April 21st, 2012, with Koneko, Morning.
The training ground near one of the babbling creeks that fed into Lake Kawaguchi was a picture of serene beauty, a stark contrast to the frustration unfolding on its banks.
The morning sun dappled through the leaves of the trees, and the air was fresh with the scent of clean water and damp earth. Here, the sounds of conflict were not the clang of steel like with Kiba, but the sharp thwack of fist meeting forearm.
"Come on! Put some power into it! That wasn't a punch; it was a love tap!" Apollo's voice, usually full of musical bravado, was sharp with impatience.
He stood, a vision of golden and crimson perfection, effortlessly deflecting another tired swing from Koneko. The small rook was drenched in sweat, her white hair plastered to her forehead, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Each movement was sluggish, lacking the explosive power she was known for.
"I don't see elegance, nor power, nor any of the art of combat in these flailing limbs!" the Sun God demanded, his disgust palpable. "Show me something worthy of my time!"
"I'm sorry, Lord Apollo," Koneko panted, her voice small. "I'm trying."
But they both knew it was a hollow protest. She wasn't trying, not really. A deep-seated fear was clamping down on her ki, stifling her strength before it could even form. Apollo's increasingly derisive demeanor was only making it worse, feeding a vicious cycle of anxiety and failure.
"Can't you at least try to get along with someone, Apollo?" a calm voice interjected.
Makoto had approached silently, his arrival unnoticed until he spoke. He stood at the edge of the clearing, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the scene.
"Hey, Universe!" Apollo replied, his tone shifting to one of cheerful camaraderie, though it rang false. "It's not my fault if no one here is worthy of my radiant presence. Except for you, obviously."
Koneko let out a frustrated puff of air, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Senpai," she said, her voice barely a whisper, "why is he the one you assigned to me?"
Makoto's eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting from Koneko's exhausted form to the preening god.
"Apollo?" he said, his voice low but leaving no room for evasion. "What is the problem?"
The Sun God had the decency to look slightly chastised under Makoto's unwavering stare. "This girl isn't even trying!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Wasn't she some kind of yokai? That excuse for a goddess—what was her name, Inari?—clearly recognized her as one. She should be drawing on that primal strength, not this... this weakness!"
The words were like a punch in the gut for her. Koneko flinched as if struck, her head bowing so low her chin nearly touched her chest. A wave of shame, hot and suffocating, washed over her.
"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, her voice thick with unshed tears.
Makoto was at her side in an instant. He didn't say a word, simply placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Come back for now, Apollo," he said, his tone brooking no argument.
With a dismissive flicker of light, the Sun God vanished back into the depths of Makoto's mind, his disapproval lingering in the air like a bad smell.
The sudden silence was broken only by the gentle gurgle of the creek. Makoto sat down on a large, smooth rock next to the water, patting the space beside him. Koneko hesitated for a moment before slowly joining him, her small frame seeming even smaller next to his.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Makoto asked, his voice soft, matching the murmur of the water.
Koneko remained silent, staring at her hands clenched in her lap. The internal litany was deafening. 'I'm useless... a disappointment. He's only being nice because he has to be.'
"Sorry, Senpai..." she finally whispered, her voice cracking. "You're doing all this just to help us, and I'm... I'm being a burden."
"That's not true," Makoto countered, his voice firm yet kind. "Actually, from what I've seen today, you might be doing the best out of all of them."
Koneko looked up at him, her golden eyes wide with disbelief.
"If it were up to Yoshitsune," Makoto continued, "I don't think Kiba would have lasted more than a few seconds in a real spar. Fafnir was just standing there, letting Ito's attacks bounce off him without moving an inch. And Rias hasn't even begun her real training yet." He turned to look at her, offering a small, reassuring smile. "But you? You were fighting with everything you had against Apollo without stopping, even when it was clearly difficult. That's laudable, Koneko. Don't downplay yourself."
"You're just saying that because you're kind, Senpai," she objected, looking back down at her hands. A deep sadness settled over her features. "I... I couldn't find the energy. With each punch, I felt more and more tired, faster than usual. It was like something was... draining me before I could even start."
"What do you think is the cause?" Makoto asked gently, giving her the space to find the words herself.
