Shin Megami Tensei Fan Fiction ❯ Dear Diary ❯ May 10th, 2009 ( Chapter 6 )

Author’s Note: No reviews for that one, eh? Well, it really was just a mood set-up chapter for this one… Also, I apologize for the slightly longer than normal wait. I’d been unemployed since May and I’d finally landed a job last Wednesday! (Times are hard!) So that kept me busy and pretty tired most of the time. Plus it was my birthday weekend, so that kept me busy there too. Busy, busy, busy! I’ve been playing around with forum-based Persona themed RP to keep me motivated for this story for times when reviews are slim. So that’s fun. And speaking of fun- writing this chapter was fun! So I hope that it makes up for the previous smaller chapter and longer wait! Enjoygohappy! <3

Music Suggestions: Dark Hour/Command Room : www . youtube . com/watch?v=kWFeqQXqGug
Train Station/Aboard the Train : www . youtube . com/watch?v=R5Sm4kTOoBI
Boss Fight : www . youtube . com/watch?v=8ZmHAYsS3RM

May 10th

Dear Diary,

Junpei is an idiot! An IDIOT! I can’t believe what he pulled on our first mission last night! Mitsuru had said that this enemy would be stronger than anything we’ve faced thus far, and he went off trying to show-off! He’s such a jerk! I hate him. I HATE him!

.~*~.
.~*~.

It was about fifteen minutes into the Dark Hour when she heard it- the shrill beeping sound that interrupted her gloomy thoughts. She had been sitting at her desk in the darkness, staring out the window up at the enlarged full moon, tinged with green. Her thoughts had been preoccupied with Junpei once again, as they had been for awhile now. Something was definitely wrong with him, but he’d never be straight with her. He hadn’t been avoiding her so much anymore, but he still seemed somewhat more distant than before… before the night that they were caught out in the Dark Hour, to be exact.
Haruhi had been working on her leadership skills during their trips to Tartarus, and the group seemed to be growing stronger as a whole… Though during the Dark Hour was when Junpei was the most distant. He always seemed angrier in Tartarus, and took orders only begrudgingly… perhaps he was disappointed or losing patience in her hesitation? She was still learning too. The problem seemed to only be with her, for he seemed to have no problem acting normal around Yukari… but whatever issue he had with her, he wasn’t giving her any answers and dodging any questions she sent his way on the matter.
But now, she was roused from her thoughts to the shrill beeping noises that seemed to resonate throughout the entire building. An emergency call beckoning her to the command room… She slipped on a sweater, scarf, skirt and leggings in the dark, slipping on her shoes as she grabbed her naginata and evoker- A good leader was always prepared, so she best bring them along.

.~*~.
.~*~.

She arrived in the command room to find Mitsuru and Akihiko there- no doubt the ones who had sounded the alarm. Yukari and Junpei arrived shortly after she had, bursting through the door.
“We’re here!” Yukari said, sounding somewhat out of breath.
“Where is it?!” Junpei growled, gritting his teeth, “I’ll rip it a new one!”
Haruhi flinched at his abrasive tone. He was sure on fire, but still so angry. Mitsuru turned to them from the large screen to address them all.
“We’ve detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus. We don’t know for sure, but we think it’s another big one.”
“Like the one that Akihiko-senpai had fought before…?” Haruhi glanced at him as she asked. Akihiko nodded grimly.
“Yeah. And no doubt a big one like that outside Tartarus is sure to cause some trouble.”
“We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible.” Mitsuru nodded at his comment, “Most people don’t know the Dark Hour exists. But, if half of the city is destroyed, there will be panic. That must be avoided at all costs.”
“In other words,” Junpei gave a dark, arrogant smirk, “we need to kick its ass, right? Well, count me in!”
Yukari scoffed with a roll of her eyes,
“Junpei…”
Mitsuru turned to face Akihiko fully, a serious expression on her face.
“Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman.”

Akihiko immediately snapped his head in her direction, glaring in rage,
“What?!” He roared, “I’m going!”

