Persona Chaos Butterfly

by Sea of Soul

Co-written with Ohta-Suzuke. P3FES/P3P and P4/P4G x-over. After a personal tragedy, Souji's life is turned upside down when he meets up with two long lost friends and the Dark Hour returns. Now, together with the other Wild Cards, SEES and the Investigation Team, they must get to the bottom of this mystery. Feedback is appreciatted. It's tough work, ya know.

5. Chapter 5: Dog gone Search

Hello! How ya guys doing? I hope you're doing well. I'm taking my time with this story. Editing, updating, correcting stuff as we go. These chapters have a lot of details and information on it. They take quite a while to be complete.

Speaking of wich I want you guys' sincere opinion. Are these chapters too long? Would you like me to make them shorter? I mean, in my DeviantArt page I split a chapter into smaller bits due size limitations. Please, this feedback means a lot to me.

A few warnings: (Yes, I put those before every chapter to avoid issues)

-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings(in later chapters): JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are afterall the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)

Have fun ya guys. On with the show!

---

Chapter 5: Dog-gone search.

Amagi Inn, late at night…

Shinjiro was awake, looking out the window. He woke up after having another dream about the unknown girl. This time she was with him and Akihiko at Hakagure, eating ramen together and having an overall good time. With a sigh he glanced at the others. They were fast asleep; or so he thought.

"Still awake? Man, don't you ever get any sleep?" Akihiko asked as he sat next to Shinjiro.

"Actually, I've got more sleep these past days than in years," Shinjiro said, looking at Minato who slept soundly a few feet away from them. "But he seems to need to catch up with his sleep."

"Guess being a seal is tiresome, huh?" Akihiko said in a jokingly manner. "You know… he's changed. And so did you."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it. Minato was usually quiet, reserved and not one to express his emotions." Akihiko started. "But now he looks more talkative, more expressive. As for you…" He glanced at his friend with a smirk. "Well, you still look and act a bit like a jerk, but now you're more like how you used to be when we started SEES with Mitsuru."

Shinjiro glared playfully at Akihiko and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah, right…" He sighed and looked back out the window. "I do feel different, though… About Minato, it's just a guess, but it's probably because of having Souji around."

"Got a point there. Souji is the closest person to a family he still has…" Akihiko said, deep in thought. "They act a lot alike. I wonder if it's got anything to do with their Wild Card ability."

"I doubt it." Shinjiro said.

"And what makes you be so sure about it?" Akihiko asked.

Shinjiro was silent at first, reflecting about the mysterious girl from his dreams. "Because the other Wild Card doesn't act like them that much," he finally replied.

"What? You mean you know who she is?" Akihiko blinked surprised.

Shinjiro sighed. "Yes and no. Look, you're probably gonna think I'm crazy, but… do you remember a brown haired girl with red eyes that often walk Koromaru at the Naganaki Shrine with me? Or that went eat ramen with any of us at Hakagure?"

Akihiko gave his friend an odd look at first, but he suddenly recalled something. "You mean a girl with some barrettes in her hair and an MP3 player just like Minato's, only red?"

Now Shinjiro was the one surprised. "That's it!"

"No wonder I got a weird feeling about her…" Akihiko stated, crossing his arms.

"Huh? You're saying you saw her? When?"

"Yesterday, after we left Nanako-chan at her place." Akihiko explained. "It all happened too fast. She simply appeared out of nowhere while we were heading back to the Inn. She just smiled at us and then walked away without another word. When we got here, I asked Mitsuru about it and she said she had a feeling she knew that girl, like she'd been at the dorm before..."

"The dorm? But only members from SEES could be there!" Shinjiro retorted.

"Don't I know that already? That's the weird part…" Akihiko frowned. "When I saw her, the first thing that came to my mind was seeing her hanging around the lounge chatting with everybody, even you. And you kinda looked like you enjoyed hanging out with her."

Shinjiro was silent. If what Akihiko said was true, it could explain his mixed feelings about the girl. But… if she was part of SEES, why they couldn't fully remember her? "Tch… The more I think about it, the more messed up things get." Shinjiro muttered, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Yeah, I know… At least we know she's here in Inaba so finding her and figuring out who she is shouldn't take long. Also, Minato and Souji seem to have an idea on who she might be," Akihiko pointed out, patting Shinjiro's back. "So, try not thinking too hard about it, Shinji."

"Whatever…" Shinjiro replied, but he was smirking a bit. It felt good talking with Akihiko about stuff without them arguing for a change. "By the way… How are things going with you and Mitsuru?"

Akihiko stared at him, wide-eyed. "Wha…?" He nearly shouted as his cheeks turned light red. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Aki. I can tell you two have gotten closer." Shinjiro let out a sly grin. "I always thought ya had a crush on her, ever since you guys met, but I never thought you'd get the guts to ask her out."

"S-Shut up!" Akihiko said really flustered. He looked around to make sure the others were fast asleep before looking at Shinjiro with a serious expression. "Tch… Fine! Fine! I admit! We've been going out for a while! Happy now?"

"Yes." Shinjiro snickered.

Akihiko glared at his friend. "Look, don't even think about telling this to anyone! Especially Junpei!" he hissed. "Mitsuru will have me executed if anyone finds out!"

"Man, you two are dating and she can still scare the shit out of you with her 'executions'?" Shinjiro smirked. "That's just priceless."

"Shut it, Shinji…" Akihiko muttered still blushing.

Shinjiro just chuckled, getting a kick out of teasing his friend. Akihiko glared at him, but the seriousness didn't last long, and the two friends chatted about trivial things until they fell asleep again.

---

Inside a room at a more secluded area of the Amagi Inn…

A certain auburn haired girl with red eyes watched the moonlit sky from her window while holding a rabbit plush toy with a worn out dog collar around its abdomen.

"What a pretty night…" She smiled. "This may be a small room, but it has a great view."

A sigh escaped her lips. "Who would've thought all that money from part time jobs and dungeon grinding would come in handy…" she whispered to herself. "It covered traveling and inn expenses just fine, but it feels kinda lonely here…"

She cuddled her plushy closer to her chest. "I wonder what Aniki and the others are dreaming about… I bet it's something nice." She giggled. "Banchou-kun must be dreaming about his friends here. Aniki and Yukari-chan must be dreaming about each other... Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai too. Junpei-kun is either dreaming about Chidori or ramen…typical Junpei-kun," she grinned. "Fuuka-chan might be dreaming about creating a super computer device… Ken-kun is certainly dreaming about Phoenix Ranger Featherman R! Aigis and Metis… that's tricky, but maybe they're dreaming about their new life together… Koro-chan is probably dreaming about the shrine back home and Shinjiro-senpai…." She stopped for a second as a faint blush crept up her cheeks. "Nah… He's probably dreaming about cooking or playing with Koro-chan…"

A huge yawn made it out of her mouth, teardrops forming at the edge of her eyes. "Maybe I'll dream about him tonight..." she mumbled, getting settled in her futon. "I should get some rest. It feels like tomorrow is gonna be quite a day."

As she succumbed to sleep, she smiled. "Good night, Aniki… Good night, Banchou-kun… Good night, Shinjiro-senpai…"

---

The next day, right after he had breakfast, Souji left Nanako at a friend's house and headed for the Amagi Inn. Yukiko had asked him to go see her at the inn before they met up with the others to go look for the unknown girl. Since he did long for some time with her, he had agreed.

As he walked, Souji tried to figure out the mystery of the Wild Card girl. There was something familiar about her. Both he and Minato felt that, but the only explanation he could come up with for that feeling seemed impossible. But then again, he had seen the impossible happening several times ever since he first came to Inaba, so he couldn't discard that theory for the time being.

As he arrived at the inn, Souji found Yukiko at the entrance wearing her trademark pink kimono. "Hey, Yukiko," he greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, Souji-kun, good morning." Yukiko smiled at him. "Thanks for coming."

"Anything for you. I really wanted to see you anyway." Souji smiled warmly before kissing her forehead.

Yukiko blushed madly. "You really like embarrassing me, huh?" she said before smiling. "But, that's one of the things I like about you… You're so nice to me…"

"I try." Souji grinned, rubbing his arm. He wasn't wearing a jacket today so the bandages were visible.

Yukiko frowned slightly at that. "How's your arm?"

"The cuts are healing slowly, but steady. My arm gets a bit sore every now and then though…" Souji replied studying his arm. "The doctors said it could happen because of the fracture, especially after I change environments."

"I see…" Yukiko said before she headed to a small cupboard behind the counter, looking over vases and bottles in search of something. "Please, sit down. I've got some medicine to help you."

Souji cocked his head to the side. He was confused, but did as he was told. Instead of taking a seat on the available cushions, he sat down on the open veranda facing the inn's Japanese garden.

Yukiko soon sat next to him holding some new bandages, a small bowl filled with water, a clean cloth, and a vial with some ointment. Yukiko's 'medicine' was really water from the inn's hot springs kept in a bottle mixed with several herbs from the garden. "Can you get the bandages off?" she asked softly as she dipped the cloth in the water.

"Sure…" Souji easily removed the bandages, gingerly placing them aside. He was glad the cuts didn't start bleeding again.

"This may sting a bit," Yukiko warned him. At Souji's nod, she gently started cleaning the cuts, being careful not to hurt him further. Carefully she then poured a bit the ointment on his arm, gently massaging it with almost a ritual sense in her movements.

Souji couldn't help but blush faintly as Yukiko finished bandaging his arm. "How exactly does this help, may I ask?" he asked, trying to disguise his blush by playing with his bandage.

"Don't mess with it," Yukiko scolded as she returned everything to the cupboard. "The ointment will take care of open wounds and the pain. Your body will heal itself."

"I see… Thanks, Yukiko." Souji said as Yukiko knelt down beside him again. "So, how are Aniki and his friends doing?"

"After we returned yesterday, Minato-san and his friends stayed up talking until really late," Yukiko replied. "They all sounded so happy together, especially Yukari-san. She must've missed him terribly these two years… I can't even imagine how she felt…" She looked at Souji, her eyes glistening. "If anything like that happened to you… I… I…"

Souji just held Yukiko close. "I know, Yukiko… I know…" he whispered. "I'm here now…"

The young couple had no idea how long they stayed like that, but they were suddenly brought back to reality when they heard Minato's voice. "Oh, Souji-kun, you're here already?"

Quickly they broke off the hug. "Oh, hi Aniki, Yukari-san…" Souji greeted, blushing as he and Yukiko got up. He noticed Yukari was next to Minato, holding hands with him.

Minato chuckled softly while Yukari giggled. "Be glad it was us who found you two, not Junpei. You wouldn't hear the end of it," Yukari said.

"Nah, it can't be worse than when Rise and the others found out about me and Yukiko dating." Souji rolled his eyes at the memory. The team had caught them kissing while they were resting after a training run at the TV World. Until then, their relationship had been secret to all their friends. Of course, before anyone could make a bigger fuss about it, Souji casted a really serious glare at them, almost bringing out one of his more intimidating Personas, making the others quickly drop the subject and made a break for the exit.

