Chapter 45

"I guess I'm up next." Yang said.

"Worried?" Blake asked.

"After what we've seen it would be impossible not to be." Yang replied. "That said, I'm feeling pretty confident. I don't think there's anything Thanatos can conjure up that would bother me. The things my shadow said were about as bad as it gets."

"What did your shadow say?" Ruby asked. "I wasn't there."

"I'd rather not repeat it." Yang replied. "Besides, if things go the way I expect, we'll get to hear it all again."

"Your shadow wasn't that bad." Yu said.

"It did some talking before you guys showed up." Yang said. "You know how they operate. It knew all my insecurities and used them to maximum effect."

"I wouldn't expect you to have very much in the way of insecurities." Pyrrha said.

"You'd be surprised." Yang sighed. "On the plus side, Thanatos isn't going to embarrass me with them. I don't care if you guys know how I really feel."

"Oh Yang, no one is better at hating you than you are." Thanatos sneered. "It's time for your fight."

"I don't know, I feel pretty good about myself." Yang said. She walked down the ramp and took up her position on the arena floor. "Let's see what you've got."

"I'll put your confidence to the test." Thanatos said with a smirk. Shadow material rushed out of the ground and piled up on itself. It resolved into human form and the excess fell away to reveal a copy of Ruby."

"Well crap." Yang said. "This one's going to be rough."

"Aren't you happy to see your precious little sister?" The shadow asked. Yang was unnerved. It spoke in Ruby's voice but the malice of its tone was incongruous.

"You're a shadow, not my sister." Yang said.

"Do you think you'll be able to kill me?" The shadow asked. "Will you be able to punch this face? Will you cave this head in?"

"Like I said, you're not my sister." Yang repeated. "You just stole her face."

"Is that what will allow you to fight me, or is there more?" The shadow pressed. "You are jealous of me, aren't you?" The fact that the shadow was speaking in the first person as if it were Ruby made Yang angry. How dare the monster? And how dare it imply that Yang feel anything but love for her sister? "I'm so happy, so carefree. You agonize, crushed by the weight of the world, but not me. You wish the roles were reversed. After all, the team leader, the one with all the responsibility, the one with the dead mother, I should be the one suffering, not you."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Yang shouted. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists. "I want the kind of carefree happiness Ruby has but that doesn't mean I want her to lose it. I want us both to be happy. If anything, I'm afraid she'll lose it. That would crush me."

"Would it?" The shadow said. "I bet your death would rip that away from her. How about I kill you and find out?"

"Just try it." Yang challenged. She took a fighting stance and stared down the shadow.

Yang bounced back and forth, shifting the weight between her feet, waiting for the shadow to make its move. She did not have long to wait. The shadow fired its sniper-scythe backwards, launching itself toward Yang. It swung the blade around at blinding speed but Yang caught it on her left gauntlet. With her right she punched the weapon aside, throwing the shadow off balance in the process. Lunging forward she landed a punch to the shadow's stomach that lifted its feet off the ground. As it turned in the air, Yang jumped and punched the shadow back down, slamming it into the ground.

"How do you like that?!" Yang shouted as she punched at the downed shadow's head. The shadow rolled out of the way, and in a flurry of wilted rose petals, zipped to its feet a safe distance away.

"You will die here!" The shadow screamed. Its smug expression was replaced by one of rage. It repeated its opening move, firing backwards to launch itself toward Yang. Instead of attacking directly, it planted its scythe in the ground and pole-vaulted over Yang's head. Yang spun around to face it, simultaneously throwing a right hook. The shadow ducked under the punch, leveled its weapon and fired. The high-caliber round struck Yang in the chest and knocked her flat on her back. She rolled back over her shoulder and to her feet as the shadow slammed its blade down. Side-stepping as the shadow fired again, Yang then delivered a leaping punch to the shadow's face that was enough to wobble it. She threw another punch but the shadow dodged it and dove past her to the side, using its scythe to sweep her legs. Yang tucked and rolled forward, twisting around to face the shadow. She fired her gauntlets as the shadow fired its rifle and the shots cancelled in a brilliant flash.

"Is that all you've got?" Yang taunted.

"Not by a long shot." The shadow hissed. The shadow began zipping around, trailed by wilted rose petals that mocked Ruby's, too fast for Yang to keep track of its movements. It appeared at her side, swinging its scythe around. Yang had just enough time to raise a gauntlet to block but not enough to brace against the blow. She was sent flipping through the air, regained control of her movement and landed on her feet before skidding to a stop near the edge of the arena. Before Yang could react the shadow was upon her and struck her with an upward swing of its weapon. Yang was flung upward, slammed into the invisible dome that surrounded the arena and tumbled toward the ground. The shadow met her midair, and hit her with the blunt side of its weapon. She rocketed toward the ground, careening off the arena retaining wall before slamming to the floor. The shadow attacked without hesitation but Yang immediately got to her feet. She jumped over its swing and the shadow's weapon bounced off the wall and threw the wielder off balance. Yang reared back and delivered a haymaker to the side of its head that sent it sprawling onto its back.