Mitsuru fixed him with an icy glare of her own, teeming with authority.
“You still need to recover.” She stated in a forceful tone, “You’ll just be a hindrance.”

“What?!” He snarled, affronted.

She held up a hand to silence him,
“They’ll fare better than you, in your current state.” She spoke in a stern voice, but sighed, a hint of pleading poking into her voice, “Have faith in them, Akihiko… They’re ready.”

Akihiko turned to face the other three, looking them over with worry. His eyes rested on Haruhi for a moment before glancing away with a frustrated growl,
“Damn it…”

Haruhi’s face creased with concern as she took a slight step toward him. She could see the disappointment in his current state, and the worry for the three of them in his eyes.
“Senpai…” She began gently, only to be cut off by Junpei.

“Relax!” He smirked again, “I’ve got it covered!”

Akihiko groaned slightly, his gaze flicking over to Junpei.
“I guess I have no choice…” His eyes slid back over to Haruhi, nodding to her. “Haruhi, you’re in charge.”

Mitsuru nodded at this as well.
“Yes. We’re counting on you…”

“Her again…?” Junpei whined, staring in disbelief.

Haruhi glanced at everyone in turn before resting her gaze upon Mitsuru.
“Y-yes. I won’t let you down.” She had to prove that she was a capable leader.

A heavy sigh caught her attention, and she turned to face Junpei.
“Heh… Guess it’s pretty much decided that you’re our leader, huh…?” He spoke in a light voice… but his words fell heavy upon her heart. “Even when I’m the only guy in the group…”

Haruhi flinched inwardly,
‘He doesn’t think I can do it…’ She wasn’t sure whether or not to feel hurt or just angry. She scowled darkly for a moment, knowing that she was going to have to work extra hard this night to prove that she was worthy of being their leader. Mitsuru gave her a quick glance before giving Junpei the iciest glare he’d received yet.

“Whether one is a man or a woman doesn’t factor into it. The responsibility falls to those who have the gift. And let me add,” She spoke in a commanding voice that lowered into dark, threatening tones. “if you ever say or do anything to condescend to her because she’s a woman…”

Junpei visibly paled, waving his hands apologetically in front of him as she shook his head.
“Oh, no, no no no! It’s not like I look down on her or anything…”

Still upset, and more or less beginning to finally understand just what his issue with her was, Haruhi glanced up at Mitsuru with a meek, appreciative smile. Mitsuru returned it in full confidence before addressing the three of them again.
“Now, you three should go on ahead of me. I’ll have some preparations to make. We’ll rendezvous in front of the train station.”

“Got it.” Haruhi nodded, turning to Yukari who had mostly been silent. “Let’s go!”

“Right!” Yukari smiled brightly at her before turning and smacking Junpei upside the back of his head with an irritated snarl, “C’mon, ‘Stupei.’”

.~*~.
.~*~.

And they did indeed rendezvous outside the train station. Mitsuru had arrived shortly after they did on her motorcycle that was specifically altered to run during the Dark Hour. She parked it in front of them and pulled off her helmet, shaking her hair out before fixing them with an intense stare as she dismounted.

“Listen carefully. Tonight, I’ll be providing support from here- Everything else is the same. The Shadow is currently located inside the monorail, not far from the station. To get there, you’ll have to walk on the tracks.”

“Seriously?” Yukari objected, “Isn’t that dangerous…?”

Junpei laughed aloud, slinging a friendly arm around Haruhi’s shoulders, causing her to jump in surprise. “Haha! Nothin’ that we can’t handle, right, Haru-chan? We’re veterans.”

Haruhi frowned momentarily as his hand clutched her shoulder, just the way it used to before when he wasn’t acting so differently towards her. She shrugged him off gently with a light scowl upon her face, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Junpei, who immediately deflated.

A part of her knew that this was the first time that Junpei had willingly brought up the subject of their Dark Hour excursion on his own, but did he really have the nerve to think that he could treat her the way he did and then turn around and act as if nothing had happened like that? She didn’t want to keep this wall up between them when he had made a step to taking it down, but she refused to let him treat her this way without a proper apology. She took a step forward away from him and turned to Yukari.

