Persona 4 FYL

“Ta-daaaah!” Teddie grinned as he motioned to the rear of the cave. After the long, hurried walk further inside, the group didn't  think that the bear had created anything that would warrant such a detour. Their growing irritation vanished abruptly as they beheld four motorcycles that gleamed in the dim light seeping from a hole in the cavern ceiling. Each vehicle appeared surprisingly well-built, the chrome sparkling and new and the wide rubber tires uniquely designed in a way that none of them had ever seen before. The body design was sleek and aerodynamic for maximum speed and handling, each bike differentiated by color: red, blue, green, and yellow.



“Wh... How did...” Chie stammered in disbelief.



“You went from glasses to this?” gasped Yukiko, awestruck.



“Really cool, bear,” said Kanji with a wide grin. “Really cool.”



Rise let out a high-pitched squeal of delight. “Wow! Awesome!”



Souji smiled to himself, and looked over to Naoto to glimpse her own reaction. In spite of her depression, her eyes shined with anticipation, and Souji knew she wondered how she might tinker with the motorcycle like she had with so many other objects.



The only one who wasn't visibly pleased was Yosuke--looking far more furious then anyone expected.



“Dude! You were the one who stole my motorcycle maintenance manual?!” His raised voice echoed through the cave, causing loose dust to trickle from the ceiling.



“Oh, don't be such a baby, Yosuke,” said Chie in exasperation. “And besides, it's not like it didn't help us out in the end, right?”



“That's not the point! ...But, I guess you're right,” Yosuke admitted as he moved toward the red motorbike, running his hand over the leather seat. “And these things are well made.”



“By the way,” said Yukiko with a touch of concern, “where did you get all the parts for these?”



Teddie grinned. “The same place I got the parts for the glasses!”



Yukiko blinked. “...Oh."



Another tremor rocked the ground beneath the group, and Souji swiftly boarded the blue-hued motorbike, motioning for the others to choose their vehicles. Yosuke leaped easily onto the green one, Chie climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, causing both of them to flush pink.



“Uh...” Kanji looked embarrassed as he stared at the red motorcycle in apprehension. “I... dunno how to ride one of these. I never got one because the noise bothered Ma so much before, ya know?”



“Oh, that's fine,” said Yukiko with a winning smile. “I have a motorcycle license.”



“You do?!” gasped Chie in surprise. “You never told me that!”



“W-well, it was only a few months ago!” retorted Yukiko as she boarded the vehicle, seeming quite comfortable. “A guest recommended that I try riding one... a Miss Kirijo, if I remember right. She said she felt such intense freedom every time she rode hers, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out. I--” Her voice faltered as she felt Kanji's strong arms wrap gently around her waist, her cheeks flushing as brightly as Chie's.



“Dibs on Souji-kun!” cooed Rise, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. “Finally, we can-- Huh?”



The idol blinked as Naoto, very calmly and without a word, climbed onto the blue motorcycle behind Souji and slipped her arms around his waist. The silverette couldn't help but feel the tightness of the sleuth's embrace and the sensation of her face pressing into his back. He felt more relaxed with her by his side, despite how the situation was becoming increasingly dire.



Due to the relaxing sensation of having her near, he did not notice Naoto shutting her eyes tightly, her face contorted by her inner pain and anguish that she would never allow anyone to see.



“Rise-chaaan!” called Teddie as he took the last motorcycle, patting the yellow-painted metal. “You can ride with me! I have room on mine!”



Rise smiled gratefully at Teddie as she tossed her hair behind her shoulder as Souji caught the wink that she threw to him before sliding gracefully onto the yellow bike behind Teddie.



Souji started the motorcycle, and the others followed suit. The engines roared to life sending rumbling purrs echoing around the cavern. Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko couldn't conceal their enthusiasm any longer, their faces bright with awe and excitement.



“Hey!” Chie yelled over the sound of the four vehicles. “Did you test these to make sure they worked okay, Teddie?!”



