Asmodeus Kamoshida (II)

"I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..."

"Well it doesn't matter now. We must take her back to King Kamoshida!"

Once the footsteps outside had faded away, Ryuji spoke up. "Who's this princess they're talkin' about?"

"I should probably look into this!" Morgana said. He confidently pushed the door open and strode outside. Or, as best a person could 'stride' on such stubby legs.

"And another question goes unanswered," Ryuji murmured in frustration.

After a moment, Shizuka swung her legs forward and hopped off the large table in the centre of the room. "Well come on, we should probably get after him. Lil' guy is stealthy and all, but I wouldn't give him good odds if he gets caught alone out there."

Morgana scurried back in swiftly. "This is bad! Your friend, Lady Ann... she's been taken by Shadows!"

"But... we sent her back," Akira said. "Unless..." He thought back to the other day, when Ryuji had gotten his Persona, and how he had gotten the same app as soon as they returned to the real world. "Sting, check your phone."

"Eh? What the heck's this eyeball thing?" Shizuka asked, raising her phone up from her pocket.

So, she had it too now. Realising this made Akira sigh and shake his head. "My guess is, anyone who enters the Metaverse winds up with the same app. So even though we sent her out, she could come back. And she probably overheard the keywords we used to get in here." An unfortunate oversight. They'd have to deal with it quickly, without powers of her own she was in real danger.

Particularly given what they'd already seen of Shadow Kamoshida. And the real one for that matter.

Knowing this, the thieves left the safe room at a swift pace, retracing the route they had used to get this far. Having cleared more than a few Shadows on the way through, they were mostly able to navigate the corridor and adjoining dining room in a stealthy silence. Occasionally they could hear Ann's voice in the distance, her muffled protests guiding them.

The group soon reached a small hallway with empty suits of armour lining both sides, leading toward a set of heavy iron double doors. "Look, I'll totally apologize for touching the armour without permission!"

"She totally doesn't get what's going on... We better hurry!" Ryuji led on, and after gaining some momentum he rammed the doors open with one well aimed shoulder charge. The other three thieves quickly followed his lead.

Sure enough, there was Ann- presently locked into some X-shaped device that was restraining her by her wrists and ankles. Worryingly, ther were a few racks for swords and spears positioned at one end of the room. Two knights were guarding her, and no doubt they had nabbed her as soon as she entered. And, standing by the guards was the 'King' and some kind of doppelganger of Ann who was... definitely not dressed for winter.

"Whoa." Shizuka blinked behind her mask, trying to hold her jaw in place. She quickly glanced to Morgana "Aha... W-why the heck are there two of her?"

"That's a cognition of Lady Ann. How Kamoshida perceives her in reality." Well, that explained some things. At once Shizuka felt a little guilty for staring, and then even more worried about what this asshole would get up to if nothing was done to deal with him.

"This is effed up," Ryuji grunted. He clenched his fists and jogged forward, with Akira in tow. "Takamaki!"

Kamoshida sighed in annoyance, turning to glare at Ryuji "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself." His guards promptly stood to attention, and they surrounded Ann in such a way that it would be a whole lot harder for Houdini to get over and break the restraints. Kamoshida's 'princess' looked beyond bored. "How many times are you gonna come back?" He turned his attention to the real Ann. "I bet you're just like these thieves. You came because you're pissed at me huh? I see now, I get it. But ah... Shit, I forget that chick's name. It's your fault she jumped you know." Ann's eyes widened in shock. "You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place."

Ryuji had clenched his fists so hard that it was some miracle he wasn't bleeding from his palms. But with several knights positioned dangerously close to Ann, he didn't dare make a move.

"You bastard!" Ann shrieked. One of the knights, covered in gold platemail to distinguish him from the dull grey grunts, advanced closer at her outburst.

"No!" Ryuji said, set to advance before Kamoshida raised a hand up.

"Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot!" A malicious grin broke out onto his inhuman face. "Just sit back and enjoy the show."

The situation was rapidly getting worse, and Shizuka was aware that Akira was looking at her expectantly. "If I do anything... if they know Houdini is doing anything, they'll kill her. I need a distraction."

Ann hung her head. Even from their end of the room, the group could hear her clearly. "Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho? Shiho... I'm so sorry."

It was at that moment that an idea seemed to occur to Akira, his attention focused solely on Ann while he tuned out Kamoshida's mocking ravings. They couldn't reach her. But if Ann was in this world, then surely she could unlock the same power and save herself. "Don't give in," he firmly told her. Ann looked up slowly.

There was a brief beat, before her brow set and her misery was replaced with an angry resolve. "You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me..." Ann trailed off into a bitter laugh and shook her head. "What was I thinking?!"

