Chapter 45 / Pursue

May 5th, 2012 / Evening
Yasoinaba Station

KANA'S POINT OF VIEW

Why did it have to start raining? Not to mention I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I should have had an umbrella, or at least had the sense to check the weather. I took out my phone and brought up my contacts. What was I doing? If I called Kayane then it would defeat the whole purpose of trying to surprise him, and I wasn't sure if calling Rise was a good idea either. It was all a mess. I couldn't imagine what Kayane was thinking, or Hamuko for that matter. I learned that Hamuko had visited him the night before the whole incident had occurred. And that she had been torn on whether to tell him or not.

The main difference was we had no idea if Kayane was a Persona user or not at the time. But now there was obviously a lot out in the open but I had no idea how I was supposed to approach him about any of it. In the end I think we were all out of sorts on what to think. Kayane knew I was a Shadow now but that had only been a small part of the drop in information given to him. I sighed heavily as I watched the rain falling. Just what was I doing?

I couldn't stay with the others. Everyone seemed so high strung after the incident in Inaba. I had no idea what I should be thinking to begin with. Hamuko had left too. She had made sure I was okay but that was about it. I knew that Hamuko had a lot on her mind too. After all Hamuko had never really had family, and then in just the last year everything had changed for her. She learned about her real family, her twin brother Minato and now that she has a cousin. Plus her Aunt worked as part of the Shadow Operatives main support. Things certainly had gotten complicated lately.

"Takahashi-san?" a voice called out to me and I turned to see a girl in a blue overcoat approaching. Oh, right, her name was Shirogane Naoto. She was the Detective that had been assigned to watch the Shadow Operatives during the transportation of dangerous items. Namely, Labrys.

"Good evening, Shirogane-san," I gave her a bow.

Naoto stood next to me under the cover. "I didn't realize you had come back to Inaba. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to be here. Although, now that I'm here I don't really know what I should do," I admitted.

"You wanted to make sure Kayane-senpai was okay," Naoto said.

"Yeah, although I don't really know what I can do, or if he would even want to see me. I mean...I'm just a Shadow after all," I gripped my coat with my right hand and gripped it hard.

"You were the direct result of many people's actions. The Kirijo Group gathered a mass of Shadows for their research and part of it was what connected you to your sister. You're desire to protect her was what led you to developing your own wish and an ego. I believe the fact that you have a Persona is more than enough reason to have confidence in yourself. Regardless of your origin, you are no different than any of us now. You get confused and question yourself. You worry about if the actions you make are the correct one or not. These are all worries that we all have. You should have more confidence in yourself, Takahashi-san. And you should know that you being a Shadow won't ever affect how Kayane-senpai sees you," Naoto smiled at me.

I blinked for a moment as I thought about her words. "Yeah, my existence only came to be because of all the horrible actions taken by people in the past. Even still, everyone is pressing forward."

"Takahashi-san, would you mind if I talked to you about the past? I realize you were not really present for most of it, but you likely know quite a bit," Naoto asked.

"You mean about the Dark Hour and everything that happened then?" I looked over as she nodded. "I don't mind. Mitsuru-san indicated that you might ask us for more and that she said it was okay. That we could trust you."

"Hmm, I suppose I can be easy to read in that regard. They only went over the broad strokes of what happened. However, as I was thinking about it I though that there was an interesting aspect that seemed to occur in all aspects of it. And that Shadows were deliberately gathered to fuse together in some regard. In your case, I imagine they were gradually increasing the amount of Shadows that Hamuko was exposed to, but all of that eventually led to you desiring to protect her. Not something they could have easily expected to occur. But then there was the incident regarding the early models of the Mechanical Maidens. And then again with the formation of Death. But then there was Erebus as well. Even the case within Inaba was eventually about a being that wanted to turn all of humanity to Shadows. Everything that has happened so far is about the formation or gathering of Shadows. I wanted to ask and it might be a bit rude. But how precisely did Arisato Minato give up his life to save the world?" Naoto had certainly been trying to connect it together. I could understand that. Shadows were more intricately tied to humanity than people knew. The reason for that was much more direct. Shadows existed because of humanity. Existing in a plane that was a connection to the whole of humanities subconscious. Sometimes the veil between the two planes were thin and Shadows would enter the world. And then there were those that caused both planes to co-exist. The Dark Hour had been a manifestation of that very thing.