Souji turned to the bear and abruptly wished he hadn't. The blond youth looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.



“Uh... Just 'bear'-ly?”



Yukiko glared at Teddie. “That's not funny.”



“It's too late to worry about that now!” shouted Souji, feeling the earth shudder with another tremor. “We need to get out of this place now before it collapses!”



Souji revved the engine twice before kicking off, the cycle accelerating just as the cave was rocked by a more severe earthquake. He noticed the others following him, no one willing to stick around for too much longer.



The silverette couldn't help but feel impressed by the overall performance of the motorcycle. The handling was perfect, the sharp corners in the underground tunnel simple to navigate without losing traction. The body itself was balanced, light enough to be aerodynamic, but heavy enough that it wouldn't slide out from under him during turns or quick stops. He noticed other things too, like buttons on the console and handlebars that someone would never see on normal cycles--modifications that Teddie added, no doubt.



A gunshot echoed next to his ear, causing him to wince as a stone shatter in front of them. He looked behind him to smile at Naoto, who returned it warmly. Her silver-blue eyes were clear and alert.



“Keep your eyes on the road, Souji-kun!” she called, and Souji knew better than to debate her.



Souji and Naoto emerged into the dull sunlight of the outside, dust kicking up behind them as the tires ground into the loose earth beneath them. The other three motorcycles emerges soon after, the others looking just as pleased with the vehicles as Souji felt.



“Do you forgive Teddie now, Yosuke-kun?” Rise giggles, patting her driver on the head and causing him to purr in happiness.



“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Yosuke. “As long as I get to keep this in exchange.”



“Uh, don't look now, guys,” said Kanji apprehensively, “but the road's gone.”



Souji felt like that was an understatement. Instead of a straight path to the Rift, which seemed so much closer even now, they were separated from it by a wide chasm, the swirling darkness eliminating any view of the bottom... if there was one.



“Wha-?!” Rise gasped in shock as her eyes fell on the wide gorge before them. “That... How did that get there?!”



“The earthquakes, maybe?” suggested Yukiko. “Although those tremors weren't powerful enough to make something like this in such a short time...”



“Oh, no!” cried Teddie, pointing toward the ravine. “Look!”



Souji's silver eyes fell upon something moving in the depths of the wide crevice, and at first he believed it was a large Shadow, possibly a bird of prey or a dragon. But as he continued watching it move, he realized that it was a massive aircraft. It was shaped like an American stealth bomber, but it seemed much too large to be able to fly--yet it appeared to have no trouble Hundreds of propellers covered its wings, along with a staggering amount of mounted turrets that seemed to fire indiscriminately at the land nearby, blasting it apart.



“What is that thing?!” Chie cried, clinging tighter to Yosuke, forcing him to hide a blush.



“It's humongous!” interjected Rise, shaking her head. “But... why is it IN the canyon?!”



“It's patrolling,” said Naoto, “...and making the gap wider.”



Souji knew Naoto was right. It's trying to keep us away from the Rift...



“So what do we do now, Senpai?” Kanji asked, looking straight at Souji.



“We can't just sit here,” said Souji firmly, kicking off again and looking toward Rise. “Use Himiko now so we can communicate while we move! Lets follow it, but stay out of range of the guns if at all possible!”



“Testing! Oh, good! It works!” Rise's voice echoed in Souji's head as the others began to follow him in a V-pattern formation. “Wow, it's been so long! I-- WOW, that thing's strong! I dunno how we're gonna beat it!”



“How about some good news for a change, Rise-san?!” Yosuke groaned.



“Would you rather she lied about it?” called Yukiko with a gentle retort. “We need to be clever about this... What did we have to do again?”



“'Bridge the gap!' Remember?” said Teddie in his usual cheery manner.



