Author's Note: Merry Christmas! This chapter includes my proofreader's favorite fight. Enjoy!

Chapter 41

Naoto shouldered her rifle and took aim at the shadow. She fired a series of shots and all of them found their target. The shadow stood still with a confident smirk on its face as the bullets glanced off without leaving a scratch. "You'll have to do better than that." The shadow tauned. It thrust its hand forward, unleashing a blast of wind that knocked Naoto off of her feet. It was more embarrassing than painful and Naoto immediately jumped back to her feet. Naoto concentrated, stretched out her hand and clenched her fist. A black circle appeared beneath the shadow then collapsed in on itself. The shadow was unaffected and went on grinning. Naoto was getting frustrated. She held out her hand and raised it above her head. A white square formed beneath the shadow and collapsed in a blinding flash of white light.

When the light faded the shadow remained. It laughed. Naoto converted her weapon into its sword form and charged at the shadow. She stabbed for its heart but is side-stepped and Naoto slid past it. It smacked her in the back of the head with the butt of its revolver. Naoto spun around with her blade outstretched. The shadow stepped in close, grabbed her arm, and twisted until she dropped the weapon. The shadow kicked the sword away and wrenched Naoto around until it was able to press the barrel of its revolver to her head.

Before the shadow could pull the trigger flames erupted all around the pair. The shadow stumbled away, beating at the flames. Naoto stood where she had, engulfed but unharmed. Growling with rage, the shadow reached out its hand toward Naoto. Electricity flew from its fingertips and into her. She convulsed as the current coursed through her but was able to launch a fireball that forced the shadow to cease its attack in order to dive-roll out of the way. The shadow kept in motion and ran straight at her. Naoto tried to avoid the attack but the shadow swept her legs out from under her with its own. She slammed down hard on her back and the shadow aimed its revolver at her face.

Naoto closed her eyes and clenched her fists. A spectral shield surrounded Naoto just before the shadow emptied its weapon at her. Naoto thrust both hands at the shadow, firing a powerful gust of wind that struck it in the chest. The shadow was lifted off the ground and flung across the arena, landing with a thud before bouncing into the retaining wall. Naoto had a moment to regroup. She stood, grabbed her sword and with all her might jammed it into the ground. She stood behind the weapon and waited for the shadow's response.

"You little bitch, I'll kill you!" The shadow screamed. It reached out with both hands and electricity arced across the arena toward Naoto. She stood silent and still, trusting in her plan. The electricity hit her sword which acted like a lightning rod and channeled all the energy harmlessly into the ground. She took a deep breath and with swipes of her hands, launched a series of fireballs at the shadow. The first few hit home but then the shadow thrust its hands forward, unleashing a continuous blast of wind that pushed the fireballs away.

The shadow's attack continued on toward Naoto. She braced herself as the gale struck her. Naoto managed to stay on her feet but she began slowly sliding back and away from her protective lightning rod. Now she reached out her arm and created an opposing blast of wind. The attacks swirled together, sucking stone chips and dirt off of the arena floor and into a tornado. With her other hand Naoto unleashed a stream of fire into the cyclone and increased the power of the wind she produced. The flaming tempest began to tilt and move, heading for the shadow. The firestorm engulfed the shadow and its attacks ceased as it screamed in pain. Naoto was now in total control and used the wind to intensify the heat until the shadow was incinerated. What little remained burst into a cloud of glowing ash that evaporated away.

"Very clever detective." Thanatos said. There was something different about Thanatos, something in his facial expression. Could he be worried? "Leave the arena."

Naoto wrenched her sword out of the floor and headed up the ramp. She had an uncharacteristic smile on her face. "What is it?" Yu asked.

"I noticed something." Naoto declared. There was an excitement in her voice that had not been present previously.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"He's definitely doing something to us when we're in there." Naoto said. "As he summoned the shadow, I could feel it. It was strange, hard to describe, but I felt it for sure."

"Why didn't the rest of us notice anything?" Akihiko asked.

"It was subtle." Naoto explained. "It could easily get lost in any feelings of anxiety, or in your case, excitement. I went in without those feelings. I was sure I could handle whatever I faced, not worried about anything my shadow would say, and last I was not eager to fight in the slightest. Any sensation would have to be caused by Thanatos."

"So what do you think it means?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's too early to say." Naoto replied. "If he's draining our power, he's taking a hardly noticeable fraction. I certainly did not feel weaker, but he definitely did something. Perhaps if the rest of you focus on it we can make some sense of it."

"I'll see if I notice anything." Mitsuru said.

"Labrys, is there any way your systems could have measured and recorded any anomalies?" Naoto asked.

"Maybe, but we'd need special equipment to access the data." Labrys answered. "My mind isn't so different from a person's. If I don't notice something as it happens I don't consciously remember it."

