Authors Note

?: "Yeah, so Mr. Plumer Boy over here didn't check the article BEFORE adding it the first time. Sorry about that, I slapped him for you all."

Ow... Can't a guy make a mistake every now and then?

?: "YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULD CHECK AND DIDN'T."

*sigh* Fine... You're right about that...

Sorry about that everyone.

?: "FYI, He almost did it again."

Oh shut it! I fixed it!

Also, (Sorry about not acknowledging this, AGAIN, I'M NEW TO THE PLATFORM) thanks for following KittyBard194!

Tuesday, April 11th ,2017

Kaito woke up and checked his phone, sure enough the Persona Potential Sensor app was there.

"Well, may as well see if the thing works." Kaito said as he activated the app, his eye's adjusted, and he looked in the mirror.

"At least my eyes are the same, so my cover's safe… Hopefully I don't run into Igor's 'Past Guest' today, otherwise I am toast!" Kaito said to himself. Kaito said goodbye to his adoptive parents and headed off to school, while also looking for potential Persona users and Nanako as well.

Kaito didn't find squat until he almost reached school. His eyes highlighted a gray-haired man, not an old man, just an adult with gray hair, walking past him as 'Yu Narukami'…A Wild-Card…OH GOD! Kaito kept his cool and kept on walking…until a long, brown-haired girl tried to get his attention.

"Excuse me, mister? Do you know where my cousin went? He has gray hair, but that's just his natural hair color." Nanako Dojima asked Kaito. "

Oh! Um… I think I saw him walking to where I was coming from." Kaito said, pointing Nanako in the right direction.

"Thanks mister!" Nanako said as she ran after her cousin.

"Man, that was close." Kaito thought to himself. Kaito sighed, pulled out his phone, and turned the app off.

"I'll look again after school." Kaito muttered to himself as he entered the school building. The day flew by and Kaito was about to leave until he saw Suzui-senpai, the world just kind-of stopped.

"Hey Kaito-kun, long time no see." Suzui-senpai said.

"Call me weird all you like, but permission to hug you, senpai?" Kaito asked. Shiho couldn't help but laugh.

"Permission granted." Kaito hugged his senpai, he couldn't help it, the last time he saw Suzui-senpai she was on a stretcher being put into an ambulance with Takamaki-senpai going with her.

Kaito absentmindedly turned on the Persona Potential Sensor app and stopped hugging his senpai, almost falling over from shock.

Shiho Suzui was a candidate for being a Persona user.

"Uh… Kaito-kun?" Kaito snapped back to reality. "Sorry, Suzui-senpai. I guess I'm more emotional than I thought. Either that or I was off in la la land." That made Suzui-senpai laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you're still the same old Kaito." Suzui-senpai said cheerfully.

"Suzui!" Kaito turned around and nearly fell over from shock again, Yuuki Mishima also had the potential of being a Persona user.

What in the actual heck is going on here?

"Hey! Kaito-kun! Hello!" Kaito snapped back to reality again.

"Sorry, either I'm too emotional or I'm off in la la land right now." Kaito said, hoping Mishima-senpai didn't interrogate him more.

"Ha, same old Kaito with the same old problems!" Mishima-senpai said as he elbowed Kaito.

"So… Do you guys want to hang out? We haven't in so long." Suzui-senpai asked the two boys, Kaito and Mishima nodded, so the three headed over to Akihabara's Gigolo arcade to hang out.

Believe it or not, that's where the three first met.

Kaito forgot to turn off the Persona Potential Sensor off and was shocked to see two more potential Persona users playing Gun About, but in all honesty, Kaito was more shocked at WHO the candidates were.

'The King' Shinya Oda and Shogi Player Hifumi Togo, why the heck were those two potential Persona users? Then again, Nanako IS 11 years old, so she is in the same boat as Shinya.

"Yo! It's been a while, you three!" Shinya said, walking over to the three high schoolers.

"Yeah, it has been a bit, King. Still the champ at Gun About I see." Kaito said, pointing out the score from Shinya's game with Hifumi.

"OH! Hi again mister!" Kaito turned around and saw Nanako smiling at him.

"Oh, hello again! Did you catch up to your cousin?" Kaito asked her, Nanako nodded.

"Aww! What's your name, sweetie?" Suzui-senpai asked Nanako.

"Nanako Dojima, I'm in 5th grade." Nanako said.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Nanako-chan!" Mishima-senpai said. "Hmm…" Hifumi was politely waiting for Shinya to start a rematch.

"Hey! There's room for more players, how about a group match?" Kaito suggested, the group nodded in agreement.

A previous Gun About tournament left two more Gun About machines in the arcade, giving patrons of the arcade a chance for a group match, it could get pretty hectic and competitive, but everyone involved had a blast. The group of two Elementary and four high school students got into position.

Hifumi and Shinya at the middle machine, Shiho and Mishima at the far right, and Kaito and Nanako at the far left. The match started, and after an intense match, Shinya got first (He was called 'The King' for a reason), Hifumi got second, missing Shinya's score by twenty points, shockingly, Nanako got third (Nanako said it was her first time EVER playing Gun About), Shiho got fourth, Mishima got fifth, and Kaito got dead last (granted he was ten points away from tying with Mishima).

"NUTS! Dead last…" Kaito said sadly, he was apparently VERY rusty at Gun About.

"Hey, nice job Nanako-san!" Shinya said, high fiving Nanako.

"Thanks Shinya-san!" Nanako cheerfully said.

"Whew! That was an intense match, and nice job Nanako-chan!" Mishima said, also giving Nanako a high five.

"That was a truly great match." Hifumi politely said, bowing to her competitors, the others did the same.

"Yeah, it was! We all should head home though, it's getting late." Shiho said, checking the time on her phone. The group nodded and left the arcade, and suddenly, Kaito felt like he got bashed in the head with a dumbbell.

"Ow!" Kaito exclaimed as he put a hand to his head, he looked over and saw the other's doing the same thing.

"That's…strange." Hifumi cautiously said. Shinya turned around and gasped at something.

"Uh…guys?" Shinya tried to get the other's attention. "What's wrong, Shinya…!" Nanako said as she turned around, she gasped at something.

What is Nanako so freaked out…about?!

"What in the name of…?!" Kaito turned around, and in place of the Gigolo arcade was a set straight out of a cowboy movie.

"Ok, where the hell are we?!" Mishima said in a panicked tone, essentially voicing everyone's concern. Kaito went from zero to a hundred, where were they and how do they get home?

"Hey, Suzui, what should we do…" Mishima stopped his sentence, Hifumi gasped at something, and…was Suzui-senpai holding Kaito's hand?

Kaito turned around, he assumed Shinya and Nanako did the same when the three gasped.

There was a tank, and not a small one, aiming its turret right at them. Some sort of yellow faceplate covering the top of the tanks hatch.

"W-what should we do?" Hifumi stuttered out, Kaito could tell the poor girl was scared out of her skin, then again so was he and most likely everyone else. "I…I don't know…" Suzui-senpai stuttered out. Kaito didn't know what to do, but he had to do SOMETHING… He couldn't let his friends die without doing anything to help.

"Well, boy. What are you going to do?" A deep, almost bestial male voice rang out in Kaito's head.

"Kaito, now is NOT the time for jokes!" Mishima-senpai spat out, great, he wasn't going crazy.

"Are you just going to stand there and let Death do its job? Or are you going to DO something?" The voice said again.

"Mishima… I don't think Kaito's messing around." Suzui-senpai stammered out.

"Well, boy… What is your answer?" The voice asked Kaito.

Kaito clenched his teeth together and stepped forward. The voice let out a feral laugh.

"That's the answer I wanted to hear! I am thou, thou art I! Though thou are cursed to forever be surrounded by Death, thou shalt not stand idle and let Death have its way without a fight! Now Wild-Card…" Kaito felt something in his hand, he looked down and saw a gun, the word 'Envoker' carved into it.

"…Face Death head on, without fear, and call me forth!" The voice shouted out, Kaito couldn't believe what he had to do.

"Please don't blow my brains out!" Kaito said as he placed the gun barrel at the back of his head.

"Kaito! Don't!" Shinya shouted at Kaito, but Kaito wasn't listening.

"Rise from the grave…Thanatos!" Kaito shouted as he pulled the trigger.