Souji looked at the chasm again, wondering how they could ever hope to “bridge” something that wide. The only thing that even closely matched its width was the aircraft that was making it, but--



The silverette's eyes widened as his brain suddenly connected the dots. The aircraft was just barely wide enough to fit inside, the tips of its wings approximately ten to fifteen feet away from the earthen barriers on either side. There were times when it even scraped the sides, but the immensity of the airship itself kept it from losing its balance and toppling into the murky depths below.



“We're going to jump onto it.”



No one spoke for a brief moment.



“Did I hear that right?” said Yosuke in disbelief.



“Jump ONTO it?! That's crazy!!” cried Chie in alarm.



“Souji-kun...” Naoto's voice sounded nervous, and he could feel her grip tightening around his waist. “Are you certain there's no other alternative?”



Souji closed his eyes, considering his options. “The only other way that might work would be to find some way around it, but that would take too long... and we'd risk becoming easier targets.”



“But we'd take the same risk by riding on top of it!” retorted Rise. “...Well, not really. It would have to shoot itself to have any chance of hitting us.”



“And besides,” said Kanji thoughtfully, “These rides move pretty fast. They might not be able to hit us if we just keep movin'.”



Souji cursed as the ground shuddered beneath the motorcycle; the turrets had turned their violence upon them, fiery blasts causing the dry earth to explode nearby, showering them all in debris.



“It's too late! Follow me!”



The silverette accelerated to keep up with the flying mechanical monster, the bike responding with an enthusiastic roar of its engine as he hurtled toward a raised outcropping of rock that could serve as a ramp.



“Oh, god...” Chie whimpered, clutching at Yosuke for dear life as she stared helplessly at the edge of the approaching cliff. “I knew I should have stayed in bed!”



Souji pulled back on the handlebars as he hit the slope at full speed, the blue cycle roaring as it hurtled swiftly in an arc toward the massive wing of the airship. He winced a little as Naoto instinctively held onto him more tightly, a soft gasp telling him that she had gotten a better look at their foe. The pair landed on the wing with a loud metallic thud, the rubber wheels squealing in protest as they regained their traction on the black, polished surface.



“This is... physically impossible!” gasped Naoto through Himiko's link, staring in disbelief at the ship around her. “There should be absolutely no conceivable way that this... thing can fly! The propellers are far too small, the turrets should weigh it down considerably, and the rocket engines--”



“Well, this IS the TV World,” said Yosuke as he landed with a similar screech. “I don't think anything really has to make sense in a place where Shadows-- OW!! Chie, not so tight! I can't breathe!”



“But... this is INSANE!!” Chie panicked, her eyes wide with terror. “We're riding motorcycles on an AIRPLANE that shouldn't even FLY!! What if it... drops out of they sky or some--”



“Don't say things like that!” interrupted Yukiko as she caught up with the others, followed closely by Teddie. “Just calm down, Chie! We'll be fine as long as we don't lose control!”



“And besides,” grinned Yosuke, trying to diffuse the situation, “You DID say you wanted excitement.”



“I've changed my mind!” whined Chie, clinging to the brunette and taking comfort in his presence. “I just want to go home... and not by myself, either!”



“Heads up!” called Kanji, forcing Yosuke to restrain his blush. “Those guns are aimin' for us!”



“Use Personas if you can!” ordered Souji. “Drivers, don't use them if they'll take away from your concentration! Just focus on dodging the gunfire! Rise--”



“Way ahead of you, Souji-kun! Those guns are immune to everything except physical attacks, but... they're still really strong!”



“I have an idea,” said Souji, turning to Chie. “Get Suzuka Gongen to smash open the armor on one of the turrets. Kanji, use a lightning attack once the insides are exposed!”



“A short circuit!” Naoto cried, grinning wide. “Good thinking, Souji-kun!”



Chie tried to calm her raging nerves, and successfully managed to call on her Persona, which summoned a God's Hand so smash into the spherical armor-plating. Then, using its light-blade, Suzuka Gongen struck the weakened outer shell with multiple blows, rending the metal asunder.



