Port 6: Explain To One's Self

Author's Note: Damn. I really want to update more, but I hope this one last bit of buildup will count.

In this chapter: Aigis is a good translator between the former S.E.E.S. and the Investigation Team.

To say today wasn't going to be a good day was exactly that for one Yosuke Hanamura. Currently stuck staring into the blue, cybernetic but still so human eyes of Aigis, he tried to grin, but it came out too late and taut around the edges.

"D-D-Don't hurt me!" he squealed, "What happened between me and Labrys was in the past!"

Aigis' deadpan expression remained the same. "Hurt you? Why would I do such a thing?"

"Wait, what?"

Aigis finally showed a glimpse of emotion, as a blonde eyebrow raised in confusion, "Hanamura-san, why do you believe I would hurt you? You are a friend of mine, and I couldn't once dream of hurting you voluntarily!"

Yosuke threw his arms up in exasperation, "Well you don't go around with some deadpan expression, asking questions like that! People will totally take it the wrong way!" he moaned. But, he had to admit, it was a relieving sight to see a familiar face like the android's, so he gave her a genuine smile, "But s'up, anyways? Didn't expect to see you hanging around here, I thought you kinda travelled all around Japan, you know, Shadow Operatives stuff…."

She nodded, but she put a hand to her chest, her face relaxing into a warm smile. She really was as human as anyone else now, "Well, yes. I'm so glad to hear you're doing well, Yosuke-san. But you see…" her face fell flat, giving Yosuke a dreading feeling, "… there is something I must talk to you about."

He raised his eyebrows. It had been a while since they last met each other, late last year when Aigis and Labrys had visited Inaba once again. Since Golden Week, the Investigation Team had grown closer to the Shadow Operatives, but only knew Aigis, Mitsuru and Akihiko. While Akihiko had told them about their former team, S.E.E.S., he made sure to leave the other members anonymous, as a way to protect their identities.

While Akihiko and Mitsuru's visits were few-and-far between, Aigis often visited with Labrys, and as such the two robot girls were considered to be honorary Investigation Team members.

Whenever someone, usually Yu or Chie, asked about other Shadow Operatives members, Aigis would refuse to tell them, feeling the Inaba crew were better off not knowing their identities.

And that got Yosuke interested. He nodded at the girl, "You… wanna go somewhere to talk?"

Aigis actually nodded rather profoundly, "Yes. I have three operatives I want to introduce to you… they're sat at a private café… I'll tell you when we get there."

She turned over, and started walking over to the street, away from the parking lot of Port Island's Junes. Yosuke followed, and the two soon found themselves strolling down the street, the boy following the blonde girl's lead.

Then he remembered: while Junpei was still working at Junes, Yukari was out and about, and Aigis had asked him about Yukari in the first place. Yosuke shot the girl a quizzical expression, "Hey, Aigis. You… asked me about Takeba-san, right? Well, why don't we go find her?"

The expression that crossed Aigis' face was not a pretty one. Her eyelids lowered, her eyes directed at the floor, and her cute lips pulled into a saddened frown. Obviously, something about Yukari was a sore spot for Aigis, "You may have guessed that I am a friend of Yukari-san's. However… I don't think what we're about to discuss would go too well with her."

Now he was extra curious. He remembered the look on her face when Junpei slipped out a certain word back when they had drinks… 'Minato'. Yosuke raised his eyebrows curiously, and shifted his eyes over to Aigis, as he began to walk with her, "Yeah, I get ya. So, what's it about?"

Around that point, however, that was when a more serious look drifted onto Aigis' eyes. It spoke of determination, and a desire to protect others. Whoever was trying to tell her she was not a true companion, was lying their ass off. "It's about what we went through last Golden Week… has the Midnight Channel appeared in Inaba like that over the past year?"

He swept a hand past his hair and furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think. "Nope. Ever since we got Labrys out of there, nothing's been happening. Kinda boring, but eh, what can ya do."

Aigis then stopped, and turned her body around to fix her gaze over Yosuke. "Excuse me."

The boy turned around to see a black, blank street sign, and under it was a black door. Aigis moved up to it, and gently rapped on the door thrice rhythmically. Then a click, and the door swung open. The android glanced over to Yosuke, and awkwardly raised her head. Getting the signal, Yosuke followed Aigis, and she put her face against another door, this one a sleeker, more futuristic door with segmented lines and a strange device where the handle would be.

