Yukari arrives some time later

(chapter originally by faith on writing.com)

As the train door closed behind her, Yukari took a deep breath and began the walk to the Clamshell. The knot of uncertainty in her stomach was tightening as she closed in on her destination. The first pang of worry began shortly after she had put her phone down. Mitsuru had seemed...off. It wasn't just the secrecy. That was par for the course where Mitsuru was concerned (although Yukari had thought by this point that the Kirijo heiress had moved beyond the need to be evasive about Kirijo operations around her teammates...that stung a little). No, the whole conversation had just been...weird. The sudden silence on the phone, the complete about face in her instructions, the oddity in the items she was carrying with her...even Mitsuru's voice had been off. Not in the sense that it was someone else speaking, Yukari was quite certain it was her friend on the phone. It just sounded...deeper, softer, playful...sultry? Yukari shivered. It made no sense, but it sounded so sexually charged. As if every word were heavy with secret innuendo.

Her destination had not eased her worries in the slightest. This part of town was fairly rundown anyway, slipping ever closer to becoming a slum year by year. The street lights felt like they were spaced farther apart here than anywhere else in the city, and the shadows (the mundane ones, that is) between somehow felt deeper. Iwatodai City was supposed to be an ultra modern metropolis, and yet the architecture had a noticeably Gothic character to it (was it the city that had inspired the look of Tartarus, or was Tartarus' leaking into the dreams of the city designers?). With the city completely claimed by night as it was, the whole atmosphere was disturbing. Nothing like the Dark Hour, of course, but it gave Yukari pause nonetheless. In truth, it was only the proximity of midnight and the inception of that unnatural 13th hour that pushed Yukari forward.

There was one last reason for her hesitation. Although it was arguably the least pressing of her concerns, Yukari found herself focusing on it nonetheless. It was here, on this gross little boulevard, that she and Minako had shared their first (and as yet, only) kiss. The circumstances had been intensely awkward. During the night of the full moon a powerful shadow had lured them into a twisted version of a love hotel on the boulevard. There were in fact two shadows roaming the building, something no one was aware of at first. In the battle that followed Akihiko and Junpei were severely injured and had fallen ****. In a way, what followed might have been easier if they had been present. Yukari was naturally weary of men. By default she associated them with the skeevy company her mother liked to keep. If it had been a man waiting in the bed, Yukari was fairly certain she could have broken free, probably delivering a slap to her would-be lover in the process. But Minako...the second shadow had used a powerful magic to cloud their minds. Yukari had been led to undress and enjoy a hot shower. Minako was in the room adjacent, getting filled with thousands of lusty whispers. Minako was her best friend, the girl who knew all her secrets and helped her through her worst days. Minako was safe, caring, and honest. Why should Yukari care if she had nothing on around Minako? Why would she be afraid of a little kiss? The night had been so long, and her body was aching SO much, and Minako was so pretty....

They had broken free. But not as quickly as they might have. Not in time to avoid the kiss. Not in time to feel those soft lips, to taste the cinnamon on the lip gloss, to feel that tiny spark of delight as their tongues danced around one another. Not in time not to feel her little fingers running along the edge of Yukari's thigh, curling up underneath the towel to squeeze her round cheek playfully. Certainly not in time for Yukari herself to drop the towel, lean forward and guide Minako's hands to her waiting breasts, aching and demanding attention, or to emit a little gasp as Minako gently played with her nipples. It was Minako who stood up, took a step back, and shouted her name. Yukari had stood there, divorced of even her towel, realization dawning on her face. There was no slap, only a blush and an awkward apology and a race for her clothes in the bathroom.

Neither had talked about the incident since then. Minako was clearly as embarrassed by the happening as Yukari had been. And yet it was still etched in Yukari's mind. As nervous as she was about dating, the thought of being with a girl had never really crossed Yukari's mind until that incident. It...had felt good. And yet Minako was her friend, in some ways closer than a lover. Certainly she had admitted things to her Yukari doubted she could ever say to someone sharing her bed. And Minako had shown no interest in pursuing anything but a friendship. So they had moved on, and if the thought of stealing a second kiss from Minako or experimenting with another girl had occasionally wormed its way into Yukari's brain, she had always been happy to stuff it into the closet in the deepest part of her brain and bolt the door!

In short, the boulevard was not a place she wanted to be tonight. She had strong memories of the place, some of them bad and some of them...not, but all awkward and embarrassing! By the time she had walked up the step (past the unusually large gathering of grinning men who looked at her in a way all too much like men looked at her mother) Yukari was a bundle of nerves and anxiety. She moved past the night clerk (who smiled in a very disconcerting way when she mentioned the room number!) and took the elevator. The door on the right was a big, red door with a little welcome matt. Yukari breathed in hard and raised her hand to knock.