It had been a long day of defeating shadows and gathering loot, and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were ready to call it a day. They still had about a week until they were to steal Sae's treasure, and what better way to kill time than to train?

"Whew! I'm beat!" Ryuji sighed, sinking into the comfy seats of the Mona bus.

"Yeah, I'm ready to take a hot bath and go to sleep…" said Ann, ready to basically pass out at a moment's notice.

"I agree, with a nice, hot dinner as well." Came Akechi, from the back. Similar statements were made by everyone else as they neared the steps to the prior floor, the resting station. When they made it there, however, they came across an odd sight…

There was someone else there, waiting for them, it seemed.

It was difficult to tell anything else, as the figure was wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, heavy boots, leather gloves, and a motorcycle helmet, all while sitting on a black, sports-like motorcycle. The figure seemed to just sit there for a moment, watching them. Studying them. It unnerved everyone, even Akira, Joker, the nigh fearless leader of the Phantom Thieves, was quite off-put by the presence of the stranger.

"Who the hell is that?!" Ryuji, almost shouting at full volume, was now fully awake.

"I-I don't know! No one else should be able to get in here…" Morgana added, more than a little concerned by the development.

"A shadow, perhaps?" Yusuke posited, though he was also unable to hide his growing unease.

"H-hey, Futaba, are you okay?" their leader turned from the driver's seat to find Makoto trying to comfort the girl in question and found that she was much worse off. She was pale, trembling, and had sweat practically dripping from her face. When she responded, her voice was quivering, and she sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down and having a panic attack.

"Th-that's not a s-sh-shadow…" The statement, as well as the state of the clearly panicking young girl demanded the attention of everyone.

"It's not a shadow…?" Came Haru from the other side of the girl. "Then what is it?"

"I-I don't k-know, but we need to get o-o-out of here, NOW!" She almost shrieked.

"Futaba, what do you mea-"A revving engine cut Akira off, pulling everyone's attention back to the stranger.

Weather it was the effect of the sound bouncing off the walls of Mementos, or some other cause, the sound came off as otherworldly…

Demonic, even.

The figure revved the engine a few more times and started to lean forward, as if it was about to take off. Akira wasn't about to wait for that, however, rapidly throwing the Mona-Bus into reverse and taking off at full speed! A series of surprised gasps and screams echoed through the bus, but he paid them no mind, focusing solely on getting his friends (and Akechi) out of there!

Turns out, that was the right move.

"H-hey, it's followin' us...IT'S FOLLOWIN' US!" Ryuji screamed as he saw the figure not only keep up…

…but start to close the distance.

"IT'S GAINING ON US!" Came Morgana, similarly panicked.

Akira cursed under his breath as he used the momentum of the vehicle to turn it back around without stopping. A move Yusuke's stomach didn't agree with, but considering the situation, that was a minor issue.

"THE STAIRS! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Futaba shouted, still barely keeping it together.

"YOU CAN DO IT, JOKER!" Ann cheered, the promise of safety raising her spirit significantly.

Similar cheers and hollers rang throughout the Mona-Bus as they neared their destination, even with the sound of the motorcycle engine almost right behind them.

As they got to the stairs, they didn't even stop to get out, Akira just drove onto the side of the rails and went straight up the stairs, the Mona-Bus just barely making it through.

After landing on the next floor they paused to collect themselves. A collective sigh of relief sounded as they realized they were on the next floor, and thus out of trouble. They turned to each other, sharing questions of concern and thoughts of relief:

"Woah man, I thought we were goners!"

"Yeah, that totally had my heart beating out of my chest!"

"My stomach…"

"Good thing our fearless leader had the wheel, no telling what would've happened if I YOU were driving, Ryuji!" Mona lightly chided, trying to bring a light mood back, more than anything.

"HEY, I woulda got us out just fine!" was his response was fierce, but not maliciously so, also wanting to lighten the mood.

Which became heavy again, as they heard the distant sound of a motorcycle engine.

"N-no way…for real…?" Ryuji, disbelief and hopelessness lining his words, asked.

"B-but, we're on a different floor! MONA!" Ann, now in full blown panic mode, cried.

"I don't-GAHH!" Morgana couldn't finish, and Akira wasn't going to let that…whoever, whatever it was get close to them again. He took off, full tilt, again disregarding his team's reaction.

"We need to get to a resting area, from there, we can take the train out of here!" Makoto shouted, taking strategy into her hands to let her leader focus on driving.

