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Moonlight shone down as the short hand of the watch neared the top. Just a few more minutes until the dark hour presented itself in all its glory. And as glory comes and goes, Mitsuru was planning on joining it this time. It was inevitable, from the fresh scent of blankets when she was a child stuck in a hospital bed to holding the corpse of her late father in her arms, she would have to face the reality of sacrifice one day. Though she never expected it to be in revenge. He was the scientist that comforted her while her persona was forced out the depths of her soul, the caregiver who stepped up in the absence of her hardworking father. The reason she could comfortably declare each of her friendships. Now he was a murderer that hauled it all away. It left Mitsuru numb. No anger, no sadness, not even disappointment replaced the tears she sobbed before. Just a voice in her head that echoed two things. For him to die. And for herself to die along with him.
Evoker in hand, the clicks her heels made along the cold sidewalk deafened any final thoughts about saying her goodbyes. Everyone back at the dorm would stop her, even if it cost their lives. There was no point in going back now. There was only one way to go, and that was forward. Forward to the top of Tartarus where the Chairman would be waiting. Waiting for little ol Mitsuru, the girl he half raised from the age of four, to avenge what he did to the last of her family. It was a mockery. Mockery for how gullible she was then, how vulnerable she is now. How she would only dream of getting this far without him. But he expected her to be a coward, to bring the group he spent years building up to deal the final blow. That wouldn’t be the case though. Only she herself needed to show up to twist those expectations, and proving he wasn’t always right made her internally simper with glee.
Pulling the motorcycle out of the garage, Mitsuru stared down at her helmet, observing the light that reflected off of the protective glass that would go around her face. Only then did she notice the outline of someone she knew in the shadow that casted next to hers on the ground…
“Takeba… is that you…?”
Mitsuru whispered the name so softly she couldn’t hear it herself. She confirmed it was indeed Yukari as she turned around to face the figure. The SEES member which the Kirijo Group’s wrongdoings affected the most. Her cardigan was wrapped around her waist, displaying the white button up t-shirt underneath that stood out against the black of the night. Her skirt wasn’t as ruffled as it sometimes was after a Tartarus mission, which only added to her insouciant appearance. It contrasted with her gaze towards Mitsuru as her eyebrows were furrowed upwards in concern. She too could only manage to choke out a whisper,
“It’s almost the dark hour… what are you doing…?”
Everyday, Mitsuru lived knowing how she ruined the life of the person in front of her. How Yukari should’ve been pursuing a normal highschool life without worrying of something beyond her cause, the something that took the life of her father. The glares she gave only heightened Mitsuru’s guilt day by day. And now she would be the last person Mitsuru would ever get the chance to speak to before continuing on the personal mission.
“I am simply going to strengthen myself and my Persona. You should head back in before the dark hour comes, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not stupid y’know. If that were true you’d tell everyone.”
Rarely had the two ever conversed without it turning into a bitter silence. Only when they were beside each other on the beach had they held a conversation for over a minute. Which was cut short of course, leaving Mitsuru to think she would never get a second chance again.
“Exams are starting soon, it would be rude of me to disturb the others -”
“You’re going after Ikutsuki, aren’t you?”
Mitsuru desperately tried to find the words to respond, creating an intense quietness that she basked in knowing her plan was figured out.
“He… he is still alive unfortunately. And as long as he is alive, he will be a threat to all of us. But that is a matter I can and will settle.”
“Through fighting...”
“...I will return safely. Look at it as an inconvenient errand that will be dealt with. You have no need to worry about anything.”
“...Shut up.”
“Takeba?”
“I said shut up.”
Yukari looked away in resentment. She’s always held her tongue in the presence of her upperclassman. But Mitsuru was a mortal enemy to her, and she was tired of holding back.
“Stop acting like you can still hide things from me,” she continued, “I know you’re planning on not coming back…”
“Takeba -”
“Why? You hold SEES together like glue and organize everything like your life depended on it. Just to leave it all behind? Why…?”
“You have all individually grown and matured into better people. Each one of you is capable of functioning without my presence, and I want to put my trust into that. The Chairman would only block your way, and that is my job to deal with.”
“You say that like you aren’t a part of us.”
“I never said I saw myself apart from SEES. But the skills and lives of everyone else are far more worthy to preserve than mine. So even if it means I shake the hand of death, no one else will get hurt. And that is what’s most important.”
“If we’re so strong and mighty like you say we are, stay behind and let us go instead.”
“The Chairman has power far beyond our knowledge. Because I’ve known him for many years I would know how to counter anything he puts towards me.”
“And we can’t? Like we haven’t fought many Shadows in the past and survived until now?”
