Chapter Text
The giant Shadow's upper half spins with the telltale clicking of clockwork, its club-like arms swinging just slowly enough for Makoto to step out of the way. As always, his expression remains blank. Yukari holds her Evoker up to her head, hardly hesitating for even a moment anymore before pulling the trigger.
"Help me! Io!" Her Persona materializes in the air behind her, hair flowing with an ethereal grace as blades of wind whip around the Shadow; it hardly slows down. "Wind isn't working!"
"Senpai," Makoto says calmly, "status on the scan?"
"Nearly there, Yuki. Hold out a moment longer!"
"Understood." He nods towards Junpei, but his classmate has already evoked Hermes. The Persona dashes through the air, cleaving across the Shadow's torso with mechanical wings; it shreds through the creature's armor, but it only turns its attention towards the Persona's caster, whose eyes widen. The Shadow's arms spin, but it remains in place. It spins faster and faster, whipping up a gust of wind that blasts towards Junpei, throwing him onto his back with an undignified yelp.
"Junpei!" Yukari begins to summon Io again, but the Shadow is already on the move, swinging its arms wildly at her and landing a solid strike to her shoulder as she attempts to dodge. She yelps and nearly stumbles, but recovers and calls out. "Leader, what now?" Makoto doesn't answer immediately, his eyes flicking between her and Junpei. He lifts his evoker and briefly closes his eyes.
They need help. He can feel one of his Personas reaching out to him, urging him to seek her aid.
"Angel." He pulls the trigger, and she appears, her majestic wings swaying in a non-existent breeze as she holds her arms out towards his teammates in a welcoming gesture.
Yukari and Junpei feel the warmth of Angel's healing magic, as though she were enveloping them with her wings before she vanishes.
"Senpai, now would be a great time!" Yukari cries out, leveling her bow at the Shadow and firing a shot right into the hole Hermes tore in its armor. The monster shows its first sign of truly being damaged, as the club-like arms stutter in their rotation.
"Its weakness is electricity!" Mitsuru finally declares. Junpei staggers to his feet and raises his sword, but freezes as Makoto raises a hand for him to stop.
"Guard," is his simple command. Junpei scowls, teeth clenched, but widens his stance, keeping his feet planted firmly on the floor and lowering his weapon. Makoto raises his evoker again, reaching for another new Persona, relieved that he had fused it before tonight's excursion. "Omoikane."
The tentacled creature, resembling a brain, regards the Shadow with cold, beady eyes for a moment. It raises its tendrils and lashes out. The air above the Shadow crackles, and a bolt of electricity strikes downward.
Despite its size and weight, the Shadow jumps and tilts over, landing flat on the floor. As Yukari cheers, Makoto signals for them both to attack.
They charge the monster in unison, slashing and cleaving across its body. In a daring move, Yukari steps onto it and leaps over, turning in mid-air to loose one last arrow into the gap of its armor. Rather than sticking, it sinks deep into the monster's body, and it jolts once more, then goes limp and dissolves into a puddle of miasma.
"Shadow defeated!" Mitsuru announces. "Excellent work!"
"Aw yeah!" Junpei hollers, pumping his fist in the air. "We killed it!"
"Sorry, 'we'?" Yukari asks incredulously. "It knocked you on your ass twice."
"Hey, come on! How was I supposed to know—"
Makoto sighs and walks onward, leaving them to bicker as he investigates the rest of the floor.
It's different from what they've seen thus far; the chamber is large and open, filled only by a single silver suitcase and the pile of school desks blocking their way up to the next floor. Makoto hums and walks closer, his eyes narrowing at the green light shielding the desks.
"Senpai, we've reached a barrier," he says. Junpei and Yukari go quiet behind him, then follow until they're on either side of him. Junpei is a little too close, but if Makoto moves the other way, he might bump into Yukari. He jams his free hand into his pocket, gripping the handle of his sword until his knuckles turn white.
"I can sense it. I…don't see a way for us to get past it, for now. You three can come back down to the entrance; you've done well tonight."
"Aw, man! C'mon!" Junpei walks up to the barrier and kicks it; his shoe harmlessly bounces off. "Just when things were really getting fun…"
"We've gone up ten floors, Junpei," Yukari sighs. "We're still new to this; we need to get our rest."
"…twelve," Makoto mutters. Yukari stares at him. "Twelve floors."
"You've been keeping track?" She asks. Makoto scratches his cheek and nods, not looking at her. The way she looks at him makes him uncomfortable, sometimes. He doesn't like it. "Well, twelve floors is just more reason to go home and get some rest. Come on, Stupei, quit sulking."
Yukari begins to say something, but Makoto has already begun to saunter back towards the teleporter. She calls for him to wait up; he stops, doing his best not to sigh; it isn't fair to be annoyed at her.
