"Argh, everyone okay?" Yu asked, picking himself up off the ground.

"Okay as I'll ever be." Chie grunted.

Yosuke got himself into an upright position. "Dude, don't do that again."

"Noted. Anyone know where we are?"

They looked around.

"Looks like a studio." Chie said. "But what's with the fog?"

Fog seemed to be shrouding the area, making it hard to see.

"Well," Yosuke began. "We need to get out of here. Which way did we come in?"

"Uh, up?" Yu said unhelpfully.

"Right, we can't exactly go back up can we? I guess we'll have to find another way out."

"Lead the way."

They walked for a good while until they were in some sort of bedroom-like place.

"Hey, the fogs lighter here." Yosuke said.

The fog was not what was on Yu's mind. "Uh, would you take a look at this?"

Chie looked like she was about to be sick. "Oh god, is that a noose? And is that a chair next to it?"

"That's…never a good combination." Yosuke said. He looked around at the many posters hanging on the walls. "Weird. The faces on these posters are scratched out but…don't they look familiar?"

"Who cares?" Chie exclaimed. "Let's go back and find a way out somewhere else. Somewhere less…creepy." No one raised any objections.

Now that they were back where they were before, they could tell things were going downhill fast.

"Urgh, I don't feel so good." Chie groaned.

"Likewise." Yosuke agreed. "And there's still no sign of how to get out of here."

"Uh, guys?" Yu said, pointing into the fog. "There's something coming towards us."

"What?!" the two said in unison.

It came into sight. "Is that…a bear?" Chie said.

Indeed, there seemed to be what looked like a life sized carnival prize bear toy.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"It talks!"

"Of course I talk!"

"Hey hey, stay back! I'm warning you!"

The bear began to cower in fear at Chie's threat.

"What is this place?" Yu asked.

"That's what you decide to ask? Really?" Yosuke sighed.

The bear tilted its head. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. All I know is someone's been throwing people in here."

"Throwing- what?" Chie looked confused.

"That's not important right now. You need to get out of here."

"We would but we don't know where the exit is." Yu said.

"Then I'll let you out."

The bear stomped its foot twice and a tower of TVs appeared.

"Where did that come from?" Yosuke asked, bewildered.

"Never mind that! Go! Get in! Move!" The bear pushed them into the TVs.

"Hey, watch it!" Chie protested.

They seemed to be back in the Junes electronics department.

"Are we back?" Chie said, looking around.

"I think so." Yu said.

"Yeah, we're back. I think we were in there a while though."

He looked at one of the posters hanging by the TVs. "That's where I've seen that!"

"Huh?"

"I couldn't tell who was on those posters with the face scratched out but…"

They looked up at the posters.

"Misuzu Hiiragi? The one who's husband had an affair with that announcer?" Chie questioned.

"The announcer that died?" Yu asked.

"You don't think…?"

"Nope. Nope. I've had enough freaky crap today. I don't wanna think about someone's death."

"Right, we should go home."

Back at the Dojima residence, they were sitting down to dinner.

Dojima caught Yu for a second. "Hey, I don't know if you'd know but…do you know anything about a girl named Saki Konishi?"

"I haven't seen her since yesterday. Why?"

"Well, her family called to report her missing. I figured you two go to the same school so maybe you'd seen her."

"Can't say I have."

"Figures…"

The next day at school there was a surprise assembly.

"I wonder what's with the sudden assembly?" Chie said to know one in particular. She turned to Yosuke. "Whoa, you okay?"

"It's…nothing." he said back.

The principal got up to the microphone. "I have gathered you here this afternoon to convey some tragic news. Early this morning a third year, Miss Saki Konishi has passed away."

The auditorium erupted into tense whispers.

"The cause of her death is still unknown, but the police are working on the case. We ask that if the police ask for your cooperation you tell them nothing but the truth. That goes for around the school as well."

The whispers only got more tense as he went on.

After school had a lot of people gossiping about Saki Konishi's death.

"I heard they found her hanging from a telephone pole, just like that announcer!"

"It's obvious we have a serial murder going on!"

Chie sighed. "I wish people would stop talking about it."

Yosuke came up to them. "Hey, did you see the TV last night?"

"What about it?"

"Something was bothering me so I watched the midnight channel and…there's no mistaking it. I saw Saki-senpai on there and she was writhing in pain."

