Animus


Welcome to Animus! You can find the Tumblr page at KageShirogane.

As well, you can also find the full spiel on Animus and its disclaimers back on Chapter 1.

Thanks and enjoy the show!


April 14th, 2013, Sunday

It was all kinds of odd… Especially the fact that no one had noticed the blatant vandalism to Mrs. Tatsumi's grave sooner. The spring grass was short and fresh, only having just sprung up since the snow in the northern town of Inaba had just recently melted away. It was the fact that there had been snow two weeks ago that might have explained why no one noticed the 7 inch wide hole dug down into the dirt of her resting place. There was a good chance that it had been covered up all this whole time, but that lead to a very unfortunate problem…

"When did it happen?" Chie was the first to ask Naoto, who's keen eye peered down into the small hole as she kneeled down onto the ground.

"It's not fresh… that is all that I can discern," Naoto admitted, "The melting of the snow and drying of the soil has already solidified the ground, and the sides of the hole may have been shifted due to the weather. But… if I'm not mistaken, I believe we can rest easy…"

"Easy!?" Kanji's clenched fists tightened as he stared at the marked grave site. Who would do such a thing? No one in this town was that disturbed! No one he knew, anyways… but the moment he did know… oh, they'd get it good. Right where it hurt, enough to knock 'em out cold. Totally!

"It was likely a weasel or marten trying to get some cover before spring," Naoto deduced. Kanji's shoulders dropped. Everyone's did. … Really…? That's all it was? Eyes glanced between everyone in the group, a stare that spoke out 'we didn't even think of that…' and Naoto continued, "It would be inconvenient to dig with a shovel this thin, and I believe that these sharp ridges in the sides of the hole are claw marks. It's a great coincidence that an animal would choose this spot to dig down… but… entirely possible nonetheless. From what I can see, though, it did not continue all the way… It's a straight hole downwards, but then it stops suddenly. I assume it sensed a solid object in the way and decided to dig elsewhere."

"Damn thing got us worried over nothing…" Kanji loosened his fist and settled down onto his knees before the grave.

"It's only a hypothesis…" Naoto reminded him, "The only way to make sure is to see if the coffin is still intact. But… that would involve…" she trailed on her sentence, already knowing what Kanji's answer would be.

"No," he spoke, "I ain't diggin' out this thing any further. I want Ma to be at peace…"

There was no denying it. Their main goal here was to just get everything back to the way it was, and for that reason Yosuke had brought a spare shovel from Junes' warehouse. Unfortunately there was no dirt on hand, so they would have to make due and flatten out the land as best as they could. At least the hole wasn't terribly large. Kanji took the shovel into his own hands and everyone slowly distanced themselves from the location, giving him some alone time at his mother's memorial spot. That was the plan, anyways… Kage remained where he was and once he noticed that everyone was walking away, he thought it was a downright shame that no one had offered to help. Flopping down next to the grave, Kage rolled up his long sleeves and pushed a bit of dirt into the hole. Already feeling accomplished, he looked up to Kanji with a wide smile, but Kanji only returned an emotionless glance.

Noticing that Kage wasn't following her, Naoto retraced her steps back to the grave and tried to help the Shadow up, "Let's give him some space…" she spoke quietly.

Kage held a confused look as he was taken by the sleeve and stood back up, "Why?"

"…" Naoto had no immediate answer. It was respect, that's all it was… If you had it, then you had it. If you didn't… at a time like this… well, some would say that you were inhuman.

"… He can stay," Kanji spoke out, his eyes focused on the job at hand, "… If he wants to, anyways."

Naoto glanced over her shoulder and, without question, let go of Kage's sleeve gently. She looked her Shadow in the eye and allowed him to him make his own choice. If Kanji so wished for the company right now, then who was she to deny that? She wouldn't be far, anyways…

With a little smile, Kage dropped back down to his spot next to the grave and simply watched Kanji as he caved in the hole, trying not to disturb too much of the surrounding grass. Even in silence, he was happy to be spending time with Kanji, though the more he looked up to the other boy's face, the more he realized that Kanji… was upset. Sitting with his feet together, Kage gripped the toes of his shoes and squeezed nervously.