"Bet their reaction was priceless," Minato smirked.

"After Souji-kun scared them off, yes." Yukiko giggled, trying to suppress an incoming laughing fit.

"Figured as much." Minato chuckled. "Come on, it's almost time to go meet the others."

"O-Oh? Is it time already? Let me go get changed." Yukiko flustered as she left for her bedroom. She soon came back wearing her casual summer clothes. "Sorry for the wait."

"No worries. That was pretty quick. By the way, Yukiko-chan, don't you get tired of walking around in a kimono all day?" Yukari asked curious.

"Well, when you are raised to wear one, you get used to it." Yukiko replied. "Do you like to wear one, Yukari-san?"

"Please, just call me Yukari." Yukari replied. "And, yeah, I do, but only on special occasions."

Minato and Souji looked at each other, and then at the girls. "We don't mind you girls wearing kimonos at all." said Souji.

"Yeah, you should wear one more often," Minato added.

This earned both boys a swift smack on the head from the girls, which ended up in the four of them laughing.

---

The two groups gathered at Junes to discuss their next course of action. Souji and Minato described to their friends what the girl looked like and their run in with her at the Yasoinaba Station, without mentioning her behavior towards them and Shinjiro because of obvious reasons, and in return, Akihiko and the others told them about meeting the same girl after they left Nanako at the Dojima residence. Needless to say, they were all surprised at the girl's friendly attitude towards them all and her cheery disposition.

"Dude, this is really weird… I kinda had a 'Déjà vu' feeling when I saw her." Junpei scratched his head. "Like I knew her from somewhere, but couldn't figure out where."

"The plot thickens…" Souji said. "I don't think she could simply act the way she does if she weren't acquainted with you all."

"Then, this means that girl doesn't only have ties with me, Shinjiro-Senpai and Souji-kun, but to every member of SEES as well…" Minato said.

"I believe the fastest way to gather information about unusual sightings and the whereabouts of the Wild Card wielder would be splitting up in several parties and searching around town," Naoto stated.

"In that case, we should pair off in small groups and start exploring!" Teddie said, his eyes shining at the 'pair off' part.

At that moment, Souji, Yosuke and Kanji glared at Teddie, who sweatdropped. "What?" he said, looking at the three with naïveté.

"This ain't gonna be like the last Summer Festival, is it Teddie?" Kanji crossed his arms, looking at the blonde with a questioning glare.

Teddie, however, shook it off and continued to spill out his plan. "Friends reunited, emotions tied up, the memories of everyone's past...the atmosphere of love is upon us!"

The younger group just shook their heads, some of them face-palming. Minato and his friends, however, looked at each other, amusement appearing on each of their faces. "Hey, is he like this all the time?" Junpei asked.

"Sadly, yes…" Yosuke answered with a sigh.

"At any rate, he does have a point. If we split up we'll have a better chance of uncovering anything." Mitsuru said.

Everyone looked at each other. After much discussion, and plans to meet at Aiya Diner later and then heading for the TV World for some training, everyone went off in their own little groups: Rise and Teddie went with Aigis, Metis, Koromaru and Ken; Yosuke and Chie went with Fuuka and Junpei, while Kanji and Naoto headed off with Mitsuru, Akihiko and Shinjiro. That left Minato and Yukari, as well as Souji and Yukiko.

"Am I the only one that thinks they paired us up on purpose?" Minato asked, amused at their current situation.

"Personally, I don't mind." Souji smiled. "While we search for clues we can also talk."

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Yukiko said looking at Minato and Yukari. "I'm interested in hearing about you two."

At this, both Minato and Yukari blushed a bit. "Well…" Yukari started "It would be nice to hear about you two as well."

Souji and Yukiko immediately turned the same shade of red as the other two. Talking and laughing, the four of them started to head to the Shopping District for their search.

---

In front of Junes...

"Ken-kun, you are just too cute!" Rise's outburst of energy brought a smile to Teddie, Aigis and Metis' face, and a bright shade of red to Ken's. "You're sooooo mature for your age, not like someone ELSEI know," Rise gave a playful glare to Teddie.

"Aw, c'mon Rise-chan, Teddie can be really mature too!" Teddie said trying to use his sparkly charm.

"Oh sure, like when you try to compete with Kanji-kun on who eats more Topsicles?" Rise said mischievously.

"W-Well, it was a challenge!" Teddie said in self defense. "Real men don't back away from a challenge! That was what Yosuke told me anyway…"

The duo's hyper attitude brought a smile to everybody's face, but for some reason, Metis seemed uncomfortable, constantly adjusting the red summer dress Yukari had given her as well as playing around with the red ribbon that now adorned her visor.

Trying to stop blushing from Rise's praising, Ken glanced at Metis and noticed her troubled look. "Metis-san, you're okay? You've been quiet this whole time…"

Everybody turned their glance to the younger android who looked down, trying to think on her words. "I… I never apologized to you or the others, did I, Ken-san?"

"Apologize? For what?" Ken asked confused.

"For what I did when I first met you and all of my sister's friends… I was really… mean to you all…" Metis replied. "And now, you all treat me so nicely… Fuuka-san and Mitsuru-san talk with me about all sort of stuff, trying to teach me about anything I ask, Yukari-san gave me this pretty dress and the ribbon; Akihiko-san and Junpei-san talk to me like I had always been part of the group, you and Koromaru-san are also really nice with me..."

Ken was silent at first. "Well, you really gave us quite a scare back then, but we weren't exactly nice with you either," he finally replied. "You gave us a reason to distrust you, but we also gave you a reason to dislike us. In the end, we realized you weren't a bad person, like you realized we weren't bad either."

Metis was surprised at his answer. Ken continued. "I'm not exactly the best person to say this, but you simply acted like a lost child that was trying to protect what mattered the most to you, that being Aigis-san. Thinking back on it, your actions did protect her."

"Really?" Metis asked looking at Aigis. "Is that true, Sister?"

"What Ken-san said is true. Recalling the incident, you reminded me of several things that meant a lot to me and that I had forgotten." Aigis stated. "In a way, your actions did prevent my death, the death of my heart, to be more exact."

Metis was in disbelief. "Even after all the trouble I cause to you and your friends?"

"Everything pretty much started from a misunderstanding. I made that mistake with Shinjiro-san as well and he forgave me for that." Ken smiled. "I think Akihiko-san and the others would agree with me when I say that we all have already forgiven you for what happened that day."

Koromaru barked in agreement making Metis look at him surprised. "H-Huh? Are you sure about that Koromaru-san? You're saying that you agree with Ken-san and that I shouldn't refer to you and the others as my sister's friends, but myfriends because that's what you are?"

Koromaru nodded and panted excitedly as if saying that Metis was right. "See? Koro-chan agrees with me, so you don't need to worry about that, Metis-san." Ken smiled. "We're friends now, right?"

Metis smiled and nodded. "Right! Thanks, Ken-san, Koromaru-san!" She knelt down and hugged both, feeling really happy. Koromaru simply enjoyed the affection while Ken blushed deeply at the close contact.

Aigis. Rise and Teddie smiled at that. "Wow, Metis-chan understands Koro-chan just like Ai-chan does!" Teddie was amazed. "You two are really smart!"

"Of course they're smart, silly. They're sisters," Rise said before turning to Metis. "If you ever need any help about clothes or anything else, Metis, you can ask me. I have some outfits that will look sooooo cute on you!"

Metis smiled and nodded. "I'll remember that, Rise-san. Thank you."

The group continued to socialize until they had to meet up with the others.

---

Shopping District, North Area…

"I see… Thank you for the information, Yakushiji-san." Naoto was talking on her cell phone with the secretary of the Shirogane Estate. "Please, only tell my grandpa this information if he questions about it. I don't want to concern him with this for now. I understand….I'll be careful. Thank you."

Naoto hung up and looked at the others. "According to Yakushiji-san, there are many sightings of ghosts and spirits at the Shirogane Estate at night," she stated, her usual hat pulled down in front of her dark blue eyes. "But that would be because we try and bury our deceased family members somewhere on the grounds whenever possible, to keep them closer to home."

"Your grandpa knows about this?" Kanji asked.

"He's currently on a trip as his detective services were required in another city so he doesn't know about it at the moment," Naoto replied. "Of course, when he returns, he'll most likely notice this strange phenomenon."

"Don't worry about it. With you and Senpai around we'll get to the bottom of this case in no time so ya don't have to worry him," Kanji grinned yet showing a faint blush on his cheeks. "If any detective can solve this, that's you, Naoto."

Naoto was surprised at Kanji's confidence in her. Sure, after Souji left Inaba she hung out a lot with the taller teen who started acting less shy towards her, but she wasn't used to be praised like that, let alone by him.

"So you work as a detective, yes?" Mitsuru was interested in Naoto's situation. "It's connected to your family too? I guess with have something in common." Naoto looked up to see Mitsuru giving back a warm smile.

"Detective, huh? I'm hoping to become one too, someday," added Akihiko. Naoto looked up at him with a bit of red in her face.

"Naoto knows a lot about tinkering with mechanical stuff too." Kanji said to Naoto's surprise. "She once whipped up a little robot with a secret spot inside to store candy for Nanako-chan. It even got a detective badge on it that flashes!"

"K-Kanji-kun..!" Naoto stuttered, looking particularly cute with her red face. She continued to pull down her hat over her eyes; she still wasn't the most social one.

"There is no need to be shy about your skills, Shirogane," said Shinjiro.

Naoto looked up at the beanie wearing teen, rather surprised. "If ya got a talent that helps people or make them happy, you should be proud of it, no matter what it is." Shinjiro also gave her a reassuring nod. Akihiko, Mitsuru and Kanji nodded as well.

Naoto began to warm up, and asked each of them to tell her and Kanji more about themselves. So for the next hour, the four of them did just that. And for the first time in a while, Naoto smiled.

---

Samegawa Flood Plain…

"W-Whoa, check that out!" Chie shouted pointing at the riverbed.

Yosuke, Junpei and Fuuka did so and were surprised to see the shadowy glimpses floating above the Samegawa River.

Junpei was in awe. "Whoa, what are those?"

"I think they're water spirits." Fuuka replied. "It's almost like they're playing with the fishes that made a home in this river."

"Man, it's just like what Souji said…" Yosuke said. "But why are those things appearing here if something is happening on the other side?"

"The concept of nature spirits and ghosts were originally created by humans to try to explain strange and mysterious phenomena they couldn't explain through logical thought, Yosuke-kun." Fuuka explained. "You said that other side represents a collective of mankind's heart and mind so this disturbance on the other side might have to do with why these supernatural things are manifesting in our world."

"So, that could be the reason why our Personas are based on beings from myths and legends?" Chie asked, looking at Yosuke for reassurance who nodded in agreement.

"I think so, Chie-chan." Fuuka replied. "A Persona is a side of your personality and since myths and legends are created by human thoughts, it does make sense they would take such forms."

"Speaking of which, you guys said that you had to accept your Shadows to get your Personas, right?" Junpei asked. "What was that like?"

