V.E.: I know, it was July the last time I updated this. Give me credit that this isn't being updated in July 2017. I once knew an author that only updated once a year and it's been over a year since she posted last. This is going to be an easier chapter considering I knew how I wanted the Velvet Room and the Wild Card power to work this time around.

Now I know many of you are unhappy with how the last boss fight went. Firstly, I am not a good action/battle scene person. I have repeated this many times. My strengths lie in my characterization and the balance I apply to character relationships. Secondly, Minato is currently physically overpowered compared to his kohais (opposite of sempai in Japan), but this is not true Persona wise, I will explain that this chapter in which Minato will officially join the Investigation Squad.

Well, I know you guys want to jump so let's do so.

RIP that which was lost in 2016.

Quote: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."- Helen Keller

"So…. let me see if I get this straight…."

Walking down a path that he had originally been guided through by a flying glowing blue insect, Makoto was now accompanied by his three juniors as well as what looked to be a bear mascot of some kind (after everything that had just gone down in the castle, he was willing to listen to anything that would make all of this make sense). It hadn't taken long after heading out the castle's doors for Yu and Yosuke to explain the whole story. Occasionally, Chie and Teddie would interrupt with commentary which was either informative or just trying to make some sort of pun (Makoto didn't know why but for some reason the first Teddie pun gave off the feeling of Oh no, not another one in his mind).

Suffice to say, the picture he was getting was bat shit insane by anyone's standards, but Makoto barely batted an eye as he recapped the important bits. "The kidnappings slash murders are supernatural in nature with the perpetrator throwing them into TVs and leaving them to die via the Shadows when the fog lifts, which is inverse to our own fog. The Midnight Channel is not a rumor, but instead of showing your soulmate it shows a shadow of the next person that will be thrown into this world. And Yukiko is the current victim and you guys have to get to her before it is too late and her Shadow attacks her."

Yosuke nodded uneasily, a little surprised at how well the blue haired teen was taking all of this. "That's…. actually pretty much it."

"And the way you fight Shadows is using your Personas, who used to be your own Shadows." For some reason, that bit of information seemed to click something in Makoto's brain, but he ignored it for right now.

Chie nodded to before she cast her eyes at Narukami. "Yeah, though sempai and Narukami-san seem to be exceptions."

Yu sighed. "Chie, it's okay to call me Yu, alright?"

The brown haired athletic nodded and smiled before casting a wary glance at the gray-haired leader. "I know, I just didn't want to make it sound too confusing to Makoto sempai. Anyway, me and Yosuke are only capable of using one Persona whereas Yu can use multiple ones, though he has yet to tell us exactly how that works."

Yu simply fixed a deadpan expression at her. "Chie, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway."

Makoto shook his head. "I don't know why, but even though I know this sounds crazy, my mind is completely at ease."

Yosuke and Chie looked a little surprised at that, Yosuke glancing to his best friend. "Wow, you know Yu it looks like sempai might have you beat in the 'keep calm in all circumstances' department."

His friend simply sighed. "Yosuke, not the time for jokes."

The blue haired teen then glanced back at the bear mascot. "And the bear….?"

Yu quickly responded. "We have absolutely no idea who or what he is."

Teddie simply smiled, which looked surprisingly natural for a life size bear plushie thing. "I don't remember much, only that this world had always been peaceful before someone started throwing people in here. Then I met Sensei and the others and they promised to help me out."

Makoto nodded, his eyes narrowing as he thought. "So basically, you guys are trying to find the person who's been throwing people in here. Sounds simple enough, but I doubt it's like that at all."

Yosuke seemed lower his head in gloom as he replied. "I'll say, we don't have anything outside of this world to really go from."

Chie nodded with determination. "That's why it's super important to rescue Yukiko. Sempai, are you sure there is nothing else you can tell us about the day Yukiko disappeared?"