An auto-tuned female voice then spoke, "Access granted."

The door opened with a whine, showing, to Yosuke's surprise, an indoor café. The boy followed Aigis as she wistfully paced through the open door, and he took a moment to take in the atmosphere of the café… it was quiet, restrained, but most of all, private. Aigis looked up to the upper floor of the café, and then her eyes fell upon Yosuke. He stared at the cerulean ponds, sparkling with life with the concern and protectiveness inside them, and listened to her words.

"Yosuke-san. The Midnight Channel is airing in Tatsumi Port Island. We do not know why now, but the Shadow Operatives are keeping a close eye on it, and anybody it may put into danger. What concerns us especially is that the silhouettes… three of them look like Yukari-san, Fuuka-san and Junpei-san."

Now that confused Yosuke, who cocked his eyebrow. "Eh? So… Takeba-san, Yamagishi-san and Junpei have Shadows? They'd have to face themselves?"

"Well, that may be the hypothesis usually. But it's more complex then that… because, well, I shouldn't be saying this, but Yosuke-san. Your new friends are Persona-users. They shouldn't have Shadows."

"What?!" cried Yosuke. He veered back, stunned by Aigis' statement, "H-Hey, aren't Personas and Shadows the same thing or something? What gives?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe that in some subconscious form, they are rejecting their Personas through troubles they are trying to keep from us. Troubles that could possibly fracture the bonds we have formed. Or perhaps this isn't as clear-cut as we believed it was…."

"Huh…" Yosuke paused, and his eyes found the ground, as he tried to process the new information. He remembered that back last Golden Week, Aigis, Mitsuru and Akihiko had used their Personas in the Midnight Channel with ease, and at one point, during certain attacks, Akihiko and Mitsuru pointed strange gun-like tools at their foreheads. And at the end of it all, didn't he see a green-haired girl attending to mostly the Shadow Operatives…?

He looked back at Aigis, "Wait, so… how come they have Personas?"

Aigis' entire face changed from a neutral, business matter to a deeply emotional, nostalgic, if tired and weary expression. She sighed to herself, and looked up at Yosuke. Her eyes seemed to brim with more life than ever, if said life seemed to have a touch of melancholy, yet joy, in them. "It's a long story. But I'll tell you later, for sure, Yosuke-san."

She bitterly smiled at him, and he smiled back. Then the blonde android walked up the staircase, and looked over to the brunette human, "Come upstairs. I want you to meet the team for the mission."

"Wait, we're on a mission? I'm on vacation, you know!"

Aigis' expression suddenly became much more deadpan, "I had no idea a vacation consisted of working at a Junes department store with your father."

Yosuke bit his lower lip at the android's deadpan delivery at such biting words. He remained silent, with no comeback he could think of that wouldn't sound completely stupid against her. He began to follow her, and he soon made it up the staircase behind Aigis.

When Yosuke made the last step, he saw two familiar faces, and a face he had never seen before. He flashed a wide grin at one of them, but before he could approach that person, the other one, a round, soft, goofy ball of fun, bounced right into Yosuke, wrapping stubby arms around his waist.

"Uwaaaah! Yosuke~! I thought I'd never see you again!" cried the strange bear known only as Teddie, "This bear is having a grizzly good time in the big city with Labby-chan and the rest!"

"Speaking of Labby…" Yosuke looked up, and his lips automatically adjusted to a genuine, heartfelt smile to see that adorable android again.

Labrys was sat down on a rather comfortable looking chair, her wings pressed out so she could put her back on the seat without having to adjust. "S'up, Yosuke! Been a while, huh? I hope you're still keepin' outta trouble!" grinned the ponytailed android with the battle axe on her back, "Or else I gotta punish you as the President of Yasogami High School's Student Council!"

Her enthusiasm and genuine drive was still there, and that alone was enough to make Yosuke smile. "Glad to see you doing so well, Labrys!"

However, his attention diverted over to a young teenager he had never seen before, seated beside Labrys. He was rather tall, like he had been taking a lot of calcium over puberty, and his brown hair had a few cowlicks swept past his forehead. He wore what looked like an orange shirt underneath a black blazer, and black pants.

Yosuke lifted his eyebrows and crossed his arms, "Hey dude."

"Hello, Hanamura-san."

Wait, his name had been thrown around? He shot a rather befuddled look over at Aigis, who then looked over to him. She smiled over to the seated teenager passionately, "I know you were not introduced to all of us back last Golden Week. Yosuke-san, this is Ken Amada-san," however, her joyful expression suddenly turned serious, "Ken-san was the one who alerted me to the Midnight Channel."

