Chapter Text
She’s curled in the corner on the couch beside Fuuka, mindlessly tapping away on her phone when Kotone burst through the entrance to the dorms, with a cheeky smile plastered onto her face. “Hey guys!”
Holding back a snicker as Fuuka jumped, she glanced over to her friend. “Oh, hey.” Yukari gave a wave. It didn’t take long before Kotone leapt over the couch, crashing into the small space between her and Fuuka, and nestled comfortably against her side. “You were out late.”
She was met with a snort; Kotone curled against her with a lazy smile. Oh, she’s warm. “Yeah- I was hanging with a friend and lost track of time.”
“Which friend?”
Kotone merely grinned, and bopped her nose. “A special one- not in the way you think.”
With a roll of her eyes, Yukari ignored the flare of fire in her heart; something too sharp and bitter to name. It’s fine, who cares? Kotone was allowed other friends. Besides, all she can focus on is Kotone cuddled against her; arms wrapped tighter than barbed wire, her head perfectly cupped on her shoulder and practically melting into her. Io isn’t helpful- she’s laughing in the depths of her soul and Yukari wanted nothing more than to swat her.
She opened her mouth to retort as Kotone interrupted her. “Oh wait- I nearly forgot.” Kotone jumped from her spot against Yukari, the warmth evaporated as she turned to lean against Fuuka. Another stab through the heart- why did she miss her warmth pressed into her side? “Can we please go to Tartarus tonight? Is everyone good to go?”
Like a deer in caught in the headlights, Fuuka froze as Kotone peered at her with warm eyes. “Um- one second…” Her eyes fluttered shut as she inhaled softly, a hum escaping her lips. “Aragaki and Sanada-senpai are currently out together, but Kirijo-senpai is in the command room, so we should be okay to go. Junpei-kun is walking back from the hospital; Amada-kun’s in his room with Koro-chan and Aigis is recharging in her room.”
“Perfect!” Flashing a bright smile, she stretched upwards. “When you see the others, can you let them know we’re going tonight?”
Fuuka nodded gently, “I can.”
Yukari blinked as Kotone curled right back into her side with a yawn, her heart jolting in her chest. “Thanks, you’re fantastic,” she murmured, her arms snaking around Yukari again. “I’m gonna rest my eyes for a bit. ‘m tired.”
“Are you seriously taking a nap right here?”
A giggle met her growl, “sure am.” Nestling deeper into her side, Yukari’s face flushed; her body was hot, the fire spreading through her blood. Kotone was warmer than an oven, a heat sink in the chilling night.
...what was going on with her?
The air grew chilly was she walked alone down the dark streets. Not another living soul in site.
Even if they didn’t know the truth, a dark city was still a dangerous city.
It wasn't yet the Dark Hour, but close; with a few more ticks of the clock, the world would be enveloped by shadows, the darkness curling around everything she knows and loves. That devilish tower would soon shoot up from their school, reach high into the sky. They were already too many floors in, and still no end in sight.
How tall is this stupid tower?
How much longer would they have to fight?
With a quick shake, Yukari tore herself from her thoughts. There was no use dwelling on that now; the atonement of her father's sins was her sworn duty now, as she marched towards the small collection in front of the school. Fuuka shuffled her feet, giving her a tiny wave as Yukari walked up to her. Junpei grinned, strutting over to meet them. “Yuka-tan! Glad to see you could make it!”
Io groaned with her; Yukari shooed him off with a groan. “Yeah, yeah. I feel like we’re always here.”
“Not all the time.”
“But still- it’s nearly every other night,” Yukari groaned; her arms were sore from the last time they were here- archery practice didn’t help either. “And Kotone isn’t even here yet.”
Their beloved leader- poor, tired Kotone was still asleep when Yukari gently pushed her off to leave, settling against the plush couch cushions instead. Not even a mumble of protest, she didn't stir when she shook Kotone. Or called her name. Or finally snapped in frustration. Or slammed the doors on the way out.
Kotone was powerhouse, running off fumes and always on the move until she collapsed from exhaustion.
Someone should really talk to her about it.
"To be fair," Junpei countered, with a wave a hand, "I think we're the only ones here. Some of us haveta be here early, waiting for the rest of you slowpokes."
"It's certainly a first for you, Iori."
The three jumped as Mitsuru's cool voice cut through the empty air, a yawning Kotone trailing behind her. Further behind, Koromaru, Ken and Aigis followed; no sign of the two oldest boys. Fuuka had said something about the two of them being out earlier... Are they on a date? Are they skipping Tartarus for a date night?
Holy shit- did someone confess?
Confusion curled around her, Io muttering about something Yukari decided to tune out. Still- Aragaki and Sanada clearly had something going on with them, even if they didn’t know about it. It was only a matter of time before something deeper exploded between them.
She watched as Kotone stretched, her back cracking as she let out another yawn. "I can't believe you didn't wake me," she whined softly, her red eyes shining brighter than rubies as she pouted.
