DISCALAIMER: Persona belongs to Atlus and Square Enix, I make no claim to the ownership of the name nor themes therein.

Date: Wednesday 4th June

Weather: Cloudy

Moon: Full

I…am in shock. Is this my fault? Is it because I all but sent her away? My mind is reeling. I can't…I don't think I can take much more of this stress. I think I'm losing my mind. Though if being able to summon physical manifestations of my psyche isn't a sign of insanity, then I don't know what is. Come to think of it, if I'm able to summon multiple Personas and yet Takashi can't, does that mean I have dissociative identity disorder? A quick glance at the mirror confirms that Alice is about to speak. I bring my finger to my mouth. "Shush!" I say loudly as I get up and head towards the mirror, charging into the Velvet Room like a shot.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room" Igor addresses me in his own eerie way.

"What does this gesture mean…?" Alice asks me with her head cocked to one side, imitating my shushing motion.

Igor then peers at me over his hands, ignoring his assistant's question. "I see you wish to save those meant to die. Do you intend to change fate itself?"

"If that's what it takes." I say bluntly.

"Very well. I shall aid you in this quest." Igor nods, seeming pleased with my answer. He then gestures to Alice, who, appears to be a little put out that Igor has seemingly no interest in me answering her question. Nevertheless, she takes my Persona Cards, and registering Pixie and updating Saidani, hands both cards over to Igor. He then spreads the cards over the table, infusing them with power. The cards then fizzle for a while, shaking, before violently slamming together like magnets. The aftermath reveals a new card, depicting a golden tear drop with a face.

"Thou art I and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Saki-Mitama. Stay calm and leave everything to me"

I hear that voice reverberating inside my head. I then notice Alice gazing at me again. It then hits me that I just lost Saidani. "Didn't you say that I could…recall a previously lost Persona from that book?"

Alice smiles. "Certainly. But to withdraw previous Personas from the Compendium, you will have to offer something in exchange." What does she mean 'something in exchange'? I don't like the sound of this…

"I believe the currency of your land should suffice." She says demurely. Is she saying…? She wants money for me to summon my older Personas?!

"I..." I sigh. She doesn't seem to understand why. "How much for Saidani and Pixie?" I ask dejectedly.

…

… …

I spend a long while in the Velvet Room, using up a substantial sum of money to fuse more powerful Personas. Alice never does get an answer to her question. Oh well. I can always explain at a later date. Once I'm content that I've spent too much of the little allowance of money I was given to live on, I return to my room. I decide to call Casey Mao. It takes some time to digging around, but I eventually find the scrap of paper with his number on. I dial the number and he picks up before it even rings.

"Come." That's all he says before he hangs up. How the hell…? Regardless, I decide to go, seeing as I was aiming for this outcome anyway. I put on my coat and double check I've got a deck-holder on my belt full of Persona Cards. I slip my sword into one of my trouser legs, and cover it with my blazer. Once my checks are complete, I nod at Alice and head through the mirror. However I quickly realize that I have no idea which Mirror leads to the secret floor. I sigh. I return to my room and sneak out of the door. I then head to the dorm lift, and sure enough, just like in the main building, there is a button that is really a keyhole. Turning the key results in the lift descending down to the complex that I was in earlier. Mao-san is waiting there to meet me.

"So, you checked?" He asks curtly.

"I…did. Is Takashi-san here, too?"

"No. I've told him he doesn't need to stay up all the time. He's a troubled young man, sleep will do him good. Though the same can be said for you." Mao-san replies emotionlessly. "I have modified your COMP, as promised." He holds out the familiar silver-and-bright blue rectangular gauntlet, though it now has a long wire connecting it to the Mirror Glasses.

"Thanks." I say, taking the COMP and glasses from the blind man. "If I might ask… What exactly did you do, and how exactly is it going to help?"

"I modified it so that it can store Persona Cards, as well as deploy them in rapid succession. It will come in handy when it comes to Persona Change. The wire plugs into a port on your glasses, as you can see here, which also functions as an earpiece. It allows me to receive more data on your surroundings, as well as communicate with you directly, if you use the microphone built-in to the COMP as standard. It will also act as a 'stabilizer' focusing your Personas 100% more efficiently, and, more importantly, safely, than summoning without it. I have also pre-loaded it with the 'Persona Fusion Program' – a program which allows use of Fusion Spells between two compatible Personas, allowing two Persona-Users to fight as one. In your case, however, you will be able to perform Fusion Spells on your own, using two of your own Personas. If needed, your COMP will also allow you to, with Igor's aid, fuse Personas in the midst of battle. I suppose my being able to construct this without sight could be compared to Beethoven's musical mastery, despite his failing hearing."