Ken nodded, and Yosuke got a better look at his features. He had wide eyes, but there was that glint of seriousness held within them, and his face was slightly round and feminine, making him look soft, if still masculine, but he still held a mature air around him. Really, the boy reminded Yosuke of Naoto… albeit a much taller Naoto.

"Yes. About a week ago, on a rainy night, I was studying, when my TV suddenly switched on and went to yellow static. What bothered me was that it was midnight, and I swore I saw three silhouettes. What disturbed me was that they were like Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Fuuka-san… and from what Akihiko-san, Mitsuru-san and you have told me about what happened to Labrys… yet why would they have Shadows? I saw Junpei-san use Trismegistus only a month ago, and I definitely know Fuuka-san is still with Juno, and the same with Yukari-san and Isis."

Yosuke decided to put his two cents towards the boy's comment. "Huh, that's… weird. Maybe something's up… might be to do with that hacker guy from Golden Week…" he grimaced. When he looked over at Labrys, he saw her shudder, then her eyes blazed with spirit.

"That is a possibility," nodded Aigis, "but we should concern ourselves with protecting Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Fuuka-san. Yosuke-san, can you and Teddie-san explain to the three about the Midnight Channel in detail?"

Yosuke grimaced. It was bad enough that they had to pull him away while he was on vacation (and just escaped the clutches of Junes), but he did need to get a workout for him and Susano-o. So going back to the TV world was always a treat, even if he didn't like the sounds of what was going on.

But it was Teddie who took the spotlight, as he raised his round self up onto the chair and put a hand up, "Hmmhmm, but you underestimate me, Ai-chan! You and the gorgeous Miss President over here are all why I came~ because Kanji is bear-y boring! I'll tell you all the things I know about the Midnight Channel!" then, he blushed and began puckering his lips 'innocently', "But you gotta give me a kiss first~"

"That ya ain't gettin'!" grinned Labrys, who patted him on the head instead. Teddie just smiled like heaven graced him.

"Ah~ but a pat on the head from you is good enough, Labby-chan~"

"With that out of the way, we should wait for the rest. But, Labrys, we must do something first…" she walked over to Labrys, who stood up in response.

Labrys and Aigis turned to each other, and then put one arm up each. They then nodded in synchronization. "Ready, sis?"

"Yes, Labrys."

"Ai and Labby in the morning!" both robot girls said in tune, then they clapped each other's hand, their free hand clapping against their collars. The sign of sisterly affection was enough to make everyone in the room smile for the two androids, especially Yosuke and Teddie.

However, Yosuke began to feel that shrieking, distorted feeling within the sea of his soul, and the headaches reemerged in full bloom. This time, he wasn't drawn to the presence he was drawn to the last few times (Yukari), but it felt like something else… no, someone else. A quiet, gentle presence radiated itself towards him.

Susano-o was shrieking, and he really didn't like it this time around. But who came through the door was what surprised him.

It was Fuuka. She stepped into the café with wide, brimming eyes, and she smiled at the gang.

Yosuke knew immediately that Fuuka was the cause of his headaches. She sat down next to Ken, and looked at him like she was reuniting with an old friend, which she was, "Hello, Ken-kun. You've grown since last year at Yakushima!" she giggled.

"Well, I am 15 now," Ken spoke back, "but I think my age has nothing to do with it…" however, his serious expression cracked into a warm, almost childish smile, "I'm so glad to see you too, Fuuka-san."

Yosuke just kept shaking though. His head was throbbing, Susano-o was grinding against his psyche, something was definitely interfering with the Persona's connection to him, and he didn't like it. There was another soul calling out to him within the sea, but this time, it was if he was being stared down, his layers peeled with the soul's stare.

Yosuke felt a stubby hand push against his shoulder, and he looked over to Teddie. The bear was grasping his round ears with his hands, "Grr, Kamui just won't stop! There is something about this cutie pie that keeps gnawing away at my beautiful furry mind!"

Yosuke's eyes shot wide and he cocked an eyebrow, he was relieved, but surprised, to hear that. "Wait, you too? Man… glad I'm not the only one…."

"Huh?" said a suddenly confused Teddie. Then, Labrys began to turn, apparently interested to what was going on. Yosuke wondered there, did she have the strange reactions that he and Teddie were having to these Persona users?

