Chapter 25 / Snow

February 11th, 2012 / Daytime
Ski Slopes

Of course, the air was cold as it could be expected. And the ski lodge seemed to be a lot more active than we had initially anticipated. Of course, Yosuke had wanted to go a month ago, which likely would have been busier because it would have been during the schools winter break. But Yu getting sick had put a stop to that plan, but it hadn't been completely abandoned by Yosuke. Plus with Rise and I's contract negotiation happening after that, we likely wouldn't have really enjoyed it if we had gone then. Things were a bit different now. It was nearly a month now since that deal happened. Not only that but finals were also over. That also meant it was less than a month away from my graduation. Time really had seemed to speed up. And more than that, nothing had happened inside the TV world. I knew that something was lingering and waiting to act. What exactly that was and the severity of it, I didn't know.

Yu had said that Margaret was close to finding Marie, and that she would be showing any day to tell them where their friend had disappeared to. But it felt that it was likely a lot more complicated than he was indicating. If it involved the Velvet Room, which he had essentially told me it did, I could imagine there was no telling how complicated the matter really was. It might have made more sense if I had been around since the beginning. But this year probably would have felt a lot longer than it already was.

I brought my skis to a stop as I reached the bottom of the slope and turned to pull off my goggles so I could get a better look. Rise was only behind me by only a minute, and looked like the others were making their way down as well.

"You're pretty fast, Kayane," Rise grinned as she came to a stop next to me. She pulled up her own goggles and gave me a noticeably once over before smiling. "Not to mention you look good doing it."

I waved off her comment as I often did when she was blatantly trying to get a rise out of me. "I'm pretty rusty though. I went only a couple times last year with Mom. But she's been busy getting things arranged for us so she couldn't even make it with us for the weekend. Still I guess we've been pretty busy too, song writing, dance practice and school finals has made it impossible for us to do much of anything else," I watched as Yosuke and Chie seemed to be the first ones coming into view. They were the only two of the Investigation Team that had gone with snowboarding over ski's. Why was I not surprised the two of them would pair together? If it had to be described, it was a dull surprise.

Chie and Yosuke came to a stop not too far away from us. "I thought you said it was your first time?" I could hear Yosuke asking.

"Well its just keeping your balance right?" Chie gave a shrug.

"Those two are ginning like idiots. And they believe we don't notice?" Rise muttered from next to me.

"No, I think its because they don't notice," I commented. Attraction was like that though, besides just because too people get along so well doesn't necessarily mean there is anything romantic. No, what made it hard was how they acted around each other all the time. I honestly believed that they didn't know how they felt for each other.

"Really? I mean, its like they revolve around each other," Rise commented as we looked at the two of them. I looked over my shoulder and saw another interesting scene. I tapped Rise's shoulder and pointed over to them. "Oooh, it's Naoto and Kanji. Looks like his coaching is going well."

Then Naoto lost her balance and collapsed onto Kanji. The two falling into the snow. "Who do you think is the most flustered?" I chuckled.

"I dunno, Naoto is probably red as can be, and Kanji. Well, now that I think about it, it could be pretty close," Rise giggled. Kanji and Naoto was definitely a much different situation than Chie and Yosuke. Kanji wore his emotions on his sleeve for the most part and Naoto, she was socially awkward when it wasn't work related. She was surprisingly easy to startle and fluster. Not to mention that out of everyone, Naoto had never really dismissed the possibility of being attracted to Kanji. And the two were clearly getting along right now. But it wasn't like that meant anything. The two of them were definitely awkward around each other, so who knows what would happen in the future.

The two of us were still laughing when Yukiko came screeching to a halt close to us. "Oh no, I shouldn't have egged him on like that," Yukiko said as we turned to see Teddie flying down and right into Yosuke. I raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"Somehow, I knew this would happen," Yu muttered as he came to a stop next to Yukiko. He shook his head as he frowned a bit at his girlfriend. "Yukiko, I love your competitive side but I think we all know that Teddie will just end up going to far and well now Yosuke is..."

"Relax, illustrious leader. As if Teddie wasn't going to try and knock someone over anyway," I chuckled. "At least this way he isn't bothering any of the girls." Honestly that was what I would have expected him to try considering Teddie's usual line of thinking.

"I suppose Yosuke is the most accustomed to his antics," Yu sighed.

"I would imagine, considering Teddie lives with him," I scratched my head.

"Yu, want to go race me?" Yukiko eyed him. And averting the attention away from Yosuke now yelling at Teddie.

"Watch it Yu. Looks like your girlfriend isn't going to stop any time soon," I grinned. If she could distract Yu from his thoughts about Marie, then I was all for it. Yukiko had been worried about it a lot ever since Yu had been sick. And she had definitely been more mindful of it. At least that was what I thought until she spoke again.

