Fire the "Canon"

Unfortunately for the Investigation Team, reclaiming Personas isn't going to be as easy as they anticipated, for many reasons.

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The week leading up to the exploration of Tartarus Mach II seemed to both drag and advance at the same time.

While most of Yasogami's students were perfectly content to spend their days doing nothing, the Persona-users of Inaba were continuously undergoing crises of faith. The glue that had brought and held them together turned out to be toxic when handled. Yu's actions had completely changed the group dynamic. Worse still, Yu would be leaving Inaba after this last mission was over, meaning the others would be left having to decide whether to pick up the pieces and move on, or leave things broken between them.

Rise still hadn't talked to anyone directly. Inquiring with her grandmother revealed that she was claiming illness – though she said she'd feel better by the weekend with some rest, which was a good sign. She had at least read the messages from the others. Perhaps a few days to cool off would be beneficial for everyone.

The Shadow Operatives found themselves with that nostalgic sense of anxiety they thought they'd shelved after the Dark Hour had disappeared. Suddenly, they were tying up loose ends before venturing out to Tartarus again, watching the clock and readying their weapons. It was not a welcome feeling.

Sho Minazuki was quickly losing any patience he may have had. Adachi was useless, and he was no closer to getting back Tsukiyomi or his rational personality than he was last month. Bored, frustrated, and – whether he wanted to admit it or not – lonely, Sho decided to go blow off steam at that dumb tower that popped up again. His head throbbed, but he ignored it. Someone deserved to be destroyed. Maybe this time, it would be him.

All the pieces were in place.

"Are you sure they're coming?"

"No one has said no."

"Well, they didn't say yes, either!"

"Iwatodai is several hours from here by car."

"Or-"

"Or motorcycle, Kanji-kun, yes."

Teens hanging out by the high school wasn't odd in and of itself. It was the only notable landmark for meeting up, outside of Junes. The fact that school hadn't been in session for several weeks now, and these teens had been loitering outside the gates for nearly half an hour, would have been suspicious if anyone in Inaba bothered to notice. Perhaps that was the benefit of having the Detective Prince among you.

The Shadow Operatives were due to arrive any minute. For tradition's sake, they decided to wait until nightfall to explore this new time-warping tower. Midnight was out, though, since the Investigation Team had actual parents who surely would not appreciate their children risking their lives after curfew. While Mitsuru herself had assured them that no one would notice anything amiss, since they were not technically going to be in Inaba during the battles, Naoto still had her doubts. How did any of them manage to stay up that late, on a school night, fighting and expending both their physical and mental energy, while maintaining passing grades? The Operatives even insisted that their leader had quite the social life, with multiple clubs and interests! Naoto had never found the time to make friends and explore extracurriculars while working on cases. There just weren't enough hours in the day.

No, that wasn't true, she supposed.

She was just too afraid to take that first step.

Falling headfirst – quite literally – into a serial murder case with supernatural elements had done more for Naoto's social life than anyone could have imagined, least of all Naoto. She now had reasons to go out in the evenings, with people she could consider friends. Some of these friends were very important to her. Somehow, she had become a fully functional human being in spite of every reason she had not to. It had become so normal to her so quickly that when her social life was taken away, she missed it terribly.

Making up with Kanji had been difficult because each of them wanted to allow the other to explain themselves first, and so no one talked for a few minutes. It was only when Kanji managed to awkwardly blurt out, "Did you guys...do...stuff?", and the nebulousness of the statement struck them as so absurd they burst out into laughter before they were finally able to relax. What followed was one of the frankest conversations Naoto had ever had about personal relationship matters, and though it left her blushing furiously, the air between her and Kanji was finally cleared. Most importantly, they were in agreement that Rise had been just as much of a victim as they were. Plans were made to talk to her separately, just the three of them, and they both reassured one another that neither of them were to confront Yu alone. Emotions would run too high, and things could get out of hand.

Now, all they needed was for Rise to show up.

Rise, please show up!

Eventually, the Shadow Operatives began appearing, walking up to the school gates in groups of twos and threes with a much better sense of casual stealth than they'd demonstrated on previous missions. There was also much less tension between them – aside from Yukari and Junpei, who would always be at odds with one another, much like Chie and Yosuke.