…I see. So it's pretty awesome then. Not to mention he said that last bit with a straight face. A question occurs. "Has it been tested?"

"In this iteration, no. Takashi-kun tested the previous version, and I fixed what didn't work." He hands it to me. It's silver with an electric blue stripe running down the outside. He appears to have altered the colouring to match the style used in Takashi's. Speaking of, behind Mao-san, I can see an identical COMP to mine with a green stripe sitting on the table. I remember Takashi's lenses were green, so I decide to assume it's to be his. I slip the COMP onto my arm and flex it. Fits like a glove, just as always.

"Thank you. I'm sure it'll come in very handy." I begin to feed my Persona cards into my COMP. It beeps in recognition and shows the stats of the respective Personas as I do so. "So…Sachiko-san is to die sometime tomorrow."

"Today, technically." He corrects me like a know-it-all.

I nod bitterly. "But I'll stop this one. I myself survived my death date, after all."

"Because of your Persona." He says pointedly. "And you haven't escaped death, merely delayed it. Reply to the email if you don't believe me."

…I hadn't thought of that. Of course, if I'm still alive, then my death date will have moved. Well, that's a problem for another day. "With Takashi-san and I working together, we can do it. After all, I have several Persona on me at once."

Casey Mao sighs. "I just want you to understand that you may not be able to save her. Prepare yourself for that. You can't fight fate, after all."

"I will if I have to." I decree. "I'll follow her around tomorrow, make sure nothing happens."

Mao-san attempts to face me, coming remarkably close, but facing a few inches too low. "She'll be killed in the Mirror World. Make no mistake about that. But, if you insist, I'll call you immediately if a new entry mirror forms, alright?" He says with a hint of something that may either be pride or irritation in his voice.

.

I nod, and he directs me to a very comfortable looking bed. "Rest here for now. There is no use in fighting shadows when you're completely exhausted."

"I'd prefer to sleep in my own room, thank you." I answer back.

"If you sleep here, I can wake you at a moment's notice. If you do not, it could be too late." He rebukes. After a long pause, I nod, and, taking the advice, head over to the bed.

…

… …

My sleep was very disturbed that night. I kept hearing things…seeing things. If they were meant to be dreams, they were badly fractured and disjointed.

There is a boy I can see… He's got shoulder-length brown hair and…he's wearing a red jumpsuit.

"Apollo!" He calls, outstretching his arm. I see a man in red, fiery armour flying at me. Persona?...

"Hyperion!" A similar-looking, but slightly older man calls, sending forth a mechanical-looking priest dressed in black robes.

I hear further voices…their appearences vary, but each of them seems to have a Persona.

"Prometheus!"

"Asteria!"

"Artemis!"

"Michael!"

"Yamaoka!"

"Durga!"

Each name seems to hurt, and yet…gives me hope. Argh, I can't explain it. I seem to feel a connection to them though. We're the same, and yet…we are opposites. Are they attacking me? Or am I with them, attacking an unseen opponent.

"Stop."

That voice?... Alice?

"Stop what you're doing to him, now!"

I'm floating on an ethereal sea. Something is standing above me. A shadowy figure. I can't make out any details. It doesn't appear to like Alice though. It seems to lunge for her, but…my vision is hazy. I can't seem to make out anything.

"I'm slipping away…

Date: Thursday 5th June

Weather: Sunny

Moon: Full

I head into school the next morning, having been woken up by Mao-san, and immediately head to Class 1-2. I'm still groggy. I don't think I slept well, but I can't really remember. A quick glance inside confirms that Kuwasaki is not in there. Damn. I look around again, trying to find Kuwasaki's friends. "Dudes." I say to the closest group of boys to the door. "Have you seen Sachiko Kuwasaki-san?" The guys don't even bother answering, just pointing at a pair of girls chatting in the corner. A-ha! Found them! I approach the two of them and clear my throat. "Lady-dudes."

