Sebastian felt awkward. He wasn't sure at the time if it was the box of fortunes to his left or the large stone statue of the lion to his right. At least he assumed it was a lion. But when he looked over to Naoto, hands pressed together in prayer, eyes closed, and head down, he was…uncomfortable…to be just standing there doing nothing.

'What am I supposed to do, Volf?'

'Religion is something I cannot understand about humans, Sebastian. Play along.'

Sebastian glanced around at the few other people at the shrine. He was getting a few stares, obviously being a foreigner.

In his short time on earth, and in his even shorter time in the shadow world and with Reign-beaux, Sebastian was certain of at least one thing: God was dead. Or perhaps God was gone. Or perhaps God was angry. Or perhaps he wasn't sure of the one thing he was sure about. But he couldn't see a god, the god or gods Naoto was praying to, being the kind of person or people to create a world of shadows accessible only by humans through a television. He was unsure if Animals could pass through the screens and become a persona wielder.

The idea of a cat or dog or a fox perhaps, running through the shadow world summoning a persona made him smile and he suppressed a chuckle.

The morning had gone rather smoothly once Naoto had woken up. Sebastian had been up at least an hour before her and had enjoyed the time he could spend with her while she was asleep. He had slipped his arm around her and pulled her body back against his under the blankets. Surprisingly, even with the sweet nothing kisses he had placed on her shoulder and the back of her neck, Naoto had not awoken. She had slept straight through them.

When she had finally awoken, the first thing she had done was attempt to practically leap out of bed in confusion as to where she was and what was going on. Sebastian had kept a firm grip around her body, refusing to let go.

"No no, Shirogane. You don't get to do that with me"

Naoto, after a small moment of asking to be released, had settled for pulling the blankets over her head to hide herself from him. After a few minutes like that, Sebastian had removed his arm from around her, only to have her turn over and curl up against his side. He had pulled the covers over his head to join her.

"Good morning, Shirogane"

Naoto had responded with a small groan and tucked in closer to him. When Sebastian wrapped his arm around her again, Naoto's legs uncurled and she pressed her body against him, her fingers starting at his shoulders, began to move downward, touching his muscles and along his curves. She remembered how surreal it was when she had gone to bed and imagined Souji touching her and running his fingers along her body. Now, it seemed, it was Sebastian's turn. She was much less hesitant than she would have assumed she would have been.

Christmas was a lazy day. But at least for the next hour or so it would be a warm and affectionate one. If Sebastian had to pull her from her shell himself, he would. He would drag her kicking and screaming.

That was three hours ago. He could have spent the entire day curled up with this beautiful woman in bed. Still, he had said he would go to her to the shrine and he intended to stick to his word. That was the kind of person he was.

As he stood there however, glancing about at the people with their heads down and hands folded, he began to wonder if he was just overthinking the idea. There may have been no god or gods, but there were certainly monsters. More than monsters, there were those who defeated monsters and others that did so to protect the ones they cared about.

He had seen these brave creatures. He had one growing inside of him right now. He had made love to one the night previous. Perhaps there was something to pray to after all. He promised himself to begin to show a little more respect to these monsters and guardians. So he placed his hands together and followed Naoto's example.

'Volf?'

'Yes?'

'Thank you for being there to keep me safe. Thank you for bringing me back from the darkness. Thank you for keeping me safe all these years and trying your best to guide me along the right path. Thank you for helping me mature into the man I am today. Most of all, thank you for stopping me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Thank you for calling me names and bullying me out of it. I hope we have a lifetime to stay with one another, my old friend'

Volf grew quiet inside Sebastian's head before the animal chuckled.

'It has been an honor, Sebastian'

"Sebastian?"

"Hmm?"

Sebastian kept his eyes closed as he paid his respects to Yamato

"I was under the implication that you did not believe in such things as prayer. Was I mistaken?"

"Not at all; but I see no harm in giving thanks to those who have kept us safe from harm all these years, recent or otherwise. I see no harm in wishing for them to continue their work to keep us safe and guide us along on our path. Without Volf, I would have been dead years ago. I don't see why I cannot give thanks to the invisible monster inside my head"

Naoto hadn't thought of it that way before. Sure, she and Yamato had only recently begun to make serious progress in advancing Naoto's skillset and combat prowess; but she had never really considered all that Yamato had done for her beforehand. Just keeping her safe was worthy of something, and Naoto brought her hands together again, giving thanks to the warrior that had been buried deep inside of her.