"Hey, are you alright?" She asks. He blinks and looks at her, eyebrows furrowed. She pauses, surprised, and he quickly schools his face into a neutral expression again.
"Tired."
"Oh. Yeah, me too. But hey, we got a lot further than before!" She gives him a confident grin. "And, uh…don't tell Junpei, but I've been practicing that last move I did." Makoto lets out a soft puff of air through his nose, not nearly enough to be an obvious laugh, and he nods. As she walks with him, he finds himself eyeing her hands.
"It was pretty cool," he admits. "Are your fingers sore?"
"Huh?"
"You're not wearing your guards tonight." He supposes the forearm one isn't needed, since she's wearing a cardigan, but her fingers are bare and reddened at the third joints from firing her bow unprotected. She looks down at them.
"Yeah, I forgot to grab them. By the time I realized it, we were already here."
"We could've gone back for them. I wouldn't have minded."
"I'll live, don't worry. They'll just be sore for a day or two. Thanks." Her words are grateful, but she's giving him an odd look. He looks away again, then back at Junpei, who's lagging behind.
He's favoring one leg, but the moment he realizes Makoto is watching, he forces himself to stiffly walk in a way that appears somewhat normal.
"Hurt yourself?" Makoto asks. Junpei's eyes narrow. Unable to contain a sigh this time, Makoto turns to face him fully. "The Shadow?"
"I'm fine." Junpei walks by, his shoulder brushing against Makoto's. The latter slowly takes a breath and shuts his eyes tightly, willing away the shudder that almost passes through him. Then he turns and watches Junpei walk. Yukari glares at Junpei, but he doesn't react to it. Makoto lifts his evoker.
"Orpheus."
The Persona manifests in front of Junpei, cutting him off. He strums his lyre for a few notes, and a bluish light envelops Junpei and Yukari. Then, with a modest bow, Orpheus vanishes. Junpei tests his hurt foot, then keeps walking.
"Hey!" Yukari calls out. "Don't be a jerk, Junpei!"
"Thanks, Leader."
"Let's go back to the dorm," Makoto says before Yukari can chew Junpei out more.
"Welcome back, you three," Mitsuru greets them as they step off of the teleporter. "Are you ready to go? The Dark Hour is nearly over." Makoto gives her a thumbs-up, then walks towards the glowing blue door to the Velvet Room. "Yuki? Is something wrong?"
He ignores her, opening the door and stepping through with Theodore close behind.
He feels as though he can breathe again as Igor greets him with that permanent grin that might be unsettling to anyone else, but Makoto finds an odd comfort in it. He takes a seat, brushing his blue bangs from his face.
"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, young man. What can we do for you?" Igor asks pleasantly. Makoto simply gestures towards himself. "Of course. Theodore, be a dear and register any changes in our guest's Personas while he waits." From the pocket of his suit jacket, Igor retrieves a deck of dark blue cards and deftly shuffles them while Theodore steps forward with a smile, holding his clipboard at the ready.
"Would you like to register your Personas?" He asks. Makoto nods, and Theodore's citrine eyes seem to bore right through him, making him feel…raw. Exposed. He's aware that he's only looking at his Personas, but he can't help the way his hands, folded calmly on his lap, clench into fists. He forces himself to look past Igor, at the elevator shaft that the Velvet Room seems to be perpetually moving through. Eventually, the feeling fades. "All registered!" He gives him a smile that isn't quite as cheery as his tone implies, but it helps nonetheless. Makoto returns it with a slight upward twitch of his mouth; it's the best he can do right now; he really is tired, just…not physically. He probably wouldn't have led Yukari and Junpei further even if they hadn't been blocked by the barrier.
"Thank you for your patience," Igor says, smoothly dealing out four cards and flipping them over.
Orpheus.
Jack Frost.
Angel.
Omoikane.
Makoto observes them for a moment, then hovers his hand over Orpheus. He feels strange about doing so; Orpheus is the only persona he uses that truly feels like his, after all. But the lyrist has already begun to fall behind the other Personas in the student's repertoire; never quite hitting hard enough, his flames weak even against foes vulnerable to it, his heals never more than rudimentary.
Orpheus wasn't enough. SEES needed someone stronger.
"I see. Which Persona would you like to fuse with Orpheus?" Igor asks. There's a tinge of something Makoto can't quite identify in his voice, but when the attendant speaks again, it's gone. "If you ever need to summon Orpheus again, you may consult the Compendium." Makoto blinks and looks into Igor's wide, bloodshot eyes, but nothing about the attendant's expression has changed. It never does. Then, slowly, he nods, pushing Orpheus and Omoikane towards Igor. "Very well." He flips Angel and Jack Frost over, then begins the fusion.
Orpheus and Omoikane's cards hover over the table and begin to glow. It becomes so intense that they become nothing more than featureless, colorful blobs on the cards. Igor snaps his fingers, and the two cards join together, then fly towards Makoto.
