Chapter 23

An older man in a suit, bizarrely wearing a samurai helmet, marched toward the group. "You shouldn't be here." He boomed in a distorted robotic voice.

"I take it that's our shadow." Yosuke said. Rise nodded.

The shadow melted into a black puddle before forming into a tall and heavily armored samurai. Black armor accented with white covered its entire body and its face was shrouded by a red mask. The shadow wielded an oversized katana. "Well, let's put our new Personas to the test." Blake said. "Diana!" Blake's Persona materialized above her grasping a black arrow in its hand. Rather than firing it from its bow, the Persona shattered the arrow in its hand.

"Wait, don't!" Rise warned.

A black circle appeared below the shadow. It collapsed upon itself but the only result was a blinding flash of light. The shadow laughed as the circle reappeared below Blake and her Persona. The circle collapsed and Blake's Persona disappeared as she went limp and collapsed in a heap. "What just happened?" Weiss demanded.

"It reflects darkness and light based attacks." Rise explained. "Naoto, don't waste your effort."

"Turan!" Yang shouted, summoning her Persona as she charged at the shadow. Her Persona sailed through the air above her, launching explosive fireballs at the shadow. Flames engulfed the shadow but when they died down the shadow still stood. Yang leapt into a punch, striking the shadow directly in the face. A blast from Ember Celica added force to the blow and the shadow stumbled back. The shadow shielded its face with one arm while Yang continued with a flurry of punches. Striking only its armor, Yang was doing little damage, and the shadow soon countered by kicking her in the stomach. She was knocked off balance and the shadow pressed the advantage with a shoulder block that knocked Yang onto her back. The shadow slashed at her with its katana but Turan flew in and absorbed the strike. For Yang the blow was as painful as if it had hit her directly and she grunted in pain as her Persona began to fade into static.

A blast of wind pushed the shadow back as Ruby rushed in, flanked by her Persona. While her Persona pushed the shadow around with gusts of wind, Ruby propelled herself toward the shadow with backward blasts of Crescent Rose. She swung her weapon around and slammed it into the shadow's midsection, lifting it off the ground, before knocking it back down with a powerful blast of wind from her Persona. The shadow sprung to its feet and engaged Ruby in frantic close combat, swinging its sword wildly and forcing Ruby to give up her attacks in order to block.

"Ruby, duck!" Weiss shouted as a fireball sailed through the air, courtesy of her Persona. Ruby dropped to the ground and the fireball slammed into the shadow's face. With the shadow blinded by flames, Ruby hooked its legs and fired Crescent Rose, taking the shadow's legs out from under it. Weiss' Persona thrust its shield forward, unleashing a stream of ice that encased most of the shadow's body.

"Its weak spot is its face." Rise said.

Ruby retracted Crescent Rose into its gun form and placed the end of the barrel against the shadow's mask. The shadow struggled to free itself from the ice but it was stuck. Ruby fired and a stream of black liquid shot up from the resulting hole in the shadow's mask. The shadow stopped struggling, melted and evaporated away.

Weiss knelt beside Blake who was just beginning to regain consciousness. "What happened?" Blake groaned as she sat up.

"Light and darkness attacks instantly neutralize the target." Naoto explained. "If it works on a shadow, it means instant death, but luckily for you, the reflected attack only effected your Persona which knocked you out."

"You need to be careful with those attacks." Rise warned. "Naoto's immune, so if her attacks are reflected, it doesn't matter, but you're not."

"I'll keep that in mind." Blake grumbled, in pain and embarrassed by her quick defeat. "How did it go otherwise?"

"For your first fight using Personas I'd say that went pretty well." Yu said. "I'm sure you'll only get better the more you use them."

"You could have helped you know." Weiss said.

"I thought you wanted to test your new powers." Yu shrugged.

"Maybe next time you can show us how the pros do it." Ruby suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Yu agreed.

