Yu Narukami sat with his partner and friend in the SIU headquarters, waiting. The plan to meet with Sae Niijima, his guardian, his confidant, and his potential foe, was underway. They had reviewed it dozens of times in Leblanc, but even so, executing it was nerve-wrecking. It didn't help that late last night, they received a message from Hifumi.

Earlier…

Hifumi: Guys, I think I've found our next target.

Shiho: Does that mean you managed to get Ryuji to open up?

Hifumi: Yes. And it's bad.

Akechi: How bad?

Hifumi: He's being blackmailed by the yakuza. A man named Munehisa Iwai to be specific.

Yu: Oh shit.

Akechi: That's the understatement of the year my friend.

Morgana: How so?

Akechi: Iwai was once the Japanese version of Al Capone; he committed virtually every crime in the book, from illegal gambling, extortion, racketeering, booze, human trafficking, murder, the whole nine yards. For years, the department, and even the SIU struggled with putting him down, until Dojima Narukami transferred to the Tokyo PD and was partnered with a man named Saito Niijima.

Morgana: Hold on, Yu's dad and Sae's dad knew each other?!

Yu: Yup. It's why I'm staying with her.

Morgana: WHAT?!

Shiho: How did you not know that?

Morgana: No one tells me these things!

Akechi: Back on track, this whole thing happened about five years ago, when Iwai was still the master of Japan's underworld.

Shiho: Was?

Akechi: Well, Dojima-san and Saito-san were the best of the best that the law could offer, but even they couldn't track down Iwai himself. The two of them decided that if they couldn't take down Iwai, they'd take down his operations. And so, the two of them led a war against the criminals of Tokyo. Between Dojima-san's intellect and Saito-san's martial skills, the criminal underworld began to crumble, and some in the clan began to prepare for open rebellion against what they saw as ineffective leadership.

Morgana: What happened after that?

Yu: Everything went wrong after that. Dad and Saito-san went to the Niijima home, thinking it was safe there. About five yakuza henchmen showed up, and there was a firefight. Saito-san was killed, and dad was put into a coma for three years.

Shiho: Are you going to be alright?

Yu: I'm fine. I dealt with it long ago.

Akechi: Fortunately for us, the damage had already been done to the yakuza. Iwai's clan faced a civil war, and a great many broke off to form their own factions.

Hifumi: But now it looks like he's returning to the field.

Yu: Yea. And if that's true, then we have to finish what dad and Saito-san started.

Hifumi: Did Iwai have any partners? Sworn brothers?

Akechi: Well, he had one. His name was Hirohito Anzai, but he vanished roughly 15 years ago, long before Dojima-san was transferred to Tokyo. Good thing too, because by all accounts, Anzai was an unstoppable force of nature, and the sole reason Iwai managed to amass as much power to begin with.

Shiho: If he left, then all we have to worry about is Iwai. All in favor of targeting him?

Hifumi: Aye.

Akechi: Aye.

Yu: Aye.

Morgana: Aye.

Shiho: Then it's unanimous. Let's take this guy down. For Sae-san, Makoto-senpai, Yu, and for Ryuji.

"Munehisa Iwai."

"Candidate found."

Yu: Looks like we're in business guys. He has a Palace.

Present…

Yu forced himself back to the here and now. The next part of their plan could happen at any moment, and the teenager mentally played the steps in his head.

Step one: Deliver the spare phone onto the roof.

This step was actually completed yesterday. After Akechi left Leblanc, he took the spare phone Yu had and taped it underneath a chair, and then delivered said chair to the roof. He also made sure to have several other empty boxes so that Sae wouldn't get suspicious, and even put some pornographic material inside them.

Step two: Have Futaba send Sae the message

This was the current step they were on. The girls wanted something to do during the whole operation, but they couldn't be in the building without raising suspicions. Morgana suggested that they could watch from another building, letting Futaba know when Sae got in range so she could activate the app at the right time. Yu shot that down with the fact that Izanagi could just as easily watch for Sae's arrival. So the girls sat at their homes, and hoped for the best. His train of thought was interrupted by Sae letting out a gasp of shock. He and Akechi looked over to their boss and quickly walked to her desk.

"Sae-san? Is something wrong?" Akechi asked.

"I don't know. Look at this." Sae ordered.

There, taking up all of the space on her computer screen was a message

Greetings Sae Niijima, the Incorruptible Justicar.

We have heard your message. We know you do not believe us to be champions of justice, that our powers will inevitably corrupt us, but we are ready and eager to prove you wrong. We heard of your offer for an alliance, and after some debate, we have decided to accept. Our leader awaits on the rooftop. Come alone. If you bring anyone, be they a squad, an intern or even your partner, the deal is off. You have 15 minutes until he leaves.

Kindest regards, the Phantom Team.

Yu and Akechi looked at each other first, then toward Sae, gauging her response. They decided in Leblanc that if this meeting went sour, they should at least maintain the advantage of keeping their numbers a secret. Sae immediately stood up and turned to her subordinates.

"Stay here, both of you. I'm heading to the roof."