“Rokuten Maoh!” bellowed Kanji as his Persona emerged, sending a hail of lightning into the damaged turret. A loud bang and a flash of light erupted from the decimated turret, sparks flying into the wind as it exploded violently.



“But Sensei, we can't do that to every single one of them!” Teddie whimpered, sliding his cycle behind a propeller shaft as other guns fired at them.



Damn, what can we do?! Souji cursed silently, looking around him at the others as they sped along the wing's surface. Teddie's right; we'd be wasting too much time if we tried attacking every single turret. We'd need to--



“Senpai, look out!”



Souji heard Naoto's warning too late, the bike hurtling into a trapdoor in the wing at full speed. Souji barely managed to stay in control as the tires hit the bottom of what appeared to be a long tunnel within the infrastructure of the airship.



“Souji-kun! What happened?! Sou--” Rise's voice stopped abruptly as the trapdoor closed, and Souji cursed to himself again.



“The metal must block Himiko's transmissions!” yelled Souji over the din of the engine.



“We don't seem to have much choice but to proceed forward through here!” replied Naoto, her face full of concern. “I hope the others will be alright!”



“They've handled worse than this!” said Souji confidently. “I'm sure they'll be fine!”



The pair sped down the long, black tunnel, lights flashing and klaxons sounding off all around them. Yet even as the trip seemed easier, Souji felt increasingly uneasy. Shadows were nowhere to be found, and the silverette knew that it was a bad sign, even as they exited the tunnel into an expansive chamber.



Souji steered the cycle between the nodes and controller boxes that sporadically lined the floor, trying desperately not to crash as he and Naoto gaped at the massive turbine that stood in the center of the domed room. Four pipe-like extensions rose from the main cylinder to the ceiling, and a ring near the bottom sent visible currents of electricity into three glowing nodes which symmetrically lined the floor around it. A sphere topped the main cylinder, and long wires and tubes rose from it into ceiling.



“This must be the reactor core!” called Naoto behind Souji, and he felt her remove one of her arms from his waist as she brandished her revolver. “Be careful, Souji-kun! We don't know what defenses it might--”



”Ruin” Defense Grid Initiated



Souji cursed to himself, stopping abruptly behind a large box as the path they had taken to get into the reactor room was sealed by a blast door. The silverette and Naoto peeked out from behind it as the reactor transformed before their eyes. The four tubes hissed, steam emerging from where they connected to the ceiling as sections spun in place. Hydraulics whined as the ends of the wide tubes separated from their positions, and Souji blinked as he noticed that two of the appendages carried guns similar to the turrets outside.

The main cylinder shimmered with electricity as it metamorphosed into a more humanoid torso, and the sphere began to shift and change into a cybernetic head, the wires and leads maintaining their grip upon the robotic skull. The other two “arms” sprouted long, wicked blades that Souji knew could end their lives with a single strike.



...Alteration complete. “Anomaly” detected. Prime Directive: remove threat to the Crux by any means necessary.



“The Crux?!” Naoto blinked, shaking her head in confusion. “What does it--”

But Souji had hit the gas before Naoto could finish speaking, the gearbox exploding violently in the aftermath of being struck by a blast from Ruin's guns. The silverette kept his speed up, choosing various routes at random to try to keep the mechanical enemy guessing where he would go next. He turned sharply, tires squealing against the dark metal as he spun around in a one-eighty and moved in the opposite direction, a blade thrusting into the floor mere inches from where they would have been if Souji hadn't turned around.



“Can't you attack it with your Persona, Souji-kun?!” cried Naoto, who had renewed her tight clinging.



“I might, but at this rate, any small distraction could cause us to wipe out!” said Souji honestly. It was taking every ounce of concentration he possessed to keep his eyes on the path before him as well as predict Ruin's next attack.



“But what can we--” Naoto stopped speaking as her eyes fell upon the gash left in the floor when Ruin stabbed into it, the metal rent asunder as easily as a hot-knife through butter. “...That's it!”