Suddenly, the door opened, and all eyes were on the next two figures who arrived: Junpei and Yukari. Junpei was still clad in his Junes work apron, scratching his head awkwardly and looking around like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yukari had a haughty frown on her face, and refused to look at Junpei.

Aigis visibly lit up once the two stepped in, and she bowed right before them. Yosuke had to wonder what kind of bond the three had together. "I'm so glad you both made it!" grinned Aigis.

Yukari jerked her thumb over to the capped man and grunted, "We'd be earlier if it weren't for this guy. He had to stay behind because one of the suits wanted to see him. Seriously, I should have just left him there."

"But you didn't, huh, Yuka-tan?" Junpei cut in, grinning as he said that. He then stepped back a little, glancing away from everybody sheepishly. Yosuke remembered Junpei's job at Junes, and frowned as the implications connected in his mind.

She rolled her eyes, "Well… I thought you'd need someone to bail you, that someone's me. Don't take it that way, Junpei."

Junpei only narrowed his eyes and gave a smirk at Yukari, "Can't help it, Yuka-tan~"

To Yosuke's surprise, Yukari turned and returned the gesture. Seeing that playful smirk on Yukari's lips, and imagining it directed to him, with those pretty eyes raised with alluring cute confidence….

"Yosuke, your face is red!" cried Teddie.

And indeed, when he put a hand to his hot cheek, Yosuke could have kicked himself. He was blushing again, and this time in public! He shook his head, trying to wash the cheeks free from color. "H-Hey! Teddie! Knock it off!"

Teddie giggled, along with Labrys too. Now Yosuke had no problems with letting his good emotions out, but there was just something about seeing the girl he crushed on, flirting happily with another guy. It didn't help that he had only known Junpei for a few days at best, and those two had a history together.

Did they date in the past? That alone wasn't so bad, but he got the feeling something really bad had happened to them in the past, and while he wasn't going to push it, the curious side of him couldn't help but wonder.

"A-Ah! J-Juno?!" suddenly cried Fuuka. Everyone turned to her, and Yosuke in particular paled, as he heard a gentle, telepathic whisper in his head. This caused Susano-o to screech out, the interference enough to make Yosuke grunt in pain.

"What's wrong, Yamagishi-san?" asked Yosuke.

Fuuka then turned her eyes to him, and so did everyone else. This made him feel like daggers were aimed at him, "Hanamura-kun… I think… Juno senses a Persona within you… and Teddie-kun, too! Now I know where I remember you two from…."

Yosuke blanched there. Oh god, he had let the cat out of the bag, and he remembered how the Kirijo group tried to deny the existence of Personas, putting all registered users down on specifically guarded lists and refusing to tell fellow Persona users about the other. As far as Yosuke knew, he, his friends, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigis, Labrys and whoever was in S.E.E.S. and in the Shadow Operatives were Persona users, and that was it as far as his knowledge went.

He just wondered what Fuuka's deal was, but his stomach began to clench, and Susano-o began to rattle out, screaming in his consciousness. It was starting to clash with what else was in the three's heads, and this time, he noticed that Yukari, Junpei and Ken also felt it. They clutched their foreheads and moaned.

"Gah! Man, what was that…" muttered Junpei, "Trismegistus is goin' nuts!"

"Kala-Nemi… you sense it too?" grunted Ken.

Yukari gripped her head with both hands, her nails kneading into her hair strands, "So this was what Isis felt…" she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Fuuka's eyes widened, and she looked at Yosuke as if she had seen a ghost.

"Ah! I realize where I recognize your face!" cried Fuuka, "I saw you among the group when you guys got out of the TV!"

"Hey, wait a minute…" Junpei recalled, as his fingers adjusted the shade of his cap slightly, spinning it a little on his head, "didn't Ai-chan say something about more teenagers out there with the power of Persona? That those guys were some kids out in some country town."

Yukari nodded her head, crossing her legs underneath the table, something which got a small, delighted glance from Yosuke (who was glad she didn't catch him), "Yeah… and Mitsuru-senpai said it was a tournament she had found herself in."

"That's the P-1 Grand Prix!" suddenly shouted Teddie, who sat up and flexed his stubby arms, showing off false muscles, "A competition to prove the manliest of all men!" then Teddie got quieter, and he frowned childishly, "But that wasn't meant to be…."