"You guys should come back with us," Yukiko looked over with a smile. It was pretty obvious she wanted more competitors. I don't think she cared to have real competition but just people to push her to go faster, and absolutely crush everyone. "You looked like you knew what you were doing, Senpai. Want to race?"

I raised an eyebrow. I could tell how this day was going to go. I shrugged, "Alright, Amagi. Want to see how fast we can get going?"

"Just be careful you two," Yu said shaking his head.

"Yeah, plus you have to go with me a couple times after that," Rise said pulling on my arm.

"Alright Amagi. Best of three?" I challenged her.

"You're on, Senpai!" Yukiko grinned.

We didn't stop for the next few hours. I managed to beat Yukiko on the first run, but after that she really turned it on and beat me pretty soundly the next time. And then I was only a ski length behind her the last time. So we had been surprisingly well matched. After that I re-connected with Rise and we went back up the slopes and down again. I think we might have gone up and back down the slope around seven or eight times before we were all finally losing steam. I really hadn't been this active in quite a while. Although we had gone to the TV world a couple times to make sure we were still on top of our Shadow killing game. Yu was still worried about Marie obviously, and he figured that finding her might lead to needed our Persona's once again. Not to mention, a lot of the Investigation Team had new Persona's. Well, me included. It wasn't unusual if it happened to everyone but I was kinda hoping we would have time to talk about it later tonight with everyone. It might be a good time to speculate about the nature of our own abilities.

Time had passed and eventually we all gathered towards the bottom of the slope, but out of the way of other people. The sun would be setting probably within the next hour or so as it was already starting to get dimmer. I was legitimately exhausted from this day, and really, it felt great.

"Whew. We've been down this slope a bunch of times now," Yosuke was the last to join the group. "So, what do you think of my snowboarding skills? I bet you're head over heels with them." Yosuke was grinning. Not sure who he was directed his comment at, or was poking fun at the fact that a few times Kanji had landed face first in the snow because of Teddie.

"Well, yeah, but only because we were falling down all the time. Teddie kept crashing into me," Kanji grumbled pretty much confirming it was more the latter.

"It's not fair that Kanji gets to keep skiing with Nao-chan. I'm completely against one-on-one lessons," Teddie spoke up.

"You were doing it on purpose, you bastard!" Kanji growled.

"Considering how you were acting Teddie, Kanji was really the best to teach Shirogane," I commented before looking over to Yosuke. "Who were you directing that comment to anyway, Yosuke?"

"Honestly I was just seeing if anyone would notice," Yosuke shrugged but I knew better than that. Chie and Yosuke had spend a large part of their time together. Then again it wouldn't be out of character for him to make a comment like that. Which is probably why none of the Investigation Team cared to comment on it.

"So this was your first time skiing, Naoto-kun? How was it?" Yukiko asked, re-directing the conversation back to where it was.

Naoto seemed somewhat frustrated, "I can barely even stand upright. Kanji-kun is teaching me, but, it's not going as I'd hoped. I keep going in the wrong direction or falling over without warning. I hope I do a little better tomorrow." Looked like everyone was tired. Wait, had she always used Kanji's first name? Had I just never noticed before? I mean I knew that everyone in the Investigation Team was close but maybe I'm just not as attentive as I had been.

"You don't look it, but you really don't like losing, do you?" Chie giggled a bit. "Should we go up one more time?" I understand the sentiment but I don't think anyone had the energy to do that.

"No way," Rise said from next to me and grabbing my arm. "I'm too tired. My legs are giving out on me. Carry me back, Kayane."

"I'm barely standing myself, I'd just end up dropping you," I knew she was just playing with me at this point. But I still played along with it anyway.

"Then let me sit in your lap to make up for it when we get back," she grinned.

"We'll see," I shook my head. She giggled in response and held a big smile. She definitely felt she had won this 'fight'.

"My fur's all frozen, too. I feel like Frosty the Snowbear," Teddie commented. It didn't help that you kept crashing into people and ended up face first in the snow. So only reaping what you sow, in my opinion.

"We've got tomorrow, too, so let's call it a day. Besides, aren't you hungry, Chie-san?" Yosuke was using her first name now. But I suppose all of them were close so it wasn't like it would be unusual. Even Naoto used Kanji's first name without really thinking about it. But the group had basically all paired up. I kinda felt sorry for Teddie in a way.

"I didn't even notice it until now. I'm super-hungry!" Chie looked over at Yosuke. "What are we having for dinner at the lodge?"

Yosuke just shrugged but Yukiko had an answer, "I think it said sole cooked in non-regional style."

"Sole? Doesn't really sound that appetizing," I sighed. I actually wasn't a big fan of sea food. I know, its kinda crazy huh? Living in Japan meant you usually ate quite a bit of seafood. I mean there was some sushi that I liked but in general I didn't really care for it. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that my Uncle loved seafood and had made something fish related nearly every night. I guess that was part of the reason Mom didn't really make any seafood at home. Probably had problems feeding me from time to time when I was a kid because of it. I must have been a difficult kid. Considering how I had been, that was probably an understatement.

