It was a dream. It had to be. This looked nothing like her bedroom. And it was far too big. It might have been bigger than her entire home. And there was a throne at the far end.

Was this a palace?

The air was crisp, cold, and smelled fresh. Wisps of fog darted in and out of sight. She looked around. Beautiful, but macabre, artwork decorated the extravagant walls. She was... she blinked. That was her represented on the pictures! No... not quite. This person was bigger, stronger looking. Her hair was cut short. There was a circle on her forehead, a pitch black perfect the eyes... she looked away. Those eyes were cold, cruel, and calculating.

That wasn't her.

That wasn't her at all.

"You came!" said an excited female voice. "Just like the man in black said,"

She looked back at the end of the room. There was a person on that throne, and she felt pulled toward her. She walked towards it, nervous in a way that she couldn't explain. When she got close enough to realize who it was, she swallowed and took a step back.

The person on the throne was the same twisted reflection that decorated the walls, and she repulsed her.

"You don't like them?" the not-her asked, glancing at the pictures. "That's what we've always wanted, isn't it? To be strong? To be worthy of being a queen? To not have to rely on others? We were a queen, once, right? We're better than them."

"No," she stammered. "I'm not. They're smarter, and stronger, and they are my friends."

"Right, right. They're better than us. They're always better than us. How would they be if they didn't have weak little us to protect. They don't need us, they feel sorry for us, and..."

"No! They would never give up on me like that!"

"They don't have to be," Not-her got up slowly from the chair, staring into her eyes. "We're lazy. Even the Earth Prince simply pities us. If we practiced our powers, we could find our strength, make use of those people. We would be royalty again."

"You... you say we," she said. "I would never talk like that. I'm not like that."

Not-her cocked its head. "But you are. I am your shadow, I am part of you. You are me... and I am..."

"No!" she cried. "You are not me!"

She felt something snap within her, like a mental chain being broken. She let out a gasp, and both women stumbled backwards.

Not-her's eyes opened wide, almost impossibly wide. Then she began to laugh. "You... you are right. Not any more. I am so much more than you. I am a shadow... the true self." It lunged at her, and she began to scream. She could feel it slapping her face.

Usagi opened her eyes as Luna's paw slapped at her face a second time. She felt herself gasping for air, a disappointed howl echoing in her ears. The room was almost completely dark, the only light was the summer starlight coming through the window.

"Are you all right?" Luna asked.

"Nightmare," Usagi told her, her breath and heart rate returning to normal. "It was just a nightmare," she repeated, trying to convince herself.

"You've mumbled in your sleep before," Luna said, and Usagi could tell there was concern. "But you were starting to scream." In the gloom, Usagi could see Luna back up, and heard her tail twitch across the covers. "Tell me about it."


It was the last day of his visit, and almost the entire investigation team had come to see Yu off at the train station. "What a bunch you kids make, huh?" Uncle Dojima said, laughing. "There's others down in the station who will be glad to hear you're leaving. They were terrified something new and insane was going to start when I told them you were going to visit."

Yu offered a small smile, while Yosuke and Yukiko burst out laughing.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Inaba, just as Marie had promised. Yu didn't really want to leave, but he knew he'd make new friends in Tokyo. At least this time around he'd be arriving a good month before term started.

"Wait!" came the shout from the far side of the station. The group looked up, almost as one, as Naoto came running to join the throng. To everyone's surprise, she was dragging a full suitcase along behind her, her grandfather walked along a bit further back. He caught Yu's eyes and winked.

"Whaaaaaat?" Teddie asked, his eyes wide. "You're chasing after sensei?

"What? I? No!" said Naoto, startled. "Actually, my grandfather got me an internship. I will be working with St. Luke's hospital as an assistant to the medical examiner."

"Eeech," Yoskue said, wrinkling his nose. "Bodies? To know how they died?"

"Inspired by the murder case, Naoto-san?" Dojima asked, still smiling. "If it comes up, it is a useful skill. I hope I never need it again, though." He looked around. "That's him, isn't it? I should go say hello."

"You'll be going to Tokyo as well, then?" Rise asked. "I'm sure Yu-sempai will be happy to have a good friend in a new school this time around."

"It's just for a month," Naoto said. "I'll be back for start of term in Inaba."

"Oh good," Chie said. "You teach me, and I'll teach you. More about Kung fu."

Kanji frowned. "That sounds really familiar. But I can't place it."

Several of the others laughed.

"Looks like the train's pulling in," Dojima said as he walked back to the group. "I'm going to miss having you around, Yu-san. Say hello to my sister for me."

Last handshakes, hugs and goodbyes were exchanged around the investigation team. Promises were extracted not to abandon Nanako, even if Yu wasn't around (though that didn't take much. Especially if 'Uncle' Dojima was to provide watermelon).

After a few minutes, Naoto and Yu boarded the train with their luggage, and set off for Tokyo.

They talked for while, before leaning back and watching Japan race by.

After about an hour, Yu nodded off. He almost promptly awoke in the velvet room.

Neither Igor nor Marie were there, just Margaret and a similar looking younger man.

"Good evening," Margaret said. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I have been asked to watch over it while the master is away." She cocked her head slightly. "You've finished the previous contract, but I believe you will make a new one soon. The one with a thousand forms has broken the rules, and the shadows are starting to take hold once more."

"Can we count on you to once again to defend humanity?" the man asked. He was holding Margret's Persona compendium.

"I will," Yu said.

"I am glad to hear it," Margret said. "Then we will soon meet here again in person."

"You will need to make new allies," said the young man. "It is one thing to defeat a deity that desires, on some level, to be defeated. This will even be more difficult."

"But we know you are capable."

Yu woke with a start. The announcement over the intercom said they were almost at Tokyo.

