The Burning Desire for Strength (Luka; Awakening)

[Akira Nakajima]

”Aside from the fact that we fought what was essentially a pair of area-bosses on our way out, I'd have to say this mission was pretty pleasant overall. So long as we play our cards right, we should be able to cash in and call this a pretty good day. Don't let your guard down, though. Shit can hit the fan without warning, at any moment. Pretty much the rule of life.” While saying all that, the boy in drag kept moving forward. His voice was low, and his movements were slow. He moved just enough that they were making progress, but just slowly enough that he'd be able to stop, should something have been awaiting them, or blocking a path.

He'd moved through enough stores with questionable material before that the art of stealthy movement was second nature to him.

With his right hand pressing against the wall of the mines, feeling for tremors, the boy occasionally sniffed the air. He wasn't allowing himself to be punched by another giant asshole. Larger things would cause tremors, no matter how small. Feeling the wall would help with detection on that front. He hoped that they had scents. If not, the sniffing was just him getting high off of a potential gas leak. In his left hand, he gripped his scissors. The blades were pointing back towards Luka, though. The reverse-grip gave him a means of swinging- accurately- and evading at the same time, awkward as it might have been.

”So. Plans for your reward money?” He figured casual conversation would at least keep the tension from growing too much.

[Luka Kurokawa]

The mission seemed to be a huge success, seeing as Luka and Akira were now casually making their way out of the mines without any immediate danger in site. Perhaps the fact that they had beaten two boss-like enemies gave them the idea that "they had won and the mission was over." Luka nodded, following Akira closely behind but maintaining silence. Yeah. We did good. Her voice matched Akira's in volume as to not alert anything unnecessary. Murphy's Law, you mean? She was familiar with the idea that Akira had presented. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." It was a slightly depressive, but realistic view on things. Though, perhaps it was more of a thought to always be prepared for the worst? She honestly wasn't sure.

Luka kept low while following Akira. He seemed to be trying to sense shadows any way he could right now. That's what she assumed he was doing judging by the way he moved his hands along the side of the cave and kept sniffing. Either that, or the wall felt really nice and something smelled good. Luka had a hard time believing that, seeing that the two of them were in a musty old mine shaft though.

Plans with my money? Luka hadn't thought that far about the money. She had mostly taken the job to simply help further the blonde woman in her goals. She gave it some thought now, since she was put on the spot. I'll probably buy some new games, some manga, or maybe a few fumos for my collection. Truly, the girl didn't have anything better to spend her money on. She made well more than enough to sustain herself in surplus thanks to the city's funding. Not to mention, she was always getting a constant stream of income from the blonde woman. Did you have something in mind as well? Luka decided to shoot the question right back at him. Some conversation might make this a little less nerve-wracking.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Yes, Murphy. He's a genius, 'cause that law is right.” It was a morbid point, and Akira would agree with that, but he knew for certain that it was, in fact, correct. Seemed Luka had some very casual plans with her money. Nothing wrong with that. It was actually very endearing. Here they were, potentially in need of new gear, or something like that, and the girl wanted more games. More manga! And some. . . other things. She fired the question right back. And, oh boy, he had a response for it, too. He let out a quiet chuckle before nodding slightly.

”A pool. A pool of money.” He let the silence settle for a moment before proceeding. ”More seriously, it'll likely be divided into different funds. Most likely clothes, supplies, or gear. Whatever I find myself in need of at the moment.” His response was probably too serious to maintain the conversation, after the joke anyway. But it was an honest response. He had a budget, of sorts. All the money he acquired from Shadow-related stuff typically went right back into Shadow-related stuff. And clothes were included in that category, since he did wear them on outings.

”But, yeah. Whatever I want, when I see it, anyway.”