“Well… Let’s get going. Stay together in the station… it’s pretty dark in there.”

.~*~.
.~*~.

They managed to navigate through the dark station together and climb up onto the tracks. Yukari and Haruhi stuck together like glue, side by side, while Junpei followed closely behind.
“It’s so dark and quiet in here… I don’t like it.” Yukari whispered, her voice tight.

“I know… but we’re getting closer to the end of the tunnel, see?” Haruhi pointed in the darkness toward a faint green light. “It’s less scary when we’re outside… sort of.”

In a matter of minutes, they were outside, several miles above the sea, its waters dyed green by the eerie light of the moon. Yukari gasped slightly, looking down. There was no wind during the Dark Hour, but just looking down from so high above made her feeling tippy and she clutched onto Haruhi’s arm, who grasped it in return out of instinct.
“Haha… And to think this is actually my favorite part of the ride to school…” Yukari chuckled nervously.

“It’s okay, Yukari.” Haruhi smiled, giving her arm an encouraging squeeze. “The tracks are actually really wide, see?”

Glancing down at the tracks, Yukari realized this to be true. The tracks were indeed comfortably wide and covered, so though they could still trip on the rails, at least they wouldn’t risk a terrible break by their foot falling through.

“We’d better hurry.” Haruhi spoke quietly, squinting in the distance to see the train stopped on the tracks ahead of them. “The train’s right up there… let’s run.”

Despite Yukari’s quiet grown, Junpei smirked with a chuckle.
“Alright! Now you’re talkin’!”

Haruhi couldn’t help but grant him a small smile from over her shoulder before starting off toward the train at a dash, Junpei following after and Yukari scrambling to follow as well. Haruhi giggled, hearing Yukari’s nervous cries as they all ran in single file, shouting over her shoulder.
“Just stop looking down, Yukari!”

They arrived at the stopped train in little time and decided to wait outside for a moment to catch their breath.
“Phew…” Haruhi wiped her brow with her free hand, her other still clutching her naginata. “So how do we get inside…?”

Before any of them could answer, they each heard a shrill beeping sound, followed by Mitsuru’s voice.
“Can you all hear me?”

“Yes,” Haruhi answered, covering an ear to hear her clearer. “We just got here, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary…”

“The readings are definitely coming from that monorail. Proceed with caution and stay together.” Mitsuru’s voice commanded.

“Alright.” Haruhi replied with a nod.

“Heheh,” Junpei chuckled with a determined smirk, “my Persona’s just beggin’ to be used!”

Rolling her eyes at him, Yukari took a few steps toward the train.
“Hmmm…” She murmured as she spotted a short ladder that led to an open door. “Looks like that’s our way in. Shall we?”

With a grin, Yukari swung a leg up onto the ladder, climbing up into the back car of the train. Haruhi smiled, following in her example. As she pulled herself up into the car, she turned around with a lofty voice.
“Are you coming or what, Jun-“ She paused, seeing him standing in the same spot several feet from the ladder, his face red with a smug, goofy grin on his face as if he had just witnessed some incredible, secret event that he would take to the grave. “Wha- Why is your face like that…?”

He cleared his throat, glancing away,
“Aw, nothin’.” He scratched the side of his nose; his cheeks stilled tinged a scarlet hue.

Haruhi fixed him with a glare that would have made Mitsuru beam with pride.
“Well stop goofing around and get up here. You heard Mitsuru- we have to stay together.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” He replied, still smirking somewhat. Haruhi had been mostly in the way when Yukari had climbed up… but unbeknownst to her, Junpei had gotten an accidental, but decent look up her skirt when she herself had climbed up the ladder. Sure, she was wearing leggings, but it still counted.