"Minato-sama, was a young man who had spent most of his life not having a family. Not knowing his entire life that he had a twin sister. His parents dying during the emergence of Dark Hour. Killed by Shadows, and in that time he had actually awakened to his Persona. However, Aigis had fought with Death on the bridge. Or rather what was left after Takeba Eiichiro had split the mass of Shadows into different parts in the explosion that happened there. Aigis was unable to defeat Death, but instead sealed that last Shadow into Minato. Sealing not only Minato's power of Persona but consequently all the memories associated with it. So when the police found him, he had no idea where he was or even what had happened to his parents. He didn't even remember his name. All of his memories were remained sealed until the day Death was reunited with all the separated Shadows and gathered together again in him. It broke the seal and also allowed him to remember all of it. This was part of what was written in Minato-sama's journal," I looked down to the ground. A part of me disliked the truth in this story. What would have changed if Hamuko had been with him? Or would she had died along with her parents? It was impossible to know.

"So Arisato had carried it within him without ever knowing?" Naoto pressed.

I nodded, not looking to her. "It could be the reason his power of Persona became what it was. And probably why when he re-awakened to his power that he slept for almost two weeks straight. Regardless, he had gained the power of the wild card, and eventually able to carry up to twelve Persona's at once. While using the power of Social Links, his emotional ties to the people around him to fuel that power. He held an immense amount of guilt in that power, but at the same time he pressed on, knowing that if something happened and he hadn't been fully prepared then he would only blame himself more. All the while he kept it to himself and never fully trusting anyone. Even Yukari-san, who he had slowly fallen in love with. In the end, it was that power that he was able to do what he was. But it wasn't exactly what he thought it was."

"You mean when he faced off with Nyx?" Naoto asked.

"Yes, up until that point there was no indication as there being any other enemy than Nyx. However, while facing off with Nyx, he heard it. The cries that were calling out for Death. For Nyx to come and deliver her final judgment upon the world. Minato-sama saw Erebus. He realized that Nyx was truly immortal, but she wasn't malevolent. Nyx was simply responding to the call of Erebus. So in that moment he had to make a decision. Oddly enough his idea came from the very thing that had happened to him. He cut off Erebus from Nyx, making it impossible for the cries of Erebus to reach her. It stopped the Fall. Minato-sama held onto his life long enough to write a journal and meet on Graduation Day with the members of SEES. After that he collapsed. They were quick and got him to the hospital but he had seemingly fell into a coma. However there would be no recovering for him. He was declared brain dead only a week or so later. However, a distant relative kept his body on life support and footed the bill for it, for indefinitely. It was only a year ago when they finally held a proper funeral for him," it had been an emotional time. Hamuko and I had been there. To this day, I don't think I had ever seen Hamuko cry more. Or Yukari-san for that matter.

"That was after the incident involving your sister, correct?" Naoto was being respectful but was also trying to fill in the gaps she had about what had happened. I could understand why she wanted to know. "I apologize for being so brash."

I shook my head, "No, its fine. I think if you want to know then thats great. I think if you understand what the majority of the Shadow Operatives have been through, then you will know why it is that Mitsuru-san wants to achieve."

"She aims to lessen Arisato-san's burden as the Great Seal. So that perhaps one day he'll no longer have to be there," Naoto spoke softly.

"Yukari-san wants to be a role-model for girls and the youth of this country. It's why she's been expanding her career, even though she wants to spend all her time with her daughter. Junpei-san wants to live his life in part of Minato-sama. After all Junpei-san claims that if it hadn't been for him that he wouldn't be who he is today. Almost everyone that Minato-sama touched says something similar. It's also that reason that Oneesama finds it so hard to accept his passing," I shook my head once more. "I'm sorry I'm rambling now."

"It is very admirable. I count myself very lucky that my friends and I did not have to experience that kind of loss. Although we came close with Kayane-senpai," Naoto hung her head, but then suddenly her phone started to ring. "Oh, excuse me." She pulled out her phone. "Hello?"