"Like I always say, slaves should just-,"

Ann quickly cut him off. "Shut. Up. I've had enough of you... You've pissed me off you son of a bitch!"

A pulse rocked Ann's body, pain racking every nerve in her body. She gasped in shock and thrashed against her restraints, and from where she was it felt as if a spike was being driven into her brain. As had been the case for Akira and Ryuji when they awoke to her power. The air around her grew hotter, shimmering with thin coils of fire gradually growing more intense. And through it all, Ann heard a voice in her head. Feminine. Confident. Powerful.

"My... it's taken far too long. Tell me, who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never an option. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou, thou art I. We can finally forge a contract!"

"I hear you... Carmen," Ann whispered. The flames grew more intense, until a flash of blue fire engulfed her face, forming into scarlet mask that looked vaguely like that of a cat. Had a sculpted pair of ears and everything. "No more holding back!" Akira was smiling. Just what he was hoping would happen. It had worked for Ryuji after all.

"There you go. Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."

Blue fire wrapped around the iron restraints on Ann's limbs, the metal snapping and exploding outward and letting her drop down to her feet. In one quick motion she reached over and grabbed her mask, snarling in pain and anger as she tore the material from her face. A splash of blood erupted from around her eyes as the mask was torn away, the snarl becoming a scream halfway through. Light exploded around her, engulfing Ann's entire body.

The light vanished, replaced with a more tame aura of blue energy shimmering around Ann's whole body. Ann's school attire had been replaced by some kind of scarlet cat suit, a whip holstered on her right hip. Her newly summoned Persona floated at her side, a female figure in a black and scarlet gown, her face concealed by a mask while a large cigar was wedged in her lips. Two smaller figures, males with strange heart-shaped masks encasing their heads. They were chained to Carmen's body, and floating like lifeless dolls.

"Oh... well... never mind the rescue then," Shizuka murmured, awestruck. Whatever that was, it was definitely different than getting a Stand.

As if to further impress the others, Ann abruptly darted from the block that had restrained her. In the span of only a few seconds she snatched a sword from one stunned guard, leapt high, and then brought the blade crashing down on her copy. The doppelganger exploded into a cloud of black goo that melted to the floor.

"She's pissed," Ryuji said. Despite his shock at the sudden display of wrath, he was rather pleased by this turn of events.

"She's wonderful~" Morgana dreamily purred.

The king was cowering, falling behind the armoured line of his knights. "I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag! You stole everything from Shiho. You destroyed her! Now it's your turn!" The others formed up around Ann as she tossed her sword away. Carmen's glow filled the room as she cast an accusing finger at Kamoshida. "I will rob you of everything!"

The golden knight scoffed, dropping his sword and shield to the ground as his body began to ripple and distort. "Such insolence!" In a single explosion of black goo he had transformed, becoming some kind of... hulking purple demon, sitting on a floating toilet.

"Aw that's just gross," Shizuka said.

"It... somewhat undercuts the mood, yes," Morgana added. The two other knights followed their leader, morphing in explosive bursts of black goo. Their transformation was finished swiftly, leaving the demon flanked on both sides by a pair of dark horses with sharp, twisting horns of their own.

Carmen flicked a hand out dismissively, unleashing a burst of fire that struck the tremendous demon and launched him clean across the torture room, his body smashing into the brickwork and sending clouds of mortar erupting from around him. It left him more than a little dazed, his head swaying as he tried to realign his thoughts.

In an instant the two bicorns made a rushing beeline for Ann, hooves pounding the tiles. Zorro rushed in from the right and swung his rapier up in a quick Z-shaped series of slashes. Such was his speed that it sent a green gale rushing out from his blade, smashing into one of the beasts and sending it spiraling across the room. Captain Kidd intercepted the other, the spectral pirate ship at his feet crashing into the creatures horns with a resounding, earth rattling shockwave.

It didn't take long for the demon to shake his head clean of the daze, his sharp gaze falling on Ann and Akira. He raised his right hand raised up quickly, nails elongating and sharpening as the air grew ice cold. Long icicles sprouted from his digits, and then exploded outward in a hail of sharp frozen diamonds.

Ann braced, set to dodge, until Arsene lunged in the way of the incoming hail with his wings folded in front of him as a shield. Each shard of ice exploded on impact, making Akira grunt from the strain. It stung quite a bit, but he could endure.

Chilled air was already gathering at the demons hand again, another volley set to fire. A sudden gout of blood erupted from his outstretched arm, making the creature gasp in shock and pain. Wide eyes glanced down to the wound in his arm. It was as if a hole had been punched clean through the limb, but... he could still feel something lodged in there. A second unseen spear was suddenly lodged in his body, punching through his right shoulder and drawing a pained howl from the creature.