“I just…” Mitsuru hitched her breath, “I just don’t want anyone else to end up dead… because of me… I am the reason for all of this… and… I should be doing something for the benefit of SEES instead of someone innocent like… you…”
A silence arose as the buzzing of insects that were flying around the light poles filled the entire street. Mitsuru glanced at her watch, the short hand now being a pinch away from twelve. She wanted to say something - but didn’t know what it was she wanted to say.
“And… I -”
“I hate you.” Yukari suddenly blurted out, turning her head away until Mitsuru was out of her field of vision, “I hate you so much it makes me sick. But that doesn’t mean you deserve to die… not after dad, not after Shinjiro. So please just -”
“And I want you to hate me!” Mitsuru exclaimed back, “I am a walking reminder of what happened all those years ago, the pain that was brought unto you all. My life brought nothing but misery and suffering to those undeserving of it!”
“...”
“And now that I have full control of it, I’ll finally put an end to this cycle! You will live the rest of your life in peace knowing the remnant of what caused your initial downfall is gone! It’s how I will repay everyone, no one will ever be hurt again because of me! So please… smile… I want to see you smile in happiness that you will finally have justice for everything my group has taken that was dear to you. Please…”
Beads of sweat turned Mitsuru’s luscious hair into a tangled mess of desperation. She was panting, never having put so much energy into expressing herself this way. No school speech, scolding or lecture could compare to the apparent tears that were about to join the sweat dripping down her face. But Yukari could only stay silent. No words, nothing. Her head was now facing the distraught Mitsuru, dead in the eyes. She let the silence last longer, until the palm of her right arm slowly raised...
One.
Mitsuru twisted her face away from the violent impact. The smack landed directly in the middle of her right cheek, the pain relishing against the soft skin.
Two.
She had no time to react, this time the pain being more apparent near the left side of her chin. More force was apparent by the red mark it left.
Three.
The final strike hit against the same spot that was previously attacked on her right side. Instinctively, Mitsuru rested her hand against it, cupping that side of her face in alarm. Alarm so intense she didn’t realize Yukari had engulfed her into a tight hug, burying into her shoulders and grasping onto her jacket so tight it felt like it would rip off.
“You… you selfish coward!”
Even through her sobs, Yukari still had the will to speak her mind.
“You act like you’re doing us all a favor!”
“I -“
“I know the real reason you wanna do this is so you can avenge your father! I know this entire time you only wanted to protect him and his goals! And guess what! You failed! So you’re using the excuse of Ikutsuki being around to kill yourself!”
“Takeba -“
“And I can’t stop you! I know you’re going to go no matter what! Even if I killed everyone in SEES you would still go!”
“You are… right…”
“I… hate you for that! I hate you, I really do hate you! And if anyone were to kill you, it would be me! But you’re Mitsuru Kirijo. Even through your selfishness, there’s still that someone who cares for the greater good of all of us. Who made sure we never were tired or sick before venturing into Tartarus. Who made sure we were fed and healthy. Who helped us get involved in our school more and put our studies first. For that, I won’t try to stop you. You’re going to kill Ikutsuki.”
Yukari let go of the hug, giving the chance for Mitsuru to wipe the tears descending out of her control before following up.
“And for the record… I’ll forgive you. You deserve some semblance of peace… and I don’t want you to die with my bitterness being one of the last things you think about…”
“Thank you… I truly appreciate this… Takeba…”
“Yukari. You can call me Yukari.”
“Yukari…”
“It’s time now, isn’t it?”
The entire town now was reflecting the shades of green in the sky. Puddles of blood sloshed the ground with the sounds of the night being ceased. The moon smiled down at the two girls, giving them the spotlight for the end of their reconciliation.
“It is.”
One last time, Yukari quickly embraced her now friend into a hug.
“Destroy that wretched guy, destroy everything that’s left of him until he’s nothing…”
Mitsuru returned the embrace this time, closing her eyes to bask in the warmth she was devoid of for years. Her persona also enjoyed the nostalgic feeling, wanting to pulse out of the cage that was her body to feel the freedom of this newfound fulfilment…
Releasing herself from the hold, she slowly climbed up onto the seat of her motorcycle, helmet around her head. The static that was apparent in the tiny space was uncomfortable, but the padding that greeted her scalp made it a little more bearable. She glanced back at Yukari, muttering under her breath one last time,
“Watch over everyone for me…”
And she was off. Yukari could only stand and watch as the red of Mitsuru’s hair shrunk to a speck of dust past the horizon. Time was ticking until the top of Tartarus was reached, and whatever happened there would be up to fate.
“I will.”