"Wait, so it's a non-style style? What is that supposed to taste like?" Naoto apparently had never heard of it. Admittedly, I hadn't either. I wasn't exactly that knowledgeable about cooking. I just knew I preferred spicy food. And only knew how to cook certain types of dishes. And I knew nothing about sea food.

"I think you would only call it something like that if you weren't all that confident about your food," Rise remarked from next to me. She obviously had no idea about why it was called that either.

"I doubt the chefs would appreciate hearing that from you guys," Yosuke shook his head.

"That's so mean! I remember you yelling about how delicious that cake we made was!" Rise was offended, for some reason. Were they talking about the one they made on Christmas day?

"I wasn't yelling! And that cake was only good because Naoto helped you," Yosuke countered. He was obviously referencing something about the girls cooking ability which I had continued to be left in the dark about.

I must have a very confused look on my face because Yu started laughing. I looked over at him. "What are you laughing about?"

"Count yourself lucky Senpai. You never had to experience the food of our three deadly chefs," Yu commented which the girls in question glared at him. He put his hands up, "Don't look at me. The campout food was a disaster was one instance. And then all three of your girls managed to make omelets that weren't exactly accessible to the people you were cooking for. But to be fair, Yukiko has gotten a lot better. And I think Rise-san has a boyfriend that shares her love of all things spicy. So if he had been there I think it would have been a winner in his book."

The girls looked like they wanted to retaliate but seemed to refrain. If anything Yukiko was smiling big because in some small way she had won because the only one Yu had complimented was her.

"So what? I haven't made any progress?" Chie challenged. Not looking happy that both Yukiko and Rise got commented in a way and she hadn't.

"I have no idea. It's been a while since I've had anything you've cooked," Yu said blatantly. Well, he was being honest about it though. Chie was definitely frustrated about it though.

"Ugh! Anyway! There's something more important at hand right now! Sole is a fish, right? What about some real meat? MEAT!" Chie was re-directing her energy back to the subject that always seemed to be important to her.

"How much of a carnivore are you...?" Yosuke muttered from next to her.

"I don't think I saw any real meat dishes on the menu," Yukiko provided. Obviously Yukiko was more than aware of her best friends diet preferences.

"No beef? Or pork!? Or even chicken!? What kind of place is this!?" Chie was definitely not happy with this news. She folded her arms and frowned.

"Ya know, she's got a point. Considering how much we've been skiing, I could use something with a lot of protein," Kanji commented.

"Meat..." Yukiko stared at Teddie, and prompted everyone to look at the would-be bear.

"Has the day finally come that you all want a little taste of Teddie!?" Teddie looked quite alarm at this development.

Yukiko quickly waved it off, "No, we'd never do that, .bear meat is pretty gamey, after all." That was, an unusually informed answer.

Teddie's jaw dropped, "You're so cruel, Yuki-chan."

"Don't worry Teddie. If we're ever stranded somewhere and we had no other choice, I'm sure we can put the gamey part aside," I commented before walking off.

"I, huh? Wait a moment," Teddie wasn't sure whether to be thankful or worried. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well we should head to the lodge and get out of our gear. We've been in it most of the day so we should take some time to relax for once. We can figure out dinner when we get there," Yu pushed everyone along. We were all in agreement. It had been quite a day...and a lot of fun.

Yukiko was right at home in the snow. I felt like she probably enjoyed skiing more than anyone else here. Even Yu had a hard time keeping up with her but when those two had raced they had stayed pretty much neck and neck the entire way. And that was after she had raced me a few times. Although I totally didn't buy it when Yukiko innocently fell onto him when they finished on one of their last runs. But I hadn't seen them smile like this in a while. Especially Yu. He had been so preoccupied with worrying about Marie that he had been hard to deal with for a while. Yukiko had managed to help him, it had taken her time but eventually I assume the two had talked...I mean really talked and made some sort of discovery about themselves.

Everyone was slipping off their ski's or snowboard. I found myself looking up to the sky as snow was falling. How strange how I never really thought about the world around me. Had I always been stuck with blinders on? Blind to everything but myself? I found myself sighing. That wasn't really true either. The blinders I had on had been fully encompassing. Nothing got through, I just went through the motions of life. Mom had certainly tried, trying to find something that would hold my interest. She tried with so many things. It was part of the reason I knew how to ski. I could snowboard but I preferred skiing. Sure I had fun, but nothing ever really grabbed me. Sports wasn't my thing either. I had given an honest effort and been told I had talent for a few of them but I just couldn't stay motivated to keep up with them or care to get better at them. Funny how music was what called to me and despite my Mother's job it was one of the last things she tried for me.