The feelings of irritation rose in his mind, but Makoto squashed them quickly as he remembered his trip to the police station. "Honestly, after going over it three times with Yu's uncle, I think I would have remembered anything significant. Like I said before, Yukiko and I were going to clean the baths when someone rang at the door. There was no one else around so Yukiko went to answer it while I went off to clean the baths. I cleaned the entire bath and it wasn't until after that when I was talking with her parents did we find out she was missing."

Yosuke seemed to perk up at that. "You're sure about the doorbell?"

"Positive, that's the last time I saw her."

Then the image of the blue butterfly flashed in his brain as his mouth ran away from his head. "Speaking of small details, you wouldn't have to have seen a blue….?"

His voice trailed off as both Yosuke and Chie looked at him weirdly, Yu's expression the utter epitome of the poker face.

He sighed as he gave up. For some reason, he felt a need to keep the bug to himself for now. "Never mind. I think I'm good on questions."

He then looked towards Yu, whom he knew was the one he had to convince. "Ask away."

The younger student wasted no time. "How were you able to come to this world?"

"The same way you could, I stuck my body into the…."

Yu cut him off curtly. "Not what I meant. Up until we now, we thought the only other person who would be able to come to this world was the killer. And now it turns out you're able to do it as well? Seems a little too suspicious to me."

Chie looked at him worried. "Yu…."

Yosuke put a hand a on her shoulder, making turn to him. The brunet boy shook his head and motioned back to their leader. She got the message and quieted down, both focusing their attention on the discussion going on.

The gray-haired boy continued, his tone even but carrying an underlying accusation. "And up until now, you haven't shown any interest in what we were doing. After you find out we've been here. It's funny that all of these things started happening right after you come to town."

Makoto merely raised an eyebrow at the teen leader. "Couldn't the same be said of yourself? As I recall, you and I were on the same train that came to Inaba. We both entered this world without gaining a Persona from the Shadows. And the both of us have met or were tangentially connected to the three victims so far."

That made Yu cringe, causing Yosuke and Chie to tense up with the male brunet defending their friend. "Hey, Yu is innocent!"

The blue haired teen shook his head. "And I think so as well. However, there is a difference between the two of us that anyone who would investigate in the real world would notice right away."

Chie asked the question. "Which is?"

He shot a dry look at the three, mostly at Narukami. "I have an alibi. The night Saki Konishi was killed, at least half a dozen people at the Amagi Inn could verify me working a big party. If you don't believe me, ask your uncle."

Yu's expression refused to budge as he countered. "That doesn't mean you couldn't have pushed her in to TV earlier than that."

The blue haired teen nodded before he went on. "That's true, but you're operating under the assumption that the police would believe you in regards to "pushing her into a TV." After all, isn't the fact that you guys know that no one will believe you that you're taking care of this yourselves?"

That got the three to cringe, looking at each other as if debating what their next move was.

Makoto went on in a firm voice. "Which would be the same reason I haven't told anyone about my own situation until now."

Yu perked up in interest. "Your situation?"

Yosuke nodded before asking as well. "Yeah, what are you talking about?"

The blue haired teen took a deep breath before he began what was bound to be a very complicated explanation. "I wasn't being completely forthright with everyone, but given what little information I had, I decided to play along in hopes of figuring out the truth. But you guys have told me your secret so it only makes sense to share mine."

Chie looked utterly questioning at her sempai. "Makoto-sempai, what do you mean?"

He let out a dry chuckle at that. "Well for starters, I'm not sure whether that even is my real name."

That got the attention of the trio and Teddie, Yosuke's eyes widening as he seemed to ask for the group. "What?"

"Makoto" nodded. "The first memory I have is waking up on the train to Inaba. Anything before that is an outright blank. The only clue I had to who I am was at the time were the documents I had on the seat next to me. I followed those to the Amagi Inn to find that they were expecting me. My records….this guardian of mine…..I don't know what the truth is.

"The only thing I've heard that rings a bell….is Persona."

That got the small group to collectively flinch as Teddie seemed to ask a question. "Wait…do you mean to say you know something about Shadows and Personas, Sempai?"

