Rise is suppressing other thoughts as well

(chapter originally by Phantom Pen on writing.com)

"Wh-what do you mean?!" Rise asked. "Of course it's that simple! I accept the unpleasant truth and you -all of you- calm down and things go back to normal!"

"Poor, naive little Rise." the Shadow taunted. "Just saying the words isn't the trick, especially not with issues of this nature. To really accept us, to make all of us return quietly, you need to become comfortable with the fact that we exist. Thing is, well... your thoughts are just so contradictory! For example..."

Several more figures seemed to fade into being, and the naked and posing Rise shadows were joined by (thankfully clothed) Rises, each sporting a more outrageous outfit than the last. These outfits weren't anything Rise had worn for any photo shoot or television spot. There was a maid, an outfit that likely was supposed to be a police officer, a set of tight leather gear that left nothing to the imagination, and others still.

"You get a thrill out of dressing like this, sure, but you're even more excited by the idea of being seen, aren't you?" the Shadow asked, her mouth all but touching Rise's ear, hot breath tickling her skin.

"I-I... I don't... I mean..." Rise stammered, unsure of what to say. "How could I be excited if it makes me so embarrassed?"

"That's the question, isn't it? The contradiction, the way it makes your heart race, but also makes your knees shake in fear. How are any of us supposed to feel at home inside you when you can't figure out what you feel?" the Shadow pressed. "Though I see now that perhaps I was doing more than I thought with those spanks. At least, if those two are any indication."

Rise gasped as she saw what her Shadow meant. The leather-clad Rise had bent the maid over, delivering sharp swats to her bouncy backside with a riding crop, each crack of the crop eliciting a cry from the maid that sounded far more like pleasure than pain. Rise couldn't even begin to understand how this made sense. She'd never even thought about such a thing, even when she was sneaking a rare moment of pleasure to herself. Was this... was this really how she felt?

"So... how am I supposed to accept these thoughts?" Rise pleaded. "I need Himiko back, and all of you under control!"

"Oh, it's easy!" the main Shadow chirped. "You just let us handle that. You see, with so many of us restless, you aren't exactly running a strong defense inside yourself. When we can, we'll just... take the wheel from you. You'll still be conscious and aware of your surroundings, so don't worry about waking up with no idea what's going on. You just won't have any say over what we decide you'll be doing."

"Wh-what do you mean?!" Rise demanded, but as soon as the question left her mouth, the room was empty. Just as swiftly appeared, all the Rises were gone...

"That must have just been a weird trick. Something the Shadows cooked up to mess with my head. No way any of that was real." Rise told herself. She could feel Himiko's presence again, after all. Unless her Persona could also manifest its Shadow form, that alone seemed proof enough of a wild hallucination. That wasn't important at the moment, though. She had to get back to the others!

Rise quickly dashed out of the room, using Himiko to maneuver through the dungeon and avoid any shadows along the way. The odd encounter with her Shadow was already being pushed to the back of her mind to be forgotten. Unfortunately for Rise, what she'd just went through was no hallucination, and her repressed feelings and thoughts were simply waiting for the right time to assert their control...