"… Are you sad?" Kage asked, breaking the silence long after Kanji had already finished filling in the hole.

For a while, Kanji was just standing there with his chin and hand perched above the shovel's grip, staring down at his mother's resting spot. "It's hard not to be… when your folks are gone…" he answered in a low voice.

Kage blinked for a moment at the grave, and then back up at Kanji.

Kanji stared down, "Sorry, but… you know what that's like, don't you?" he asked, "Naoto's an orphan too… so…"

Kage's brow furrowed as he thought about it. Thinking so far back proved to be very difficult… "I don't know… Isn't this how it's always been?" he pressed his nose between his knees and clenched his eyes shut, trying very hard, "I don't… remember them."

Kanji gave a small frown and shook his head, "Hey, don't worry about it… It was a long time ago." Though he said that, he had serious doubts that Naoto would outright forget her parents. She would always speak so highly of them. How she wanted to follow in their footsteps and how much they meant to her… Kanji could only assume that Kage just wasn't around back then. Though, upon having that thought, Kanji developed a very curious question, "'Ey… When are Shadows born?"

"Me?" Kage blinked, identifying himself with a sleeve to the chest. Unfortunately, that was another tough question that broke Kage into a headache-riddled state with no good answer as a result, "I don't… remember that either."

And how could Kanji expect a really good answer…? No one remembered their birth. Babies were just incapable of making those kinds of long-term memories. But were there such things as baby Shadows? Kanji assumed that perhaps it was some sort of life-changing event that caused a Shadow form, and if that happened at such an age where one could hold memories, then why wouldn't the Shadow remember it too? Either way… Kage had no answer, and Kanji wasn't going to push it unless he wanted to give the poor thing a Teddie-complex. Indeed, Teddie had been plagued by the paradoxical thought that his existence came out of nowhere too; that he had no beginning.

"I don't like thinking about these things. Something feels wrong," Kage answered with a frown. He couldn't tell if it was his insecurity about the questions that made him feel bad, or if he was actually managing to fish up a memory. But nothing vivid was coming through…

"Sorry… I shouldn't be asking," Kanji quickly apologized, setting down the shovel and sitting before the grave as well. He wanted to change up the conversation for Kage's sake but… he couldn't think of what to ask now. Obviously, no more personal questions…

Surprisingly, the one to break the silence this time was Kage with a question of his own, "Why can't I be with you more, Kanji-kun?"

Kanji could already feel Naoto's hard stare on him the moment Kage asked that. He glanced over his shoulder, but she wasn't immediately in sight. She was most likely talking over things with everyone else back at the cemetery entrance. "Well… it's just… You kind'a made a bad first impression…" he spoke, "That one night, I mean—"

"You didn't like it?" Kage interrupted, tilting his head.

Kanji already had a hand plastered against his reddened face. This wasn't where he expected this conversation to go, nor was this the best place to talk about it, "It's not about that… It's about right and wrong and… that wasn't right. That's just how it is."

"Explain."

"Argh, Kage… Look, I'll be blunt. I thought you were going to kill me… several times. That's not how that kind of thing is… supposed to happen. The only way I… guess I… sort of tolerated it was… maybe… sort of… 'cause you… y'know…" he could barely keep eye contact with the creature. Nor could his nose hold up. One more perverse thought and it would overflow for sure.

"Y'know….?" Kage leaned forwards.

Kanji gave off a deep huff, "'Cause ya look like Naoto, damnit..."

Kage immediately rolled onto his back and giggled delightfully. There was no insult to him, was there? "You DO like her!" he remarked loud enough to warrant Kanji's hand over the Shadow's mouth. No shit, Sherlock.

