A/N: I've decided that I'm actually going to change the Midnight Channel. Needless to say, I'm at a loss for what I could possibly do for pretty much every character. The real reason is because it would be too hard, but I will give an in-story reason later on. When I think of a good way to present it, I'll go back and edit the previous showings, but for now, it will stay as is.

Saturday after school

"I think we're ready now." Minato had gone to get better equipment from Kurosawa the day before. He also went to the pharmacy to stock up on bandages and painkillers. Dia was good, but they didn't know what it was fully capable of yet. Everybody was rested up and no one had something urgent to do. Even if they ran out of time today, they agreed that anything not finished today would be taken care of tomorrow. They didn't want to cut it too close, because the longer Mitsuru was gone, the more tense they all became. "Let's meet up a Junes when you guys are ready."

TV world in front of the castle

"It appears as though a gate to the last floor you were on before you turned back has been opened. This could be a substantial time saver."

"Awesome! We don't have to walk as far this time!" Junpei was very enthusiastic at the prospect of less effort.

"Wait." Minato kills Junpei's dreams on the spot. "We should start from the beginning so that we know what Yukari's persona is capable of." Majority rules that this was a good idea, so that was what happened.

Right off the bat in the first battle, they were confused. Trismegistus and the newly acquired Nata Taishi were tearing up the weaker foes, but Isis hung back and wasn't participating in the melee fighting.

"Why isn't she doing anything?" Yukari was frustrated by the fact that her persona was useless at the moment.

"I don't think she can. Pixie's the same way. You have to consciously tell them spells because they aren't meant for close combat."

"I guess that makes sense, but how do I know what she can do?"

"Just ask her for help next time. She'll probably give you some guidance, but you'll be on your own after that."

On the epic trek back to the room where they fought Yukari's shadow, they learned a few things. Isis specialized in wind spells and healing, so Pixie didn't have to come out much. Apparently, aluminum baseball bats coming from someone like Junpei could make a lot of shadows with a decent amount of health left go down. Also, tiny arrows can never hit shadows, ever. Since the persona Omoikane knew lightning and some status spells, Pixie was rarely used at all.

They were progressing at a decent pace, until the later floors introduced powerful enemies. Men made of ice holding swords were becoming frequent, and this ice was actually cold. They were weak to fire, but surprisingly defensive. They were their first introduction to ice spells, and it made a lasting impression, especially because they didn't know that Omoikane was weak to ice. They eventually were either cut up, smashed, or lit on fire until they dissolved.

After a couple floors of that, they entered another floor that was nearly empty.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." In front of them was a giant version of the swordsmen that they had been fighting, except a lot more dangerous. It was riding a giant horse and its weapon had been scaled to fit. Needless to say, it was intimidating.

Mitsuru's shadow was very obviously standing near it. "So, you finally decided to come. Not for her though. You just came because you didn't want what happens to someone who stays here for too long on your conscience."

Yukari speaks up. "That's not true! Where is she? I'll prove it to you!"

The shadow is amused by this. "You'll prove it to me? Survive this battle, and we'll see about that." It calmly walks out of the room. After that, the guard puts up a barrier on both sides, preventing escape.

"Uh guys?" Junpei asks nervously. "I think it's us or him right now."

Minato started giving orders after pausing for only an instant. "Spread out. For now, have your personas attack from different angles. Yukari, you're on healing duty. It's probably weak to fire, so we need Orpheus' help. Aigis, try to see if you can shoot at any weak points. If you can't, aim for the main part."

With just a little bit of organization their job was made much easier. It could only take so much punishment before it caved under the pressure exerted by Trismegistus and Orpheus. When it fell to the ground, it was bombarded by even more fire with a dash of bullet holes thrown in. It managed to cast a few times, but no one ended up on the receiving end of the massive sword that was as big as they were. After pausing to take a breath, check for any injuries, and keep their energy up, they continued on.

All of the regular enemies from then on were a joke. Nothing they found was any stronger than before, so they breezed through the ending stretch. When Aigis noticed that the floor they were coming up on was the final one, they felt like they were in a good enough condition to finish it up in one day. They swung open the doors to the final area.

They're greeted to the sight of Shadow Mitsuru casually sitting on a throne looking like it'd rather be anywhere else. At the bottom of the stairs, Mitsuru is looking up at her with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. She's still wearing the kimono that she was last seen in. She doesn't seem to notice the party until the shadow speaks up.

"So you did make it. I thought my guards would be better than that, but they're all useless. I guess that it's just another disappointment that comes with trusting someone else to get the job done."

Mitsuru turns around and her eyes widen. "Why did you all come here?"

"We came to get you out of here. Someone made you come here so that you would show up dead when the weather becomes foggy again."

Mitsuru just stares at Yukari in shock. The shadow speaks up at this. "You want to believe it don't you? You want to believe that they really came here for you. You don't though. There's at least a dozen other reasons why they could have came, isn't there? A third body wouldn't look very good for the town, now would it? They could have just accidentally discovered you and made that up on the spot."

"Don't listen to her." It was Minato who spoke up this time. "Yukari wouldn't have gone into full-blown panic mode if she wasn't worried for you."

"Hey!"

The shadow just laughs. "Panic mode? Like that would ever happen. You heard it directly from her own thoughts. She thinks of you the same way that she thinks of the people that only want her for her money. Even if you never make it clear, that feeling will never go away."

Mitsuru glares at the shadow coldly. "You don't know anything about her. While it may be true that I originally questioned her intentions, I no longer have any doubts." Yukari is touched by this, but feels a pang of guilt for thinking anything else.

Her shadow returns it with equal vehemence. "Stop lying to yourself. No matter what you say, you still don't believe that people could like you for any reason other than that they want something from you. You're just terrified that someone will be so nice about it that they'll trick you into giving to them."

"Enough! What gives you the right to tell me how I feel? Why should I listen to you instead of what have already decided myself?" The last comment hit too close to home, and Mitsuru's frustration was showing.

Her shadow just grins wickedly. "You are listening to yourself, because I'm you. Everything I've said has been what you were too scared to admit. You can lie to yourself, but I would never lie to you."

"That's impossible. I would never show such mistrust and disdain for the people around me as you just did. You're not me."

The shadow's laughter eventually becomes warped beyond recognition before finally ending. "No, I'm not you. I would never be a part of someone so weak. Not anymore, at least.

A/N: Please let me know if this chapter was as horrible as I think it is. I spent a long time glaring at the page wondering what to do. I'm not a very good judge of my own work, so I don't trust myself to accurately rate this on a scale of complete crap to maybe a C-.