Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault.

"This is bad…" Mona exclaimed worriedly.

"How did Shiho get here?!" Skull exclaimed.

"Do you know her?" King asked urgently.

"She goes to our school… well, she used to, anyway…" Joker replied uneasily.

"Hey…" Beat murmured, "doesn't this area look… different from usual?"


'Wh-what…?" Shiho murmured, looking around with wide, listless eyes. "Where am I?"

"Ah, my other self…" a serene voice spoke. Looking in the direction of the voice, her eyes came to rest upon a near-perfect doppelganger. The only noticeable difference between Shiho and this lookalike were her two eerily-golden eyes.

"Wh-"

"SHIHO!" a somewhat familiar voice called out.

Whipping around, she missed the other girl scowl at the sight of a bunch of eccentrically-dressed people.

"Suzui-san!" another figure shouted, this one belonging to an artistically-dressed young man.

"Who-who are you?" she exclaimed, trembling most of all at the greaser, the biker woman, and the Shakespeare-like guy with the freakiest mask of them all. "S-stay away from me!"

"Nothing unusual from you there..."

Shiho jumped again, having briefly forgotten about the doppelganger. She'd seen her fair share of horror films, but this was starting to feel too real for her tastes.

"Shiho, get away from her!" the cat-girl shouted.

"Panther, wait! Something isn't right!" the fox-masked man exclaimed.

"Ever since he did that to you, " Shadow Shiho began speaking, " you've distanced yourself from everything… and every one ."

The pigtailed girl near the back gasped in what seemed like realization, her face changing to one of horror. It was a look all too familiar to Shiho. "Panther… whoever she's talking about…"

A boy in a teal-green rockstar-esque costume's eyes narrowed in turn. "He didn't…"

"Why do you think we 'effin' went for Kamoshitbag?" a young man in a skeletal mask scowled at the two.

The second she heard his name, Shiho gasped, covering her ears, knees buckling under her and causing her to fall to them. The shock of the girl's panic attack was paired with the fact that the walls were weirdly rippling, seeming to bloat outwards like a snake's stomach.

"What in the world…" the ginger of the group whispered.

"Oh no!" a catlike creature standing among the group gasped, "If this keeps up… Panther, everyone! We gotta get out of here, now!"

"Hell no!" 'Panther' snarled, looking at him (?) like he'd grown a second and third head. "We're not leaving her behind!"

"What's going on?" the skater-esque girl demanded.

"Trust me!" the cat shouted, "You do not want to be in the area when a Palace explodes into being!"

"A Palace?" a cosplaying assassin with a dragon mask questioned, "You can't be serious!"

"Mona's telling the truth," a high-tech girl whimpered, "The area behind her Shadow is stretching out, and the data I'm receiving is growing more and more erratic!"

"This isn't good," a dashing young man in a black coat snarled, "Fox! Jack! Get Shiho, and let's sked-"

The wall behind Shadow Shiho exploded as if dynamite laid on the other side had been detonated. Shadow Shiho began to chuckle, said laughing quickly turning into a mad cackle.

"It is time! " Shadow Shiho cackled, grabbing the real Shiho and making her way into the tunnel on the other side. " You want to wallow in despair forever? Well, I'll grant your - no, our - wish!"


"Krotos!" Musician Guy called through the ensuing dust as Shiho was dragged away into the darkness, "Clear us a path!"

Once the gusts of wind his Persona made created a path to see what was going on ahead, Panther was the first one to take off in pursuit of the Shadow, not caring what crossed her path.

"Panther, slow down!" Chance shouted, as the rest of the group stumbled after her.

Suddenly, the blonde grunted as a gush of black energy knocked her down. As the substance reformed, they were soon staring at a golden-eyed copy of Ann Takamaki, clad in a pink-colored version of a knight's armor. Joker, Skull, Panther and Mona were eerily reminded of Kamoshida's strongest guards, albeit with the coloring of Asmodeus.

"What the hell?!" King exclaimed.

"Not another step! " the cognition growled, drawing her sword. " Everything is okay for Shiho! I will not let you interfere!"

"We're not going to leave her here!" Skull protested. "Not with dangerous fakes like you!"

"I'm more real than you've ever been to her!" Cognitive Ann barked.

"This… this is about Kamoshida, isn't it?" Queen said sadly. She and Ann had called it even long ago, but this did not absolve her of the guilt she had over the lack of action she had taken to protect her fellow students.

"Kamoshida?" Beat asked, confused.

"He was our first," Joker stated, "He… well, we called his Palace the Castle of Lust."