The blue haired teen scratched his hair as he thought, looking around at the unreal world around them. "I don't know how I'm connected to them, but those terms do spark something in my mind. I don't think I've ever been to this world before, and yet…back there fighting that thing, it all felt so familiar. Like I'm used to risking my life to these things."

Chie tried to jump into the conversation with an unsure expression. "That's…. kind of…."

Makoto commented wryly. "Incredibly suspicious? The most obvious bullshit of a plot convenience? I know. Listen, I don't have any real proof for you guys to believe me…. but still, you deserved an answer with all the other questions you must have."

That seemed to put the three humans into some doubt while Teddie was the one to step forward, his eyes burdened with understanding. "I may not understand everything you humans go through, but it seems to me like you and I are in the same situation. None of us know how we got here or what we really mean in all this."

Makoto stopped to consider that for a moment. "That's…. a pretty good summarization. Though, I don't know whether I'm connected to this situation or I'm just random element. All I can say is that I feel I'll get more answers if I follow this to the end. Which leads me to ask…."

The blue haired teen turned to three underclassmen and bowed his head towards them. "Please let me join you."

That seemed to surprised Narukami while the other two seemed to look to their leader for the verdict. The gray-haired teen seemed to ponder the question for a while before looking up. "Say it again."

Makoto wasn't sure whether he heard that right. "Excuse me?"

"What you just said about your memory and this case, say it again."

The blue haired teen saw what Yu was getting at with all this, but straightened his posture and did as requested. "I don't remember anything prior to waking up on that train, but I do know that I DID NOT kill anyone in Inaba. I SWEAR."

Yu stared at his sempai intently for several moments, as if trying to catch him a in a lie. Finally, he smiled and nodded. "Well then, welcome to the Investigation Team."

Makoto felt a little surprise at the ease of acceptance. "Wait, you really believe?"

Yu's smile was a mix of amusement and incredulous as he responded. "I was on the train with you, remember? And I found it really weird how I went to sleep with no one in the compartment, only to wake with someone that looked my age after a really crazy dream. As if you were some spirit or a ghost…"

Makoto Yuki felt his eyes widen in understanding. "Oh, so that's why you've been like that. Though I'm pretty sure I'm human."

"Noted. Anyway, you're too good of addition to this team for me not to say yes."

Yosuke nodded as he elaborated in his own way. "Yeah, this way we have four fighters against the Shadows. Five, if we count Teddie as our support. Either way, the more the merrier."

Chie also added in her thoughts. "And judging by the way you used your sword back there, you definitely have more experience with weapons than we do."

Makoto patted where his sword was stashed. "Yeah, compared to summoning my Persona, it just came to me much more naturally. Of course, now I'm kind of at a dead end in this world when it comes to my past."

Yosuke inquired further into that. "Well, it's not like helping you goes against what we're doing so we'll help you out with your memory. You sure you don't have anything else that could be a clue?"

Makoto held up his gun in one hand while his other dug through his pocket. "Other than this strange gun and this weird key that made its way into pocket out of nowhere, I'm pretty much out of clues right now?"

That got Yu's attention at least. "Key?"

Makoto nodded, his gun being put back into place as his he brought the blue key out of his pocket. "Yeah, strange looking thing, but I feel like I can't throw it away or…."

But before Makoto could further elaborate on that, Yu grabbed his wrist and brought the key closer to him for inspection. Obviously startling the blue haired teen, he made his thoughts known aloud. "Hey, what the…?!"

Then he saw Narukami's utterly shocked face as he looked at the strange blue key. The gray-haired teen went to his own pocket before pulling out something that made his mind stop.

An identical blue key. From the color to the insignia, the two were exactly the same.

Of the utterly shocked teens, Yosuke was the first one to voice his thoughts. "Whoa! They're…!"

Yu sighed deeply. "I should have figured…."

Chie seemed to follow his train of thought. "Yu, do you know what this key is for?"

He nodded, letting go of Makoto's wrist and began walking again. "Yeah, I do, but let's get back to the entrance first."

Makoto blinked for a moment before he recovered. "Wait, you're not going to say what this is for? And how come you have one?"