"I got through! Miss Detective...Uhh, wait, No! This is Naoto-kun, right?" The voice was coming through loud enough for me to hear it.

"That voice... Is that you, Labrys? What's the matter?" Naoto said as she switched her phone to speaker. "Kana-san, is here with me."

"Oh, that's good to hear. Oh but listen up, 'cause we got a big problem. Kirijo-san and the others were on their way to Inaba, but they've gone missing," Labrys said.

"Missing?" I found myself speaking and sharing a worried look with Naoto. "Wait, Labrys-san, why were they coming to Inaba?"

"If I remember right, they found a weird Shadow reading over there, so they were gonna go look into it," Labrys responded.

"A weird Shadow reading?" Naoto was obviously trying to come up with something.

"So something is going to happen here again?" I mutter after a moment

"She said the reading spiked allova sudden. Did somethin' happen over there?" Labrys asked.

"Hmm, nothing springs to mind..." Naoto stops and looks up to the clock on the station wall. "It's almost midnight. Nevermind that. Is that a helicopter I hear in the background?"

"Yeah, me and some of the others are en route to Inaba," Labrys explained.

"Hm... Let me think of a place where a helicopter could land around here..." Naoto started to think but suddenly the call was cut and all the lights around us turned off.

"Wh-What happened?" I find myself grabbing Naoto's arm.

"A blackout?" Naoto then turned her attention to her phone and pressed the power button on it a few times. But nothing happened. "So all the electronics stopped working?"

My eyes widen as I felt the difference in the air. A heavy red fog and now the moon in the sky seemed larger than it had ever been before. "This...this feeling. It's like the Dark Hour."

"The Dark Hour? That would explain all the electronics going dead. And it happened, right at midnight," Naoto shook her head. "Wait if they come here in the Dark hour then the helicopter..."

"No, it will be fine. As a precaution all the Shadow Operative equipment and vehicles are ensured to be able to work in the Dark Hour," I shook my head.

"Well it won't do us any good staying here," Naoto stepped away from the station then turned back towards me. "At the very least there isn't any rain now."

That was true. I moved towards her and felt that sinking feeling in my gut when I could feel Shadows nearby. "Shirogane, are you armed? I believe there are Shadows nearby."

"Yes," Naoto looked at me for a moment. "Please, call me Naoto. As comrades, I don't think we need to be so formal."

"Okay, um, Naoto-san. Please call me Kana as well," I tried to ease up as I pulled my chain sword off of my waist and let it fully connect to its sword form. "But Naoto-san, what should we do?"

"Hmm, well for one, that large tower is certainly not a part of Inaba. That is likely the source, but charging straight towards it is not the best option," Naoto indicated the tower in the distance...something that looked more ominous thanks to the red fog and larger than life moon. "I assume the others will try and meet up at the Junes food court. It's out go to rendezvous spot for things like this. Meeting with the others is probably our best option. From there we can inform everyone what is up with Kirijo-san and the others."

I nodded as it did seem like the best option. Hopefully this meant that Kayane was okay too. Still, what exactly was going on here? The two of us took off, walking at a brisk pace but as we went, but the town had become like a labyrinth. On more than a few occasions Naoto and I came to a dead end that Naoto said had never been there before. The town was somehow longer and more convoluted as if it had all been twisted into some sort of maze. The environment itself also seemed like it had been twisted. Buildings were long and blocked progression but also didn't have an entrance. Before long Naoto and I had been traveling for what seemed like forever. That was until we heard the sounds of combat.

"Come on, Kana-san," Naoto starting running and I moved to keep up with her. We turned down a street and ran down it as we saw a figure in the distance. "Teddie!"

Teddie sneezed repeatedly as we approached him. "Nao-chan! You should be beary proud of me. I beat up that no good double of mine." He strut out his chest proudly before he suddenly sneezes again. "Bleeaachoo! Achooo! This fog again? Achoo!"

Standing across from Teddie, was the fake Teddie, or General Teddie he had been referred to in the incident the other day. "Hmph...well, that'll do."

This reaction seemed to make Teddie stiffen up for a moment. Both Naoto and I stood battle ready though.

