Persona 4: Simulacrum

by zephyran

It has been six years since the fog was lifted from the town of Inaba, but a new fog clouds the minds of its residents. As Souji Seta returns from his long absence, he must find a way to free them or else lose the bonds of friendship forever.

21. God of Storms

Chapter 21: God of Storms

There was no screaming. She had no voice.

There were no tears. She had none left.

There was no pain. All she had left was numbness.

No body. No world. No life. It was all taken.

No, I gave it up. I trusted and I let him in and he made me and I gave it up.

It felt like years. Maybe it had been years. She had fought him and she had fought him and she had fought him and he had defeated her.

Only one name. Only one name in her mind had any meaning. The name of the one who did this to her. The one threatening all of humanity.

Souji Seta.

She didn't know how she could have doubted it. All this time, he was the one...

No...that – that can't be right...it's not Souji... But if not him, then whom?

She had told herself that she must remember. Through the incessant pain and the repeated violations of her most sacred self, she had told herself that she had to remember, had to remember...

It was maddening, this existence between life and death. She had nothing to hold her together, and all it would take was a simple breeze to scatter her across whatever realm of creation this was. It was as if everything that had ever made her human was a long-lost dream, yet one that had not faded when she awoke.

And still there was something, like a thread connecting her to her body, and she could feel it still being abused. A set of hands, the same as before. No, two...touching, probing her, pulling her nerves and her tendons like the strings of a puppet, making it do and say things...

Another set of hands. Gentle, warm...loving. A face flashed before her. Kanji. He was with her body. She didn't know what, but it felt right. Calming. She tried to cry out to him, to beg him to help her, but it was no use. Whatever linked her and her body, it only worked one way. She could only take some comfort from his care.

But he had rejected her, hadn't he? Saw through her attempts to draw him closer to her without restoring his memories of having broken up with her, and yet it had all come crashing down thanks to that Shadow. Souji's Shadow. It restored his memories, and it didn't take long for him to remember everything.

Was it Kanji? Was he the one who betrayed her? No, no...that doesn't make any sense. But then who...?

Two voices. Both in her body, but neither hers. One she recognized immediately: its owner had brought her here, tormented her until she literally fell apart. The other was – similar, except it was kindly, and yet still tugging at her like the first. The new one had snatched the strings from the other, and even his kind words to her as he did so did not put her at anything resembling ease. She wanted to hear Kanji's voice again, feel his touch, even at this distance.

She wanted her body back. Desperately. She would do anything to get it back.

"If that is what you wish, my pet, then that is what you shall have." It was that voice, the one who had tried to make her call him her master. She may well have done so in a moment of weakness. This was the one who has caused her so much pain. "It seems our plans have been accelerated a little. Are you ready?"

"Let me go," Naoto said. "Please."

"But I am not holding you, don't you remember? It is them, the ones whose actions sent you here. Even now, the way they make you feel, does it not remind you what they did to you?"

Naoto tried to bring their faces to her mind. When she did so, there was a quiver throughout her being that threatened to tear apart what little there was left of her. "I – they make me feel...lost..."

"Because it is they who are responsible for your condition now. Them, not me."

She wanted to dispute it, but she could not. His words, as untrustworthy as he was, made sense.

"I can feel your agreement," the man said. "I will help free you from this prison, but first you must pledge to me that you will do whatever you must, whatever I tell you to do."

This didn't feel right. "No, I won't..."

Her world exploded into pain. It was all too familiar,and if it continued it would tear her completely apart. And then images flashed before her. Violent, dark images. A funeral. A body rising from the casket and murdering those attending. She had seen this before, hadn't she?

Through it all she saw images of him – Souji. The pain increased tenfold when she saw him. And the other, the dark one – the pain went away almost completely when he appeared. Interspersed with time images of death were these two, the pain rising and falling unpredictably. She tried to hold on to something, anything, but it all slipped away from her, only causing her pain to increase. She couldn't even think anymore, except about the pain.

It continued for what seemed like for ever until, suddenly, it stopped.

"Now," the voice said, "do you know what I command of you?"

"Yes," Naoto said.

"Will you call me 'Master'?"

If she could have, Naoto would have sobbed. "Yes."

"Then tell me what you must do."

"I must – I must stop him."

The man's face appeared before her, smiling, almost fatherly. It frightened her. "I knew I could count on you to do the right thing, Detective. Go then," he said, waving his hand, and she felt something tug at every speck of her dissociated self, dragging her into the darkness like water down a drain. With nothing to hold on to, not even a presence to preserve, she could only let it take her away to wherever her "master" wished.

"Take your body back," she heard his voice in the seconds before she was gone. "Use it. Put a stop to them. To him. Kill him. Do it for me, and for the sake of your world."

VVVVV

Kanji opened his eyes, and immediately felt a stab of pain in his sinuses. He grunted and rubbed his face. He remembered running in after Naoto, but not what happened afterward. She was in front of him, running away, ignoring his calls for her to stop.

And then she was gone, like she'd never been there. He'd been swarmed by some kind of dark shapes, squealing and groaning, snapping at him with some kind of claws, but before they'd struck him he'd simply blacked out. And now he was here, wherever here was.

All he could hear was voices whispering to him. They were sad, yet frightened. He was picking up some kind of feelings from the air. They were torn from their bodies, which kept on living, forcing them into a perpetual state of dying. None seemed to know how it happened, but they described it to him when asked, talking about darkness, and coffins standing in the streets, and oozing blobs of blackness that seemed to devour them whole, leaving them cold and alone. They seemed not to perceive each other, and the more he listened, the more it seemed as if they were in some kind of eternal punishment.

He didn't want to be here with them. The longer he stayed, the more he felt that he would be swallowed up by them.

Evil – there is evil...

It is coming for us...

It is coming for you...

You must defeat it...

The more he listened to it, the more it started to make sense. Yes, evil. It was coming. A face – the evil had a face. Young, but with gray hair.

Wait, isn't that...?

The voices were all unified, as if chanting together, a thousand whispers. It is evil. It is what sent you to this place. Only by defeating it can you save yourself. Only by defeating it can you save Naoto.

"Naoto?" he said, jumping to his feet. "What about her?"

They are coming after her, and will murder her unless you do something.

"Who? Who's coming after her?"

The evil ones. More images appeared before him. Yukiko, Chie, Yosuke, Rise...everyone.

"What the hell're you...?" He stopped when he felt another stabbing pain in his head. He collapsed to the floor and screamed.

As suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped. He opened his eyes. The shadowy figures were gone, but he still felt them, somehow. He felt different. Disconnected, like he wasn't fully in control.

You must do something to stop them from murdering your love.

"Do something. Fight them, you mean?"

Whatever you must.

"Whatever...I must?" Somehow it made sense. "Yeah...yeah, I've gotta, don't I? And once I do it I can be with her, right?" There was no answer. "Right?"

You will be with her.

There was laughter, loud and wild, and then his world went dark once again.

VVVVV

"Dammit, I didn't think we were gonna have to fight this soon!" Yosuke said, hopping on one foot as he tugged up on his sock. "I don't even have my knives!"

"In the car," Chie said, zipping up her boot and tucking her gun inside. "I kinda thought this'd happen."

"Chie-chan's always prepared!" Teddie said, zipping the head onto his costume.

"Physical weapons didn't do any good before," Taro said. "What makes you think they will be now."

"Better to have them and not need them," Margaret said. "We should all arm ourselves. If I cannot open the Compendium, I'll have no access to Personas."

"I can share," Taro said, pulling a few cards from his pocket. "I'll probably be fine with just Kunino-sagiri." He took Margaret hand and placed the cards in it. He lingered holding her hand for a moment, and then closed her fingers over the cards. "I mean, they'll work like that, won't they?"

Margaret looked down at their hands, and then back up to his face. She smiled. "They might."

Souji hadn't paid any attention to the conversations, or any of the attempts at planning. Ever since Naoto and Kanji had vanished he'd been playing over those few minutes in his head over and over again. She'd been right there in front of him. Right there. If he hadn't been so damn tired, if he'd just used his head...

"Dammit," he muttered, running his hands through the rainwater still plastering his hair to his forehead. He was rolling back over everything the others had told him trying to find some hint of this that he should have seen. Something to connect the dots, to clue him in that Naoto would suddenly appear and then run off and to where. Something he might have heard while he was still on the other side.

"Okay, we're ready," Rise said as she and Yukiko descended the stairs.

"We should probably go in soon," Yukiko said. "I heard you guys talking about weapons. Who still needs one? We can probably improvise something."

"Souji, I found your sword," Ryotaro said. "God, I still can't believe a teenager was running around with something like this. I could probably shave with it."

"If you wanted to cut your ear off, maybe," Yosuke said. "You shoulda seen him with that thing!"

"Probably best that I didn't," Ryotaro said. He tucked the blade under his arm and held out the hilt to Souji. "Here."

Souji looked up at the sword. It looked much the same as he remembered. The leather straps wrapped around the hilt were slightly worn and wrinkled from his sweat, and the blade was silver, completely clean and untarnished. His uncle had stored it well, as if he'd known it would be needed again.

He shook his head. "No, I don't need it."

"You need to be prepared," Ryotaro said.

"I'm not going."

"Wait, what?" Nanako, who had been staring out the glass doors, turned to him.

"What do you mean you're not going?" Chie said. "Of course you are!"

"We can't do this without you, man!" said Yosuke.