"Not a pleasant experience that's for sure." Yosuke forced a laugh. "Long story short, ya need to accept the darkest side of your personality that took form of a Shadow and that isn't easy. It also usually leaves you pretty drained afterwards."

"Kinda reminds me of the first time I used my Evoker," Junpei said. "It scared the hell outta me and I was beat after that. That reminds me, when I was holding it, I kept thinking. 'I gotta stop being a kid so I can really be a hero and do something important!' and stuff like that. Maybe that's why we can summon our Persona when we use those."

"The method differs, but the outcome ends up the same then." Chie pointed out. "But I still think you guys' method is still harsher than ours."

"Ya get used to it eventually, but it is nutty." Junpei shrugged. "Whatcha gonna do?"

The four chuckled at that and resumed talking as they walked along the flood plain.

---

Shopping District, near the Bus Stop…

Minato's group walked down the street talking about trivial things when they heard two male voices.

"Yo, it's Souji!" the first one said.

"For real? Nice!" came the latter.

The four turned around and Souji smiled. Before them were the grinning faces of Kou Ichijo and Daisuke Nagase, Souji's friends from the basketball and soccer teams respectively.

"Whoah! Dude, you never told us you were coming back so soon!" Daisuke was at his side instantly, slapping his back enthusiastically in greeting.

"Hey! Don't knock him over, you lug!" Kou shoved the soccer player away, and Souji could only grin at their antics. How he missed these two idiots.

"To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting to be back so soon, but stuff happened," Souji shrugged, not bothering to go into the details. "And here I am."

"I see…" Kou contemplated to pry, but now wasn't the time. He looked at Yukari and Minato. "Oh, hi there, I'm Kou Ichijo. Lumpy here is Daisuke."

"Daisuke Nagase. Nice to meet ya." Daisuke said. "You two are Souji and Yukiko's friends?"

"I'm Minato Arisato and this is Yukari Takeba," Minato replied while Yukari nodded with a smile. "And while I met Yukiko-san recently, Souji-kun and I go way back."

"That's pretty cool, man!" Daisuke grinned. "You're like Kou and me!"

Minato sweatdropped at the comparison, but couldn't agree more.

"So Souji, are you coming back to the basketball team for this season?" Kou asked.

The silverette shrugged again, he hadn't really decided on anything. "I don't know yet; I'm still getting settled."

"That's cool. The season doesn't start for another two weeks after school starts, so take your time," Kou said.

Souji nodded. "Sounds good." He was about to make a joke about Daisuke, but realized immediately that whatever was going on was serious when Daisuke nudged his friend to start him into talking.

"Hey, Souji. I know that you have a sharp sense when it comes to weird things, so you're the only one I can go to," Kou started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Remember when we went to that fancy school in Port Island last year? You kept saying you had an odd feeling about that place, like something serious had gone down there," Daisuke said. "Kou and I did some research and it turned out there were several cases of a strange illness that hit there around three years ago. People called it 'Apathy Syndrome'. And they were pretty much like the cases of illness caused by that funky fog covering Inaba back in December last year. There was also a freaky cult about the end of the world going on too, and according to the site we found, there were too many similarities for it to be a coincidence."

"Must be the same paranormal site Junpei showed us," Yukari supplied, before looking at Minato. "He found a site that was gathering information about strange events: People falling ill suddenly, rumors spreading around about the end of the world, and the increase in fog. That's what gave Mitsuru-senpai the idea to come to Inaba this summer to get more information about it."

"So that's how you guys came to know about the Midnight Channel?" Souji asked which Yukari nodded in response.

"It is similar to the Dark Hour when ya think about it." Minato stated before looking at Kou and Daisuke, who looked confused. "Yukari and I, as well as a group of friends, have some sort of connection to the events you researched about, so we are aware of what you're talking about."

"Well, in that case ya might be able to help us too, man." Kou said. He turned to Souji again. "You were involved with what went down here last year, weren't you? You know most of the people who disappeared for up to a week, or had some kind of interaction with the ones that were killed. I started putting it together when your cousin, Nanako-chan, went missing." This drew alarmed looks from both Yukiko and Souji as well as concerned ones from Minato and Yukari. Kou raised his hands to forestall anything they were about to say. "But then, the murders and disappearances stopped, and everyone was ok, so I didn't bother to say anything."

"So, if you figured out that we were connected with the case, what's stopping anyone else from doing the same?" Yukiko asked worried.

Daisuke held up his hands, shaking his head. "Because only Kou and I knew all of you as a group. Since Souji and Yosuke both came from the city it was only natural they became fast friends. You and Chie have been best friends since you were kids, and were in the same class; so of course you'd know each other. Kanji Tatsumi is seen as a thug turning his life around by taking you – " the soccer player pointed in Souji's direction "– as a mentor or role model figure."

"Rise Kujikawa lives with her grandma above the tofu shop which is close to the Tatsumis' Textile shop at the shopping district, and it's a place where people go often, not to mention she's taken quite a liking to you. Your friend Teddie lives with Yosuke and works at Junes, a place you guys hang out usually. Naoto Shirogane knows you through your uncle, Detective Dojima," Kou added, continuing where Daisuke left off. "But because you've become so popular at school, with all the clubs you joined last year, all the part time jobs you took and the fact you're a genius to boot, well, all the connections leading to Souji seemed coincidental at best."

Daisuke shrugged. "You don't have to say anything about the case if you don't want to. You're our pal so we know you're not doing anything nasty."

"Thanks, guys." Souji smiled weakly, relieved. "I don't think I have the words to explain what happened, and I don't think you'd believe me even if I tried."

"No problem." Kou smiled back at Souji. "Ok, since we went off tangent, I haven't told you yet."

"Uh, told me what?" Souji asked.

"I'm not sure if you've heard anything yet, but I've been seeing some pretty weird things around the Ichijo Estate. It's kind of cool, but still weird." Kou sighed heavily. "My family has been in Inaba for a long time, for generations, so the estate we live in is old; some of the trees in the back gardens have been there, untouched, for at least a few hundred years, probably more. Well, it's only been in the last day or two, but at night, I've been seeing some lights. They look like floating balls of white fire, drifting around without a breeze."

"He even brought me by last night to check and I saw them too. It freaked the shit out of me!" Daisuke cut in.

Kou rolled his eyes at that. "Thanks for pointing out that extra detail, numbskull."

"Anytime," Daisuke grinned.

"Anyway, I've also seen some shadowy figures in the koi ponds, when nothing's there," Kou continued looking at the group.

Souji tapped his right index finger on his chin as he thought of Igor's warnings and Yukiko's story about the mysterious lights at the Inn. This was another sign. He looked at Minato who nodded in agreement.

"It's the supernatural. Ghost lights and spirits. The walls between our world and the other world are being damaged, affecting both. This is bad." Minato started looking serious. "It is probably related to what happened in Port Island three years ago and the incidents in Inaba last year."

Neither Kou nor Daisuke responded right away, a little stunned. They certainly hadn't expected this!

"I need you guys to please keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. I've been warned that this could escalate from the harmless ghost lights to something worse. I just don't know what yet." Souji knew he was taking a huge risk by telling his fellow athletes even this much of the truth, but since they had come to him in the first place, he was willing to take that risk.

With a frustrated sigh, Kou rubbed at his eyes. "Dude, this is some heavy shit you're involved in now."

Souji grinned at that. "Heh, you're telling me."

"Why?" Daisuke asked.

Yukari blinked at him. "Huh? Why what?"

"Why you guys? No offense, but what's so special about you guys?"

Souji took a few moments to collect his words to answer. "We have found our true selves, and sought out the truth from the very beginning, overcoming all the obstacles in our path. We freed ourselves from the fog of deceit and ignorance, seeking that truth, and not even gods could stop us."

Yukiko smiled weakly at his carefully chosen words, appreciating the subtlety that gave the athletes across from them no details of the hardships they endured. With one hand, she gently squeezed the silver-haired teen's hand. Minato and Yukari also smiled as that could also be said about the hardships they and the rest of SEES had gone through.

"That was smooth, my friend," Kou said with a grin. "You didn't say a word of a lie, but you didn't give us anything, either. Okay, I won't ask again, until you're ready to tell us."

"We're gonna trust you on that one." Daisuke added.

"Thanks, guys." Souji gave them a grateful smile.

"Oh, by the way, Yukiko-san, how is Chie-san doing?" Kou asked. "She's still training with Yosuke in the afternoons?"

"Chie? Oh, she's doing fine, and yes, she and Yosuke-kun train together nearly every day," Yukiko replied.

"I see…" the basketball player said.

Souji looked at Kou, concerned as he recalled his crush on Chie last year. Seeing that, Kou grinned at Souji. "It's cool, man."

"Hey, we gotta jet. Kou and I are supposed to meet up with Ai and Yumi for some movies in Okina." Daisuke interjected. "They call it a…what was that? Oh yeah, a double date!"

"Yumi and Ai?" Souji grinned. "You guys are going out with them?"

"Nice going, you doofus!" Kou blushed, smacking Daisuke. "Ya had to say that?"

"What? It's true." Daisuke shrugged before looking at Souji. "After ya left, Kou decided to apply for the Student Council with Yumi. From that, they started becoming good friends. As for me and Ai, we started talking one day when I decided to help them put away the balls after basketball practice and she turned out to be a really nice girl. She and Yumi are good friends along with Ayane. In fact, she and Naoki were gonna join us, but she had band practice and he had to help at his parent's liquor shop. That guy is really trying hard to help out his folks, so we stop by to check on him every now and then. He and Ayane are really hard workers so it's no wonder they got a lot close."

"Okay, enough with the love life bulletin, man." Kou's face was a deep shade of red. "If Yumi-san or the others find out that you blurted the whole thing, we're so in trouble. But then again, they'll be happy to know Souji's back to town. We should go eat at Aiya's some other time to celebrate."

"That'd be great." Souji smiled. "You guys have fun and give my regards to Ai and Yumi."

"Sure thing, man. We'll see you around." Daisuke grinned.

"Basketball team this year; think about it!" Kou said and then they were gone, leaving the four alone.

"Quite a duo they are," Yukari said amused.

Minato smiled a bit. "Kinda reminds me of Kenji and Kazushi."

"I guess, but I sure didn't see that coming…" Souji said still soaking up all the details regarding that conversation.

"I know," Minato said noticing the seriousness on Souji's face.

"Do you think anyone else has made the connections?" Yukiko asked softly, glancing sideways in Souji's direction.

Souji could only shrug. "Dunno. My Uncle Dojima already had his suspicions; kept trying to interrogate me every so often, but after we saved Nanako-chan, I think he stopped caring."

"Go figure." Minato said. "Well, at least we got more information."

"Which reminds me..." Souji looked at Yukiko. "Since when did Yosuke and Chie start training together?"