Chie looked shocked. "Yosuke, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I heard someone say he watched the midnight channel and saw that announcer. And you remember that bear thing saying someone's been throwing people in? And the room we found with the scratched out posters? What if it's all connected somehow?"

"Yosuke, I don't know…"

Yosuke turned to Yu. "What do you think of this?"

"I think you might be on to something."

"Gee, you're quick to believe." Chie said.

"I believed in the midnight channel, didn't I?"

"Good point."

"Look," Yosuke began. "I need to know what happened to Senpai."

"Yosuke, you're not gonna-"

"Yes I am. I'm going back in there. Yu, you'll take me, won't you?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Great, I'm going to Junes. I'll meet you there."

Chie sighed. "It won't be my fault if you guys get killed."

"Okay, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, you hold on to this."

Chie raised an eyebrow. "What's this? A rope?"

"I want you to hold on to it so we can get out. I'll pull twice when I want you to get us out. And Yu," He tossed Yu a golf club. "This is for protection."

"Hey guys," Chie said. "I still don't think this is a good idea…"

"Too late, we're going in."

"Hey, wait!"

But they had already gone into the TV.

A moment later Chie pulled back on the rope…only to find it had snapped.

"Oh crap!"

"Oww…" They had crash landed.

"Well, at least we're in the same place." Yu said.

"Hey! Why'd you guys come back?" the bear said, approaching them. "Oh, I get it! You're the ones throwing people in here!"

Yosuke scowled. "What? No, we- Wait, you said throwing people in?"

"Yeah, that's what I said!"

Yosuke and Yu looked at each other. "You don't think…?" Yu said.

"What are you mumbling about? That's mighty suspicious!"

Yu got up close to the bear. "When there's fog in our world, someone's turned up dead. Is it possible whoever is throwing them in here is using this world to kill them?"

"Fog? When there's fog in your world it means the fog's lifted here. That's when the shadows get hostile."

"Shadows?"

The bear ignored him. "If you're not the culprit, you need to find out who is! You gotta promise me you will! Or else…or else…"

"We were gonna do it anyway." Yu said flatly.

"So you promise?"

The two looked at each other again. "Not like we have much of a choice." Yosuke said.

"Okay, we promise."

"Great," Yosuke said. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura and this is my buddy Yu Narukami. You got a name?"

"Teddie."

"Uh, okay…Teddie. What first?"

"I can bring you to where the last person got thrown in. Oh, but you'll have to defend yourselves."

"I got a golf club, will that work?" Yu said.

"Can't you protect us?" Yosuke said, annoyed.

"Nope, I got no muscles. They'll just knock me around."

"Figures."

"Oh, and you'll need these." Teddie handed them each a pair of glasses.

"What are these for?"

Yu put them on. "Yosuke, you better put them on. I can see through the fog with these."

They had ended up in a twisted version of the Inaba shopping district.

"Why does everything look so…dead?" Yosuke asked, obviously freaked out.

"You tell me." Teddie said back. "This place takes the form of what the person in question sees."

"Meaning?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Of course, why not?"

They neared where the Konishi's liquor store would be. "Was she…in there?" Yosuke asked as he approached the entrance.

Teddie suddenly seemed alert. "T-they're here!"

"What? Who?"

"The shadows!"

Before they could even think, some sort of black ooze came from the entrance, forming up into some sort of orbs with huge mouths and protruding tongues.

They instantly went in for an attack, lunging at Yosuke. Yu felt a surge of emotion shoot through him as he heard a voice in his ear.

"I am thou…thou art I…"

Yu took a deep breath. "Per…so…na…" he breathed.

Suddenly, a tall figure stood by Yu's side between the shadows and Yosuke. Yu instantly knew its name: Izanagi.

"Sensei!" Teddie called. "Exploit the enemy's weakness!"

Yu pointed towards the shadow as Izanagi went in, firing bolt after bolt of lightning until the shadows dissolved into nothingness.

Yosuke's jaw dropped. "How did you do that? And more importantly, you think I can do it too?"

Teddie came over. "That was amazing, Sensei! Who knew you had such power?"

"I heard you say Persona. Is that…never mind. I think with you two here we'll be just fine."

They turned back to the entrance. "Okay," Yosuke said finally. "Let's go."

Inside they found cut up photos on a table.