Yu seemed like he was having a mild headache as he answered his sempai. "Trust me when I say it's something you have to see rather than hear about."

The blue haired teen nodded curtly and followed in line behind him. "Fine."

Yosuke and Chie glance to each other before following along.

Teddie's expression made it clear he really didn't really understand what was so important about the key (though looking at it did make him feel a little funny) so he just followed along after the group.

It was pretty much silent for the rest of the way back (bar a few weak Shadows that took less than a minute to beat down) which left Makoto to his thoughts to ponder this new clue.

Yet as much as he was glad to finally be getting somewhere in his search, another part of him was also a little apprehensive. Yu Narukami was a relatively level headed individual, so what was it about this key that made him so…. exasperated?

He still wanted answers, but still it was probably best to be cautious with whatever was coming next. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Finally, the small group came back to the small area form where they had come in from with the entrance back to reality. But this time there was something else there that stopped Makoto in his tracks.

A bright blue door with golden accents floated in the air not too far away.

He felt his arm raise and his hand point to the door, but his mind felt strangely disconnected from this turn of event. "Uhh….'

Yu just nodded at him. "Oh good, so you do see it."

"That was not here when I came in. I'm pretty sure I would have seen that, fog or not."

The gray-haired teen paused to consider that piece of information before going on. "Well, you see it now. No mistake then."

Before Makoto could ask what the meant by that, Yosuke interrupted the two in confusion. "Uh, what are you guys talking about? There's nothing there."

The blue hared teen was about to throw an incredulous look over at the brown-haired teen before Naurkami sent him a Look. He got the message immediately. Only those with a key can see the door.

When he saw that his sempai got the message clearly, he walked over to Teddie, handing over the group's small bag of stuff as well as the katana he had been using (who seemed to have been designated the storage person). The other two did the same with their weapons. "Anyway, you guys head on without us. We'll meet up same time tomorrow."

Chie nodded. "Got it."

Yosuke nodded as well, glancing to Makoto for a moment. "Alright, partner. See you tomorrow, Makoto-sempai."

Teddie waved the two off. "See you two tomorrow then!"

The two waved back at the bear with a smile before heading over to the TV portal. Yosuke went first with Chie following him, leaving Teddie, Makoto, and Yu by themselves.

Teddie then smiled at Yu. "I'll make sure things are okay, alright Sensei?"

Yu nodded with a small smile. "Good. Thanks again for taking care of our weapons and supplies when we're not here Teddie."

The blue bear's smile just wider. "No problem!"

Then Yu turned to Makoto, motioning with head to the door. Makoto followed and the two stood before the slightly glowing floating door. Yu spoke to him in a calm tone. "I can't guarantee you'll find all your answers behind this door. The people there aren't the most direct."

Makoto's silver eyes went steely as he faced the door. "Even so, I'll take my chances."

Yu didn't respond to that, merely placing a hand on his shoulder. Whose sake that was for, who could say?

He brought out his key. As he fitted it into the key hole, he felt his body tinge with anticipation. As if it knew what was coming, knew that there was no danger to enter this strange door, but somewhere he could find rest.

The key turned and a white light blinded him to his surroundings and himself…..

Blue.

That was the first thought that came to Makoto when he came back to his senses. Almost everything in his immediate sight was blue, though the shapes were not as clearly defined.

A few blinks of his eyes later however, things took on definite forms. He was sitting on something rather plush feeling (probably the same color blue as everything else in this place) and just by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, he didn't have to turn his head to know Narukami was right next to him. Above them was a light blue chandelier that gave light to the place, as well as blue drappings.

The place, now that Makoto could see more of the details, seemed to be the inside of a very posh limo. He could see windows showing an eerie fog outside, thicker than even the fog of the TV World. There was another blue seating near them, the adjacent side holding a variety of different alcohols and glasses.