"Kayane?" Rise was out of her ski's and coming up to me as I looked towards her for a moment. "What's on your mind?"

"I just realized how narrow my view was before I met all of you. I never looked around me, or cared for anyone else but myself. Well, I wasn't even that good at doing that either," I shook my head.

"I was the same too. When I quit I thought it was because no one saw the real me. But...there was a fan I had. A girl who wrote to me in letters. She told me she was being being bullied but always looked to me for confidence. Funny enough I recently got another one from her saying she wasn't going to be my fan anymore because her new friend told her to stop liking me. She says she'll still be cheering for me in her heart, but she won't be sending me any more letters," Rise seemed like it didn't bother her, but I knew that it did. Still, what a ridiculous reason to not be a fan. Because of a friend?

"What are you worried about? I mean everyone here is a fan of yours," Yu appeared on her other side.

"Be that as it may, I think I know what you are getting at though," I said. Having fans was never really the issue she had.

"Relationships between people are difficult," Rise shook her head. "There's something like a mutual respect between her and I. I don't even know what she looks like, but I know she has a pure heart. I also know that she's persistent. But when another person enters the picture, things suddenly get complicated. Throw in four or five people, and it's pure chaos. There's no malice involved, and it's no one's fault. Yet we end up hurting each other, becoming lost." Rise let out a small sigh, "It makes me so tired sometimes."

"Tell me about it, my life has been one thing after another after I've met all of you," I smiled and playfully poked her cheek.

"Kayane!" she grabbed my hand and then quickly kissed me before I could avoid her. She just as quickly pulled back with a grin on her face. "It's the same for all of us. But that's exactly why I want to keep trying my best. I mean, I am an idol, after all. Well I mean its Kayane and I that are going to be idols, or are we just a duo now? You know what I mean."

"I think everyone here does," Yu said. "It'll be a rough road for both of you, with many of its own trials and problems to deal with." I'm sure the initial reaction of the announcement will be enough to cause people to go crazy.

"Yeah, an idol, or duo, isn't some doll in a window being held up for public display. I think it means somebody who can endure things and stand their ground, no matter which way they're pushed. Well, even if that girl doesn't write me letters, I bet she'll still watch Kayane and I and see where my new direction takes me. And who knows, maybe I can be her strength, as well as many others as we reach out to new people. Even if things don't go our way and we end up in all kinds of trouble. I know that we won't lose. I have to protect the smiles of the people that are precious to me. That's the resolve I found after meeting all of you. Plus I have to be there together with Kayane. I want to support him, just as I know he'll continue to support me."

That was when it happened. Much like it had occurred for me, Rise's Persona changed. Kanzeon appeared in front of us and shifted to something new but very similar to Kanzeon. "This is Kouzeon. A new power?" Rise grinned and then engulfed me in a hug causing me to lose my balance. I fell backwards and onto the snow. Rise against me she was smiling bigger than she was before. "Kayane! No matter what happens in the future we'll continue to grow and change. No matter what we have to face. I have everyone here and you, Kayane, to thank for the strength I have now."

"And I couldn't have a better girlfriend, that I could hardly begin to describe all she has done for me," I said before she captured my lips with her own.

Everyone had the capacity to grow stronger. Just what exactly was Persona? It was so closely tied to our mental state it made a thought linger in my head. If powers could strengthen then surely it was possible for them to do the opposite. Despite the mood Rise was in, that single negative thought refused to leave my mind.


February 11th, 2012 / Evening
Ski Lodge Lounge

After managing to become untangled from Rise we had all gotten back to the lounge and gotten changed and been to the bathhouse before we all met back downstairs again in the lounge. Dinner had been decent enough but it wasn't anything that great. My mind had mostly been distracted by my thoughts about Rise and her Persona changing. It was definitely distracting me now.

Rise was snuggled up against me as I was silently drinking my tea. They were all so, accepting. I couldn't help but wonder what they had all been like before they had been friends. All of them couldn't have been like this from the beginning, could they? There was a lot that they all went through while I had still been trapped in my own world. Before I had been kidnapped and thrown into the TV. If I had never met them then I would have been at a stand still. Even after all this time with them. I was still hesitating, still questioning how I had met them. It all seemed like a fantasy. Like I was trapped in another dream entirely. Even though it wasn't like it had all been easy, there had been a lot of difficult things for me to face to get to this point. But I could hardly deny how different and good my life seemed to be by comparison to how it had been before.

"Is Teddie still in the bathhouse?" Yosuke had just walked in.

I blinked for a moment. I was probably thinking too much. I needed to just relax for a bit and forget all of that.