[Luka Kurokawa]

When Akira answered that he wanted a pool of money, Luka could only blink in response. She didn't seem to get it. Of course, Akira noted that he was only joking. It was somewhat of a relief to Luka seeing that to be a rather odd use of money. His true plans were something that Luka should have really come to expect from Akira. He was putting it towards anything that he might need at the time. "Logical" things. Akira was a very logic-focused person as Luka had come to learn. I suppose I understand that. The two continued onward for a bit of time.

Finally the had reached another fork in the path. It was just one of the many others that the two of them had encountered. Nothing was thought of it past that. Going past the fork like any other, Luka suddenly heard something charge from the path to her right. Looking over to see what it was, she had no time to react. All she knew was that a moment later, she was hit so hard that she was knocked into the left corridor by whatever was in the right corridor. Aah! Whatever it was, it had hit her in the shoulder quite hard.

Pain coursed through her arm as well as her entire backside having slid a few good yards into the adjacent corridor. Looking upward, she saw the shadow that must have hit her, as well as another shadow behind it. She was sensing a tremendous amount of power coming from them. The one that had hit her was slowly making its was over to her. It was quite large, seeming to ride what looked like a rocking horse.

Quickly, she reached for her evoker, aiming it at her head. With a painful grunt, she pulled the trigger releasing her persona. She needed a powerful attack to stop this thing. Her Mudoon was what came to mind above anything. Yuki Jyorou appeared before the shadow, sending a powerful blast of dark energy into its direction. Luka watched as it hit, then completely dispersed into nothing. Her eyes widened as she realized the severity of the situation. My attacks don't work on it! That wasn't her primary concern though.

She knew all too well about the elemental effectiveness that she had seen in shadows. There were pairs of opposites everywhere. And what was the opposite of dark? Luka's fears came true as she noticed a bright yellow symbol appeared below her; light slowly rising from it. And in that moment, Luka screamed.

She was death. She was darkness. Darkness was vanquished in the light. The light had consumed her. And when the scream had ended, her body fell completely limp onto the ground. Death is a hunter unbeknownst to its prey. It wouldn't be unreasonable for death to come hunt itself one day, would it?

[Akira Nakajima]

To say that Akira was a bit surprised with the occurrence of sound behind him was an understatement. As the boy whirled on his heel, he saw two particularly large Shadows between himself and Luka. Well, that was just great. He brought his evoker up to summon Imp, just in time to be hammered with a ridiculous explosion of fire. He resisted fire, but it still blew him back and into a wall. That was ridiculous. The opponent that hit him was a strange tower-shaped thing with legs. Meanwhile, the thing behind it, the one focusing on Luka, was some retarded-looking thing on a rocking chair.

He didn't waste his breath. Imp was using Dia on him, as directed by the mental link between the boy in drag and his Persona. Meanwhile, Luka apparently tried to attack. It was no good, though. Her opponent nullified darkness. Moreover, the following surge of light seemed to take her down in one blow, if the scream and crumpling sound was anything to go by. That was odd. It shouldn't have been that powerful- and he knew she was in fairly good shape prior to this. Was light her weakness? Either way, he couldn't actually see her. Because of that, he couldn't heal her- he couldn't help her. Was he limited by his own weakness again? Was someone actually going to die this time, because of his own weakness?

Hell no.

He could have run. He wasn't one worried about honor. He believed, wholeheartedly, in keeping his ass alive. Heck, while he promised the girl that he'd make her shine, that was, by no means, a reason to risk his life for hers. No, he had no reason, based on the circumstances in this situation, to attempt to stand his ground. There was nothing in it for him. Yet, he did not turn his back. He did not have any intentions of leaving. It wasn't bravery. It wasn't some pathetic sense of honor. It was pride. He had to guide by example, and running wasn't going to set an example anyone should follow. So, his issue was his strength. He was incapable of setting an example?

Fuck that shit.