Kaito couldn't believe it when some sort of blue substance came flying out instead of metal.

"Wh…Whoa!" Mishima was startled by something…above Kaito? Kaito looked up, and saw a humanoid figure floating above him. It had a metal mask of some kind on it, but it didn't have a face, so Kaito guessed the metal mask was the creature's face, it had a cloak of some sort on, with white glove's and shoes that reached the creature's elbow's and just above it's kneecaps, it had a sword of some kind and coffin lids floating behind it, stopping at the creature's shoulders.

"Holy…" Kaito managed to say.

"Kaito-kun, what is going on?!" Suzui-senpai shouted at Kaito.

"I have no idea! But I do know what's gonna happen next!" Kaito said as he put the Envoker to the back of his head again.

"Thanatos, Door of Hades!" Kaito shouted as he pulled the trigger. Thanatos raised its hand, and the tank instantly disintegrated, everyone was struck silent by that they had just witnessed.

"Tch, mortals. Unless you all want to die here, I suggest you leave right now." Thanatos spat, almost mockingly. No one, especially Kaito, knew what to say, until Nanako spoke up.

"Hey! You don't need to be rude! And we don't know HOW to leave anyways, we got dragged into this place, so stop with the whole 'god' act and help us out here! Jeez!" Kaito was shocked, Nanako didn't seem like the type who could do or say something like that to a literal monster and do so while not losing their nerve.

Kaito remembered the old saying 'Never judge a book by it's cover', he guessed it was right after all. Thanatos seemed dumbstruck, like it or he didn't expect Nanako's response.

"…Impressive…for a little girl to tell off the big bad monster and not lose her nerve… Fine, I guess you passed my little test, little girl. Here…" Thanatos said as he handed Nanako a model of an old-fashioned rifle.

"You and Kaito can come in here whenever you two would like. However!" Thanatos turned to Shiho, Mishima, Hifumi, and Shinya. "You four can't come in here when you wish, if you can't handle me. Then you aren't ready yet to set foot here unsupervised." Thanatos said, strangely enough he sounded disappointed.

"What! Your test wasn't fair! Who wouldn't be scared of someone like you popping up out of nowhere!" Hifumi said, enraged.

"That was the point, and I never said you couldn't come back here and try again, I just said you aren't YET ready to have the chance to come in alone." Thanatos spat out defensively.

"Ok, OK! Let's all take a breath here." Suzui-senpai said. Everyone did as she suggested and took a breath.

"Ok, the exit is on your phone's, it's an app called 'Inner World'. And I am NOT going to explain what this world is, that's up to you people to figure out. Now please leave before more Shadow's show up. Please?" Everyone couldn't wait to get out, but Kaito asked Nanako to give him the model gun before they leave.

"Why?" Nanako asked, it was a reasonable response.

"I'm friends with a shop owner who make's model guns and the like, so people wouldn't think twice about me having something like that. And, you know this is true, you're a kid, so you having a gun, model or otherwise, would raise A LOT of red flags. Nothing against you, Nanako, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Kaito responded, Nanako nodded in agreement and handed Kaito the model rifle. With that, the group left the 'Inner World'. The group decided to exchange numbers and chat ID's so they could communicate from anywhere and headed home with the promise to talk about what they all saw.

Kaito still had the Persona Potential Sensor on and found three other Persona user's, 'Yosuke Hanamura' head manager at Junes, 'Chie Satonaka' police officer, and 'Teddie' mascot(?) at Junes. Kaito got home and immediately informed his adoptive parents of what had happened today.

Kaito got a laugh out of them saying that the event was more believable than how Mrs. Mamori found Kaito 9 years ago. Kaito told them he would keep them in the loop and headed into his room for the night.

Kaito pulled out the replica of his Anti-Shadow Weapon, a sword with a built-in SMG for long-range, and prepped to bring it along when necessary. Kaito turned off the Persona Potential Sensor app and opened the group chat.

Kaito's ID was gold, Nanako's was red, Shiho's was black, Mishima's was blue, Hifumi's was green, and Shinya's was orange.

Shinya: "Yo! About time, Kaito!"

Kaito: "Yeah, yeah, I know. So, what did I miss?"

Hifumi: "Nothing, we were waiting for you."

Yuuki: "Now, let's start with what we know."

Nanako: "Ok, so does anyone else have the app that monster guy was talking about?"

Kaito"I have it, but I was the one that summoned Thanatos in the first place."

Shiho: "I don't see it on my phone."

Shinya: "Zip for me."

Yuuki: "Nothing on my end."

Hifumi: "I unfortunately don't have it either…"

Kaito: "Nuts, so only Nanako and I have the app."

Shiho: "Kaito, has Thanatos spoken to you at all since we came back?"

Kaito: "Nope, radio silence from him."

Yuuki: "Damn, it's hard to believe what we saw in that place."

Hifumi: "Agreed, I thought we were in hell to be honest with you all…"

Shiho: "Who knows, it might be hell to some people."

Nanako: "Hey Shinya, does that set we saw where the arcade was mean anything to you?"

Shinya: "Uh… Why would it?"

Nanako: "Call it a hunch."

Shinya: "Um… Hey! It does ring a bell, kind-of."

Yuuki: "Well?"

Shinya: "I've been having this same dream lately, I can't remember it vividly, but I do remember me with yellow eyes, dressed up as a cowboy, and I had a chain attached to my left leg."

Yuuki: "Man, that's creepy."

Nanako: "Hm…"

Shiho: "Nanako-chan?"

Nanako: "I've had similar dreams, but I've had them since I was seven."

Hifumi: "What!"

Shiho: "Nanako-chan, what are you getting at?"

Nanako: "I think what you said about that place possibly being 'hell to some people' might be accurate, Suzui-senpai."

Shiho: "Wait, what!?"

Shinya: "Wait, so you're saying that that set is my personal hell?"

Nanako: "Yes, exactly that."

Hifumi: "I hate to admit it, but Nanako-chan has a point. The champion at a shooting game's personal hell being themed by a wild west movie set isn't exactly an illogical connection to make."

Shinya: "Yeah, it make's sense. And the fact that I want to deny it solidifies the theory."

Kaito: "Wait, so going by Nanako's logic…"

Shiho: "Come on, Kaito-kun. Just say it."

Kaito: "Wouldn't Nanako have something like Shinya has? Her own personal slice of hell?"

"…" Nanako left the chat.

Kaito: "Dang it, nice job Mamori…"

Shiho: "Kaito, it's ok. Nanako leaving solidified your theory."

Yuuki: "So…do you guys want to go in tomorrow and look for Nanako's personal hell?"

Shinya: "I'm game if you all are."

Kaito: "I'm on board with it."

Hifumi: "Consider me on board as well."

Shiho: "Was there any doubt I would join?"

Yuuki: "Ok, let's meet at Shujin tomorrow. Kaito's the only one besides Nanako that has the app."

"Very well, I'll see you all then." Hifumi left the chat.

"Same here, later!" Shinya left the chat.

"See you at school tomorrow, Kaito! See you tomorrow, Suzui!" Mishima left the chat.

"See you then, Kaito-kun." Shiho left the chat.

Kaito sighed, put his Anti-Shadow Weapon in his backpack (Thanking Mitsuru for making the replica compactable for easier transport) and went to bed.

Wednesday, April 12th, 2017

Kaito woke up, surprised Igor didn't visit him last night. Kaito got ready, said his goodbye's, and turned on the Persona Potential Sensor again, this time yielding nothing. Kaito sighed, turned the app off, and headed into the school building.

The day flew by again, Kaito left the building and waited by the gate for everyone, Mishima arrived first, then Shinya, and Shiho and Hifumi arrived at the same time.

"Alright, where are we heading in at?" Shinya asked Kaito.

"Where are you guys going?" Kaito was shocked when Kurusu-senpai said that to him, Kaito turned around and saw Sakamoto-senpai, Takamaki-senpai, Yoshizawa-san, Futaba-chan, and Morgana with Akira.

"Uhm…we were about to figure that out, actually." Suzui-senpai quickly said.

Meanwhile, Kaito figured out WHY Igor didn't visit him, the old man updated the Persona Potential Sensor app with the ability to see Persona's, and he was busy trying not to make eye-contact OR look at Arsene, Captain Kidd, Carmen, Zorro, Cendrillon, and Necronomicon from SIX Persona users!