Koromaru was happy to sniff out a headcount of all his new friends...though was it Naoto's imagination, or did he tilt his head curiously at the end of the line, as if he could tell someone was missing?

Someone was missing from the Operatives as well. "And where's the lovely Fuu-chan?" Teddie asked.

"Yamagishi has something to take care of before joining us," Mitsuru replied, looking to Naoto and Kanji instead for some reason before continuing. "It's not as easy coordinating the nine of us these days as it was when we were all in school."

"I'm glad you all made it, at least." Yu seemed uneasy, as if this were his first day in a leadership position. When it became clear that Mitsuru was leaving everything in his hands, he added, "Well, you know more or less how this is going to go: your Shadow is going to drag out all the skeletons in your closet in order to make you angry. You deny the Shadow, we fight it. Of course, you could probably just accept your Shadow right away, but no one ever seems to do that." Was that bitterness? They had always assumed that Yu's hero complex made it impossible for him to turn down a person in need. "Any questions?"

"What if we just want to fight them right away?" Akihiko, predictably, was raring to go.

Mitsuru's chuckle was affectionate, almost wistful. "I'm fairly certain that would just be you, darling, but I suppose that's one option."

Even the Operatives were surprised by that one. Darling? No one would have pegged Mitsuru as someone fond of terms of endearment. She was still on a family name basis with most of her own friends, after all. Akihiko, for his part, did his best to ignore the blush creeping over his face, though he couldn't stop his ears from turning red. He was saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of Fuuka and...Rise?

"Sorry, we're late, everyone!" Fuuka was surprisingly strong-arming Rise towards them with a deceptively sweet smile on her face. So that was what Mitsuru was alluding to! "We had a few things to talk about. Navigator business. You understand." The older woman continued to block Rise's escape route as she petted Koromaru. "Is everyone ready?"

Rise said nothing as they prepared for their expedition, but she did stay with them – even if she never once looked at Yu. Perhaps Fuuka, who had found herself in a similar situation with her team, discovered a way to get through to her that had actually worked.

Just like she had before, Marie appeared out of nowhere at the top of the hour from a door outside of reality, this time preceding the cessation of all living noises. "Finally!" she exclaimed, a bit too loudly for the relative silence. "Here's your stupid tower." She pointed to an empty space next to Yasogami, and Tartarus Mach II appeared as if on command. No need for a TV this time.

The lobby was just as foreboding as ever, even if Shadow Mitsuru wasn't skulking around to welcome them. Once again, neither Yu nor Aigis found any evidence of a door to the Velvet Room. There were, however, two devices on either side of the staircase they didn't have time to examine the week before. On the left, a smaller grandfather clock, and to the right, a strange glowing green area resembling Tesla coils.

"How long did it take you guys to get through this tower the first time?" Yu was asking.

"Better part of a year," answered Akihiko. This caused some grumbling among the team.

"Bear in mind, Tartarus has a total of 263 floors, along with the rooftop," said Mitsuru – which threw them all for a loop. Over 200 floors? Just how long would it take them to find all the Shadows?

"Actually," Rise spoke for the first time since joining them, "this one only has eight." Kanzeon stretched out above her as she scanned the tower. She faded for a moment so Rise could playfully add, "Along with the rooftop," and then reappeared.

"Okay, that's good news. How many Shadows on each floor?" Yu asked.

Kanzeon disappeared for good as Rise managed to establish eye contact with Yu for the few seconds it took her to report. "One."

"Even better. So, we take one floor at a time, maybe two, depending on how things go?" One last unspoken appeal to Mitsuru to assert her authority. She only nodded. "Right. I'll...I'll go first."

Naoto would have felt sorry for him had he bothered to come clean instead of waiting for everything to blow over.

Though they'd been positive Tartarus was indoors, the first floor they arrived on had fresh air and trees somehow. It even smelled as if incense had been burned before they got there. The traditional architecture and lanterns gave it an odd feeling of tranquility they hadn't anticipated.

Koromaru began whining, pacing back and forth nervously. When Yukiko thought to ask, "Is this a shrine?", he yelped as if stung.

"Oh…" Fuuka said mournfully. "Koro-chan…"

"What's wrong, boy? You don't like shrines?" Kanji attempted to comfort him – and succeeded for the first time. Something was indeed off with Koromaru if he was actually letting Kanji pet him.

