machines were. It was the only game he'd ever played at the arcade, so it was a guiding beacon in a maze of button-mashing and joystick-slamming. He always felt the thing he always wanted to avoid when he saw Mako. He hated the way he couldn't find any breath, the way he couldn't think. He'd never felt this way before, at least not so strongly.

"Hey," was all that Sato could muster as he walked up to Mako, trying to give a confident smile. It failed to look anything more than wry, though, but he went with it.

"Mako, I... how are you doing? Are you okay, after yesterday? It felt like the longest the team's been in the mirror world..." Sato averted his eyes from Mako, trying not to indulge in the chemicals swimming around in his brain too much lest he go blind in such a brilliant light. At least, that was how he felt. But it was too much to put in words, too much to tell someone, and that was akin to drowning.

Ryan walked into the club room with his usual sense of meekness, sliding over to his usual desk and putting down his bag with a heavy thump. He pulled out an History book and a Math book, along with a copy of One Piece, volume 45. Lately he had been so busy with the dungeons and training his body that he was starting to ignore his academics. This showed in his latest test scores, the middle of the pack was no place for someone like him.

Every now and then he would stop studying his book and take a few minutes to read his manga, humming to himself in intrigue whenever something interesting happened. This pattern continued until he got up suddenly, stretching his arms and legs out. Ryan walked around the classroom a bit, pausing as he walked by some familiar looking sketches.

He looked at them a bit more closely, eyes widening as he realized they were Shadows they had fought. One of them was actually his Shadow, which definitely made him a bit uncomfortable. Those taunting eyes, as he was kicked around and ridiculed. That really wasn't something he wanted to dwell on. He kinda wanted to ask Akane why she was sketching their battles, but that was a really awkward question and would mean he would have to admit at looking at her private drawings. Ryan looked at Akane then looked back to the drawings and shook his head nervously. He shouldn't bother someone while they're sleeping anyways.

He went back to his chair to continue studying, but he was definitely less focused then he was a few minutes ago, glancing over at Akane nervously every few seconds.

Jun woke up and the first thing she noticed was the white lights. It wasn't the first time she woke up like this, so she instantly recognized the place. Hospital bed, private ward. Of course her father was only concerned when her physical safety was threatened. No doubt he had upgraded her after her schoolmates brought her here. She didn't remember much from that night, just some dream about a new power she had awoken.

Her bodyguard was instantly at her side, and reaching for his phone. Even in her groggy state, Jun was fast enough to stop him from dialing the man. "Please, Takashi. Not now." She grumbled. Reaching for the cup of water, the man was quick to help her despite the annoyed glare she gave him. The man simply pleaded with a silent look. She was in no state to deny help, she supposed. The teenager grudgingly allowed her guard to help her take a sip.

"Your father-"

"I'm the one who's in the hospital, and I need some peace and quiet for now." Jun cut off the man's protest. "You can tell him after I've had dinner, alright? Speaking of which... I could use a Fat Boy's burger right now." She laid her head back on the pillow as the bodyguard let out a wry laugh. Jun gave him her puppy eyed look and he simply shook his head.

"The nurses won't be happy."

"My father is paying a lot for a private ward, they won't complain about a burger. He won't hold it against you for indulging me a little. Please. Ichigo is right outside, no?"

The man just sighed. "Some times, milady, I think you're trying to get us killed."

"Some times, not today." She joked back. "Tell him to let my friends in when they come, or I'm going to do something really stupid with all these machines."

---

Mako's breath caught in his throat as he spotted Sato making his way over to him, and for a moment, he was caught up in the old emotional standby, the desire to run and hide, to avoid confronting his problems in the hopes of avoiding more pain. These he crushed quickly, composing himself as much as possible. He would not run away, not again. He knew what was waiting for him at the end of that path, and even if he crashed and burned here, it was better than having never tried at all. Still, this was going to be more difficult than he originally anticipated- with one look, all of the carefully-composed words he'd been formulating in his head had crumbled like a sand castle in the tide, and he was left with nothing but confusingly-intense emotions rattling around in his head. How did people tolerate this?

He took another deep breath, mustering up all the focus he possessed. He was doing this, speech or no.

"Hey," said Sato quietly, walking up to him. Mako bit his tongue to avoid jumping him with his confession right then and there.

Steady on, Moritomi. You'll get your chance. He smiled up at his senpai, trying to keep his nerves from showing, and probably doing a less-than-stellar job of it. Sato shuffled slightly, then spoke up again.