With one eye open, the other clenched shut, he could see something swim across his vision. Something barely visible, a golden female figure. Just as this realisation dawned on the demon, the golden figure's fist came rushing outward in a hail of punches, dozens of strikes nailing him in the face with each passing second.

"BAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZUBAZU!!"

"Get clear!" Ann called. Houdini leapt away from the bloodied and battered ruin of the demon's face, as Carmen let loose another fireball that erupted and engulfed the toilet bound creature. His shadowy remains were plastered along the wall, and then sizzled out of existence entirely. It didn't take long for Ryuji and Morgana to deal with the two steeds, with the blond boy taking down the hulking beast with a splattering burst of shotgun fire.

With the Shadows dealt with, the group went to gather again in the center of the torture room.

The smoke cleared in the bombed out room, and it became clear that Kamoshida had slipped away in the chaos. "Damnit... where did he..." Ann took a step forward, only for fatigue to set in and bring her down to her right knee, her breathing growing heavier. It was only now that she looked at herself, and the scarlet catsuit that had formed on her body. "And what the heck am I wearing?!" She instinctively moved to cover herself... as best she could anyway.

"You seriously only noticed that now?" Ryuji asked, exasperated.

Akira looked down at the blonde and nodded slowly. "So, just like with Ryuji... unlocking your Persona exhausted you," he said.

"Not that I want to interrupt or anything, but spooking the King like that... I don't doubt there'll be a patrol coming to investigate. Let's retreat for now," Morgana advised.

Ryuji groaned and looked down at his feet, shaking his head in annoyance. "We were just getting fired up and you had to go and get in the way... Gimme your arm." He approached Ann's right, letting her support herself on that end. "Joker, you grab the other."

"Think you can get us out of here stealthily Sting?" Akira asked, looking Shizuka's way.

The raven-haired girl flashed a toothy smile, Houdini's spectral form forming behind her. "You kidding? That's my specialty." She clenched her fist, and in an instant the phantom thieves became invisible to the naked eye.

--------------

Their escape from the Metaverse was a swift one, and they just barely evaded passing patrols of knights thanks to Shizuka's Stand. After returning to reality, the group headed to the subway station near Shujin and grabbed a quiet alcove at the platform to catch their breath.

It took a few minutes for Ann to catch her breath. A lot had happened, physically and mentally, and it was naturally very draining. But, Shizuka would admit, the blonde was hardier than she looked.

"Have you calmed down Lady Ann?" Morgana asked. Now stuck in a normal feline form he was using Akira's bag as a 'nest', standing atop it while his front paws rested on Akira's shoulder.

"Um... Morgana, right? I really am talking to a cat... this feels so strange."

Shizuka shrugged from her position by the wall. "Could be worse. Least he's not a sentient flower." Ann gave her a curious glance. "Uh, sorry. Never mind. Still, for as weird as all this must seem... you have to admit that it's pretty kickass. I mean you totally beat the shit outta' that huge toilet guy!"

It was an assessment that made Ann smile sheepishly. "You think so? Ha, honestly the whole thing is kind of a blur now that I think about it... my power, my Persona."

"It's the will of your rebellion Lady Ann. And with it, you'll be able to fight in the other world. And the other world is the key to making Kamoshida change his ways," Morgana said.

"Yeah and if what these guys say is true, it's the only option we have. Students, teachers, parents... they know all about what's going on, and they're keeping quiet. So getting help from the people in power isn't happening. And besides that, you're the only guys who know what a shit-heel he is," Shizuka added. She pointed to Ryuji and Akira "Not that anyone's gonna listen to what these two have to say. I've been here for less than a week and all I've heard is that you two are worthless thugs."

Akira shrugged. "Well... at least it's a step up from being called a murderer."

After a long silence Ann nodded and looked up at the group. "In that case, I'm in too. I want to make him pay for what he did to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did. I'll never forgive him!"

"You serious?" Ryuji looked as if he was trying to mask concern with annoyance, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I mean... it's gonna be pretty dangerous you know."

"Don't be ridiculous, she'll be great. I mean, she was incredible in her first fight," Akira reasoned. "Besides. She has the app, so it's not like we could stop her going in. Better to do it as a group."

Morgana purred his approval. "I agree. Lady Ann was quite impressive, and for a job like this we could do with extra manpower."

"Then it's settled." Ann grinned and clenched her fist in triumph. Ryuji didn't protest further, and seemed to shelve his concerns when it seemed the majority was against his worries. It would be more dangerous if Ann decided to fly solo. "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake, but for everything he's done."

"Well, that's the end goal. But uh... we prolly only have until these two get expelled to change things. How long is that?" Shizuka asked.