A strange feeling bursts through his head, similar to when he uses his evoker but not quite the same.
In front of the ever-moving clock in the room, a vision of the new Persona appears, rippling and swirling as if Makoto were viewing it through water; a canine, with a black head and crimson eyes. It's body is white, and tall…or, long. Very long. The canine hovers in the air, bending its slender body to peer down at him.
"I am Inugami." The creature doesn't speak, nor does its mouth actually move, but Makoto knows what it's saying nonetheless. "If you desire vengeance, then summon me and I shall seek it for you."
With a gentle burst of light, the vision is replaced by a new tarot card bearing Inugami's likeness. It slowly hovers down, joining what remains of Makoto's deck.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Igor asks, skillfully gathering the cards back up. Makoto shakes his head. Theodore bids him farewell, and he stands to leave.
As always, no time seems to have passed as he passes the threshold of the Velvet Room's door, and he shakes his head at Mitsuru.
"No, nothing." Without another word, he walks past all of them towards the exit.
"Is it just me," he hears Junpei whisper, "or has he talked more now than he has all week?"
"Shut up, Junpei!" Yukari whisper-yells back.
With none of them able to see, Makoto grimaces.
He just wants to go to bed.
Exhaustion really only hits Makoto once they walk into the dorm again, by which point the Dark Hour has come to an end. Mitsuru is congratulating them once again on a job well done, but he's already heading towards the stairs.
"Goodnight, Yuki," Yukari calls out to him. He hesitates at the foot of the stairs, then raises a hand in a brief wave before continuing up.
The hallway isn't long, but it always feels that way when he's tired. He appreciates getting one of the rooms with a window, but going all the way to the end of the hall is exhausting. Once, he considered falling asleep on the table, but decided against it. As funny as it might be, he doubted that Mitsuru would appreciate it, and Junpei would probably think he was even more weird than he already does.
Not that Makoto particularly cared about either. The worst Mitsuru would probably do was lecture him, and Junpei himself is pretty weird too, whether he realizes it or not.
He also considered breaking into one of the other rooms, but that would have made him feel like a jerk; he wouldn't like it if someone did that to him. Oh, it would drive him up the wall if he saw Junpei laying in his bed. He'd have to change the sheets and the pillowcase and maybe even clean the mattress.
Was that mean of him? It felt mean, for some reason. He'd do that if he found Yukari in his bed, too. That made it better, right?
Why was he thinking about this? Neither of them would have any reason to use his bed, anyway.
Makoto reaches his door and places his hand on the knob…but he doesn't turn it, instead looking back down the hall and waiting.
A moment later, Junpei arrives, having already taken off his hat and blazer. He looks down the hall…and jumps with a yelp that reminds Makoto distinctly of a dog.
"Jesus, dude! You tryin' to give me a heart attack?" He demands. Makoto blinks slowly, then shakes his head. "Why are you just standin' there?"
"Your leg." Junpei stares at him for a second, as if he can't quite figure out what Makoto is thinking. He gets that look a lot.
"Uh, you already healed it, dude. It's fine now." Makoto nods.
"Goodnight, Junpei."
"Uh…yeah. Night."
Makoto doesn't allow himself to really breathe until the door is shut and locked behind him. He stands there, leaning back against the door, taking in slow, measured breaths. In, two, three, four…out, two, three, four…then he begins to undress and change into his pajamas.
He's exhausted, but even as he climbs into bed and pulls the blanket up, he suddenly…doesn't feel tired. He stares up at the ceiling, silently willing sleep to claim him.
But no. Hypnos refuses to so much as spare him a glance tonight. Still, he closes his eyes and tries.
He always sleeps better on his back, but just in case, he turns to his left side, facing the door.
Nope, too uncomfortable. He turns to his right side, facing the wall.
Not working, either.
He sits up and slides out of bed to grab his mp3 player and headphones, mindlessly clicking through his library until he finds something that appeals to him. Then he lies down and tries once more.
He lies there until the song is over and the next one begins. Then that song ends and in comes the next one.
And the next.
And the next.
And the—
CRASH!
He struggles with his seatbelt, crying out and desperately yanking at it when it refuses to come loose. The smell of fire and the sounds of…the sounds of what, exactly? He has no idea. He scrambles out of the car, with nothing going through his mind except that he needs to get out, he needs to get help, he needs to help them, he can't let them die, he can't lose them—
Makoto opens his eyes. His mp3 has either died or reached the end of the library. He sits up and looks out the window. Dawn still hasn't broken, but he isn't tired anymore.
Well aware that what he's about to do is strange even by his standards, he gets out of bed and creeps into the hallway.
He stops by Junpei's door and listens, closing his eyes until his classmate's soft snoring is audible. He nods and continues onward, to the stairs, taking them slowly.