His impish grin dissolved from his face upon entering the car, however, seeing coffin-like objects erected where passengers may have been had it not been the Dark Hour. He walked past the girls to stand before it.
“This poor stiff must be a passenger…” He reached out to touch the coffin, when a mechanical hiss broke through the dead silence of the night. They all gasped, whirling around to witness all the doors to exit the train closing tightly.

Haruhi gasped in alarm as Yukari lurched forward to try and find a way to open it, but to no avail. Noticing something out of order, Mitsuru’s demanding voice was heard,
“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Yukari tried one more desperate pull on the door before backing away.
“It looks like we’re trapped inside.”

“It must be the Shadow…” Mitsuru’s voice sounded slightly shaken. “It knows your there. Be ready for anything, and proceed with extreme caution!”

“R-right…” Haruhi nodded, turning to the others. “Let’s start moving.”

They both nodded, gripping their weapons as they started to venture through the first car as a group. They made it into the next car, only to find it just as empty of movement as the first. As they made their way through it, Junpei grumbled irritably,
“What the hell…? I don’t see any Shadows.”

As they entered the third car from the back, Yukari shivered, glancing around.
“It’s so creepy…”

“And quiet…” Haruhi added. Junpei growled again, stepping in front of them.

“There’s nothing here… Where the hell is it?!”

As if on cue, a Shadow seemed to drop down from the ceiling. It wore a more elaborate mask with a horned tiara on its head, its shadowy tentacles waving back and forth as it floated a few feet off the floor. Yukari gasped, taking a step backward. Haruhi froze in place, glaring at it as Junpei gripped his katana, baring his teeth with a shout.
“There it is!”

The creature seemed to giggle at them, turning around to float lazily away, enticing them to follow. As it passed through the doors to the next car, Junpei roared, taking a step forward.
“Hey, get back here!”

“Wait!” Mitsuru’s voice rang out. “Something’s not right… The enemy is acting strangely.”

“But if we don’t go after it, we’re gonna lose it!” Junpei shouted angrily.

They could hear Mitsuru sigh before continuing.
“Well, it’s not my decision to make. Haruhi, you’re in command there.” Her voice made Junpei grit his teeth angrily. “What do you think?”

Haruhi paused, scowling at the floor. After a few long moments, she lifted her head to speak in a determined voice.
“We need to be cautious. It looked like it wanted us to follow it… it might be trying to lead us into a trap.”

She could hear Mitsuru sigh in relief.
“I agree.” A proud smile could be heard in her voice. “It would be foolish to blindly chase after it.”

Junpei stood still and rigid with his back turned to them… but as Haruhi watched him, she could see his body begin to tremble… Was he afraid… or…

“…Fine.” His voice caused her to jump. It was low, and it sounded like he was barely keeping his rage in check… but why was he once again so angry?! “I’ll go by myself.”

“What?!” Yukari exclaimed.

“You guys can just stay back here and watch me beat it all by myself!” He snapped, still facing away from them. He began to take a step towards the next car, when Haruhi lurched forward to grasp at his arm.

“No!” She ordered crossly. “We have to stay togeth-”

But she was cut off with her own gasp as Junpei jerked his arm violently from hers, whirling on the spot to give her the fiercest glare she had ever seen upon his face… and the shock of it struck her as if she had been slapped across the face.
“Y’know what, I don’t care!” He snarled, clenching his fists so hard that the hand holding the katana shook angrily. “I was more of a leader than you were that night, Haruhi, yet I’m always the one getting looked down upon! I was the one who suggested almost every move we made to get back home safely when you couldn’t come up with anything! And I was the one who saved your ass against those freaks when you were helpless! I led the way and I kept you safe every step of the way, but do I get any recognition?! No! ”

Haruhi froze in place, wide-eyed as his words stabbed her in the heart.

“Well, I’m tired of it!” He continued shouting in rage as he turned again to face the door ahead of them. “You two can stay back here and ‘think on it’ all you want, but I’m gonna go ahead and be a real leader.”

And with that, he dashed forward to disappear into the car ahead.

“Junpei!” Yukari called after him, “Wait!”

