Goddess' Shooting Star (Black★Rock Shooter X Persona 4)

[x] Accept

You probably shouldn't so soon after yesterday. You're still sore from the beating your otherself gave you but even with that weighing on your mind, you want to see this resolved.

"Okay, I'll go with you." Sympathy is a powerful thing.

I guess I might be seeing you soon.

You just hope Shooter won't want to beat you black and blue again and as you hurry back towards your classroom you catch yourself chuckling, even though the thought isn't particularly funny.

As your afternoon classes come and go, you find yourself considering you phone a few times during the breaks, silently writing and erasing messages for Yomi before putting it away when the next class begins and starting the process all over again when it ends. You feel like you should tell her something, but how to go about that? You aren't sure.

In the end, you are still contemplating when the last bell rings, letting you out of homeroom to make your way towards the bike racks. You glance at your phone a few more times, but the words just don't come and before you know it a waving Yosuke accosts you at the gate. "Hey Temporary-Teammate! Ready to go?"

"Slow down a bit! Yu still isn't here yet."

"I know I know, just excited to have some more help you know? Oh! That reminds me, what kind of weapons do you like?" The question catches you a bit flat-footed and what immediately floats up in your mind's eye is a straight, single-edged black blade as Yosuke continues to chatter, "I have a few spares around, so you should be able to find something that suits you-ow!"

He flinches as Chie swats his hand away from the zipper of a duffle bag. "Not at school idiot!"

"Heh… Right, right. That would be even worse than at Junes…"

You raise a questioning eyebrow. Yosuke avoids your gaze while Chie rolls her eyes. "This idiot almost got himself and Narukami-kun arrested by waving a Katana around in the food court."

"Aw c'mon Chie, you didn't have to tell her that…"

"I need to make sure the stupid isn't contagious. An outbreak could be catastrophic."

Your lips thin as Yosuke hangs his head, that was funny but… "That was harsh."

Chie makes a face but after a moment and to your surprise that gives way to a soft sigh. "Yeah, probably…"

A few seconds pass and you nudge her in the ribs. "You should apologize."

"Yeah… Probably…"

Being a bystander to the quiet conversation that follows is awkward but the confused look Narukami gives the group as he jogs up a few minutes later makes you feel a bit better.

-------

Despite fiddling with the zipper of the bag all the way down the hill. Yosuke manages to restrain himself as you make your way into the TV section of Junes for the second time in as many days. The screen at the back shows fuzzy snow as always, and for a moment you wonder what would happen if it was showing something else. Would you still be able to enter? Does this television work normally the rest of the time and only get like this when you're nearby?

"Say, Narukami-san,"

"You can just call me 'Yu' you know."

"Yu-san then, didn't you say you stuck your hand into your TV at home too?" Yosuke mentioned something like that right?

"Yeah, it's not really big enough for me to squeeze through it though."

"What about other TVs?"

"I've been too scared to try with the TV at my house." Yosuke pipes up and you nod at him, "why all the questions?"

"Just curious."

Yu gives you a dubious look, but declines to comment further. Pushing his hand into the TV and then lifting one leg in a giant side-step to push that through as well. Failing to look even a little bit dignified at the posture that results before he vanishes into the static. Yosuke, his lips set in a line that is clearly struggling not to laugh, takes a moment before leaping feet-first at the screen, catching Chie off guard as he vanishes as well.

"After you?" You look at Chie, then at the screen before taking two steps up and diving into the pins and needles, white light swallowing your vision in a wave before clearing to a familiar platform, somewhat cleaned up after… Ah, no, there's still a couple of craters around.

…Just how hard were you fighting?

"You again! Wait. You're not…" The bear mascot thing… Teddie? Teddie blinks at you. "Well this is beary unexpected!"

"Teddie, this is Kuroi Mato, Mato, this is Teddie." Yu introduces the two of you and you give a small bow.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot last time?"

"You destroyed my house! But… You seem like a nice girl. A bit flat but there's no accounting for taste eh Sensei?"

You blink, and quietly run through the reasons why punching a friend of a friend in the face shortly after being introduced would be a bad thing.

You're barely a three words into it in your mind when you realize that your bruised muscles are protesting, your knuckles are aching, and Teddie has a noticeable dent in his forehead as he's slowly sitting up.

Yu and Yosuke both hiss sympathetically, someone whistles.

Nice shot.

You look around, but there's no sign of your other self. Though you feel her at the back of your mind clearly. A sensation of a presence that isn't quite your own. You turn a couple times, wondering if you'll catch her standing behind you, but no, nothing.

"Oof… That's a nice right hook you have there." Teddie's dented forehead twitches and distorts, snapping back to normal with a bizarre elastic sound as he sits up. "I've decided, you're on the list!"

"The list?" You can't help it, the words just pop out before you can stop them.

"Of girls I wanna score with! There's you, Yuki-chan, and Chie-cha-gwah!" This time you don't actually make it to him. Chie's flying kick lands first.

"Hey Mato, over here." Yosuke pulls you away from the tussle before you can get involved more directly with a shout, holding a length of metal and leather out towards you. "Try this out?"