"A Shadow with an ego," General Teddie looked over to me. "Two of them in fact. I thought it could be suitable for my scheme, but it seems I'll have to use the other instead." Suddenly something glows in General Teddie's hands and then flies off into the sky. "C'mon, what are you staring at? Your friends are already headed to the school. Why aren't you on your way to meet them."

"Grrr! Y-You don't get to boss me around! And what's up with you? You did all this to the town and now you're telling us where we're supposed to go. If you're the enemy, then why aren't you acting more evil? Yeesh, what a noisy bear. Your complaint doesn't make any sense either," Teddie says frustrated at his fake self.

"Anyway, just hurry up and come to the high school. We're gonna settle the score once and for all there," General Teddie said before disappearing into nothing.

"W-wait!" Teddie called out to no avail it was already gone.

"Already heading to the school? So that is where the tower came from," Naoto said after a moment. "And what exactly was those things that flew up into the air."

"I dunno. They also appeared when Yosuke beat up a different Shadow," Teddie explained.

"Wait, you were with Yosuke-senpai? Where is he now?" Naoto pressed.

"We split up. He went to find Sensei but I could smell Yuki-chan so I came to find her," Teddie answered.

"The town was turned into a maze, probably to prevent us from easily meeting up," I finally spoke up.

Teddie turned to me and his eyes lit up. "Oh, you're Kana-chan, right? You're a Shadow just like me!"

"Umm...yes..." I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Teddie, stay focused. We have to meet up with Yukiko-senpai. Can you locate her?" Naoto thankfully pulled the attention back to the situation at hand.

He shook his head, "This fog makes it impossible for me to...Achoo! It just makes me sneeze when I try to locate anyone. But as far as I know, Yuki-chan hasn't moved yet...but she isn't alone. I don't know who the other person is but..."

"Then lets go. She could be in trouble," I pushed Teddie. "Come on lead the way."

He nodded and started running off. Regardless of what was happening in the town, all we could do was try and meet up with as many as we could. We rushed around the corner but what we saw was different than Teddie had suggested. Yukiko was there like he said, but also was not one but two Kanji's standing before us. The two of the griping back and forth.

"Yuki-chan!" Teddie rushed forward. Naoto and I stopped as we saw Yukiko turn quickly and summoned her Persona laying down a fire attack in front of Teddie. "Gyaaaaah! Whyyy? How cruel! I'm your precious Teddie bear!"

"Huh? Wait... Teddie?" Yukiko seemed confused for a moment before her fire attack disappeared and her Persona returned to her.

"Yukiko-senpai, are you alright?" Naoto moved forward as well.

"Oh its Naoto-kun and Takahashi-san right?" Yukiko seemed to ease up a bit as we approached her.

I nodded, "Naoto-kun and I were caught up in a maze to try and get into town. What's going on?"

"Y-Yuki-chan? You're weren't thinking I might be an imposter, were you?" Teddie seemed a bit hurt about this.

"Hm? Well...maybe a little," Yukiko admitted.

"So mean! Just take a look at my fur. It's a-bear-ant that I'm the real Teddie. Seeee!" Teddie leaps at Yukiko but she expertly side steps him and he hits the ground. "Bleagh...So cruel."

"Um... I mean, I can't tell if you are the real one or not," Yukiko stated and looking at us.

"So, there is a bunch of imposter's running around then? I assume like the two Kanji's we have here," Naoto commented. "That makes things a bit difficult."

"But I keep telling you, I am. I just beat the fake me a minute ago," Teddie speaks up again as he gets back to his feet.

"I want to believe you, but I'm already having a hard time telling which of these two is which," Yukiko indicated the two Kanji's.

"Ted! Perfect timing!" one of the Kanji's spoke as the two of them turned to us.

"You know I'm the real one, right?" The other Kanji said.

"Aaaaah! A double serving of Kanji? So these were the two things I was sensing near Yuki-chan?" Teddie shook his head.

"So one of them is the real one right? They aren't both fakes?" I suggested.

"No way!" both Kanji's spoke in unison.

"I'd find it unlikely there is more than one fake, but why go to these lengths?" Naoto thought for a moment. She approached the two Kanji's and observed them both. Both Kanji's seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with Naoto getting that close.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?" The first Kanji backed up.

"I mean you don't need to get that close to see a difference right?" the second one spoke.