Kaito figured out why Morgana could sense something off with him, Morgana wasn't a normal cat at all! Suddenly Kaito figured out who the Phantom Thieves were AND learned where his friends were at last year.

"Isn't your friend acting weird, Ryuji?" Captain Kidd asked Sakamoto-senpai, who saw Kaito's strange behavior.

"Yo Kaito-kun. You ok man?" Kaito quickly nodded and gave him a thumbs up. And in the act looked at Carmen for a second, but it just took a second to get discovered.

"Hey Ann, I think Kaito can see me." Carmen said, Takamaki-senpai's eyes went wide.

"Hey Kaito-kun, can you see ANYONE else besides us?"

CRUD!

"No? Why?" Kaito lied quickly. Carmen had a skeptical look on her face.

"Hey, didn't you say that Kaito is SUPER anti-inappropriate Ann?" NOPE! SO MUCH NOPE! NOT HERE!

"Don't you dare." Kaito said, instantly realizing his mistake.

"Huh!?" Morgana said, startling the other members of Kaito's group.

"D-Did Morgana just talk?!" Mishima spat out, covering his mouth after.

"Wait, so they CAN see us!" Necronomicon said.

CRUD! CRUD!

"Bail! Bail!" Kaito said, and the group started running away.

"Wait!" Kurusu-senpai shouted at them as they pursued the fleeing group.

"Kaito, activate the app!" Shiho told Kaito.

"I'm trying! The stupid thing isn't working!" Kaito spat, the infernal thing wasn't activating for some reason.

"Damn it guys! Stop!" Kaito heard Sakamoto-senpai yelling at them. They turned a corner. "Kaito! Now!" Hifumi hissed.

Kaito pressed the app, and suddenly they were in the 'Inner World'.

"Thank GOD the dang thing worked… GUYS! Look!" Kaito pointed at the pop-up book-eques building in front of them, the word 'Heaven' floating above the building.

"Looks like we found Nanako's personal hell." Mishima said. Kaito looked around the building for an entrance and saw a plaque saying 'Shujin Elementary'.

"Nanako view's the school like THIS? That's messed up." Shinya said, horrified.

"Well, I don't see an entrance." Shiho said.

"And you won't see it ever." Thanatos said, startling everyone.

"Jeez, don't DO that! And we sure as hell are getting in there." Mishima said.

"Oh yeah, tough guy?" Thanatos crossed his arms, Mishima narrowed his eyes and glared at Thanatos. Kaito was honestly scared, the look Mishima was giving Thanatos could probably kill someone.

"Well, well. Look who got a backbone all of a sudden. Ok kid, here." Thanatos said as he handed Mishima a…boomerang?

"Um…" Mishima was confused at the weapon he got.

"Kid, it'll make sense in the future. Just trust me on this." Thanatos quickly said.

"Ok, so… How. Do. We. Get. Into. The. Building?!" Shiho hissed at Thanatos, Kaito could tell that Suzui-senpai had taken enough of Thanatos's BS.

"Wow! Easy, kid. You proved you can handle this place, here." Thanatos said as he handed Shiho silver gauntlets.

"Whoa! That's awesome, Suzui-senpai!" Kaito said as Shiho put the gauntlets on.

"Thank GOD I took those Aikido lessons, now these'll hurt those monsters!" Shiho said as she studied the gauntlets craftsmanship.

"Me next! Me next! I'm SO ready to play this game!" Shinya said as he jumped up and down in pure excitement.

"Ok, ok. Fine, here." Thanatos said as he handed Shinya a Gun About gun.

"Ooh! Nice, work with what your familiar with." Shinya said as he spun the gun around on his finger.

"I am prepared for whatever we will face here, I must be anyhow." Hifumi calmly said, Kaito had absolutely no idea how she was able to keep her cool.

"Huh… It's like you're a different person now. Alright, here, a weapon for a strategist such as yourself." Thanatos said as he handed Hifumi two crossbows.

"Hm… An interesting choice. I like it." Hifumi said cheerfully as she studied her new weaponry.

Kaito couldn't believe that this little group he had were already armed, maybe not very dangerous, but at least prepared for a scuffle.

"Ok, so I'm guessing you kids wanna help… Nanako was it?" Thanatos asked the group, they all nodded and Thanatos sighed.

"Oh boy, well… Ok, here's how this'll go. You kid's come back tomorrow, gear in tow, and I'll get you all inside. BUT! In exchange, you kids can't explore very far in UNLESS Nanako is with you." Thanatos said. Um…what?

"Why does Nanako-chan have to be here? Can't we help her without her ever knowing?" Shiho asked Thanatos, the creature shook its head.

"No, Nanako MUST be present to unshackle her Shadow so she can move on AND unlock the way to get her Persona." Thanatos explained to the group.

"Wait, 'Shadow'? 'Persona'? What's with the terms?" Mishima asked, Thanatos groaned in understanding and annoyance.

"A Persona is…well, a manifestation of a person's true self. Or at least the good side of people. A Shadow is a manifestation of the hidden side of a person's true self, the hidden part of their personality, the bad. The tank you all saw is, for lack of a better term, a lesser Shadow. And I'll explain the 'unshackle' part while I'm at it, some people's Shadow's are chained to one event and won't let the person the Shadow belongs to move on, basically making the Shadow and their human counterpart two different people. The only way to free the Shadow so the person as a whole can move on is to have the person face their Shadow and create a 'key' to the Shadow's 'chains', OR in other words, accept the Shadow and move on together." Thanatos explained to the group, it made sense.

Kaito shivered though, he could guess what his Shadow would be like, and he wasn't looking forward to facing it, but then again of course he wouldn't.

"Ok, I think we're done here for today." Kaito said, everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'll go get Nanako tomorrow and meet you guys here." Shinya said, everyone said their goodbyes.

"Ok, and if Kurusu-senpai and the other's try to interrogate us, DO NOT let them on our trail. Ok?" Kaito said before they headed back to the real world.

The group nodded, and on that, they left the 'Inner World' and went home.

Thursday, April 13th, 2017

Kaito woke up and again was shocked that Igor didn't visit him. Kaito did his usual schedule, didn't find anything again, and walked into the school building.

Everything was going well until lunch, where Sakamoto-senpai sat with him and Mishima.

"Well?" Sakamoto-senpai asked them.

"Fine, I expected this to be honest." Kaito said, Sakamoto-senpai waved the other's over.

"So, you guys can see Persona's, huh?" Kurusu-senpai asked the two.

"Y-Yeah, so?" Mishima hesitantly said, Kaito couldn't blame him, they were walking on VERY thin ice.

"Does anyone in your group have a Persona?" Ann asked the two.

"No." Kaito lied, but Kurusu-senpai didn't buy it.

"You're lying, Kaito-kun. If I had to guess, YOU have a Persona." Nuts…

"Ok FINE. Yes, I have a Persona." Kaito spat.

"Look, that world is dangerous. I'm not sure if you've been there or not, but if you have, tell us what it is and leave it to the professionals." Futaba-chan said.

"We don't know anything about this 'world' you're talking about. Are we done?" Kaito said as sternly as he could manage, hoping that they believed his lie.

Arsene got in Kaito's face.

"Rest assured, mortal. If you are lying, I will personally-" Arsene tried to say, but Kurusu-senpai cut him off.

"Look, we're just concerned about your safety guys, we're not the enemies here." Kurusu-senpai calmly said to the two.

"There's nothing to worry about, Kurusu-senpai." Kaito said. Kurusu-senpai nodded and his group left Kaito and Mishima alone.

"Man, that was close." Mishima said, relieved that they weren't found out.

"Let's be extra careful from now on." Kaito said, hoping that they wouldn't be interrogated again.

"Ok, what is so important that I have to see here, guys?" Nanako asked the group once everyone had arrived at Shujin Elementary.

"Just see for yourself." Shinya said as he activated the 'Inner World' app. The group entered right in front of the 'Heaven' building.

"T-this is!" Nanako gasped, recognizing the building.

"We need you to explore this place with us, Thanatos's orders, not ours." Hifumi explained, Nanako sighed and nodded.

"Alright, you kids ready?" Thanatos asked the group, they all nodded.

