The three of them had gathered in front of the flat screen.
"Okay, this is it." Yosuke said before glancing at Chie. "You know, it's still not too late to-"
"No way." Chie said. "I'm coming and you can't stop me!"
"Ugh, fine. Just don't push yourself."
Once they were inside, Teddie noticed them immediately.
"Oh, you're back!" he exclaimed happily.
"Yeah," Yu said. "Someone's gone missing."
"Oh, you can tell too?"
"Yeah," Yosuke cut in. "We think it might be Yukiko-san. Is she here?"
Teddie tilted his head. "Well, someone's definitely here. But I don't know who it is. I think it came from that-a-way." He pointed.
"Okay! Let's go!" Chie exclaimed as she ran off in the direction Teddie had pointed to.
"Hey, wait!" Yosuke protested. "Come on, she'll get herself killed without us!"
"Right behind you." Yu said, running off after her.
"A castle?!" Chie exclaimed when they finally caught up with her.
"That explains a lot." Yu deadpanned.
"So, she's in here, right? You're sure?" Yosuke asked.
"The nose knows!" Teddie answered.
Chie nodded. "Hang on, Yukiko! I'm coming!"
"Can't you stay still for five seconds?!" exclaimed Yosuke. "Come on, we better go after her."
They ran into the castle after Chie, but she was already too far ahead. Now they were just lost.
"Jeez," Yosuke sighed. "There's so many twisting corridors in this castle, I can't tell where we're going."
"Guys? Guys!" Teddie's voice came from what was seemingly nowhere.
"Did you hear something?" Yu said, half joking.
"Hey!" Teddie exclaimed. "Don't ignore me! Listen, the shadows have been aggravated ever since you came here. There's one coming towards you from behind!"
"Huh?" Yu barely had time to react before the floating fish-like shadow came barreling at him. Instinctively he swung his golf club at it, bludgeoning it. The shadow let out a low growl before going in for another strike. This time it caught Yu off guard.
"Yosuke, do something!" Yu yelled as he struggled to get up.
"Hang on!" Yosuke called. "Let's go Jiraiya!"
The persona sent out a gusty wind attack that hit the shadow directly, knocking it down.
"Nice one, Yosuke!" Teddie called. "You hit its weakness!" Yu finally managed to get up.
"Should we show 'em whose boss, partner?" Yosuke asked Yu.
"You know it!" Yu responded.
They ran in and rushed the enemy with everything they had. An all-out attack. The shadow dissolved into smoke as they high fived.
"Wow," Yosuke said, breathing hard. "That was a rush."
"Yeah," Yu laughed. "What do you say we keep going?"
"Hell yeah! These shadows won't know what hit 'em when we're done with them!"
Yosuke went on ahead. Yu was about to follow him when he noticed something coming into his vision.
A tiny, winged figure came into view and began to speak.
"I am thou, thou art I. I am Pixie. I come to aid thou in thy quest."
The small fairy raised its arms before in a flash of light turning into a card. Yu could feel the new persona come to rest in his soul.
"Cool," he said. "Let's get going."
After finally finding the stairs, the two came across a large door.
"Chie-chan's in there!" Teddie called. They pushed the door open and ran inside.
"Chie, we're here! Are you okay?" Yosuke said as they entered.
Chie just stood there with a thousand yard stare. "Y-Yukiko…"
A voice seemed to be drifting through the air. A calm, feminine voice.
"I really am worthless, aren't I?"
"Chie's the only one that gives my life meaning…"
"I have to depend on Chie. Without her I'm useless…"
"Yukiko…Is this…?" Chie stammered.
"We heard voices like this with Saki-senpai too." Yosuke said. "I think these are Yukiko's inner thoughts."
A harsh laugh came from further in the room. "Yeah...Yukiko depends on me. That's how it should be!"
"What?!" Chie exclaimed.
A figure came into view. It looked exactly like Chie.
"Yukiko knows that she can't do anything without me. She's a worthless piece of trash! So good looking, so feminine. It makes me sick! Seeing her get jealous of me? Boy, does that give me a charge!" the figure said.
"W-what are you saying? I'd never think that." Chie pleaded.