"We saw those college girls while we were having dinner. He said he was gonna hold out in the bath until they showed up," Kanji explained with a wave of his hand. This surprised absolutely nobody. Still I wondered if it was because of just the way the day been, but it felt like Teddie was jealous of the other members of the Investigation Team. I could understand it from a certain point of view. He knew he was a Shadow, but we had all accepted him, and told him to live here in this world with us. To live as a human. But there was a lot that came with that. And it would be harder and harder for him as he experienced it. So many things were new to him...and would continue to be. I wonder if Yosuke realized how much he'll be relied on when it comes to that time? Well, I think Yosuke is oddly a good person to be there for him. Despite how Yosuke complained, I think he cared a great deal more about Teddie than he gave off or would ever admit.

Yosuke shook his head, "Sheesh, what's he up to now?" Clearly he was concerned but Chie took it a different way, or was poking fun at him.

"You say that, but I bet you wish you were there with him right now, don't you?" Chie said at the end of the couch. Actually as I watched her speak she wasn't being as direct as she usually was. Either way, Yosuke quickly replied.

"Don't lump me in with him!" Yosuke was quick to defend himself. He was irritated at Chie's usual accusations and probably didn't notice the other implications of what she was saying. Then again, did she?

"Well, I'm sure you'd rather spend time with us. Rather than people like that, Senpai?" Rise seemed to want to pour more fuel on the fire. Nothing new in that department. A thought must have sprang into his head after a moment as Yosuke grinned a bit.

"Dude, how awesome is it that we all get to stay overnight like this? And it's co-ed! So why don't we..." Yosuke was quickly interrupted by Yukiko.

"No," She said sharply.

"But I didn't suggest anything yet!" Yosuke was definitely not able to win against any of the girls.

"Sorry, were you going to say play cards?" Yukiko glared at Yosuke.

"Why don't we go night skiing? I've always been impressed by people who can do that," Rise suggested.

"Not a good idea," I shook my head. "I went night skiing last year. Its really frustrating and you spend so much more time just trying not to mess up because its harder to see the path, so it requires a lot of last second adjustments a lot of the times. I mean as long as you stay on the slope close to the lift it is primarily lit but your vision is still not the greatest if your used to going fast." I looked up to see that they were all looking at me. I shrugged. "Just trust me when I say its not worth it. I mean maybe once for the experience but it be too easy to get hurt."

"Yeah, I can imagine it being more trouble that its worth," Yu added. "Most people that go night skiing typically know the slope better than most people too. Though it does kinda feel like something you should do once."

"Anyway, we'd also have to take another bath afterwards if we did. Honestly, I'm already exhausted from snowboarding all day. And we have all tomorrow anyway," Chie yawned as Yosuke took a seat at the end of the table.

"Then, why don't we do what people usually do when they get together at night?" Kanji suggested. I had absolutely no idea what people do when they get together at night. But thanks to Rise my thoughts went in a weird direction before I shook my head of those thoughts.

"Tell ghost stories!" Yukiko automatically added. And quite enthusiastically at that.

"I don't know. Isn't that usually a summer thing?" Chie was skeptical. Well there was quite a few stories that happen up on the mountains though. I knew a couple because of a few books that I had read in the past on urban legends. There was definitely a lot of those too.

"Yeah, um, I think I'll have to disagree, too," Rise added. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Huh? Could it be that you're actually scared of ghost stories?" Yosuke asked looking to Rise.

"Stuff like in those stories actually happens in the mountains! This one time during shooting was enough for me..."

"Wh-What!? S-Stop it!" Chie quickly interrupted Rise, not wanting to hear more.

"Oh, our inn has a lot of spooky stuff, too! Once, we asked a customer how he liked his room, and he said the restroom was too dark. But his room didn't have one! And sometimes, when you take pictures in that room during Obon, they don't come out right," Yukiko was suddenly energetic in explaining these spooky incidents at the Inn.

"Yu, your girlfriend is something else," I chuckled.

"I know," he shook his head but still wearing a smile.

"Whoa, that's pretty creepy." Chie seemed to be buying it or was just really scared easily?

"Oh, and I heard that haniwa are occasionally found in the mountains around here. They say this entire area could have been a grave site long ago," Yukiko added.

Naoto was suddenly alarmed, "F-Folklore has little valid scientific evidence, but is a result of cultural significance and strong story elements. A-Any 'ancient burial ground' is likely just the site of a t-temple, so, um..." I noticed she had sunk back further in her seat as well.

"You're scared too?" Yosuke asked flat out.

She nodded, "Yes."

"This is starting to get pretty good! How are you and scary stories, Yu?" Yosuke turned to his partner.

Yu just shrugged, "They're okay. I've heard a few good ones."

I shook my head, "Is this really how our night is going to go?"

"Yeah, you say that, Kayane-senpai, but I bet you've got some crazy story of your own up your sleeve. Actually I'm sure if its you it would be seriously scary," Yosuke grinned.