Sebastian felt Volf smile, knowing that Yamato and Naoto were talking, connecting.

'What are they saying, Volf?'

'Something long overdue, my friend.'

After a few moments, Naoto let her hands relax and fall to her sides, slipping into her pockets to keep warm. He smiled at her as they turned from the shrine and made their way into the shopping district, walking home.

Sebastian cleared his throat

"I can't hold your hand, can I?"

Naoto felt her face heat up and her hand closest to him clench tightly in her pocket. She shook her head.

"I am afraid it is out of the question, Sebastian. At least not while the eyes of others are about us"

"I understand"

Naoto was a little surprised by his response. Souji's had been entirely different.

"You…aren't going to try and convince me otherwise?"

"Should I? Would you change your mind if I attempted to argue with you?"

"I...I don't know. Most likely not"

"Then why would I attempt to convince you otherwise?"

"I don't know. Perhaps out of the desire to do so?"

"Naoto, if you don't want me to hold your hand in public then I won't push to do so. I don't want you to be uncomfortable"

Naoto chewed on what he said as they walked quietly, the shopping district behind them and now walking closely on the dirt road back to his residence. When she found that she was drifting behind him, she quickened her pace to catch up and slipped her hand into his pocket, wrapping her slender fingers around his hand.

They said nothing to one another. Naoto smiled a small inconspicuous smile when she felt Sebastian's hand grip hers a little tighter.

"Do I bring wine to a funeral?"

Two days later, Sebastian awoke to the alarm on his phone. In three hours they would be standing in a graveyard with Naoto's friends, paying their respects to a dead man that Sebastian barely knew.

As far as Sebastian knew, Adachi had been a bastard. An evil manipulative murdering bastard. A man who was willing to watch the shadows spill into the real world and drown it out because he was bored. He didn't understand why Naoto and her friends even cared that he was dead. They had faced against him and had been damaged in the fight. His persona was a monster in itself. Why care? Why show up?

But as Sebastian pulled himself from his warm covers, leaving Naoto to curl up tighter now that her primary source of heat had left her, he really didn't think he cared why. As he walked into the bathroom, he began to understand that it wasn't his place to understand what they thought. That it was only important that the members of her investigation team understood why they were there. As he stepped into the shower, he began to understand that he was simply an onlooker and did not belong with them. That their previous struggle would never be able to be understood by him and that their struggle was theirs alone for only them to know of and embrace.

There would be no songs or stories of victory over the shadows. That they alone had, in essence, saved the world. How sad. He began to understand where Adachi fit into all of this: putting their story to rest. It died with him. It died with the reason they had all met and come together to put a stop to the mayhem.

He didn't have time to think about their story. Theirs had been written and they were all lucky to have come out of it unscathed; nothing short of a miracle when he thought about it. As he leaned his head down under the hot water, pressing his forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall, he sighed. He rested both his arms against the wall and closed his eyes. There was a sinking feeling that neither he nor Naoto would walk away from this as untouched as she had in her previous investigation.

Volf was being oddly quiet this morning.

"Something wrong, old boy?"

'There is a smell in the air'

"I don't smell anything…"

'I can smell it. It's fresh. Strong. Something I haven't smelled before. Something foreign.'

Sebastian sighed and ran one of his hands along his face. Volf's senses were messing with his head. His thoughts were getting foggy and he was having trouble concentrating. When Volf got quiet again, Sebastian began to get a little concerned.

"What's wrong?"

When slender fingers and soft arms wrapped around him, he pulled forward a bit in shock. The arms around his stomach and chest didn't let go however and followed him. The soft breasts that followed pressed against the large scar on his back and the hips drew up against his body. He relaxed when Naoto's voice eased him out of his concern and he relaxed against the wall again.

"Everything alright, Sebastian?"

"Um…yea. Everything is…"

He sighed and turned around to face her, half of her hair wet from the showerhead and the other half dry from not being exposed to the moisture. She looked cold and so he backed up to pull her into the water and pull her against his chest.

"Everything is as it should be. Volf says there is something in the air that is making him a little restless. Some new sort of smell."

"Is everything alright?"

"I'm sure it is. It's just that-"

Naoto leaned in and sank her teeth into his chest, her arms wrapping around him tightly so he couldn't get away

"Ow!"

Naoto pulled her teeth back and brought her hand to her mouth

"Forgive me. It's just that…you looked really good in the shower..."