"Oh, I know! Could you use your nose to figure this out, Teddie?" Yukiko suggested.

"You were able to find Amagi-san this way, right?" I asked him, but he sneezed.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could, but this red fog is getting in the way. My nose is getting more and more useless the longer we're in it," Teddie admitted.

"Wait, does that mean you're a fake after all?" Yukiko eyed Teddie.

"N-Not at all! There's a good complicated reason for it," Teddie sneezed once more.

Naoto shook head, "If they are stalling for time, then maybe this red fog is intentionally in place to prevent us from meeting up in a reasonable amount of time. And if we hadn't heard from Rise up to this point then its possible she isn't able to use her power either."

That thought made me freeze, "Wait, Naoto-kun! If Rise can't use her power to find the others then she's in a lot of danger, right?"

She nodded, "Which means we need to find a way to settle this and determine which of the Kanji's is the real one."

"Hey, Ted. Just do something to tell us apart, dammit," the first Kanji muttered.

"Yeah, you moron. I'm disappointed in you," the second Kanji added.

"Ugh, two Kanjis are worse than one," Teddie moved up to one. "Okay, Teddie... Stay still, concentrate, and-AAACHOOOO!" It was no use. Teddie's nose was definitely being messed with so he wouldn't be able to do this.

"What?!" The first Kanji shook his head.

"Geez, what a useless bear," The second added.

"You say that, but I bet you're actually pretty relieved," The first eyed the second.

"What did you say? You're the one breathing easier, asshole!" The second moved towards the other.

"What was that? I'll take your punk ass down," The first responded in kind. The two gripping the others jacket and a fist raised.

I notice Yukiko moved to Naoto and whisper something in her ear. Naoto looked at her and nodded, "That should work."

"People of Inaba, welcome! It's time for Who's the best Inaba resident?" Yukiko put on a grand voice, like that of a game show host.

"Umm, what's going on?" I asked as Teddie moved next to me.

"I think they are trying to trick the fake," Teddie whispered to me.

"Question number one! How many stories is Yasogami High School's classroom building?" Yukiko asked.

The two Kanji's looked perplexed, but the first Kanji scratched his head, "We're really doing this?"

"It's three stories," the second Kanji supplied.

The first Kanji eyes widened, "Y-You bastard! It was my turn to answer!"

"Correct. Now, on to question number two. Every day is customer appreciation day at the supermarket Junes. How many stories does it have?" Yukiko continued her questions.

"T-Two stories," the first Kanji said in a bit of a panic.

"Correct. Now for question number three. From Shiroku Store, how many building away is the Moel gas station?" Yukiko moved right into the next question.

"Uhh, umm... it's... four buildings," The second Kanji spoke.

"Correct! Number four! Take the sum of the numbers in the answers so far, multiply by eight, and divide that by three. What do you get?" Yukiko asked.

I blinked, a math problem? How was that supposed to prove anything?

The first Kanji thought about it and then threw up his hands, "Huh? U-ummm... Wait, what does that have to do with being an Inaba resident?"

The second one grinned, "Too easy! It's 24!?"

"Correct again. And that means..." Yukiko looked over at Naoto and they both nodded. The two both pointed at the second Kanji and spoke, "You're the culprit."

"What? How do you figure? I was right," The second Kanji seemed irritated. But obviously Yukiko, Naoto and Teddie were all confident about this. This was likely because of something they knew about Kanji. "You take three plus two plus four, multiply that by eight, and divide by three, and that's 24."

"You don't get it. There's no way Kanji could answer it that easily," Teddie answered.

"It isn't that Kanji-san couldn't get the answer, however he has difficulty when put on the spot and doesn't have a way to work through the problem on paper. Plus Kanji-san wouldn't bother to remember the answers for the previous answers as he wouldn't see a point to Yukiko-senpai's line of questioning anyway, or how it would help us identify who was the real him," Naoto spoke as she moved next to the first Kanji. Who they now knew was the real Kanji.

"Tch...So he was even dumber than I imagined. He's so stupid that I ended up playing around," the fake Kanji commented.

"Stupid? You pickin' a fight with me?" the real Kanji stood forward. But Naoto grabbed his arm.

"I'm glad we figured it out," Yukiko commented.