"I don't know why...but I think if I knew your reasoning for saying that I would want to punch you," I found myself glaring at Yosuke for a moment. Well I'm sure I could figure out something to tell them. Although scaring my kohai probably wouldn't result in the best of situations.

"I can't believe you guys! I'm having no part of this! I'm plugging my ears!" Chie said as she did just that. Covering her ears with her hands.

"...Wouldn't it be scarier to only hear bits and pieces of stories like that?" Kanji muttered.

"Are we really doing this?" I asked.

"Why not? Here, I'll start it off. Yukiko-san can go last. Her stories are off-the-charts creepy," Yosuke said as he adjusted how he was sitting. "Let's see, it was over three years ago. A friend of mine in middle school told me this. It seems his sister went to a pretty prestigious private school, but she ended up running with the wrong crowd. Supposedly, she and a bunch of other girls were bullying another girl in their class. He said that she'd come home every night and laugh over the phone with her friends about the kid they were harassing. One day, she suddenly came home with a pale face. Ever since then, she started locking herself up in her room. No matter how much he asked what was going on, she'd completely ignore him. But he could hear her mumbling. She'd keep saying to herself: It's my turn next. My friend got worried, so he went to ask his sister's friends what was going on. But it turns out, all her friends had passed out for mysterious reasons and had been taken to the hospital. He was so scared that he didn't know what to do. That night, at around 11:30. Suddenly his sister started screaming in her room! He ran into her room, and she was covering her ears and repeating, She's calling me! I can hear hear her...! But my friend couldn't hear anything, and soon, his sister rushed out of the house...The next morning, she was found unconscious outside the school gates, just like her friends had been. In the end, she was taken to the hospital and recovered, but when he asked the people at school what had happened. It seems the girl they were bullying, was dead. They said that the girl must've become a spirit that haunted them one by one."

"Aaaaaaah!" Chie jumped up. Despite her attempts to not listen it looked like it had failed horribly.

Yukiko was her usual self, "Eeeek! Ahaha!" She really did love scary stories.

But three years ago? Something about that time was sparking another thought.

"Th-That's impossible! Your story is full on inconsistencies. Wait, but I think I've actually read a police report like that," Naoto stopped thinking about it.

"That's not denying it, your supporting it!" Rise grabbed onto my arm tighter.

"Wait, did she die? I think she turned up okay..." Yosuke shrugged.

That was it. That was why it sounded familiar. "Three years ago, that would have been during the big outbreak of the Apathy Syndrome."

"That's it! I knew I had read about it before. There were a lot of strange cases in that time period and the Apathy Syndrome itself could never be fully explained," Naoto was thinking about it more logically now. "A lot of odd reports came through from Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai in that time."

"They also don't know what had happened to me, similar to the symptoms of the Apathy Syndrome," I added.

Naoto looked to me, "The Apathy Syndrome could it have been related to a different Shadow related incident? Perhaps something like Senpai? And if Apathy Syndrome doesn't occur anymore. Then likely the cause was resolved by Persona users like us. But that is a great deal of conjecture on my part."

"It's just a thought. Yosuke, was this really a story you heard from your friend? Something you aren't making up?" I asked him.

"Yeah, he tells me it was all true. But it sure sounds creepy doesn't it?" Yosuke said.

"If that's the case then your hearing it second hand so most of the details have probably been changed. Just like a game of telephone. I mean we all knew it was possible for their to be other Persona users," Yu added his thoughts to it. "So maybe Senpai's sudden illness was exactly like the Apathy Syndrome? Or caused by a similar method."

"If Shadows were the cause, then I'm inclined to agree that it could be similar," Naoto added. "The name Apathy Syndrome tells you all you really need to know about it. There were no symptoms leading up to it, most would get it over night."

"Like, for instance, after midnight?" I provided something else to add to it.

"Midnight? If the Midnight Channel is something created on the power of Shadows, then you might be right. It likely was a different phenomenon than what we experience here. But if Shadows are representative of the suppressed person's mind and if Apathy Syndrome was indeed similar to what happened to Senpai. Then maybe it was simply a different outcome of being attacked by a Shadow. It didn't kill them, but at the same time, they were just as good as dead. Being unable to take care of themselves and just laying there not caring about anything..." Naoto shook her head. "It is similar to the supposed ideal world where everyone became Shadows."

"What if becoming a Shadow was a little less literal than we thought? We all have Shadows. For us, that Shadow turned into our strength, our Personae. But without that, if it was no longer in our bodies...what would happen?" I proposed a different line of thinking.

"If what defines us was no longer a part of us?" Rise asked the same thing but worded it a bit differently. "Would we do anything?"

"I see, you are proposing that the Apathy Syndrome is essentially someone that has lost their Shadow or Persona? In that case it makes sense. You said before that an individual had directly affected you and had slowly detached you from your body. Or rather, the part of you that makes you who you are," Naoto held her chin and looked thoughtful for a time. I decided I could add to this.