Koneko was silent for a long moment. Her eyes followed the path of the creek, the water flowing relentlessly forward. She took a deep, shuddering breath and finally met his gaze. There was a trust in that look, a silent plea.
'Senpai is strong... he'll stop me if I lose control.'
The memory of the kegare from Izanami, and Inari's pitying words, was a fresh wound. Without the fox goddess's intervention, she would have become a mindless beast. The thought terrified her more than any enemy.
"I'm scared," she confessed, the admission torn from her. "I'm scared of using my ki. That's why." Her voice was a fragile thread. "I-I don't want to harm anyone, Senpai. B-but I want to help the President... I-I hate being a burden." A tear finally escaped, tracing a clean path through the sweat on her cheek.
Makoto didn't offer empty platitudes. He simply sat with her in her fear, a solid, silent presence until her quiet sobs subsided.
"Don't worry about training today, Koneko," he said finally. "Rest. We have the whole week ahead of us." He gestured to the beautiful landscape around them. "If you want, we can just visit the surroundings of the mansion later. No training, just... being."
Koneko nodded slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thanks, Senpai. But... please don't tell the President. I don't want to worry her."
"I wouldn't have," Makoto assured her. "From the little I know about Rias, it's clear she cares deeply for all of you." He paused, then added, almost too quietly to hear, "And I don't think Lucifer would like it."
"What did you say, Senpai?" Koneko asked, catching the tail end of his mutter.
"Nothing," he dismissed smoothly. "So, we have a deal? Wait for me here, and then we can go enjoy the place, okay?" His smile was warm, and his eyes held a strange, comforting light that seemed to push back the shadows of her anxiety.
"Thanks, Senpai," she whispered.
Elizabeth's resonant voice echoed in Makoto's mind, distinct from the chorus of Personas.
I am Thou. Thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt have the Universe's blessing when choosing to create Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana.
'The Hanged Man, huh?' Apollo's voice grumbled internally, unable to stay silent. 'A bit dramatic, don't you think? For a girl who's afraid to punch?'
'Shut up, hee ho!' Jack Frost's voice cut in, sharp with uncharacteristic anger. 'You are the reason she's like this, hee ho!'
'What did I even do to you, Jack Frost!?' Apollo complained, genuinely perplexed.
'The fact that you don't realize it concerns me even more, hee ho!' the doll retorted, his indignation a protective shield for the crying girl.
Makoto gave Koneko's shoulder a final, gentle squeeze before standing. "I'll be back after I check on Akeno," he said before turning and walking away, leaving her alone with the sound of the water and her thoughts.
Once he was gone, Koneko pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in them. 'I am wasting Senpai's time, right?' the thought was a relentless echo. 'I don't want to turn out like Sister... I don't want to use Senjutsu. It was a mistake. A stupid, horrible mistake.'
She watched the water flow, its constant movement a mockery of her own paralysis. She picked up a small, flat stone from the bank and skipped it across the surface. It sank after three hops.
'Senpai's a liar... everyone is so strong. Lord Apollo was watching me with disgust. I wasn't even able to throw a proper punch.'
She looked at her hand, still trembling slightly. The memory of the kegare's invasive coldness, the seductive whisper of raw, uncontrolled power, made her stomach clench.
'Stop. Don't think about it. Don't let it consume you. Don't become like Kuroka!' She ordered herself, taking several deep, deliberate breaths to quell the rising panic.
'We need to do something, Universe, hee ho,' Jack Frost's voice was soft, filled with concern as he communicated with Makoto, who was already making his way toward Akeno's location.
'You mean about Koneko, right?' Makoto thought back. 'What do you think?'
'She's scared, Universe. Very scared, hee ho,' the frost demon said, his usual joviality replaced by a somber tone. 'I've seen many kids like her during my existence, hee ho. Child trauma is an ugly beast. It doesn't just go away, hee ho.'
'Yeah... I know,' Makoto replied, the weight of his own past and the pasts of all his friends settling on him. 'I'll come back to her later. Right now, I want to see how Himejima is doing.'
But his mind was already working, planning how to gently guide the frightened rook back from the edge of her fear, one small, non-threatening step at a time.
The path of the Hanged Man was one of suspension, of seeing the world from a new perspective. For Koneko, that perspective needed to be found not through force, but through patience and trust.