"Shhh…!" Kanji insisted as if it was some sort of deep secret. Like the whole world didn't already know. Well, the whole world minus Naoto, apparently.

Kage lifted his sleeves in order to pry Kanji's hand off his mouth. He stared up at him with a smile that was slowly dropping, "… I wasn't going to hurt you, Kanji."

"Yeah, I get that now… You're a good Shadow," Kanji answered, lowering his hand. "But… no more of that… 'K? Pretend it didn't happen…"

Kage didn't give an immediate answer, just a grin. With it, he stared at Kanji until he was sure that the other boy was thoroughly creeped out, and then nodded. "Well, of course. I know which one of us you prefer anyways," he chuckled, eyes closed. Before Kanji could make a meaningful comeback, Kage brought himself back to his feet and turned on his heels, walking back towards the cemetery entrance with a smile on his face.

Kanji watched him go with a defeated expression. He would've yelled a 'Don't tell her!' at the Shadow, but that alone would have risked being heard. Though, the reason why Kage had advanced on him that night… Kanji thought about it, and even if it was because of some sort of suppressed feeling… there was no way that Naoto would ever act so boldly. She didn't actually feel that way… not to that extreme. Shadows were all about extremes and Kanji couldn't make any kind of assumption just because Kage did something so… upfront. With a quiet sigh, he turned back towards the grave and rested a hand on the nameplate, mentally apologized for the conversation that had just taken place, "Peace, Ma…"

"… Idiot…" Kage whispered under his breath, wiping a sleeve against his eyes.


Gathered back at the parking lot of Junes, the group waited for a rendezvous with Daichi and his car which had already been re-packed that morning before they left for the cemetery. There had been little mention of where Daichi had been all this time until Rise outright asked. Shrugging, Kanji assumed that his cousin had done what any typical visitor would do and explored the town that he had not seen in ages. It was a sad sight to see, but the Tatsumi Textiles shop had already been vacated and leased to a family-run bakery that was already in the process of moving. At least the building would retain its status as a partial-home, so another family would be able to build a warm collection of memories where Kanji had grown up. As long as no one suspected that the house was haunted… That was the last thing he'd want to hear.

Chie stared down the road and saw no indication of Daichi arriving soon, but everyone knew that their time together was coming to an end. Unfortunately, it was at just that moment that Chie realized something that she hoped would be helpful, "Wait a moment, Naoto… What was it that brought Kage to you in the first place?"

Naoto turned to look at her, "You mean the Shadow Extraction?"

"No, I mean… way before that. Like how I have Suzuka now, though she was once my Shadow," Chie reminded.

"You accepted yourself…" Naoto answered, folding her arms, "You had a revelation of sorts and your Shadow formed into your Persona."

Chie snapped her fingers and then braced her hands against her hips as if that alone was the answer.

Naoto stared for a moment and then slowly shook her head, "You're saying that I haven't accepted something… but…" as she spoke, she stared down and around at herself and noted all the changes that no longer bothered her. She had grown her hair out, ceased the breast binding and dressed in formal attire that was fitted to a dignified woman. It didn't take her long to realize that the only sort of discrimination she still faced was over her age. The sexism wasn't nearly as bad as she had assumed it would be… once you ruled out Tetsuma. He would never change. But the fact of the matter was that she no longer felt like she had to hide herself in order to be respected, and that alone was a huge weight off of her shoulders. You didn't have to be male to be masculine, nor did you have to be masculine to be respected. Naoto was just… Naoto. With all that behind her, was a lack-of-acceptance really the problem? "I've never felt more at ease with who I really am," she spoke, "I don't feel like anything is missing."

Chie rested a finger against her chin, "Well… It's a thought anyways. You can't rule it out unless you're entirely sure, right?"