"Oh… You're Sacchan's not-boyfriend, aren't you?" The curly-haired girl asks.

…If that is the label I have been given, so be it. I can clear my name later, I need this information now. "I suppose. We met briefly yesterday."

The long-haired girl smiles helpfully. "How went your investigation, yesterday?"

I'm taken aback a bit by that. "…Inconclusive." I decide is the best answer.

She nods understandingly. "Oh but don't try to get too involved." She fixes me with an odd look. "You might end up as anti-social as Katayama-senpai."

"Or like Laura-san!" The curly-haird girl laughs.

Katayama? What do these chicks have against Katayama? I shake my head. Questions for another day. "Sachiko-san. Have you seen her?" They look at each other, exchange glances, and nod. I don't like it.

"Lovers' quarrel?" The curly-haired girl suggests.

"Definitely." The long-haired girl nods. Argh. Damn them.

"We haven't seen her, but we'll be sure to let her know you want to kiss and make up, okay, loverboy?" The curly-haired girl says. Ah to hell with this. I turn around and storm away.

I head back to my own class and turn immediately to Takashi. "I know Today's victim." Are the first words out of my mouth.

"Oh? I see. We'll be going in together then?" He says seriously. We might not get on, but he seems like a pretty dependable guy when it comes down to it.

I nod. "I am. I'd appreciate it if I could have your help." I have to save her. I can't help but feel responsible.

Takashi nods concernedly. "Of course. Oh, I see Mao-san gave you the new COMP. I take it he has one for me as well?" He says looking down at my left arm.

"He does. I didn't half get some stares coming up here, wearing this."

Takashi laughs slightly. "That's because it now looks like KitaTech's latest model. And it does have all of the functions of that model, as well. They probably think your rich now." Great. Just Great. If the 'Transfer Student Magic' didn't make my life difficult before, this sure as hell will.

After that, we pass through the morning, which seems to drag on and on, in silence, getting our work done as quickly as possible. Police arrived around midday, continuing the investigation into that Matsuda's death. We're called out of afternoon classes for questioning. Nothing comes of it, and we're sent back to class.

Morning - Afternoon

I receive a call, and despite the look I get from Sakuya-sensei, I answer it. "What?!" I bark into the phone.

"Stay calm and don't panic. Sachiko Kuwasaki has been inside of the mirror since this morning. I'd have called you sooner, but I was away on business. Don't worry, she's not in any danger yet. She won't be until she awakens. I, as the governor of the school, will sort out a reason for your absence. You and Takashi are to come here immediately." Mao Mao's voice rings out in a strained tone, before hanging up.

Alright then, let's go. I stand up and turn to Takashi. "Takashi-san, it's time." I start walking to the door. Takashi seems startled, but understands when Mao appears in the doorway.

"It's alright, Hiro-san. They're with me." He says calmly, but with an authoritative tone.

Sakuya-sensei looks like he is deciding between demanding his students back, or submitting to Mao's authority. He sighs in defeat. "…I see. Just don't keep them too long, Mao-san." He waves his hand and returns to his history lecture.

Mao shepherds us towards the lift. "As of now, you're both members of the Catoptric Explorers."

…I'm sorry? "As…cool? …as that sounds, what is it?" Takashi asked with faint irritation. For once we agree.

"A team I'm putting together. Officially, it's to investigate that site, and the hacking of several computers and servers in the area. Your true mission is to fight Shadows and save those meant to die."

"I'm on board with that" I say before Takashi even has time to process what he just said.

"Good. Because I was intending on asking you to be Field Commander" Casey Mao says as we begin to descend in the lift.

"What? I've been at this longer!" Takashi exclaims.

"No. Saidani has been awake far longer. On top of that, I've known him far longer than I have you. Now you are a valuable member of the team, and, indeed, I know your fighting style much better, but I trust in his strength and integrity to make the right decisions with a cool head." Huh? I do? Thank you, I guess? …I eventually decide to accept his offer.

"I accept, Mao-san. But…Takashi-san? I want you to do what you feel is best for now, OK?" Takashi gives me a glare, but nods curtly all the same. Mao then hands Takashi his new COMP and we both put on our glasses, and extend the wire to plug into them. Immediately, I can see date readouts of everything in the room – like a heads up display. "Fascinating…" I murmur, before remembering why we're here.