"Souji-kun," Taro said,

"We should've been able to stop them. I should've been able to stop them." He stood. "I'm so tired I can barely think. I can barely stop shaking. I'm..." He turned away from them. "I'm completely useless."

Rise stomped over to him, whirled him around, and slapped his face hard. Taking advantage of his shock she grabbed his arms. "Listen, you've gotta stop this right now. You hear me? You can't keep taking all this stuff on yourself! We're a team, and we're all responsible. Okay?"

Souji blinked. He had been scolded by a lot of people over the years, but never once had he expected Rise to become one of them. At least, not so soon. He shook his head. "I'm the leader, and it's my..."

He stopped when Margaret gripped his shoulder, her fingers clamping down like a vise. "You must get ahold of yourself, Souji-san. You are the zero, the nexus. What must be done cannot be done without you."

"Zero?" Nanako said. "Nexus?"

"You cannot triumph without your friends," Margaret continued. "You know this. But they also cannot triumph without you. The stakes of this battle are not merely our lives, but the lives of all people, everywhere."

Nanako tried to wrap her mind around what she was hearing. There had been too much going on, too many dissonant thoughts, and she'd had to "switch off" her mind reading power. Now, though, she needed to understand. Closing her eyes briefly, she released the mental muscle. Everyone's thoughts rushed in at once, and it took her a moment to filter down to Souji's.

When she was finally able to do so, the images in his mind immediately entered her own. The "zero". Combination of everything, and yet on his own still nothing. That was how he felt. For the first time, she really understood why he took so much onto himself. Putting that much responsibility on a teenager's shoulders – what was that old man thinking?

"I'm responsible for everyone," Souji continued, the quiver in his stomach making it hard to keep his voice sounding calm. His eyes were burning, and he really wanted to yawn, but he forced it back, gritting his teeth. "I'm responsible..."

"Oh, get over yourself!" Ryotaro said. "This doesn't all revolve around you. Look, you're only human. If you start beating yourself up over every failure you're going to self-destruct. If you want to do that, fine, but wait until after we've finished saving your friends and, while we're at it, the world. Is that all right with you?" He grabbed Souji's hand and slapped the sword's handle into it. "Now are you going to let your friends die, or are you going to go rescue them?"

Souji found everyone's eyes on him, and immediately felt ashamed. Of course, they were all depending on him. He needed to "man up", as his father had once told him when he complained about having to do homework. This was far more serious than all the schoolwork he'd ever done.

He closed his fingers around the sword's handle. Ryotaro released the blade, and he had to grab the handle with both hands to keep from dropping it. He'd forgotten how heavy it was, and yet now, holding it in his hand, it felt good. It felt right. This weapon, that had served him in so many battles, gave him some of his confidence back. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm good. I mean, I can do this. We can do this."

"Great!" Rise said, grabbing him in a tight hug. "It's about time! Sorry about the whole slapping you thing."

"Now, do we even have a plan?" Yukiko said. "We don't even know where they went."

"Well, through that puddle out there, duh!" Teddie said.

"I mean, where did they end up?" Yukiko said.

"Well, the Shadow World, where else?" Chie said. "I mean, they went through that puddle like it was water, right? The TVs are just like that."

"Um, the puddle is water," Yosuke said.

Chie smacked him on the shoulder. "You know what I meant!"

Taro shook his head. "You're assuming that the only other world is the Shadow World. What about the Velvet Room? Or the world Souji-kun was in? It could be one of those, or even one we haven't even imagined yet."

"Likely not the Velvet Room," Margaret said. "But you are correct: there are many more worlds than these. However, I believe it likely that they are in a particular plain inhabited by certain beings you would consider 'supernatural', given their direct involvement in these – events."

"Child of another world, does it so pain you to simply call us 'gods'?"

"Oh, no," Yosuke said. "Not..."

Amaterasu flashed into existence in front of the sliding door. At her feet was Oinari, in her fox form, looking even more bedraggled than before. Her left eye was closed, a trickle of dried blood running down her fur.

"You!" Rise said, releasing Souji's shoulders and stepping up to her. "What happened to Kanji-kun?"

"And Nao-chan?" Teddie said.

"My brother is drawing you in, of course. Trying to make you rush to action before you are ready."

"As in a trap?" Yukiko said.

"Well sometimes you just need to spring the trap, don't ya?" Yosuke said.

Amaterasu shook her head. "Is that the extent of your plan? If so, then he will destroy you."

"Hey!" Souji said, stepping forward. He slid his sword into its scabbard and gripped it tightly. For the moment, it gave him the confidence he sorely needed. "Look, we beat a god before, and we'll do it again! The best thing you can do it stay out of our way."

"Y-yeah!" Rise said, stunned by his sudden change in demeanor. She couldn't be sure if it was an act, or if their impromptu intervention had truly pulled him out of his funk. She wished she had Nanako's ability to read minds.

"Um, Amaterasu, I felt someone inside Naoto-senpai's body," Nanako said. "I tried to stop him from taking her, but he...grabbed me, stopped me. That was your brother, wasn't it?"

Amaterasu looked down at her, her face a passive mask. "Yes, indeed it was."

"But he was like two people," Nanako said. "First he threatened me, then he was all nice and said, 'It'll be over soon', or something like that."

"My brother is duplicitous," Amaterasu said. Nanako didn't understand that word; at first she thought it had something to do with a double nature, as if he'd duplicated himself, but from what the others were thinking, she understood that it meant he was a liar. As if I didn't already know that. And yet, it seemed like there was something else, something Amaterasu wasn't telling her. Before she could speak, though, she felt something rub against her legs. Oinari looked up at her, her one remaining eye staring sadly. Something felt strange about this, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Oinari seemed genuine, despite keeping up her false form, and yet Amaterasu...

"Look, sorry Nanako-chan, but what does that matter?" Chie crossed the room to Amaterasu and looked straight up into her eyes. "You wanna help us, tell us how to beat him."

"My brother is far more powerful than you can handle in your present condition," Amaterasu said, crossing her arms gently across her chest. "A battle would not be wise."

"I control Izanagi," Souji said. "I've studied. He's your father, right? One of the most powerful gods? I think that's enough to beat something that came from his nose."

"Uh – what?" Chie said. "His nose?"

"Susano-O," Yukiko said. "I'll explain it later."

Amaterasu sighed loudly, as if in anguish. She stepped toward Souji, and he noticed that flowers sprang up from the carpet between her toes each time her feet touched it. They vanished as she lifted each foot, but it still struck him as strange. She placed a hand on his shoulder, retaking his attention, and he immediately began to feel warm, a slightly nervous tingling spreading down from her touch into his stomach. "Have you learned nothing from your experience with Loki, and with your other self? Do you still believe yourself to walk among the gods as one of them? Because if you do, you will die, and will cause the deaths of all those you love. I do not wish for you to fail."

Souji opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it. He had learned, hadn't he? Or was he still having delusions, like his Shadow said?

"Hey, cool it!" Yosuke said. "He's right! He controls Izanagi, right?"

Amaterasu shook her head. "He does not. Not the true Izanagi. Much the same as you do not control the true Susano-O." She turned to Yukiko. "Nor do you control me."

"So then he beat Izanami all on his own," Rise said.

"No, my father did. Souji was merely the channel." She turned back to Souji. "This time, your power will be yours alone. And it will be insufficient to defeat my brother if you face him directly."

Souji looked away from her, and slowly, gently, sat on the couch. He started chewing on his thumbnail, a bad habit he'd picked up in college. Not enough power. We're too weak? Is that what she's saying? We can't defeat Susano-O? Then why bother? No. No, I won't accept that. We were outmatched before, and we won then, too. If we'd given up then, there wouldn't be humanity anymore. We'd all be Shadows. He stood. "No. We're gonna rescue Kanji and Naoto. We're gonna face Susano-O. And we're gonna win. We're gonna win because we have to. If you're not going to help us, then get the hell out of our way."

Amaterasu stared at him for a moment, and then cast her gaze upon each of the others, lingering upon Nanako before returning it to him. "Very well, then. But you must remember one thing." She leaned in toward Souji, casting one more quick glance at Nanako before staring him straight in the eyes. "All does not center around you." Before anyone could respond, she vanished.

"She's gone? Just like that?" Taro said. "Something about this just isn't right. I don't trust her, but maybe there's something to what she's saying about caution."

"She could just be afraid we'll win," Teddie said. "It's her brother, and..." Oinari interrupted him with a sharp bark. "Oh, well, maybe not."

"I don't care what she says," Nanako said. "Big Bro's right. We're gonna do this because we can. Because we have to. We all agreed?"

The team voiced their mutual agreement. Ryotaro went for his holster, but Nanako stepped in his path. "Um, Dad, you – you shouldn't come."

"What?" Ryotaro said.

"Your Shadow," Nanako said. "Your Shadow'll come out."

"His Shadow? How do you know?" Taro said. "It didn't come out before."

"I – I..." Nanako said, looking at the spot Amaterasu previously occupied. "I just know."

"Wait – she told you, didn't she?" Ryotaro said.

"She said..." Nanako sighed. "She suppressed your Shadow when you came in with us before. If you come in this time, she said she can't do it."

"I thought you didn't care what she said," Yukiko said.

"Hold on," Souji said. "You're assuming they're in the Shadow World. Or – is that what Amaterasu told you?" Before Nanako could answer he looked upward. "Is that where they are, then? Why couldn't you just tell us?" He paused for a moment. "Where the hell are you? Answer me!"