"I tried, you sleep like a log," Yukari nudged her, shaking her head as Kotone sighed deeply. "Besides- Junpei didn't wake you either, and he left around the same time I did."
"Don't throw me under the bus!"
Too late for prayers now, Junpei.
Kotone gasped, turning to him. "I can't believe you! Letting me sleep through the Dark Hour, I’m wounded Junpei- wounded!"
Chuckling as they bickered, Yukari moved to stand beside the much quieter Fuuka. Only downside was having haunting, icy eyes pinned onto her- Aigis stared through her from her perch beside Fuuka as Yukari settled next to them.
Kotone was... oddly fond of their robotic companion. A fondness she didn't really share- Aigis was a robot and seemed perfectly fine being treated as such. That didn't stop Kotone; if anything, it encouraged her to try harder. Always starting conversations that remained one-sided, telling her how cute she looked in uniform, offering to help her study, pressing closer to her whenever she could...
Biting down on her tongue, Yukari pushed it from her mind as her chest grew tight. Not the time for childlike pettiness to draw her from the task at hand: defeating Shadows and erasing the Dark Hour.
Whatever… this was could wait until later.
"Kotone-chan," Fuuka piped up from beside her, with a cautious step forward. "Who are you taking tonight?"
A wave of murmurs spread through their little crowd; Kotone, in all her glory, never kept the same team. When Yukari had pressed before, she'd laugh and brush it aside.
“Hmm… that's a wonderful question,” Kotone tapped her fingers to her lips, scanning over the rest of SEES. “I’m thinking Koro-chan should come for sure, since we can’t walk him tonight.”
A bark echoes throughout the floor as the pale dog trotted over to Kotone. His tail wagging faster than the winds as he settled next to their leader, his tongue lolled from his mouth. Chuckling, she laid her free hand on his head, her nails scratching under his soft fur. “Oh- Aigis can come too!”
The robot nodded from her spot beside Fuuka, “Thank you, Kotone-san. I will not disappoint you.”
Ugh, why is she so serious all the time? Io huffed at her, signalling her disapproval. “And Yukari!” She jumped as Kotone called her name, waving to get her attention. “You’re coming with us!”
“Oh, come on!”
She didn’t jump- no, she totally didn’t- as Junpei’s sharp whine cut through the air. Kotone turned to glance back at him, a puzzled look crossing over her face. “You always take Yukari! I haven’t gone with you in forever.”
Her brow’s furrowed tightly as Junpei pointed at her, a pout etched into his face. “Stopping missing all your hits and you could come more often!”
“Hey!”
“That’s enough!” Kotone pushed her way between them, shooting Junpei a vicious glare. He withered like a cherry blossom, his shoulders sagging. “Junpei, I love ya, but I gotta take others with me sometimes.”
"But-"
“Besides,” Kotone added on, grinning at him, “maybe we can start doing two teams- you wanted to be a leader, right big guy?”
Junpei sputtered, stumbling as Kotone shoved him aside. “You’re serious? You wanna do two exploration teams?”
“If Mitsuru-senpai allows us,” she nodded, glancing back at the redhead. “But not tonight, we’ll have to workshop it a little bit more- besides, someone has to stay with Fuuka-chan.”
"Any other objections?" Mitsuru asked, looking around the members of SEES. Frowning, Junpei shook his head, eyes glued onto his shoes. "Good, we shouldn't waste any more time. Shiomi, come back if it gets too perilous."
"Roger," Kotone grinned, waving her small group towards the teleporter. "Alright, lets go kick some shadow ass!"
The Tziah Block was overwhelmingly bright as Yukari stepped off the teleporter.
Shining gold beams bounced off every surface, worse than a mirror maze or a cold winter’s day. No where to turn and avoid the overwhelming gleam of light.
Kotone moved with a purpose, weapon at the ready as the team shifted behind her. Frozen, her eyes scanned around the halls, ready for any enemies lurking nearby. Silently, she waved her hand and began to move. At her heels, Aigis followed close behind her. Koromaru took up the rear as Yukari pushed past to be at Kotone’s side.
Her lips quirked into a smile, giving her a nod as they made their way through the floor. Few Shadows lurked, and the ones that did scampered away, recoiling in fear at the site of them. On one hand, it was thrilling to grow powerful to scatter the Shadows, the fun of the chase egged her on too- but on the other, it meant they were easy. Simple, weak things that only took her bow to take down, Io bored with frustration.
Besides, it took them mere minutes to find the stairs.
The next few floors were the same; each Shadow that crosses their path fled with terror, tripping over itself to escape. Tartarus missions always dragged through the Dark Hour- Yukari swore that this singular extra hour easily felt more like twelve and tonight wasn't an exception. Kotone always had her on the expedition team too, ever since she's been part of SEES.
In fact, there has been a burning question stuck in her throat.
“I hate to admit it, but Stupei’s right,” Yukari shuddered; the words ‘right’ and ‘Junpei’ should never be used in the same sentence. “I’m always on the team. Like, every time we come down here.”