"Takashi! You ready to go?" I ask picking up my sword from the bed I was in earlier.

"Yes…Leader." He stresses the last word. Damn he's going to cause me a lot of trouble…

I sigh and shrug it off as I head towards the Grand Mirror in the underground lab. "Wait. Pin these to your blazers and it will excuse you from class if ever I need you. Mao-san says, throwing a pair of badges at Takashi and I. I turn to Mao-san and nod as I place my hand on the mirror, and melt through. I notice the mirror with a green bow to the right, and to the left, I see Alice watching us from another Velvet Mirror. I wonder if Takashi can see it. However the most striking thing, is another, grandiose looking mirror at one of the seal's seven points. There's the metallic sky-blue one which is referred to as '?' on the glasses. However that was always there. Now there is an identical mirror, but with a metallic yellow frame there as well. The heads up display lists it as the gateway to the 'Thousand Paradise'.

"She's in there" Mao confirms via the earpiece connector between the glasses and the COMP wire. I turn to Takashi, though he's still being sour. Great. I ignore him and speak into my COMP.

"Roger that. I'm heading in now." I answer confidently.

"If it gets too dangerous, evacuate immediately." I hear his voice through the earpiece.

I think about my answer for a while. "Unlikely." I say and ignore anything else he says. Something about me being stubborn I think. Oh well.

I steel myself and walk into the mirror, emerging on a drawbridge. A drawbridge. Which is peculiar, seeing as it appears to lead into a gigantic Shinto temple, rising almost higher than is possible to see.

"Shadow Worlds are formed from the repressed thoughts, fears and feelings of the human who generates it. This girl must be incredibly naïve." Takashi spits icily.

I turn my head towards him slightly and give him a death glare. He stares me down with one equally as icy. "Got a problem?" He goads.

"Yeah, the chip on your shoulder is my problem, Oji-sama."I… I surprised myself there. I didn't know I had it in me. I feel my courage increase. Namely, I feel less 'fearful' and more 'confident'.

"How dare you?!" Takashi takes a step towards me threateningly.

"Remember the mission. Settle your childish arguments later." Casey Mao reprimands us. I nod at Takashi, giving him a look I hope says 'Until later'. I turn away from him and narrow my eyes, looking around. My eyes eventually settle on one of the windows, and it is there I spot Sachiko…in a slightly slutty bastardization of a yukata and surrounded by wisps of blue fire.

"Yoo-hoo!" She coos from her vantage point. "I've been waiting for you~!"

Takashi sighs. "It's her Shadow." No, really? With the golden eyes and the blue fire, I'd never have guessed!

"I've been needing a couple new boys to play with you see. The four I have just aren't enough!" …Come again? Hold the phone, is her inner self a fetish-y nympho or something?

…Again? Damn, son. I need to get a grip. Takashi is glaring at her, like he has some sort of vendetta against her.

"Well~! If you want to be my toys, you'll have to catch me! See-you-later~~~" Sachiko's Shadow disappears into the temple.

"Let's go." Takashi says, momentarily forgetting his jealousy.

I nod. "Right."

…

… …

Inside, the temple appears to be a colossal maze, with treasure chests dotted around. Gold, jewels, paintings, foodstuffs, alcohol bottles, cosmetics, cigarettes and all sorts of weird and terrible things are all over the place in colossal mountain-esque piles. I'm sure navigating through this won't be any trouble at all. The two of us advance further in, until we're ambushed an enormous pair of robed, masked figures, fixed together by three rods forced through their sides rising out of one of the piles. "It's a pair of Trance Twins. A particular strong one as well, looking at the size. Good luck." Mao says simply.

Takashi lunges forward with his short rapier, but doesn't do much damage. I, however, prefer a different strategy. "Valkyrie!" I call, summoning my Persona to charge the Shadow. "Skewer!" The horse-riding female warrior thuds her spear into the side of one of the bodies. It shakes grotesquely and causes a tornado to appear around Takashi. All I can hear before the whoosh of the wind is his choked yell. "TAKASHI!" I scream as I charge toward the tornado. Sure, he's a dick, but he must have his reasons! He doesn't deserve to die here! I hit the wall of wind and find myself violently repelled. "Damn it!" I slam my fist on the ground as I get to my feet. "Change!" I flick my finger across the touch screen of my COMP. "Apsaras! Save Takashi-san!"