"Alright, grab on, and hang on tight." Thanatos said, the group grabbed one of Thanatos's coffin lids and hung on (in Mishima's case, for dear life) as the Persona flew over to a cloud hovering next to a grim-colored entryway.

"All passengers departing at 'Deathly Gates' Station must let go now unless they want a return trip to the entrance." Thanatos said in a robotic tone.

"Ha! You really ARE from Kaito's personality!" Mishima exclaimed, Kaito groaned at the fact that he was right.

"Yes, yes. Laugh it up, Mishima-senpai." Kaito hissed at his senpai.

"Alright, ground rules, kids. Kaito is the only one with a Persona, so UNTIL you all get a Persona, all in favor of Kaito being the temporary leader?" Thanatos said in a commanding tone, everyone nodded in agreement except for Kaito.

"NOPE! I am SO NOT down for this." Kaito said, he REALLY didn't wanna be the leader, even if it was temporary.

"Mamori-senpai, you're the only one that can properly fight here, we have weapons but you have Thanatos, and either way it's only temporary." Nanako refuted, AND Kaito COULDN'T ARGUE WITH HER BECAUSE SHE WAS RIGHT, GOSH DANG IT!?

"Ugh…FINE. BUT only for NOW!" Kaito spat out, the group laughing at his displeasure with his temporary leadership role.

"Alright, now: If there's a Shadow, Kaito is on the front lines, the rest of you will either fight at a distance OR hide at a distance. NO EXCEPTIONS until someone else gets a Persona. Am I clear?" Thanatos said, the group nodding in approval.

"Ok, before we head in. I've been thinkin'…" Shinya started.

"Thinking about what?" Nanako asked her fellow elementary schooler.

"About a group name for us, I mean come on! We're like the Phantom Thieves! So, we gotta have a group name." Shinya explained. The thought seemed childish, but it was true though.

"Ok, anyone got any ideas?" Shiho asked. Everyone took a second to think.

"How about…the Personal Demon Hunters? Or P.D.H. for short." Nanako suggested, everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's a little on the nose, but it's accurate." Mishima commented.

"Alright! From now on, this group will be called the Personal Demon Hunters!" Thanatos said triumphantly.

"Ok, now back to the task at hand." Hifumi said, returning everyone's attention to the reason they came here in the first place.

"Well, let's head in." Kaito said, and on that, P.D.H. headed into Heaven, the personal hell of Nanako Dojima.

As Kaito observed earlier, the building's interior was similar to a colorful pop-up book, complete with child-like drawings of flowers, clouds, dogs, cats, and the doors looked like that too.

"Hm…" Hifumi muttered to herself.

"Something wrong, Hifumi?" Kaito asked the shogi player.

"It's too quiet, no Shadow's jumping at us, no dangerous traps, nothing except a childish landscape. Somethings wrong here, I'm just not sure what exactly." Hifumi explained, it did seem a little TOO quiet for a place that's supposed to be a hellscape for someone.

"…! Damn it! There's other Persona users here, I can sense them." Thanatos spat quickly, startling the P.D.H.

"What! W-What should we do?!" Mishima stammered out.

"Let's hide, wait for them to pass, and then book it back to the entrance." Kaito said, pointing at a stack of crates to hide behind.

His teammates nodded and ran over to the crates and hid themselves the best they could. Kaito was about to peek after a few minutes passed, but stopped once he heard voices.

"Damn. Whose Palace ya think this place belongs too?" A male voice said, Kaito was too focused on keeping himself and his teammates quiet than putting a voice to a face.

"Skull, this isn't a Palace!" A female voice spat at the male.

"Oracle, are you sure you detected other's here?" Another female voice asked.

"I'm positive, Queen! I just can't figure out where." A young female voice said.

"Still, such a strange décor…" A male voice said.

"Fox, not now! Keep an eye out for other people!" The female voice that yelled at Skull(?) said.

"Very well then, Panther. Mona, have you found anything?" The male voice asked.

"No… Damn it! They couldn't have gotten far…Joker, Dancer, Noir, find anything?" A boyish voice said, wait, Mona?

No, that must be a coincidence.

Kaito heard two sets of shoes running towards Mona(?).

"No, I didn't find anyone." A female voice said.

"Sadly, I didn't find anything either." Another female voice said, why did her voice sound familiar to Kaito?

"Damn it! Joker, you find anything?" Skull(?) asked someone else…near their hiding place.

"Yep, I found something." A male voice said RIGHT ABOVE Kaito.

Kaito looked up, and saw Akira Kurusu wearing a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black pants, brown-black winklepickers and a pair of red gloves, and a mask with a black and white, birdlike domino design. Akira…no, Joker smirked at Kaito.

"Looks like someone lied." Joker said calmly.

CRUD!

"RUN!" Kaito shouted at his teammates as they ran out of their hiding place, startling the other people in the room.

"You all are not getting away!" Arsene said as he blocked the P.D.H.'s only way out, CRUD!

"Wait, Shiho?" A girl…no, Ann Takamaki…no, ugh!

Kaito was really annoyed with these code names, but then again, a girl with a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a…cleavage cutout (Eww!) and zippers, a matching red panther mask, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, and a clipped-on tail on the back of her catsuit being called Panther made sense.

"Wait, Ann?! What are you wearing?!" Shiho demanded, Kaito couldn't blame her for wanting answers.

"Never mind that! What are you doing here?! I thought you guys couldn't come here?!" Panther hissed back, more confused than angry.

Kaito took a second to analyze the situation the P.D.H. was stuck in, and especially take note of the people there.

Ryuji Sakamoto was easy enough to identify, his blond hair giving him away, but Kaito was startled by his senpai's choice of clothing. He had his usual black blazer on, but with a matching black jacket and pants with knee pads, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves, and a skull mask, WELL THEN, there's Skull.

Futaba Sakura was given away by her hair as well, her clothing consisting of a skintight black bodysuit with fluorescent neon green glowing strips and matching black boots with neon green soles, and her mask was a pair of big black goggles with orange lenses. Kaito assumed that Futaba was Oracle.

Kasumi Yoshizawa was the other person Kaito recognized, her red hair and ponytail gave her away. She had a black mask with silver highlights and had a black ribbon tied to her ponytail. She wore a strapless black leotard, a chain belt with two silver roses motifs and the scabbard for her rapier(?) attached to it, a black choker (WHY!?) and red gloves. Her black bolero jacket had gold buttons, ruffled sleeves and three floor-length coattails. She was wearing thigh-length hose and stiletto-heels that resemble ballet shoes on the top. Kaito assumed she was Dancer.

But the other's he didn't recognize… Until he took a good look at who he thought was Queen and Noir.

"N-Nijima-senpai!? And Okumura-senpai!?" Kaito blurted out, were they part of the Phantom Thieves as well?

"Kaito-kun!? And Yuuki-kun and Shiho-chan as well?! Joker, you left this out during our briefing!" Makoto Nijima or Queen shouted at Joker, clearly annoyed.

"Ah! Hello Kaito-kun!" Haru Okumura or Noir said, accompanied by a bow.

Kaito couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Makoto Nijima, dressed in a two-toned (Kaito guessed dark blue and black) skintight suit accompanied with a long black scarf, a dark gray corset-style leather breastplate, shoulder and knee pads with spikes mixed with boots that sport metal heels and toes, white gloves and an iron mask.

And Haru Okumura, dressed in a dark purple cavalier hat with a feather plume tucked into a royal purple hatband, a long-sleeved pale pink blouse with a white neck jabot (held there by a red gem pin), a black corset vest with gold buttons, bloomers that matched her hatband, black pantyhose, a holster belt carrying ammo and lace-up pumps. Her mask and gloves were black and violet, respectively.

"Hm? Do you all know these people?" Fox(?) asked, clearly confused, Fox looked over and gasped when he saw Hifumi.

"Togo-san? Why are you here?" Fox(?) asked Hifumi, she gasped, Kaito assumed that she knew who Fox was.

"Kitagawa-san?! Is that you?!" Hifumi blurted out alarmed. Fox nodded.

"So, you have access to this world as well." Yusuke Kitagawa or Fox calmly said, Kaito identified him from watching the Phantom Thieves last year as a pupil of their second target, Madarame.

Yusuke Kitagawa was wearing a traditional kitsune-style half mask, a black high-collared puff-sleeved jumpsuit with a striped sash worn across his hips, white motorcycle boots and bright blue gloves. Attached to the jumpsuit was a white fox tail.

