Sorry this took so long...I have a confession to make.

I...have been watching a lot of Jojo.

...Without further ado!

"Well? C'mon."

Jisi stopped short in the room they were standing in, fixing Dao with a reluctant stare. The latter simply watched her for a moment before giving her a very exaggerated shrug. "This way?"

"I don't like this guy."

"Oh, I thought you stuck around for his warm personality and comforting hugs."

"Oh, shut up. I'm coming, aren't I?"

Dao stopped and put his hand on his sister's shoulder, squeezing slightly when she looked at him with confusion. "You can stay behind."

"No, I...can go."

He simply scoffed and shook his head, pulling her back as a portal opened in front of them. "I don't think so. Stay here."

Jisi started to speak again but was stopped by Dao disappearing into the portal. "...Oh."

She groaned and sat down against the wall, frowning slightly at the decor of the room. It left...a lot to be desired. The noose and the torn posters weren't exactly accommodating. She gathered air in her palm and sent an invisible blade towards the old rope. Strangely enough, it was deflected, and she raised her finger just enough to catch the invisible weapon and let it dissipate. Interesting. "Mm...seems that strong memories are tied to this place."

Crossing her legs, she placed her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. "Rise, Boaz and Jachin."

She undid the ribbon in her hair and tied it around her eyes as two magical pillars rose next to her. They glowed softly as she gathered information, her eyes shut behind the binding as she learned what she could about the room. "...I see."

"What are you doing?"

She looked up and smiled absently at Dao as the pillars disappeared. "Those kids have a pretty rough past tied to this place."

She blinked against the light as Dao pulled the ribbon away from her eyes, pulling her up by her hand and walking around her to redo her hair. "All done?"

"That I am. Let's go."

He took her hand and ushered her out of the room, only letting go after about three hesitant looks over his shoulder and when they had arrived at the…"entrance studio", as the kids called it. "Remind me why we deal with that guy?"

Dao hesitated. Normally, he gave a sarcastic answer along the lines of being a stereotypical evil mastermind crossed with a disposable henchman. However, he knew now that things were close to the end. Now would be the best time for the truth, he supposed. "...He gave you back to me."

"What?"

Jisi's eyes widened to accentuate her surprise, and Dao shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "...Yeah. Your soul, uh...needed repair after what happened, and...I didn't know where else to go. So, he found me."

"...Is that why…?"

She paused and reluctantly gestured towards Dao's face. A wisp of black flame hidden behind a mask. "...Yes. I gave part of my soul and, by extension, my physical form, to you."

He chuckled to himself and shrugged. "Guess you can call it a shitty blood transplant."

"How the hell'd you even pull that off?"

"I made a deal with the devil."

This was too much to process for Jisi, even given her knack for learning quickly, but she nervously brushed her hair and asked one more thing. "Then...c-can you explain something to me?"

"Shoot."

"Why were you trying so hard to see the kids develop?"

"You mean the one kid I could?"

"Yeah."

Dao looked as solemn as Jisi had ever saw him when he took off his mask and narrowed his eyes. He sighed, a light breath of mist flowing out of where his mouth would be, and looked up at the consistently red sky, a testament to how the world was slowly falling apart.

"...Because we're gonna kill the devil."

[- - -]

Naoto was reading the last of the report Labrys wrote, Souji having gone to the bathroom to take a shower and examine the extent of his wounds. He planted his hands on the countertop and stared hard at the sealed slit in his chest, the near-fatal stab almost healed entirely. He still felt a dull ache, but he figured it was better than having his limbs cut off literally rather than through the Shadow's phantom attacks. "Guess I should count myself lucky."

He looked up into the mirror again and noticed Naoto watching his back from the doorway. He slicked back his still-damp hair over his forehead and looked back, asking, "Finished the report?"

"Mhm."

She walked in and wrapped an arm around his waist, meekly resting her head against his chest. "This is the first I've heard of magic being utilized in a physical attack."

"Fancy, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately. I...can't imagine the pain you must have endured."

"It wasn't so bad."

The look she gave him said the joke wasn't funny. "...Sorry."

"Don't apologize...I understand you were trying to get me to relax again."

"Did it work?"

"Not really."

"Aw."

She stepped back from him and ducked to open one of the cabinets under the sink, muttering something to herself as Souji looked on with confusion. After a moment, she emerged with a roll of bandages in one hand and a bundle of medical tape in the other. "Gonna pull a scalpel out of there next?"