"Eliot Takashi is still alive, and it's weak to Zio." Casey Mao's voice rings in my ear. Always so damn brief aren't you?!

Apsaras slips easily through the whirling winds and they soon die down. I see the blue-skinned female descend to the ground with a semi-conscious Takashi in her arms. He's safe. That's good. I turn to look up at the Trance Twins, feeling my anger boiling. "Apsaras! Persona Change!" I flick my finger repeatedly across the touch screen of my open COMP. "Valkyrie!" I point towards the Shadow, my intent clear. Her horse rears up as a bolt of lightning strikes the Trance Twins down. I make a cutting motion with my hands, as Valkyrie uses her blades to finish the battle.

As she fades away, I fall to one knee, seeing six cards descend before my vision. I see them begin to spin. And so, lethargically, I extend my hand and take hold of a card. It's blank. Damn. I stagger over to the wall Takashi was propped up against, and slide down it. "So, how are you holding up?"

He looks at me for a long moment. "I'm in your debt now, you saved my life. I dislike being in debt." He muses as I see a flicker of turmoil and anguish in his eyes. "Why did you react so strongly?" He asks, turning to face my properly. "I heard you yell."

I think about it for a while, and the answer I find makes me crack up. I can't help it, I just find myself laughing. "What? What's so funny? Are you mocking me?"

I shake my head and hold up my hand. "No, no. Nothing like that. I just…don't know." I laugh slightly again. "I don't know. I'm usually not very good when working with others, but… I don't know, you seem different." I shake my head still sniggering slightly.

"…That sounds incredibly asinine." He starts but before he can, he finds a hand on his head. My hand.

"Your right. Your hair is pretty soft, man. Softer than any girl's hair I've felt. Not that that number is particularly great or anything. How do you get it so soft?"

He sits there, stunned for a moment. He opens his mouth, but no words come, so he quickly closes it again. "If you think that's going to make me forget about this, your wrong!" He pauses abruptly. "Not that you have to stop on my account or anything. We can continue our conversation later."

I laugh again, it seems stroking Takashi's head is a disarming mechanism. I'll have to remember that. I stretch my weary muscles and hand Takashi some Peach Seeds. "We'd best get going soon. Sachiko-san's Shadow could be killing her as we're speaking." Takashi nods as he stuffs a couple of seeds in his mouth.

"Now don't get me wrong. Regardless of what Casey-san has said, I'm still top-dog here, but you don't seem all that bad after all. Maybe working with you won't be so bad. Heh, I need a chance to repay my debt anyway." I look at Takashi and can't help but feel the inkling that a faint bond has formed between the two of us. I see a flash of white light, and see a tarot card descending from above. Time appears distorted, like I've entered Clock Up or something. I the card falls close enough to be identified, I feel a blinding headache, accompanied by a skull-splitting voice.

Thou art I and I am Thou. Thou hast established a new bond. These bonds will be the glass used to reflect the truth. Thou shalt now be blessed when creating Persona of The Magician Arcanum.

I clench my fist around the card and the pain subsides and time returns to normal. Bond? The Magician? Isn't Loki of The Magician Arcanum? As I think, it dawns on me. "Social Link…" I mutter under my breath.

"Actually, the girl is at the top of this temple, whereas her Shadow is directly above you." The voice of our support NPC explains. What? Oh right. Finding Kuwasaki. Is her Shadow waiting for us? I turn to Takashi, who looks just as troubled.

However at that moment I begin to hear something. Something I've heard before. Something that grips me with the intense desire to run away as far as I can from this place. It's a rattling sound, like chains. And it's getting closer.

"What's that sound?" Takashi thinks aloud, approaching the door.

"Run." Casey Mao's voice rips through my thoughts. "That thing is immensely powerful. You don't even stand a fraction of a chance against it."

I hear Takashi curse in surprise and turn to see it. It looks like the Grim Reaper, if the Grim Reaper wielded a pair of revolvers with absurdly long barrels, and as opposed to a hood, its head appears to be bandaged, just allowing it's golden left eye to shine out. It fills me with panic. I can't explain it, but I feel that I should never be in that thing's presence. It looks around, glancing briefly right into my eyes. It immediately raises its arms and fires its revolvers at both Takashi and I. Takashi manages to dodge, but I'm not fast enough and find myself sent flying and landing in a heap. I lift my head to try and call for Takashi, but no sound comes out. What? I try speaking again, but no sound comes. I begin to descend into a panic What…What did that thing do to me? A fall can't make a guy mute can it? No... Of course not...