Most of the Parisians turned pale. Nathaniel swallowed back a bit of bile.

"So… does that mean he…?" Jack asked, scared of the answer.

"Yeah… Kamoshida raped her," Panther scowled, a nastier look on her face than any the Parisians had seen on her before.

"And yet, you didn't help her until after she jumped off the roof!" her knight lookalike snarled, before transforming into a new Shadow.

The Deceptive Doom-Bird - a giant crested wattle-bird quite akin to a chicken - had crimson red feathers and a beak that looked sharp enough to cut through flesh. Around its neck was a long heralding horn.

"I…" Panther faltered, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Steel yourself, Panther," Chance said coolly, "we will save your girlfriend. Have some hope."

"But-"

"But nothing!" King smiled determinedly at her, Beat, Viper, and the other Parisians nodding along resolutely. "You've helped Chance so much because you were strong, and us in turn. Now it's her - and our - turn to help you !"

"Phantom Thieves stick together until the end, Lady Panther!" Mona agreed. "We agreed to that!"

Panther was silent for a little while until her grip on her whip tightened. "Yeah," she said, "reminder that I owe you guys for this."

"You don't owe us shit!" Oracle shrugged. "Like Mona said in the past - either all of us make it out, or none of us do!"

"Come on! Let's take this overgrown chicken out!" Skull cheered before ripping off his mask. "Let's go, Seiten Taisei!"
The blond sent a Ziodyne blast at the Deceptive Doom-Bird, making it stumble back. It was not knocked down, however, and it sent a Maragidyne at everyone, making those unable to dodge shout in pain.

Thankfully, among the few that dodged were Fox and Red, who shot a twin Bufudyne at the Deceptive Doom-Bird. The mighty Ice spell froze up its wings, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Nice one!" Viper praised them as they all surrounded the birdlike shadow. All it did was glare up at them spitefully.

"No words, huh?" Red smirked, "Then let's finish this!"

"Let's do it!" Mona shouted and they all charged, taking out the Deceptive Doom-Bird with all they had.


watch?v=TOW2s_23YPs

"Please, let go of me!" Shiho cried, tears trailing down her face as she was dragged by Shadow Shiho through the tunnel.

"Silence, you, " the lookalike snarled, " You chose to push everyone away, and now you will pay the price!"

Shiho only sobbed, feeling hopeless and empty. Why did she even bother? Even in this strange place, she was alone… no one there to listen to her or give half a hoot about what she was feeling.

From behind them, a giant stream of fire zipped by her and Shadow Shiho, causing the two of them to skid to a stop.

" You get your filthy hands off of my Shiho! " Panther snarled, Hecate behind her and the rest of the team not far behind.

"Again?" the Shadow growled at the sight of her and the others approaching them.

My… Shiho? Shiho wondered. Getting a better look at the crimson-clad blonde, it clicked.

"A-Ann?!" she whispered.

"Um, yeah," Panther stuttered a little, blushing slightly.

"Suzui!" another voice shouted. Now that Shiho was listening closer, she recognized that one too.

"Sakamoto?" she gasped.

"Why must you interfere? " the Shadow shrieked, fists clenched in fury. " JUST LET US DIE!"

"No!" the other pigtailed girl shouted defiantly.

"If you do that, there's no going back," Rockstar said coolly, "Your decision will affect more than just you, you know."

It was hard to say which Shiho he was speaking to. Both their eyes laid on the morose countenance of Chance.

"What would you know?"

"I've been where you are, Shiho," Pigtails said sadly, "and I nearly made the same mistake you're making."

"I'm just a broken girl…" Shiho responded quietly, "Nobody needs me burdening th-"

"You're not broken!" Panther interrupted her. "You know I'm gray-asexual. Many people out there think I'm broken, and sadly, there are people that would say the same of you… but their opinions don't matter!"

Shiho looked up at her girlfriend, eyes wide as Panther continued. "You were hurt, Shiho! You don't think I feel pain over what that rat bastard did to you? Sure, it's not the same amount of pain, but… I can't let you suffer like this!"

"You don't have to go it alone," Orange Hair piped in. "On the days when it hurts most, it really, really helps to have people who will have your back and help you through those times."

"Oracle…?" Beat looked at her, slightly confused.

"The more I think about it, we're not too different," Oracle smiled sadly, "Some fucked-up people took some of the things we loved most from us, and the scars from that last until our dying days."

The Tokies looked at their Navigator, reassuring her.

"But you have to be strong. It's what your past self would have hoped for if she knew it was coming, right?"