Labrys bit her lower lip, and Aigis put her arm around her in concern. Yosuke also shot Labrys a concerned look, knowing what happened that Golden Week was not a picnic for anyone. And after the two mysterious characters behind the incident were defeated, they were determined to make sure nothing like that happened again.

Yukari looked around awkwardly, and then nodded to Aigis, "Maybe we should talk about something else… like, what did you want, Aigis?"

The look on Aigis' face said that she feared having to tell them. Yosuke thought that maybe he ought to say something, but Aigis sighed to herself, and looked directly at Yukari, also shooting glances at Junpei and Fuuka.

"… me, Labrys and Fuuka-san are familiar with the Midnight Channel. But since Yukari-san, Junpei-san and Ken-san were not involved in the Golden Week incident, they only have our stories to go by… and I doubt those would have anything on our two guests, Teddie-san and Yosuke-san."

Junpei turned his head over to Yosuke and grinned widely, "Yosuke, you really are a Persona-user too? Wow… well, come on man, tell us how you got it? Ai-chan said you guys didn't use Evokers or anything…."

Yosuke's eyes widened, and he grimaced, thinking of those guns. How Aigis and friends went around shooting themselves in the head, he didn't know. At least he didn't stab himself or use a Game Boy to summon his Persona. "Yeah… we just called out to them. We tended to smash tarot cards, but that's about it…."

"Well me and Yosuke will tell you everything! Ai-chan knows you, and you are supposed to be Persona-users!" Teddie smiled brightly, completely interrupting Yosuke's flow. The brunette boy scowled.

"Dude, I was talking?"

The bear completely ignored Yosuke, then he looked around, staring specifically at Labrys, then Aigis, then Yukari, then Fuuka, and had the widest, most innocent smile on his face, "But first… four bear-utiful ladies! Labby-chan, Ai-chan, and two real cutie pies!"

Fuuka smiled bashfully, and bowed, "T-Thank you, Teddie-kun, I'm Fuuka Yamagishi…."

"Oho! I have the perfect nickname for you… Fuu-chan!"

The green-haired girl gasped, but smiled gently, kneading her fingers together, "Oh… I think I like that…."

Yukari's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and she gave an awkward frown, "Er, do you even know what you're saying? You're just a bear…."

"Just a bear?!" Teddie shouted, quickly prickled by that remark, "I'll have you know I'm no ordinary bear! What bears speak and work at Junes, huh?!"

"Umm… some guy in a costume," Yukari said, "anyways, since Fuuka introduced herself, I better do the same. I'm Yukari Takeba."

Yosuke knew immediately where this was going, and he shot a 'oh god this isn't going to end well' glance at Junpei, who nodded along. So he decided to watch the fireworks unfold, and couldn't hold back a smile. The goofy bear and the fiery model would be something to watch.

And boy, the look on Teddie's face said it all, as his clumsy face shone with that perky cheerfulness, "Huh… I'll call you Yuka-chan!"

Yukari sat there in silence for a second, then, she sneered in embarrassment and closed her eyes, "Yuka-chan… seriously?" she moaned, "That's as bad as Yuka-tan, no, that's even worse…."

Junpei coughed, and slapped his forehead, repressing a fit of laughter. Eyes turned to Junpei, particularly a narrowed stare from Yukari, but Yosuke decided he'd press the issue more, and spoke out, "Hey, I think it's kinda cute, don't you agree?"

The wink he gave her was enough for a growling frown to grow on Yukari's face. Junpei grinned widely with excitement, "Oh yeah, I think I got a better name too! Junes-tan~"

A confused Aigis, a curious Ken and a exasperated Fuuka's focus diverted between the four, with Labrys unable to hold her giggling, especially with Yukari now grinding her teeth. Yosuke couldn't help it, and while he felt a little guilty laughing at her, he laughed. He wasn't a giggling maniac like Yukiko, luckily.

Yukari scowled, her eyes blazing, "You three can go shove it!" she yelled.

And at that, Yosuke, Teddie and Junpei were stuck in a frenzy of laughter. The three would have continued laughing, if Labrys hadn't moved over to Teddie and Yosuke and gripped their shoulders with her powerful metallic grip, While she was friendly and cheery, she did have super strength, and the sudden pain in his shoulder made Yosuke stop. Teddie did the same, but squealed in pain.

"Ow, Labby-chan! What's that for!"

"Ya gotta get on subject, Ted! Gotta stop playin' around an' all."