"About a fortnight. Bastard said he's gonna call for our expulsion at the next board meeting, so..." He trailed off with a quick shake of his head. A fortnight to save their asses. If they didn't take the treasure before then, it would be too late to undo the damage he'd do at the board meeting.

The group exchanged contact info so they could keep in touch, after which Ann parted from them and headed for home. With how hectic today was, nobody blamed her.

That just left the matter of Morgana, and who would be taking care of him in his cat form. After all, a wandering stray cat could only land in trouble.

"No way I can take him at my place," Ryuji remarked.

"And Simmons is allergic to cats. But more than that I'm not living with a talking cat because it's damn weird," Shizuka said. She tucked her hands into her pockets, pushed off the wall, and looked to the cat perched in Akira's bag. "Eh. Seems he's taken a shine to you anyway Akira-kun."

"Uh.... who's Simmons?" Ryuji asked.

"My butler."

"You have a butler?!"

"I mean he's more my legal guardian but," Shizuka rolled her shoulders in a carefree manner. "He'd call himself my butler above all else."

It was all settled then. Akira raised no protests. With how drab and depressing Leblanc's attic was, he could do with the company anyway. "Well, it's getting late, so we should all start heading home. But for future reference we should decide on a meeting place where we'll gather before our missions." He thought back and then smiled "Ah. How about the school roof? Relatively isolated, and it looks 'off limits.' Should give us some privacy."

"Gotcha. Well, guess we're gonna be starting properly tomorrow" Shizuka mused.

--------------

By the time she got home, Shizuka felt ready to collapse. Seeing a girl almost kill herself, going into another world, getting into her first real fight with her Stand, and then compounded with a long train ride home... she hadn't realised how tired she was until she found herself actively struggling just to get off the train.

The smell of Simmons' cooking did perk her up a bit though. As Shizuka stepped out of her shoes she sniffed the air like a curious dog and unconsciously licked her lips. "Rogan josh? Hot damn, just what the doctor ordered." Her mom was what some would politely call 'adventurous' when it came to her food. She liked cuisines from all around the world and insisted that all the Joestar staff try to learn at least one non-American recipe. Rogan josh was Simmons' specialty.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back young miss!" Simmons called from the kitchen. He emerged from around the corner, drying his hands in his apron. "So good to see you again. I heard a very ghastly rumor that a girl a your school... well."

"It's not a rumor. A girl tried to jump off the roof, but... she's fine," Shizuka said. Physically at least. Much as it annoyed her to think on the suffering Shiho had gone through, and that Kamoshida would get away with it if nothing was done, she was glad that Simmons had reminded her. "Uh, gimme a sec Simmons. I got a call to make." She drew her phone from her pocket and made for the main living area of the apartment beyond the kitchen.

When she was younger, her dad had told her all about Speedwagon- the best friend of his grandfather and grandmother, who had dedicated his whole life to repaying the kindness Jonathan Joestar had shown him. That gratitude was embodied in the research and charity group now known globally as the 'Speedwagon Foundation.'

To most of the world it was a multifaceted, benevolent group. Medical research, environmental conservation, charity ventures. All things the group were proudly involved in. But their real raison d'etre was to provide aid and support to all member of the Joestar family. Just as Speedwagon had done for Jonathan.

And after making sure Shizuka knew the importance of this, certain that some insane circumstance would befall her as it managed to befall everyone in his family, he had given her the personal phone number of their current CEO, the man who had been running the show for several years.

The phone rang a few times before an answer came on the other line. "Ah, Shizuka. It's nice to hear from you. Haven't seen you since the ah... well... h-how are you?"

"I'm fine Mister Christo," it was technically true, she supposed. "Um, listen, there's been ah... an incident on my end. The Speedwagon Foundation has facilities in Tokyo, right?"

"Why yes. Operations were expanded heavily after... well, it was before your time. But we have a few clinics and offices dotted around Japan. Why do you ask?" Mister Christo asked.

"There's this girl at my school. Shiho Suzui," the name had been murmured rather frequently after she jumped. "She was in an... an accident. And so, with how heavy things are gonna be for her family... I was thinking that maybe we could foot her hospital bills? Any way to arrange that on your end?"

Christo chuckled briefly on his end. "You've got a big heart. Yes, that should be easy enough to deal with. I believe Doctor Lifeson is working in... China, at the moment. Transferring him to Tokyo should be easy enough, and it'll make your friends hospital stay much quicker. If you're fine with that," he informed her.

"That would be wonderful, thank you so much."

It was a start. But for as easily as Christo's people could handle Shiho's physical injuries, her problems ran far deeper than that. And even dealing with Kamoshida, and making him have a change of heart, wouldn't undo the pain she felt. Something had to be done. And so, thinking on this, Shizuka resolved to meet Shiho in person at some point.