Yukiko giggled; "I was gonna tell you that. After you left, Chie was kinda upset she had no one to train with. Me, Rise-chan and Naoto-kun tried to help, but it's too hard for us to keep up with her. Kanji-kun and Teddie tried too, but after a few times, they were too scared to spar with her anymore," she explained. "So, Yosuke-kun offered to train with her. He said it was a good way to get rid of boredom and with his knifes sheathed he could fight without having to worry about hurting Chie. In turn, Chie helps him out at Junes whenever she can, but I personally think they are both enjoying each others' company."

"Are those two going out?" asked Yukari.

"No, they are just good friends, but after this, who knows," replied Souji, trying hard to suppress a grin, and failing miserably. "Gotta talk with Yosuke about that later."

Yukiko pounced on that. "I KNEW you wanted the two of them to be closer! Why did you never tell me?" Yukiko pretended to pout.

"Because, then you would tell them, and my secret matchmaking plan would be ruined," Souji teased back and proceeded to pick Yukiko from behind and lightly swing her around in circles.

"Souji-kun, stop it or I'll get sick!" Yukiko giggled. Souji's hold was tickling her mid-section.

"Sorry, sorry," Souji put her back on the ground and stood back a little.

Not too soon, Yukiko ran back at him and circled her arms around him. "I never said you could stop holding me," she said with a bit of embarrassment, making Souji smile.

Minato and Yukari looked on, both with smiles on their faces. Minato turned to Yukari. "Hey, was I ever like that?"

"No, you were quiet and just held me," Yukari replied with a fake angry voice. "But..." she said with a blush, "I liked it."

With that being said, Minato pulled Yukari into a warm hug. "Like this?" he asked before kissing her cheek.

Yukari blushed and nodded. "Yeah… Just like that. Don't ever let go, okay?"

---

Around noon, the two groups were gathered in front of the Aiya Diner. The sun was high and their stomachs were growling. They made a quick stop at Daidara's for a while to check out any new weapons the old man had forged.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." Chie said, her stomach easily growling the loudest.

Yosuke smiled and turned to her. "Me too. How about a beef bowl, Chie? My treat."

She was surprised by his kind offer, but accepted it with a smile. Souji and Yukiko exchanged secret smiles.

The lunch crowd was starting to subside, and the Persona users waited outside for a while so that they all could fit inside.

"Well, let's get something to eat and discuss what we uncovered around town." Minato said, browsing the menu mounted beside the restaurant entrance. "I think I'll stick to ramen. I hadn't had that in a while."

"In that case, you'll enjoy Aiya's ramen, Minato-senpai," Naoto said. "It's a bit spicy, but it tastes really good."

"Alright, let's get in." Junpei said after he poked his head in and saw that there were enough seats for everybody. He was about to step inside when he noticed Koromaru sitting on his hind legs, whimpering and looking rather sad. "What's wrong, boy?"

Rise suddenly realized what was wrong. "Oops…Dogs are not allowed in the restaurant…" She gave Koromaru an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Koro-chan. I completely forgot about that."

The rest of the group exchanged awkward glances. Koromaru barked a few times. "He's saying he's used to that so don't be sorry for that,'" Aigis translated.

"What should we do?" Teddie asked.

"I can't allow dogs in my restaurant, but I can cook something special for your little friend." A rather elderly man with glasses and a moustache said, walking out of the restaurant. It was Mr. Aiya, the head cook and owner of the restaurant. He smiled at Koromaru. "Would that be acceptable, little pooch?"

Koromaru barked happily. "Very well, I promise it'll be delicious." Mr. Aiya smiled before glancing at Kanji. "Ah, Kanji-chan, I was looking for you."

Kanji looked rather annoyed at the elderly man. "Huh? What is it? And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Could you deliver some spices to your mother? It's a little token of my appreciation for those adorable little dolls of me and my wife you made," Mr. Aiya explained.

"Sure, no big deal." Kanji said when he had an idea. "Hey, Koro-chan, why don't ya wait near Ma's store? Once Mr. Aiya gets everything ready, I'll bring ya lunch."

Koromaru nodded and ran off. Shinjiro looked at Kanji then at Souji. "Reliable fella, huh?"

"Kanji may be a bit rough on the edges, but he's a nice guy." Souji smiled. "He's someone you can always count on."

"Kinda reminds me of someone." Minato grinned at Shinjiro, who smirked back at him. "Okay, guys. Let's get in."

---

Koromaru sat near the Tatsumi Textiles shop, diligently waiting for the others as he was told to.

"Koro-chan?" A voice called rather surprised.

Koromaru's ears perked up, recognizing the voice. He turned his head only to find himself looking at the girl he and his friends were looking for. His tail started to wag rapidly.

Wearing an orange cutsew blouse with a light pink top underneath, white skirt and sandals, she carried a sheath for what seemed to be a long weapon in one hand and a dish with a few steak skewers in the other, the girl calmly walked up to him. "You're here all by yourself?" she asked softly and she knelt before him, putting her sheath on the ground to pat him.

The girl's presence was somehow soothing to Koromaru so he didn't mind her patting him and barked in response. "I see. So the others are eating at the nearby restaurant and you're waiting here…" the girl said when she had an idea. "Wanna come with me? I've got some steak skewers from a nearby place called Souzai Daigaku for lunch. We can share."

Seeing Koromaru's concerned expression she smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be back before the others are done and besides, I just wanna check out the nearby shrine. It's not like the one back home, but you feel happy at places like that, right?"

Koromaru barked running around the girl, really happy. "Hehe, you're always so full of energy, Koro-chan!" she giggled. "Well, let's go."

The girl walked off to the Tatsuhime Shrine with Koromaru following her close behind

---

"So, the sightings started a few nights ago?" Souji questioned as everybody was eating. He was sharing a table with Minato, Yukiko, Yosuke, Chie and Yukari.

"Apparently, yes," Mitsuru replied from the counter. Akihiko and Shinjiro, who were seated beside her, nodded in affirmation.

"According to the rumors, they started on the same night you encountered Minato-senpai and Shinjiro-senpai," Naoto added.

"That means they are related to the attack on my seal…" Minato said before eating a bit more of his ramen. "Ghost lights… nature spirits… Soon enough they won't be limited to woods, holy areas and ancient homes…"

Junpei turned around from his seat to join in. "By the way, how long have you guys known to watch for these signs?" he asked, having finished his food in record time.

"We were first informed on the day before the train ride to here," Souji explained. "About the specifics, we got them a few days ago."

"This is happening a bit fast, isn't it?" Chie questioned, sounding worried.

"A little. But we're still safe. For now at least…"

"Somehow, that's not very reassuring," Yukari sighed.

"I get the feeling this will be it for a while, maybe a few weeks before it starts getting bad for real," Minato stated.

Yosuke frowned. "Like Yukari-senpai said, not very reassuring."

"With a bit of luck we'll find the other Wild Card before things get out of hand," Souji said, changing the subject. "Speaking of which, did you guys find anything about her?"

"Well, according to what we heard, a few people saw her walking around town," Rise reported. "Some people said she was seen around the Tatsuhime Shrine and the shopping district earlier."

"We've been to the shopping district the entire morning, but we didn't see her," Kanji pointed out. "We also checked out the shrine, but there was no one there."

"Maybe she's looking for us too?" Teddie asked, sounding hopeful.

"Who knows…" Shinjiro said, looking out the window. For the past few hours more and more visions of that girl were becoming a lot clearer his mind. From trivial things like talking at the dorm's lounge to fighting the toughest and meanest Shadows in Tartarus, they did it all together. And the more those images came, the more he felt something strong for that girl. His heart would beat very fast and his cheeks would warm up every time he thought about her.

"Now that you mentioned it, while walking around looking for her, I sort of started remembering more things," Akihiko mentioned. "Mostly casual stuff, but I'm pretty sure she also fought with us in Tartarus too."

"Yeah, I remember that too. I think she was a field leader, just like Minato-san," Ken added, biting into a meat bun. "But her weapon was different… it was similar to my spear, but with a sharper blade on the edge rather than a pointy one."

"I believe the name for that weapon is 'naginata', Ken-san. Instead of piercing, it's an effective slashing weapon," Aigis pointed out. "I also recalled something important about that girl… I feel… I feel I met her before meeting everybody in Yakushima…"

"Even before that trip? But the only possible time for that to happen was…" Yukari trailed off, and looked at Minato who was deep in thought.

"Hm… She has ties with us and yet she doesn't directly come to us…." Minato closed his eyes in thought. "And now all these memories... I also remember those memories you guys mentioned although they're still kinda blurry. "

"Maybe it has to do with the Great Seal being attacked and those strange sightings?" Chie asked. Everybody turned to look at her. "M-Maybe not…"

"No, wait, Chie-chan, you might be right. I can't help but think that these events are related as to why we don't remember how we know her," Fuuka said.

"It looks like all the memories related to this girl are still awakening," Metis said. "I can't say for sure why that's happening, but I can feel that not only my sister, but all of you have a really close bond with her. But...I don't know why you can't remember her in the first place."

"You might be onto something here, Metis," Minato replied with his eyes still closed. "I have a theory about that, but until I get more evidence to back it up, I can only speculate."

Silence fell into the group as everybody ate quietly, thinking about what Minato meant. After a few minutes, Yukiko spoke up. "Why don't we take another look at the shopping district and the Tatsuhime shrine after lunch?" she suggested. "We might run into her this time."

"Great idea, Yukiko," Souji smiled. "And even if we don't see her, our 'friend' at the shrine might know something."

Junpei raised an eyebrow. "Friend?"

"Excuse me for interrupting you all…" Mr, Aiya walked up to them holding two bags. "Here's the special order for your little friend. And these are the spices for your mom, Kanji-chan."

Kanji stood up and picked both bags. "Cool. Thanks, Mr. Aiya." He looked at Souji. "I'm gonna take these to Ma and check on Koro-chan. Be back ASAP, Senpai."

Souji nodded. "If you see anything odd, Kanji, let us know at once."

"Gotcha!" With that, Kanji left.

---

Kanji headed back to his house, but he was surprised to find Koromaru missing. "Huh? Where did he go?" He looked around. Seeing no signs of the canine, he started to panic. "Aw man, Senpai is gonna have my ass if anything happens to Koro-chan!"

"What's wrong, Kanji?" Mrs. Tatsumi asked gently as she walked out of the shop.

"Oh, hi, Ma, here's the spices from Mr. Aiya." Kanji hastily handed the bag of spices, not paying attention to his mother. "Did ya see a white dog wearing some doggie clothes with wings around here? He belongs to one of Senpai's friends."

Mrs. Tatsumi thought for a bit. "Oh, yes. He walked off with a girl towards the shrine a few minutes ago. He seemed quite happy with her. In fact, that girl had been in our shop earlier."

"She has? What for?" Kanji asked, surprised at this new information.

"She was asking about one of your friends. I believe it was Souji-kun," Kanji's mom replied. "She said she was a friend of his from the city and she was looking for him."

"A friend of Senpai's?" Kanji cocked his head to the side in thought, but soon put everything together. "It's gotta be the girl Souji-senpai and his friend Minato-senpai are looking for! No wonder Koro-chan left with her. Thanks, Ma! I'm gonna go tell her where to find Senpai right away!"