"Be careful Sae-san." Yu cautioned.

"Don't worry. Whoever their leader is, I can handle him." Sae replied with confidence, turning to head up the stairs that led to the rooftop. Once she was out of sight, Akechi and Yu made their way to the bathroom as quickly as possible. Akechi began to type to Futaba, while Yu sent Izanagi out to wait for Sae to get to the rooftop. Next step.

Step three: Wait until Sae reaches the roof, then pull her into the Metaverse.

They had already determined that when Yu went into the Metaverse, Izanagi would materialize instantly wherever the Persona was, regardless of how far he was from his master. But, as they discussed their plan, they realized another problem; how would they get Sae back into the real world? They couldn't afford to have her discover the Meta-Nav. That would open a can of worms of problems. Akechi proposed a solution; he would enter the Metaverse with Yu. After the introductions with Sae and Izanagi were done, Robin Hood would sneak up to the roof, and once it was done, he would activate the Nav. This was without a doubt the most risky part of the plan; it could take only the smallest of mistakes to cause everything to go up in smoke. But Akechi assured them that he wouldn't let that happen.

She's here Narukami.

Yu told Futaba to activate the Nav. Closing his eyes to look through Izanagi's, he saw Sae open the door, and step right next to the chair with the phone taped underneath. Suddenly, she let out a hiss of pain and gripped her temples with her fingers, struggling to keep them open. But then, she finally closed her eyes, and her body vanished. Now, Izanagi hovered to the staircase, just behind the door to the roof. Now, it was time for the final step.

Step four: Enter the Metaverse and make an alliance with Sae Niijima.

This was a part where Yu and Izanagi had a great internal debate over who would be in charge. At first, Yu thought he'd have to direct his Persona like a puppet, but Izanagi assured him that not only was he capable of operating on his own, but also if he spoke with Yu's mannerisms and speech patterns in a voice similar to Yu's, there would be a chance Sae would put two and two together. The Wild Card relented only when Izanagi promised he would take the situation seriously, though he was greatly offended Yu thought otherwise.

Yu made sure he and Akechi were alone, and activated the Nav.

Sae Niijima had to suppress her smile as she climbed the staircase to the rooftop. This was almost too easy. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't really expect the Team to accept her invitation. In truth, the only reason she even made that offer was to minimize support for the Team. If they turned her down, she could tell the public that they had a chance to be real heroes and they missed it. But, since they actually took her up on her offer, she could cut this investigation short. Their leader was expecting a talk, perhaps a deal, an alliance in the name of justice.

What a fool he would be.

Once she got up there and met him, the first thing she'd do is cuff him and interrogate him. She'd do whatever it took to get the names of his accomplices, and if he tried to resist, she had a taser and her training. But she hoped he'd come quietly. She didn't want to hurt him any more than she needed to. After the rest of the Team was arrested, she'd get her just reward, and celebrate with Makoto, Akechi, and Yu. She smiled at the thought of spending more time with those three.

Of course, there was a chance that the leader anticipated a trap, and brought along some tricks of his own. Maybe he had already appointed another to lead in case he got captured. It could be best to pretend to accept their deal, get close to their leader, and destroy them. She had more than enough experience entrapping men and women with her wiles, and their leader would be no different.

By now, she had arrived at the door that led to the roof, and her smile vanished. For some reason, she felt a pang of guilt in her heart. Shortly after, she heard Dojima's voice.

'Don't enter a case with a conclusion already made up. You do that, and you'll just search for evidence that supports it, and ignore any that goes against it. If that happens, you'll make mistakes and put away the wrong person. If you ever meet the Phantom Team, do it with an open mind. You could be pleasantly surprised.'

Or maybe… maybe they were the real deal. Maybe they were genuine about wanting to help. Maybe they were just over their heads, and trying to deliver justice their own way. Sae knew all too well how often that didn't happen in the real world.

Fine, she decided. She would give them a chance. Fair and square.

She opened the door, and braced herself for whoever awaited her. Except it wasn't a who, but a what that was lying in wait. Almost as soon as she closed the door behind her, her skull pounded with an intense headache. The world around her seemed to swirl, colors bled together, and her skull felt like it was about to explode. She closed her eyes, and suddenly, the pain was gone. She opened her eyes and saw that she was still standing on the roof, but the world was different. Everything else was almost the exact same as before, except for certain details; the sky was as red as blood, and the clouds swirled like vultures looking to claim their next meal, while the city was as silent as the grave. Before Sae could try and make sense of what happened, or where she was, she heard something behind her, and she turned around, seeing the doorknob begin to turn.

The doorknob creaked as it twisted, and the door hinges moaned as the slab of metal slid wide open, revealing what opened it. Standing in the doorway was a being the likes of which Sae had never seen before. Its presence felt otherworldly, its eyes felt like they belonged to something supernatural. But above all else, it radiated power, power that could change the world. This being stepped out and began to hover as it approached the prosecutor. When it spoke, the words boomed like thunder.

"Greetings Sae Niijima, and welcome to my domain. I am Izanagi, the leader of the Phantom Team."