"Naturally," Naoto nodded. Of course, these thoughts had already occurred to her before… But the more she debated them, the more she wondered if there was some truth to it all. It made her second guess a lot of things, and it just felt easier to assume it was all the Shadow Extraction's fault. "At the same time, though… it would be good if everyone kept an eye on Mrs. Tatsumi's grave just in case. Though I doubt it was anything more than a burrowing creature… that too is something we're not entirely sure about."

There was a unanimous nod within the group. Even if it was just out of respect, there would never be any shortage of visits to Mrs. Tatsumi's resting spot now. Thankfully, the conversation was reaching its resolution just as Daichi's car was seen driving into view. Naoto and Kanji both double checked their phones to make sure that all their contacts were up to date, and a round of handshakes, hugs and strong pats on the back were shared between everyone. The weekend had gone by too fast… It was obvious on everyone's face that a lengthier visit would have been more enjoyable, and perhaps there would be one in the future, but for now there was a more pressing matter at hand.

Unsurprisingly, Kage decided to ride with Naoto for the trip back to Yagokoro. It would be a long and sometimes uncomfortable trip, but to him, anything was better than a car. When everyone was set, they gave one final farewell and drove off towards the highway. Those remaining in Inaba waved until there was nothing left of the two vehicles on the horizon, and slowly but surely, they lowered their hands.

Yukiko was the first to lower her gaze as well, a small frown forming, "… We're not going to see him again, are we?" she spoke up.

Yosuke looked over at her, "That Shadow, huh?" he responded, "I didn't want it to sound that way but… yeah. If things get sorted out… then I guess that really was the last time we'll see him."

April 15th, 2013, Monday

Revelations… revelations…

The thought wouldn't leave Naoto's mind. Even as she tried to focus in class, she was starting to feel distracted and troubled. It was true. The longer she put off returning Kage to her mind, the harder it would be to do so. The night he appeared, she would have been fine even if Kage was forced to return to her with tears flowing down his cheeks. She would have had no sympathy for such a creature. He didn't belong in this world, so it didn't matter then. But now, it was not even a week later… and she was already regretting so much. He had caused her so much grief, but at the same time, he was beginning to feel like family. She could see it already… Kage would be gone someday, and every now and then she'd think 'He was a pretty good kid….', and then what? It didn't make sense. He was supposed to be a part of her, yet she could tell that the moment they united again, she would only feel emptier. Loss from gain…

"Thank goddddd," spoke a voice behind Naoto, with an exasperated sigh that was so loud that it had probably been held back all class until lunch time when it could finally explode. It was Touko, who else?

Naoto glanced over her shoulder with eyes that were leering not because she was agitated, but because she could feel a dab of moisture forming within them. She had to stop thinking about these things, it wasn't healthy. She blinked at her friend, "That sounds good…?"

"Very good," Touko spoke, waving her phone from side to side in her hand. "Guess what website isn't a total piece of crap? MyPlace sure isn't," she spoke out the answer without giving any time for Naoto to guess. It must have been hypothetical. "They've been recovering user accounts. I have at least a dozen people I can't contact any other way, so this is pretty high on the awesome scale."

Naoto tilted her head, "Huh? Didn't you say something about there being no backups?"

"The news said that," Touko admitted, "I honestly don't care, though. I got back what I wanted and so did everyone else who lost their account. MyPlace rocks, the news sucks, case closed huh?"

Naoto sat back forwards and collected her notes together, "The news has been covering up a lot lately."

Touko leaned forwards, "Hey… You're not still caught up about that Shadow-thing are you?"

"I am NOT caught up about him!" Naoto exclaimed, and then quickly bit her tongue, "I mean- it! The Shadow Extractions? It's none of my business anymore… I just don't see how a group of pencil-pusher detectives will be able to solve something so… abnormal."

Touko frowned, "At least Tetsuma let you off the hook… And it's not like we're anything particularly special either. We're still in High School for crying out loud."

"But that's the thing, all the victims we've seen so far have been students," Naoto mentioned, pausing the moment she spoke those words. A stare passed between her and Touko as they considered it. "Right? There was no one in Goro's slapped-together gang that was all that old."