She looked down as she spoke, her hands slipping behind her back shyly. Sebastian drew her against him, his hands pressing against the small of her back. She looked up to him.

"Gently, Naoto…"

"I apologize. I'm still getting used to there being two inside of my head"

"I can understand the biting. It's hard to revert once you have had a wolf inside of you"

Naoto blushed and slapped his chest at the comment

"Don't say it like that!"

It had started to lightly snow once Sebastian and Naoto pulled up to the graveyard. Space, in a country of such a vast population, was limited. There was to be no official burial of Adachi so much as the aftermath of the actual burial. There was to be no priest or sermon of any kind. The government and members of the police force had been able to purchase him a grave and a headstone. Nothing more. This would be Adachi's resting place.

Sebastian was a little hesitant as Naoto opened her door to the snow, wrapping her scarf around her neck before she stepped out. He wondered if he really belonged here again. Adachi, from his findings, had been a rather pleasant individual to be around; as far as he could tell. He had been friendly, polite, even caring at times. It was hard to imagine what it was like to live two different lifestyles like that. To always hide your true intentions just below the skin of your face.

Actually, it wasn't hard to imagine. Sebastian had been living his entire life like that. Naoto had been living that way as well. Maybe it wasn't that difficult to imagine after all.

Still, Sebastian felt responsible for what had happened to Adachi. It was because of him that Adachi was the latest victim. At the same time, Sebastian understood that it wasn't as though he could have done anything about it. It wasn't as though Sebastian knew that Adachi was to be the next killed. He could have asked, but he would have been punished for asking a revealing question. He was thankful that Simon had become impatient in dealing with Sebastian.

If he had decided to continue to play with Simon, he didn't know how long he would have lasted with what Simon could have done. He was thankful that Anansi and Simon had wanted to deal with him rather than play with him. If not for cracking the case, Sebastian and Naoto would still be playing the game.

Naoto looked into the car.

"Sebastian? Is everything alright?"

It took a moment for him to respond but he nodded his head and opened his door, stepping out into the snow. As Sebastian made his way to the other side, he paused in the middle of his step, his legs feeling weak all of a sudden. Naoto caught him, bracing him against her.

"What's wrong?"

Sebastian stood up straight again, one of his hands pressing against his face for a moment as he shook his head. His senses were a mess.

"It's Volf. That smell is making him a little aggressive."

Naoto pulled up on her hood when she was certain he could stand on his own two feet, moving away from him a few feet.

"Can you smell anything, Yamato?"

'Not a thing; I'm no wolf though. The dog is right though. Something different is in the air.'

Naoto instinctively crossed her arms, slipping the tip of one of her thumbs between her teeth and biting it. Something had changed in Inaba over the last few nights. This concerned her. If it was affecting Volf and Sebastian so dramatically, why was it not affecting her as strongly? Or had anyone else felt it? She doubted it. They did not have as strong a connection with their personas as she and Sebastian did.

Sebastian shook his head a few more times and grit his teeth. He let out a growl. It was getting stronger. Closer.

"Sebastian…"

Naoto approached him and took a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching. There were a few people scattered about, but all were busy paying their respects to their loved ones.

'You are clear, sweetheart'

Naoto leaned up onto the tips of her toes to kiss him, one arm slipping around him. She could feel his heart beating in his lips as she pressed herself against him. She was relieved when his growl dissipated and he pulled the hood on his jacket up to hide them from the snow and the world around them. Under their hoods, in that small space, only they existed.

Naoto broke the kiss for a moment to look into Sebastian big green eyes with a small smile that was obviously not her own. Yamato smiled at her wolf in Sebastian and the wolf smiled back. Yamato grabbed Sebastian's jacket collar and kiss him again, Naoto's face going red. She was happy it was enough to calm down the beast inside him.

Naoto took a moment to compose herself when she broke the kiss and straightened her jacket, pulling her hood back down. She fixed the collar of Sebastian's when she was done.

"Better, Sebastian?"

"Better. Thank you."

Naoto smiled slightly and began her walk through the graveyard to look for her friends. Sebastian, oddly enough, felt more compelled to stay behind her, following her quietly. Normally he preferred to walk beside Naoto. They were a team after all. This time however was a little different. Volf guided him behind Naoto, following….obediently.

"Volf…"

'She is unlike any creature we have ever encountered'

"Volf…"

'It's in my nature, Sebastian.'