But he was already long gone. She turned slowly to look at Haruhi who was still rooted to the spot and looking as if she were about to cry. Yukari was about to say something to comfort her, but both of them jumped in alarm at Mitsuru’s voice, filled with desperate concern.
“Watch out! Behind you!!”

Yukari looked behind Haruhi to see two Shadows spring forward. Haruhi seemed to use this chance to get better hold over her emotions and whirled around with an angry growl, the few tears that escaped her eyes, flying from her face in the movement. She screamed in anguish as she yanked her Evoker from its holster and thrust it against her temple, pulling the trigger with no hesitation.

Orpheus came to her, shining and magnificent. Her fires angrily scorched the creatures until they dissolved into a sticky, shadowy blackness that slowly evaporated into the floor.

Yukari watched her friend and leader fight in concern, knowing that Junpei’s words had stung and still searching for the words that would make her feel better.

“This…” Haruhi’s low growl interrupted her thoughts, “…is just what the enemy wanted…”

“We have no choice.” Mitsuru’s voice sighed heavily. “You have to go after him, or you’ll be picked off one by one.”

“Alright.” Haruhi spoke again in a fierce voice. “Let’s get moving.”

Yukari sighed as Haruhi dashed forward and followed after her.
‘Damn it, ‘Stupei…’’ She thought with a frown, watching Haruhi ahead of her, ‘What are you thinking?!’

As they ran forward into the next car, Mitsuru’s voice informed them that Junpei was only a few cars ahead of them… but getting there was posing to be a bit of a problem. Every step of the way, there were more groups of Shadows stalling them, trying to keep their group split up.

Car after car, they sliced and blasted their way through small groups of shadows until they reached the fourth passenger car from the front. There they found Junpei surrounded by Shadows, swinging and flailing round and round at each of them.

“Junpei!” Yukari screamed in alarm. It didn’t look good- they would overpower him soon.

Sparing a glance backward to spot them, Junpei snarled angrily back,
“I’ve got it under control!!”

Baring her teeth angrily, Haruhi barked an order at Yukari as she gripped her naginata.
“Yukari! Get ready!”

“Right!!”

The two of them rushed into the battle, blocking a few blows to distract a few of the Shadows from Junpei, alerting them that they had more foes to deal with now. They were soon able to herd the Shadows into the middle, creating a perimeter around them. Now they had the upper hand, surrounding them.

“Orpheus!” Haruhi roared, summoning her Persona. Orpheus’s flames cut through a Shadow that merely looked to be nothing more than a hand, suspended and wriggling in the air. It immediately fell, curling up into itself until it dissolved into nothingness.

Junpei took out his frustrated aggression on another floating Shadow, this one having a tome rotating above its head. He swung at it several times with his katana, beating it severely and slicing it to ribbons. The creature didn’t last long under Junpei’s wrathful siege, and it too fell twitching to the floor, dissolving.

Yukari pressed her Evoker to her forehead, flinching as she pulled the trigger to summon her Persona.
“Io! Garu!”

Green colored winds enveloped the remaining Shadow, merely shaped like a black cross, sticking out of the ground. It seemed to not be able to handle such an attack, and quickly melted away into a puddle on the floor to disappear.

When the battle was over, Haruhi and Yukari stared at Junpei, who was hunched over, trying to catch his breath.

“You see?! That’s what happens when you don’t listen!” Yukari snapped at him, slipping her bow onto her back and folding her arms over her chest.

Junpei looked up, glaring daggers at Yukari.
“I was doin’ just fine…!”

“Excuse me?!” Haruhi erupted in rage. “It looked like you were having trouble there to me! Just stop being such a stubborn jerk and admit that you were wrong!”

“I wasn’t wrong!” He stepped forward, shouting back at her. “I was taking action, which is more than what I can say for you! Once again, you were just following in the wake of my decisions!”

She clenched her fists and took a step forward and stood on her tip toes to get in his face, screaming.
“Because you ran off on your own!!! How can you not see that as a stupid plan, you idiot?! You could have been killed!!”