"Is that important? It's probably just the people he knew…" Touko reminded.

Naoto slowly shook her head. It was such a varied group of people… like a random survey of teenagers, in all shapes and sizes. Still, that wasn't all. "Even if so… that kid who came to our school could have gone to a less protected area… but he came here. He wanted students."

Touko rose a hand, "Stop, stop, stop, stop. You're not allowed to investigate this case, Naoto. If Tetsuma catches you, he'll eat you alive," she spoke quickly, trying to deter Naoto from her train of thought, "I know you're doing this 'cause your friend got hurt… but he's fine, isn't he? And with Goro gone, we might not even hear of this ever again so… come on. For your sake, just let it go."

Naoto winced, "I'll try…" Yeah right… this was far from over. There was so much that she wished she could simply tell Touko, but it was complicated. Even if she was considered Naoto's best friend, the girl was still under the impression that the events after school last week were just a tricky illusion or some sort of mass hallucination. Whatever her explanation was, she assumed that what had happened… didn't actually happen, and it was better that way. Personas and Shadows weren't real, and the vast majority of the world was safe within their own ignorance thinking that way. There were a number of things that someone could go their whole life without knowing, and this was one of them.


With another school day over, Naoto returned home and contemplated whether or not she'd have any time to visit the police station in the evenings with Kage around. Since she was removed from the Shadow Extraction case and was otherwise unemployed, there wasn't a great deal of importance for her to be there. At the very least, she could try to dig her way into another case, but she knew very well that she didn't have time for that either… It wasn't her choice anyways. She could express interest in a case, but unless they required her assistance, she was just another private investigator trying to get a job and there was always heavy competition on those grounds.

Entering the estate, Naoto greeted her grandfather at the entrance and made her way up to her room. Dropping her things down, she noticed that something… well, someone… was missing. The only things that were out of place were a few Sherlock Holmes books laying down on the bed with bookmarks stuck in each. Kage certainly had an odd chronology when it came to reading. Checking where he was in each book, Naoto noticed that he was further along in some of the later books, and yet he had barely touched some of the earlier ones. Naoto softly chuckled… How disorganized.

"Grandpa, where's Kage?" she asked in a raised voice, heading back down the stairs.

Naoto's grandfather looked up from his comfortable position on the living room sofa, a newspaper held between his hands. "Ah… I believe he went out the back a little while ago? He was helping me in the kitchen earlier, but I figure he got bored of that," he explained, causing Naoto to notice the faint scent of cinnamon coming from the other room.

Curious, she checked the kitchen counter and noticed a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls cooling by the window. They smelled fantastic.

"He helped you make these?" Naoto asked, looking over her shoulder towards the living room. She could see her grandfather nodding from behind the newspaper.

"They should be done now. Go ahead and have one if you'd like," he spoke, to which Naoto couldn't help but accept.

"Thank you," she answered, taking one in hand and savoring the first bite out of it. The rich sweetness of the glazing completely melted her taste buds, and she wondered how much of Kage's handiwork actually went into this. She didn't doubt that he was a good baker… It was just surprising for a creature that couldn't even taste. Speaking of which, he was apparently out in the backyard, so Naoto rested the roll on a napkin and carried it outside with her.

Typical for a packed residential area, the estate's backyard was enclosed on all sides by a tall picket fence. The patio from the doorway was paved with concrete tiles which were, of course, a worthy opponent against any fallen alarm machines and other such debris. The backyard was spacious enough to contain a number of large grown trees, and the largest of all of them accommodated a very cozy looking tree house within its thick branches. Underneath it was the individual that Naoto had been looking for. Leaning with a hand against the tree, Kage stared up at the ladder-like planks that scaled up and inside the tree house. Finishing the last bite of her cinnamon roll, Naoto stepped forwards and gave the boy a small wave.