"So what is this then? Following your master?"

'I…suppose it is…'

Sebastian shook his head, quietly following behind Naoto as they walked. Sebastian had never really considered the idea that Volf's instincts would pass unto him. More so, he never would have imagined that Volf's more canine like personality traits would transfer over. Perhaps he wasn't as connected to Volf as he would have liked to think. He would have to look into this. If he could in fact further the connection, what sort of changes in his personality would be as a result? Or physical? Or perhaps mental…

Sebastian shook the idea from his head and pushed past Volf to walk beside her. He was surprised there were so many gravestones in such a small place. It was nothing like in the west. There was so much room on either side of a person when they were buried. Looking at the way the headstones were so close to one another, he really considered exactly how much space was used for the dead; such a large amount of room for such a small amount of space. Wasteful.

Naoto glanced over, watching his eyes as he looked around at the dead. She wondered what he saw when he looked around. How much more did the two pairs of eyes in his head see? She pushed the idea aside when she saw her former investigation team gathered around a shiny new headstone. It was smaller than she thought it would be. Perhaps Adachi didn't have much to his name after all.

"I see them"

Sebastian stopped and pulled on the bottom of his black shirt. He wrapped his grey scarf a little tighter around his neck and pulled on the sleeves of his shirt. He leaned down and pat his hand against one side of his black jeans, knocking the clinging snowflakes off his pants..

"How do I look?"

Naoto smiled slightly and approached, wrapping his scarf properly around his neck.

"I don't usually like to be outside of my standard attire. I miss a tie around my neck."

"You look good. Thank you for wearing something a little more casual. When I think about it, this is most likely the most relaxed event we have been to together since you arrived."

"Pity it's not a more joyful one"

Naoto brushed off one of his shoulders.

"Are you sure you aren't cold? You didn't bring a jacket"

"I'll be fine. It's not that cold. Really."

There was a white flash from their side that startled them both and Sebastian snarled as he turned, his fingers curling, already on edge from the smell in the air. Naoto threw the side of her jacket out of her way, her fingers wrapping tightly onto the grip of her pistol. Chie took another shot of the two in their pose.

"Awesome! Now smile, you two!"

Sebastian was quick to chie's command. He relaxed his stance and put his arm around Naoto who needed to blink again in confusion. When she felt Sebastian's arm around he,r she blushed in a panic, her body froze up. Sebastian pulled her against him and smiled for the white flash as she took another picture with her camera.

"Chie-san! Delete those now!"

Chie flicked her thumb across the screen of her camera with a smile.

"Good one, Sebastian. She's as white as a sheet in the shot."

"I want a copy of it when you upload them"

"I'll get your e-mail address later"

Naoto moved for Chie who held the camera above her head, away from Naoto

"You will do no such thing!"

"Easy there, Naoto-kun. The man says he wants to keep it"

"But-but"

Sebastian patted Naoto on the back as he walked past the two of them to see the rest of the group

"I want it, Naoto. Print it off at home. Maybe frame is and put it on my desk"

Naoto lowered her arms as Chie walked after Sebastian

"Would you really frame us?"

Naoto thought it was actually a rather sweet gesture. She hadn't thought of getting them a picture together.

"You should get a better picture than that one…"

Naoto jogged after them, catching up quickly once formalities and greetings were over between the rest of the group. Yosuke shook Sebastian's hand firmly

"Wow, Seb, didn't think I'd get to see you in dressed all casual from your usual get up."

"Neither did I. Naoto asked me to dress down for this event. And I admit, although I enjoy dressing up for work, being the only one in a group to be dressed in a suit is rather…odd."

Kanji shook Sebastian's hand.

"Lookin' good Seb. How's your chest doing?"

"Fine, Mr. Tatsumi. Would you mind if I talked to you in private for a moment?"

"Uh…sure. I guess."

"Would you please excuse us?"

Sebastian turned Kanji with him as they walked away from the group. Naoto was more and more concerned every time those two spent any private time together. On the one hand she was sure that it was nothing and Sebastian had something he needed to say.

On the other hand, she always imagined Kanji and Sebastian snapping at one another quietly about who deserved her. It wasn't a point of interest as though she believed herself deserving of anyone let alone those two. She didn't believe she was worth being deserved; but she knew that both of those men up there ahead of the group both had very key interests in her. She didn't want Kanji to try and hurt Sebastian because he stole his chance. It was just a thought.