"Mako, I... how are you doing? Are you okay, after yesterday? It felt like the longest the team's been in the mirror world..."

Mako frowned slightly. Right... that had happened. He shook off the leftover nerves from that situation, and shrugged back at Sato.

"As well as I can be, I suppose. I mean, we did it, we're alive, and so are the victims, but... it's still kinda crazy. Doesn't really seem real, even now." He bit his lip in thought. "Still, I'm glad to hear that not every... excursion is like that. Felt like we were there for days, instead of hours.

"...Actually, uh... that's part of why I wanted to talk to you today." Mako felt his face practically ignite as he psyched himself up to proceed. He looked up at Sato, who was averting his eyes for some reason. Mako glanced around briefly, checking to see that they were mostly alone, then continued. Here we go...

"Yesterday... however low a chance there was of it happening, we could have died. And despite making it out this time, we might not be so lucky later. Especially if this cult keeps escalating their... tactics... the way that they've been. And it's put some things in perspective for me."

Was he doing this right? Was this going to work? Only way to move was forward...

"See... when I faced my Shadow... one of the problems it made me come to grips with was... honesty. The lack thereof, so to speak. I'm so scared of being hurt that I bury how I really feel under a mask, that sort of thing. Before I experienced that, before I met you and Rui and everyone else... I'd probably be doing the same thing here that I did before. But I don't want that. At all, ever again. I want what I say and do to... to mean something. To be real.

"So... this is me, being real. I... I like you, Sato. Like, like you, intensely, dramatically, beyond typical senpai-kouhai bullshit. And if either of us died before I got the chance to say this to you, I'd never forgive myself for being such a coward. So... I like you. And, forgive me for being forward or presumptuous, but... I think you like me, too. And I'd... very much like it... if we could, um... date. Like... officially. That's, uh... yeah."

By this time, Mako was staring fixedly at his shoes, face burning scarlet, barely getting the words out.

"So, I, uh... I guess the only question is... if you feel the same way. 'Cause if you do, I-I'd very much like to, ah... see where this goes. That's all."

There it was. He'd said it. Nothing else for it but to see how Sato took it.

@Sen

Sato was glad Mako wasn't exactly confident about whatever the hell this was that they were doing, but he couldn't help but frown at Mako's thoughts on the mirror world. "I agree, but... maybe it's just me, but you never quite get used to how it feels. This whole thing feels like a dream, but I don't think I want to wake up from it... Kind of like you..." Sato said, unsure of what he was really saying. He didn't want to stop talking, keep the conversation where it was. Whatever they had now, Sato would be glad to cling onto it, but that's not how people worked. Fate had a way with moving on, and time was a train that didn't wait. In other words, there was no reward worth having free from risk.

Sato felt like he had to say something, but the words he knew couldn't express what he felt. That was okay, though, because Mako found something worth saying, and as he listened, it was like falling from a building. Except instead of the ground, Mako waited for him at the bottom. The air felt like it was rushing despite the stagnancy, his heart rate pounding faster than it ever did before.

"It's so loud in here, Mako. I have so much to say right now and all I can hear are these stupid arcade machines." Sato still couldn't look at the other boy. He knew that he wouldn't be able to think if he tried to, and saying what he had to say right now was too important. "Everything changed when I joined the investigation team, and then everything changed again when I met you, Mako. I'm so sick of change, I'm sick of this god damn cult, and I'm sick of risking my life for people I've never met. But... If it meant spending another day with you, I'd do it all again. I want to make one last change with you."

That was all he could think to say, but it still felt like not enough, so Sato mustered all his courage and fell into Mako, wrapping his arms around him.

"We've never seen eachother's shadows... but thank you for trusting me, Mako. Thank you for giving me a chance." Sato whispered, just loud enough for Mako to hear. His fingers clutched onto the back of Mako's shirt, afraid of fate taking it all away. The moments passing felt too short and too long at the same time, in the same way long days melted into short years.

"The moon isn't full or new or anything tonight, but do you want to watch it with me tonight? I don't want you to leave me today." Sato broke away, smiling to himself like the love-struck idiot he was. He felt the tears running down from his eyes, and rubbed them away with the heel of his hand. "Sorry, I just... I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Just... just tell me what to say, Mako. Let's talk some more."