"Yeah, but c'mon. What kinda way was that to tell us apart?" Kanji seemed a bit hurt by all this.

"Like what Naoto-kun said. It was unlikely that you would even bother to remember the answers," Yukiko commented.

"I don't know if you're trying to make fun of me or trying to cheer me up," Kanji shook his head.

"How long are you gonna keep this up, dammit? Just 'cause my cover's been blown doesn't mean that's the end," the Fake Kanji's eyes quickly changed into the unmistakable golden glow of a Shadow. I felt myself tense up. "It's time for the real reason I'm here! Alright, bring on the ring!"

As soon as the Fake Kanji says this, four red pillars fall around all of us. They slam into the ground with a heavy sound and give off a dull light. Almost as if it was a signal in this now fog-covered town. And the way the fake Kanji was talking now seems to change.

"Gyaaah! This again? Kanji seems dangerous," Teddie seems especially alarmed for some reason.

"Now, let's get this full-on, muscle-on-muscle battle going. I can't wait to get you in a hold," the Fake Teddie speaks.

"This bastard again... A full-on battle, huh? Fine, you're on!" the real Kanji slams his fist together.

"No, leave this to me," Naoto said stepping forward.

"Huh? Naoto-san?" Kanji is surprised.

"This is like your Shadow, right, Kanji-san? And if I have to guess, our only way to leave now is by defeating him. And something about this has me really irritated," Naoto pulled out her revolver.

"Is that right? We can't leave?" I asked Teddie.

He nodded, "It seems like it. When those red pillars glow, it makes these invisible wall, just like the last P-1 Grand Prix."

I moved to the side where one of the pillars were and sure enough my hand hit something solid, although I couldn't see anything there. "So we really have to beat him then."

"That's riiiiight. Until someone takes me to heaven," the fake Kanji seemed to taunt. "None of you are going anywhere."

"I've had enough of you!" Naoto rushed forward. I had never seen her fight but she didn't waste any time. She came in and surprised the fake with a rising kick that he seemed to dodge, but the real attack came after as she brought it down in a powerful axe kick on his head. Then she emptied her revolver right into the body of the fake Kanji. The fake then jumped up and pulled his weapon out of nowhere, swiping at her with a fold-out chair.

"You don't waste any time do you?" the fake taunted coyly.

"Shut up! You try to confuse us by being him and then insult him? Insult us that you can somehow pretend to be him? You know nothing about him!" Naoto yelled as she simultaneously reloaded her revolver.

She was really angry about this, I looked and saw that all of them were surprised. I think I understood why. I was a Shadow that had taken the form of Hamuko in order to protect her. I could imitate her if I put my mind to it, but I never did. To me, the way I saw Hamuko was sacred, she was my friend, my best friend, and my family. She had been everything to me, so while I had copied her appearance, it had only been because I was trying to imitate what I thought the most powerful person looked like. To me, it had always been Hamuko. But if someone had used that appearance to deceive or hurt someone. Someone that Hamuko cared about, by using her appearance against them...yeah I could understand that anger.

So seeing Naoto clash against the fake, I could see that anger in her eyes. She summoned her Persona, Yamato Sumeragi as she continued her attack, not even giving the fake any room to maneuver. She used fire attacks as well as her revolver to push him into a corner.

"You are ruthless. I like it," the fake taunted more.

"Shut up," Naoto said as suddenly a white light appeared below the fake, circling all around him. "Check mate."

"Sooo good! I'm totally satisfied with this amazing session. 'Cause it's too late now. You've totally fallen for our plan," the fake says as suddenly the red pillars that had surrounded us shatter. The fake disappears in the after effect of Naoto's attack. Then...the fake seems to...melt?

"Whoa, what the hell?" Kanji mutters.

"Now way. He melted?" Yukiko added.

"What did he mean by plan?" I shake my head. Then a strange golden like substance comes flying out of the remains of the fake Kanji and goes up into the sky.

"I imagine it has to do with whatever that was. Didn't that fake Teddie do something similar?" Naoto put her revolver away as she moved back to us.

Teddie nodded, "Yes, he let out that sparkly stuff, but he didn't turn into a puddle like the fake Kanji or the fake Yu that Yosuke beat."