Yosuke grunted in annoyance, and shut his eyes, "Why do I have to get punished…?"

"Ya kept on pushin' her buttons, Yosuke," said Labrys. When Yosuke looked back at her, she had that wide, adorable grin on her face. He hoped it'd never fade.

Aigis too, now looked a little stern, "Yes. I'd like you to get on subject, please."

Well, looked like he had to tell them. Hell, he was always up for telling new Persona-users about his journey, it might help them along the way. "Well… how do you explain this… it's kind of a long story, but I'll try to break it down for ya."

And before he could even start, Teddie rushed forward with a triumphant grin, "Only I can tell the full story! And-"

Yosuke slammed his palm against the bear's face, and grunted as Teddie wrestled back in an attempt to tussle with the boy. Yosuke growled, "Jeez, Teddie! Stop making things harder than they already are!"

He finally managed to push Teddie back, and Labrys immediately caught Teddie for a hug. Teddie beamed, and smiled innocently in Labrys' arms, "What a grizzly sensation across my manly chest~"

"Okay, so you guys are familiar with the whole TV World thing, right? Golden Week and all that?" everyone nodded, and Yosuke smiled, "Yeah, well, those were a crazy few days alright. So here's the short story….

"Back in April, 2011, strange murders started around the Inaba area. I'm pretty sure you guys up in Port Island would have gotten reports…."

Junpei's eyes widened, "Yeah, those strange killings… man, were we surprised when we found out Shadows were involved…."

Yosuke nodded, "Yeah. Turns out, there was a rumor going around about the Midnight Channel… on a rainy night, the TV would automatically switch on, and show you a vision of your soul mate. Stuff was the talk of the town, man. Anyways, my best friend, my partner, Yu Narukami, decided to try this out, and, well... we got thrown into the TV. Then…" he gestured over to Teddie with a thumb, "we met this guy."

"I didn't know it back then, but it was the happiest day of my life when I met Sensei, Yosuke and Chie-chan for the first time!" the cheerful bear told the rest.

Yosuke flashed him a wide grin, "Hehe, this guy saved our asses back then. But the second time we came back, just Yu and me, some Shadows came to attack us… and Yu did the strangest thing. He crushed a card in his hands, and this badass spirit comes out and kills the Shadows! Later on, we found out it was called a Persona."

"A card? What, he didn't use an Evoker?" asked Junpei, who then got looks ranging from confusion, to surprise. His expression turned quizzical, "What?"

Yukari scoffed, "Pfft, Stupei. You know Aigis, Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru told us it was a lot easier to summon Personas in this Midnight Channel thing."

"What's an Evoker?" asked Teddie. Aigis then gave him a stoic, robotic look.

"You do not want to know."

Of course, they were getting off track again. Yosuke cleared his throat, and smiled awkwardly, "Anyways… we go into the place further, and, well… if you don't have a Persona when you go to the Midnight Channel, and you have some real issues and flaws… you meet a Shadow."

Yosuke felt a little uneasy, talking about his Shadow in front of people he'd only met a few days back. It wasn't easy at all to accept your flaws and burdens, or to even admit it. He looked over at Teddie, and Labrys, and while Teddie only held a glimmer of sadness, Labrys sighed, and tried to smile.

Yukari only raised an eyebrow, "… so? So stuff like, Labrys' whole Shadow thing?"

Labrys nodded, "Yeah. When ya accept yourself, flaws 'n' all, ya get a Persona."

However, Ken stood up slightly, and gave a fascinated look over to Yosuke and Teddie, "But… Aigis-san, Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-san didn't encounter their Shadows in the Midnight Channel. They said a fake Shadow tried to get into their heads, but it wasn't the real deal."

Yosuke nodded, knowing well what Ken was talking about, but only smiled. That entity really was a fool. "But yeah… it's your worst fears, flaws, ramped up all the way up to eleven. I mean, you could be feeling lonely, or bored of the place you live in… and this Shadow will pop up, claiming you're glad people are being hurt, killed even, just to give you some excitement and the chance to play hero."

Yosuke let his head fall down, but Teddie shot him a sympathetic look. He had just described his own Shadow, but everyone just stared in amazement.

Teddie nodded, "That's bear-y right! Me, Yosuke, Sensei, Chie-chan and the rest saved people from their Shadows, we'd go to Junes in the afternoon when it rained, and try to solve the case! I met my best friends, like Yuki-chan, and Kanji, and Rise-chan, and Nao-chan! We did a lot of cool stuff!"