“I already told you-“ He started to yell back, but was cut off by the floor lurching beneath them, causing Haruhi to topple off balance and be thrown against Junpei’s chest. He caught her in alarm, his eyes growing wide as the train began to move forward at a steady pace.

“Whoa, what the?!” He glanced around in shock, still holding onto Haruhi to keep her in place. “…Why are we moving?!”

“No…” They barely heard Mitsuru’s voice over the sound of the train as it began to pick up speed. “The monorail is under the enemy’s control…”

“Uh… This doesn’t look good.” Junpei absent-mindedly gripped Haruhi tighter, who had been in a small state of shock- both from the movement and the sudden accidental ‘hug’ she was receiving. Now, she shook herself out of it and shrugged him off of her with a scowl.

“Mitsuru-senpai! We’re gaining speed!” Haruhi called.

Mitsuru now shouted to be heard over the noise of the train.
“…If we can’t stop that thing, it’ll crash into another train!”

The three of them stared at each other in alarm.
“WHAT?!” Yukari gasped in panic, “Oh, God! What are we gonna do?!”

“Calm down and listen!” Mitsuru shouted, “I sense a strong presence in the front car- That must be the one we’re after. You’ll have to defeat it to stop the train!”

The group took a few steps forward, only to have their way blocked by two Shadows appearing from the wall ahead of them. They were two more of the disembodied hand types.

“What kind of messed up ride is this!?” Junpei stared at them, shakily gripping his katana with both hands. Yukari pulled her bow from her back, getting an arrow ready as Haruhi glared at them.

‘Orpheus’ Agi spell tore through that hand earlier… meaning that fire must be their weakness…’ She growled and pressed her Evoker to her temple, shouting angrily.
“GET OUT OF OUR WAY!”

With the pull of the trigger and the sound of shattering glass, Orpheus was once again the last thing that the Shadows would see, save for her ravaging fire that engulfed them. They both fell to the floor, twitching and writhing as they disappeared. Mitsuru’s voice boomed in their ears immediately after their short victory.
“You don’t have much time! Run!”

Her order acted as a starting pistol, each of them taking off sprinting through the door into the next car. Car after car they sped through, slicing down all Shadows in their path, until they stood before the door to the first car, where the conductor would normally be. Panting, they stared at the door, knowing what must dwell behind it.

“Your primary target is up ahead… Are you ready?” Mitsuru’s voice echoed around them. Haruhi’s hand lay gently upon the control that would open the door as she looked over her shoulder at Junpei and Yukari. They each looked her straight in the eyes with a determined nod that she returned, turning back to open the door.
“Let’s go.”

The creature behind it was nothing like anything they’d ever seen. It looked like a very tall, slender woman whose height took up the entire car in her seated form. She was garbed only in a long sheet which was wrapped around her waist, covering her legs-one white, one black, sprawled at a wanton ninety degree angle. This left her chest bare to display her odd skin coloration. She was like a painted clown doll, half of her paper white, the other half the inkiest black. Her face was hidden from view behind a magenta colored flower shaped mask, her hair erupting from her head behind it in long, twisting and writhing ribbons- half black, half white and evenly distributed so, on their respective side.

“There it is…!” Junpei growled, staring up at it in disbelief, “What the hell…?! Is this the friggin’ boss?”

“We’re in the front car; it’s gotta be!” Yukari shouted, pulling an arrow through her bow.

“You don’t have time for chatter!” Mitsuru’s voice reprimanded them, “Hurry!”

Haruhi let out a roar and she thrust her Evoker to her head, pulling the trigger. Orpheus sent his flames spiraling towards the Shadow, who raised a slim and dainty hand in defense. As the fire struck her wrist, she cried out in a distant, eerie voice. Though they could not see her eyes, the Shadow seemed to look down to inspect her burnt hand with a slight whimper for a moment before looking back up at them with a high pitched growl. The train around them shook as two tiara-clad, tentacle-like Shadow minions ascended from the floor, heeding her call.