“What's the plan, Naoto?!” said Souji as he swerved to dodge another blast from the guns.



“We'll use his own weapons against him!” spoke Naoto with determination. “The targets--” she looked around hastily, her eyes brightening as her gaze fell upon one of the three nodes. “--will be those three pods there!”



“I see them. Hold on tight!”



Souji accelerated again, passing between the assortment of boxes, tubes, and equipment on his way toward one of the glowing electrical nodes. Ruin raised its sword once again, its eyes crackling with energy, and slashed downward just as the motorcycle passed behind the node. The blade missed its mark, but the electricity that passed from Ruin's torso into the node arced into the metallic weapon. The short circuit caused Ruin to shudder violently, its eyes flashing with yellow light as the node exploded, the blade cracking into a useless husk.



“Excellent idea, Naoto!” grinned Souji, and he smiled as he heard her laugh in triumph.



“But... we need to get out of here,” said Naoto, her tone quickly turning serious. “If the reactor explodes and we don't have an escape route, we're going to be in a lot of trouble.”



Main power grid damaged. Overall output: seventy percent. Initiating Firestorm Program.



“I don't like the sound of that,” muttered Souji.



“We already know we're too fast for it!” said Naoto with assurance. “It's no different from last time, Souji-kun. Just use its weaponry against him!”



“Alright,” conceded Souji, nodding as he accelerated again. Ruin raised its twin guns and began firing blasts at the pair, the fiery bullets impacting the floor behind them constantly as the silverette maneuvered the cycle through the obstacles yet again. A plan formed quickly in his mind, but he cursed as he noticed two blast doors on either side of the room. Having forgotten which one they entered through, Souji decided it would be in their best interests to simply open both.



Yet before he could put his plan into action, Souji was forced to skid again as he noticed Ruin try to predict their movements, and found himself staring at a fiery bullet that was quickly approaching their position.



D-damn it!



A gunshot rang out much closer to the silverette, and Souji realized that Naoto had fired her revolver. Souji immediately summoned Izanagi, whom he directed to supply Naoto's bullet with a surge of fiery energy. Both bullets collided into each other with a loud bang, their trajectories redirected. One of the bullets tore through the second node, causing another powerful explosion that knocked Ruin off-balance. The other ricocheted against the domed ceiling and plowed into one of the blast doors, knocking it out of position.



Power Output reduced to thirty-five percent. Emergency backup generators engaged-- Ruin's voice processors buzzed with static as it fought desperately to remain in control of itself. --*bzzzt* One 18.25 ounce package chocolate cake mix. One can prepared coconut pecan frost--*bzzzt*-- Ruin AI conduit stabilized.



“---kun! Souji-kun! Naoto-kun! Please say something!!”





“R-Rise-san?!” Naoto gasped, and Souji grinned to himself as he felt Himiko's link renew itself.





“Oh, thank God! You're both okay!”





“What about you and the others?” said Souji as he wheeled the bike toward the open door.





“We're all just fine! Teddie and I just made it onto the other wing, and the others are halfway to the other end! I think we're actually going to make it across!”





“Okay. We're on our way. Don't wait up for us, just get going!”





“Way ahead of you, partner!” Yosuke replied, and Souji could hear the thrill in his old friend's voice. “I don't think I'd want to keep Chie on edge for too much longer, anyway. My sides are gonna be bruised enough as it--”





“Ahaha! Yosuke! Souji-kun doesn't need to know all that!” Chie cried, her nervous laugh a clear indication that she was embarrassed enough by the whole ordeal.





“Rise, are we going the right way?” asked Souji, intent on keeping his friends' minds on the matter at hand as he maneuvered the cycle through the shattered door.





“Oh! Yeah, Souji-kun! Just keep going that way! Teddie's gonna try and open up a way out for you!”





Souji nodded to himself, but a sound behind them made his stomach churn.