The next person to speak up was Yosuke, "Yeah, and the strangest thing was, Yu had this ability to change Personas. Seriously, it was totally unreal… he'd bust out some really crazy shit when he had to."

While Aigis, Fuuka and Labrys weren't surprised, having seen Yu in action during Golden Week, Yukari, Junpei and Ken went wide-eyed, with Yukari in particular having a dazed expression on her face. She blinked a few times, while Junpei looked rather stunned. Ken stared in wonder.

"H-Hey, seriously? Your… friend, he could change Personas?" Yukari almost whimpered.

Yosuke was starting to get curious… he knew Aigis had the same ability, but Yukari's expression looked deeply haunted. "Well, yeah, that's what I said."

Junpei was the next to speak up, "Wow, dude. I mean, I thought Ai-chan was the only one able to do that… and…"

Ken, who had a grave frown on his face, gently nudged Junpei, who shut up there. Yosuke quirked his eyebrows at that, but he decided not to push the subject.

"But yeah… while fighting Shadows in this strange new place, we eventually found out who the killer was… he was right under our nose all this time…."

"Like Ikutsuki…" Ken muttered under his breath. Yosuke was about to ask, but held back his question. Aigis and Labrys had nostalgic smiles on their faces, while Yukari frowned. She put his hands on the table, and looked away from Yosuke, her hands trembling.

"So… a world full of Shadows, huh… no matter how hard we tried, we never did stop the whole Shadow problem…."

Junpei, on the other hand, stared in excitement, almost grinning, "Wow… that's just totally crazy…."

Yukari's hands kept shaking, and she gripped at the table, her manicured nails digging into the wood, "No wonder I didn't go to Inaba during Golden Week… I guess I wouldn't be able to handle it, huh."

Worry crawled over Aigis, Junpei and Fuuka's faces as they turned their sights to Yukari, but Teddie, always the icebreaker, had that good old innocent smile on his face. "Don't worry, Yuka-chan! The Shadows won't hurt you unless you hurt them nowadays! We're docile~"

Oh god, this conversation could get awkward quickly, so Yosuke decided he'd push forward, and finish up explaining, "Yeah, it was a crazy adventure. But in the end, we found out the goddess behind the Midnight Channel, Izanami. We confronted her, and fought her, because she was looking over humanity's response to her test, and thought we all despaired and wanted to become Shadows, so she put a fog over Inaba to slowly corrode us. But we fought back, and showed her the truth ourselves, thanks to Yu's awesome power. Yu used all his power to beat a goddess… amazing, huh?"

Junpei's eyes widened, almost to the size of dinner plates. His jaw quivered, and his arms started shaking. What disturbed Yosuke was the look of horror that dawned on his face, "Junpei, what's up, man?"

The capped man looked over to a worried Ken, and to Fuuka, who looked pale. Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the man with the goatee, as Junpei spoke, "Dude... so your leader... Narukami... is he… alive?"

Yosuke nodded, wondering why Junpei looked so sullen, "Yeah, he's alive and well. What's wrong?"

The capped man simply looked away from his gaze. "... Nuthin' dude. Nuthin'."

When he looked over to Yukari, on the other hand, she looked to be a flicker away from tears. Yosuke's heart sank, and he considered asking her what got her so down, but she spoke before he could say anything. "But… but… so Narukami…."

Ken and Fuuka looked at each other, guilt racking their expressions.

Aigis' lips curled downward, and she scooted over to Yukari to put a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Yukari-san…."

Teddie leapt out of his chair in a hurry, and ran up to Yukari with a confused look on his face, "Don't get sad, Yuka-chan! I don't like to see a girl cry! It makes me bear-y mad!"

A chair grinded against the ground, and everyone's eyes directed up at Yukari, her face flushed with frustration and guilt, as she stood up to her feet. Yosuke felt a pang of shame, had he said something about the Midnight Channel that got to her? Either way, he looked up, and saw that Aigis, Fuuka and Junpei had gotten to their feet as well.

"I… I'm gonna go, okay? This is a bit too much… I mean, we get a year after the whole Golden Week thing, and now this? I just need to get home and think this through."

"Yukari-san… are you alright?" asked Aigis with great concern.

"You don't look so good, Yukari-chan…" Fuuka looked sadly at her brunette friend.

Junpei put his hand into his jean pocket, and frowned gravely, "Ya want me to take ya home, Yuka-tan?" he asked. Yukari just shook her head, and began to walk away.