Yukiko cleared her throat and leaned into Naoto's ear

"So, Naoto-Kun. Is it true that you haven't left Sebastian's house in the last few days? How's training going?"

"H-how would you know about the training, Amagi-san?"

"Yosuke and Teddie said when they arrived on Christmas Eve for dinner that you two were fighting in the backyard"

"Oh. That. Yes, it's true. Sebastian is teaching me a few tricks about being someone with a persona. I must say, they are very interesting to see at work."

"What kind of tricks?"

"Well…I can speak with my persona now."

Chie was shocked.

"No way! You can talk to Yamato Takeru"

"I can. It's strange at first. Very scary even to know it's always there with you. I just never tried to speak to it before. I always thought it was just locked inside of me; a tool for defeating shadows. I was wrong"

"Cool. I wonder if I can talk to Tomoe"

"You could always try."

Chie turned from them and yelled out

"Hey Tomoe! You in there?!"

"Chie-chan, stop yelling. This is serious"

Chie turned back to them

"I'm learning things. This training is changing me. Last week I couldn't even hold a sword correctly. Yesterday I threw Sebastian around the backyard with a Bokken for over an hour without him even touching me. That man knows how to fight. But I'm learning how to operate my persona better than I could ever understand. I can feel her inside of me, breathing, moving."

"That sounds really creepy actually"

Naoto nodded her head a bit.

"It's the most amazing experience…"

Naoto turned to look at Sebastian with a smile. The pulled her hat down a little more on her head

"He is teaching me to be a more effective detective using my persona as a second set of thoughts and eyes."

Yukiko glanced at Naoto's face and then to Sebastian. The way Naoto looked when she looked at him was different. It was brighter, more relaxed. As though a weight had been lifted from her. Yukiko gasped when she figured it out.

"Oh my god, Naoto-kun"

"W-what?"

"You had sex with him, didn't you?"

Naoto felt her body betray her as her face heated up

"I-"

Chie put the back of her hand against Naoto's face

"I think she did"

Yukiko began to laugh and Naoto pulled her hat down over her eyes, averting her eyes from the two of them

"What –snort- what about Souji?"

Naoto raised her hat over her eyes, glaring at Yukkko hot enough that her laughing was silenced almost instantly.

"Souji… that boy had his chance"

Naoto let Yamato speak through her

"He had his chance to stay. He had his chance to come back. He had his chance to keep in touch and he did none of these things"

Yukiko took a step back when Naoto took one forward

"You, who begged for her prince charming, have the gall to ask me why I didn't wait any longer? To ask me if I care about…"

Naoto pressed her palm to the center of her head, gritting her teeth as she pulled Yamato back. She was becoming insulting and she couldn't have that. She pressed hard and took a deep breath, trying to relax. Her voice became steady and calm again, apologetic.

"I'm sorry for that outburst, Yukiko-san. He is still a touchy subject to me"

Yukiko looked down, rubbing one hand on her arm

"I'm sorry I said those things, Naoto-kun. I'm sure it's been difficult and I'm sure Sebastian has been a great source of comfort for you"

"He has. He's complicated in his work and methods. Damaged even. But he has been good."

Chie cleared her throat

"Is that what happens when your persona takes over?"

"I would not refer to it as 'taking over' Chie-san. Sebastian refers to it as a simple influence, Saying what needs to be said, doing what needs to be done; honesty. Yamato needed to get a point across, so she spoke through me"

"This is all really weird, Naoto-kun"

Naoto smiled

"It is indeed"

Sebastian reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out an envelope which he handed to Kanji. Kanji eyed the letter for a moment and turned it over in his hands several times before opening it up and pulling out the three sheets of paper. The designs were basic to a pattern for making cloths. He scanned the work a few times before looking up to Sebastian.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I want you to make it"

"For you?"

"No. For her"

Kanji glanced over Sebastian's shoulder to Naoto and felt his shoulders slump. He would have done anything for her.

"How much will it cost me to have you make it?"

"That really depends. When do you need it by?"

"First week of February"

Kanji looked over the sketching and patterns again

"How did you get these measurements?"

"While working with the detective, more than once have we come into contact with one another. I simply compare my body to hers and cut down on the lengths from there. They are all accurate, I assure you"

Kanji flipped through the pages again before he folded them up, put them back into the letter and stuffed them into his pocket

"If you pay for the materials, I'll do it free of charge. A one-time thing."