"Oh really? We both know full well that you're a failure. We need to hold others down in order to keep going. Deep down I know I'm the one who's worthless. But Yukiko…she depends on me. That's why I'll never loosen my grip on her. You know that don't you…me?"
"N-no! No! You're not-"
"Chie, no!" Yosuke pleaded.
"You're not me!"
The shadow began to laugh a nightmarish laugh before transforming into a tall, daunting, dominant figure.
"Here it comes!" Yu shouted.
They assumed their battle stance as the shadow laughed once more.
"I am a shadow…the true self…Are you guys trying to defend the 'real' me? I won't let that go unpunished!"
"Quit being such a pain!" Yosuke yelled. "Chie, hang on!"
"Teddie, we could really use some info on its weakness right about now!" Yu called.
"Hang on, I'm working on it!" Teddie said.
Unfortunately, getting a hit on the shadow was easier said then done. They couldn't even get close to it before it swatted them away with its hair-like tendrils. It sent electric attacks from a distance to the point where they could barely dodge.
"What do we do now?" Yosuke said before just barely dodging a bolt of electricity.
Yu did the only thing he could. He summoned Izanagi and went in for an attack. Izanagi lunged at the shadow with a physical attack, temporarily knocking the wind out of it. It retaliated with an ice attack directly into Yu's chest. Yu lay on the ground unable to move, leaving Yosuke to fight alone.
"Oh god," Yosuke said. "Now what?"
"Yosuke!" Teddie's voice came. "It's weak to wind attacks! You got this!"
Yosuke looked at the shadow, then back at Yu and gave a single nod.
"Persona!" he screamed, unleashing the biggest wind attack he could muster. The shadow fell back, catch off guard by it all.
"Hang in there, partner! I'll heal you up!"
Yu could feel his strength returning. He got back up and returned to his fighting stance.
"You ready?" he said.
Yosuke nodded.
They ran in and rushed the enemy, just like before. Before it could get back up, Yosuke hit it with another wind attack.
"No! Noooo!" the shadow screamed as it made one final attempt to fight.
Yu summoned Izanagi one last time. "Go to hell."
The shadow dissolved into the air in an explosion of smoke, leaving the two of them panting from the encounter.
"Are you okay, Chie?" Yosuke asked, pulling her to her feet. Chie simply grunted in response.
Chie turned. Her other self stood, staring at her silently.
"What's the matter, got nothing to say now?" Chie said, bitterly.
"Stop it, Chie!" Yosuke exclaimed. "This is another side of you. It's okay to have skeletons in your closet. Believe me, I…" He paused. "I went through this too."
"Yosuke…" Chie didn't know what to say.
"Everyone has a side like this. You're not alone. We're here for you."
Chie took a shaky breath before turning back to her other self. "Yeah, I get it now. You're a part of me that I couldn't forgive, but you still exist. I see that now."
The shadow nodded, then transformed into the persona Tomoe.
"Nice." Chie murmured before falling to her knees.
"Chie!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"I-I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
"We should go back." Yu said. "She needs some rest."
"But what about Yukiko?" Chie asked.
"We'll come back. We're not finished here."
Yosuke nodded. "Come on Chie, you need to get some rest."
"Ugh, I feel like I'm about to collapse." Chie said as they came back to the entrance.
"I can see why." Teddie said back. "You don't have these!" Teddie whipped out a pair of glasses with a flourish.
"Glasses? What are you-" She put them on and gasped. "Whoa! It's like the fog doesn't even exist!"
"Why didn't you pull those out before?" Yu asked.
"I just made them." Teddie said.
"Uh, about what happened back there…" Chie began. "Thanks. And…I'm sorry for rushing in like that."
Yosuke laughed. "No problem. It seems like you have the same power we do now. You can fight along side us."
Yosuke then turned to Yu. "Hey, if we're gonna solve this case then we're gonna need a leader. Since you were the first to get this power I nominate you."
"I agree." Chie said.
"Me too." Teddie said.
"I guess I'm the leader then." Yu said. "Leave it to me."
"Alright," Yosuke said. "Let's come here here when we can so we can rescue Yukiko-san."
Suddenly, Yu heard a voice in his head.