"Maybe I'll actually get more than one shot off next time." Blake said as Weiss and Yang helped her to her feet.

"I think our plan's working." Naoto said. "Notice anything different about this place?" The others looked around but none could come up with an answer. "The people are gone." She finally told them. "They may have just been scenery but now they're gone. I think the dream is beginning to break down."

"It would help if we knew exactly what was keeping the dream going though." Yosuke said. "We can cause chaos all we want, but if there's something that insulates Ken from it, it might not be enough."

"I'm sure if we can find Ken we'll find the key to all this." Rise said. "The jamming effect on my abilities is weakening. I still can't tell exactly where he is, but I do know he's that way." She pointed down a corridor lined with classrooms.

After walking through the corridor and searching classrooms with no results, they passed through a set of double doors that took them outside into an enclosed courtyard. A path lined with columns led to another building. "The door's locked." Yosuke said as he pulled on the doors to what looked like a gymnasium.

"Let me give it a shot." Yang ran at the doors and punched them with all her might, but she did not even scratch the paint. "If that didn't work I don't think we're going that way."

"I guess we'll have to go back then." Blake said. She walked back to the doors from which they had come. "No good, they're locked too."

"So we're trapped?" Weiss said. "Wonderful."

"There's something strange about this tree." Rise said, standing in front of a tree in the center of the courtyard. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"It looks like a normal persimmon tree to me." Naoto said. She walked up to it and looked at it closely. "It looks normal but I think I know what you mean. Something doesn't feel right about it."

"So let's chop it down." Ruby suggested as she unfolded Crescent Rose. No one protested so she hooked her scythe around the tree's trunk. She pulled the trigger, forcing the scythe back. It cut through the trunk with little resistance but the tree still stood with a visible gap separating most of it from the roots. "Well that's weird."

"Everybody back!" Rise shouted. Everyone followed the command just before the tree became engulfed in black liquid. "It's a shadow in disguise!" The column of black resolved into a fifteen foot tall, thick, dead-looking tree with an enraged face on the trunk. Rather than wood it moved as if it were made of rubber, whipping its branches around and forcing the group to further retreat.

"Well this should be easy enough." Yosuke said. "Stand back and watch the professionals."

Naoto stepped forward. "Yamato Sumeragi!" She shouted. Unlike most Personas which tended to be gigantic, Naoto's was about human-sized. Long blond hair flowed out from the back of a sharply pointed helmet, trailing behind the Persona along with a cape. It wore a formal red coat not unlike Professor Port's, tight blue pants and knee-high black boots, and it wielded a saber. Before it could do anything the shadow whipped one of its branches out toward it. The branch extended until it was impossibly long before wrapping around Naoto's Persona and constricting it.

Yosuke's Persona Takehaya Susano-o swept in, blasting the shadow with wind. His Persona had a burning sun for hair, fan blades wrapped around its face and more blades hovering around its torso and below its feet. It wore a long red and yellow coat. The shadow seemed unfazed by the assault. It whipped branches at the Persona while Yosuke's Persona countered with gusts of wind to push the branches back. The blades cut into any branches that got close, protecting the Persona, but its attacks were useless.

Naoto groaned in pain as her Persona struggled to free itself from the crushing snare. Yosuke's Persona was not making a dent but it was exhausting him. Yu rushed forward, hand on his katana, while Izanagi-no-Okami floated above him. His Persona was somewhat robotic and clad in a long white overcoat. It carried a strange double-blade with a large circular guard around the handle. As Yu closed the shadow turned its attacks toward him, and he responded by slashing at the branches with his blade. Meanwhile, his Persona headed straight for Naoto's. A blast of fire from Yu's Persona cut through the branch that held Naoto's. The tree roared in pain as her Persona broke free and retreated from the fight.

"That's it!" Rise cheered. "Hit it with fire!" Her Persona stood above her, constantly scanning the enemy.