Nakajima Akira was the Student Council President of the academy there in Mosaic. He had years under his belt. If he was too weak to settle an issue, he got stronger. He led the masses by example. Overcome weakness, become stronger, move forward. It was what he did in the past. It was what he was doing at the academy now. It was what he was about to do then. Something stirred inside him. His head and his heart pulsated. It was similar to the times he spent staring at all sorts of perverse things, but so much more intense- much more intimate. It was him. He was changing. No, he wasn't changing- he was realizing and understanding. The answer to his issue had presented itself. After all, if he was too weak to accomplish what he needed to do, there was only one way to proceed.

To become stronger and press on.

Imp had, at some point, disappeared. Calmly, despite the situation, he raised the evoker to his head once more. Things were still clicking inside him. A presence was making itself known. What he was calling was not Imp. No, Imp was just an embodiment of his whims. What was coming was something far stronger. Something entirely more capable. His heart trembled. And then all was still. The name. It had a name. All things that were conceptualized had names- it was humanity's way of identifying objects. Its name. . . what was it? The name. . . the name, the name, the name. Then, it clicked.

”Come, Alma Elma!” He called as he pulled the trigger. The tower with legs fired another blast at the boy, but it dispersed upon contact. Not even his clothes were damaged. It was during that explosion that a feminine figure had emerged from the boy's head- well, for the most part, as the tail popped out a moment or two afterward. The woman was not locked to the ground. No, her wings allowed her to defy gravity. Even so, she was very obviously taller than Akira. Scantily clad and wearing a cloak, the demonic maiden definitely would have struck a chord for anybody familiar with the occult. With her tail swishing behind her, wings spread wide, and seductive smile, Alma Elma would have made it entirely obvious to anybody watching- she was a succubus.

And, while all that was occurring, the boy considered the situation. Luka was unconscious and on the ground. Her opponent still seemed to have its attention on her, though it was slightly distracted by the outburst. Meanwhile, the enemy in front of him seemed to be a lesser threat now that fire didn't hurt him as much- or at all, it seemed. The key here was to stun the tower long enough to neutralize the rocking horse. He already pulsed his will to the succubus' mind. She flew over the tower and began to fire off an Agilao at the rocking horse Shadow. The tower shifted to watch. Where its eyes were was beyond Akira, but he took the chance and rushed in. An upward diagonal slash, to the left, started his assault, followed by a slash from right to left, then a downward slash, diagonally to the left. Whirling on his heels as the three-pronged attack stunned the tower, he made good on the chance and rammed his body into it, making sure to hook his foot around one of the tower's. It came falling down. It wasn't out, but it wouldn't get in the way.

The rocking horse popped its equivalent of a wheelie, turning around and blasting them with light. It hurt, but he had to hold out to heal. He needed to be in range. He could tell something was different, but he needed to be closer before he knew for sure. So he got closer. He charged in. With the distance closed, he jumped. Planting his feet into the actual body atop the rocking horse, he managed to run up the body before delivering a kick to its face, effectively pushing himself away. Under him, Alma Elma whirled, sending her tail in to Skewer the Shadow while gripping the boy's hand. She twisted, and, with his momentum changing, he swung his body back into range, slashing the front of the Shadow before being pulled out of range again. With Alma Elma's tail facing the Shadow again, the tip spread open, the mouth spewing out a second Agilao on the Shadow. Finally, their bloody waltz coming to a close, Alma Elma slung the boy back at the Shadow, his then-free hand reaching to spread the shears open. Once in range, the jaws closed in on the Shadow's neck, or what could be called that. The first attempt only sliced into the neck, not through it. Of course, the momentum and his weight were pushing him onto the rocking horse, effectively pushing it off balance. The boy spread the jaws of the scissors open again before slamming them on the neck again. Almost. A final spread, and the jaws slammed shut completely, the Shadow's head flying off to the side as the body dissolved.

Akira slid through the dissolving mess before looking to Luka's prone body. She was in danger. He was wounded. Good a time as any to try something, it seemed. Dia. . . was no longer there. No, it was something else entirely. Something more complex. He put the pieces together. Mediarama. It resonated with him to Alma Elma, then the succubus spread her arms out, bathing the crossdresser and the girl in a greenish light, healing them both. He felt good. Hopefully, Luka would be fine. But there was still one issue to take care of. The tower had finally managed to get back onto its feet. Frankly, had the situation not been so serious, he would've wanted to observe how that happened. Of course, the circumstances did not allow this. Instead, he'd have to settle for just wrecking it.