"You don't have to let those marks define who you are," Redhead said, also understanding the idea of labels far too well for his liking, "Don't let it become a self-fulfilling prophecy."

It was then Shiho felt some kind of determination welling up inside of her. Turning to her Shadow Self, she said three words in a voice with more life, more vigor in it than Ann had heard from her in quite some time.

"Let me go."

"W-what?" Shadow Shiho gawked.

"You're me, and I'm you, right?" Shiho said bluntly, "You're not wrong when you say I desired death. But… that can change. We can live on for whatever reason… and the one I choose is to spite him !"

"But it hurts ! " Shadow Shiho screamed to the heavens. " I want to end your - no, our - pain! Just let me finish this! AAAGGGHHH!"

Having lost full control of her cool, Shadow Shiho transformed. The new form was not unlike that of the Deceptive Doom-Bird, but one of the noticeable differences was that it was bigger. Instead of crimson feathers, this Shadow's feathers were a shining gold that reminded the Phantom Thieves of a Shadow Self's eyes. The heralding horn was also auric, and it glistened despite the lack of sunlight in Mementos.

"DON'T TRY IT, YOU!" the Golden Doom-Bird screeched, calling upon a Sukukaja and Rakukaja that raised her speed and endurance.

"Oh, we're going that route, huh?" Oracle grinned as she was pulled into Necronomicon, "Well, then how do you like this ?"

"Stay back, Suzui-san," Joker reassured, the Phantom Thieves standing protectively in front of her, barricading her from the Shadow Self. "We've got this!"

"Okay!" Shiho nodded, before staying behind Skull, Queen, and Viper, who had opted to protect her for now.

"SPEED UP!" Oracle shouted, her hands becoming a blur on her Persona's keyboard.

The ensuing Masukukaja boosted the agility and accuracy of the Phantom Thieves, making them grin.

"I'm gonna feel really bad if this works," Skull mumbled as he summoned Seiten Taisei, "Assault Dive!"

Surprisingly, the Physical attack was taken rather well by the Golden Doom-Bird.

"Nice going, bro!" King frowned thoughtfully at the info that Physical attacks were resisted, before calling upon Lê Lợi. "Agidyne!" he called, the pillar of flame sending the Golden Doom-Bird careening into the air. The Shadow crashed to the ground right after.

"Well done!" Queen cheered from the back.

"Shall we, Panther?" Ryūko asked. "I think it's your call more than anyone else… well, but for Shiho."

"Yeah… let's end this chapter!" Panther nodded resolutely. The Phantom Thieves charged the Golden Doom-Bird, attacking it until she reverted to Shadow Shiho.


"Are you finished with your tantrum?" Jack asked, still too tense to leap into an attack.

"I don't get it… " Shadow Shiho asked sadly, " I jumped… I left you all behind. If it weren't for my other self coming here somehow, I would have found another way to achieve death…"

At this Shiho only looked down in shame.

"No…" Joker whispered, "You weren't going to…?"

"I won't make you worry any more," Shiho said quietly, "I figured you'd all mourn for a little while and move on."

"You think we'd forget about you that easily?" Panther asked, "Shiho, you're the reason we started doing what we do. SHIHO SUZUI, I WISH YOU COULD UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU!"

"Ann…" Shiho smiled softly after a few shocked seconds, "You're such a sap."

Beat couldn't help but let one bark of laughter out.

"That's the Shiho I know," Panther whispered happily, "I missed your cute smile."

From behind her, Shadow Shiho evaporated into light. Instead of disappearing into thin air, however, the light flew into Shiho, spreading throughout her body upon contact.

"Whoa! What's happening?" Beat gasped.

"Well, what do you know…" Mona grinned from the back. "Joker, remember when Oracle awakened to her Persona?"

Meanwhile, Shadow Shiho's voice - slightly different now - appeared in her mind.

So you've finally decided to stand strong, have you?

"A-aah!" Shiho grunted in pain as the usual burning spread through her mind.

You've come so far from where you fell… and now you have the chance to ascend to greatness once more.

"Yeah…" Shiho murmured, "I'm done being afraid."

Excellent… please, do not falter from your path again.

"I always wanted her to get a chance to claim revenge on that bastard…" Skull mused as a feathered mask appeared on Shiho's face. "I'm totally cool with this, though!"

If you are willing to hold yourself to that, we shall form a contract. I am thou, thou art I… the cage is weakened - spread your wings and embrace freedom at last!

Gritting her teeth, Shiho gripped the edges of the wing parts, and with a mighty effort, she ripped it off.

