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Yosuke is shaking.
Yosuke is shaking, and Yu is standing there like a moron, unable to do anything. He's frozen as his shadow pulls out a gun and places it at his partner's temple, as casual as ever.
"Please!" Yu shouts desperately. The space between them seems like a thousand miles and like nothing at all. "Please, what do you want from me?"
Not-Yu blinks. "You don’t deserve this life. So I’m taking it away from you."
“Take me instead! It’s - it’s me you want, right? Let Yosuke go, he hasn’t done anything wrong! It’s my fault for - hoping!” Yu’s voice cracks. He wishes he was crying so he could release the pressure building in his chest.
Yosuke tries to turn his head, to look at the false Yu, but his body can't cooperate. Instead, he looks straight at Yu, lips quivering as he tries to push them up into a smile.
The shadow - Izanagi - laughs. It’s a dead sound. “You’re right, it is your fault. This is your fault, Narukami Yu.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Yu tries desperately to summon his persona again, but the result is the same as the last twenty times he's tried - nothing. He stretches his arms out as if he can reach out and - do something, fix this, make it better. He has to. They're so close he can almost touch Yosuke. They're so far away there's no chance he'll make it.
From miles and inches and feet away, Yu watches as Yosuke looks at him, watery eyes the same brown as Nanako's. "Partner -"
There is a loud bang.
The banging continues and Yu squeezes his eyes shut. "No more! Stop! Please," his voice is hoarse and desperate.
"Partner! Can you hear me?"
Yu nearly chokes. "Y - Yosuke?" He can hear the brunet sag in relief.
"Yeah man, it's me. I - the Reaper cast something on you, I don't really understand it, but Rise says whatever you're seeing, it's not real, okay? I promise. It's not real."
"Yosuke, you -"
"Chie and I are working on defeating the guy and Teddie left to get backup, but -" there's a crashing sound, "- argh - we need you to help. Please, partner."
Yu stands, limbs barely cooperating. The body - not body not body, it’s not real, Yu reminds himself - is collapsed on the floor and Yu can’t look at it or he’ll throw up again.
“Partner?” comes the concerned voice.
“I’m here, Yosuke.” Yu takes shallow breaths. The smell of blood hangs in the air.
There’s a grunt followed by Chie’s yell. It sounds far away. “Okay, good, I thought - okay, Rise says you need to find the way out of there. It’ll be something that’s -” a sound “- yikes, uh - it’ll be something that’s not supposed to be there. Out of place.”
Yu nods. “Right. Out of place, got it.” He rolls his neck, moving into a familiar position. He can do this. For Yosuke.
From across the miles and inches and feet, the shadow watches as Yu's face fills with hope. It smiles.