Another blast of fire slammed into him, dispersing on contact. The Shadow might have been panicking. Rightfully so, since Akira didn't exactly show mercy when he was pushed. Oh well! That was not his problem. Slashing across the tower's surface, he whirled around Alma Elma, who used another tail Skewer on the Shadow. He whirled around her for another slash on the Shadow, which was followed up with another Skewer. The dance continued, pushing the Shadow back until it slammed into the wall. Alma Elma slung the boy upwards. He only barely had room to swing his scissors down without scraping the ceiling. Regardless, he had enough room to grasp the handles in both hands for a full-body downward swing, aided by gravity, from the top of the Shadow to the bottom. And then it dissolved.

The battle was over. His legs were shaky. His pulse was out of control. His breathing was heavy. But he was alive. He was stronger. And he won. Straightening his legs and back, he made his way towards Luka, nudging her cheek with a balled up fist.

”Hey. Hey. Wake up. Don't die. You don't have my damn permission.” She seemed alive for what it mattered. That was better than nothing. Seemed like Mediarama's usage was limited. Still, it was better than Dia. He could match the healers now. That was good.

”I'll do strange things to you if you don't wake up.”

[Luka Kurokawa]

A bright light, and then a dense black wall of nothing. That was all Luka saw at the time. It was all that she would remember too. She would never see the displays that had taken place before her unconscious body. They would be lost. Perhaps one day she would learn of why such events had taken place, but that was likely for another day. Another story completely, most likely. Luka only had one priority right now, and even she wasn't really aware of it. She needed to wake up. The dense black wall presented to her didn't really seem to fade. It wasn't until she felt a warm green light that she slowly became half aware of her situation. I am sleeping. That was the first thing that came to her. Why am I sleeping now? It took her a little longer to piece everything in her mind together. I need to wake up. The girl felt a cold nudge on her cheek at that moment.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, nor did she really recall what situation she was in yet. All she knew, was that she was waking up. That's all she really cared about at this moment. She felt another nudge on her cheek. Her vision was a blur. What was she looking at exactly? She couldn't tell, but she heard a familiar voice, followed by something that voice would probably say. Despite her condition, the girl struggled out a smile and a muffled giggle. I trust you though. Do whatever you wish with me. The girl was feeling extremely tired, you see. But she had faith that the voice would do the right thing, whatever that may be. She knew not what it was, but she entrusted her fate to the voice. Her eyes began to feel heavy. Soon, it became unbearable to even keep them open. Not that her vision helped anyway; everything she saw still being a complete mess. And with that, the girl drifted off to sleep.

[Akira Nakajima]

And, once more, this girl said the most ridiculous shit that a girl could utter in front of a guy like Akira. Seriously, what the hell. The boy in drag almost slammed his head into the gravel floor of the mine. He did stop himself, though. He let out a weak breath. He was sorely tempted to just leave her there for that. Sadly, that was not the right thing to do. Now, the girl lived at the apartment facility- that Red Sun place. He saw that in her documents. While it was not typically his style, he picked through her pockets to find keys. Easier to do now than when he'd be carrying her. And there it was. Room number included. Great! That saved him the trouble of looking like a burglar.

Not that having an unconscious girl on his back helped.

Having Alma Elma help him, he got the girl onto his back. Damn. This was the second person he'd given a piggy back ride to. What was it with girls falling unconscious around him, exactly? Whatever the case, the boy sighed, carrying her on his back. Perhaps Murphy would shove his finger where the sun didn't shine and let them have a pleasant way out? That might have been too much to ask for, but it was still something to hope for.

”Seriously. What the hell did I get myself into?” He asked no one in particular. It was going to be a long way back on foot.