"Koromaru used to live at a shrine," explained Ken. "Even after his master died, he stayed to keep the place safe."

"He's a very brave boy!" Chie cooed as she ruffled his fur. "All Muku will guard is his food dish."

"Must've caught you eating out of it," Yosuke muttered.

Before that particular fight could start up again, Kanji realized something. "Does that mean we have to fight a dog Shadow? I mean, cute and fluffy and everything?"

"No way!" Chie shared his sentiment. "I mean, dogs can't even say, 'You're not me!'...right?" She sounded confident, but her petting had stalled. "M-Maybe we just have to sniff it out and dig his Persona out of the ground like a bone."

Naturally, it would not be that easy. As they progressed through the floor, the shrine began to deteriorate. Ripped screens, dead trees, tattered flags...this was a shrine long abandoned.

Teddie had stopped squeaking along. "It smells so beary sad."

Growling began coming from every corner of the room at once. The stench of wet, filthy fur overpowered them all and they began choking on it. Koromaru started trying to hide behind the others as if he were at the veterinarian's office.

"We're pretty much here," said Rise, "This is it."

"C'mon, Koromaru, you're brave, right?" Ken had spent the most time with the little dog, so he felt compelled to encourage him. "You can get your Persona back."

Koromaru slunk across the ground slowly, sniffing until he reached a broken offertory box, and barked.

The growling was revealed to have been coming from a hulking, matted, feral dog. It smelled as if it had been rolling in its own filth for months. Bearing yellow eyes and huge teeth, it advanced.

"Uhh...can Shadows get rabies?" Junpei asked no one in particular.

"He's really pissed." No one bothered to snark at Labrys as she translated the obvious. "Look at this place, it's gone all to hell. No one was here to take care of it."

"Koromaru has dedicated himself to patrolling the area whenever possible," Aigis took up the opposing side. "He is getting old, and frequently needs to rest after exerting himself."

"He's gettin' soft. Went to live with some other humans...bein' fed custom-made dinners...dozin' in the lap of luxury – isn't that nice? Didja forget your duty?"

"My duty is to help those in need. I saw others who needed my help, and I went where I was needed." It was becoming hard to tell who was actually doing the arguing.

"You were needed here! – Oh, sorry! I was kinda getting' into it there-"

"Labrys…" Mitsuru really should have been used to quirky underlings by now.

"Ahem! Anyway...This is your home, and you abandoned it when things got too tough. What would Master say, huh? He counted on you to help him out. Didja just forget about him? Don't you love him anymore?"

Koromaru growled. The hair on the scruff of his neck stood up and he vibrated with anger. He and Shadow Koromaru began circling one another, snarling.

They leapt at each other.

Several girls screamed as the dogs slashed and bit, blood and foam flying everywhere. The Shadow had the upper hand as it was not afraid to go for the jugular. Koromaru's knife was abandoned as he struggled to get to his feet. He had forgotten how vicious an animal without companionship could be.

Naoto could not watch the fight. Her stomach was churning. She turned to look for Kanji, but her heart joined the frenetic dance as she noticed him trembling, hands to his mouth as if he, too, were ready to vomit. He might have had tears in his eyes. When someone – likely Real Koromaru – yelped in pain, Kanji bolted for the exit.

She found him on a representation of a park bench, hyperventilating, tears streaming down his face. He didn't hear her coming, and when she reached out to him, he flinched and curled into a ball.

"Kanji?"

"I begged and begged my folks for a dog," Kanji began out of nowhere, "They said they didn't think I was responsible enough, but I kept asking and asking. One day, Dad came back with this little thing wrapped in his coat – this little fluffy puppy. Nose bigger than the rest of his face!" Having never seen a dog in the Tatsumi household, Naoto was sure she knew where this was going. "I called him Puffball. He was such a punk; he'd bark at everything that went by, but he was scared of his own tail. I walked him twice a day, just like I promised I would. Kept my promise like a man!

But the kids were always picking on me, and I guess they were jealous or something, 'cause when I came home from school, they were shoving sticks at him through the fence. He was trying to wag his tail, he wanted to be friendly but...he was crying 'cause they kept hurting him!" Oh, Kanji! "I yelled at them and threatened them and shook 'em off the fence, but they had rocks, and they started throwing the rocks. THEY WERE THROWING ROCKS AT A LITTLE BABY DOG, 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T LIKE ME!" He tore the arm off the bench in his distress, but neither of them paid any notice. "Then they laughed: 'Oh, what's a matter, little baby? You gonna cry? You gonna run to Mommy? Go 'head, crybaby! Go on and cry!"