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shall be blessed when creating personas of the Fool arcana…
That night as Yu slept, he found himself in the Velvet Room once again.
Marie looked up excitedly as he entered. "Oh, you're back. What is it this time? Persona? Skill card? It doesn't matter to me."
"Marie," Margaret warned.
Margaret gave a sort of half smile. "You'll have to excuse her. Marie is inexperienced with the way of the world, that is to say, she is not of man."
"Why do you have to be so blunt about it?" Marie growled.
"As I said," Margaret went on. "That is why you have been called here tonight. Marie is unfamiliar with the world and her understanding of it is limited. I would like to ask that you take her outside and show her. Will that be alright, Marie?"
Marie looked away. "Whatever."
"And is that alright with you?"
Yu looked over at Marie. There was something about her that intrigued him, though he couldn't put his finger on what.
"That'll be fine."
The school day had began as it always did with Yu and Yosuke chatting before class.
"I hope Chie's okay," Yosuke said. "A lot happened yesterday." As if on cue, Chie came through the classroom door.
"Hey," she said as she walked up to them. "Uh, thanks again for yesterday. You really got to see my inner demons, huh?"
Yosuke smiled. "Don't sweat it. Like I said, I went through the same thing."
"Oh yeah, what was it like with you anyway? Might as well tell me. It's only fair."
Yosuke began to look uncomfortable.
"Uh, well…" He quickly changed the subject. "Hey Yu, you didn't go though anything like we did when you got your power, did you? I wonder why?"
"Oh, you didn't?" Chie asked. "Well, you kinda seem like a pretty open guy. Maybe you got nothing to hide?"
There was a brief moment of silence before Chie spoke again.
"Well, our goal right now is to save Yukiko no matter what. I'm dead set on that."
"Yeah." Yosuke said as the bell rang. He got in his seat.
Chie turned to Yu. "Seriously, thanks for saving me. I feel like you won't let me down. I appreciate that."
Once again the voice sounded in Yu's head.
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Chariot Arcana…
As the last bell rang later that day, Yu gathered up his things and headed out. He had a bit of a craving for steak skewers and, remembering the stand in the shopping district, decided to head there.
As he was walking past the metalwork shop he found his eyes wandering to the blue door to the velvet room.
Well, it couldn't hurt, could it? He entered.
"Marie-chan," he said. "You wanna go get some steak skewers with me?"
Marie looked at him, confused. "What's that?"
"I'll show you. Come on, let's go out for a bit."
"Huh, so this is it?" Marie said as she looked on.
Yu nodded. "It's food on a stick. Come on, let's go get some."
"Yo!" a familiar voice came from behind. Yosuke walked up to them.
"Getting some steak, huh? Mind if I-" He noticed Marie.
"Whoa, where'd you find this cutie?" he said.
"C-cutie?" Marie said, a blush forming on her face.
"This is Marie." Yu said. "She's an acquaintance."
"Well Marie-chan, lucky for you I got a bonus on my paycheck so the steak's on me."
Marie looked at Yu, a surprised look on her face. "Is that okay?"
"Of course," Yu said, smiling. "No reason to decline."
"So, what do you think, Marie-chan?" Yosuke asked after they'd finished.
"Hmm, it was tough, hard to bite into, and it got cold while I was eating. It was delicious!"
"Um, okay? That wasn't how I expected you to finish that sentence."
"Why's it called 'steak' anyway?"
"I think it's short for 'beefsteak.'" Yu said.
"Then why not call it 'fsteak'? Then you at least know what it's shortened from."
"I don't know if that would work…" Yosuke said.
After making small talk for a little while, Yosuke went home.
"He's a funny person." Marie said.
"That he is." Yu said back.
"But he bought me meat, so he's a good person in my book."
Marie seemed to be staring off into space. "Hey, take me somewhere with a view."
They went to the hill over looking the town.
Marie seemed to be taking in the scenery. "It's very green here. I like it."
They walked over to look down on the town.
"So, you live here?" Marie asked.
"For the moment." Yu said.
"Do you like it here?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I like you. I seem to notice things when I'm with you. Can you show me around more often?"
"Of course, I'd love to."
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Aeon Arcana…