#capitalguard

C'mon, Raidou... please let me know you're okay!

Yukari's heart slammed against her ribcage, jackrabbit-frantic, as she sprinted through the Harabah block of Tartarus, head swiveling to and fro as her ears strained for something, anything to guide her to her beloved's position. She had warned him against coming here alone, all but pleaded with him to wait until she and the rest of S.E.E.S. could accompany him--but he was so bound and determined to find a solution to the problem that Ryoji's arrival symbolized that he had chosen to go out on his own anyway. And when she reached out to him and got radio silence?

God damn it, where are you?!

No one had been able to stop the Lovers from going after him.

"Yukari-chan, I found him!" Fuuka's voice resonated in her mind, the Lovers nodding in spite of how there was no way her support could see her. "He's in the room ahead of you--on the right!"

"On it!" Black and dizzying rainbow movements seemed to almost become a blur as the Lovers followed Fuuka's guidance--and as she rounded the corner, what she saw both relieved and scared her all at once. Raidou was still standing... but he was obviously on his last legs, slumped forward and struggling to stay upright. Even though Pixie was doing all she could, the little faerie was unable to keep up with the damage that the swordsman was taking. The sight made Yukari's jaw set before she surged into action.

"Get back!" Garudyne carried with it a roar of command from the archer who was petite in comparison to most of that which surrounded her, but whose presence towered all the same in the moment. The Shadows--or were they demons? Honestly, Yukari didn't give enough of a damn to even attempt to make that distinction--were ripped to shreds beneath the gale force of her might, their dying howls and dissolving clouds of inky blackness sucked away to vanish into nothing. As Isis faded from view, the archer moved forward with all the speed she could muster--and as the last remaining beast leapt from where it had taken shelter from the storm in an attempt to catch her off-guard?

An arrow pieced it through the eye, the corpse dissolving before it even had the chance to hit the ground.

Sides heaving as she looked about to confirm that the coast was clear, Yukari brought her Evoker to bear. Diarahan washed over XIV in a refreshing breeze before he was all but slammed into by the archer that cast the spell, her arms encircling him to hold onto him tightly as if she needed that contact to ensure that he was in one piece. She felt his arms wrap around her in turn, the huffed-out little chuckle that sounded almost pleased at himself in response to her unspoken concern... and that?

Oh, that had her looking up at him with a scowl.

"If you worry me like that again, Rai, I swear to God--!" And just to incentivize him to maybe not worry her again like that, she surged upward, hands grasping his dress shirt to haul him down to meet her halfway. The kiss she claimed wasn't like the shy and tender ones they had shared before, gentle and careful... instead? This was the sort of kiss that set the blood in her veins afire with her love for him, desperate and damn near devouring in how it expressed just how scared she had been... and how she'd kill anything that stood in the way of her being able to hold him when the Dark Hour's exploration was over.

It was only when she withdrew that she realized that she needed to finish her sentence lest he somehow get it in his head that she'd kiss him like that every time he was reckless and got in over his head. A hard inhale tried to reintroduce the concept of breathing to them both. "...I'll never kiss you like that again."

"Hey, I didn't say that I wouldn't try! You just... have to bear with me, okay?" Yukari was slightly annoyed at he had taken her answer as a refusal rather than the acceptance that it actually was, though she supposed that he had likely been turned down flat in the past by other Persona users.

Other Persona users beyond S.E.E.S. or Strega... the thought still blew her mind a little, though the idea that such was just on the surface of the supernatural world still made her mind spin if she lingered on it for too long. The width and breadth and depth of what she didn't know meant there would be questions coming--questions she would hold him to answer to the best of his ability now that he'd offered to do so. For now, though?

The feline ambling its way in front of her as his attention was drawn by a bird earned an amused little smile. Aw, isn't he a cutie? Truly, cats were a blessing in the opinion of the Lovers--enough so that she wished she could get one and keep it in the dorm . Having that sort of unconditional love would be a great source of comfort, but she wasn't sure if the rules would allow such. Besides, helping a cat adjusting to Koromaru's presence would likely prove to be difficult. As Gouto leapt up onto the wall, she decided that giving him a pet would be the best course of action. If it followed her home, then she would go from the--and surprise at the sound of his voice caused her to stumble to a stop, eyes wide.

Wait, no way--! Furtive glances were given in either direction. Had anyone else heard that? Judging by how no one else had visibly reacted, she supposed not--but did that mean that she was just imagining things? Her gaze returned to the ebony feline, subtly narrowing. Now that she was taking a closer look, his eyes were a rather unusual shade... another glance at her surroundings and she decided that responding was her best course of action. It was relatively normal-looking to talk to a cat, right?

...right?

"Bow wow!!" Makami gives Yukari a sidelong glance, "Bet that's what'cha thought'd happen, didn't'cha!? Yeheheh, nah, I'm foolin', I'm a good dog. He curls around her neck like a scarf, and Yukari will be pleasantly surprised to know that he's remarkably warm and cozy to have around her neck. Although, he's a bit of a wriggler and keeps trying to look at things.'

"No, actually--but I appreciate the joke." The response was given with a casual ease that, at one point, would have been borderline impossible--she still remembered how otherworldly Raidou's demons had seemed to her even with her knowledge of Shadows and Persona. Time and exposure, though, had combined with trusting their summoner to allow her to take meeting any new members of XIV's team in stride.

♫

To think, that she of all people was the only one to get to call him hers! She could still hardly believe it, it still seemed like it was a dream she didn't wish to wake up from. Of course, Minako had teased her endlessly upon her suspicions being confirmed about the archer going out on a date with XIV--but once the initial joking subsided, the crimson Fool had thrown herself into helping the Lovers get ready.

(Of course, Mina hadn't been able to help but to tell Yukari not to do anything she wouldn't do as the Lovers headed out... but it came from a good place.)

As she approached the sharply-dressed swordsman with her fingers linked together behind her back and a faint flush coloring her cheeks at how handsome he looked, she couldn't help but to notice that he seemed just as stunned at her own appearance. He had promised a surprise, and she hoped that the knee-length dress and sweater combo she had chosen would be practical--but then he made that request.

Darling... that's a word that she adored hearing Raidou say to her, a smile surging to her lips. It made their newly-formed relationship feel more real in a way that made her almost giddy. Add how the usually-stoic Raidou sounded bashful about using that pet name made her smile grow all the brighter even as her eyes closed and her hand held itself out expectantly.

"Think nothing of it."

A tip of the cap and the warmth of his small smile. He doesn't think a thing about this self-proposed assignment. To stand with the scanner, to watch over her, it's just another night. Yamagishi-san is the highlight of his night, in fact. If it wasn't playing bodyguard for her here, he'd've been poring over documentation and notes.

It's nice to be out, really.

"In fact, if it won't disturb your work, I'd like to enquire as to how this Persona functions? I have demons in my repertoire that can do an amount of sensory work, but it seems that your capacities far outstrip them and for far less effort at that.

"How is it that you can see, or at least sense, so much?"

Never had someone asked Fuuka specifically how her Persona worked. Lucia was still teaching her new things weekly and while it was difficult to remember what shadows were weak to what skill, it seemed that Lucia was able to recall the information for her. Which helped Fuuka focus better in Tartarus or on Full Moon battles for her friends.

"You know, I am not so sure myself." She stated softly, relieved that her friends were taking a small 5 minute break before exploring Tartarus further. Hydration and energy are very important in a place that could drain your energy faster than you could blink. "Maybe because I have a calm and relaxing demeanor, it could make Lucia more powerful. And well, I've always wanted to help my friends out in and out of battle--maybe Lucia senses that?"