Oinari barked at him and he glanced down. "Then you answer me."

"Big Bro..." Nanako said.

"Souji." There was a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see it belonged to Yosuke. "Hey, man, look..."

"I'm not afraid to face myself," Ryotaro said. "I'm not letting you all face this alone. With Tatsumi and Shirogane missing, you'll need my help."

"We're going in. All of us." Souji turned to Ryotaro. "If your Shadow comes out we'll fight it. We're not gonna be afraid of what might happen." He pointed out the door. "If we go in there scared, we're gonna die. If we go in brave, we'll have a chance. If any of you are afraid, stay behind and none of us'll think different of you. But all of us going in need to believe we can win."

"I believe we can win," Taro said. "I believe in you."

"Believe in yourself," Souji said. "You have to believe in yourself."

Taro hesitated for a second. "I do. I believe in myself. I believe in every single one of us." He looked over them all, focusing on each one of them. "I believe in you because at one time you all believe in me, and because of that belief you were able to save the world." He focused on Margaret. "I believe in you. And me." He turned back to Souji. "Good enough?"

Souji forced a smile. "Works for me." He thought for a moment. Despite his exhaustion, despite the fear for Naoto and Kanji, he actually felt better than he had in a long time. This group was the closest he'd ever come to lasting friendship. Probably closer than he ever would again.

"What?" Yosuke said.

Souji realized he'd been staring at them. He shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking. This is how we all got together in the first place, really. Going to another world, saving each other."

"Yes," Yukiko said, "I guess you're right."

"If it wasn't for you guys, I'd still be some hollow bear living all alone," Teddie said.

"We gotta stick together," Rise said. "No more splitting up. We're friends for life. I mean, this proves it, doesn't it? Even a god and his Memflies couldn't keep us apart." There were a few affirmations and she nodded. "And you all have to try my beef stroganoff, now that I know how to cook it." She smiled widely at Souji, who bit his lip and looked away.

"Um, cook?" Yosuke said. "You? No way, not Mystery Food X again!"

"Hey!" Rise said. "Senpai taught me now to cook it, okay?"

"'Senpai' taught you?" Yukiko said. She looked at Souji. "Really? You taught her?"

"Well, don't sound so surprised," Souji said.

"I'm not, I just – wow, I wish I'd thought of that years ago."

They stood in silence for a moment, before Chie said, "Well then, what're we waiting for?"

Souji nodded, and slipped his scabbard's strap across his chest. "Let's mosey."

"Um, what?" Chie said. "'Mosey'?"

"Is that...English?" Yukiko said.

Souji had said that without realizing he'd said it. He wasn't sure when that had entered his lexicon, but it sounded as silly to him as he imagined it had to the others. He rubbed the back of his head. "Let's, um, go."

VVVVV

"What is this place?" Yukiko said. "It looks like a cave. Real dark."

"Cave of horrors," Chie said, her weapon at ready. "Can't see a damn thing. It didn't look this dark from the other side."

Teddie shivered. "This place gives me the creeps!"

"Looks more like a sewer," Nanako said, "kinda like where the Mutant Turtles live."

"Ewww!" Rise said, gingerly lifting a foot from the ground. "I don't wanna be walking around in someone's poo!"

"Just don't step in the chunky parts," Yosuke said with a half-grin.

"You are so gross!" Rise said.

"Just relax, guys," Taro said. He raised his hand, and a sphere of light appeared above it. It illuminated the walls, ceiling, and floor, but only in their immediate vicinity. The ceiling was a lazy arc, just barely higher than the top of Taro's head at its highest point in the center. The arc stopped at a sharp angle at about the height of his waist, the wall dropping straight down to the flat floor, which was strewn with gravel. Every surface looked wet, with tiny water streams running across the ceiling and down the walls, pooling in places on the ground. "Whatever it is, it definitely looks manufactured," he said. "Not that a god couldn't manufacture something like this if he wanted, I guess."

"This is what we saw earlier," Chie said. "When Kanji-kun jumped in after Naoto-kun." She looked in both directions. "That's the way we came in, so they had to've gone this way." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder.

"Hey, what's that?" Nanako said. She knelt down and touched her finger to the ground. She brought it back up into the light from Taro's hand and gasped, running over to the wall and frantically wiping it off.

"What, what?" Yosuke said. He ran over to her. "What is it?"

"I – I think...it was...blood!" Nanako said, half-frantic.

Taro aimed his hand downward, and they could see shapes glistening at regular intervals. They appeared to be in the shape of an inverted heart, lopsided and with a flattened bottom. "Footprints, maybe?" he said. "You could see that, Nanako-san?"

Nanako clutched her hands around herself, and Yosuke hugged her, followed by Souji.

"Bloody footprints?" Rise said.

"I don't think either of them was wearing shoes," Chie said. She scraped the toe of her boot on the floor. "These rocks are kinda jagged. One of them stepped on them and got cut, maybe."

"Makes...makes sense," Ryotaro said. He staggered toward the wall and leaned against it as best he could, given its shape. He took a few deep breaths.

"You all right, Dojima-san?" Yukiko said.

"Yeah, fine, just – a little winded is all." He pulled his hand from the wall and looked at his palm. It was wet, and covered in bits of grit. Despite the darkness of the walls, once pulled away from it and in Taro's light the pieces on his hand looked brightly-colored and almost pearlescent. "These – kind of look like...bits of seashell."

"Seashell?" Yosuke said. "But this guy's god of storms, right?"

"And the ocean, too," Yukiko said.

"He's not the only god involved, anyway," Rise said. "Isn't that what Amaterasu said?"

"I don't think there's a lot we can assume," Souji said, "but we have to keep going. Hopefully these footprints'll lead us to Kanji and Naoto."

"Or into a trap," Teddie said.

"There is little choice," Margaret said. "We appear to be trapped here anyway. Moving forward appears to be our only option."

"Dad?" Nanako said to Ryotaro when he hesitated too long in pushing away from the wall. "You sure you're okay?"

"Okay? Why, I'm fantastic! Never felt better in my life! I could leap a whole building if I chose to!"

"What?" Nanako said.

"Hold it, who are you?" Chie said, leveling her weapon at a figure walking down the tunnel toward them. It was Ryotaro, or another version of him, wearing an outfit of red and blue tights, with a long red cape. His hair was slicked back, and he was smirking smugly. "W-what?" Chie said. She glanced between both Ryotaros. "Dojima-san, don't tell me this your – your...?"

"Are you serious with the tights?" Yosuke said. "What're you, Superman?"

"We don't have time to mess around with you!" Teddie said, brandishing his claws.

"Then make time," the other Ryotaro said. "Not like you have a choice."

"We could just beat the crap out of you now and be on our way," Souji said.

"Beat the crap out of me?" Shadow Ryotaro said. "Hardly. Look at me! Ryotaro Dojima, the invincible! Go ahead, Satonaka, shoot and see!"

Ryotaro, his head heavy, barely managed to keep his eyes locked on his other self. "You're - are you...?"

"You," the Shadow said. "Your inner self. The part of you that wants so desperately to be the hero that he's willing to give up everything, even time with his own daughter. The part that resents her. The part that cries at night sometimes when you think she can't hear you, missing your dead wife so much. How's Chisato, by the way? Oh, right, that wasn't her. But, of course, you were willing to believe anything, weren't you? Anything to get a chance to see her again? Ryotaro the Invincible, beaten by a broken heart. Boo-hoo..."

"Dad...?" Nanako said, touching his arm. "Is that...is that really...?"

Ryotaro pulled away from her touch, making slow, slogging steps toward the Shadow. They stared each other in the eyes for a moment. "Yes, just brush her off, like you always..."

In an instant there was a swing, the sound of knuckles striking bone, and the Shadow was on the ground, its hand to its face. The others cried out in surprise while Ryotaro rubbed the hand with which he'd decked his Shadow. "Let me make sure I remember this right: you humiliate me, make me say you're not me, then you become powerful and they have to fight you to save me. That's how it works, right?" Before the gape-mouthed Shadow could answer, Ryotaro continued, "Yes, I fantasize that I'm a hero. Yes, I believe myself to be a bad father and wonder how Nanako turned out so well despite that. And before yo u bring it up, I did resent Nanako before, sometimes, because she reminded me so much of Chisato and I missed her badly. I wanted to just throw myself into my work and forget, but I couldn't because she needed me, and because she reminded me so much of her mother. And yes, more than once I've considered eating my own gun just for all those reasons. So there it is, humiliation done. You got anything else to say, or can we get this over with? There are two people's lives in danger and we don't have time for any more bullshit!"

The others had watched this exchange in absolute silence. It was the last thing any of them had expected. Yosuke leaned toward Souji. "Dude, was your uncle always this scary?"

"Sometimes," Souji said, completely perplexed by what he had just seen. He'd never imagined anyone would be strong enough to beat their own Shadow this way.

The Shadow smiled and stood. Ryotaro drew back to punch again but the Shadow raised a hand in surrender. "You know something? I kinda like you." As soon as those words were said, Shadow Ryotaro vanished in a flash of blue light. In its place appeared a man, thick of chest but with spindly arms and legs, and a head directly attached to its muscular shoulders. Its face was covered in a skeletal mask, and what appeared to be a giant sword was speared through the center of its chest. "I am Castor," it said. "Our destiny lies together, down the road of a thousand miles."