Izanagi-no-Okami continued to blast the shadow with fire, slowly burning away at its remaining branches. Yamato Sumeragi rejoined the fight to add more flames to the assault. It was working, as the shadow was slowly being burned away. Yu and Naoto were getting exhausted from the constant exertion. Just then, Takehaya Susano-o launched a massive wave of wind, fanning the flames. The shadow was completely engulfed. By the times the flames died down, the shadow had been incinerated, reduced to a pile of black ash on the ground. The ash melted and evaporated away.

There was a loud clunk as the doors surrounding the courtyard unlocked. "You guys alright?" Yu asked. Naoto and Yosuke nodded.

"That could have gone better." Naoto sighed. She still ached from the damage done by the shadow. "That's the trouble with Personas. You need to keep track of yourself and your Persona, because damage to one is done to the other as well."

"Only Yu even used his weapon." Blake observed. "If fighting with Personas is so risky and difficult, why not just attack on your own?"

"We're not really trained to do that." Rise admitted. "The four of you are professional warriors. We aren't. I mean, Naoto's pretty good with a gun but we're not exactly experts."

"Maybe our styles can complement each other." Ruby suggested. "You can focus on using Personas while we use our combat skills."

"By gaining Personas we lost our semblances though." Yang reminded. "That really limits our effectiveness. For example, Weiss can be fragile in close combat, but she usually uses her glyphs to attack from a distance or hit and run. Without them, she has to get dangerously close without a fast way to retreat. As for me, I don't think I'll be able to take the same kind of punishment."

"It's all about balance." Naoto said. "You need to use your Personas to make up for your deficiencies. Weiss' Persona can still attack from a distance, and Yang's can defense so you'll be able to take more hits."

"I guess we'll have to figure it out as we go along." Blake sighed.

"That's how we did it, and look at us now." Yosuke said.

"I finally located Ken!" Rise announced. "He's outside the school but very nearby."

"Well, thanks for showing me around." Ken said. "It'll be nice to know a little bit about the school before I start attending."

"Yeah, don't mention it kid." Shinjiro said. "It's no big deal." Shinjiro was playing it off as if he did not care about Ken or his thanks, but Ken knew better. Shinjiro put on a tough façade but he really did care. He could be intimidating, even scary to some people, but once you got to know him Shinjiro was a really nice guy.

"Want to get something to eat?" Ken asked.

"Maybe we shouldn't." Shinjiro said. "Won't your mom be worried?"

"No, I told her I'd be out all day." Ken replied.

"There's Ken!" Rise pointed across the soccer field. Ken and Shinjiro took no notice of the approaching group.

"Who's that guy with him?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know." Yosuke replied. "I've never met him before." He looked over at the others to see if they knew. "Naoto, what's wrong?"

"Tall, thin, long brown hair, dark clothes and hat, he fits the description of a SEES member." Naoto said. "Shinjiro Aragaki."

"So it's somebody he knows." Yang said. "That makes sense for his dream."

"He's supposed to be dead." Naoto explained. "He accidentally killed Ken's mother when his Persona went out of control. Ken tried to kill him but was killed by an enemy of SEES while protecting Ken. It's all in the Shadow Operatives' files! I should have seen this coming. He's got to be the key to this dream."

Shinjiro spotted the approaching group. He placed himself between them and Ken. "Ken, maybe you should head home." Shinjiro suggested.

"Why?" Ken asked. "Who are they?"

"Just go, I'm sure your mother's waiting." Shinjiro said.

"Ken, your mother's dead and you know it." Naoto said. "It's painful but it's the truth."

"What's wrong with you?" Shinjiro asked. "How could you say that to a kid?"

"The real you is dead." Rise accused. "You're just a shadow! I can sense it."

"What are they talking about?" Ken asked. He looked confused and afraid.

"Ken, listen to us." Yu said. "This is all a dream. You have to wake up."

