With a polite bow, he left the girls only to return to the apparent look of tension on Naoto's face. After their recent breakthrough that her expression mirrored his own apprehension. She was quick on her feet. Before he could even suggested that they cut their outing short, the detective already made way for the exit. Ruffling through his wallet, he carelessly threw a few bills on to their table. His eyes momentarily settled on their half eaten desserts, and he briefly wondered what exactly were his intentions on bringing her here?
With a quick turn of the heel, he retraced her steps toward the exit and subconsciously his hands balled into a tight fist—an action he found himself doing whenever he need a reminder of why he was fighting. With the tips of his fingernails pressed tightly against his palm, he could feel the hardened blisters beneath his glove. His brows furrowed in frustration. Akihiko knew far too well where his priorities lied, the badge inside of his pocket and Caesar's recent incessant calls of agony made it clear. There was no time to be lingering over past thoughts, whatever thoughts he had of Miki couldn't be projected on to the detective—at least that was the only explanation he had to the inexplicable tightening of his chest whenever she threatened her health to enter Tartarus.
He paused when he noticed her hesitating at the exit. She was usually straight to the point, cutthroat even, when it came to the investigation. Her apparent look of uncertainty made him wonder. Was she also feeling apprehensive? He nodded after a prolonged pause. There it was again. He could almost feel the hairs on his neck standing on its ends, an unprecedented wave of frustration and worry paled his face at the thought of her in the Tower of Demise. But most importantly, it was as though there was something in his throat, a strange feeling that trespassed any reasoning. He swallowed, attempting to rid himself of the irksome sensation, before replying with a curt, "Yeah."
Luckily, Fuuka was seated in the Lounge the moment he barged into the dorms. She instantly looked up at him with a look of weighted concern at his blatant distress. "Senpai, what's wrong?" His head scanned the dorm.
"Yamagishi, where's Mitsuru?" Akihiko recalled Junpei and Yukari also went into the city to gather information. With Koromaru missing form Fuuka's side, he quickly assumed Ken, another absent member in the dorm, was taking him out for a walk.
"She and Aigis are both at the Kirijo Group's research facility to look for signs of Shadows in Tartarus. They mentioned observing during the hidden hour," Fuuka worriedly looked over at Naoto hoping she would provide some answers to their sudden entrance.
"Good," Having Mitsuru and Aigis watching over Tartarus only made their chance of surival higher. Conveniently, their absence would also allow him to go to Tartarus without Mitsuru's blatant disapproval and discouragement. She would always find a way to prohibit him. Her icy stare and her seniority of founding SEES always trumped his careless pursuits. This however, was a matter that overlooked their now crumbling teamwork. Despite how reckless it was to enter Tartarus, he knew even Mitsuru was aware of how short they were on time. "We're entering Tartarus tonight." He added a quick nod toward Naoto, his gaze remaining fixated on the detective. "I need you to keep a lookout for a girl we found out was missing for two weeks," He knew Fuuka would agree knowing the situation hit too close to home for her, "There are others too, you need to let us know exactly what floor they're on the moment you get a sign of their survival." He paused, "If they survived." He swallowed impatiently. He had memorized the mission people's faces throughout the past week. Why Naoto had decided to appear in a case file of his own imagination, only made him all the more unsettled. They were all painfully aware of horrors inside Tartarus, and it wasn't until he was replaying to Fuuka how essential her participation was that he realized that it was risky bringing Naoto along.
He visibly frowned, did she always appear so small? It wasn't her petite stature necessarily, or any kind of doubt he had of her capabilities (she had proven that to him before), but there was something that made him want to prohibit her from entering Tartarus at all. It wasn't just this missing persons case, but all of them. There was an undeniably irritating—itching, even—feeling that she must stay out of harm's way. Why? His brows knit together at a complete loss. Her attire was masculine as always, reminding him that he, and most likely Aigis, were the only members that were aware of her true gender. It was clear that although Mitsuru finalized Naoto's paperwork moving in, her head was focused only on the Kirijo Group instead of their recent addition to the team. Akihiko only discovered the detective's true gender when he filed her into the Station's database as a temporary on-call detective. Akihiko kept her secret. All of the members had some kind of demon to hide. Even he still kept Shinji's watch after all of these years. It wasn't his place to ask why she kept her identity under wraps. She had obviously proven her loyalty, and her dedication to the justice system was undeniable. If it was merely her gender that worried him about her participation in Tartarus, then he knew full well that the argument had no basis. Mitsuru, and his own morals about fighting kept such prejudices far from his beliefs.
He had no logical basis to reject her form entering Tartarus, in fact it would be a benefit to have her there. She was well aware of the missing people's identity, their appearance, their occupations, and even the date of when they were filed as missing. She spoke about "TV Land," a completely new terrain where Shadows chose to infest in Inaba. If any evolved Shadows approached him, she would be the first to recall their weakness. He couldn't forget it had been well over two years since his last encounter with the dark beasts. Whatever his reasoning was, there was no denying that he couldn't enter Tararus alone tonight. Not even his usual hard-headed determination could warrant that. Entering with the whole team was risky as well. This was purely a rescue mission, one that worked best with a discreet team. "I'll take full responsibility," he added, "I'll deal with Mitsuru myself too," he said more to Naoto than Fuuka, "We'll succeed. No matter what."
He was unsure who exactly needed to hear that more.
Although it took the other members more convincing, they ultimately agreed to the plan. Surprisingly, Yukari, although she was irked at their rushed carelessness, succumbed knowing two weeks was hardly survivable in Tartarus. Junpei protested the most. He was the most thirsty to go back fighting Shadows. Whether it was because of his insatiable desire to return to his glory days or the fact that his persona was where he felt Chidori's presence the most, Akhiko would never know. Discretion being the key word of the mission, even Iori begrudgingly knew it was better from him to remain behind. "Call me the second you need backup, Senpai!" was his way of giving them a green light.
Luckily, getting into Gekkoukan High after hours was much easier with his police badge (he could even ask the security the evacuate the building). Despite the urgency of their mission, the memories of how the team broke into their own high school was a fond one. He entered the gymnasium, and the hollow echoes of his footsteps against the tiled floor were the only indication of life inside the school. Akihiko knew that in a matter of seconds, that would change.
Lifting up his sleeve, he checked his watch. "Only a few seconds before the Hidden Hour. The entrance to Tartarus will resurface here, and everyone else should transmogrify." The boxer turned to face Naoto, still unable to shake off the irritable nervous feelings. He placed a hand on her shoulder, only to feel the insuppressible concern causing a tightening in his chest. Keeping his gaze on her, he almost wanted to offer an opportunity to pass on the mission. Before he could even speak, the room dissolved around him revealing the haunting entrance of the Tower. He could feel Caesar's thirsty trembling at the mere presence of nearby Shadows. Their surroundings changed from an innocuous gymnasium to a grand marbled entrance. The portal leading up to an endless flight of stairs now gleamed maliciously at their insignificant presence. Distant echos of screaming Shadows could be heard, and his blood curdled at the sudden change in temperature. Cold, chilling, hostile.
He pressed her shoulder once as though he were trying to transfer some kind of warmth, before letting his hand return to his sides, "Are you ready?"
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