It vanished, leaving behind a card spinning in the air. Ryotaro reached out and accepted it. After examining it for a moment he chuckled. "So, guess I finally get my own..." A sudden wave of dizziness brought him to his knees, and the others rushed to him immediately.

"Dad!" Nanako said. "Dad, you okay?"

"I'm okay," he said. "Just a little woozy." He turned to her. "Nanako, I'm so sorry you had to hear all that. I - I..."

"It's okay," she said. "I know what you're trying to say." She tapped her temple. "We've all got bad stuff inside us, but how we deal with us makes us who we are. My Shadow said a lot of the same kind of stuff about you."

"Well, I probably deserve whatever it said. You don't deserve any of what mine said. We should talk later. I owe it to you."

"Are you even going to be able to go on?" Yukiko said. "You look like you're ready to pass out."

"I'm not letting you guys down," Ryotaro said.

"Especially not after you made us bring you along, huh?" Chie said. "Um, sir."

Oinari pushed her way through the others to him. She pulled a leaf from underneath her tattered bib and touched it to Ryotaro's face. He blinked, and then opened his eyes wide and drew in a strong breath. He stood quickly, bumping his head on the cave's ceiling.

The cave rumbled, and Oinari turned her head up and howled. "It seems I am no longer the only one breaking the rules," Margaret said. "Perhaps Taro-san will be kind enough to offer you a place to stay in your exile as well."

"Wait, what?" Taro said.

"Guys, c'mon," Rise said. "Dojima-san, if you can make it, we gotta go find Kanji and Naoto."

"I'm fine," Ryotaro said. "And you're right, we need to move."

Shortly after they'd started down the tunnel Chie said, "So that was Dojima-san's Shadow, right? That means we're in the Shadow World then?"

"Guess so," Yosuke said.

"Guys!" Nanako said, "it's Kanji-senpai! I can sense him!" She pointed down the darkened hallway. "There!" She ran ahead of the others.

"Hey, wait up!" Souji said, running after her.

"Dammit!" Chie said. "Didn't you guys learn from what happened to Kanji and Naoto?"

"I – I can sense him too, I think." Rise said. She sprinted past Souji, keeping pace between him and Nanako. "He's right ahead, c'mon!"

As he ran Souji thought longingly to the leaf that Oinari had given Ryotaro, and considered stopping her and asking for another of his own. The burst of energy he'd gained earlier was all but gone, and he was having a hard time keeping up the pace. Rise, apparently sensing this, grabbed his arm and practically dragged him along as she sped up. "C'mon, Senpai, you can make it."

"I know," he said, breathing heavily. He reached into his pocket for his Izanagi Persona card and flipped it around in his hand. Izanagi-no-Okami's strength added a slight boost to his own, but did nothing to alleviate the gel in which it felt like his thoughts were trapped.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko rushed past the three of them toward a hunched-over form crouching on the ground, and she was first upon him. He was rocking back and forth on his dirty, wet stocking feet. She hovered over him and placed her hand on his back. "Kanji-kun?"

He looked up at her and she gasped. His eyes were deep red. "Nao-tan?" he asked, weakly.

Yukiko shook her head. "No – no, it's Yukiko. Kanji-kun, do you recognize me?"

"Wait, Senpai..." Nanako started. "He's not..."

"Nao-tan..." he said. "Where's Nao-tan?" The others reached him and he looked over them all. "Nao-tan?"

"We haven't found her," Yosuke said. "Do you know where she...holy shit..."

"His eyes..." Chie said.

"Be careful," Margaret said as Kanji's eyes swept across her. "He's not..."

"You!" Kanji leaped to his feet and tackled Souji. Rise screamed as Kanji's flying form knocked her to the ground.

Kanji, throttling Souji, growled, "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

Souji couldn't answer. His vision was beginning to turn red. He'd forgotten just how strong Kanji was and in his condition he was too weak to fight the man off. Ryotaro and Taro were on Kanji immediately, tearing his hands from Souji's throat and pulling him back. He struggled wildly, screaming, "He did it! He took her!"

Nanako shivered, backing away from him. "He's in him. Susano-O's in his head." It was the face she'd seen in her room, the one that had frozen her in place when she tried to stop Naoto from running away. It was a handsome, frightening visage, and even as she looked in on it, it stared right back out at her.

Kanji thrashed, almost tearing away from the older men's grip. "Lemme go!"

"In his head?" Ryotaro said.

"Like Loki was in yours?" Taro said.

"Yeah," Nanako said.

"Can we get him out somehow?" Yukiko said.

"Yosuke, take him," Taro said. Yosuke took Kanji's arm and Taro stepped in front of him. "Let's see if this works. Persona!"

Kunino-sagiri emerged form him, but with the cramped quarters it was forced into a fetal position. Kanji immediately cried out, and then collapsed in Ryotaro and Yosuke's grip. He slipped out of Yosuke's hands, but Ryotaro held tight. "Oops, Sorry," Yosuke said, taking hold of him again.

"That did it!" Rise said. "You did it, Taro-san!"

"I don't think it was me," Taro said. "I didn't do anything."

"He left Kanji-senpai's mind on his own," Nanako said. "He knew what was coming and he just gave up."

"Susano-O doesn't strike me as someone who just 'gives up'," Yukiko said.

"He's got something else waiting for us," Chie said.

"Nao-chan, probably," Teddie said.

"Nao...chan?" Kanji said.

"Kanji!" Souji said. He knelt down in front of Kanji. "Hey, you all right?"

"Careful, Souji," Ryotaro said, trying to push him out of the way.

"He's my friend," Souji said. "Give me a minute."

"Souji?" Kanji said, his eyes swiveling around to him. "Wha...what happened? What was I talkin' about?" Souji extended a hand, which Kanji accepted, and then pulled him to his feet. "Man, I just had the weirdest dream, like...I was trying to kill you."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I think. Head's kinda messed...shit, Naoto!" His head darted right and left. "Dammit, I lost her!"

"We're pretty sure she went that way," Taro said, pointing down the tunnel. "Only one way she could've gone, unless the tunnel splits."

"Then we'd best be on our way," Margaret said. "Something tells me we have an advantage of timing."

"Huh?" Chie said. "You mean we caught him by surprise?"

"I would not say that," Margaret said, "but..."

"If we've got an advantage we need to take it," Taro said. He turned to Souji. "Right?"

Souji's mind still felt muddy, but for some reason he was having more trouble concentrating now. "What? Uh, yeah, we should go."

"Senpai?" Rise said. "You all right? You look kinda wiped out. She touched a hand to his forehead, but he pulled away.

"Fine," Souji said.

"Then let's move," Taro said. "C'mon."

VVVVV

Naoto sat in the corner of the wide chamber, hands clutched to her head. She had awakened to a splitting headache, something with which she was all too familiar for most of her life. Her feet hurt too, especially her right one. After a quick glance she'd realized she must have cut her sole on one of the sharp pebbles on the ground, but she didn't remember having done it. For that matter, she didn't remember having changed clothes, what had happened to her shoes, or how she had even gotten to this place. Everything in her head was a crazed, waxen mishmash through which she simply could not cut.

Not long after awakening she had found her gun, lying before her as if intentionally placed there, fully loaded and well-oiled. She didn't know how, but it was here, in this dark, dank place. It wasn't the new one her grandfather had given her, which she knew she'd lost but couldn't quite remember how, but rather the old one she'd used years before, the one that had belonged to her father before his untimely death. She could have sworn she'd left it in its display case back at the estate, cleaned and polished as new as the day her grandfather had first fired it, defending a politician against a crazed assailant during the Occupation.

Even pressed to her head in a vain attempt to force away the pain, it felt right in her hand and she realized how much she'd missed it. Six bullet cylinder, good weight, well-worn grip that felt perfect under her calloused fingers. Were it not for the new weapon her grandfather had given her, she would never have given this one up.

She pulled it from her head to examine it, lines of red pulsing in her vision. She turned it around in her grip, taking brief enjoyment from the nostalgia it gave her. Like her new gun, there was no safety catch. She didn't need one. She was well-trained and an expert marksman.

With a sigh she gripped it, index finger on the trigger, and stuck the muzzle into her temple.

Oh no you don't.

Her hand jerked away, the gun flying from her grip. It clattered to the floor, scattering a small pile of the sharp stones. She scrambled for it, paying no attention to the stones tearing into her feet, but it skittered away each time she got close.

No, no, no. Bad girl. You can't have it back until you promise not to use it on yourself.

"No!" she cried to the emptiness, her voice echoing off the walls. "I can't! You can't make me do this!"

I don't have to. You will do it of your own free will.

"It's not my free will! You're coercing me!"

Am I? You know the truth. I am only pushing you toward what you know must be done.

"I am no murderer!" She stood and shouted at the ceiling. "I am no murderer! I'll die myself first!"

It will not be murder. You will confront him about his guilt, and he will attack you. They all will attack you. You will defend yourself, and in the process you will have no choice but to kill him.

"No..." Naoto said, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Please, no..."

Pick it up!

She knelt down and grabbed the gun. She stood and examined it once more, and then slid it into her pocket. After a moment's hesitation she sank to her knees. "Please – please let me have a chance to arrest him." Her voice was choked, and she fought back the tears as best she could. "Please don't force me to kill him."

A sigh. Whatever makes you feel better. I am not forcing you to do anything. Anything you do will be your choice, based on their actions.