@Sho Minazuki



Katsuro's eye flicked open, staring at the hospital ceiling. Instantly, he tried to get up, straining a muscle as he quickly tried to look around and see where he was. The fact he was in a hospital did not bode well, and his first thought was that he had been hurt again somehow.
No. Everything was still there. There were no wounds, beyond the permanent ones. That was a nice surprise. He was just really tired.

Finally, he began to remember what had happened the night before. He was having a hard time believing it, but thinking about it harder, it became easier to accept. That entire velvet room thing had...been interesting as well. He made a point to talk to someone about that as soon as possible. He remembered other people in the other world, and some of them seemed familiar...

Someone walked into his room, Katsuro looked up to see someone walk in. His eye narrowed. He listened to Rui talk, and smirked, moving his hair over the mess that was once his left eye. Someone had removed his patch while he was out.

"You should sell things on television with a pitch like that."
He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to get put in danger again, but even so...it was a whole new world! Something that so few people probably got to experience. He had a feeling that the only reason he hadn't fainted from realizing its existence was due to not quite realizing the gravity of the revelation yet. Then again, that might have been the reason he fainted and woke up in this place anyway...

"Alright then." He finally said, looking up. "I've never been one to back away from a fight."

He got up again, swinging his legs off the bed.
"Now, do you know when i can leave? I don't want to spend any more time in this hole than i have to."

---

Mako was holding his breath as Sato began talking, afraid that his words had come out wrong, that he'd said too much, that Sato wouldn't accept his confession... a million-and-one thoughts spiraled through his head, all orbiting around one hope. As Sato began to speak, that hope dimmed further and further- it sounded like a rejection, but he couldn't be sure. He could imagine, though. Mako sighed, and closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever came...

"But..." Mako opened his eyes. "But" was better than "no." He looked up at Sato as he finished.

"...If it meant spending another day with you, I'd do it all again." Mako's heart felt like it leapt into his throat. Does that mean...?

"I want to make one last change with you."

Oh, gods.

Mako opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance- without a word, Sato leaned forward, wrapping his arms around him in a firm embrace, as though he never meant to let go. Mako sighed and relaxed into the gesture, returning the favor with his own hug, blinking rapidly in disbelief and a failed attempt to stop the happy tears that now gleamed in his eyes. His head spun in ecstatic delirium, unable to quite understand what was happening at the moment, still holding Sato in a bone-crushing hug, afraid that if he let go, he would lose all of this- this moment, this feeling, this... relationship.

"We've never seen each other's Shadows," said Sato quietly in his ear, "but thank you for trusting me, Mako. Thank you for giving me a chance."

Mako sniffed, still holding back tears. "Anytime."

He had no idea how long they stood there, holding each other, but eventually they separated, both reaching up to wipe away tears.

"The moon isn't full or new or anything tonight, but do you want to watch it with me tonight? I don't want you to leave me today." Sato smiled sheepishly as he tried to stem his own crying, as unsuccessfully as Mako's own attempts. "Sorry, I just... I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Just... just tell me what to say, Mako. Let's talk some more."

Mako smiled, some of his previous confidence reasserting itself. He leaned up, pressing a kiss to Sato's cheek, before turning to speak in his ear.

"First off, I would love to watch the moon with you tonight. I'm not going anywhere, count on that. Secondly, let's get out of here- you're right, it's way too loud to process this sort of thing in here." He dropped back down, smiling up at his... boyfriend? Whatever- he'd figure it out soon enough. They'd figure it out.

"So... where do you want to go?"

@Sen

"You should be out at the end of today, usually, if there's nothing wrong with you. It's up to the nurses here", he responded. So yet another addition to their crew. Afterwards he had them both exchange numbers, now that he was part of the team, keeping in touch was going to need to be a necessity,

"We'll keep in touch", for various obvious reasons. If there were anymore questions he can call him later, but for now Rui was heading out and over to the next room.

As he walked over, he was seeing one of them whispering with the other...

"Hmmm... You're one of her friends?", he asked, looking to Rui. He wasn't as well acquainted with Jun as some others, but probably.

"Yeah", he answered.

"Alright, you can come in...", and with that he stepped inside, one of the guards stayed while another left. It looked like it may either be an errand... Or dismissal, regardless, he was now alone in the room with Jun in her hospital bed.

"You're Jun right? Do you remember what happened recently?", he inquired as he stepped over, affirming whether or not she remembered the events in the dungeon.