But what drew his interest was the small blue table in front of him and the three that were seated around it. On the right, a young woman with platinum blonde hair and golden eyes sat in a blue dress with golden edgings, black tights, a massive book in her lap, and blue heels. She seemed rather mature and sophisticated, but for some reason Makoto couldn't help but feel like she reminded him of someone. He was sure he'd never met her, but maybe someone like her?

On the left, was a black-haired girl that took a moment to place. Then his eyes widened slightly as he realized it was that girl he met the first day in Inaba. The only differences were the new blue hat and bag; her expression of bored contempt was all too familiar. He thought she had been ordinary, but considering she was here, she obviously had some part to play.

But the most striking of the three was the man in the middle. Body leaning forward that made him look almost hunched, fine black suit with white gloves, wide eyes, pointed ears, and a big permeant grin on his face. Yet for how unsettling the man might appear to some people, there was something about this man that set Makoto at ease. He may not have his memory, but he knew this man.

The man's eyes seemed to glint upon seeing Makoto, his smile seemed to widen even further. "Well, welcome to the Velvet Room. Or, as I should be saying, welcome back. It has been quite some time."

By his side, Yu Narukami was not surprised in the least by this development. So, he's a guest of this place too.

Makoto bowed his head to the man. "I'm sorry. I…I know you, but I don't remember you."

Far from being upset, the grinning man just nodded his head. "Ah yes, as to be expected. Very well then, allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Igor, overseer of the Velvet Room."

The blue haired teen turned to get a good look at his blue surroundings. "And I take it this is the Velvet Room?"

Igor nodded. "Indeed. This places exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter…. though I must admit, I did not expect to ever see you again."

The blonde woman on the right seemed to be startled at that as her gaze to shock at Makoto. "Wait, then this is…But how?!"

The black-haired girl, who had been silent up to that point, finally spoke. "Huh? What's up with this guy?"

Makoto nodded toward the girl. "Nice to see you again."

Her face seemed to indicate she did not recognize him at all. "Have we met?"

"You picked up my phone the first day I was Inaba, told me it wasn't anything special for just picking something up."

That brought something of a spark to her green eyes. "Oh yeah…. I did do that."

Igor then cleared his throat, reminding the two ladies of their duties which quieted them down. He then resumed talking. "Pardon the interruption. The Velvet Room exists to help those on their journey, taking the shape of whatever is suited for the current guest. Even if you had your memory back, this is vastly different from the Velvet Room you knew."

Yu spoke up then. "So, he's a past guest of this place."

Igor nodded to his current guest before turning back to Makoto. "As a matter of fact, he is your direct predecessor. Which leads us to an interesting quandary. You had completed your journey young man and had passed on your Power of the Wild Card. By all means, your contract is over. And yet here you are."

Makoto tilted his head wryly. "And yet somehow, I get the impression you know more than you're saying."

The old man let out a small chuckle at that. "Perhaps, but even if I do know, I cannot tell you. It is the job of the Velvet Room to give aid with Personas and occasionally advice, but it is against the rules to tell of things directly. You must discover those things on your own."

The blue haired teen sighed. "Well, that makes things easy."

"I can tell you this; the answer you are currently pursuing and the answer that our current guest is pursuing is intertwined in some manner. Though exactly how they are connected, you must find out for yourself."

That caused Yu and Makoto to look at each other. For a moment, Makoto seemed to understand what Yu was thinking. He trusts me now that I've let all my cards on the table and because of Igor. I'm still kind of suspicious, but he trusts me for now.

Then the pale blonde woman spoke up. "Sir, if he is here, then what about…?"

Igor raised his hand, quieting her. "Hush, Margaret. I know that what you must be thinking about, but it is not our duty to look into that. Our job is to our guests."

Margaret did not look happy about that, but nodded curtly. "Yes Master."

She shot a rather cold glare at Makoto before facing away from him.

Which all it did was serve to puzzle the young man. Yeesh, what'd I do?"

Igor proceeded on as if nothing really happened. "Well if you are here, then it means you meant to be here and have regained your powers as a Wild Card. Allow me to bring up your old contract then."