"I – I understand. Master." She swiped a hand across her face. She hated having to say that word. She hated herself, for all of this. She wished she could remember how she'd gotten to this point. Serving a master she didn't understand, or even trust. Being forced to mete out justice to her friends, at the point of a gun.

There was a hideous screech from the corridor beyond, and it made her head throb. Guards, she thought. His guards. She started across the chamber and into the corridor, stepping gingerly on her injured foot. She couldn't let him take them. She had to get there quickly.

She knew she would be far more merciful than her master would be.

VVVVV

"Whoa, wait, everyone stop," Yosuke said, holding out his arms. "What the hell's that?"

"Hang on," Taro said. He aimed his hand downward, closing his fingers around the light sphere to focus the beam forward, intensifying it. It glinted off the damp floor and walls, making visible the dark masses slithering about the floor. One of them turned, deep red eyes catching the light, and there was a loud squeal as it turned and scrambled away. Oinari barked at them, but then immediately fled for refuge at Rise's feet.

"Those look just like Shadows!" Chie said. "Like, real Shadows! I thought – I thought there weren't any more of those!"

"These're the same things I ran into before," Kanji said. "When I was goin' after Naoto. They stopped me."

"I can't call Kanzeon in here to scan them," Rise said. "We gotta get out of this tunnel!"

"They look different," Souji said. "Not like the ones from before. Is it possible these are just Memflies again?"

"I don't think so," Nanako said. She called forth Seraph, who swept over them, causing them all to scatter, screeching, before the Persona vanished. Taro had to aim his light beam at a pair that started down the corridor toward them. "They feel different. Almost..." She paused. "Almost like – people? Different than the Memflies did. Like they're..."

"I am no murder!"

"What the hell was that?" Taro said.

"Naoto!" Kanji said. "That was Naoto's voice!" He started toward the Shadows but Taro blocked him.

"You need to stop rushing in without thinking!" Taro said.

"Those things've probably got her!" Kanji said, trying to get around him. "We gotta help her!"

"Fine, we'll help her," Souji said. "But together, all right?"

Kanji shook his head for a second, but then finally growled. "Fine!"

"Everyone, let's do this!" Souji said, drawing his sword. The adrenaline of the coming battle helped him to punch through some of the fog in his own head.

"Yeah! Sensei's back!" Teddie said, rushing with the others toward the Shadows.

As soon as they reached the first ones Chie and Yosuke, who had taken the lead, struck the nearest Shadows, Yosuke with his knives and Chie delivering swift kicks. More Shadows swarmed in to replace those, and the others joined in the fight.

"Kinda close quarters here!" Yosuke said as he dodged a swipe from Teddie's claws.

Yukiko summoned her Persona and roasted a pair of Shadows with Maragidyne. Four more appeared in their place. "Is it just me, or are there twice as many now as there were before?"

"You might be right," Ryotaro said. He fired his gun three times, wiping out a Shadow, and three more took its place. "I don't have that many rounds on me!"

"Dojima-san, your Persona!" Rise said.

"Oh, right!" he said, pulling the card from his shirt pocket. He examined it for a moment, just as Nanako summoned Seraph and vaporized three more Shadows with Megidolaon. Seven more appeared to replace them.

"This place is gonna fill up with them!" Nanako said.

Ryotaro tossed his card in the air and swung the butt of his gun downward, smashing it. Castor appeared before him, yanked the sword from his chest, and pointed it at the Shadows. Waves of red energy flowed outward at them, striking several of them and dispersing a few.

"Hey, not bad, Dojima-san!" Yosuke said.

"I don't think we're getting anywhere," Souji said. "More just keep coming!"

"They've gotta end somewhere!" Taro said.

"This world is not yours!" Margaret said, summoning Gorgon for an attack. "Your world's rules do not apply here. There could indeed be an infinite number of enemies!"

"Well just great!" Chie said. "So how we supposed to get past them?"

"Persona!"

"W-wha? Who said that?" Teddie said.

There was a single gunshot from far down the corridor, the report ringing along the smooth walls.

"No, it's...it's...!" Rise started.

Yamato-Takeru swept toward them, splitting the Shadows and sending them into the walls. They vanished into the stone with an unearthly wail. "Leave them alone!"

Taro dismissed Kunino-sagiri and brought up the light in his palm just in time to see a human figure, far down the corridor, turn and run away.

"That was Naoto-senpai!" Nanako said. She shot forward, with Kanji only half a step behind her.

"Naoto! Wait up!"

Only the distant, echoing sound of feet slapping on wet stone came from her direction. Everyone else launched themselves down the tunnel, catching up with Nanako and Kanji.

"Hey, more of those bloody footprints," Taro observed as they ran. "Fresher, I think. I think she's injured."

"She's not right," Nanako said. "Her head's all jumbled up!"

"Then we better catch her and help her out!" Chie said.

Rise, who had been furthest away from the battle with the endless Shadows, brought up the rear, carrying the injured Oinari. While she didn't have Nanako's ability for mind reading, she got a very bad vibe from Naoto. She had a feeling there was more, much more going on inside their friend, and that they were all running into a trap. And yet Naoto was their friend, no matter what she had been manipulated into doing, mo matter the animosity Rise still felt deep down for her. Once this was all over, even if it turns out that Naoto was completely controlled and prostrated herself before them in apology, Rise wasn't sure she could accept it. She hated it, hated herself for it, but simply found it too hard to just set aside her anger even after the explanation Amaterasu had given. You have to stop this right now, she told herself. They're all counting on you, and you have to keep your head clear. Worry about it later!

Not much farther ahead the corridor opened up into a wide chamber, though the ceiling was no higher than the tunnel, much to Rise's chagrin. Some unseen source provided enough light for them to see, so Taro extinguished the light from his palm.

Naoto had stopped running and was now facing them. Her arms were at her side, gun in hand, a bit of smoke rising from the barrel. She was still wearing the T-shirt and jeans Kanji had put on her, but they were both soaked and dirty. Her feet were uncovered from the ankles down and smeared with both blood and dirt.

"Naoto," Kanji said, breathing heavily. He started toward her, but stopped when she pointed her gun at him. "Naoto, what the hell...?"

"Not another step. Any of you." Her arm was shaking as she swept the gun's muzzle across each of their directions.

Despite his exhaustion, Souji immediately knew something was wrong with her, ignoring the fact that she was pointing her gun at them. If nothing else, he remembered Naoto handled her weapon with a surgeon's precision, almost like a machine. "Naoto, it's us," he said. "You know us. We're your friends. We came here to find you."

"Of course you did," Naoto said, "and so you have. But this is the end of it." She pointed the barrel squarely at him, some of the shakiness gone. "You've got one chance. Come quietly and nobody has to get hurt."

"'Come quietly'?" Chie echoed, stepping in front of Souji. "What're you gonna do, arrest him? Are you out of your mind?"

"Chie!" Yukiko said. "I think...I think she might be!" She also positioned herself between Naoto and Souji.

"Yes, yes, protect him. By all means." She lowered the gun. "I give you one chance, and one only: step aside and let me finish him. I-I..." Her voice croaked for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "I will not allow him to bring about our destruction. If I must go through you all, then I will do so."

"Naoto! Can't you hear what you're sayin'?" Kanji said. "These're our friends!" He stepped forward and she brought the gun back up, pointing it at him. He raised his hands. "I'm your friend. I mean, more than your friend. Lookit me, huh? I was just some dumb hood, but you helped me straighten out, remember? And – and when my house burned down the other day, you helped me then, too. So what're you gonna do now, shoot me?"

Naoto's lips started to tremble, but then she bared her teeth. "I don't...I don't want to, Kanji," she said, her voice wet and barely audible, "but if it's between you and humanity's damnation, I have to choose humanity."

"This isn't you, Naoto-kun," Yukiko said. "Listen to yourself! You're being manipulated. But you don't even believe it yourself, do you? Listen to yourself! You don't have to do what Susano-O's telling you to do."

"Susano-O?" Naoto whispered, looking away. "Susano-O. Of course." She turned back to Yukiko. "He told me all about him. And you." She swept her gaze across them all. "You all love him so much you're blinded to his evil."

"Evil?" Nanako rushed forward and Naoto immediately pointed her gun at the girl. Nanako froze.

"Y-yes, evil! I was blinded by his charm once, but no longer."

Nanako stepped forward until the gun barrel touched her chest. Yukiko tried to grab her arm but she slapped it away. "Naoto-senpai, you're telling us he's evil. But you're the one pointing a gun at us." She felt a tug at the back of her mind and glanced at Ryotaro and Chie, seeing they both had their guns drawn and had completely demolished the point she was trying to make. She sighed, and then stepped beyond Kanji, shrugging him off when he tried to restrain her. "I remember when we first met. I was just a little girl then. You came to see me in the hospital so many times when – I almost died. Are you going to kill me now?"

"I – I..." Naoto's hand started to shake again. She stepped back and cried out suddenly, clutching her head with both hands. Ryotaro grabbed Nanako and yanked her back, and Souji stepped in front of them both.

"You guys stay back," he said.

"And you stay back too!" Yosuke said. "She's gone completely nuts, and you're her target!"

"Hey!" Kanji shouted.

"Kanji-kun, don't you see?" Chie said. "Susano-O's done this to her, but she's dangerous. If we can't help her, we have to stop her! However – whatever way we can."

"Stop me?" Naoto said, standing bolt upright. "Stop me?" She fired her gun at Chie, and Yosuke knocked her to the side.