Sebastian smiled at the man and offered his hand to shake which Kanji took without hesitation

"She's goanna look great, you know?"

"Of course I know, Mr. Tatsumi. It was my idea"

Kanji smiled a bit and walked past Sebastian to join the group again with Sebastian in tow. Together, the six of them gathered at the gravestone, putting their hands together in prayer. Sebastian stood to the side of the group, looking down at the slab. Out of everything that Adachi had done, it had led to this moment. All he was was a name now.

The idea put a sour taste in his mouth. If Sebastian was to die tomorrow, all that he would be was a name on a piece of stone. Maybe a more respected and professional name on a piece of stone, but a ghost none the less. Nothing. He hoped that he wouldn't go as silently into the night as Adachi had.

"Poor bastard…"

Naoto looked to Sebastian at his comment

"His death has been paramount to our investigation, Sebastian"

"That does not mean he died in a good way…"

Sebastian kissed the tips of his fingers and leaned down to touch the stone of Adachi's grave. Terrible waste of life.

Sebastian felt a pang of pain inside of his head as Volf threw itself around inside of Sebastian's body. He felt his legs get weak and he brought one of his hands to his head as he braced himself against one of the larger headstones of another dead man. Naoto gritted her teeth. Something was driving Volf crazy inside of Sebastian and he was losing his fight to keep Volf sedated.

"Stop it, Volf"

'It's close. The source is close'

Sebastian needed to stay on his feet. Naoto broke her prayer to come to his aid. Yamato's breathing stopped inside Naoto's head. It was concerning.

"What is it, Yamato?"

Kanji watched the two, growing concerned for both of them. Naoto had just lost the color in her face

"Are you two ok?"

Sebastian shook his head

"Something's wrong."

"Hey everyone"

The group turned to the voice of Dojima as he walked down the path Naoto and Sebastian had come from. Naoto remembered that Dojima was the one that had told her the other night when they had visited the prison that this was the date to say goodbye. She had completely forgotten that he was going to be there as well.

Nanako stood at his side, the little girl who melted everyone's heart smiled brightly, holding her dads hand. She was getting taller. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail for the day and hung down the back of her red hat.

It took a moment to notice. At first it had seemed like an illusion. Or maybe it was just suspended disbelief; but when their eyes crossed over the face of the other man who held Nanako's other hand, for a moment in everyone's head, time seemed to stop. Sebastian felt a chill pierce him harsher than the weather ever could have been.

Souji Setta.

It was his eyes that had changed. He was just as tall, just as toned, just as…Souji. But his eyes held something different in them as he walked alongside Nanako towards them. Naoto didn't know which emotion to follow on. Was she to rush to him and embrace him, or break his jaw? Both ideas were coursing through her.

Sebastian glanced quickly over his shoulder to look at the man, at the silver haired ghost he had heard so much about. Volf roared inside his head and his fists clenched so tightly he thought he was going to lose control. He was the first to break the silence.

"I can't be here, Naoto"

It took a moment for Naoto to respond and even then no words came from her mouth. Her eyes pleaded with him.

"If I stay, Volf will try to kill him. I-I have to go."

Naoto turned as Sebastian walked past them, further into the graveyard to get away, stumbling as he moved, his footsteps moving faster and faster as the source of Volf's anger drew closer.

"I'll be waiting at home if you decide to come by. I-I c-can't be here"

Naoto didn't want him to go. She needed support right now; but he left them, unable to control his beast within.

'Volf told me to tell you something. He says, "Your move" '

When his voice touched her ears, it was the strangest sensation. Warmth passed through every bone in her body as her being played on the very sound of his voice. She felt her legs get weak but she had nothing to brace herself against and she prayed she could stay standing. All eyes were on Naoto.

"Hello there, little prince"

He had the smallest smile on his face as he stepped behind her. He kept both his hands in his pockets having broken away from Nanako. He looked down at his shoes as he spoke, his smile fading

"Naoto. I'm sorry."

She kept faced away from him, her hands clenched tightly into fists as she tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry I never came back for you. I'm sorry I never tried to contact you."

Naoto felt Yamato try to make her walk away without a word to him. But her efforts were futile. Naoto couldn't feel her legs to move as his voice started to chip away at the stone discontent she had for him.