"W-we're about three floors away from the next resting area!" Futaba added, hoping that letting him know how much he had left might lessen the stress in some way.

"Since it can follow us even through floor transitions, we can't afford to stop at any time!" Came Akechi's addition from the back.

"Got it!" Akira responded to all three, determination overriding mortal fear. If he faltered now, there was a real chance all of them would die, he needed to keep his head together!

The chase continued in the same vein throughout the next three floors: even with a healthy head start, that…thing…would always almost catch them…

…and it seemed to get closer every time…

By the time they reached the resting area, they were all shaking, some were on the verge of just breaking down, and they all had one question looming in their heads: Who, or what it the world is that? There was no celebration, there was no time. The delay between their transitions to the next floor and the sound of the engine was almost not existent now, and they needed to get on that train as soon as possible. Though, the terrifying thought of that thing chasing them, even when they're on the train, started to gnaw at Akira's skull.

Maybe it would never stop chasing them…maybe they won't be able to escape…maybe, just maybe, their luck has finally run out…

He had to shake his head of those thoughts, he couldn't afford to lose his cool now, not when they were so close.

Sure enough, the revving, which will never sound the same to any of them, started. This time, however, it wasn't an echo. Blood drained and stomachs dropped as the Phantom Thieves turned, slowly, to the entrance…

There it was...the figure, covered in black from head to toe, sat on the bike, looking at them, gazing into their very souls, it felt like. It slowly got off the bike and began to walk towards them. It then spoke: "You will suffer for your sins and burn for eternity in the pits of hell!"

The voice was inhuman, but not in the way someone's shadow would be. No, this was the voice of something that was never human to begin with, and it froze the Phantom Thieves solid.

All except for Ryuji.

His battle cry echoed as he ran forward, flooded with adrenaline, to attack the being. This snapped Akira and the others from their stupor.

"Ryuji! Wait!"

"You can't take him!

"STOP!"

Their cries feel on def ears as he continued to charge, hell bent on protecting his friends (and Akechi). He leapt forward, ready to bring his hammer down on the figure's head. It raised its arm and swiped Ryuji's attack, and Ryuji himself, away with such force the he was partially embedded into the wall. With a groan, his head teetered, and he fell, lifelessly, to the floor.

"RYUJI!-" Ann screamed, only for a chain to quickly wrap around her waist, and pull her forward and up. She was suspended in the air for a moment before she was yanked back down to the ground viscously impacting it and leaving a sizable crater from the force. She was also instantly out of the fight, if you could even call this one. The thieves, overwhelmed with emotion, all charged the entity, and all met a similarly brutal and efficient end.

All that were left at this point were Akira, Akechi and Futaba. The former two somehow were able to endure the onslaught enough to fall back and regroup, and the latter watching in horror as her friends were swiftly and cruelly defeated. The…creature…was completely unphased, it didn't even show any signs of exertion on any level…and this creature was walking right towards them. Akira, summoning Siegfried, lunged forward, commanding his Persona to bring its sword down as hard as it possibly can on the creature's head.

The hit was clean, and it shattered the motorcycle helmet it was wearing. However, no one was ready for what lie beneath…

Where a human neck and head would be, flames spewed ferociously and danced around a skull, plain for all to see, and empty eye sockets that held nothing, but malice and the things night terrors are made of. As the head was released, flames also began to seep from every opening, the ends on sleeves, the bottom of the jacket even from the boots, every time it took a step, as well as partially melting the very ground it walked on.

Even Mementos, itself, seemed to fear it. It's fleshy walls morphing, seemingly trying to distance itself from being. The eyes that periodically appear on the walls, which never paid too much attention to the thieves, were locked on to it, watching it's every move with a paranoid fervor.

…This wasn't a creature, or any mere monster. No, this was a demon. A demon that was after them!

Stunned by this development, Akira couldn't react to the demon as it rushed forward in the blink of an eye, the fastest they had seen it move yet, grab him by the head, and slam him into the ground. Cracks came from the point of impact, but he wasn't done yet. It then lifted him up, maintaining its hold, and drove its other fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Robbed of breath and concussed, there was no chance of him getting up anytime soon.

Futaba, horrified beyond words, simply slumped to the ground. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, and was so terrified she couldn't even think! As the demon began walking toward her, she finally broke down. Tears streamed down her face, chocked, weak sobs wracked her body and she was wailing like a small child. The only other time she cried in this way was when her mother had died.