"No!" Kanji cried. "Persona!" He smashed his card and Rokuten Maou emerged, blasting Naoto with a relatively low-strength bolt of lightning. Her own Persona shielded her from much of it, but she still cried out and staggered backward. "Nao-tan, you've gotta stop this!"

"Nao-tan," Naoto said, struggling to keep her footing despite the static still arcing across her body and into the ground. "Nao-tan..."

"Naoto, please," Kanji said, "we're not the bad guys!"

"But...you are. You have to be."
"Why?"

"Because...because he says you are."

Kanji shook his head. "Lookit me, Naoto. I'm not a bad guy. You remember me, right? Remember us?" Naoto lowered her gun, but then immediately raised it again. He continued, "C'mon, what've I gotta do to prove I'm not bad?"

Naoto's lower lip began to tremble. "You...you..." She sniffled. "I want you...want you to call me...'Nao-tan'. Like you used to."

Kanji tilted his head. "Nao-tan," he said, his voice low. "Nao-tan, please. Come back to us, 'kay? Back to me? I'm the one that screwed up, but I need you. I don't have nothin' left but you, now. No home, no nothin'. C'mon, just come with me. Let's just get outta here."

"'Outta here'?" Teddie said. "You're not gonna run away and make us fight the Susan alone, are you?"

"Shut up!" Chie hissed. "He's trying to get through to her!"

"No!" Naoto cried, pointing her gun at Chie. "I can hear you! You're trying to manipulate me again, aren't you? Just like he said you would! I won't have it!" She turned to Kanji. "Kanji, you have to join me! You must believe me!"

Kanji shook his head. "Nao-tan...no...I can't believe... This isn't you! Souji's our friend! He's your friend! You can't really believe all that shit...?"

"Bah!" Naoto said. She squeezed her eyes shut, pointed her gun toward the wall, and fired. There was a ringing as the shot ricocheted off the wall and into the ground. She opened her eyes again, revealing bright red irises. "If you won't help me then I will take you all down! Persona!" Her Persona card appeared in the air in front of her and she fired at it. Yamato-Takeru emerged and swung its katana. The team was simultaneously struck with Vorpal Blade, with Kanji, Souji, and Yukiko taking the brunt of the blow and getting knocked off their feet.

"She's really going through with this!" Rise said, wishing desperately that she could use Kanzeon in this place. "Guys, I think – I think you're gonna have to fight her for real!"

"She's not herself," Nanako said. "Susano-O's in her head, just like Kanji-senpai's!"

"No – no way..." Kanji said, pushing himself back onto his feet. "I'm not gonna..."

"Then get out of the way!" Chie said, shoving him back and taking his place next to Yukiko. "Naoto, we don't wanna do this! Don't make us hurt you!"

"Split up," Souji said. "Surround her." The others gave their agreement, and while he, Yukiko, and Chie stayed together, Nanako, Ryotaro, and Teddie split off and moved to Naoto's right. Yosuke, Taro, and Margaret made up the last group on Naoto's left. Kanji retreated to Rise's side. With only solid wall behind her, Naoto was boxed in.

"So this is how it will be, then? You all choose him over me?" She flipped open her revolver's cylinder, pulled out the three spent shells, and replaced them with fresh ones from her pocket. Despite the coming battle, Souji wondered briefly where she'd gotten those bullets from, since she was still wearing Nanako's jeans.

Taro caught Ryotaro's eye and nodded in his direction. Ryotaro winked, and then shouted, "Shirogane!" Naoto snapped her gaze to him and Taro charged toward her, grabbing for her arms. Without looking, she immediately spun around, her instep connecting with his jaw and knocking him to the ground She closed her gun's chamber and aimed at Taro's head. "No!" Margaret shouted, flinging the weighty Compendium at her. It knocked her arm to the left just as the muzzle flashed, the bullet just grazing Taro's hair. Both he and Naoto cried out, flecks of wet stone from the ground flying up and embedding themselves in Taro's scalp.

"Shirogane, put the gun away!" Ryotaro said, running up to her and aiming his weapon at point-blank range. "I mean it!"

She turned to look at him. Through clenched teeth she growled, "Persona!" Without her even having to shoot her Persona card, Yamato-Takeru appeared.

Ryotaro aimed at the Persona and fired, but his bullets passed easily through it and bounced off the ceiling, narrowly missing Yosuke. "Dad, your Persona!" Nanako said, but she already could see that, in the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten how. She jumped in front of him and called out Seraph. Seraph and Yamato-Takeru met in the air, and in a flash of white both vanished.

Dammit, I knew we should have made Ryotaro-san stay behind, Souji thought. Persona or not, he's not ready for this.

"Someone get Taro-san out of there!" Rise said.

Yosuke ran over to him and helped him get to his feet. "I'm okay," Taro said. He pulled one hand from his head, and the fingers smeared with a bit of blood. Naoto immediately turned on them, bringing her gun hand around. Yosuke swiped at it with one of his knives, metal clanking against metal and knocking her aim wide. Chie ran up behind her and swung with a crescent kick. As if she'd seen it coming, Naoto dodged it just in time and brought her gun to bear on Chie, just as Chie regained her balance and aimed her own service pistol at Naoto's head.

"Naoto-kun, stop this!" Chie said, her eyes darting between Naoto's red eyes and the business end of her gun, so close to her face she could smell the sharp odor of burned powder in the barrel.

"You stop this," Naoto said. "You believe in justice. Law and order. Souji exemplifies the opposite. Chaos. Evil. Why do you still follow him?"

"Can't you just listen to yourself for a second? Don't you realize how crazy this sounds? Just stop and think about it for a minute. All of a sudden you think Souji's evil and you have to kill him?"

"Kill him? Kill..." Naoto blinked a few times and as she did so, her natural eye color returned. "No...I'm not a murderer, I'm..." She blinked once more and her eyes became red again. "I'm justice."

"Chie-chan, no!" Kanji said, rushing up from behind. Souji and Yukiko were able to hold him back, just barely. "Don't do it!"

Chie glanced past Naoto to see that Yosuke and Taro had gotten away. She shook her head. "Where'd you get all that stuff in your head from? Susano-O? Did you stop to think he lied to you?"

"Lie? No – no," Naoto said. "I knew it. I – I always knew it."

"So you're gonna kill me, then?" Chie said. "A police officer. Gonna kill all of us? Even Nanako-chan?"

"I-if..." Naoto bit her lip. The redness in her eyes began to fade. "If I have to."

Chie frowned, and then ducked, bringing up her arm and knocking Naoto's aim off. Naoto squeezed off two shots but they went down the corridor behind Chie. Chie stepped toward her so Naoto's arm was over her shoulder. She reached up with her free hand to grab Naoto's arm, but Naoto wrapped that arm around her head and pressed the heated barrel to the underside of her chin. Chie yelped in pain and stomped down on Naoto's foot, causing Naoto to release her. Yosuke was behind her immediately, holding her in a headlock, but she jumped and swung her heel back into his shin, knocking his foot out from underneath him and causing him to release her. She spun and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him hard into the wall, and bringing her gun to bear.

This time Yukiko threw her fan, striking Naoto's wrist and again breaking her aim just before she fired. The bullet flew just past Yosuke's head and struck the ground. He scrambled away as she moved again to fire, but another shot rang out and the gun flew from her grip. Ryotaro, his weapon trained at Naoto's chest, stepped forward. She dove for her gun but Chie was quicker, sweeping her foot and kicking it away.

"Enough!" Ryotaro said. "Hands on your head, now!" Naoto glared at him for a moment, her eyes pulsating from dark to bright red, and then raised her hands slowly. "On your head!" She complied, the blood running down from the wounds on her wrist onto the T-shirt. "You have no idea how goddamn lucky you are I hit the gun," Ryotaro said. "Get down on your knees."

"You're gonna arrest her?" Nanako said.

"Do it, Shirogane!" Ryotaro ordered.

Naoto glared at him. "You have no idea what you're doing, nor whom you're fighting." She knelt down, flinching when the foot Chie had stomped grazed the hard ground.

"Satonaka, cover her."

"On it," Chie said, aiming her gun at Naoto.

Ryotaro walked around behind Naoto and pulled the handcuffs from his belt. He pushed her forward, practically slamming her onto the ground. "Hey, stop it!" Kanji shouted. "You're gonna hurt her!"

"Not now, Tatsumi," Ryotaro said, grabbing Naoto's left arm and bringing it around to the small of her back. He slapped one of the cuffs on her wrist, and then grabbed her right arm.

Nanako had a brief flash of something from Naoto's mind. Or at least she thought it was Naoto's, but... "No, Dad, wait...!"

Naoto's Persona immediately appeared above her, lifting Ryotaro off his feet and throwing him into the wall. Yamato-Takeru then cast Megidolaon toward Chie, staggering her. The spell continued past her and hit Nanako, Souji, and Yukiko, filling the chamber with bright, blinding light.

As the light cleared there was the sound of bare feet slapping against wet stone, and a vocal panting. "No, Naoto!" Kanji cried. "Stop!" He ran after her, with Yukiko and Taro hot on his heels. Margaret scooped up the Compendium and took up the chase with them.

Nanako ran to Ryotaro, lying dazed on the ground, while Teddie and Rise ran to Souji and Yukiko. "I'm okay," Ryotaro said, letting her help him up. "Never...had a perp pull that one."

"This isn't funny, Dad!"

"Where'd she go?"