That only left the…cat thing?

"Um…A cat?" Shinya and Nanako hesitantly asked, the cat thing that could only be Mona huffed and stomped its paw(?) on the floor.

"I'M NOT A CAT! The girl has a pass, but you don't Shinya!" Mona hissed.

"Wait, Morgana!? Is that you?!" Kaito spat, flabbergasted at Morgana's appearance.

Morgana was a predominantly black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws and tail tip who wears a yellow collar in the real world. But in the 'Inner World', Morgana looked like an anthropomorphic and biped form of his cat form with a large head and eyes, where the collar turned into a yellow bandana in addition to gaining a utility belt. He also lacked any visible cat whiskers in this form.

"Look, you guys aren't in trouble. Hell, I expected you to lie to us, but you all need to leave, we'll handle this." Joker told the P.D.H. calmly but firmly.

"I'm sorry Joker, but no. We aren't leaving, this is OUR mission. Not the Phantom Thieves." Kaito responded in the exact same way, surprising Joker with his sudden leadership.

"I'm afraid that that wasn't a request, Kaito-kun." Queen said firmly, pulling out Tekko or Brass Knuckles (Kaito couldn't tell the difference, he just knew there was one.).

"Look, we've made it this far, and Kaito's right, we're NOT giving up on this now!" Shinya said, pointing his gun at Joker.

Joker chuckled at the P.D.H., not an evil laugh, more like an honestly joyful laugh, like Joker figured they wouldn't put up much of a fight and opt to leave quietly.

"Well, this is gonna get interesting." Joker said, drawing a knife and a pistol.

"Phantom Thieves, subdue them! No skills unless it's absolutely necessary!" Joker commanded, Futaba summoned Necronomicon, and her Persona grabbed her and pulled her into its UFO body. While the other Phantom Thieves surrounded the P.D.H., circling them like prey.

"Uh…me and my big mouth!" Kaito seethed as his teammates drew their weapons.

"Let's just focus on clearing an escape route, we're outclassed here." Kaito quietly ordered, his teammates nodded and prepared to fight their way out.

"Look! Just put your weapons down and we'll let you guys leave!" Skull said, trying to avoid a fight.

"No! This is OUR mission! We're not gonna let you guys stop us!" Nanako shouted back, aiming her model old-fashioned rifle at him to reinforce her point.

Kaito was shocked when Nanako cocked her rifle.

"Wait, how did you?" Kaito stammered out, Nanako looked like she had no idea how she did it either.

"Shit! This isn't good. Captain Kidd! Zio!" Skull said as he ripped his mask off, summoning his Persona.

"Nanako! Move!" Kaito shouted as he pushed the little girl out of the way, getting shocked by the attack and falling to the ground.

"Kaito!" Mishima shouted as he started to help his underclassman up.

"I'm fine… But now, I'm PISSED!" Kaito said as he grabbed his Anti-Shadow Weapon, its blade was retracted so only the sword handle was seen.

"Is Kaito-kun gonna throw a sword handle at us?" Queen asked, clearly confused.

"No, I'm gonna slash at you with THIS!" Kaito said as he hit a button on the bottom of the sword handle, causing the blade to fly out.

"Whoa! Kaito, where did you get THAT!" Shiho asked in awe.

"This is a replica of a sword I made, the original that I made got destroyed, so someone else made this one, but the design is ALL ME." Kaito boasted, he couldn't help it, it was HIS signature weapon for crying out loud! Kaito also pulled out his Envoker, carrying that in his left hand and his sword in his right.

Joker stood quietly in awe, Kaito thought he saw a flicker of approval in his senpai's gaze. Now, to the main event.

"And now…" Kaito put the Envoker to the back of his head.

"Kaito! The hell are you doing!?" Skull shouted in a panic, Kaito just smirked.

"…Persona!" Kaito shouted as he pulled the trigger, the familiar blue substance flying out again as Thanatos made himself known.

"About time! I REALLY didn't like that Zio, you know! The only reason Kaito went down was because I didn't plan on him taking the attack, now! Let's see how YOU all like it!" Thanatos bellowed, startling the Phantom Thieves.

"W-What!? How do you have such a powerful Persona already!?" Joker spat, startled by Kaito's Persona.

Kaito was about to respond when two words popped into his head. 'Earth Shaker' and 'Traverse', Kaito couldn't help but grin as he put his Envoker to the back of his head again and switched how he was holding his sword so it was like Kaito was about to stab the floor.

"Earth Shaker!" Kaito shouted as he pulled the trigger and plunged his sword into the floor.

"What? That's not a skill OR an attack! Joker would have used it by now if it was!" Mona hissed, not believing what Kaito casted.

UNTIL the Phantom Thieves fell over from a mini-earthquake.

"What was that!?" Futaba's voice echoed from her Persona's body.

"Looks like someone's learned a few tricks." Joker said, impressed that Kaito got the jump on them.

"And now, it's time for us to leave." Kaito said as he readied his Envoker.

"Traverse!" Kaito said as he pulled the trigger.

"Bye!" Thanatos said as the Persona snapped his fingers, he the P.D.H. vanishing into thin air.

"The hell!? They just disappeared!" Skull spat in awe.

"What was that skill Kaito casted? Joker?" Queen looked over at Joker, who was lost in thought.

"I don't know, I've never heard of those skills before. And a better question would be how does Kaito have access to Thanatos already." Joker said, a mixture of concern and confusion in his voice.

The Phantom Thieves didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Let's come back tomorrow, I'm worried for their safety." Noir said. Her fellow Phantom Thieves nodded in agreement.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Kaito shouted, he was on an adrenaline high but for robots.

"How did you know you could do that, Kaito-kun?" Shiho asked Kaito.

"I may have put the words in his head." Thanatos said.

"Well, I for one am glad you did that." Mishima said in relief.

"HEY! Did you not have any faith in me?" Kaito asked Mishima-senpai, feigning being shot in the heart.

"What? No! I said that because of the impact." Mishima explained.

OH… Kaito nervously laughed.

"That was pretty amazing, Kaito-kun." Hifumi commented.

"Yeah!" Shinya chimed in.

"Thanks for taking that blow for me, Mamori-senpai." Nanako said, hugging Kaito.

"Anytime, Nanako-chan. Anytime." Kaito said, patting the little girl on her head.

Nanako giggled and stopped hugging Kaito.

"Well, today was…exciting to say the least. But now I think we should head home." Hifumi said, everyone nodded in agreement.

They left the 'Inner World' and parted ways. Kaito got home, turned off the app, gave his adoptive parents an update, and went to bed.

Friday, April 14th, 2017

Kaito woke up, did his usual routine, and got to school like usual.

It wasn't until school was almost out when Kaito and Mishima were called to the principal's office, and they were met by a Detective…with handcuffs, two of them.

Kaito and Mishima were smart enough to not go anything they would regret and left with the Detective, no need for cuffs.

They got to the station and were thrown into a rather large interrogation room, where the rest of the P.D.H. members, minus Nanako, were.

"Um, sir? Why are we here?" Kaito asked the Detective. The Detective just glared at Kaito and his friends until another man came into the room.

Kaito almost fell over once he recognized a VERY, VERY pissed off Yu Narukami.

Narukami walked over to Kaito, the glare he was giving him cold enough to freeze hell a thousand times over.

"I'm only going to say this once, I filled my uncle in. WHERE. IS. NANAKO!" Narukami yelled at Kaito.

WHAT!?

"Wait, Nanako-chan is missing?!" Kaito stuttered out, flabbergasted at the news.

"Don't play dumb, Kaito-kun." The Detective told Kaito, retaining his glare from earlier.

"I-I swear, this is the first time I'm hearing about this!" Kaito said.

"Don't lie to me, damnit! I saw you all with Nanako, so you all know something!" Narukami shouted.

"Excuse me, WHAT!?" Shiho blurted out, enraged at the mere IDEA that she and the other members of the Personal Demon Hunters were responsible for Nanako's disappearance.

Kaito looked Yu Narukami in the eyes.

"I swear, me and my friends did NOT kidnap Nanako-chan. But, I think I know where she is." Kaito told his senior Wild-Card. Narukami saw the honesty in Kaito's eyes and backed down.