“Damn it!” Junpei growled, “She’s called more of them!”

“Haruhi.” Mitsuru’s voice sounded in her ears, “Those minions are weak against ice.”

“Right!” Haruhi nodded, gritting her teeth. “I’ll take care of them. Junpei! Yukari! Attack the big one!”

“Got it!” They shouted in unison, beginning their siege. Junpei sprinted forward, katana tightly gripped in both hands as Yukari pulled her bowstring back, ready to release her arrow.

Haruhi closed her eyes, searching her heart for another presence… another Persona- Another that she had felt and allowed to dwell within her. She searched, feeling for it… and once she felt her psyche grasp a hold of it, her eyes snapped open. She thrust the Evoker to her head once more and called out its name.
“Apsarus!!” Pulling the trigger, she was greeted with the sound of shattering glass, Apsarus erupting from her very soul, beautiful and elegant. She smiled at the glowing blue Persona before giving it a firm order. “Bufu.”

Apsarus bowed gracefully to her before gliding toward the two minions, sending sheets of ice hurtling toward them. They were each knocked out of the air, writhing on the ground in frozen pain.
“Alright!” She shouted enthusiastically, “One more oughta do it!”

Another ice spell from Apsarus and the minions were no more. No sooner than they had disappeared in defeat, did Haruhi hear a shriek of terror and an angry shout.

“Aahh! N-no!!!”

“Get your hands off her!”

Gasping, Haruhi turned to see Yukari being held by the neck several feet from the floor and near the ceiling- which made her notice that the entire car seemed to have warped in size, making it seem so much larger than it would have outside the Dark Hour… or even this battle against this foe. Junpei was trying to slash at the ribbon like hair strands that were holding Yukari captive so high above, but could not reach them. With an angry growl, he turned and plunged his blade into one of her legs, earning a pained shriek from the Shadow and causing her to whip Yukari around in a frenzy.
“No! Yukari!” Haruhi shrieked, trying to run forward to help her, but with another wave of her uninjured hand, the Shadow summoned two more minions to appear in her way. She skidded to a stop, glaring angrily at them. With a loud cracking sound, she saw Junpei receive a hard kick across the face, sending him flying backward. She gasped, gritting her teeth as she took in the situation.
‘She’s going to just summon more each time I knock them down… and it’ll take too much time to keep killing them…’ She gritted her teeth, her forehead beginning to sweat. ‘I’ll just… I’ll just knock them down and plow my way through!’

“It’s the only way!” She roared aloud, shoving her Evoker to the side of her head again, “Apsarus, Bufu!”

As Haruhi sprinted forward, Apsarus froze the enemies in place to allow her safe passage through. “Now, Orpheus, burn her!!!”

She easily connected with Orpheus again, summoning him with her Evoker as she ran. Orpheus’ fire engulfed the Shadow’s body, causing her to shriek in pain, writhing. She shouted up at her captive friend, who had been reaching shakily behind her for another arrow.
“Yukari!!!”

“I-I got it!!!” She strained to shout, the ribbons tightening their grip around her chest and neck- she had been lucky in a way to have her arms unbound. She pulled the arrow back, aiming the best she could in her current state, and released with a strangled gasp. The arrow hit straight and true in the center of the Shadow’s chest as the flames were beginning to die down. The creature let out a sharp cry, slowly looking down at her chest to see the arrow protruding from it.

Haruhi dashed forward angrily and leaped, slicing at her diagonally beneath the arrow wound to leave a long, deep cut with her naginata. She whipped her head around and shouted.
“Junpei!”

He had already been running forward again and leapt as high as he possibly could with a roar and a swing of his katana at her neck, severing the Shadow’s head from her body. He landed behind it, rolling to a stop so that he could turn around and thrust the sword through the center of her back, making the final blow. The severed head let out a distant, echoing shriek as it fell, hitting the ground along with Yukari. As soon as it landed, the car’s size returned to normal and the Shadow’s body slumped, both its parts beginning to dissolve away and freeing Yukari from its grasp. She sat up shakily, clutching her throat as she gasped for air, but other than that, nobody moved or said a word for a few moments until Junpei spoke in an almost trembling voice.
“D-Did we make it in time…?” He drew in a shaky breath as he glanced out the window to receive another shock. “Hey!! Why’re we still moving?!”