"They're all chasing after her!" Teddie said. After he cast Mediarahan to heal Souji, Yukiko, and Chie, he grabbed Yukiko's arm. "C'mon!"

Yukiko sent her own Mediarahan to Ryotaro and Nanako for good measure, and then let Teddie pull her along. "Come on, everyone!"

Oinari wriggled from Rise's grip and leaped onto Teddie's head, apparently using him as her ride for the chase. "Hey, wait!" Rise called. She started after them, but stopped when she reached Chie and Souji. She didn't want to split off from Souji, not now. She needed to be close to him, even if – no, especially if, this were to be their last minutes. She wouldn't be able to help the others much if she couldn't use her Persona, anyway.

"Nanako, Ryotaro-san, let's go!" Souji called, and then followed after them, Rise and Chie with him. "I don't – I don't know how we're gonna stop her. Not without really hurting her. Or getting hurt worse ourselves."

"You found a way to help Nanako-chan without hurting her, right?" Rise said. "Besides, I think she left her gun back there."

"If Margaret's right about this world having different rules, she might have a million of them," Nanako said.

"She's just gone completely batshit insane," Chie said. "Even if we catch her and subdue her, how're we gonna actually help her?"

"Maybe that trick Taro-san did before can help somehow," Rise said. "What he did with Kanji-kun, I mean."

"I don't know," Nanako said, catching up to them. "It's not Memflies this time. And I think Susano-O wants her a lot more than he wanted Kanji-senpai."

"You sure?" Souji said.

"Great," Chie said. "Well, we better think of something so we don't end up having to kill her!"

Souji was shocked to hear her say that. Not that it hadn't crossed his mind at some point during their fight, about the time she'd knocked him on his ass with her Megidolaon. But to know someone else was thinking it, it made him wonder just how much they all had changed over the years. When they'd been investigating the murders, only once had any of them even considered resorting to killing, and that was against who they thought was a serial killer that was on the verge of escape. No, that was revenge, he reminded himself. Revenge for what we thought was Nanako's murder. Naoto had not murdered any of them, but though she'd come close to killing a few of them she was still their friend, and she was injured, both mentally and physically. If they actually set their minds on killing her, they would be far more than a match for anything she could muster.

How can I even think that? What the hell is wrong with me? We're going after her to help her, not to kill her! She ran off...because why? She was afraid? Or... "She's leading us right into a trap."

"Wait, what?" Rise said.

Souji skidded to a stop, almost slipping on the wet, gravel-peppered ground. "Hey, what the hell?" Chie said.

"Rise, call everyone and tell them to stop running after her. She's leading us right into Susano-O's trap!"

Rise jogged back to him. "You sure?"

"Just do it!"

Rise hesitated for a second. "Senpai, I can't call Kanzeon here. There's no room."

Souji looked up, remembering the low ceiling. He remembered that he hadn't once heard her voice in his head during any of the fights since they'd entered here, and kicked himself. I need to get my head into this before I get us killed. "Can you try?"

Rise blinked at him. "But – but I can't..."

"Just try!" he barked. Surprised at his own tone, he added, "Sorry, just, please, I need you to try."

Rise frowned, but she knew he was right. And, she would race into the gates of hell if Souji asked her to. "All right, I'll try. Persona!"

Bright blue smoke rose from her body and filled the air around them. A tall form briefly flashed into existence around her, its waist ending at the ceiling.

"Everyw...back...trap...come b...please!"

The form vanished just as quickly, as did the smoke. "I – I can't hold it!" Rise said, stumbling forward. Souji caught her and she laid her head against his chest. She heaved a couple heavy breaths. "I'm sorry, I – I just...I couldn't..."

"You did fine, Rise," Souji said. "Thank you. I'm sorry I yelled."

"We could hear you a little," Chie said. "Maybe it got through."

"I couldn't see or hear anyone but us here," Rise said. "They're gone."

"Gone?" Ryotaro said.

"Something's between them and us," Nanako said, her eyes closed. She pounded a fist into her forehead. "Why didn't I see it before? It's like something's blocking me down here on purpose!"

"Something like what?" Chie asked.

"There's some kind of wall just ahead," Nanako said. "I can't hear through it, so you probably can't hear them either. Even if they could hear you."

"Guys, they might be in trouble!" Chie said. "We can't stop here!"

"And that may be exactly what this god wants us to think," Ryotaro said.

"What do we do, Senpai?" Rise said.

Everyone turned to him, only the small light coming from the small pocket flashlight Ryotaro carried allowing him to see it. He shook his head. "We don't have any choice. Trap or not, we still have to keep going." He continued down the hall at a slower pace, trying his best to stay aware and alert. He called out for Yukiko, Teddie, Yosuke, or anyone else, but the only response was his own voice echoing off the stone.

"Even if they can hear you, we can't hear them saying anything," Nanako said.

"Yeah," Souji said, his voice low and just barely missing the anxiety he tried to keep out of it.

They continued on in silence, each one's trepidation building on the others'. Nanako, blessed and cursed to feel all they felt, had to block their minds out completely to keep her own from being crushed by them. After this was all done, she hoped she could find a way to turn off this "gift", or to somehow get rid of it completely. The thought that there would indeed be an "after this was all done" helped ease her worry, if only a little.

"Senpai?" The sound of Rise's voice made them all jump. She cleared her throat lightly and said, "I want to see America. With you."

He glanced to her, feeling the corner of his mouth jerk up a bit. "It's – really not all that different from Japan. Really. A bit more spread out, even in the cities, but that's about it. Not the parts I've seen. Well, gets colder there, I guess, with a lot of snow sometimes, but..."

"You don't get it." She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I want to see it with you. When we're – done with this, I want to go back there with you. I guess...see the place that kept you away." When she saw Souji's lips begin to curl downward she added, "I wanna tell it that it can't keep you forever. I'm not gonna let it."

Souji felt his throat start to close up and his eyes start to burn. He turned away immediately, trying to hide his face, as he was sure that he was about to start crying, even if he didn't know why. No, he knew why. He had the strong feeling that there wasn't going to be an "after" to this. He thought back to before, when they fought Izanami, and how woefully unprepared they were. They'd had months of training then, and were at the peak of their powers and skills. Now, even if they somehow managed to win, he doubted it would actually guarantee their survival. He forced himself to swallow. "Okay," was all he could manage.

Nanako forced a smile. While she could sense the darkness pervading from her Big Bro's mind, Rise's affection and hope were genuine. She allowed it in just a little, finding Rise's feelings far preferable to her own. Even if it did give her a strange, and slightly creepy, sense of attraction to Souji. "You better tell it for me too, Senpai," she said, "or I'll come get him myself."

Suddenly embarrassed to have all the attention on him, Souji felt himself clam up. And yet, through all the tribulations of the past days, and even of today, he began to feel warm. For the moment, he started to feel like they could actually come out of this alive and intact. Of course, he had done it before. It wasn't going to be a straight fight; these kinds of battles couldn't be. You can't punch out a god, after all.

And yet, the last thing Amaterasu said to him stuck in the forefront of his mind: "All does not center around you." She had looked at Nanako when she said it. But what did that mean? True, her powers were beyond those of anyone else's, but he – he didn't "control" Izanagi, if Amaterasu was to be believed. He merely channeled the god, and this time it would not help him. Did that mean Nanako's powers were the key, somehow? Or would she be the one to channel a god this time?

He couldn't over-think this or he'd lose the battle in his mind before it even started. He needed to concentrate on the here and now. As they penetrated the dark veil, again calling out for the comrades who had run out ahead of them, he prepared himself. Coma or no, weakened or no, he was still their leader and they all depended on him. They could not afford his self-doubt.

VVVVV

"And the rest of the gang arrives. I was starting to think I'd have to send a search party. Although I suppose you already encountered one of my 'parties'."

They emerged from the veil into an environment far different from the sewer-like tunnels they'd traversed. It looked like some kind of tropical island, almost completely covered with sand and surrounded on all sides by the crashing waves of the ocean. There was what looked like a shrine in the distance, weather-beaten and worn.

The rest of the team were standing in the sand, facing away from them, transfixed. In front of them, as tall as the palm trees dotting the island, was a giant of a man, dark-skinned with a wild mane of black hair. He was dressed scantily, like a stereotypical island native, but with a long katana strapped to his waist. At his feet, on her knees with her head down, was Naoto.

"Well?" the giant man said. "Don't be shy. I don't bite. Yet."

"Guys?" Rise said. She ran to the others, Souji trying to keep up the pace in the wet, shifting sand underfoot. "Guys? You all right?"

"Yeah, kinda," Yosuke said. "That son of a bitch's huge!"

"Not precisely the reaction I was attempting to elicit, but good enough," the giant said. "I suppose introductions are in order. For those of you too dense to have already guessed, I am Susano-O."

"You're the one behind all this," Yukiko said.

"Almost as brilliant as your detective friend," Susano-O said. "My sister has told you all about me, of course."

"Did you think using our friends against us was gonna stop us?" Chie said.

"No," Susano-O said, "just slow you down a little. You arrived well ahead of time, after all, and I needed some more time to prepare."

"We came in to get our friends that you made come in here!" Teddie said. "You shoulda figured we'd do that, you're so smart!"

"That I made come in here?" He looked at Nanako. "I made? Tell me, little green child, do my voice and face seem familiar?"

"Y-yeah," Nanako said. "I saw you – saw you in my head, when you stopped me from warning everyone Naoto-senpai was gonna run into this world."