"Takashi-kun, David has been silenced – his Persona has been sealed." Our navigator explains to Takashi. Silenced? It's just a spell?! Oh thank god!

"Bufu! Bufu Damn it! Bufu!" Takashi sounds terrified. His spells however only freeze the Shadow for a fraction of a moment, before his merely cracks right through it and advances. I then feel myself violently grabbed and forced to my feet and dragged away. My adrenaline-addled brain eventually realises that Takashi used Loki as a distraction, and that he grabbed me and ran. I glance behind us. He's right there, alarmingly close. It rasps as if about to speak, before being frozen once more by Loki. "There! The stairs!" We make it to the stairs and safely make it up them. Miraculously, the shadow is no longer following us. I have no idea why, but for some reason, I feel like the it was watching me. Me in particular.

"Are you alright? You wanna head back. I can handle this by myself, you know" Takashi says proudly. Oh yeah, and that Garu spell the Trance Twins cast was nothing, huh, Bro.

"…I-I'm…fi-ne." I speak brokenly. That bastard's Silence spell has finally worn off. I clear my throat. "Let's keep going. We've got to find Sachiko-san!" I can't let her wind up like Matsuda because of me. Takashi shrugs, before nodding at my decision.

However, as soon as we begin walking through the second floor, I hear Kuwasaki's voice reverberate through the walls.

"Men are so useless. They can't do anything if an attractive, well-endowed woman walks by. And they never look her in the eyes. It's so pathetic."

So…she's a closet feminist? Huh. Being a cute-and-bouncy girl with that amount of mass in the chest department probably doesn't help. Perhaps she's more lonely then I thought. I exhale slowly and nod to Takashi silently.

"So. She's got self-appearance issues. That'll make her Shadow shallow and, hopefully, easier to defeat." Takashi says icily. I wouldn't call self-image problems shallow though, Takashi.

This temple… From what I understand, this represents Sachiko Kuwasaki's mental landscape, or perhaps… It only represents the repressed part of her mind. A physical manifestations of all the fears, concerns, problems, and other emotions she's been bottling up. This whole thing seems very Jungian, I must say. I've studied the works of Jung in my own time, they've always fascinated me. According to him, he was guided by a figure he called 'Philemon'. Didn't Casey Mao ask if Philemon had tried to contact me yesterday? Was Jung a Persona-user, or something? Regardless, what could all this mean? What could it represent? That poor girl…What is it she's been repressing that would form this place? And her Shadow…That nympho shrine maiden. What's that all about? I suppose… Perhaps she really is keeping up the pretext of a popular class rep onee-san-type. She's probably sick of it, hence her shadow taking it up-to-eleven. But…what about all this random crap everywhere, eh? Does she pretend to be a neat freak when really she's a hoarder or something?

My reverie is broken when we come across a locked door. Huh. I must have zoned out, even during battle. We're both still alive though, so we must've won any we got into. We don't have a key… I then think if a potential way around that. "Persona!" I call upon the might of Saidani to break open the door, and, miraculously, it works. We are then greeted by the smiling face of Sachiko, twirling around, still in a loose-yet-tight, half-open yukata. Now I'm at a closer range, the fact that she has the same blue wisps and golden eyes that that boy's Shadow had as well is much more obvious.

"Hello there, gentlemen!" She waves over-enthusiastically. True self? She sure is acting just like Sachiko. "So~ Here to join my harem are we? Excellent! Because enough is never enough, you know" She wags her finger.

Takashi stands there, transfixed for a moment. He looks almost…afraid? "No. We're here to save the girl you spawned from, Shadow." Venom drips from his words. Jeeze is this an emotional 180 from how he was in class.

"Hm? Why would you want to save a mere mask I don't even care to wear anymore? Surely you both like me much better, right?" She traces the curves of body with her hands. "Besides, I'm me, and I don't care what anyone else thinks anymore!"