"As it may help to create a clearer picture of the situation, I will be particularly cognizant of any anomalous sensations." Aigis said. "Perhaps I will be able to shed some light on the nature of Thanatos' power."

"That move with your sword, that was very clever." Yang said, changing the subject. "How did you come up with that?"

"Well, my weapon wasn't doing me any good." Naoto said. "Since the only attack in his repertoire I really had to fear was electricity, I thought I would attempt to neutralize it."

"How did you know it would work?" Jaune asked.

"I didn't." Naoto admitted. "I would have had much more trouble if it hadn't. I also wouldn't count on it working again. Thanatos may alter the nature of the arena to prevent future success. He's still in complete control."

"We need to do something to take the initiative." Blake suggested. "Unfortunately I don't have any ideas."

"Until we know more we may be forced to be reactive." Naoto said. "I'm hoping that with more fights I'll be able to gather more information. Then maybe we can turn things around."

"If he maintains the current pattern, I'll be next." Ren said. "I'll collect as much data as I can."

"So what do you think your shadow will be?" Yosuke asked.

Ren shrugged. "There isn't anything that really concerns me." He said. "He may just have to summon a powerful enemy rather than playing mind games."

"Are you sure there's nothing?" Rise pressed. "We were pretty confident but he came up with stuff for us."

"Nothing he tries will faze me." Ren declared. "Whatever his phantoms may say, they remain just that, phantoms."

"The first round is complete and astonishingly, you have all survived." Thanatos announced. "We shall see just how long your luck holds. The second round will begin immediately. Lie Ren, enter the arena."

Ren descended the ramp into the arena. He walked to a spot near the center and sat down cross-legged. He maintained rigid posture but his face appeared placid. A few moments passed as nothing happened. Finally, Ren spoke. "Go on." He said. "Summon your shadow."

Thanatos appeared to be taken aback. "You have no fear, not the slightest anxiety." He observed. "Given what you have faced in life, I am not surprised." Thanatos' eyes narrowed as a smile crept across his face. "But everyone must fear something. Perhaps you fear the loss of those you love."

"I have lost many loved ones." Ren said. "The pain was great but fleeting. I endure."

"Would you be so callous about Nora?" Thanatos asked.

"If you wish you may summon a copy." Ren replied. "I will not harm Nora, but it would not be Nora. Give me an opponent, your games do not concern me."

Thanatos looked to be growing frustrated with Ren's serenity. It seemed the mind games had been flipped. "There is one thing all men fear." Thanatos said. "Unseen horrors cause greater dread than those right in front of you."

Black sludge rose up from the arena floor and resolved into humanoid form. Ren smiled. He had felt what Naoto had. Ren stood and faced the forming shadow. Excess material fell away to reveal...nothing. Ren stood in silence for a moment then with a jerk of his arms his guns slid out of his sleeves and into his hands. He aimed at the spot where the shadow material had piled up and fired a short burst. His bullets struck something invisible, deformed and fell to the ground. There were footsteps. He fired another burst. The invisible obstruction was now closer. A series of loud and rapid footfalls resounded. Ren turned in an attempt to follow the sound.

The invisible shadow lifted him off the ground. Ren thrashed, trying to come to grips with his unseen attacker, but it threw him across the arena. He landed on his side, tumbled across the floor, and rolled to his feet. Aiming back toward the spot from which he had been thrown, he fired. His bullets whizzed across the arena and slammed into the far wall. He stood still and closed his eyes, straining his ears to listen for any sounds the shadow might make.

Ren heard something, turned and fired. His shots went just wide and the shadow was upon him. It knocked his arms aside and struck him in the side of the head. Ren wobbled but caught himself and whipped his arms back. Swinging them blade-first, he stabbed his twin weapons into the unseen shadow. It groaned and twisted away. Ren tried to press the attack but the shadow had gone. There was no sound. He and the shadow stood still, each waiting for the other to make the next move.

Ren fired wildly at the ground, emptying his guns into the stone floor. Stone chips and dirt flew up and created a small cloud. It was enough to silhouette the shadow. Ren fired, charged forward and sunk his blades into the shadow's sides. It roared, grabbed him by the sides of the head, and headbutted him. Ren stumbled back and the shadow leapt at him. In such close combat the shadow lost its advantage. Ren lifted his knees to throw the shadow off, flipped over and stabbed at it. The shadow rolled out of the way and just like that was gone again.

The skirmish left Ren in the center of the arena with no idea where the shadow was. He took a deep breath, focused his aura, and slammed his palms into the ground. The stone all around him shattered, forming a shallow crater several meters across. The shadow approached but the sound of the stone chips crunching beneath its feet alerted Ren. He could see the bits of stone moved as the shadow stepped. Locked in on the shadow's location he fired his guns, the bullets stopping suddenly as they collided with the invisible shadow. Ren charged, stabbing one blade into the shadow's shoulder and missing with the other. The shadow grabbed him by the arms, spun around, and tossed him across the arena. Ren smashed into the retaining wall hard enough to crack it.