"I stopped you," Susano-O said. He laughed. "Well, I suppose we can follow that thread for now. So you followed the breadcrumb trail 'I' laid for you. You saved one friend, and defeated another." He gestured to Naoto. "What now?"

"Now we kick your ass!" Kanji shouted. Several of the others vocalized their agreement.

Susano-O laughed heartily. "You know, if I didn't have to kill you all, I might just keep you around for entertainment. Just the sheer audacity, and the fact that you actually believe what you're saying." He shook his head. "Absolutely amazing."

Souji clenched his fists. He was tired and sweaty, the heat in the air getting to him. "You know, another god once thought we'd be pushovers, too. And you know what? We beat her."

"Ah, yes, Izanami. My father loved her so much he almost destroyed himself trying to be with her. But then he teamed up with you to help you defeat her. That is how you won, not by your audacity, but through the charity of my over-sentimental father. Well, my father will not help you this time, as my sister told you. So whom do you have now? Not my sister; she is far too much an idealist to break her own rules." He fixed his gaze on Oinari. "Fox, hmm? So you're making good on your pledge to destroy me, Oinari?"

Oinari let loose a weak yip, but bared her teeth and reared back as best she could with her broken leg.

Susano-O tilted his head toward her. "I'm sorry, can you say that again? I'm having difficulty hearing you over the fleas."

Oinari barked twice more and then growled.

"Oh, you say you can't fight, hmm? That you're just too tired? Well, you told me you would fight at their side, but I didn't want you to, so I took your strength. You don't even have enough left to change your form." He grinned, more widely than looked natural for his mostly humanoid form. "You're in my realm now. This fight is between them and me. If you wish though, we can do battle later, after I've disposed of these."

Rise gasped. "You! You're the one that hurt her, aren't you?"

"Let's just say she and I had a 'falling out'," Susano-O said. "No, that's not quite accurate. She betrayed me, and paid the price." He turned back to Oinari, and his grin fell. "It did not have to be like this. If you did not agree with me, you could have at least stayed neutral. I did not want you to be hurt."

"She's our friend!" Yosuke said. "We're gonna make you pay for that!"

"Yeah!" Teddie said, pumping his arm into the air.

"Guys, careful," Taro said. "Remember what Amaterasu said about overconfidence."

"Yes, yes, my dear sister and her sage advice," Susano-O said. "So caring, so trustworthy, yes? Why, if she hadn't sent you here, you might never have found me on your own."

"Wait – what?" Chie said. "What're you talking about? We followed Naoto and Kanji here because you made them come in!"

"And you accepted it all at face value, didn't you?" Susano-O laughed. "She points you in the direction and like good dogs you go. That's what I love about you mortals. Sometimes you're just plain stupid. It will make dominating your race all the easier."

Listening to Susano-O's voice, his almighty tone, grated on Souji's last frazzled nerve. "Shut up!" Souji shouted. "You've got no right to talk to us! Not after everything you've done!"

"Yes, yes, everything I've done," Susano-O said. "That list is a bit shorter than you think, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let us begin with the horrors you all viewed on that television screen. My sister dutifully appears afterward and dutifully informs you that I made them, to break your spirit. If she hadn't told you, would you have come to the conclusion that it was me?" Before anyone could sputter a response he continued, "Of course my sister did that. She had to agitate you all, didn't she?"

"No – no, you did it!" Nanako said. "You're a liar! You're the cruel one, not her!"

"Oh I did it? What makes you so sure? Because she told you? You refused to trust her when she appeared to be your mother, yet now you place your full faith in her? Is it because she complimented you? Made you feel like the hero by telling you the right things about you and your Shadow?"

"What?" Rise said. "Nanako-chan, what did she say?"

"Nothing," Nanako said.

"Oh, she heaped on her about how strong her mind was, and that her Shadow came forth to protect her from my – what do you call them? 'Memflies'?" He sighed. "You mortals and your gift for inadequate summarization. And yet, they did what they were supposed to. Every single one of you behaved quite well. Just as I'd hoped." He looked at Chie. "Aggression." Then, to Yosuke, "Dismissive." To Yukiko, "Lovelorn," and to Rise, "Clingy." He pointed at Souji and smiled. "Cowardice."

He then crossed his arms and focused on Kanji. "But you – you have truly been the most fascinating. The experiment. Prototype, if you will. Everything and everyone but yourself, gone from your limited mind. It was actually much too easy, which is why I went for subtlety with the rest. There simply was no challenge with you. For all her lies, my sister was right about one thing – death is a cheat in such a game as this."

"What? Make sense dammit!" Kanji said.

"Then tell me if these sound familiar. Dizziness, difficulty breathing. Eating strange things like thread and paper cups, no matter how much you tried to make her stop. Always so cold, even on hot days."

"W-wha...?"

"The human body if a fascinating ecosystem all of itself. Made up of so many ingredients, all working together to for a fully-functional body. Water of course, but other minerals and chemicals...you're truly made of clay, aren't you? And then, disturb that balance, take away one of those things, say, iron..." he grinned widely. "and you just die. Not all at once, of course. Your body just wants to hold on, the pain getting more and more intense, until that useless little heart of yours just gives out."

"You son of a bitch!" Kanji cried. "You killed my mom! Persona!" Rokuten Maou appeared and blasted Susano-O with Ziodyne. The palm trees nearby exploded into splinters.

Susano-O simply simply stood and accepted it, without even changing his facial expression. "Lightning? Really? You do understand that I'm the god of storms, yes?

"Master." It was Naoto's voice. All eyes turned to her. She stood and walked in front of Susano-O. After a fleeting glance across the team, who could see her eyes were no longer red, she turned to the god. "Master, please. They do not need to die."

Susano-O shook his head disdainfully. "Really."

"Master...I..." She took in a deep breath. "No...not master...you – you're..."

Susano-O swung at her, backhanding her and throwing her off her feet into the water. "Nao-tan!" Kanji ran to her, pulling her out of the water. She had gone limp. He dragged her onto the beach and laid her on her back. "Nao-tan, you okay?" She was breathing, but her eyes were closed. "Hey, c'mon. Say something."

"Stop it!" Yukiko cried.

Susano-O simply shook his head. "Even after all this, they defend you. I suppose you're stronger than I thought. Even separating your soul from your body wasn't enough to turn you for long." He turned to the others. "You should be proud of her. She fought me every step of the way, to the point where I had to rip her soul out and torture it just to bring her around to my way of thinking. And then after she meets you she turns against me all over again. Such a strong mind, truly the epitome of humanity." He smiled. "I'll kill her second."

He grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist and drew it. The team readied themselves, but instead of wielding the weapon against them, he raised it to his eyes, examining it. "This is perhaps my favorite weapon. I called it the 'Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven'. Made from the remains of the Orochi. I'm sure you fools at least know what that was. I gave this to my sister once, long ago, to settle an old debt. And then she gave it to humans." He spat onto the ground, and steam rose from the puddle. "What an insult to such a magnificent blade. It does not deserve to languish in some useless royal's collection. It deserves to be used. So, I reclaimed it." He pointed it out and examined the cutting edge. "Perfect, absolutely perfect. The perfect weapon to eviscerate one's enemies."

He glanced down, looking at each of them. He finally focused on Souji. "It was meant to draw blood, not cut grass." His eyes remaining fixed on Souji, he drew the sword back and flung it.

Time seemed to slow as Souji saw the blade flying toward him. He heard a bark at his feet and looked down. Oinari was there, staring up at her with her one eye. She barked again, and it sounded to him almost like she was saying, "Go!"

He looked back up. The others seemed to be dodging away from the sword in slow motion – everyone but Nanako. She was staring at it, and he then realized that it wasn't flying toward him...

"Go!"

He jumped at Nanako, connecting with her and knocking her to the ground. Time sped back up as the wind was suddenly knocked out of him, and he was thrown backward. He struck one of the palm trees and was instantly dazed.

"Senpai!" he heard Rise scream, or at least he thought it was Rise. Things had become a blur and his hearing was muffled.

He heard several other shouts of "Souji!", and then one of "Big Bro, no!"

Something rammed into him from the side and his world suddenly exploded into pain. He cried out, and his vision and hearing finally cleared. It was Rise who had slammed into him, grasping his shirt tightly and staring down at it. She then looked up into his face. "Senpai..." Her eyes were wide in shock, and she put her hand to his cheek.

"Rise, wha..." He felt out of breath, the pressure on his chest tremendous.

Nanako was suddenly at his other side. He looked down at her, but she wasn't looking at him. Rather, she seemed to be staring at some silvery white object he didn't recognize. "W-wha...?" he said. "Y-you okay...Little S-sis...?"

"Big Bro...no..."

He glanced at the object at which she was staring and finally realized it was the thing that rammed into him. He put his hands on it and tugged, but it was stuck solidly in place.

The jerking sent a wave of something up his throat and he coughed twice, violently. When he opened his eyes he saw that his hands were spattered with red.

He blinked a few times. Then, following the object with his hands back to his chest, he realized that it stopped there. He looked further down, and saw the red stain growing on his shirt.

"S-Senpai...it's...it's not..."

He couldn't look up at her. Somehow this all didn't seem real. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He just felt tired, even more so than before. And yet, he knew that the red on his shirt was his own blood. He was sure there wasn't too much to spare. There was only one thing his foggy brain could think to say: "This...isn't good."