The old man held one of his gloved hands over the small table and a small flash of light happened. It disappeared, leaving a crumpled old paper behind. His other hand pulled a pen out of his suit's pocket, reaching out with it towards the two boys. "If you wish to proceed as you are, simply sign the name you have now."

Makoto got up to take the pen. "You can't even tell me what my real name is?"

The old man shook his head. "No. After all, names have power."

With that mysterious little tidbit, Makoto turned his attention to the old paper on the table. At the bottom where a person would sign their name, it seemed as if the name that had been signed had been erased with only a vague after image of what had been there. As for the rest of the paper, it simply stated 'I chooseth this fate of my own free will.'

He bent over the paper signing on the line Makoto Yuki.

As soon as he lifted the pen from the paper, the old contract glowed before turning into a ball of light and shooting itself into the big book that was on Margaret's lap, which seemed to shock once more the usually unflappable attendant. "What in the…?!"

The black-haired girl piped up then. "I take it that's not normal here."

Igor shook his head before motioning Makoto to return to his seat by Yu. "No, it is not. Then again, there is much in this situation that is unprecedented. Never have we had two Wild Cards as guests at the same time."

Once the blue haired teen sat back down, Igor continued. "It seems as if the presence of two Wild Cards has altered the situation. It might be because you are incapable of accessing your old Personas other than Orpheus, but it seems that you are now tied to Narukami's Personas."

Yu asked on that. "What does that mean?"

Igor turned to Yu then. "It means that the both of you must rely on the Personas you have forged so far. In battle, you can only draw from the ones you have selected for your team and neither of you can use the same Persona at a time. However, this does mean you two can switch up your roles in battle, unlike your comrades."

Yu nodded before asking on. "What about Izanagi?"

Igor seemed to understand what he was getting at, later turning back to the other teen on the plush couch. "Don't worry, young man. Unlike the other Personas you gain either through battle or fusion, Izanagi came directly from your soul. Only you can use him and the same goes with you and Orpheus. They are unique to the two of you."

Yu nodded before he turned to Makoto. "Well, I guess this means we really are going to be working with each other. Anything you'd like to say to that?"

Makoto considered it for a moment before responding. "I'll follow your lead for the most part considering you're the leader for this and these are your Personas. Still, I am going to need to know what they're all capable of so we can work together in battle."

"Anything else?"

"Right now, I want to just save Yukiko. Anything involving my memories and everything else can wait until after she's safe."

Yu's smiel seemed to be hinting at approval as he nodded with finality. "Alright then."

Igor then cleared his throat, bringing the two's attention back onto himself. "Before you return to where you came from, I would like to say a few things. This occurrence has never happened before and there is much even I cannot foresee. Yet the two of you are tied to each and I feel that this is but the least of what is to come. Remember that as you move forward.

Igor then motioned to the blue clothed attendant. "And now I suppose I should introduce these two for your sake. Margaret will be help with fusion as well as keeping track of your compendium of Personas."

Margaret simply nodded curtly to them.

Igor then turned to his right, where the black-haired girl was. "And this is Marie. Her focus is skill cards which will serve you greatly."

Marie seemed rather un affected by the man's praise, ready to roll her eyes. "Alright, but don't you even think about looking through my stuff when I'm not here."

Igor then turned back to the boys. "And with that out of the way, I'd say your business here is concluded?"

Narukami glanced to Makoto for a moment before nodding. "Yes sir."

Igor's smile was he same as ever as he spoke. "Well, in that case, I bid you fair well. Until we meet again."

With those words, the blue of the limousine became white as everything faded away.

The lost thought Makoto had was that this would not be the last time he would enter the Velvet Room.

V.E.:…..yeah, I hoped to get this done before 2017. I know, I'm terrible.

I hope the handicap I've given Minato makes sense to you guys. I thought it was clever.

Anyway, now I've got Luffy to get back to before Princess of Egypt. My stories are never satisfied.

Hope you have a happy new year (goodness knows 2016 will not be a year many look back on with fondness) and please leave a review. I'm currently at over 5500 words at this time.

See you all next time!