The bleach blonde immediately bolted off to the shrine. Mrs. Tatsumi just smiled and went back in.

---

At the shrine…

Kanji slowly walked up to the Shrine trying to find Koromaru and the girl. Luckily he saw both of them seated on the steps of the offertory box, sharing some steak skewers.

"The meat is kinda tough, but they do taste great," the girl said, giving the last bit of a skewer to Koromaru. "Don't ya think, Koro-chan?"

Koromaru nodded in agreement and the girl smiled. "Maybe when the others get their memories back, we can all eat together…" she said with a melancholic tone. Kanji had never seen anyone look so lonely.

Koromaru whimpered and rubbed his head against the girl's leg. "Thanks, Koro-chan." She smiled weakly. "I know they're looking for me, but until they remember who I am, I can't simply walk up to them and talk. Minato-kun and Souji-kun probably remember me already, but the others…" She looked at her wristwatch, gently caressing the leather strap with affection. "Well, maybe Shinjiro-senpai remembers me too…"

Koromaru barked twice and licked her face. "You think he does too?" she smiled, patting him on the head. "Then maybe he does after all. I wonder why you got your memories back earlier than everybody, though."

Kanji was confused as he watched the girl rubbing Koromaru's belly, giggling at how the dog was rolling on his back in pleasure. Clearly she held Koromaru and the other members of SEES very dearly, but what did she mean with them not remembering her? 'The hell, I'm not gonna find out anything by just watching. Gotta man up and talk to her,'he thought, face set in determination.

Carefully, Kanji walked up to them. "H-Hey…" he said as nicely as he could, keeping his expression neutral.

Koromaru's ears perked up and he walked up to tall teen, tail wagging all the way. "Hey, Koro-chan. Looks like you're having fun." Kanji grinned and brought out the package containing his promised treat. "Brought ya the Beef Bowl I promised."

"That was really nice of you." The girl's smile got wider as she saw Koromaru's happy look. "You didn't need to be shy and just watch us from afar, though."

"Wha? Ya knew I was there the whole time?" Kanji nearly shouted, feeling bad since he was pretty much spying on them. "Uh… I… I'm sorry I was spying on you guys…"

"No harm done." The girl stood up and smoothed her skirt. "You were just checking up on Koro-chan. So, what's your name?"

"K-Kanji Tatsumi," he replied, and his tense posture relaxed. This girl was oddly easy to talk with. It was almost like talking with Souji.

"Nice to meet'cha, Kanji-kun." The girl smiled holding out her hand. "I'm Minako. Minako Arisato."

Kanji awkwardly took her hand and shook it. "D-Did you just say Arisato? If ya don't mind me asking, ya related to Minato-senpai, Minako-senpai?" Kanji asked, his eyes widened with curiosity.

"You might say so," Minako said, smiling at the mention of Minato's name. "Sorry, but I can't say how I'm related to him. Not yet."

"Guess then ya won't say how ya know Souji-senpai either…"

Minako nodded. "Would it be too much to ask for you not to tell anyone that I've told you my name?" she asked. "I don't mind if you tell them we've met. It's just that I'll explain everything once I'm sure the others remember me."

Kanji frowned at her in concern."Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that, no problem…" He rubbed the back of his head, a bit curious at such a request.

"Thanks, Kanji-kun," Minako smiled, looking truly grateful. If Souji could trust him, then she would too.

Koromaru heard something and started to growl. Seeing the sudden change in the dog's behavior, Minako looked up at the direction he's staring at. "Hey, look!" She pointed to the lanterns that hung at the entrance at the top of the steps. They were lighting themselves, which was strange enough, but that wasn't what had caught the auburn-headed teen's attention.

"Holy crap! Blue fire!" Kanji swore, eyes wide as he took in the sight of the eerie blue flames that were currently flickering inside of each paper lantern.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Minako narrowed her eyes as she quickly reached for her sheath.

---

Back at Aiya…

"Man, Kanji is sure taking his time…" Yosuke complained as the group waited for him to return.

"He's probably playing with Koro-chan, senpai," Rise giggled. "You know how he feels about cute things. He'll show up soon."

Suddenly, Minato felt a shiver running down his spine. He looked at Souji who felt the same thing. Without warning, both teens stood up simultaneously, much to the others' surprise. "Hey, what's wrong?" Chie asked.

"Something's up…" Minato said with narrowed eyes.

Just as he finished that sentence, the lights of the restaurant went off and all people present, save from the group of Persona users, were turned into coffins. The glasses of water on the table turned into blood. Startled, the others got up, some exclaiming in surprise.

"The Dark Hour!" Fuuka gasped.

"This this is not good!" Teddie said, looking scared. "There are Shadows nearby!"

"Just like when I bumped with Aniki and Shinjiro-san…" Souji said. He reached for his sword from under the table.

They heard a howl followed by a loud bang. "Damn, that was Koromaru!" Shinjiro growled. He quickly unwrapped his newly purchased weapon.

"It came from the nearby shrine," Aigis said, readying her weapon.

"Kanji-kun must be there too!" Naoto said drawing her gun. "We must hurry!"

"Get ready, everybody!" Minato drew his one-handed sword. "Souji-kun?"

"Ready when you are, Aniki!" Souji said drawing his. "Let's go!"

The group nodded, all brought out their weapons and charged off.

---

They soon arrived at the bottom of the shrine entrance and encountered a terrible scene: Kanji lied sprawled on the floor, in front of one of the empty shops, a huge bruise on his forehead. Shielding him were Koromaru and Minako, both injured but still able to fight. Minako's hair was a mess and now covered half of her face. The trio was surrounded by five huge bodybuilder Shadows and they meant business.

"Kanji-kun!" Naoto shouted. Her usually calm and collected demeanor was gone and she was clearly worried.

Minako noticed them and smiled a bit. "Thank goodness they're here…" she whispered to Koromaru before looking at Kanji, and then at the Shadows cornering them.

"Oi, you guys okay?" Minato shouted to Minako. There was a lot of concern on his voice.

"Yeah, we're okay, but Kanji-kun got hit on the head! He's out cold!" Minako shouted back as she noticed the Shadows glaring at the group. "Careful! These guys can reflect physical attacks!"

"Well, that makes things a tad harder…" Souji looked at Rise. "Can you detect those guys' weakness?"

"I think so, but it might take some time, Senpai," Rise said as she summoning Kanzeon.

Minato looked at Fuuka who nodded. "I'll help Rise-chan. You guys be careful." She quickly summoned Juno.

The Shadows started hunching towards the group. Minato glanced at the group of the Persona-users. "Alright, here's the plan: Souji-kun and I will attack first to draw those Shadows away from the others."

"Naoto, I want you, Chie and Teddie to protect Kanji, Koromaru and the girl as soon as the path is clear for you to move," Souji told his group. "Yukiko, Yosuke, you cover us so that Rise and Fuuka-san can scan the Shadows."

"Aigis, I want you, Metis and Ken to back up Souji's friends in protecting Koromaru and the others," Minato said to his friends. "The rest of you come with us."

Their teammates nodded. "Everybody knows what to do? Let's go!" Souji said. He made the first move by summoning his tarot card and crushed it. "Alitat! Mabufudyne!"

The ice attack hit four out of the five shadows, but it was enough to fully draw their attention away from the other three.

"Alright, my turn!" Minato drew his Evoker, twirling it around his finger before pulling the trigger. "Cu Chulainn! Magarudyne!"

A really strong gust of wind surrounded the Shadows, causing the ice from the previous attack to break into sharp shards, slicing them for additional damage.

"Impressive combination," Mitsuru said looking at Akihiko. "Shall we try it?"

Akihiko smirked. "You bet!"

Both pulled out their Evokers and attacked.

"Artemisia! Mabufudyne!"

"Caesar! Maziodyne!"

At the same time the ice blocks materialized before the Shadows, bolts of thunder shattered them, unleashing a vicious storm of ice shards at the Shadows, causing mid-heavy damage.

"Good going, Aki," Shinjiro smirked at the boxer. "Never knew you and Mitsuru could come up with an attack like that."

Akihiko just shot his friend a dirty look, but Mitsuru didn't seem to understand what Shinjiro had meant. "Focus, you two!" she told them.

The attack had managed to anger the Shadows. They roared and tried to punch the Persona users, but they easily dodged. Naoto's and Aigis' group made their way to help the fallen fighters.

"Are you guys ok?" Chie asked as she and Aigis helped Minako get back on her feet. Ken and Metis checked on Koromaru while Naoto and Teddie checked on Kanji.

"Yeah… I'm okay…" Minako said trying to steady herself. "Please, heal Kanji-kun and Koro-chan first. They need it more than I do."

"No worries, Teddie will make ya feel all better!" Teddie said, already donned in his bear suit and clawed glove. His card materialized before him and he slashed it. "Kamui! Mediaharan!"

Teddie's healing spell acted quickly, but for some reason it didn't fully heal them.

"Huh? I don't get it. It was supposed to heal all wounds," Ken pointed out.

"It appears those wounds are more severe than we thought…" Metis said. "We might have to use Mediaharan more than once for it to work."

"In that case, I'll assist Teddie-san as well." Aigis stated. "Ken-san, we'll need your help. Metis, you, Chie-san and Naoto-san need to cover us."

"Understood," Ken said drawing his Evoker. "Kala-Nemi, Mediarahan!"

"Gotcha, Aigis!" Chie said, ready to leap into action.

"I've got it," Metis said, arming her rod and pulled her visor down to cover her face.

"Leave it to me." Naoto said readying her gun. 'If those shadows dare to make any move on Kanji-kun, they'll pay for it dearly!'

Back to the others, they still tangled with the Shadows. They were tough, but the two Wild Cards and former seniors of Gekkoukan managed to land enough damage while evading attacks at the same time.

"Looks like these guys will need to get wacked harder before they get the hint!" Junpei groaned, swinging his broadsword in his usual haphazard fashion.

"I'm open to ideas," Yosuke said after dodging a swing by doing a back flip.

"Hey, Yukiko-chan, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Yukari asked her fellow healer with a sneaky grin on her lips.

Yukiko grinned back. She nodded. "Yeah, let's do this!"

Yukari readied her Evoker while Yukiko armed her fan.

"Isis! Magarudyne!"

"Amaterasu! Maragidyne!"

The fire attack from Yukiko's Persona set two Shadows ablaze while Yukari's wind spell fanned the flames, increasing the attack's power so much it burned the Shadows, leaving only a heap of ash.

"Whoa, nice combo, Yuka-tan. Pretty hot, too!" Junpei whistled, impressed. He turned to Yosuke. "Hey, Yosuke, fancy some combo of our own?"

Yosuke smirked. "You're on!" He summoned his card and slashed it with his Kunais. "Go, Susano-O! Magarudyne!"

"Trismegistus, time to rock! Maragidyne!"

Just like the girls' attack, the combination of fire and wind magic was really effective, destroying another two Shadows. "Alright!" Junpei cheered. "Only one more to go!"