"Specifically they used my power of Symphonic Discord against me. Against Shadows, it causes them to become aware of their individuality and makes their form become erratic as they try to split apart. But what happens if used against a Persona user? Likely exactly what had happened to me," I had been thinking about it for sometime, but the power of Symphonic Discord was actually incredibly frightening.

"Enough that someone or something had tried to take it from you. Tried to kill you to obtain it," Yu shook his head. This conversation was hardly an uplifting one.

"Sorry everyone, I didn't mean to derail the conversation. I guess I just have a lot on my mind," I said and picked up my tea and took a drink from it. "It's hard to believe everything that has happened so far. Shadows, Persona. I mean all of that is supposed to be more in the realm of fantasy. And now I can't help but wonder just how much of our lives are affected by it. How many times has threats come against humanity and threatened to end all life? How many times have people like us with the power of Persona had to put their lives on the line to save the world? And look at us, every single one of us has evolved to even more powerful Persona than when we started. Mine changed from Tsukuyomi to Benzaiten. Amagi's changed twice, from Konohana Sakuya, to Amaterasu and now to Sumeo-Okami. All of you here have changed. Rise's changed just earlier today from Kanzeon to Kouzeon. Little by little our powers have grown. But is it because we need that power or because we're stronger?"

"Senpai, what's wrong?" Yu asked, and everyone seemed to realize what my mood had actually been this whole time. I hadn't been hiding it, I was just not speaking up, but now I felt talkative for one reason or another.

"We caught Adachi. We know, without a doubt, that he was the killer of Konishi Saki and Yamano Mayumi. Finding out that much meant we solved a number of questions. At the same time we're left with so much more. How did all this start? Where did the power of Persona even come from? Do those with the potential just have the ability to go into the TV? Or does something trigger it? Something came first. On top of that, we know there is something else out there. Something that is aware of all of us and tried to kill me by using you guys. And we don't even know who they are, or what they want."

"Wait, what?" Naoto interrupted me. I didn't realize what I had said until that moment. I had purposely not mentioned that tidbit of information that Miyuki had given me. I didn't want them to know but now I had screwed that up. "What do you mean by that?"

"Tried to kill you, through us?" Rise repeated and sat up, moving away from me.

"I wasn't going to tell you," I found myself getting to my feet. Rise looked like she was going to grab me if I tried to leave. I looked over to Yu. No, it was fine, they should know the full truth of the situation they were in. That we were all in. "When I had died, all of you went to a certain place. My fate was tied to your actions and a choice you made."

"When, we confronted Namatame?" Yu seemed alarmed for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he looked to the ground, grabbing the side of his head. "Your saying that if we had pushed him into the TV..."

"Yes," I took a few steps away from the couch and the others and to a window on the other side of where Yosuke was sitting. "If you had pinned the blame on Namatame and killed him, I would have died for good. Whatever entity that had brought me to that point would have accomplished exactly what it had set out to do. I don't know why, but perhaps you guys doing so would have given them my power as a result."

"The Midnight Channel, do you think they used it to egg us on at that time? To try and convince us?" Chie said softly.

"The timing of it was too perfect. If us putting Namatame in the TV would have resulted in Senpai staying dead and if someone was aiming for that very result. I doubt it is just a coincidence. Using Senpai's own power against him, to separate him from his body. But what would they gain from doing that? Would they be able to gain his power from that sort of method?" Naoto shook her head. She looked towards me, and I only knew this because I could see her reflection in the window I was at. "Senpai, why didn't you tell us?"

"What?! You wanted me to tell all of you something like that?! That you all could have been the ones to kill me?!" I turned back towards the Investigation Team and found myself raising my voice. "Don't you get it! You're the only people in my life I have ever felt I connected with! And you want me to tell you that all of you wanting revenge for what happened to me had almost made my death permanent?! Hell no! I'm not going to say anything. Because I know if I were in your shoes and one of you had been in that bed instead of me, then I would have been one of the first in line to shove him in a TV. Hell I might have just strangled him to death with my own hands." They were definitely all alarmed about what I said but they didn't shrink away from me.

"I would have done the same as Kayane-senpai. If I had been in his place, I wouldn't have told anyone about it either," Yu spoke, grabbing everyones attention. "I would go as far to say that all of you would do the same. I mean could you? Would you be able tell the people you care about that getting revenge for them would have been the action that actually killed them? But its in the past now. The fact is we more than had the motivation to push us over the edge to kill Namatame and condemn Senpai to death. But for what reason? Would killing him in that fashion have led them the ability to take his power? If so Symphonic Discord seems like it could have a lot of uses. Ones with devastating effect. Imagine being able to separate not just someone from their body but their Persona. Just like what we were talking before. That's the real takeaway here."