And Naoto cried. Openly. Kanji was such a caring soul in a world that punished him daily for it, and it saddened her more than anything else could. She knew how much he hurt for the dog, because she felt all of his anguish as if it were her own.

Is this love? Seeing him cry and feeling like your heart has been forcibly removed from your body?

Kanji hadn't taken much notice of her when she arrived, but he looked up when he heard her sobbing, and his face paled. "Shit, Naoto, don't...don't cry! Hey, no, it's okay! I'm good, I'm all right, see? It was a long time ago, those guys've all moved away and are being losers in some other city. So don't worry. C'mon. Laugh at the punk crying instead, huh?" His thumbs were big enough to wipe her entire face dry. "Okay, now your face is all red, I kinda made it worse here…"

Naoto couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her at that.

"I just...I hate seeing cute little things get hurt, Naoto. Especially 'cause of me. That dog loved me, and I let him down."

"You let no one, down, Kanji. You loved him, and cared for him, and you gave him a wonderful life for as long as you were able. I'm sure that he loved you in return. But right now, there's another animal that needs you. It may be too late for...Puffball...but you can still help Koromaru."

A yelp sounded from the battlefield, as if to underscore her statement.

Kanji leapt to his feet. "I'M COMING, KORO!" He grabbed the bench he'd been sitting on and ripped it from the ground in one fluid motion.

Naoto waited until he was out of earshot to laugh again. That Shadow had no idea what was in store for him.

Defeating a dog Shadow was drastically different from any of the human-like Shadows they'd dealt with before. Turns out a large man running full-tilt at them brandishing a park bench and bellowing like a freight train caused it to submissively urinate.

Once the demonic dog was calmed, the robots began translating again. "I was needed here," Aigis said for Koromaru, "and I have not forgotten. I was a good boy, and I guarded the shrine. I protected it for Master. But Master did not think that material things were more important than the lives of others. My friends," and here, Koromaru took a few shaky steps in Kanji's direction, "are good people. They want to make the world a safe place for others to live – others like Master."

"That's right." Kanji got down on his knees and tentatively reached for Koromaru. "He may be gone, but you aren't. Other people still need your help. Do it for him."

Koromaru sat proudly. "I carry the shrine with me in my heart! I carry Master with me always! I am the noble wolf Koromaru, and I will protect the ones I love!" He threw his head back and howled…

...and Shadow Koromaru disappeared, becoming the ever-faithful sentinel, Cerberus.

"All right, doggie!" Teddie cheered. The others joined in.

"Go dog, go!"

"Yeah, Koro-chan!"

"You did it boy, you got your Persona back all by yourself." Kanji stroked Koromaru's fur while he was still distracted enough to let him. "I'll bet your Master is real, real proud of you up there. He can rest easy with you on the job. Don't worry, he won't be lonely. He's gonna find himself a little friend who's been waiting to play fetch for a long time."

Koromaru was tired, but he had just enough energy to put his head on Kanji's lap and lick his hand.

"You are a good boy, Kanji."

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"Canon" : Actual facts and events that happened in the original work.

"Cannon" : Huge-ass gun you fire at targets.

I suppose it's redundant at this point to say that this 'fic is going to take canon and turn it on its ear, but I just couldn't resist using a few things from Persona 5. Cognitives just make these battles that much more interesting. As easy as it would be to just set the dungeons up like in P4, it wouldn't make much sense. The SO already know their Shadows aren't them, and will say things to rile them up. It's not gonna be a bunch of "That's not true! YOU'RE NOT ME!"

It's also my chance to say that I don't really think Social Links are canon in the sense that they have to have happened. You could theoretically get through the game without maxing most of them, Persona evolution in P3 was plot-based, and the Arena games have the basic P4 Personas. I've never managed to max out Mitsuru and Aigis in my playthroughs, and I didn't get Fuuka the first time, either. I still got the good ending, though.

Dog, you really don't have any reason to hate Kanji anymore. Seriously. He's a dork, but he tries.