Naoto simply shrugged at Souji's remark, pointing to the slightly worn bandages around Souji's wound. "Maybe. Those need replacing."

"...Yeah. I'm gonna take a shower first. Being bedridden isn't exactly peachy."

"I understand. Allow me to give you some privacy."

Souji felt his face warm when she stood a bit on her tiptoes to quickly kiss his cheek, smiling awkwardly as she let herself out.

By the time Naoto heard water running, she had already gone back to reviewing Labrys' report. What intrigued and truly terrified her was the notion that magic designed to kill could be imbued into a physical strike. It only drove home the point that Souji was a hair's breadth from death and they may have never been able to determine exactly why. She swallowed nervously, shutting off the tablet and carefully placing it back on the cupboard where Souji last left it. "That's worrying."

"What is?"

She looked up, shocked, as Souji came out of the bathroom clad in a loose pair of shorts and a towel draped over his head. "The, um...the report was. I was simply going over it a second time."

"Mm. I've dried off enough. Would you mind helping me with the bandages?"

Naoto smiled distractedly and picked up what she needed, silently instructing him to sit on the bed. She took the towel from him and tossed it onto a desk chair, mentally measuring how much of the bandage roll she was going to use and drawing it out. "Raise your arm?"

He complied, allowing her to wind the binding across his chest so that it neatly covered the slit from the wound. She repeated this a few more times until she was satisfied, biting a strip of the tape and placing two bits of it on either end of the fresh wrappings. "That...should do it."

She sat back on her legs and nodded, satisfied at her work. Souji smiled and reached out to touch her bangs. "Thanks, doc."

"Will that be all?"

She smiled gently at him, accepting when he took her hand in his and squeezed a bit. "Hm...I think there's one more thing."

His hand slid to the back of her head, pulling her just close enough for his breath to tickle her skin. His eyes had narrowed a bit, the slight gesture forcing Naoto's heart to skip a beat. He kissed her quickly, as if to quash his own hesitation, and she couldn't help but melt into his chest. She still took care to keep pressure off, despite his insisting that he was fine. Before she could grab him, he pulled away, breath light and eyes glowing with affection. "Can you...stay with me tonight?"

[- - -]

"Where are you going?"

Dao paused, looking back to Jisi as she watched him from her perch. They were resting atop their usual skyscraper, the one resting just in the middle of the ruined Okina. It was also one of the few tall buildings that had yet to fall completely, though the structure was beginning to show some wear and tear. "...Out. Gonna train."

"Train? You're already a cut above the rest."

"Yeah."

Before she could ask another question, Dao threw his cloak into the air to form a portal and stepped inside. He emerged in the Grand Mall of Okina; it was a building closely associated with the business center of the city itself, just behind the theater such that it was located in the center of the city. Signs for stores were scratched out, the merchandise turned to ash as destruction seemed to be woven into the architecture. "Perfect."

Dao took off his mask and threw it on the ground a few feet away, taking a deep breath as mist flowed out from its eye sockets. It slowly grew and began to form a figure, clad in a dark blue suit, a white shirt and a complementing tie. It was the spitting image of Dao if his head wasn't a wisp of flame. As the mist man straightened up, it raised a hand to brush its short white hair back, opening shining yellow eyes and blinking at the dim lighting of the Mall. Hostility crept into its expression as it focused on its mirror.

Dao closed his eyes and cracked his knuckles as he stood across from his Shade, doing his best not to look at the face it was wearing. He slowly looked at it, bringing his arms to his sides before lowering himself just a bit into his hand-to-hand stance. The Shade warped to him in a flash of fog and kneed him in the side, using its momentum to rise slightly and bring its heel down on his back. Dao reached over his head to grab the leg, jumping backwards and trapping it under his weight. As it tried to kick him off, he slid up and elbowed the back of its head, grabbing a fistful of its white hair to pull it up and smash its face into the earth. He rose, rolling his neck and sinking back into a stance.

The Shade slowly rose, warping to him and tackling with its shoulder. They sailed across the ground a few feet, allowing it time to grab Dao's head and grind it into the pavement. He lay unmoving as they stopped, leading the Shade to hover over him in confusion. Suddenly, it was sent flying by a balled fist crashing into its chin. Dao rose quickly and ran faster than it flew, jumping and landing on it knee-first. The Shade fought through the recoil, grabbing his throat and standing. It hefted him up and threw him over the railing of the floor, leaving Dao falling from the floor they were on to the ground floor. The Shade pursued him, an sharp icicle around its arm and intent on piercing its mirror.