"I appreciate the help you gave Grandpa today. The rolls are delicious," she remarked with a soft smile. It was only when she got close enough that Naoto noticed the dismal look on Kage's face. Barely glancing at her, the Shadow merely acknowledged her presence before returning to his fixed stare at the tree house. Naoto folded her arms and frowned, "Is something wrong?"

Kage's shoulders dropped, "I remember… what happened to mom and dad," he spoke in a quiet voice.

Naoto's shoulders tensed up, "What put that on your mind?"

"Kanji asked me how I felt about our parents being gone… and I didn't know what to say because I couldn't remember at the time," he answered, turning his gaze to Naoto. His flushed cheeks made it obvious that he had been weeping. "So, since we got back at home, I decided to look around for anything that might help me remember. I saw pictures of them and things that they had written. But nothing brought back the right feeling… until then I saw this," he spoke, looking up at the wooden construction in the tree.

Naoto's eyes followed and she stepped forwards, "This tree house..." One of her hands gripped a plank that had been nailed to the tree, "I built this together with father. Well, actually, I was only three years old so I didn't do as much of the work as I'd like to think I did. But we always said that 'we built this together'… And when my parents died, I often escaped to this place to-… just get away."

"You cried here," Kage corrected her, a shine of gold flickering in his eyes, "You didn't want grandfather to see it. You didn't want anyone to… You're the next in the Shirogane line after your parents, and you knew very well that you'd have to be strong. After you drenched your heart to the point that it stopped feeling, you started counting the days that you could go without crying. First it was a couple of days, and then a week… Soon enough you were able to proudly say that you had gone years without crying. About anything. No one would ever see you cry…" he spoke, watching Naoto's expression fall as he did. There were a number of times where she tried to interrupt his talking, but she didn't know what to say. He boldly continued, "And then… all of your friends saw it. They saw me crying the tears you resisted for ages. Crying that you 'didn't want to be alone'."

"Do we really have to have this conversation?" Naoto asked, feeling choked by his words.

Kage stepped forwards and draped his sleeves across her shoulders, standing uncomfortably close to her face, "Why can't we? How much sympathy can you really feel for Kanji-kun if you choose to ignore your own feelings on the matter? It's not weak… it's not embarrassing… it's the truth. I saw him trying to cover up his own tears at the grave when I was around, and they would have expressed all I needed to know. But instead, he asked how I felt… and I had no answer for him then."

Naoto narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Society teaches us that crying is shameful. For most, it's something uncontrolled and is brought about by private matters. We don't want others to know that there is a problem because it's none of their business… Even if a simple 'I hope you feel better' from a complete stranger can, in fact, be very uplifting, one can also feel guilt from fishing for sympathy. People flow through life easier when everyone else around them is, in their perspective, a mindless drone…" she spoke, knowing there was something distasteful in that truth.

"Easier… but not happier," Kage whispered.

"No, definitely not happier… Which is why we have family and select friends of whom we can truly express our feelings to," Naoto added on with a soft smile.

Kage shook his head, "But do you? I know there's so much you want to tell Kanji-kun. How much you understand his pain and how much you wish you could help him through it… But you're scared," he emphasized that last word with a hiss, staring up at the tree house. "Scared that one day, all of this will be brought up. That you'd have to indulge him in the truth of your past and the things that shamed you as a child…"

Naoto lowered her hand from the plank ladder and stared at point with Kage, her pupils dilating.

He continued, "You know what I'm talking about, don't you? In a child's eyes, the death of one's parents is something so confusing and wrong… The first thing any child tries to do is make sense of why it happened. Especially to you, being who you are… You're so perceptive, there has to be a reason for everything with you. And so, something must have been wrong. How about the possibility that the child your parents received… wasn't the child they were hoping for?" he spoke the sentence as if he was spelling it out, every word visibly affecting Naoto's ability to keep calm.