Red Alert. “Anomaly” escaping. Initiating failsafe. Destroy “Anomaly” at all costs. Self-preservation parameters obsolete.





“Naoto!” yelled Souji, but the sleuth had already fired another bullet at a nearby control panel, another thick blast door separating the pair from what was certainly an unpredictable Ruin.





“Heads up, Sensei!”



Souji grinned at the sound of the remarkably cheerful Teddie, and Kamui emerged into sight many yards in front of them. With a strong thrust upwards, Kamui hurled itself against the ceiling of the tunnel, and bleak sunlight shone down from the opening above. The silverette, taking a page out of Yosuke's book, summoned Izanagi to call forth winds to carry them through their newly created exit, the bike shooting out of the opening at full speed.





A loud explosion rocked the entire airship, and Souji turned his head reflexively, his eyes widening as he noticed a huge fireball erupting from a massive hole in the airship's main body. From the depths of the torn metal emerged Ruin, its yellow eyes crackling with ferocity, carried along by its four arms in a way that made it look like a giant mechanical spider. The wires and tubes trailed behind its skull like a massive tangle of wild hair, the frayed ends sparking with power.



The monstrosity roared as it continued to rip its way through the vehicle it was supposed to maintain, its gaze intently focused upon its target: Souji and Naoto.





“Holy crap!!” cried Yosuke and Chie in unison, clearly not expecting an enemy of this magnitude.





“Go! GO!!” commanded Souji as he landed, the tires screeching in protest as they sought to cling to the metal. “Don't worry about fighting it! Just get to the other side! Hurry!”





Souji's instinctive orders were readily obeyed, especially once the others noticed the continuous explosions blooming from the split body of the airship. Ruin charged forward behind the silverette and sleuth, its appendages slamming hard into the wing and penetrating the otherwise tough armor.





“Souji-kun! The turrets!”





“We'll be fine,” replied Souji calmly to Naoto's warning as he saw the wing-mounted guns aim toward them.





“But--”





“They have more important things to target,” said Souji reassuringly. “Trust me.”





Sure enough, as the pair passed between the turrets, they didn't turn. Instead, they held their aim to their intended target: Ruin.





The turrets fired their powerful blasts at their own reactor core, and Ruin shrieked in anger and frustration as its own guns began tearing it apart. The airship, without its reactor in the proper place, began to tilt to one side, and Souji felt the wing beneath him rise upward.





“Perfect! Hold on, Naoto!”





“Wha-what?!” Naoto gasped in alarm. “Souji-kun, don't be reckless!”





The silverette pushed the motorcycle to its limit, the engine roaring as it traveled as fast as it could up the steepening incline. He noticed Rise and Teddie leaping over the edge of the wing toward the other side, and the idol waved her hand frantically in a signal to them.





“Souji-kun! Push the red button!!”





Souji didn't ask questions. His hand slammed down on the red button on the console, and he immediately felt the bike surge forward, the engine given a strong boost of energy. They hurtled toward the end of the wing at high speeds, and the tires suddenly lost contact with the dark metal as it flew in an arc toward the dusty ground below. The vehicle hit the earth hard, kicking up another cloud of thick dust as the tires dug into the dry clay, and Souji stopped as quickly as possible, intent on disembarking immediately.





Souji and Naoto sighed audibly as their feet touched solid earth, and they ran toward the others, who immediately hugged them both in relief. Another loud explosion echoed across the sky, and the group looked down into the wide ravine to see the airship plummeting into the shadowy depths, smoke and fire pouring from the many damaged portions on the wings and body. The monstrosity disappeared into the darkness, consumed by the canyon which it created, and another violent detonation caused the ground to shudder.





RUIN...!!





The computerized voice echoed within the blast, and the echoes lessened to rumbles. Then all was still and silent once more.



Yosuke fell to the dusty earth with a loud sigh of relief. “Oh, man... I'm NEVER flying again.”