"Wait, does this mean, he wasn't really my Shadow? I thought maybe it was kinda like what happened to Kayane-senpai and Rise-san. Or Yukiko-senpai and Yu-senpai," Kanji clearly seemed confused.

"Well even those weren't their real Shadows but a combination of shared emotions, and those have only showed up in pairs," Naoto explained.

I was completely lost, apparently there was something else that had happened that I didn't know about. Then again I don't really know everything that has happened to them as a group. Only that they were responsible for stopping the Shadow activity that had been happening related to the murders that happened in Inaba. But Kanji talking about Kayane and Rise had definitely made me worried that maybe not everything had been resolved yet.

"As far as I can tell, its General Teddie that made the fakes by kneading up a chunk of a Shadow," Teddie said.

"I guess that explains the feeling I had before," I mutter as I step forward. "But what was that stuff, and was beating them apart of the plan?"

"Its possible, but I don't think it is as simple as us just beating them up. We don't know enough to get a full picture of it. Still they imprison us and force us to fight them either way. Which means that furthering their plan isn't something we can easily avoid. It's likely the same as the set up from the incident with Labrys," Naoto was tensing up. "It forces us to act in almost opposition to what we want. We further their plans, but the price of not doing so means we effectively remove ourselves from the situation. Meaning that the enemy wins either way."

Kanji put a hand on Naoto's shoulder, "Relax. Besides we do what we have to do to move forward. That's how its been up till now anyway."

She visibly eased a bit from the contact and she looked up at Kanji. "Yes, you're right. Thank you, Kanji-san." The two looked at each other for a moment before they both quickly looked away and Naoto cheeks visibly getting redder.

"So next we should try and find the others. There is no point in wasting time speculating when we don't have all the facts we need," Yukiko spoke up.

"There is another thing we should consider. Fighting in this fog is different than in the TV," Naoto said once more and I realized she was breathing heavier than usual. "I don't know why but I feel really tired."

"Is it related to what appeared after you defeated the fake?" I asked.

"After I defeated the fake?" Naoto looked to me.

"Oh, when those shiny things came out after the fight? That's when we get tired?" Kanji seemed confused.

"I only got tired after that happened. You might be on to something Kana-san," Naoto said thoughtfully.

"That...could actually be the case," Yukiko seemed to agree. "I mean what if that is what the culprit is really after? He's making us fight, getting those shiny things to come out...and um...well I don't know what he would want with them..."

"Noooo! You totally had us going, Yuki-chan," Teddie groaned and it seemed he had been on the edge to see what Yukiko would say.

"So we don't know the important part yet...I mean his goal can't be to just make us tired, right?" Kanji shook his head.

"Considering we were able to decide who fought, and only I seem to be the one affected...I don't think that is it, but we are on the right track," Naoto was clearly trying to come up with something but she stumbled a bit but Kanji caught her.

"Hey, careful," he said.

"Sorry, Kanji-san," She said but didn't look up at him, her cheeks becoming red once more.

"Hrmm... What could this all mean? I wish I could concentrate and think... but this fog is just so-blaaaaaaachoooo!" Teddie sneezed again.

"Ack! Gross, Ted," Kanji pulled Naoto a bit away from the sneezing bear.

"Sorry, its just that this red fog keeps violently irritating my nose. Oh!" Suddenly Teddie's eyes lit up. "I did notice something about those shiny thingies."

"Really?" Yukiko prompted him to keep going.

"Mmm-hmm. Those shiny thingies have all been flying towards Sensei and your school on the hill," Teddie answered. "When I fought General Teddie earlier, he told me to head to the school too. Something smells fishy about that place."

"The school? That's the same place as the tower," Naoto tried to stand up.

"Well, let's go there. I'm sure Yu has noticed it by now and he'll head his way there. It might be faster if we head in that direction. Plus with the city as a maze like it is now, we might not have enough time to meet up with everyone before hand," Yukiko looked to everyone.

"Yes, we don't know if we have a time limit here. Teddie, can you lead us?" Naoto asked.