Turning, she threw one of his sleeves off of her shoulder and clenched her fists, stepping towards the house, "Alright, we've had a good talk, Kage. Let's go back inside."

The Shadow stayed put and raised his voice, "They had a name set out and everything! 'Naoto' Shirogane… such a cool, manly name. But a name doesn't change the truth. You would never be the boy they wanted, so they made a feverish attempt to try again. They asked you many times… 'how would you feel if you had a younger brother'? Yes… it would have to be a brother, wouldn't it? You were unsure of what to think because it was a difficult concept for such a young mind. But when your parents died, it became clear. After years of failure, they knew that the Shirogane line was now infected… with you… and they didn't want to see its downfall. They made no attempt to change their fate!" As he continued his brutal barrage of sentences, he could see Naoto's hands rising up and quivering against the sides of her head. It was nonsense. Painful, painful nonsense…!

Kage walked towards her and brought his arms around her shoulders again, his chin nuzzled into the crook of her neck, "At the very least, you got to say good bye to your mother in the hospital… Kanji did not. How your mother managed to survive the car crash was a miracle… and maybe if you had never visited her, she would have continued to live. But you did… And indeed," he lifted his chin and breathed heavily, "The sight of her failure of a child was what stopped her heart…"

Even with Kage holding onto her, Naoto lost her composure and dropped down onto the grass, burying her face against her knees and hands, "N-no more, please…!"

Having fallen down with her, Kage continued to hug from behind, "This is what you cried over… It took you a degrading amount of time to realize that all of this was untrue. That as a child, you had to come up with some sort of reason for it to all make sense. However, the product of your… creative mind… was vile and dishonorable. You would never make assumptions ever again, and you stopped crying," his words softened as he assured her that it had all been the work of an overactive mind.

Naoto glanced up and wiped her drenched hands against her cheeks. "It's true…" her voice stuttered, "For the longest time, that was my excuse. Never before had I disturbed myself with my own thoughts so badly, and I was afraid and alone. I didn't want grandfather to know of the things I thought because it would only upset him too, so I never brought it up, and thus it was never corrected… I had to realize it on my own, after much deliberating with myself, that I was exactly what my parents wanted. No child is 'wrong', there's no such thing… The gift of being a parent is that you will always… always be happy with what you get," as she spoke, Naoto sat up straight and looked over her shoulder at Kage. She didn't know what to think about showing him her crying face. On one side, she was really only crying with herself, but on the other side, it was he who had made her cry.

Kage leaned forwards and pressed his cheek to hers, "I enjoyed those talks. All that contemplation back then when you were young…"

"Back then…?" Naoto questioned, lifting a brow. Deliberating with… herself… Ah…

Naoto closed her eyes and nodded, wiping away a few more tears, "That was you… Of course. No wonder you remember so much. Right now, with you being disconnected from my mind, your memories must be so scattered. You're running on only what you know, and yes… there was someone I would always talk to here when I was little. It must have been you. You were my imaginary friend back then…"

Kage smiled gently, "People talk to themselves all the time thinking that no one is listening… but it's not true."

"You've been around for such a long time, then. Is that normal?" Naoto asked, perplexed by the thought that even little children could have Shadows.

Kage shrugged his shoulders, "It varies from person to person. For most, childhood is a time of innocence and unknowing. You were introduced to reality at a very young age. But it made you who you are… and evidently, made me who I am, too."

Naoto looked up, "And you're happy with who you are?" It was a cruel job, having to remind her of all the things she resisted and feared.

He nodded in response, "… I wouldn't change it for the world. As Shadows, we inherently know our place. We thrive on the principles of denial and acceptance from someone else, not from ourselves. It wouldn't make sense for you to accept a creature that has doubts about itself. So, I never do," he said, tilting his head down.

Naoto leaned back into his hug, admittedly feeling comforted by those big, flappy sleeves sometimes, "But what more do I have to accept…?"

Kage paused in thought for a moment and then shook his head, "… Give it time."