"Fine, but WHERE?" Kaito expected that response.

"She's in her own personal hell, I can't really explain the world where she is, but I think you know something similar to that world, right?" Kaito said, recognizing a flicker of remembrance from the adults there.

"…Ok, I'll let you kids go, but you have to promise me something before I do." The Detective told Kaito, Kaito knew what Nanako's father was about to say.

"Please…PLEASE bring my daughter back safe." The Detective asked the P.D.H., tear's welling up in the man's eyes.

"I promise you, sir. We'll bring her back." Kaito said firmly, his teammates nodding, the same determination within them as well.

"Thank you…" The Detective said. The P.D.H. were released, and they all knew what to do.

"Let's go save Nanako." Kaito said, his teammates nodding in approval.

"Hey…kids…What's wrong?" Thanatos asked the team.

"Nanako's been taken, she MUST be in Heaven somewhere." Shiho explained, Thanatos gasped.

"…Ok, OK. Let's move." Thanatos said as the team hopped on the Persona for transport.

"Kaito, what if we run into the Phantom Thieves again?" Shinya asked the group's temporary leader.

"I'll handle them." Kaito said, his usual personality replaced by that of a leader.

The P.D.H. progressed through Heaven, and sure enough, the Phantom Thieves were in the same room where they were yesterday.

"Kaito-kun, hold on-" Queen tried to say, but Kaito cut her off by walking up to Joker.

"Just listen. Nanako's been taken, I KNOW she's in here somewhere, WE made her dad a promise that WE would bring her back safe. So, either you and your friends move out of our way, Kurusu-senpai. OR, we'll go through you. What's your answer?" Kaito said calmly, the Phantom Thieves' eyes went wide.

"Wait, your friend has been taken?!" Noir said, horrified. Joker moved over, so the P.D.H. could get by.

"Wait, Kaito-" Arsene tried to say.

"NOT NOW! LATER!" Kaito spat, Arsene grabbed Kaito and spun him around to face him.

"LOOK! You're going to need back-up, strong as Thanatos is, you're the only Persona user in your group. And simple weapons can only do so much against a normal Shadow, if you go down, you and your friends are as good as dead! Doubly so against a person's Shadow! Let us help you." Arsene explained to Kaito.

"What happened to ALL that violence against me and the others?" Kaito asked Arsene skeptically.

"I was giving you and your teammates a hard time because I didn't think you were or would take this seriously, I was wrong." Arsene answered, Kaito looked at the Persona with a newfound understanding.

"…Ok, fine. Sorry for being snippy, I got tunnel-vision. Any help you guys could give would be appreciated." Kaito said, his voice heavy with forgiveness.

"Wow, it's like lookin' at one of those mirrors at a carnival." Skull said, Kaito could tell that his senpai was impressed with his leadership.

"Very funny Skull, and Kaito-kun isn't COMPLETELY like me. He's just being a leader." Joker said.

"I guess we're teaming up with your little team of misfits." Dancer said sarcastically, Shinya huffed and stomped his foot on the ground.

"Hey! We're called the Personal Demon Hunters! And we're not misfits!" Shinya defended, Kaito laughed at how quick Shinya was to defend their group.

"Hm… the 'Personal Demon Hunters' huh? Interesting name." Queen mused at the groups team name.

"We'll fill you guys in as we go, we need to keep moving." Mishima said, the two teams nodded and continued further into Heaven.

Nanako's POV

"No…no. No. NO!" Nanako said, scrambling away from…from WHATEVER the hell that thing was.

The creature chuckled, it's laugh matching her own laugh from when she was 6 and 7.

"Why are you denying me, other me? Why are you denying the truth?" The creature said, Nanako could swear that its golden eyes were peering into her very soul.

"Because IT. IS. NOT. TRUE! Yes, I've thought what you're saying as true before. But I know NOW that it isn't true." Nanako said, trying to reason with the creature, but the creature just laughed at her.

"Stop lying to yourself, you know that I'M right. So, stop denying it!" The creature spat.

"Someone…please, help me…" Nanako said as she ran into a wall, she was trapped.

Kaito's POV

Kaito was horrified at how Heaven's scenery suddenly shifted from childlike drawings to something out of a horror movie, or at least a graveyard in one.

"What in…?" Was really all Kaito could say at the sight before him.

"Thanatos, why did the décor shift?" Mishima asked the Persona.

"We're getting close to the event that chained Nanako's Shadow, this is how Nanako's emotions perceived the event when it happened." Thanatos explained.

"So, what I'm taking from this, either Nanako-chan wants to die or she buried someone that meant a lot to her." Joker theorized, Kaito shook his head.

"I don't think that's entirely it, I think Nanako-chan believed that SHE should be the one that died, not the person that did die." Kaito theorized.

As if to confirm his theory, Nanako's voice, granted a younger sounding one, echoed throughout the room.

"Dad told me Mom got hit by a car when she was coming to get me… Am…am I responsible for my mom dying? Why couldn't it have been me?" Nanako's voice said, sadness coating her words.

"Dang it… So, I WAS right…" Kaito said, cursing himself for guessing correctly.

No one knew what to say. Suddenly, a scream that was most likely Nanako's echoed throughout the room.

"Shit! We gonna hurry!" Skull said, running towards the door to the next room. The others got to the door, and Skull kicked it open.

The room was…an intersection? With…blood on the crosswalk and…an outline of a body, like in those police shows on TV.

And at the wall, cowering in fear, was Nanako Dojima.

"Nanako!" Kaito called out to the girl, Nanako looked in his direction, but Kaito could tell even from a distance that Nanako was out of it.

"H…HELP ME!?" Nanako shrieked as she got up and sprinted to the two groups, Kaito crouched down and Nanako hugged him, crying into the robot's shoulder.

"Hey, hey. It's ok. You're safe, Nanako-chan, you're safe." Kaito comforted the young girl, he looked up to Joker.

"Let's get out of here-" Kaito started, but he was cut off by a distorted but familiar voice.

"You all aren't going ANYWHERE." A younger Nanako with golden eyes said coldly, Kaito felt Nanako hug him tighter.

"What the?! T-there's another Nanako-chan?!" Mishima stammered out.

"That's Nanako's Shadow, but at the same time, it has nothing to do with Nanako." Thanatos explained, putting his hand on Nanako's head, trying to help comfort the girl.

"You all heard that thought, right?" Shadow Nanako asked the P.D.H and the Phantom Thieves.

"Yeah, we heard it. But we know that Nanako doesn't think that anymore." Shiho said sternly.

"W-Wait, you all…?" Nanako tried to say, but Thanatos stopped her.

"Yes, but we know that you don't think that anymore. Your Shadow is literally chained to the event and that thought." Thanatos explained, Nanako nodded, stopped hugging Kaito, and slowly got up, and turned to face her Shadow.

"Look, I know that you're hurting, but you have to STOP. So WHAT if I thought that once upon a time, I don't now. So please, just stop it!" Nanako pleaded with her Shadow again, her Shadow just laughed.

"So, you'll still deny the truth then, huh? FINE!" Shadow Nanako spat, a dark red vortex of some sort forming under her.

"Damn it, she's not letting us go without a fight. Get ready!" Joker said.

"I'll just have to KILL them so you'll listen to me!?" Shadow Nanako shouted as she was consumed by the vortex.

"Here she comes!" Arsene said, the vortex exploded, Kaito heard his teammates gasp in shock as they were sent flying.

"Mamori-senpai, I'm scared." Nanako said, startling Kaito.

"It'll be ok, Nanako-chan. She'll have to go through ME if she wants you." Kaito said, Nanako smiled and nodded.

"Get behind us, Nanako-chan. We'll handle this." Thanatos said, Nanako did as the Persona said and went to her teammates.

"I am the Shadow, of your true, inner self. Hide your guilt as long as you like, little BRAT! Justice always prevails in the end, you should know that fact, other me!" Shadow Nanako said, Kaito was shocked at the form Shadow Nanako took on to fight them.

The Shadow's face was hidden by long, jet-black and unruly hair, and it was taller than Kaito, who was six foot two, Kaito guessed possibly the Shadow was around…six foot eight. It wore a blueish green suit of armor that looked like it was made from the same material from the Statue of Liberty, it carried a long, crooked sword with a blood-red blade, and its cape was a torn up, almost unrecognizable French flag. The only thing that made the Shadow's form look human was how the armor was defiantly made for a woman.