Dao fell for a moment and jerked his body in one direction, letting his leg whip into his Shade's face. He turned his waist and swung his arm downwards in a powerful clawing motion. As the Shade fell, Dao yanked his tie off and wound it around its neck, diving downwards to slam its head straight into the ground. A sickening crunch echoed through the air as its head met the hard earth, and Dao swiftly threw his tie back around his collar and redid it. Before the Shade could rise, Dao felt an unnatural anger boil in his heart as he saw the shadow of what was one his face look up at him. The white hair was gently ruffled by the wind as the Shade's yellow eyes stared blankly at him until his anger reached its peak. Smashing his foot into its face, he stomped on it hard when it tried to rise again. Every attempt for it to recover was met with a vicious stomp, until any attempt for it to move only earned its head another smashing blow from Dao's foot. Dao's eyes flashed, and he roared in anguish as he stomped on the remains of the Shade again and again until naught but a fine pile of black dust remained, flowing slowly away from him. "Dao! Dao, stop!"

Someone's arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind as he tried to kick the last of the fog, falling back as Jisi steadfastly hung onto him. Dao blindly fought against his sister, eyes squeezed shut as the reminder of his own identity threatened to crush him.

"What are you doing? What were you thinking?!"

Dao growled and wrenched away from Jisi, glaring back at her only to see the shocked look in her eyes. Regret immediately filled his mind, and his look softened as he scooted closer to her. "I-...sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."

The look in her eyes accused him of some sort of grand betrayal, so Dao inquired, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"That Shade...that was no training dummy."

She glared at him with tears in her eyes and punched his chest, though the impact bore no true malice. "You don't even remember what you look like. You were trying to reaffirm your identity!"

Her perception both surprised and mildly annoyed him. "...And?"

"You're losing yourself. That's why you couldn't meditate properly earlier, isn't it?"

"Jisi, I'm fine. I'm still strong enough to see this through."

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed insistently, only stopping when she managed to look him in the eye. "I can still protect you. That's all I need for myself."

The heartbroken look in her eye only faded a fraction, so he pulled her to him and hugged her tight, one hand around her and the other on the back of her head. "Stop-...stop crying. I'm the sensitive one, aren't I?"

Jisi didn't say anything more, simply taking handfuls of the back of his coat and sobbing into his shoulder. Dao shut his eyes, simply holding his sister as the last of his Shade's dust blew away.

[- - -]

Souji found a loose shirt and threw it on just before Naoto came out of the bathroom, towel pressed to her damp hair and her pajamas slightly stuck to her skin. It would seem she was in a bit of a rush to get out of the shower. "Feel better?"

"Mhm."

"Do we have anything we have to do tomorrow?"

"I will be assisting in the hunt for the remaining Shades. You will stay here, and rest."

"...You gonna enforce that?"

Naoto smiled cutely and dropped the towel on the cupboard, purposefully leaving his question unanswered. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah. Come here."

Souji pulled the blankets off the mattress and beckoned her over. She raised an eyebrow, but complied nonetheless, climbing onto the bed and stretching languidly. Souji watched her for a moment, his sight drifting along her body for the shortest moment before he caught himself and shook his head. He pulled the blanket over the both of them and sighed. "I missed regular beds."

"I imagine you did."

Souji simply wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his nose into her shoulder. As Naoto settled into the blankets, he silently appreciated the interesting mix of the shampoo she had apparently brought with her and her own, natural scent. It was one of the many things he had missed over the course of the past few weeks. "Something smells familiar."

"I'm appalled as to why."

"...What is it?"

Naoto glanced at him over her shoulder and seemed to blush softly as she admitted, "Well, I don't have my own toiletries here...I had to borrow yours."

"Ah." He smiled and nuzzled against her cheek. "Smells better on you."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Mm. Too tired for logic."

She let the silence hang for another minute before an inexplicable desire overcame her. "Souji, can I turn?"

He loosened his grip just enough for her to shuffle onto her other side, pulling close with an arm around his waist. She looked at his face and smiled slightly before carefully snuggling into his chest. She shut her eyes and murmured in a breathy whisper, "You're warm."

"Haven't heard that one before."