"You're mine!" Yang growled, diving atop the shadow. Straddling its torso, she delivered punch after Ember-Celica-enhanced punch to the shadow's face.

"Yang, please, stop." The shadow begged. "You're hurting me!" It was Ruby's voice. Its eyes, the eyes that displayed such terror, were too much like Ruby's eyes. Yang could not help but hesitate. She knew in her head that it was not her sister, but her heart was another story. In an instant the shadow shifted its weight, tipping Yang to the side as it slipped free. She caught herself, planting her arm on the ground, but the shadow swung its weapon around and smashed it into the side of Yang's head like a baseball bat. Yang tumbled across the floor and came to rest on her back. "I can't believe you fell for that." The shadow hissed. Yang rolled onto her side but the shadow ran over and kicked her in the gut before she could get up. She curled up in a ball as the shadow repeatedly kicked her. One last vicious kick to the head and Yang went limp. The shadow laughed and brought its weapon to bear, aiming the gun at Yang's head.

Yang's eyes snapped open, red and seeming to burn with rage. Her hair burst into flame. She grabbed the shadow's weapon and used it to drag the monster to the ground. She rolled on top of the shadow, using her knee to pin the arm that held its weapon to the ground while her other leg held it in place. "I can't believe you fell for that." Yang mocked with a smirk. The shadow tried to retaliate with its free arm but Yang caught it. With a twist she snapped it like a twig. "Stealing my sister's face, her voice, just to hurt me, that's unforgivable."

"You still can't do it." The shadow said. "It hurts you too much to hurt her."

Yang grabbed the shadow by the throat with her left hand, squeezing and holding it down as the shadow desperately struggled to wriggle free. That shut it up at least. Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Without looking she repeatedly punched the shadow in the head until she felt it crack and crush under the onslaught. By the time she opened her eyes the shadow had already burst into a cloud of glowing ash. Yang knelt there hyperventilating. The fire in her hair died away and her eyes returned to their usual violet as her breathing began to slow and normalize. She regained her calm but was deeply disturbed.

"Congratulations, you have successfully displayed your willingness to beat your sister to death with your bare hands." Thanatos said. "Exit the arena."

Bruised and bloodied, Yang walked up the ramp and out of the arena. "Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked. She looked concerned.

"Shadow you hits harder than real you." Yang laughed. She rubbed the side of her head. "I don't think anything's broken though.

"No, I mean, are you okay?" Ruby asked again. "That must have been tough."

"It wasn't easy to fight something that looked like you, but I'll be fine." Yang assured her.

"I was scared." Ruby said. "I thought you were dead."

"So did the shadow." Yang said. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"I...don't know what I would do if you…" Ruby struggled.

"Don't let you happiness be reliant on me." Yang cut her off. "The day might come when...you know. No matter what happens to me, I just want you to be happy. Okay?"

"O-okay." Ruby stuttered. She hugged Yang tightly.

"Alright, that's enough." Yang groaned. "I think I have some bruised ribs."

"Did you learn anything?" Naoto asked.

"Nothing new." Yang replied. "I felt what you all described but I have no idea what it means. I guess I learned what a sadistic bastard Thanatos is, but we already knew that." She took a seat with her teammates. "I need some rest." She leaned back against the next row of seats.

"Damnit." Naoto said under her breath. "Why can't I figure this out?"

"Maybe it's not something that can be figured out." Pyrrha suggested. "It could just be another one of Thanatos' tricks. He might want us to agonize over figuring out what's really going on. We need to focus on our fights."

"Pyrrha's right." Yu said. "We don't have the evidence we need at the moment and there really isn't a way to get more. The truth, or at least a few clues, might reveal themselves, but until then there isn't much we can do other than survive. After I fight all that's left is the doubles. Then maybe we can finally get some answers."

"After what Thanatos just put in front of Yang you must be worried about your shadow." Pyrrha said.

"I'm actually not that concerned." Yu shrugged. "I'm worried about the fight itself. How could I not be? There just isn't much that bothers me."

"He's not kidding." Rise added. "I've never seen anything get under his skin. Actually, I don't think I'd ever even seen him angry until…" She began to sob. "I'm sorry."

"It'll be okay." Yu said softly. He wrapped Rise in a hug to console her and she wrapped him up tightly. "Everything's going to work out, I promise. You need to be strong for me." He turned his head to face the others. "That goes for all of you. My strength is my friends."

"Touching." Thanatos said. "It's time for your fight."

Yu pulled himself away from Rise's grasp. "Don't die." She cried.

Yu held her at arm's length, looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I'm going to be fine." Yu said. He turned only to be immediately embraced by Naoto.

"You'd better come back." Naoto said. She buried her face in his shoulder to hide her emotions. "Promise me."