“Uh… dang it,” Kotone sheepishly glanced away, fiddling with her headphones. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice-” Kotone turned away from her, taking a few steps away. “Hey, Fuuka-chan?” Yukari couldn’t hear their conversation, watching as Kotone rocked on her heels as she smiled. Her skirt moved with her, swaying around like flowers in a field. “Yes please, that would be wonderful. Thank you!”
She jumped as Fuuka’s voice rang through her mind- even after weeks of climbing Tartarus, their Navigator’s ability to talk directly to them always unnerved her. “Um, please spread out and search the area.”
With a bark, and an “affirmative,” the other two members of their team swiftly departed; furrowing a brow, Yukari gave a glance to Kotone. “Follow me- I can explain and explore.” Kotone giggled, a beautiful melody.
Yukari nodded silently, letting Kotone guide her away from the stairs. “It’s kinda silly, and maybe a bit childish, but I have everyone separated into these categories.”
Blinking, she slowed, confusion overtaking her steps. “Categories? Based on fighting skills?”
Kotone chuckled, waving a hand through the air. “Not exactly- more like your abilities. Of your Personas,” she hastily added on, turning around to look at her. Her smile was luminating, brighter than the sun; Yukari nodded. “Remember when we first started, and there was just four of us here? I didn’t have to think about teams or anything. We could just come and go.”
“…right. I remember that.”
It was hard not too, the threat of shadows looming around every corner.
How weak she was afterwards- the aching of her limbs and the tiredness lapping at her eyes. At least there was improvements to her skills.
The exhaustion grew lighter, the aching replaced with strong muscle, the better technique when using her bow.
“So, once we got more members, it got complicated; I need a team to take with me, but I can’t let others fall behind in training. Otherwise fights break out, there's accusations of favouritism and then everything's ruined…”
Kotone grew quiet before shaking her head. “So, I decided to split us based on magic users and heavy hitters,” Kotone’s eyes sparkled, and Yukari dimly thought about why she didn’t push the matter far sooner. She looks so alive like this. “Mitsuru-senpai, Koromaru and Ken-kun are my mages; they have good magical skills, and I can rotate them around when I need to.”
“I see,” she finally murmured. “What about the others?”
Kotone shot her a grin, before winking at her. “Easy! Akihiko-senpai, Shinjiro-senpai, Aigis and Junpei are my heavy hitters! They also buff the party, which is a nice bonus- anyways, it’s the same thing. They get rotated around whenever we come here.”
“…what category am I in?” Yukari found herself blurting out; Kotone chuckled as her face flushed. “And what about Fuuka?”
Kotone glanced away from her, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Uh… you guys are a special category.”
“You gonna elaborate?” she asks, raising her eyebrow.
Her hands fiddled with her headphones again, entangling her fingers with the thin wire. “It’s embarrassing,” she finally mumbled. “Fuuka’s my navigator. You’re my healer. You’re both vital for the team to function. The only people I can’t switch out or anything…”
Oh.
Her heart’s pounding is drowned out by Io’s grin in the back of her mind. Her body feels warm and clammy- Yukari has to fight the urge to turn and run. “Wait- can’t Ken-kun heal too?”
Kotone burst out laughing, wiping frantically at her eyes. “I pour my heart out and that’s what I’m met with?”
“Wait- that’s not- ugh!” Yukari smashed her reddening face into her palms; Io and Kotone both giggle at her, and Yukari actually wishes Junpei got to go instead of her.
“He can heal, but you specialize in it,” Kotone’s still giggling, clutching at her stomach as she wheezes. “Like how Mitsuru-senpai can navigate, but Fuuka clears her ability by a long shot. We’d be doomed without you here. Very literally. You hold us together, you know?”
Yukari slowly lifted her head, making the mistake of glancing at Kotone. Her smile is wide and infectious, the joy luminating her eyes more so. She looks… serene, like Yukari is shining gold in a room of coal. She decided to ignore the way Io shifts in the confines of her mind, something unknown welling in her chest Kotone takes her hand into her own, their fingers laced together.
Soft and warm and comforting as she’s led forwards.
“We should find the others,” Kotone rambled, gently squeezing her hand. “If we stay here longer, we might give poor Fuuka a heart attack if the Reaper shows up.” Her hand reached to her headphones again, Yukari watching as Kotone pressed a button before speaking. “Oh, my lovely navigator! Can you send Aigis and Korochan back our way? We should get a move on.”
A few seconds ticked pass before Fuuka’s soft voice echoed back at them. “They’re waiting by the stairs. Um, I can guide you to them?”
“That’s great, please and thank you,” Kotone drew out the ‘you,’ almost singing as she released the button. “Come, my healer,” she tugged her hand, pulling her closer; her stomach flipped as she’s brought shoulder to shoulder with Kotone. Yukari can think about that later, when her head is clear and when Io isn’t laughing at her.
She let her Leader guide her to the stairs.