"No, your merely a hollow manifestation of what the real girl doesn't want to be. You should accept it. That's your true self." Takashi deflates coolly. Damn that was a badass thing to say.

She doesn't seem to like that. She dashes over, slaps Takashi. His eye twitches. She then turns to me, winks and gives me a cute smile and then runs away. "Catch me if you can~!"

Takashi is stunned, but I can feel barely controlled rage threatening to bubble over coming from within him. He's shaking slightly. "Let's go killabitch." He says simply. I thought I was the leader? Ugh, whatever. The two of us dash after her.

…

Great. Another maze. I sigh and facepalm, which quickly turns into pinching the bridge of my nose. "Alright, what're we gonna do now?"

"Good question" Takashi sighs, running his fingers through his hair.

"I suppose we just try and find the stairs" I suggest as we start moving. "We don't want to risk that gun toting Shadow finding us again, after all." Takashi agrees and we begin searching for the stairs.

So. Kuwasaki's Shadow mentioned that she 'no longer cares about what others think'…I guess she does seem like the sort to bottle things up and bury her true feelings to keep up appearances. She also has issues with people staring at her chest instead of treating her as a person. She isn't even excessively large, just slightly more so than most of the others, and bouncy enough to catch one's eye. Isn't that a bit hypocritical? There is something missing here… And then, she latched onto me so quickly. Why? What was so special about me? I don't want to seem too big-headed, but I can't rule out the possibility that she thinks she loves me, or has begun to harbour some form of feelings for me. I also can't rule out the possibility that she was using me for something. I wish I'd thought to ask her friends more about her. It could really have come in handy. I have no idea what she could be repressing to result in this place, as well as…whatever the hell her Shadow thinks she is. After all, she seemed pretty apathetic until Takashi provoked her, at which point she seemed pleased that I was seemingly going along with it. It would be interesting to see her response to me rejecting her. After all, the real Kuwasaki didn't react too well to it. Though remembering Matsuda's Shadow's response to rejection, that might not be the best idea in the world. I have to admit though. God does she look...damn fine dressed like that. Acting the way she does only manages to up her allure as well. …Sorry to bore you with yet more psychoanalyses. I notice we appear to have ascended to the third floor already. Curious. I appear to zone out a lot here. It feels…comforting. I feel at ease when within the Mirror. I really do think I've been here before. Recurrently, I'd say. I try to remember but… argh. Blue eyes… I distinctly remember someone with blue eyes by my side. Something of an asshole. Mao did say that Saidani had been awake for quite some time. Saidani… What secrets do you hold?

My train of is halted when we reach the stairs. Takashi and I nod at each other. Ascending to the next floor, we once again hear Kuwasaki's voice.

"Girls aren't much better. They're either jealous or teasing. Sure, physical appearance is important. You can love someone, but if you can't stand to touch them, you can't have a real family. But what's the problem with respecting everyone's differences huh?!"

Before I have a chance to think, Takashi speaks up. "So, you know this girl, right? Any idea what this is all about? What's responsible for this place and the Shadow?"

I shake my head. "No, I was just thinking about it myself. I've only been here about three days. Given more time I could probably have figured something out." Takashi turns his head away. I get the feeling that he doesn't like it here nearly as much as I do.

"So, how are you going to cope when we find her? We might have to attack her." Takashi says simply. "Are you sure you'll be okay with that?"

I turn away and reply "We'll see." That thought really hadn't occurred to me. What if Kuwasaki rejects her Shadow? Will we have to fight it, like Matsuda's? Will we be able to beat it? I honestly don't know the answer. I pray we don't have to find out. She hates guys for ogling and girls for being jealous or bullying her? Is she acting the onee-san type to hide the scars of bullying? I can certainly relate to that.

Other than that, the third floor is rather uneventful, we run across a handful of Shadows, but nothing too difficult. And once again, on the fourth floor, Kuwasaki's voice can be heard once more.

"But they are the worst. Extorting the grieving husband of a dying wife into debt to cover outrageous hospital bills. They take whatever they can to cover a debt when it can't be paid in full. Heirlooms, land, people…"

I glance at Takashi, we both know what she is referring to. "Yakuza bastards." He spits.

The two of us continue onward once more, coming up against more Shadows along the way. I'm getting to know the different kinds now.

"Hey, Mao-san. Any idea how many floors there are?" I decide to ask our chief on a whim.