Stepping back as the pillar of flame engulfed her, Panther couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face.

From behind Shiho, a tall woman dressed in ancient Greek robes and wearing a crown emerged. Similarly to Atalanta, she rode atop a giant swan, a few sharp-looking feathers held tightly in her hands like kunai and pure white wings on her own on her back.

As for Shiho herself, her outfit somewhat reminded King and Jack of Mercy from Overwatch. Among other parts of the design, she was dressed in a short coat not too unlike Joker's other than the fact it was white instead of black. She held a few shuriken in her sleeves, and as she acknowledged the rest of them, a large wrecking ball smashed to the ground beside her, said wrecking ball attached to a chain in her hand. This made the group jump in surprise.

"Whoa!" Red said, before glancing at Chance and commenting, "That's like a giant version of your flail…"

"Yeah, but there are no spikes, and it's bigger," Queen pointed out.

"You're being a party pooper, Queen-san," Shiho smiled.

"So who's the Persona?" Mona asked.

"Is that what Leda here is called?" Shiho asked. "Interesting… even more so than the fact you're a talking cat."

"I am not a cat!" Mona yowled in complaint.

"Looks like a cat, whines like a cat… that's pretty catlike, Mona-san," Shiho giggled.

Mona groaned, which elicited several giggles from the rest of the crew as well.

"Anyway, what happened just now?" Viper asked, "Mona, you said that a Palace was nearly formed?"

"Technically, it was," Mona said, "The Shadow Self has to leave for their new home, though. Thanks to us, though, this one didn't get the chance to!"

"It was a close call, it seems," Fox observed, "I suppose we were lucky to be here when we were."

"Speaking of which," Skull asked, "how did you even get here in the first place, Suzui?"

"R- er, Skull, was it?" Shiho smiled at the bottle blond. "We've known each other for a long time. I think you can call me Shiho again."

"Okay, if you say so," Skull said.

"But, Shiho, seriously. How did you get here?" Panther asked.

Shiho suddenly looked embarrassed, biting her lip.

"Guys, she doesn't have to tell us here," Chance insisted. "Something tells me this should be a private discussion."

"Besides," Joker pointed out, "Shiho is likely to be tired after everything today. Let's focus on getting her home before we have any more discussion."

"I agree," Ryūko nodded, "We can take care of our other target another day."

"Yeah, how long have been down here anyway?" Beat asked, "I know we wanted to check the new area out more, but…"

"Long enough for our folks to notice we've been gone for a while," Jack said, "but short enough that they ain't calling the cops on us."

"We'll call you guys later to let you know what's happening," Joker said to the Parisians.

"Sounds good… good luck," Chance said sympathetically.

"Coming from you, that means a lot, doesn't it?" Fox laughed as the two groups left Mementos.


Not long after, the Tokies had filled Shiho in on their exploits as the Phantom Thieves (and the Miraculous wielders, with Marinette's permission). Shiho had agreed to discuss things about joining the Phantom Thieves further with the team.

"After all, you saved me from Kamoshida-asshat," Shiho smirked. "Helping you is, like, the least I could do."

"I'm glad to hear that, Shiho," Ann smiled, placing a hand on top of her girlfriend's. "It'll be a nice excuse to see you more often."

"Yeah, it would be… I'm sorry I pushed you away for so long," she sighed, looking down.

"I don't fault you," Ryuji shrugged, "I had trouble trusting others to have my back until I met Akira."

"Anyways," Kagami said from the Parisians' end, "Have you decided on a codename for yourself?"

"Oh!" Shiho gasped. She'd completely forgotten about that. "You guys did all go by aliases in the… Metaverse, was it?"
"Yeah," Kim nodded happily, "it makes my head hurt sometimes, too, so don't worry about that."

"Hah!" Shiho chuckled. "Back to business, though… how does Rise sound?"

"Rise as in to rise above everything that pushed you down or something like that?" Nathaniel asked for clarification. "I certainly like it."

"Very poetic," Luka commented with a nod.

"All right!" Morgana smiled, "Welcome aboard, Rise."

"Thanks," Shiho smiled, "...So now what?"

"Well, we just finished taking down a major target a week ago," Akira explained, "Until we find another one, we're focusing on minor targets in Mementos for now. That's the area where we found your Shadow."

"I see," Shiho nodded, "I hope I'll be able to contribute, then."

"I think we're going to get along just fine ," Marinette smiled.


AN: And we have our newest member of the Phantom Thieves, Shiho Suzui! We hope we portrayed her properly.

Please R&R, update the Tropes page and we'll see you next time.