The offensive group turned their attention to the last Shadow when it suddenly started building up energy. "What the hell is it doing?" Shinjiro asked.

"It's using Power Charge!" Rise shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"It's going to attack you!" Fuuka added. "Please defend yourselves!"

The Persona users tried to defend themselves, putting up their guarding stance as the Shadow unleashed a powerful strike attack that hit everybody twice, including the support group who were looking after the fallen fighters, and sent them backwards in several directions.

"Gah... Akasha Arts... I've never seen a Gigas type Shadow with that attack… this is not good…" Souji muttered as he got back on his feet, and proceeded to help Yukiko. "Everybody okay?" he asked, looking around.

"Ngh… I think so…" Minato groaned. Despite the pain, he helped Yukari stand up when something caught his eye. "Oh no…"

Minako had been knocked a few feet away from the support group and was trying to push herself off the ground when she found herself facing the last Shadow. It was ready to attack her!

"No… NO!" Shinjiro shouted, his instincts kicking in. He lunged at the Shadow with his axe, ready to strike.

"Shinji!" Akihiko gasped.

"Senpai!" Junpei, Yukari and Fuuka shouted.

As the Shadow threw a punch at Minako, she closed her eyes and waited for the blow, raising her arms in front of her face as a desperate attempt to protect herself. The attack never came. "Huh?" Slowly Minako opened her eyes and gasped. She was staring at the back of a tall figure wearing a maroon pea coat. "Senpai!"

Shinjiro had blocked the blow using his axe and he was using all his strength to push the Shadow away from Minako. "I'll be damned if you think ya can lay a single finger on her, asshole!" he growled menacingly. As the Shadow stumbled back, startled at the human's display of strength, Shinjiro swung his axe at the Shadow, missing on purpose. "Back off!"

When the Gigas was far away enough from Minako, Shinjiro pulled out his Evoker. "Shinjiro, wait! It repels physical attacks!" Mitsuru warned him.

Souji, however, guessed correctly at what Shinjiro had in mind. "Shinjiro-san, aim for the ground under its feet!"

With a smirk, Shinjiro nodded and pulled the trigger. "Castor! God's Hand!"

The powerful single strike attack caused the ground beneath the Shadow to explode, knocking it down.

"That was amazing, Senpai!" Minako squealed in awe. That was, until she felt her arm ache. "Ow..." she whimpered softly, gently rubbing the giant bruise.

Koromaru walked up to her and licked her face as if to check up on her. "Koro-chan…Thanks." Minako hugged him in return.

Shinjiro turned around and knelt down to check on them. "You two okay?"

Minako nodded slowly. "Yeah…" She smiled weakly. "Thanks for saving me, Senpai."

Shinjiro's cheeks heated up. "No problem…" he mumbled, shyly scratching his cheek. He got back up and turned around, so that Minako couldn't see his increasing blush. "I'll take care of that Shadow for you. Just sit tight." With that, he ran back into the fray.

Back to the Shadow, it was still trying to get back on his feet. Minato and Souji looked at each other and smirked. "Time for an All-Out attack!"

Their comrades nodded. Everybody, except for the fallen fighters and the support team, lunged at the Shadow with their weapons and proceeded to beat the crap out of it.

At the moment, Koromaru sniffed the air, picking up and odd scent and saw something sneaking into the shrine entrance and decided to follow it. Curious, Minako followed the Shiba Inu.

Aigis froze suddenly, looking around. "Huh?"

"What's wrong, Sister?" Metis asked.

"My sensors picked up something, but I don't see anything…" Aigis said, but quickly turned her attention back to the battle.

"I don't smell anything odd here," Teddie informed her. "Don't worry, Ai-chan, nothing's gonna sneak up on us with Teddie around!"

The combined attacks of the group knocked the Shadow into a lamp post at the side of the street. That was when Minato, Souji, Yosuke, Ken and Akihiko noticed something. The light bulb from the lamp post shattered and fell, sending sparks onto the Shadow, who seemed to have a weakness for it.

"That's it!" Yosuke yelled.

Akihiko and Ken ran up from behind. "We got this one!"

Minato and Souji were thinking frantically. 'Zio skilled, zio-skilled, zio-skilled... Got it!'

At the same time, Akihiko, Ken, Souji and Minato summoned their Personas and attacked.

"Ceasar! Ziodyne!"

"Odin! Thunder Reign!"

"Kala-Nemi! Ziodyne!"

"Thor! Thunder Reign!"

That had done the trick. The Shadow disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and all seemed calm for the moment as the Dark Hour started to disappear. Until…

"Huh? Koro-chan? Koro-chan!" Yukari called out worriedly. "Guys, Koromaru's gone!"

The group gasped. That was when Shinjiro also realized something. "Damn! She's gone too!" he said.

Now, everybody was really worried. "But…they were here just a second ago!" Fuuka said.

"Where could they be? I mean, they simply couldn't vanish into thin air… Right?" Junpei asked, not really expecting an answer.

They heard a rough groan coming from the ground, and everybody's attention was turned to Kanji, who was finally regaining consciousness. "S-Senpai… Koro-chan…" he mumbled drowsily.

"We got to rush Kanji-kun to a hospital," Naoto explained as calmly as she could.

"No… No hospital…" Kanji whispered, grabbing onto Naoto's arm. "Please..."

"But Kanji-kun... your wounds…" Chie tried to argue.

"If I go to the hospital… Ma will find out…" Kanji panted, struggling to stay awake. "I don't…wanna worry…her…"

Souji gently placed a hand on Kanji's shoulder. "I understand, Kanji. Don't worry, I won't tell your mom. You just take it easy, okay?"

"T-Thanks, Senpai…" Kanji smiled faintly before he passed out again. Shinjiro and Akihiko helped transfer Kanji on a secluded bench near Souzai Daigaku.

The rest of them gathered around, keeping their voices low. "What's the plan now, partner?" Yosuke asked.

"Those Shadows came with the Dark Hour with the clear intent to attack us, just like when I met Aniki and Shinjiro-san," Souji started. "Our best bet is to go to the other world to look for them while Kanji rests for a bit." He turned to the young detective. "Naoto, I'm leaving Kanji under your care."

Naoto was a bit stunned at Souji's decision, but she nodded since she didn't want to leave Kanji alone. "I understand."

Aigis and Metis exchanged glances and nodded. "We'll stay with Naoto-san to make sure nothing happens to her and Kanji-san."

"I'll stay with them too," Ken volunteered. "If he wakes up I'll let you know at once."

"Good idea, Ken." Minato nodded and turned to his friends. "No time to lose, guys. Let's get going!"

They ran off in the direction of Junes, leaving Ken, Aigis, Metis, Naoto and Kanji behind, hoping they would be able to find the missing dog and girl.

---

Inside the TV World…

"This is not a good sign…" Souji said as he adjusted his glasses to better see in the now fog-filled world. "This is almost as bad as when we started investigating this place…" He glanced at Minato. "Aniki, you and the others okay?"

"No worries, we can see through the fog, thanks to theses glasses," Minato replied, adjusting his new pair glasses Teddie gave him and Shinjiro before they entered the portal. "This atmosphere is just like Tartarus'. No wonder Shadows roam this place."

"If the fog is back, does that mean the changes have started on this world too?" Yukiko asked.

"I'm afraid so. It's probably related to why the Shadows got hostile again," Mitsuru pointed out.

"That was bound to happen sooner or later I suppose…" Akihiko said. He looked at Fuuka. "Any signs of them yet?"

"Negative. Juno is not picking their presence in this world," Fuuka replied softly.

"Kanzeon is not picking their presence either…" Rise frowned. "All I sense is Shadows. And they seem to be more agitated than usual."

"This can't be good…" Yosuke glanced at Teddie. "What about you, Teddie? Your nose is picking up anything?"

"I'm sniffing and sniffing, but I'm not picking Koro-chan or that girl's smell here." Teddie looking up at Souji with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Sensei…"

Souji patted the blue bear softly. "It's okay, Teddie. The Shadows attacked anyone that wandered into this place because they were comfortable in their clouded delusions and despised any source of truth, seeing that the minimal change would make them go berserk." He looked around. "But after Izanami was defeated and the fog of deceit was lift from mankind's heart, that temptation was gone and the Shadows have apparently become relatively peaceful. Until now… This new menace is trying to shroud mankind's heart into a fog of deceit and nihilism. What it intends to do with it is what worries me…"

Shinjiro growled to himself, not caring about anything else. He hated feeling so helpless and he was worried sick about Koromaru and that girl. 'Shit… Where are you?'

"So, they weren't captured by the Shadows?" Junpei asked, his face lighting up in relief.

"I guess it's safe to assume that for now," Minato said.

"What should we do then, Souji-kun?" Chie asked.

"Let's head back," Souji decided. "If Kanji's already awake maybe he can tell us something."

Minato nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

---

Back at the shopping district…

Naoto sighed. She gently caressed Kanji's hair as his head rested on her lap. Aigis, Metis and Ken stayed next to the bench she sat on, all of them quiet. "Kanji-kun…"

"I hope Minato-san and the others found them…" Metis said quietly.

"With Fuuka-san and Rise-san helping them scan the area, I'm sure they'll find them, Metis-san," Ken said, smiling reassuringly.

Kanji suddenly stirred, catching the others' attention. "Ugh… My head…" Kanji muttered, his eyes fluttering open only to find Naoto's concerned blue eyes staring right back at him. "H-Huh? Naoto?"

Naoto smiled gently. "Thank goodness you came to, Kanji-kun."

Startled and blushing madly at resting his head on Naoto's soft lap, Kanji tried to sit up but his head hurt too much. "Ngh…" He pressed a hand on his forehead, applying pressure between the eyes as he stopped mid-way from sitting up.

"Kanji-kun, please, don't strain yourself!" Naoto grabbed his shoulders and forced him to rest his head back on her lap. She was blushing like heck, but was far too concerned about his well being to notice that.

Without resisting much, Kanji did as he was told. That didn't stop him from blushing though, since he was conscious enough to enjoy his current situation. "What… happened?" he finally asked.

"You passed out after the Shadows attacked," Metis answered.

"Shadows…!" Kanji suddenly recalled everything. "What happened to Koro-chan? And Senpai? Are they okay?"

"Kanji-san, please stay calm," Aigis said. "They… they're missing… Minato-san and Souji-san are leading the others looking for them in the other world."

Kanji fell silent. "It's my fault…" he finally said quietly, slightly turning his head away.

"Don't blame yourself, Kanji-kun" Naoto said softly, her hand running gently through Kanji's hair. "No one could predict this would happen."

Kanji was about to retort, but he knew it was pointless to argue with Naoto, so he simply nodded. Besides, he was so comfortable on Naoto's lap and didn't want to leave his position, despite feeling he could have a nosebleed at any moment.

"We should tell Souji-senpai and the others that Kanji-kun woke up," Naoto said looking at the two androids and the young boy.

"I'll go to Junes to let them know," Ken said.

"Okay, Ken-san. We'll stay here to make sure nothing happens." Metis said.