Akechi was frozen in place, nauseous, but his body couldn't even call on the functions to vomit. His head pounded, his brain desperately fighting his body, trying to get him to fight, to run away, to do something! But it couldn't, it wouldn't, it wasn't allowed to. As if the demon was ordering his body to stay still.

The demon continued to walk until it was right in front of Futaba. When she saw this, and locked eyes with the demon, she almost broke down all over again. It was only a couple of seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She felt like it was staring into her soul, judging her, deciding if she was worthy to continue living. After the longest moment in her entire life, it walked past her, never touching a hair on her head. She was dumbfounded, stupefied, there was no way she could process what just happened. Frozen in her stupor, she noticed something

…everyone was still breathing.

She quickly began scanning them and found that they were all still alive! Not only that, their injuries were not life threatening! But why? Why hadn't they been killed? An idea donned on her and she turned around. Sure enough, the demon had Akechi in his grasp.

"You will suffer for your sins and burn for eternity in the pits of hell!"

No…it couldn't be…

She quickly turned her gaze back to the two and saw that Akechi had been thoroughly beaten by the demon. Deep blues and purples dotted his face, his mask was broken and discarded, there was blood trailing his face and staining his clothes. She then looked back at her friends and, while there were beaten and unconscious, it was nowhere near as bad as Akechi was getting.

This thing…

Is it after Akechi…? Then, and the pieces came together, she remembered.

The Plan! He couldn't die here, they still needed him! I have to stop it! But as she turned back around to the duo…I have to stop it…but how…? She didn't know what to do, what she could do, but she needed to do something!

So, she took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and did the only thing she could thing of:

"STOP!" She cried, as she ran towards the duo, somehow shutting out the part that was screaming at her to run. To her absolute amazement, it did. Not completely, more of a pause, really, but it stopped it's abuse of Akechi long enough to send a sidelong glance her way. She faltered a bit when their eyes met, but she continued forward. She can't let everyone's hard work go to waste!

"You can't kill him!" She said, even though she was terrified, and it took almost everything she had to keep it together when the demon spoke again:

"He has made the innocent suffer for far too long. He must now pay the price!"

Futaba, paused, in part to collect herself again, and partly to glace at Akechi. He was unconscious.

"We know." That got the demon's attention. It didn't release him, but it now fully turned its head to acknowledge her.

"That scum has killed a bunch of people, including my mother and hurt many more, but we still need him," She then, in a bold move, moved herself between the demon and Akechi. Even though he was still in its grasp and even though it towered over her, the message was clear: to kill him, you'll have to kill me first.

"He doesn't deserve to be spared, and he doesn't deserve to be free, but we have a plan, and once everything is over, he's all yours. Promise." Futaba had no idea what was allowing her to talk to this otherworldly demon it this way, but that was a question for later. Right now, she needed to convince it to let Akechi go. It stared at her for another long while. Judging her, same as last time. Weather it was luck, or God, or any other kind of cosmic force that was on her side that day, the demon dropped him. The drop seemed to wake him up to a degree, they he was out again almost instantly, his injuries getting to him. The demon spoke again:

"Know this, I spared your friends because they have been judged as innocent, and I was just here for him. But you walk a dangerous line, all of you, and should the need arise I will handle you myself. Understood?"

At this, Futaba lost her composer, somewhat "Y-y-y-yessir, c-c-rystal clear!"

The demon huffed and turned to walk away. As it did, it brought its hand to it's mouth and blew a loud, piercing whistle. Suddenly, the motorcycle roared to life behind him and zipped to his side, he mounted it and sped off.

Eventually, everyone came to, as Futaba was unable to move any of them and after making sure everything was okay, they boarded the first train and got the hell out of there.

Here's a thing I've had stirring in my head for quite a while, and well, I've finally had the time and willpower to pump it out. Hope you enjoy!

As for Bastion DxD, I probably won't touch it again, not that I don't want to, but I don't feel I have the skill or writing stamina to do it justice. I'll probably work on one shots for the most part. This is much more of a hobby than anything all that serious for right now, so I wouldn't expect a solid upload schedule, sorry if that disappoints anyone.

Anywhat, if you got this far, thanks for giving this some of your time! If you like it, cool! If not, that's fine too! Wanna give feedback (or yell at me?) go ahead! Until then, take care, and remember, don't deep throat pinecones.