"Ok, normally I wouldn't hit a girl. BUT this is a special case." Kaito said as he drew his Anti-Shadow Weapon and Envoker.

"Smug little bastard!" Shadow Nanako spat as she swung at Kaito, Kaito yelped and jumped back, avoiding the blade by seconds.

"Tch. Amateur! You don't smack talk Shadows, unless you wanna die." Mona said mockingly, Kaito flinched at Mona's words and cursed himself for not thinking that through.

"Oracle, do you see any weak points?" Queen asked.

"No, not right now at least. It's possible that Nanako's cognition is blocking me, but I'm not sure how much of a role cognition plays here yet." Oracle said through Necronomicon.

Kaito WOULD ask what they meant by 'cognition' but he knew now wasn't the time.

Shadow Nanako charged at Kaito.

"Why is it going for me?!" Kaito yelped as he fell back, THEN IT HIT HIM.

"Wait! It must be targeting me because I said it would have to go through ME to get Nanako! Joker! Skull! Queen! Attack it now!" Kaito said, leading the Shadow away from his teammates.

"Roger, Johanna! Frei!" Queen said, summoning her Persona.

"On it! Captain Kidd! Zio!" Skull shouted, also summoning his Persona.

"Alright, Arsene! Eiha!" Joker said, summoning his Persona as well.

The three Persona's skills hit the Shadow at the same time, and it took the attacks like a champ, turning on its heel to face the three Phantom Thieves.

"DON'T INTERFERE!" Shadow Nanako shouted as it charged, swung, and sent the three flying.

"Guys!" Oracle shouted, Shadow Nanako looked up at Necronomicon.

"TAKE THIS!" The Shadow spat as it threw its sword at Necronomicon, hitting the Persona's gargoyle antenna.

"NO! The Shadow took out my scanner! We're blind!" Necronomicon hissed, upset at what she allowed to happen.

Shadow Nanako held it's hand up, it's blade reappearing in its hand.

"WHO'S NEXT?!" The Shadow seethed, none of the Phantom Thieves knew what to do.

"Damn it! It's smarter than it looks." Mona said sadly.

"Does anyone have any ideas?" Panther asked, helping her downed teammates up.

"I…I don't know…" Joker said, Kaito could tell his senpai was at a loss. Kaito KNEW he had to do something, but WHAT…

"AHEM! You have something they don't, remember?" Thanatos said, as if on cue, more words popped into Kaito's head. 'Zan', 'Aqua', and 'Magna'.

"Zan is Almighty, Aqua is Water, and Magna is Earth. Almighty spells are ONLY ineffective by dodging. And yes, these are WEAK skills in each of their classes, 'Door of Hades', 'Earth Shaker', and 'Traverse' are the ONLY powerful skills you're getting right off the bat. NO MORE, NO LESS!" Thanatos explained, Kaito nodded and readied his Envoker.

"What are you going to do?! SHOOT ME?!" Shadow Nanako spat, Kaito smirked.

"No, but you are gonna… Yeah, forget it, I can't come up with something clever… Just eat this." Kaito said blandly, making a mental note to come up with some clever sayings for situations like this.

"Thanatos, Zan!" Kaito shouted, pulling the trigger. Shadow Nanako became obscured in bright light-blue light, it dissipated and the Shadow didn't look hurt at all.

"…YOU LIED TO ME, THANATOS!?" Kaito spat as Shadow Nanako charged at him, shouldering him, and sent him flying.

Kaito hit the wall, HARD.

"Ow…" Kaito seethed out, he looked up and saw Shadow Nanako charging at him again.

"Guys! Get Nanako-chan to safety!" Kaito shouted to his team.

"W-What! But what about you?!" Mishima shouted back, Shadow Nanako was almost on top of him, its sword aimed right for Kaito's neck.

"Don't worry about me! Now GO! That's an order!" Kaito shouted back angrily, ready to give up his own life for the sake of others.

Kaito closed his eyes, waiting for the blade to connect.

Nanako's POV

Nanako couldn't believe it, Kaito Mamori, someone who she literally JUST met, was going to sacrifice himself so she could get to safety… But this was HER hidden self, so it was essentially HER that was trying to kill someone.

Nanako was NOT down for that.

"STOP!" Nanako shouted at her Shadow, it stopped right before its sword hit Kaito's neck.

"What do YOU want, you little Bitch?! Can't you see that I'm BUSY!?" Her Shadow spat at her, clearly annoyed.

Two could play at this game.

"Would Mom want us to kill someone? Would Dad?! Would Big Bro?! NO! They. Would. NOT! So, stop using her death and my emotions as an excuse to hurt and kill!" Nanako shot back, her Shadow started…glitching out?

"What the?" Nanako said, confused at what her Shadow was doing.

"ARGH!? YOU BITCH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" Her Shadow said, stumbling back in pain.

Was the glitching hurting it?

Nanako looked over at the Phantom Thieves, and they looked confused as well.

"What in the world?" Suzui-senpai said, she and the other members of the Personal Demon Hunters were probably confused as well.

Kaito's POV

Kaito slowly opened his eyes, and was shocked to see Shadow Nanako, who was glitching out and obviously in pain, backing up from him.

Kaito DID hear Nanako-chan chew her Shadow out, but he didn't expect THIS to happen.

"HELLO?! Are you waiting for an invitation? Attack!" Thanatos spat, Kaito jumped to his feet and readied his Envoker.

"Ok, Almighty did SQUAT. So, how about Earth?" Kaito thought out his plan of attack, if Earth didn't do anything, he would switch to Water.

"Thanatos, Magna!" Kaito shouted, pulling the Envoker's trigger.

A bunch of small rocks flew at Shadow Nanako, it started swatting at them like flies, but other than that nothing happened.

"You're hurting her slowly, but if you're looking for a violent reaction, then you're not going to get one with a person's Shadow." Thanatos said sternly, Kaito didn't believe his Persona and readied his Envoker again.

"Thanatos, Aqua!" Kaito shouted, a weak blast of water fired out of Excalibur, Kaito's Anti-Shadow Weapon, and Shadow Nanako screeched and fell over when the water connected with it.

"HUH?! That hasn't happened since 2011! How and why do people's Shadow's have weaknesses again?" Thanatos said, just as shocked as Kaito was that anything volatile happened.

"Well, THAT'S new!" Oracle said, was this a new experience for the Phantom Thieves as well?

"Hm… Interesting…" Necronomicon said intrigued.

"Nice work, Kaito-kun! Now, follow our lead." Joker said as he, Skull, and Queen ran over and pointed their guns at the downed Shadow. Skull had a model shotgun and Queen had a model revolver, Joker obviously had a model pistol, Kaito thanked Iwai for letting him help out in the former yakuza's shop, so Kaito could tell models from the real deal, no matter how realistic the model was.

Kaito joined them and pointed Excalibur at the downed Shadow as well.

"Smug bastards and bitches…" Shadow Nanako said, glaring at Kaito in particular.

"What! How are WE the smug ones? You're the one that got the jump on US!" Kaito spat, glaring at the Shadow.

"She won't listen to words right now, we need to beat her berserk form first, THEN she'll listen to us." Skull explained to Kaito.

"Now, time for an All-Out Attack! Kaito-kun, follow our lead!" Joker said. Joker, Skull, and Queen jumped into the air and shot off towards the Shadow, Kaito backed up and charged at the Shadow, readying a swing with Excalibur.

"EAT THIS!" Kaito shouted as he unleashed a flurry of slashes on Shadow Nanako, the Phantom Thieves landing blows in a quick succession, Kaito honestly couldn't tell who was who, he only saw blurs. Kaito jumped back, the Phantom Thieves that were with him were with him as well, Shadow Nanako got up, its armor covered with cuts and dents.

"Heh…heh…smug little shits…you all just got lucky…" Shadow Nanako seethed, Kaito could tell it was PISSED. The Shadow was still glitching out, Kaito didn't know why it even started glitching out in the first place.

"Are you done?" Kaito was shocked when Nanako said that AND started walking over to her Shadow.

"Nanako-chan! What on earth are you doing?!" Kaito shouted at Nanako, did she have a death wish?!