She met his mischievous gaze for a moment and scoffed, resting her cheek on his shirt and refusing to comment. He took the hint, slipping his arm under her head to let her use it as a pillow. The quick gesture seemed to put her at ease, as she sighed contentedly and squeezed him. The warmth of the blankets and Souji's embrace were lulling her into a pleasant little world. However…

She looked up at him and failed to hide a loving smile at his closed eyes and utterly relaxed expression. After a moment, she slid up to carefully press her lips to his. His eyes opened, slowly at first, but the warm smile that found his face let her know she wasn't in the wrong. Instead, he took her chin in his hand and reciprocated with his own kiss. What had started off as a gentle good-night kiss slowly spiralled out of control, growing more impassioned as Souji moved just enough to pin her under him. Naoto let out an involuntary whimper as she grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close. He felt her tongue ask for attention that he gladly gave with a light tilt of his head. When they finally parted, she put her hands on his shoulders as they simply watched each other breathe. After a minute, he ducked down to kiss her jaw, trailing his lips down her neck as her mind slowly realized what was happening. "W-wait. Souji."

"Hm…?"

"We should stop."

He kept his lips to her shoulder for another moment but relented in the end, moving back up to gaze confusedly down at her. "...?"

"I…" She bit her lip, forcing the heat in her cheeks down as she forced the words out. "I shouldn't have done this...you're still recovering, and, really, I shouldn't be here."

"Oh. Aah, I see what you mean."

Souji's tone was even, but there was a tinge of disappointment in his eyes. Naoto felt crushed and frustrated herself, but she wore a small smile and pulled him down for a more gentle kiss. "I'm sorry. I...we can find time for this after this is all over."

"Mm. I do owe you a date."

Souji's natural smile returned, and he blew out an audible sigh as he flopped back onto his side of the bed, He outstretched his arm for Naoto to rest her head on before closing his eyes again. She settled in again and followed suit, doing her best to sleep by listening to Souji's heartbeat.

[- The next morning -]

"Well, we'll be heading out then."

Naoto nodded to Yosuke and holstered her revolver, flexing her shoulders to make sure her harness was secure. He looked over the squad for the day, grinning at Chie and offering his fist to Kanji. "Classic team today, huh?"

"I guess so. Akihiko-san and Shinjiro-san deserve a break."

"Am I still not coming along?"

The team turned to see Souji walk into the room with Sho and Labrys in tow. "Ran into these two this fine morning. Want to bring 'em with you?"

Labrys was bouncing on her heels as she awaited Naoto's decision, while Sho was countering her temperament by cooly adjusting his swords and tightening his belt. "I don't see why not."

Naoto smiled at Yosuke's interjection and nodded, gesturing to Labrys and dryly remarking, "It would be a waste to send them back after they brought their weapons. I suppose we'll have to work with larger team."

"Ya~y!"

"...Yay."

Sho was nonplussed by Labrys' excitement, shrugging and shaking his head as he walked to the TV. "Let's go already."

The rest of the squad followed his blunt remark, but Naoto remained behind for a moment with her hand on the rim of the TV. She looked over at Souji and gave a lazy salute. "We'll be off, then."

"I'll have Rise come down soon. Maybe Fuuka-san is free, too."

"Thank you."

"...Good luck, Naoto."

As much as he wanted to say 'stay safe', injury was all but a guarantee at this point in their endeavour. He waved as she ducked into the screen, leaving only a slight ripple on the surface.

Souji gazed at the TV for a moment, then turned to leave. He caught sight of someone jarringly familiar standing at the doorway, stopping short and eyes widening in shock. "...You."

[- - -]

Naoto landed in the studio, standing and brushing dust off her trousers. "Should we get moving-"

She stopped, pulling out her revolver in a flash when she saw that her friends had ducked into their respective stances. The reason why was only a few feet away.

Dao stood up from where he was squatting, dusting off his shirt and fixing his cloak. They noted that he had removed his suit jacket, leaving him in a lighter looking waistcoat alongside his regular formal attire. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes from behind the mask, but his tone was friendly as he spread his arms welcomingly and chirped, "Hey. I, uh...heh. I was content to let you be, let you destroy some of the Shades, but...I'm a little pissed off. I hope you don't mind if I play with you kids for a while."

This was initially gonna be longer, but I decided to keep the revelations and the bigger fights in a separate chapter. I did want to put more focus on Dao and how he gets along with his sister, because I really want to flesh him out as a slightly more memorable character than not at all. I hope I'm making progress, so bear with me for now. The next chapter should be ready sooner because I've already put part of this chapter into there.

Thanks, as always and now more than ever, for reading. Till next time!