"I… I really just need to get my head straight… I mean, it was weird and all with Mitsuru telling me last year, but hearing about it now, from a guy who's been there?"

"What?! How could you forget that this beautiful bear also told you about our struggles too?!" Teddie cried out. Ken shot him an unwavering glare in response.

Yukari just rolled her eyes, but before she could speak again, Junpei spoke up. "Yeah, I mean, it's kinda spooky, but it's really interesting as well. A whole world in a TV, Shadows everywhere… maybe that's got something to do with the Dark Hour…."

Now that interested Yosuke, and when he looked over at Teddie, he knew the bear had the same thoughts as well, "The Dark Hour? What's that all about?"

The look of hurt on Aigis' face was something that he wouldn't be able to get out of his memory for a while. She looked over at the heartbroken Yukari, the begrudged Junpei, the upset Fuuka and the guilty Ken, and shook her head. Labrys looked around, wide-eyed at the tension, and Yosuke had to admit, Aigis being mad at him was something he didn't want.

Aigis only smiled back, but it was one racked with nostalgia and sadness, "I… I will have to tell you two some other time…."

She got off the chair, and looked over at Labrys with a gentle smile, "Come now, Labrys."

"So we're goin' now, sis?" asked the silver-haired robot, who pouted, "Aw man! I wanted ta spend some more time with Yosuke an' Ted!"

"We will see them again tomorrow," Aigis smiled joyfully, "but we have things to do."

Ken nodded, and smiled awkwardly in a way that didn't suit the mood, and looked at Yosuke, "Yes... thank you for the explanation, Yosuke-san, Teddie-san."

Yosuke grinned with friendly intentions, "No problem, dude."

Then Junpei leaned over to Yosuke. He smiled, showing his teeth, and Yosuke only grinned back at his friend. "Hey, Yosuke, I'll seeya tomorrow, okay man?" said Junpei. His face had that usual wide grin about him, but his eyes painted a different picture. He only adjusted the hilt of his cap, and stood right up, his eyes going back to Yukari, who was heading to the exit.

There was something that made Yosuke feel a little dizzy, but he shook his head, and smiled over at Junpei. He hoped everything would be alright for him and Yukari. He really did.

Yosuke frowned to himself, and then frowned at Teddie, who still had the confused look on his face. "Ya know Teddie… I wonder what's up with these guys and that Minato dude. They kinda acted strange when he got brought up."

The bear put a hand to his 'chin' and gave a cocky grin, "Well, Yosuke, my Teddie senses are working overtime to figure this out! But…" after a few seconds, he let his head fall, "my Teddie senses aren't tingling…."

The boy could only make an annoyed face, but couldn't help but smile at the bear's jokes, "Damn it, Teddie, I'm trying to be serious here!"

At the same time though, he really did wonder… these guys definitely had a past, one they weren't keen to show any time soon… Yosuke nodded, and Teddie nodded back. He grinned excitedly at the bear, "Looks like there's something more than just mere Shadows…."

The next day

The four had agreed to go to JunesCon together, to go keep track on Yosuke, Teddie, Junpei and Yukari. Labrys in particular was very excited: this was her first convention, an event she was yet to experience, and she was ready to see what all the fuss was about.

On the train with Aigis, along with Ken and Fuuka, the wide smile on Labrys' face only increased. The bonds she had formed since her ordeal in the Midnight Channel had kept her going through the tough first year adjusting to modern society, especially as an agent of the Shadow Operatives. But, she wouldn't back down no matter what happened now.

"Are you excited, Labrys?" asked Aigis, who gently put a hand on her sister's shoulder and smiled lovingly at her. Labrys grinned back, feeling warm just to be with her sister.

"Oh yeah, sis! I'm hyped for 'dis!" the Kansai-accented android chirped up, adjusting her jacket and jeans, "But we gotta keep an eye out on da others, right?"

"Exactly, nothing's happened yet, but I think we should be on our guard…."

After getting off the train to Pawlounia Mall, the four began to walk down towards JunesCon with not a care in the world. But even though she was with her friends, Labrys just had a very, very bad feeling about today. It felt sick… wrong, like the feeling she had when she was first thrown into the Midnight Channel. She uneasily slinked back, unable to suppress a frown as she looked at the smiling Aigis, Fuuka and Ken.

"I gotta very bad feeling 'bout this…."