Everyone in the room went silent. The possibly implications of the power I had. Was it really done in order to acquire it?

"I just wanted to point out that there is a lot we don't know. All of our powers are different and I'm just worried because even if we found the killer, there is still a lot that we don't know. Who is to say we all won't end up in a different situation when we're on our own? Situations that will heavily rely on our abilities with our Persona," I shook my head. "Shadows could be more apart of our world than we know. And it may be something we have to deal with for the rest of our lives."

"Kayane," Rise had gotten up and moved to me. I could see it in her eyes. She knew that I had hid it for her benefit because if anyone was going to shove Namatame in the TV at that time it would have been her. I knew it would have been her, because if it had been Rise in that bed, it would have taken every member of the Investigation Team in order to hold me back. The desire for revenge wasn't something new to me. I had felt that way when Miyuki died and her Father was still alive. I turned to her and placed a finger on her lips before she could say anything.

"You didn't know and I had no desire to ever tell you. So don't you dare start feeling guilty for something you didn't do. You got it?" She moved my hand so she could speak but I cut her off before she could say anything. "That wasn't why I brought it up. And don't think I don't understand what your thoughts and feelings had been at that time. I do, you know that I do. And even if all of you had done it, I would have understood. Still it would have been an action all of you would eventually regret. Still this was only something that could have happened. But it didn't so all of you need to just drop it."

"I know but..." Rise stopped. I felt myself getting angry suddenly. I knew it was my fault for letting it slip but I couldn't handle seeing this. Seeing that look in her eyes. It was obvious she wasn't going to listen to me at this point.

"Tch, Whatever, I'm going to bed," I strolled off shaking my head. If she wanted to sit and focus on it, then she could do it without me. I spent enough of my life looking back with regrets over what I never did. I wasn't about to watch my girlfriend consider consequences for something she didn't do. Consequences she would have no way of ever knowing would happen.

"Kayane! Wait, please!" Rise pleaded with me.

My temper had got the better of me this time as I headed up the stairs. Before I could hear another word I disappeared to the guys room for the night.


A/N:

Kayane has a lot that can happen from the time he was kid up until now. A major factor for this is that Kayane's Mother tries incredibly hard to get him to open up for quite a number of years, and using many different methods. Psychologist, therapist, counselors that were assigned to him to help were never that caring for him. Most of them, felt pity for him, but that was about it. None of them really cared to help him. They focused more on the events that happened as if it was a case study, and didn't see him as someone that needed to recover.

It's also because of the many adults that cared more about Kayane's reason for how he got to his current state that made him believe that he was just supposed to say what they wanted. So he kept his problems stuffed further and further within himself. Till he had completely suppressed who he even was. So even as this story continues he is still learning a lot about himself. Still in that time when he was growing up after the trial, his Mother also introduced him to a wide range of different activities beyond music. Sports of all kinds, different activities and a wide range of skills. Well it isn't like he is capable of doing a lot of them as he only tried a lot of them only once (and often forgot about it after) but he has a working knowledge at the very least. If anything it did help him in his studies to have minimal experience on a wide range of activities. But very few stuck with him. In this case we find that Skiing happened to be one of the things he still does a couple times every year. But usually he goes up with his Mom. Although he spends a lot of those times with her on his own.

So the cat comes out of the bag as part of what happened while he was in that coma. I actually hadn't intended for it to happen, but when I was writing the line just sort of wrote itself. And then Naoto immediately took notice of it. It was something that kind of just happened, and not only that it felt natural. It isn't easy for Kayane to accept things as it is and so a lot of times when things look peaceful, he spends too much time focused on problems. Well, I'm the same way in my own life. However, I think Kayane has quite a lot of legitimate things to worry about. Not really being any closer to the one responsible for him being in a coma isn't exactly a comforting thought. Yet the more days go by without anything relating to it is adding up in Kayane's mind. Well, the next thing we have is Marie's dungeon. But exactly what happens may or may not contribute to that story line.

Slowly we march on to the end of the Persona 4 Golden story. And then we'll transition to the fighting games and then Dancing All Night. There is a lot of ground to cover...so I expect the length of this Fan Fiction to easily trump my Persona 3 Fan Fiction...which speaking of that. In the coming chapters we will start setting up for the latter arcs and take note that Last Symphony happens in the same world as Momento Umbrae. This means if you haven't read that story you are going to see major spoilers in relation to that arc...and maybe even be a little bit lost as a result. Not my intention as I will try and explain things as I go along in this story so people aren't completely lost. But if you want to fully understand what has happened to those characters you might want to head to my profile and go read Momento Umbrae a read. It's in third person and it a bit different as it mostly revolves around established cannon. But I think you'll get a lot more out of the fighting game arcs in Last Symphony if you read it. Well there is still some time before we get there so I'll be sure to give you all fair warning when huge spoilers are coming up. See you next week with the next chapter!