Nanako's POV

Nanako knew exactly what she was doing.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I chained you to this hellscape, I know how much you're hurting. You're me and I'm you, after all. But you have to STOP, nothing we do can bring Mom back, all we can hope for is for Dad to get solid evidence against the person that killed her. Justice may take a while to happen, but it will ALWAYS prevail, either in this world or the next." Nanako told her Shadow, who actually seemed to be listening to her.

"…Do you really mean that…? Are you not pulling my chain? No pun intended." Her Shadow asked her, Nanako nodded.

"Yes, I mean that." Nanako said. Her Shadow changed back to her 6 or 7-year-old self.

"Fine. Your right…" Shadow Nanako said in a huff, she held up her leg, pointing out the chain.

"Sorry for being rude. But GET THIS EFFING CHAIN OFF ME!?" Shadow Nanako said angrily, Nanako would…BUT she didn't know how to.

"Um… I don't know how." Nanako said, hoping her Shadow didn't go crazy again. Nanako was shocked when a key popped into her hand.

"What in the?" Nanako didn't know how the key got in her hand, the key had a French flag for its head and the rest was blueish green like the armor her Shadow had on.

"Well, I know what to do from here." Nanako said, she walked over to her Shadow, and unlocked her Shadow's chains.

"FREE AT FUCKING LAST!?" Shadow Nanako shouted as she…started to fade away?

"Hey! What's happening to you?" Nanako asked her Shadow, her Shadow smirked at her happily.

"Don't worry, I'm just leaving this place with you! I AM you after all! Also, hold onto that key, you'll need it." Shadow Nanako said cheerfully as she fully faded away.

Nanako turned around to face her saviors…and fell over from sudden exhaustion.

"Nanako-chan!" Nanako heard Kaito say before she passed out.

Kaito's POV

Kaito grabbed Nanako before she hit the ground, the poor girl must have passed out from exhaustion from facing her Shadow.

"Ok, NOW let's get out of here. Before anything else crazy happens." Kaito said, everyone nodded in agreement.

"NANAKO!" The Detective shouted as he hugged his daughter, both of them crying.

"DAD! I'm so sorry for worrying you!" Nanako said, the Detective shook his head.

"It's ok, Nanako. I'm just glad you're ok." The Detective said, he looked over at the P.D.H. members that saved his daughter.

"Thank you, all of you." The Detective said, bowing to them.

"No, thank YOU for telling us about Nanako." Kaito said, bowing to the Detective, his teammates followed suit soon after.

"BUT it really was Nanako that saved herself to be honest, you should have seen her!" Mishima said, Nanako blushed a little.

"Well! Looks like my little girl isn't so timid anymore, huh?" The Detective said, a grin on his face, Nanako's face went cherry red.

"DAAAD! You're embarrassing me!" Nanako goofily said, a grin on her face as well.

"Ok, I think it's time for us to head home. See you later, Nanako-chan!" Kaito said, from there the P.D.H. split off and returned to their homes. Kaito couldn't stay up any longer and went straight to bed.

Nanako's POV

Nanako woke up in a…car?

"Huh? I know I fell asleep in my bed. Where am I?" Nanako said, the car felt nostalgic for some reason.

"AH! You're up!" Nanako fell over from shock at the young male voice's sudden introduction.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm new to this. Ahem. You're up." The young male said calmly, Nanako got up and saw a white boy about her age in a blue suit with a yellow tie, blue pants with yellow target-like symbols on the pockets, turquoise shoes, kind-of long light blonde hair, and yellow eyes like her Shadow.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. My Master and Older Sister are waiting for us to arrive at your fellow Wild-Card's Velvet Room. Before I introduce myself…" The young boy handed Nanako a contract and an old-fashioned feather pen.

"…Please sign your name on this contract. Don't worry by the way, it's fine. Trust me!" The young boy said cheerfully, Nanako took the young boy's word and signed her name on the contract and handed it and the pen back to the young boy.

"Thank you! My name is Max, I shall be your attendant for your stay in the Velvet Room. My Older Sister shall also assist you as will my Master, but I'll let them introduce themselves." Max said, Nanako felt the car picking up speed.

"My Master shall explain your role in the events to come." Max explained, Nanako nodded in understanding, curious as to who the other 'Wild-Card' was and what being a 'Wild-Card' meant.

Kaito's POV

Kaito woke up in the graveyard again.

"Igor! I was waiting until we spoke again! I have some…CHOICE WORDS for you." Kaito said through clenched teeth, Igor chuckled at Kaito's expense.

"Yes, I apologize for updating the app without informing you, for some reason outside of my control, you were blocked off from the Velvet Room." Igor explained, Kaito understood, but he was still mad.

"Ah! So, THIS is the guest you've been telling me about!" Kaito noticed a woman standing next to Igor's desk.

The woman had short white hair and yellow eyes. She wore a blue dress that resembled a stewardess' outfit with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue, knee-length boots. She was also carrying a large, blue book.

"Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. I am Elizabeth! I shall be your attendant for your stay in the Velvet Room." Elizabeth said cheerfully.

"Now, before we celebrate our reunion, we must wait for my other assistant to arrive with the other Wild-Card." Igor said, Kaito was slightly annoyed, but he waited for Nanako and Igor's other assistant to arrive.

"Uh…am I intruding?" Kaito nearly activated the jet boosters in his feet when Thanatos appeared at his side.

"Ah, Thanatos! Igor told me that Kaito could summon you already." Elizabeth cheerfully said to Thanatos.

"Oh! Hello Elizabeth, I thought you were done being an assistant to Igor." Thanatos said, Elizabeth slapped the Persona with the book she was carrying.

"OW! I was joking! Jeez!" Thanatos spat, rubbing the side of his face where Elizabeth wacked him.

Kaito heard a car pull up, he turned around and saw a young boy that looked related to Elizabeth and Nanako get out of the car.

"Mamori-senpai!? You're the other Wild-Card?!" Nanako spat, startled by his presence. Igor started chuckling again, directing Nanako's attention to him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Ms. Dojima. I am Igor, the master of this place. This realm exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Don't worry, you both are fast asleep in the real world. You have meet Max, I trust?" Igor said to Nanako, the young boy that must have been Max ran over to Igor and handed him a contract. Igor chuckled again.

"So, you have signed your contract. Excellent!" Igor said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Elizabeth! I shall also assist you for your stay in the Velvet Room." Elizabeth introduced herself to Nanako, bowing to her, Max walked up to Kaito.

"I'm Max. As my Older Sister has said, I shall also assist you for your stay in the Velvet Room." Max politely said to Kaito, accompanied with a bow.

"It's nice to meet you Max! Igor probably told you my name already, but I'm Kaito Mamori, I'll try to not be a bad guest." Kaito said to Max, bowing as well.

"Now, onto the reason I summoned you two here tonight." Igor said, directing the two Wild-Cards attention.

"I summoned you both here so you both could meet Elizabeth and Max but to also enlighten Ms. Dojima on her duties as a Wild-Card." Igor explained, Nanako nodded in understanding.

"You might want to sit down Nanako-chan." Kaito told Nanako. Nanako sat down on a bench.

"As the TRUE Wild-Card of your group, you have access to infinite possibilities within you, and can use multiple Persona's. Unlike Kaito, who has finite possibilities but can use more Persona's than you and use multiple Persona's at one time. You two MUST bond with others that have your gift and share your mindsets if you wish to stop the crisis ahead." Igor explained, Kaito was kind-of scared, he didn't receive this information before.

"Wait, crisis? What crisis?" Nanako asked Igor, Igor sighed and closed his eyes.

"I…cannot tell you both more than that, I'm afraid." Igor said sadly.

"Huh? Wait a minute, why are you being cryptic again?" Kaito asked Igor, Kaito and Nanako gasped when Igor stood up and walked over to them.

"I apologize, my guests. But I cannot say anymore than I already have, I am truly sorry." Igor said, bowing to the two.

"Igor?" Elizabeth asked Igor, was this not usual?

"Master? What's wrong?" Max asked Igor, the old man patted the boy's head and returned to his seat.

"That is all for tonight, here's the key to the Velvet Room." Igor said, why was Igor acting like this?

Kaito felt something in his pocket, he looked over at Nanako and the little girl had another key in her hand.

Kaito was about to ask Igor what was wrong when the Velvet Room faded away and he lost consciousness.