"Are you alright?" Naoto asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"About the only thing we haven't seen," Yu deadpanned. Then, growing serious, told Naoto what had just dreamed; and how similar it was to when he was taking the train to Inaba. "I was told to make new allies," he said, "it's good advice. If we're going to fight, it's always worth it to have someone to fight with, and for,"

"In dreams?" Naoto asked, skeptically. "The velvet room is the one thing that you've seen that I've been unable to verify with my own eyes."

Yu let out an exasperated sigh.

Naoto put her hands up apologetically. "Look, I'll keep my eyes open. But maybe we should tell the others. Maybe Teddie can sniff out something in the the Shadow Realm before it becomes a threat."

Yu nodded, mollified.

The train pulled into the station and settled to a stop. "Where will you be staying?" he asked. "I'd meant to ask earlier."

"My Grandfather arranged for an apartment near the hospital. Think it's owned by a friend of his." Naoto said. Then she gave the address.

"That's not that far from my new home," Yu told her. He smiled slightly. "I'll try to get you over for dinner, you can't live on instant ramen alone." Yu, dragging his luggage behind him, stepped onto the waiting platform. He spotted his waiting parents, and went to join them.


She'd only been in town one day, and Naoto was already heading out for her internship. Now she knew how Yu felt, starting school the day after he'd gotten to Inaba.

Naoto walked in the main entrance of St. Luke's and asked for Dr. Saitou. She was given directions to the basement, as well as a very uncomfortable look. She ignored it, and headed to the elevator. In the basement, she followed the maze of identical passages until she found the morgue. It had possibly the sturdiest doors she'd seen outside of a bank vault, and an unlit red lamp labeled 'contagion, no admittance'. She knocked, heard a shout to enter, and pulled the door open.

The first thing Naoto realized about the mortuary was that it was cold, almost uncomfortably so, especially as she was in summer clothing. What looked like lockers lined the walls, though she knew they must be freezers.

The resident forensic examiner was a tall, lanky individual, about middle age with jet black hair. He pushed a pair of thin spectacles up his nose and peered at Naoto, as if trying to figure out who she was.

"I'm Naoto Shirogane," she said, introducing herself.

"The Detective Prince!" he remarked. "I thought you'd be older... and..." his voice skipped a beat, "taller." he amended.

"It won't be a problem, will it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I promise you, I'm here to learn from you."

"No, of course not," he said, his tone screaming that he meant, "Maybe, we'll see." He continued, "In any event, it's actually not that busy here. I'm not sure why I'm getting an assistant in the first place."

"Maybe you'd be willing to share some of your old case studies, if you're not busy?"

Dr. Saitou looked slightly happy about this, and headed over to a filing cabinet in the corner. "There's a locker near the door, you can put your things in the bottom one, if you'd like."

Naoko slung off her rucksack, placing it in the locker.

They broke for lunch after a few hours. The doctor lived close enough that he went home. Naoto went up to the cafe. It was a open, bright room, warm after her stay in the mortuary. The morning had been sufficiently interesting. After selecting a meal, she paid.

Walking to her seat, she happened to happened to meet the look of a middle aged woman wearing a doctor's coat. The doctor looked surprised for a moment, as if she recognized her, then released a rather major sigh. Intrigued, and remembering Yu's advice, she walked over. "Mind if I sit down?" she asked.

The woman looked surprised at this, "Oh. Sure. That's fine."

Naoto sat down and took in her features. She wore her brown hair short, and brown eyes were studying the detective almost as much as the detective studied her. The doctor sighed again, then appeared to change her own mental subject. "Are you visiting someone here?" she asked politely.

"No," Naoto responded. "I'm interning with Dr. Saitou."

The woman was startled, "The examiner?"

Naoto smiled. "I'm a detective," she said. They had a pleasant enough lunch, talking about what they'd both done in the past.

As she the doctor finished, and went to throw away her trash, Naoto expressed her curiosity directly. "What made you so sad when you first saw me?"

"Hmm? Oh. You reminded me of my daughter, you both have the same focused expression," she said, laughing. "And you're about the same age. I wish I had more time to spend with her... but I don't want to give up helping people either."

"I understand, um, Doctor..." Naoto frowned, stressing the last syllable.

"Oh, my apologies. Doctor Mizuno," she said, introducing herself.

"Doctor Mizuno," Naoto repeated, nodding politely.


In the Shadow Realm, the Eclipse Queen was prepared for her appearance. She might not have been able to kill her originator, but that was to be mended. She had located a portal to the mortal realm, looking out on what appeared to be a small home. She pressed her hand against it, and was shocked to find resistance.

Annoyed, she pressed harder, but still could not get through.

She called one of the minor shadows to her, a large, scuttling hand. She ordered it through in her place. It was able to get through without a problem, and promptly returned, sitting at her side.

With growing irritation, she realized that she was being hedged out. There was still a thin connection between her and her original, and that she would not be free, truly free, until she was dead. Only then could the Eclipse Queen take her proper place.

But, as powerful as she was here, her originator was also powerful in her own way. And while she didn't make use of her own power, she had friends. The Man in Black had pulled the originator into this world once, but he could not do it again. If her quarry came in looking for her, she would bring her allies in with her. So she would need allies of her own, and, if necessary, a reason for her to come.

She folded her hands. More minor shadows were drawn to the power they sensed, they would prove a good start. But she knew where to find other allies. Stronger allies.

After all, she and her originator were part of a team.

Author's note: I've never played either version of Arena, so I really can't use it as Canon for this crossover. (I'm experiencing it now.) The Shadow Operatives from Persona 3 will almost certainly not be showing up (I've got enough characters to give screen time to), but you might spot Kirijo Group's influence behind the scenes. Persona Q is technically canon, but, well, mind wipe.