You aren't sure whether to be appalled at the obvious sharpness of the short double-edged blade as it comes free of its scabbard, or impressed that he actually had it in a sheath considering that Yosuke was not someone you normally associated with the word 'Restraint'.

"How have you not been arrested for bringing this bag to school yet?"

"I'm just that good?"

"Just that lucky more like." You mutter while Yu chuckles softly.

"We'll introduce you to Daidara-oyaji at some point, he might even be willing to do a custom order if you want something specific."

"Daidara?" The name isn't familiar.

"Old Blacksmith, runs a shop and forge."

"…I see." You give the sword a few experimental swings. It feels good but not quite right… "Have you got anything else in there? Something a little longer maybe?" You can see it in your mind's eye, that long single-edged blade, black metal gleaming like oil under the light.

If you want it, all you have to do is earn it.

"From you?" You think back, then pause and sigh. Where is your doppelganger anyways? She's not anywhere in sight but at the same time you can feel her presence, that little itch in your right eye that makes you wonder if your pupil will burst into flames at any moment. "Where are you anyways?"

Around.

"…The heck is that supposed to mean?" You know an evasion when you hear o-"Kuroi-san? Earth to Kuroi…"

You blink at Yu, who is waving his hand in front of your face, or he would be if he wasn't standing a full two meters away from you. "What are you doing?"

"Respecting your reach."

"You kinda zoned out there for a second, with a sword." Yosuke informs you and you look down at the naked steel still resting comfortably in your grip, the reluctance to get closer suddenly coming into focus. Cheeks darkening with embarrassment, you raise the weapon and slide it back into its sheath quietly.

"Oh! That reminds me, we need to get you some glasses!"

"Ah? Do I have to?" Teddie pipes up at the mention of 'glasses', then looks you over again. "Nyehh..."

"I can see a little ways, it's not that bad…" The fog is all around at the edges of things, but you have a few meters around you that you can see in just fine. Still… "Was it always this bad?"

You(I) do get tunnel vision in a fight…

"Shut up."

"Teddie, please." Yu smiles at the mascot creature and gives him a nod, answered by a few uncomfortable noises until…

"..nnhhahh Fine! Fine! Bear with me for just a moment aaaaand!" Teddie does something and produces a pair of glasses, plain lenses set in dark blue frames balancing on one stubby limb as he holds them out to you. "For the lady with the legs~"

Kill him.

"No."

You(I) know you(I) want to… "But I shouldn't."

With a titanic effort of will, you reach out and take the glasses without giving the bear a new head dent in exchange. Sliding them on catches you off guard as the world suddenly clears around you. The effect extending even beyond the edges of the frames to burn the fog away from your whole vision. The town, the mountain, the sea, all previously fuzzy and distant landmarks that you could only vaguely assemble into one picture now unfolded before your eyes.

"Woah(Woah)…"

For a minute you just drink the sight in until a thought occurs to you and you turn to Yosuke, "do you have any ranged options?"

"Uhh… I know you all say but I'm not-" Yosuke looks panicky for a moment and you scramble to clarify.

"Not a gun! Like a crossbow or something."

"Oh! Uh… No." You ignore the chuckling in the back of your head. It's not like the Rock Shooter makes any realistic sense as a weapon anyways. And you won't be earning that unless we are we(I). Your Otherself's voice sounds almost petulant and you frown over the seemingly-nonsensical words before pushing them back in your mind. Something to worry about another time.

"So! You're good with that sword then?" Yosuke's voice drags you back to the present. "We don't really have anything longer apart from Yu's Katana for now."

The grey-haired boy holds the weapon in question a little tighter as you eye it speculatively. "Not happening."

You let the silence hang a long minute before giving him a nod. "Understandable."

"If you're done getting your bearings then we have a damsel in distress to save!" Teddie breaks the moment, you heave a deep sigh, and Yu gives a nod as Yosuke stows the bag on one corner of the platform.

"This way."

-------

The inside of the castle is dark and quiet with thick red carpets muffling the group's footfalls. It has that same air as a library, a place that swallows sound and compels silence from its inhabitants, smothering conversations with its intense atmosphere. The whole group moves with a nervous tension in their postures with even Teddie staying mostly quiet.

"So um..." Chie speaks softly as she drops back to walk alongside you, leaving the boys to take the point for a bit. "What happened yesterday anyways? You fought your Shadow right? We missed most of it but we saw her kidnap you, But the other shadow went after you, and…"

"…and?" you prompt after Chie trails off into nothing but she shakes her head hunching her shoulders. The voice in the back of your mind that you've come to associate with your other self is unexpectedly quiet.

"I don't know," Chie sounds almost petulant, "Yesterday was weird."

You frown. There's more to this than she's telling you…

[ ] Inquire Further
-[ ] Ask Chie
-[ ] Ask Yu
-[ ] Ask Yosuke
-[ ] Ask Teddie
-[ ] Ask Black Rock Shooter
[ ] Leave it be for now, focus on the castle.

If you have any specific questions you want to ask, just write them in on an additional indented line after your vote.

Spoiler: For Example

[ ] Inquire Further
-[ ] Ask Teddie
-[ ] Written In Stuff goes here