"When I got home I started thinking. I had to be alone to consider what we had done as a team and what that meant for our future. I…I was in a bad place the more I thought about it"

Naoto made certain to look her friends in the eyes as she started to cry, her face tight as tears began to run down her cheeks. No sound came from her. Her lips did not tremble. This was not an upset cry. Kanji knew that look. He had felt it himself on more than one occasion. He looked away from the group, not wanting to see her like this.

"I just wanted you to know that. That I'm sorry. I'm sorry to all of you. I know you all think I abandoned you. I guess I did"

Naoto felt her lips pull back as whatever it was that she was feeling was beginning to reach its boiling point.

"And I'm especially sorry to you, Naoto. I can't imagine what you have been feeling…"

Naoto turned slowly to face him and look up at his features. He was so handsome. His skin was smooth and his expression was indeed apologetic. But even with that, the only thing that was running through Naoto's head was Sebastian's voice; even as his smell, which was sour, made her nose burn.

'Listen to your heart'

Her hand lunged for Souji's throat as she pressed herself against him. She used her knees to lift his body into the air and off his feet, using her free hand to raise him up by the leg before she threw him down to the ground with all her strength. It had happened so fast that Souji hadn't had a moment to react before she delivered a powerful left hook to the side of his mouth.

She tried to deliver another punch but Yosuke wrapped his arm around her elbow and his other arm around her stomach, trying to pull her off of him.

"Get off of me, Yosuke!"

"Help me get her off of him!"

Teddie and Chie rushed in to try and wrestle Naoto off of Souji and pull her out of arms reach. Souji, hand on his cheek, kicked himself backwards on the ground away from the thrashing detective as she tried to hit him again. She screamed.

"Do you have any idea what you did to me?!"

Dojima stood between them

"Detective Shirogane, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Nanako began to cry, scared and upset

"Don't you hurt my big brother!"

Kanji wrapped his arms around Naoto, lifting her away from the event and pulling her down one of the paths as she struggled, pushing at Kanji and trying to get his hands off of her.

"Naoto, stop it. It ain't worth it"

Teddie helped Souji to his feet and brushed off his back. Dojima looked at the side of his jaw.

"Can you move it? Is it ok?"

"Its fine, uncle"

Souji suddenly felt light headed and leaned against one of the taller headstones as he put his hand to his mouth with a grunt.

"You ok, senpai?

Yosuke was surprised that Teddie was being friendly to him. Truth be told, Yosuke was happy to see him as well but still would have loved to have done what Naoto had just done. He was certain that they all had wanted to take a piece off of him for him abandoning them. Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, and Yosuke gathered around him. Yosuke beat Chie to the preverbal punch

"You know, I'm happy to see you as well, Senpai, but what the hell?"

Souji opened and closed his jaw several times to make sure it was ok. The pain was getting stronger and beginning to wrap around his head.

"I deserved that. I know"

Chie shook her head slowly

"You deserve much more for what you did to that girl. Why did you come back now?"

"Adachi was murdered. He was my friend. Is it really so hard to believe I wouldn't come to my friends gravesite?"

"Is that what it takes for you to stop avoiding us?"

Yukiko held Chie back.

"I'm sure we are all upset right now. Naoto especially, but we can't have this conversation here. Not in front of Nanako. What needs to be said can't be said in front of her..."

Souji looked to the little girl, crying quietly behind her father's legs before he pushed off the stone and kneeled down in front of her.

"I'm ok, Nanako. Miss Naoto is really angry with me right now. I deserved to get hit. Don't be mad at her ok?"

Nanako nodded her head a few times

"She was scary…"

"I know. Don't be mad at her, ok?"

Nanako came from around her father's legs to grab onto him, hugging tightly.

Kanji set Naoto down when he believed they were away from the group. Naoto had finally start to calm down and just be angry

"Naoto, you can't just attack him like that"

"After what he did to me?!"

"Not in front of Nanako you can't"

Naoto sighed after a moment and took her hat off to run her fingers through her hair

"We're all angry at him, Naoto. But you can't just start swinging at him. Go home. I'll call you when we are all going to get together to talk. Alright?"

Naoto approached kanji, staring him in the face

"I'm not done with him…"

Souji stood up after hugging Nanako tightly. He put his hand on his jaw as he turned to look at his friends. Kanji was walking back to them, Naoto nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?"

"She's gone home. She can't talk to you right now"

Souji was a bit disappointed. He had wanted to talk to her. Wanted to-

"Who was that guy who left when I showed up?"