Yukari’s head snapped up to stare at him, still clutching her throat.
“N-No… We-we’re going to fast…!” She struggled to speak, “We h-have to put on the breaks… o-or…”

“What are you waiting for!?” Mitsuru’s frantic voice screamed, “There’s a train up ahead!!”

Junpei scrambled up to the controls, his eyes leaping from one this to another in panic.
“D-Damn it!! I don’t know how to stop this thing!” He shouted frantically.

With a barely audible squeak, Haruhi lurched forward, sprinting to the control panel as well.
‘Which is the brake…?! Which is the brake?!’ She screamed inside her head. Suddenly her eyes fell upon a long level from the floor and she immediately grappled it, pulling it back as hard as she could.
“H-He-Help me!!” She shrieked, getting Junpei’s attention. His wide eyes snapped to her and he immediately rushed to stand behind her, pulling on the lever as well. With their combined force, the train soon came to a screeching halt.

Slowly, the two holding the lever opened their eyes that they had squeezed closed.
“D-Did we stop…?” Junpei asked shakily.

“I-I think so…” Yukari answered from behind them, getting to her feet in a fashion that made her resemble a new fawn. She laughed as she staggered forward, “Ha, haha… My knees are shaking…”

Finally letting go of the lever, Junpei stepped back, taking of his hat to wipe his forehead.
“Dude… I’m like drenched in sweat…” He tried to laugh too for a moment before glancing back at Haruhi, who was still clinging to the lever, trembling. “Hey… are you okay, Haru-chan?”

Haruhi didn’t seem to hear him, or anything except for the pounding of her heart in her ears. Her eyes were still wide open and focused out the front window at the train that they that almost hit.
‘It looks so close… A few more seconds and… Oh, God… We could have died…’

Junpei stepped closer to her, placing a hand softly upon her shoulder from behind.
“Hey…” He spoke gently. Upon feeling his faint touch, she had snapped out of her inner trance, allowing her emotions to fully surface. She sank slowly to the ground, still trembling as her breathing became hitched in her throat and ragged.

“I was scared…” Her voice broke, wavering as the first of several tears to come began to fall freely from her face. “I was so scared…!!!”

A look of fear washed over Junpei’s face as he rushed around to her front to kneel in front of her.
“Oh crap… Hey, hey, don’t cry!” He didn’t know what to do! He shoved his hands into his pockets, desperate for something to help. “Where’d I put my handkerchief…!?”

Finding nothing, he could only resort to stare at his friend who was sobbing her heart out into her hands in front of him. He felt something crack and break of shame inside of him, and a look of deep remorse and pity spread across his face. He slowly brought a hand up to gently touch her face, as if she were something breakable, murmuring in a pained voice.
“Haruhi…”

He had barely touched her skin when she slapped his hand away, continuing to weep.
“D-Don’t…” She let out another heavy sob, “Don’t t-touch me… Junpei…”

Junpei recoiled, pulling his hand back as if it had been burnt. He stared at her in shock and worsening guilt as Yukari knelt behind her to wrap her arms around her- something that he really wished that he could do… but couldn’t. He knew why she rejected his comfort… this was mostly his fault. He hadn’t followed her orders… he had treated her so indifferently… he hadn’t had faith in her as a leader… he had said those hurtful things to her in anger.

He turned away so that his back faced them, hearing Yukari’s voice coo soothingly as she swayed back and forth, rocking her somewhat.
“It’s okay, Haruhi… I’m here... I’m here.”

He bit his lower lip bitterly, pulling his hat down in an attempt to hide his shame.
‘I’m here too… I’m here…’ He hissed inwardly. But he knew… he could feel it in his very bones as he heard Haruhi’s sobs continue behind him… he had messed up.