"That's ridiculous." Ken said. "I'd know if I was dreaming. Everything you're saying is a lie. My mom's fine and Shinjiro's right here."

"Shinjiro killed your mother years ago." Naoto continued. "You tried to kill him, but he died protecting you. Don't you remember, shadows, the Dark Hour?"

"Don't you remember us?" Yosuke asked. "We fought together in Inaba to stop Sho Minazuki. Come on, you have to remember that."

"I…I don't…I don't want to remember." Ken cried, holding both sides of his head in pain. "No, that was all a dream! This world is real!"

"Stop hurting the kid or I'll make you pay." Shinjiro threatened.

"The shadow's the only thing holding this dream world together." Rise said. "If we take it out Ken will wake up whether he wants to or not."

"On it!" Yang shouted. She rushed toward Shinjiro, followed closely by the rest of her team.

"So that's how you want to play this." Shinjiro hissed. "Fine." A wave of energy shot out from him, knocking Team RWBY off their feet. "I won't let you return him to his suffering." Black liquid surged up from the ground and surrounded Shinjiro. It formed into the shape of a ten foot tall, skeletal Shinjiro. Its flesh was gone and its jacket was stained with blood. It had also acquired a large battle axe. "I will protect him from the pain of reality."

"This isn't good." Rise said. "The shadow's immune to darkness and light and is resistant to everything. You'll really have to wear it down."

Yang got back to her feet and resumed her charge at the shadow. She slid under a horizontal swing of its axe and sprung up to deliver a punch to its chest. The shadow was unmoved and simply absorbed the blow. Only about half the shadow's height, Yang repeatedly punched it in the midsection. She was inside its axe's effective range but that did not mean she was safe. The shadow lifted its knee, slamming it into Yang's face. She stumbled back into axe range but Weiss' Persona arrived in time to stop the shadow's counter attack. The shadow's colossal axe slammed into Ananke's shield and ice shot out to surround the weapon and lock it in place. The Persona stabbed its flaming sword straight through the shadow's chest. Even impaled on the fiery blade, the shadow refused to relent. It wrenched its axe free of the ice, lifted it high over its head, and slammed it down onto Ananke's ice shield. The blow shattered the shield and the axe cleaved into Ananke's shoulder. Weiss cried out in pain and hastily withdrew her Persona.

Ananke's sword had left a gaping hole in the shadow's midsection. It dripped with viscous black liquid. Yu's Persona flew in, slashing away with its own sword in an attempt to exploit the damage. The shadow blocked the attack and countered by striking the Persona with the butt end of its axe. Izanagi-no-Okami was pushed back and countered with a bolt of lightning. The Persona kept up the attack as the shadow struggled, unable to counter. Ruby took the opportunity to rush in and attack the shadow with Crescent Rose. Her scythe easily cut through the shadow's clothing, but the skeletal shadow's bones were more resistant to the assault. The shadow slammed its fist down on the ground generating a powerful shockwave. Ruby was knocked off her feet and Izanagi-no-Okami was pushed back.

Close combat was proving dangerous so ranged attacks became the order of the day. As Ruby retreated Naoto fired her rifle at the shadow. The bullets seemed to have little effect but at least distracted the beast enough to allow Naoto's Persona to hit the shadow with fire. Blake summoned her Persona and it fired an arrow charged with electricity into the shadow. It struck the shadow's free arm, shattering the bone and causing the arm to drop off where it melted into a puddle of black liquid. The shadow desperately tried to close the distance but Yosuke, joined by Ruby, kept it at bay with blasts of wind. From a safe distance, the group's Personas pounded the shadow while Blake's Persona lined up another shot. Diana fired another charged arrow and this once struck the shadow squarely in the forehead. It penetrated through the shadow's skull before exploding with electricity inside. The shadow writhed for a moment before collapsing in a heap where it melted and evaporated away.

"Is is…is it over?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, it's over." Yosuke said. "Now it's time for you to wake up."