Ken nodded and ran off to Junes.

---

Back at Junes, the group of Persona users had just returned to the electronics department when they heard Ken's voice. "Minato-san! Akihiko-san!" he shouted, running up to them.

"Yo, Ken, what is it?" Akihiko said as the boy caught up with them.

"Naoto-san…asked me to….find you guys…" Ken panted a bit trying to regain his breath. "It's Kanji-san… He woke up!"

"He did? Thank goodness…" Rise smiled looking relieved. She liked to tease Kanji a lot, but that only meant that she cared a big deal about him.

"That's great news." Souji smiled glad to know his friend was awake and well. "Aniki, guys, let's go see him. Maybe he can give us some more information."

They all headed back to the shopping district.

Upon getting there, they found Aigis and Metis standing next to the bench Kanji was lying on, his head still rested on Naoto's lap. Both juniors were blushing a lot, but they also seemed comfortable with each other's company.

"Yo, Kanji!" Yosuke greeted him with a smirk. "Looks like you're in good hands."

"Huh?" Hearing Yosuke's voice, Kanji quickly sat up (he'd be damned if he was at the teasing mercy of Yosuke Hanamura!) only to feel slightly dizzy due the wound on his head. "Ngh…"

"Yosuke-senpai, may I ask you not to make Kanji-kun agitated?" Naoto glared at her senior, while holding Kanji's shoulders to help him steady himself. "As you can see, he's still recovering."

"Sorry…" Yosuke sweatdropped, not really wanting to anger the young detective, but still amused at the scene. "How are ya feeling, Kanji?"

"To be honest, like someone dropped a bag full of bricks on my head…" Kanji said with a sigh. He stopped for a moment and looked at Minato and Souji. "You guys found Koro-chan or Senpai?"

Surprised at Kanji's question, both Wild Cards exchanged glances. "They're not in the TV World, but we still don't know where they are," Minato replied. "But we think you might be able to help us."

"Kanji, I need you to tell us what happened," Souji demanded.

The bleached blonde closed his eyes and tried to remember. "I… I went home to check on Koro-chan, but he wasn't there. Ma told me he had followed a girl to the shrine so I went. When I got there, she was sharing steak skewers with Koro-chan. He... he looked really happy to see her, like they'd been friends forever."

"Did you talk with her?" Akihiko asked.

"Yeah… She said she was related to Minato-senpai and Souji-senpai, but she said she couldn't say how yet," Kanji said slowly, careful with his words.

"Did she tell you her name?" Rise asked.

Kanji looked to the ground. "Yeah… but I can't say it…"

"Why not?" Chie asked.

"I can't…" Now Kanji was avoiding eye contact. "She asked me not to."

"Asked you?" Junpei said. "But…"

Before Junpei could say more, Kanji stood up. "I just can't, damn it! She's not ready to deal with any of you guys!" he shouted, catching everybody off guard. "You guys hardly remember her! Do ya have any idea how she feels about that?"

The SEES members exchanged guilty looks as Kanji's words sank in. "You… You're right…" Mitsuru said with a frown. "We do hold her dearly and yet we still don't remember her…"

Suddenly, Kanji let out a shaky breath. The sudden outburst made him feel dizzy. "Kanji-kun, please, sit down." Naoto said gently to calm him down as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't strain yourself too much…"

"She… Senpai looked really lonely when she played with Koromaru…" Kanji said quietly as Naoto forced him to sit down. "She said something about Koro-chan remembering her before everybody else and that Minato-senpai, Souji-senpai and Shinjiro-senpai probably remembered her by now too."

Hearing that, Shinjiro closed his eyes, feeling a pang in his heart. Now he was more worried than ever about her. 'Dammit… Where are you..? Minako…'

Minato looked at Kanji. "It's okay, Kanji. If she asked you not to tell us her name, then she had a reason for that," he said softly. "Can you tell us how you guys got attacked by those Shadows?"

Kanji closed his eyes in recollection. "It all started when the lamps at the shrine got lit with some creepy blue fire. Next thing I know, the sky got dark and all hell broke loose…"

Flashback…

Minako, Kanji and Koromaru were now facing two body-builder Shadows that emerged from behind the trees. "What the hell, Shadows!" Kanji shouted.

"So the Dark Hour is really back… We must find the others!" Minako said, pulling out her naginata out. Koromaru growled, baring his fangs.

"Senpai and the others should still be at Aiya's," Kanji said, equipping his plate. "We might bump into them along the way!"

"Let's go!" Just as they got to the steps of the shrine another huge Giga Shadow came out of nowhere and charged towards them at high speed. Before Minako had time to react the Shadow knocked her down the stairs of the shrine and closed in on her.

"Oh don't you dare! Persona!" shouted Kanji. A glowing blue card appeared before him and he whacked it, summoning Rokuten Maoh who zapped the shadow with Ziodyne, knocking it
away from Minako.

Koromaru howled summoning his Persona Cerberus, who blasted the downed Shadow with Mudoon, wiping it out.

Kanji rushed up to her, offering her a hand. "Hey, Minako-senpai, are you okay?"

"Ugh...I think so," Minako moaned, taking his hand, struggling a bit to get back on her feet. "Thanks for saving me Kanji-kun, Koro-chan." She gratefully petted Koromaru.

"Come on, let's go find the others!" prompted Kanji.

Minako and Koromaru both nodded and they rushed to the direction of the restaurant when another Shadow jumped out from the bushes, intending to ram them with full force.

"Look out!" Kanji shoved both Minako and Koromaru out of the way. They were all hit however, but Kanji took the hardest and he was sent flying into a wall of an empty shop lot on the other side of the street, leaving a huge dent.

Seeing her friend hurt, Minako scrambled to her feet. "Kanji-kun? Kanji-kun, you okay?" she shouted, rushing to his side.

Kanji groaned before he blacked out, the last thing he heard was Minako calling out for him and Koromaru's panicked barks.

…End Flashback

"Next thing I knew, I blacked out..." Kanji sighed before looking at Souji. "I'm sorry Senpai… I really messed up…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Kanji," Souji said softly. "None of us expected that to happen."

Kanji wanted to protest, still feeling guilty. "But I…!"

"If you weren't around, Koromaru and that girl could've gotten really hurt, Kanji," Minato reminded, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really grateful for you looking after them. Thank you."

Kanji was speechless and simply nodded dumbly, surprised at Minato and Souji's understanding.

"Well, if the Shadows didn't take Koro-chan and that girl, where could have they gone?" Chie wondered.

"Let's stop and think for a minute," Akihiko said. "They vanished around the time before we figured out the Shadow's weakness, right? So, if they left, it was while we were taking down the last one."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Yukari said. Then she recalled something. "Hey, Aigis, didn't you say your sensors picked something strange while we were fighting?"

"Oh, yes… They picked the presence of a life form in the area," Aigis replied. She held her chin as she recalled the information from her memory. "It wasn't a human being, though."

"Wait, didn't you guys say that no one could be awake during the dark hour unless they had a Persona?" Yosuke inquired.

Mitsuru answered his question. "Yes and no. There are some that can be fully awake during the Dark hour without the potential. But that's a rare occurrence though."

"A non-human life form without a Persona, yet capable of being fully functional during the Dark Hour…" Minato suddenly glanced at Souji. "Souji-kun, didn't you mention a friend of yours that lived at the shrine?"

Souji thought for a few minutes when his eyes widened. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" He snapped his fingers, grasping the situation faster than his teammates. "They're at the shrine or somewhere not far from there! Come on!"

Both Souji and Minato sprinted off to Tatsuhime Shrine, much to their friends' surprise, but they followed the two Wild Cards nonetheless.

---

Tatsuhime Shrine…

Minako sat next to Koromaru, and an odd looking fox wearing a red apron at the offertory box steps. In the fox's jaws were some leaves. "These leaves are supposed to help heal our wounds?" she asked the fox, who yipped in response. "Okay… might as well try them out."

She took one of the leaves pressed it softly on her bruised arm for a few seconds. The pain slowly subsided until it was no longer aching. "Wow, that works wonders!" She then turned her attention to Koromaru. "Okay, Koro-chan, let's fix you up."

Koromaru looked at her as if concerned. "Oh, don't worry. I'll patch myself up after I'm done with you." Minako smiled.

Koromaru nodded in agreement and Minako started using the leaves to heal his wounds and hers as well. The fox watched them silently.

"Just one more leaf…" Minako said, neatly wrapping Koromaru's front leg with some bandages. "There…that should do it. How are you feeling, Koro-chan?"

Koromaru stood up and walked slowly, showing her that he no longer felt pain in his leg. He looked at Minako and their strange companion, and barked happily. "Alright!" Minako looked at the Fox. "I can't thank you enough for your help. If it wasn't for that, Koro-chan and I would've been a mess. Thank you."

The Fox yipped in response. Minako smiled, gently petting her head. She suddenly remembered something and picked up an ema plaque, writing something on it. "Could you deliver this to Souji-kun when he and the others arrive?"

The Fox nodded and carefully picked up the ema. "Thanks." Minako smiled at the fox in gratitude before looking at Koromaru. "The others should be getting here soon so you should be okay. I gotta go. I'm not really ready to face them."

Koromaru whined sadly. Minako patted him. "I'm gonna come check on you and Kanji-kun in the evening. I promise." She looked at the fox. "I'll leave the rest up to you."

The Fox nodded as though she understood her, and she grabbed her skirt in her muzzle gently, tugging her closer to the shrine steps.

Koromaru followed, crouching down beside Minako as their new furry friend nudged three small cubs from the makeshift burrow beneath the steps.

Minako and Koromaru exchanged glances and the girl smiled.

---

As the group of Persona users burst into the shrine, they spotted Koromaru and the three little fox cubs playing with him: one was biting his ear, the second slumped on his back lazily, and the third one tried to catch his tail as Koromaru wagged it back and forth.

"Awww…!" The girls cooed as they saw the cute scene.

"Heh, would you look at that?" Shinjiro cracked a small grin as Koromaru walked up to them. The three little kits followed him close behind. "Looks like ya got some new friends, huh, boy?"

"Are you okay, Koro-chan?" Fuuka asked, concerned seeing Koromaru's bandaged paw.

Koromaru nodded and moved his paw a bit, showing it was okay. "Who bandaged your paw?" Yukari asked. "Was it that girl?"

With a bark, Koromaru confirmed what they were wondering about. Ken looked around. "She's not here anymore…"

"Looks like she left before we got here…" Mitsuru sighed.

"At least we're sure she's okay," Souji said before turning his attention to the little cubs sitting next to him and Minato. "Hey, little guys."

"These guys are pretty cute, you know," Minato said, picking one up as another nuzzled his knee. Souji grinned, lightly scratching behind one of the third fox cub's ears.

"Where did those little guys come from, anyway?" Junpei asked.

A sharp yip rang out in the eerie quiet, effectively catching their attention. A familiar large fox, still scarred and wearing the red apron of the shrine, bounded over to them from under the small porch of the front steps leading into the actual shrine itself.