Ren's aura was depleted. He stood with his back to the wall. At least the shadow would not be able to sneak up behind him. Then he had an idea. He put one weapon away and stabbed the other into his free palm, missing any important anatomy but creating a deep bloody gash. He heard the shadow charge and dove aside. It slammed into the retaining wall and gave away its position. Ren lunged at it and smeared his bloody hand across its back from the base of its neck to its lower back. The shadow spun around and struck him in the face with its forearm but Ren had done what he had intended to do.

Ren retreated, his blood clearly marking the shadow's location. The shadow charged. Ren could now identify critical points of its anatomy thanks to the markings. He slid aside and hooked his blade into the shadow's chin. He dragged it to the ground, redrew his other weapon and sliced through the shadow's throat. It burst into a cloud of very visible glowing ash that evaporated away. "Only cowards fear what they cannot see." Ren declared.

"Indeed." Thanatos said with a contemplative look on his face. "Leave the arena." Perhaps Thanatos had underestimated Ren. Perhaps he admired Ren's resourcefulness. More likely he was pondering how next to torture the group.

Ren ascended the ramp to rejoin the others. He immediately headed for Naoto. "I felt it too." He said. "He's using us for something. As you said, I did not feel noticeably weaker."

"Is there anything else you can add?" Naoto asked. "Maybe something more specific?"

"No." Ren replied.

"Ren your hand!" Nora yelled as she ran up to him. She held his arm by the wrist, holding out his bloody hand. She had a look of deep concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Ren assured her. "My aura will heal it in no time."

"Are you sure?" Nora pressed. "It looks really bad."

Ren placed his other hand on Nora's shoulder. "I'm sure." He said. "It doesn't even hurt."

"If you say so." Nora relented. Her look of concern was replaced by an almost manic smile. "That was so cool! You couldn't even see that thing and you still beat it! You're awesome!"

"That was quite clever." Weiss said. "Creating a cloud, breaking the ground, even using your own blood to see the shadow."

"That must have been a really tough fight." Akihiko added. "Half of fighting is reacting to your opponent. Without that, man…"

"Once I was able to get to grips with the shadow it wasn't that strong." Ren said. "If it had been visible I would have destroyed it straight away."

"It's interesting that you should say that." Naoto said. "Once again it seems the shadows are very balanced vis-a-vis their opponents. I'm forming a theory, but I'm not ready to commit to it yet."

"Care to give us a preview?" Blake asked.

"I don't think Thanatos is generating the shadows entirely with his own power." Naoto theorized. "I don't think they're made from scratch either. I think they're at least partially made from us. That would explain why they're very similar. Unfortunately, if that were the case I would expect the process to significantly drain our own powers. That does not seem to have happened."

"I think you're on the right track." Yu encouraged her. "You'll figure it out."

"Mitsuru, what is wrong?" Aigis asked. Mitsuru did not reply. "Mitsuru, please, I am worried about you."

"I should be fighting next." Mitsuru said. She considered leaving it at that but knew her friends would not allow it. "I'm a bit concerned about what Thanatos has in store for me."

"Come on Mitsuru, you're as tough as they come." Akihiko said. "There's nothing he could do to bother you."

"I fear you're quite wrong." Mitsuru said. "Many burdens prey on my mind. I'm sure I can handle whatever Thanatos decides to use, but that doesn't mean it won't be painful. There are many things I would rather not face, but I suppose the time has come."

"If it helps I don't blame you for what happened to me and my sisters." Labrys said. "Whatever your company did before you came along, that's not your fault."

"It's nice of you to say but I've spent my life atoning for the wrongs committed by my forebears." Mitsuru sighed. "I anticipate spending what is left doing the same. Even if those wrongs were not my direct responsibility, as head of the Kirijo Group that burden is mine to bear."

"You can't keep beating yourself up for what your family's done." Weiss said. "I know from experience. All you can do is not repeat those same wrongs. You're your own person. You're not defined by a name."

"Trust her, she knows what she's talking about." Blake added.

"You may be right but I still have my share of sins." Mitsuru said.

"You certainly do." Thanatos cut in. "It's time for your match. You can worry about atonement if you survive."

Mitsuru took a deep breath and descended the ramp to the arena floor. As usual, since the last match the damage had been repaired. Faced with a fight, Mitsuru stopped moping. She drew her rapier and grinned, brimming with confidence. "Thanatos, do your worst." She said.

"Don't you worry." Thanatos said. He looked almost excited. It was deeply troubling. "I've got something special for you."

Swirling black sludge rose up from the arena floor, piling up upon itself. It resolved into humanoid form and as the excess fell away it revealed a young woman in a pink jacket and short black skirt holding a bow. "Yukari." Mitsuru gasped. With all she and Yukari had been through, the way their paths intertwined, she knew the mind games would be strong and painful.