"Wha- Why are these all cut up?" Yosuke said. "I thought Senpai enjoyed her job. Why would she-"

"I never got a chance to tell him." a girl's voice rang out.

"Senpai?"

"I never got a chance to tell Hana-chan how much of a pain in the ass he was."

"What?!"

"I was only nice to him because he was the manager's son. This job has ruined my life. Junes is running the store out of business, my parents hate me and the neighbors talk behind my back. I just wish it would all just disappear!"

"Senpai…no…"

"Why so upset?" a distorted voice came from off to the side.

Yosuke looked over. "Wha-"

"Two Yosukes?!" Teddie exclaimed.

"I thought you were happy to finally have something interesting happen to you." the other Yosuke said. "You were just looking for some thrills. What else is there to do in this backwater shithole town?"

"T-that's not true!"

"Oh really? You came for Saki's sake? To find out what really happened to her? Don't make me laugh! You just wanted to play the hero! You see that everybody just barely tolerates you, and yet, you still try to pretend that everyone's your friend! What a loser."

"Wh-who are you?! Why do you look like me?!"

The other Yosuke cackled. "Isn't it obvious? I'm your shadow. I know your innermost thoughts, your desires. I'm YOU!"

"No! That's not true! You're not me! I'd never think that!"

"Ooh, yes. Say it again!"

"You're not me!"

The other Yosuke began to pulse with energy. "You're right. I'm my own person now."

In a blast of energy Yosuke was absorbed, screaming all the while. All that was left was a frog-like monster in its place.

Yu stood ready to fight, his golf club in hand.

The monster raised its arms. "I am a shadow. The true self. I'll crush everything that bores me, starting with YOU!"

"Be careful, Sensei." Teddie warned. "This one's a lot stronger than the last batch."

Yu nodded, then went charging forward. Izanagi fired a bolt of intense lightning, knocking the monster down. It quickly got up and swatted at Yu, who barely dodged in time.

"You're such a pain in the ass!" the monster screamed as it fired an intense wind attack that caught Yu off guard. The monster curled its legs over its face.

"It's guarding its weak point!" Teddie called. "See if you can get it to lower its guard."

But how? Yu looked at its back legs and got an idea. He ran around to the back and smashed his golf club into the monster's hind legs causing it to lose its balance. Yu took this opportunity to smash its face with the golf club.

"Aurgh! I'll crush you!"

"Watch out, Sensei! It's charging up an attack!"

Yu had to think fast or he was doomed. The monster came charging at him so he did the first thing that came to mind. He held the golf club firm and pushed back with it. They struggled for a moment before Yu was finally able to push it away.

Being knocked down for the moment, Yu went in for the final blow. Izanagi fired one more bolt of lightning strait at its weak point and the monster exploded into little bits.

"Is…is it over?" Yu panted.

Yosuke was lying on the ground. Yu helped him up.

"What happened?" Yosuke asked. He turned around to see the other Yosuke staring him down.

"Y-your not…"

"You have to face your other self, Yosuke. Otherwise it'll go berserk again." Teddie said.

Yosuke sighed. "I guess so." He walked up to the shadow. "All that stuff...I guess that was me. I just didn't want to face it. Damn, it's hard to admit it."

"It's okay," Yu said. "You're still the same Yosuke no matter what."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He addressed the shadow. "I'm you and you're me. I can accept that."

The shadow bowed its head and in a flash of light became Jiraiya.

"So this is…my persona." Yosuke breathed. "Not bad." He tuned to Teddie. "Is it possible that Saki-senpai rejected her shadow?"

"Very possible. The shadows are born from humans. When the fog clears here the shadows go berserk. A powerful shadow draws others to it, killing the host."

"So, I guess that's how it is."

"I don't hear any more voices. I think we're done here."

"You guys will come back right?" Teddie asked back at where they'd began.

Yu smiled. "We made a promise didn't we? We'll find the culprit."

"Great! But be sure to come from the same place so we can meet up. I'd hate for you to come in somewhere where I couldn't get to you."

"Yeah," Yosuke chimed in. "We'd be in big trouble if that happened. Could you…let us out now?"

"Yup, one exit coming right up!"

"Oh my god!" Chie said when they'd emerged. "The rope broke and- I was scared stiff! Don't you dare scare me like that again!" She stormed off.

"I guess that was our fault." Yosuke said. "We'll apologize tomorrow. For now I need some sleep. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." Yu said.