“Me either,” agreed Chie, sitting down next to him and leaning against his shoulder. “Geez, who would have known we'd do something like that?”



“That was intense, though, wasn't it?” Yukiko remarked brightly, her smile radiant. “I never felt so alive!”



“Good job with the bikes too, Teddie!” said Rise, ruffling the bear's blond hair. “They really came through for us!”



“Yeah,” said Kanji, looking just as thrilled as Yukiko. “I might even get me one of tho--”



“Senpai.”



The seriousness of Naoto's tone of voice caused everyone to look up, and even Kanji was stunned into silence.



“Do you realize how reckless you were during that entire ordeal?” The sleuth's voice was calm, but her eyes flashed dangerously, as though barely keeping her temper in check.



“Naoto,” began Souji, but the detective cut him off.



“You took considerable risks that weren't even necessary. Did the thought of the worst-case scenario ever cross your mind?”



“Naoto, aren't you overre--”



“Why are you always so impulsive?” Naoto continued, her voice rising as her control seemed to lessen over her anger. “Why?! You take so many chances and put yourself in so much danger! Half of those stunts should have left us both dead in the bowels of that THING. And you continued to take risk after risk in spite of the fact that--”



“Naoto,” Souji interrupted, his own temper beginning to get the better of him, “calm d--”



“Shut up, Souji! Just shut up for a second!!” Naoto's voice squeaked as she forgot entirely to speak deeper. “You have no clue how that makes me feel! How every single time you take a risk, you could... we could-- Damn it, Souji!! I can't LOSE you!!”



Souji gasped as Naoto nearly tackled him bodily, her arms tightly clinging around him as she buried her face in his shirt. He gazed around at his friends, silently appealing for help, but his stomach lurched when he saw their faces betray guilty expressions.



“...You all feel the same way,” said Souji dully.



“Souji-kun,” sighed Yukiko, “you have no idea how much you've helped us since you've been back. Before now, it was just... the same as it ever was! And ever since you got back, it's like... we're all home again.”



“But you've always had the power to change your--”



“Partner, you gotta think more about living.” Yosuke looked up at his friend from his seat on the ground, his face serious. “You're the glue that holds us together. You always have been. If you died, we...”



“...we'd probably go back to how we were before you came back,” finished Rise, looking pained. “You bring out the best in us, Souji-kun.”



“You're being silly. All of you--”



“You gotta admit,” interjected Kanji firmly, “you helped us all out of our funks, Senpai. And not just once, either. We owe everything to you.”



Chie nodded in agreement. “Yeah! You've done so much for us, you know? You saved us.”



“Please, guys!” Souji's voice rose, pleading that his friends understood his position. “You all saved yourselves! I was just the right person in the right place at the right time. That's all. I only walked with you and helped you see the things that were right in front of you...”



“But, Senpai...” Naoto looked up at the silverette, her eyes shining gently. “We need you. Don't throw your life away for our sake... We want you to live, too.”



“You all can get along fine without me.”



“No we can't!” Chie shook her head, looking worried. “This whole Fear thing should be proof enough of that!”



“But you CAN,” insisted Souji. “You have the strength inside you! All of you do. You just have to have confidence in yourselves and push yourselves on your own.”



“Uh... Sensei?”



Souji turned, blinking at the bear in worry, not liking the scared tone in his voice. “What is it, Teddie?”



“...We're here.”



Souji saw Teddie point toward a rising hill near their position, and the silverette blinked in shock as he realized exactly where they were. He heard multiple gasps sound off around him, and felt Naoto's arms squeeze more tightly around his body, a soft shiver making her quiver in his embrace.



The Rift loomed above them, tearing the sky asunder. Purple-colored lightning flickered and surged around the shattered wound in the landscape, and black smoke poured forth from its inky depths. The wind immediately picked up in strength, but the air rushed into the darkness along with pieces of rubble and debris. Pieces of the TV World reality broke off from the widening Rift and were drawn deeper inside, the breach slowly widening before their eyes.