Souji grinned. "Fox!" he exclaimed as he knelt down on one knee, bringing himself face to face with the intelligent creature. With a smile, he patted the fox on her head, his smile growing as she purred in pleasure. "I should've guessed!"

"That explains why her cubs were out here," Yukiko said.

"You guys know this fox?" Akihiko questioned.

"Yeah. She's a friend of ours," Souji answered. "Back when I first came to Inaba, I decided one day to visit the shrine. When I arrived, she was here as well. Back then, this place was really run down. You see, Fox had made this shrine her home, and she was concerned with the dilapidated state of it. She believed that if people's wishes written on the ema were granted, more visitors would come to the shrine and pray, and would become more prosperous. In return for helping her fulfill those wishes, she'd agreed to help in the TV World with these special leaves she has, and she somehow has the ability to enter it with us. The leaves accelerate the healing process, help soothe pain and somehow manage to restore our Personas' energy, along with ours."

The Fox yipped twice. "Hm? Oh, I get it. Koromaru-san, Kanji-san and the girl protected the shrine and your cubs from the Shadows," Metis said. "That's why you led them here."

Everybody looked at Metis and then at the Fox, who yipped again. "'They protected my home and my family. The least I could do for them was to help with their wounds.'" Aigis translated.

The fox nodded and then picked a mouthful of leaves, walking up to Kanji. "Huh, those are for me?" he asked the Fox, which she answered with a nod, dropping the leaves at his feet. Kanji grinned and dropped to a knee to pat her in gratitude. "Thanks a lot."

As Naoto and Rise helped Kanji use the leaves on his injuries, Fox picked up an ema plaque and nudged it into Souji's hand. "Hm? What's this?" He was confused, but looked at the ema. "Aniki, check this out."

Minato took the ema. "It's a message…" He gasped. "From that girl!"

Upon hearing that, the group gathered around the two Wild Cards. Minato read the message out loud.

Dear Aniki and Banchou-kun,
With the flap of a butterfly's wings, everything changes.
In the midst of chaos, a path appears,
Search for the Butterfly Effect and your mind will understand what your hearts already know so well. Our bond once forgotten by time will become stronger than ever.
I'm sorry I worried you guys. Please let Shinjiro-senpai and the others know that I'm okay.
I'll be seeing you soon. Please take care.
Love you all.

PS: By the way, could you give Koro-chan a little treat? He gave his beef bowl to the Fox's cubs. Thanks.

Silence fell upon the group as everybody soaked up what the message had said.

"Butterfly effect?" Chie finally broke the silence. "What's that?"

"The butterfly effect is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely that small differences in the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system," Aigis said. "It's also a common trope in fiction when presenting scenarios involving time travel and with 'what if' scenarios where one storyline diverges at the moment of a seemingly minor event resulting in two significantly different outcomes."

"What?" Teddie looked lost, not really getting what Aigis had said.

"It means that one simple thing could create a whole chain of events that could lead to something entirely different," Naoto explained. "It can also mean that one alteration of events will lead to the exact same event, but with a possible different outcome."

"And what does that have to do with her?" Junpei asked.

"Everything, Junpei…" Minato said as he held the ema to his chest. He was smiling. "There's no more doubt in my mind. I know who she is."

"Minato-kun…" Yukari said softly.

Minato looked at his girlfriend and the others, and smiled. "It's okay guys. Next time we see her, everything will be clear." He looked at Souji who nodded.

Though no one knew exactly what Minato and Souji meant, no one dared question them as they had a feeling those two would say no more.

Shinjiro closed his eyes and crossed his arms. 'You'd better not run away next time we meet. Do you have any idea how worried I am about you?' he thought before sighing. 'Then again… I did worry you like hell back then so I guess it's fair.'

Souji glanced at the fox and her cubs. "I can't thank you enough for helping me and Aniki's friends. If anything happens here that makes you feel uncomfortable, you're more than welcome to bring your little ones over by my house," Souji told her, and she nodded. "Besides, Nanako would love to have you around."

Minato looked at Koromaru. "As for you, you were one brave dog today, so you deserve a really good treat, Koro-chan." He smiled gently, patting Koromaru on the head.

Koromaru simply barked happily and ran around Minato, making everybody smile.

---

Junes Food Court…

Shinjiro put down a grilled steak for Koromaru to eat. "There ya go, Koro."

"You deserved it so eat up," Fuuka added.

Koromaru barked twice, wagging his tail and started eating.

Minato smiled, stroking Koromaru's back. "Well, despite everything that happened, I'd say things turned out better than expected."

"Agreed. We uncovered some good info, we got some training done and now we're sure about the identity of other Wild Card," Souji added before smiling as he glanced to his right. "And we're all safe, too."

"N-Naoto, ya don't have to do this, y'know…" Kanji stuttered, his face was a deep shade of red as Naoto spoon fed him some chocolate-chip mint ice-cream. "I'm okay now…honest…"

"Hush, Kanji-kun…" Naoto said softly before giving him another large spoonful of ice-cream. She was looking at the floor, her hat pulled down, but her blush was visible. "The ice-cream's coldness should help numb the pain."

Kanji didn't have a choice and did as he was told, ignoring the soft snickers that reached his ears.

"Awww, they're so cute!" Yukari giggled, wrapping her arms around Minato's neck.

"Yeah, they are," Yukiko agreed, doing the same with Souji.

"Too bad Naoto's completely oblivious to Kanji's crush on her," Yosuke crossed his arms, grinning like an idiot.

"And Kanji-kun's too shy to do anything about it." Chie added.

"Well, he did improve a lot from last year, though." Rise pointed out. "At least Kanji can hold a conversation with her now."

"They'll come to terms to how they feel for each other sooner or later," Mitsuru said, closing her eyes with a small smile. "I know from experience."

Akihiko blushed faintly at that. Shinjiro, in turn, let out a snort of laughter, earning a glare from his childhood friend.

---

That evening…

"How are you feeling, Koromaru-san?" Metis asked as she and Aigis walked the Shiba Inu around the neighborhood.

Koromaru barked twice in response. Metis smiled a bit and nodded. "I see. I'm glad you're fine now."

Aigis smiled proudly at her sister. "You're a fast learner, Metis. Koromaru-san is really happy now that someone else understands what he says and that can help him express himself better with the others."

Metis smiled. "I'm glad he feels that way… Now I feel like I really belong somewhere…" She looked at Aigis. "Not only with you, Sister, but with your… I mean, ourfriends."

Aigis nodded with a warm smile. Koromaru seemed really happy for both.

"Yo! Aigis-senpai, Metis-senpai!" Both androids and Koromaru heard Kanji's voice.

They turned around and saw Kanji and Naoto walking up to them. "Good evening, Senpai." Naoto bowed politely.

"Oh, Kanji-san, Naoto-san, good evening," Aigis said. "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better." Kanji said rubbing his forehead a bit. "The Fox's leaves helped out big time. What about you, Koro-chan?"

Koromaru wagged his tail and Kanji nodded. "Glad to hear that." Kanji ruffled Koromaru's head, looking happy.

"But, Kanji-san, shouldn't you be resting?" Metis asked.

Naoto rolled her eyes. "I've told him that several times, but he wouldn't listen."

"I'm gonna get some sleep after I walk Naoto home." Kanji said. "Things are weird around here so better safe than sorry, ya know…" He looked at Naoto, blushing a bit. "'S not like I think ya can't look after yourself, Naoto, it's just that I'd feel a lot better if I was sure you were okay."

Naoto was slightly taken aback at Kanji's concern towards her. "I… I appreciate your concern, Kanji-kun…" She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

Kanji smiled back and nodded. "No prob."

A sudden breeze passed by, causing Metis' ribbon to fly away. "Oh no!" she gasped as she ran after her ribbon. Aigis and the others followed.

"Please, stop!" Metis begged. She was still chasing the ribbon when someone else caught it. "Huh?"

A certain red-eyed girl had caught the ribbon. "This ribbon is yours, right? Here, let me help you." Minako smiled as she tied the ribbon back on Metis' helmet. "There you go, Metis."

"T-Thank you." Metis said before recognizing the girl. "You are…!"

Minako winked at her. "I'm a friend of Aigis, and soon I hope to be your friend too."

"My friend…" Metis couldn't help but smile at how friendly and genuinely nice Minako was being. "Sure! I'd love to be your friend too!"

Minako smiled when a card faintly flashed on her mind. 'Aeon arcana, huh? Well, she is Aigis' little sister after all…'she thought.

"Metis!" Aigis called out. They had finally caught up with her and immediately noticed the girl. "You…"

"Hi, Aigis, guys." Minako smiled. "Glad you're all okay."

"Yo, Senpai." Kanji gave her small relieved smile, while Koromaru rubbed himself against her legs. "Glad you're ok too."

"Thanks, Kanji-kun." Minako patted Koromaru with a smile before turning around to leave. "Well, I gotta go. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Wait, please!" Aigis said. There was urgency in her voice when she noticed Minako's bandaged arm and leg. "Your injuries…!"

Minako turned back to look at Aigis and smiled softly. "Don't worry, Aigis. I'm okay now." She hugged Aigis, catching the android off guard. "Tomorrow okay? I'll tell you guys everything tomorrow."

Aigis sighed, somehow knowing that Minako wouldn't say anymore. "I understand…" she finally said as Minako let go of her.

"Sorry for worrying you and the others, but I needed to be sure of some things." Minako's expression looked apologetic. "Please, let Minato-kun and Souji-kun know that I'll meet you guys at Samegawa flood plain tomorrow."

"We'll inform them," Naoto said. "I assure you."

"Thanks, Naoto-chan." Minako smiled before she winked at both Naoto and Kanji. "You take care of Kanji-kun now, okay?"

Naoto and Kanji exchanged embarrassed glances before they looked back at Minako only to find her long gone.

"She's really something, huh?" Minato said as he and Souji walked up to them.

Aigis was surprised. "Minato-san? And Souji-san too. What are you two doing here?"

"After you and Metis left with Koromaru for a walk, I saw her leaving the inn following you," Minato explained. "So I called Souji-kun and we followed her here."

"I guess she wanted to check on Koromaru and Kanji to make sure they're okay after what happened," Souji added.

"Senpai…" Naoto started, still rather flustered about Minako's remark about her and Kanji. She didn't dare look up at her upperclassman, hoping that he wouldn't notice her red face. "That girl said she'll reveal everything tomorrow at the Samegawa flood plain."

"I see. Thanks, Naoto." Souji said. "We'll let everybody know and we'll meet her there tomorrow." He looked at Minato. "Looks like the pieces are all falling in place, huh, Aniki?"

"Yeah… Soon, it'll become all clear." Minato said, looking up at the moon.

As they split up for their homes, Minako watched them leave. 'Yes, Aniki. Soon everything will become clear…' She smiled as she walked away. 'I can't wait!'

---

That's right. Next chapter the mysterious connectiong between all three Wild Cards will be revealed! This will be so exciting! X3 Don't forget to Read, Review and Enjoy!