"Nothing concrete, no. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say about seven. Perhaps nine." He responds after a moment of silence.

"Let's hope it's seven. Then we'd be nearly done." Takashi says simply.

We quickly ascend to the next floor and are greeted by Kuwasaki's voice once again.

"I can see you. You're different aren't you. You're like me somehow. Alone, fractured, damaged. Follow me… hee hee hee."

Is she talking about me, or Takashi? Both? Someone else? Takashi's looking at me. His brow is furrowed and his eyes are narrowed. I do not like that look. Not one bit. He sighs, turns away.

We keep walking, fighting through Shadows and eventually happen across another locked door. Just as I'm about to call for Saidani, Casey Mao speaks up once again.

"It won't be enough to simply use a pierce or slash skill. You're going to need to find the actual key this time. Good luck, gentlemen."

"Prove it to me. Prove you're different and open the door."

The Shadow's voice speaks once more in a breathy tone. Takashi seems bemused.

"Great. How are we supposed to get past this, now?" He sighs, face-palming.

"Simple. Find the key." I say with a slight cocky smile.

We search through what parts of the floor we can get to. Fumbling through treasure chests gets us nowhere. I begin to panic. Kuwasaki could be beyond that door! But… Wouldn't Mao have told me? He would right? But he did say that I'd have to keep a cool head. He could think I'll fly off the handle. I probably would. In fact, I think I will now. "Takashi, let's go." I dash back towards the door.

"Huh? What?" I hear him question.

Burning Up!

"Saidani, Break that door down!" I call as my other self appears from the blue mist and strikes the door, being set on fire in the process.

I scream. I fall onto my face. Every cell in my body is crying out in anguish. My mind is trying to unscramble itself. It's not working. And to make it worse, a certain someone manages to gloat through vocal tone alone.

"I told you, you need the key. Using other means won't work."

He sounds so smug. I claw myself back up and force myself to swallow several peach seeds. I turn to face Takashi, whose face is a mix of worry, amusement and irritation, but mostly the latter.

"And he's leader why?" I hear him ask. You bastard, I thought we were bros!

Kidding aside, his personality keeps going around and around in massive mood swings. I wonder what his problem is. Well, regardless, finding the key is our problem for now. I don't get much further on that train of thought though. I once again hear the sound of rattling chains. We've been on this floor for too long. He's found us. Not only that, but we're trapped. We can't get passed the door. We're trapped, and he's coming for us. The sound is getting closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see blue light.

"Persona!"

Loki goes flying past me to engage the Shadow in battle. I can see a flash of light and Takashi crumples to the ground, near-death.

"Listen, that Shadow has the 'Key of Gula', the key you need. You need to steal it and unlock the door. But you need to do it without getting hit, it hit Takashi-kun with Zionga, and by these readings, he should have access to Mazionga, and even Maziodyne. You must try not to get hit. Good luck." Mao-san explains. Zio…nga? Ma-zionga? Mazio…dyne? What the hell? I extend my hand.

"Pe-Perso…Persona!" But Saidani will not come. This can't be… Why? Why damn it?!

He comes into view. The yellow-eyed, gun-toting grim reaper. Looking right at me, rasping and pointing his barrels at me. Help me. Oh god, help me.

"Pixie!" Nothing happens. No…no!

"Saki-Mitama!" Still nothing. Why not! Why not damn it!

"Sylph! Valkyrie! Apsaras!" No one is coming to my aid. I fall to my knees, petrified. That Shadow has a peculiar effect on me. Takashi doesn't panic half as badly as I do. "Orobas…" I call half-heartedly. This is it. I'm sorry, Kuwasaki. I failed. I close my eyes.

…

I hear something. A faint…very faint voice. "Don't give in, newbie." It sounds like Takashi. I'm not alone? My eyes snap open.

"Saidani!" I call, sending the robot-skeleton-samurai at the Shadow. "Takashi-san! Get the key! I know you're there!" I see a flash of beige hair stagger past me,. Throwing himself at the Shadow grappling with the Persona.

"Here goes nothing!"

Chapter's End Corner~

Courage: Fearful Confident

Knowledge: Average

Dilligence: Slacker

Understanding: Bad

Expression: Rough

Charm: Clueless

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Eliot Takashi – The Magician: Rank I