Once he reaches the top, he notices that Yukari's light is still on. He hesitates. If her light is on, then she's probably fine, but what about Mitsuru? He has to check. He has to be sure. He can't leave anything to chance. But will Yukari hear him? He glances to the next set of stairs. The Operation Room. The cameras.
No. No, that's gross. I can't do that. I might see something I shouldn't.
Deciding to take the chance that Yukari might think he's a creep, he walks as quietly as he can to Mitsuru's door, pausing every few steps to listen for any sign from Yukari's room that he's been heard.
Nothing.
He reaches Mitsuru's door and stops. He listens.
Mitsuru doesn't snore or even breathe particularly loudly, but if he sticks around for long enough—
There it is. She mutters in her sleep. Quietly exhaling, Makoto turns and heads back down to the second floor. As he reaches the landing, though, he notices something different right away.
Junpei's door is cracked open. The light is still on. Makoto frowns and approaches it, but doesn't catch any immediate signs that Junpei is still in there.
…he does smell Mad Bull and potato chips, though.
He's never quite understood the appeal of energy drinks, but maybe he just values sleep a little more highly than others, even if Hypnos occasionally decides to be a cruel master and deprive him of it.
Makoto is about to peek into the room when he hears a noise downstairs.
Ah. He's hungry.
Makoto turns towards the stairs and tilts his head, juggling his choices.
He could go back to bed (tempting).
He could take the opportunity to snoop in Junpei's room (very tempting, but risky).
He could go downstairs and check on Junpei (he dreads the idea).
Makoto wrinkles his nose, sighs silently, and trudges downstairs, making sure that his footsteps are audible, but not too loud. The noises (he can now pinpoint them to be in the kitchen) abruptly stop. Deciding not to actually announce himself, Makoto continues down without a word.
He peers around the wall just in time to catch Junpei doing the same around the alcove leading into the kitchen; he jumps and nearly drops the bowl he's holding. Makoto stares at him impassively.
"Sheesh, that's twice tonight!" His classmate whispers indignantly. "What's your problem, dude?" Makoto shrugs one shoulder, then points at the bowl with a raise of his eyebrow. Junpei blinks, looks down at it, then back up at Makoto. "It's ramen." Makoto tilts his head towards the kitchen. "Oh, uh…I only made one bowl. Sorry, man." Makoto slowly nods.
A few seconds pass in awkward silence, and Junpei seems to be increasingly uncomfortable with it. Makoto stays perfectly still, waiting for what he'll do next.
"Uh…I was gonna just…head back to my room…" Junpei finally says. Makoto raises an eyebrow. "What?" He points at the sitting area. "…dude, come on."
"You won't have to come back down to wash the bowl," Makoto murmurs.
"I'll just keep it in my room."
"And what if Kirijo-senpai needs to talk to you in your room?" Junpei's eyes widen. Without another word of protest, he walks to the sofa and sits down. Makoto follows with a faint smirk, but he makes sure that it's gone by the time he sits on the armchair across from his teammate. Junpei gives him an odd look, but begins to eat.
Makoto reaches for his mp3 and clicks the buttons; the screen doesn't light up. He stares at it for a little while, then lets the cylinder fall to his chest and looks up.
Junpei is staring at him, but quickly drops his gaze again once he realizes he's been caught. Deciding that he's sufficiently caused Junpei some confusion, he speaks.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Really?" Junpei asks, shooting him an incredulous look over the nearly empty bowl. "You looked half-dead by the time we got here." Makoto shrugs.
"Nightmare." It slips out before he can think better of it. Junpei pauses and looks at him again. His expression softens.
"…oh. That sucks. I'm sorry, dude." Makoto shrugs, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "Anything I can do?" Makoto gives him an odd look, unable to hide his confusion. Junpei's eyes widen, and he raises his hands in surrender. "Hey, sorry, I was just asking."
"…finish eating."
"Alright, alright."
No more words are spoken as Junpei eats the last of the noodles, leaving the chopsticks in the bowl. Makoto reaches out and picks it up, heading towards the kitchen.
"Uh…thanks, I guess." Junpei says. Makoto nods without looking back. He enters the kitchen and begins to wash the bowl and chopsticks, listening intently for the sound of Junpei heading back upstairs. Once that fades, he finishes up and sets the dishes out to dry, then goes back to the second floor.
To his surprise, Junpei's standing by the open door of his room, waiting. Makoto pauses, and they stare at each other for a little while.
"…goodnight, Makoto," Junpei finally says. Makoto blinks languidly, then nods.
"Goodnight, Junpei." He waits for Junpei to enter his room and shut the door before walking down the hallway to his own.
Sleep comes a little easier, knowing they're all safe.
But he sleeps without his headphones. Just in case.
As he drifts off, a strange, pleasant warmth washes over him, and a familiar voice echoes in his ears.
"I am thou…and thou art I…thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana…"