There was no finesse in the way Youhei helped finish the Shadow off. Again and again he swung his hammer with all his strength, like a lumberjack with an axe, until finally the creature lay still, its form becoming indistinct as it dissolved away. The two of them stood in exhausted silence as the train slowed to a halt, saying nothing as they made their way back to the station. Tired though he was, Youhei was overcome with a giddy rush of exhilaration; he and Kirijo had taken on such a powerful enemy, even stronger than the arm-monster-thing they had encountered on the roof, without support and actually [i]won.[/i] It was a level of pride and accomplishment he never knew existed and damn, did it feel good. By the time they found the others near the station however, his fatigue and injuries had started to catch up with Youhei and he slid down the wall to the ground, grinning widely. [b]'Hiya kids, nice of you to join us. Ikeda, can I trouble you for some first aid? This hole in my gut would probably be a good start...'[/b] Now that Youhei took a good look at his wounds, he was amazed that he hadn't keeled over already; the gash across his belly was deep enough that he could actually [i]see[/i] his own intestines... Fascinating, in a morbid kind of way.

He hadn't noticed Kirijo's growing concern for Takahiro, nor registered that the lad was even missing. After their little argument the other week, he wouldn't have put it past Takahiro to get conveniently lost when he needed support... [b]'Kiri... Yoromatsu. I feel we should have some form of celebratory drink; how does a Hot Toddy sound?'[/b] Now that he focused his attention, Youhei finally twigged on to what the SEES leader was thinking and his expression slowly turned grave. [b]'Hang on... Aren't we missing a few people..?'[/b]