"I promise." Yu said. He pulled back and met Naoto's gaze with a smile.

"Today Narukami." Thanatos said.

Yu descended the ramp and took his place on the arena floor. "I'm coming for you." Yu said, staring straight at Thanatos. His voice lacked the slightest hint of anger - or any other emotion for that matter - but that made his statement all the more threatening. "You won't stop me."

"Time will tell." Thanatos said.

Black goo swirled up from the center of the arena. It coalesced into human form. The excess melted away, leaving behind a scarred young man with shocking red hair and twin swords. It was clearly meant to be Sho Minazuki. "So Yu, going to lecture me on your power of friendship bullshit?" The shadow asked. Yu said nothing. "Have you finally given it up? Come on moron, I'm living, breathing proof that you don't need your stupid friends. I'd rather fall on my swords than be friends with you losers." Yu looked on, impassive. "Not getting you riled up huh? That's cool. It doesn't matter. I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to kill all of your friends. You said it yourself: your strength is your friends. They're not here to help you and you won't be there to help them."

"My friends are always with me." Yu said serenely.

"I don't see them." The shadow said. "Maybe they're just hiding. I'm pretty sure Yosuke's not here though. Such a shame, I hoped to kill him myself."

"If you think you're going to get under my skin, you're mistaken." Yu said with super-human calm. His monotone voice and blank expression betrayed nothing of his inner feelings.

"Fine, if my words aren't going to get under your skin my swords will!" The shadow laughed maniacally.

Yu drew his sword and held it in front of him in a slow smooth motion. The shadow roared and charged, trailing its twin swords. Yu shifted his stance, held his sword in one hand and used the other to fire electricity at the shadow as it approached. The shadow lifted one blade, caught the electricity and fired it off harmlessly to the side. Not breaking its stride it slashed at Yu with the other blade. He easily deflected it, jumped back as the shadow slashed at him with the first and then, with the shadow out of position, he punched it in the chest with a fist charged with electricity. The shadow flew back through the air, slamming down and skidding to a stop near where it had originally appeared. Yu returned to his original stance.

The shadow sprung to its feet and charged again, this time whipping its blades around in a frenzy. Yu again dropped a hand off his sword and fired a bolt of lightning at the shadow. The flash from his own attack temporarily blinded him and when he could see again the shadow was gone. Yu spun around with his sword extended. The shadow had teleported behind him and Yu immediately deflected one of its blades with his sword. For the second he lifted his free arm and caught the shadow's forearm. He then kicked the shadow in the leg. It lost its balance and Yu slashed the back of its head with his sword as it went down.

The shadow teleported again and Yu quickly turned to face it. It swept its swords in an X pattern toward him, firing a blast of energy. Yu blocked the blast with his sword as the shadow teleported again. Yu had no time to adjust and took a pair of slashed across the back. Other than a slight grimace on Yu's face the hits hardly registered. Yu turned and blocked both of the shadow's swords with his own. The air around him crackled with energy and electricity fired out in all directions. The shadow writhed as the current surged through it and fell to its knees. Yu slashed at it but it teleported before his attack arrived.

Now Yu was off balance, only just having stopped himself from falling over forwards. The shadow reappeared behind him and kicked him in the back. Yu tucked and rolled forward landing on his feet but the shadow was upon him. It slipped one blade under his chin and with the other stabbed at his back. Yu was pressed between the blades, saved only by his aura. He crouched but the shadow kept the blades firmly in place. Yu grunted, finally starting to feel the pain. He sprung up and backflipped, landing with the blade the shadow had used on his back now between his legs. Stiffening his legs, Yu spun around, twisting the blade out of the shadow's grip. Its other sword was out of position was well and Yu slashed at the unprotected shadow but it again teleported.

Yu picked up the shadow's abandoned blade and sheathed his own. The shadow charged, teleporting erratically as Yu fired bolts of electricity at it. It teleported into the air above him and slashed down hard. Yu lifted the stolen blade to block and it melted in his hands. The shadow's attack landed on his collar bone, and though his aura held, it knocked him onto his back.

"That blade was as much a part of me as my arm." The shadow taunted. "How stupid are you that you think I'd let you use it against me." It slammed its sword down at him but Yu rolled out of the way and jumped back to his feet.

Yu drew his own sword as the shadow pressed the attack. He slipped to the side as the shadow stabbed at him, stepped forward and pinned the shadow's arm to his side. He slid his leg behind the shadow's and thrust his shoulder into it. The shadow dropped its other blade and fell over backwards. Without hesitation Yu plunged his sword into the shadow's torso. Electricity coursed through the blade and into the shadow which seized for a moment before bursting into a cloud of glowing ash that evaporated away.

Thanatos prepared to deliver some snide comment but Yu spoke first. "If you thought that would stop me you've gravely underestimated me." He said.

"Your emotional control is impressive." Thanatos admitted. "That is most unexpected. We shall see if you can maintain it. Now, depart the arena."