"Leave it to me everyone! Follow me! We'll be there before you can...BEEEAAARCHOOOOOOOO!" Teddie let out another intense cough

With the town an absolute mess, and a crazy maze, there was little choice at the moment. But Kanji, Naoto, Yukiko, Teddie and I at the very least could get to the bottom of this. And hopefully we would be able to find Kayane and the others to be safe too.


May 5th, 2012 / Evening
Helicopter approaching Inaba

HAMUKO'S POINT OF VIEW

"Look there. The guardrail is gone," I said as the helicopter is hovering over the place they believed to be where they lost contact with Mitsuru and the others.

"Down there in the trees. That is definitely the limousine they were using," Labrys added.

"Doesn't look like there were any attempts to slow down before hitting the rail. They must have rammed into the guardrail pretty fast," Yukari was next to me as we both looked down towards the wreck. "Kikuno, can you put us down there?"

"I'll bring it around, I can't get too close because of the trees but you can use the ladder," Kikuno said as she maneuvered the helicopter into a better position.

"Alright, for now, Hamuko and I will go take a look. See if you can find anything from up on the road and then come pick us back up," Yukari gave the orders. Nobody questioned it. Of the present Shadow Operatives here, I was technically the one that should be in charge but I wasn't much of a leader outside of combat. Yukari was much better at this than me. Plus she was much closer to Mitsuru, and I think she would feel better giving most of the orders.

After a moment we lowered the rope ladder and Yukari and I quickly made our way down to the ground. After a moment the helicopter moved away back towards the road. We approached the limousine and saw most of it horribly damaged. I went to the front as Yukari immediately checked the passenger compartment. I found the driver still in the front seat. I opened the door and quickly checked his pulse. It was stable, and he seemed to be injured, possible broken ribs, and concussion. But nothing life threatening. I stood back up as Yukari approached me.

"Driver is here, and alive. Likely some broken ribs, and concussion, but its hard to know the full extent until he gets to a hospital," I quickly tell her.

"At least he's okay. But that's all. No one else is here. The rest of vehicle is empty. No indication of anyone being hurt though," Yukari sighed. "But I doubt they left of their own accord."

"Yeah, I don't see Mitsuru or the others leaving an injured man out here to fend for himself," I put an arm around Yukari's waist. "Don't worry, I'm sure Mitsuru and Fuuka are just fine."

"I know," Yukari was in her Featherman Pink outfit but she seemed okay with it for the most part. I grinned a bit.

"So thought of any cool lines you can say when you find her?" I giggled.

"Oh come on. You know we were in a rush and..." Yukari stopped and instead pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, Hamuko." I could feel her shaking a bit against me. "Minato told me, that we would keep fighting. That I would keep fighting. I just...I don't want to lose anyone along the way. We all went through so much to get here. Not knowing where they are or what happened shortly after what they went through only a day ago...I don't like it."

"I know," I assured her and gave her a squeeze before she pulled away. "Don't worry, Mitsuru is stubborn. So is Akihiko-san. And well I doubt Aigis or any of them would ever let anything happen to Fuuka. If they can't contact us, then there is a reason, and I don't believe its because they are dead. If they were taken, then they aren't dead. If the culprit wanted them dead, they would have done so right here."

"Yeah, you're right," Yukari nodded and pushed a tear from her eyes as we heard the helicopter moving in position over us. The rope ladder came back down and Yukari headed back up with me behind her. After a few moments and the help of Ken, we were all sitting back in our seats and strapped back in.

"Find anything?" Ken asked.

"Yes. Kikuno could you put in a call to the police about the location of the limousine? The driver is there and still injured but nothing life threatening," Yukari quickly said.

"I'll do so immediately, Yukari-sama," Kikuno quickly replied.

"Other than the driver there wasn't anything. Judging from what Yukari saw, the others weren't injured from the landing. I'd guess that they were able to use their Persona's to protect themselves in some fashion. But all of them were gone. Considering the state of the driver, I doubt they left by choice," I quickly explained to Ken and Labrys.

"The side door was ripped off. It looked like from the outside, so its possible someone had been ready to get them," Yukari added.

"I have a hard time believing they would be that hurt from a drop like that because of their Persona's. And I'm sure they would have protected Fuuka-san on the fall too," Ken surmised what Yukari and I had already briefly discussed. "So, they lured them back to Inaba with that surge in Shadow readings then?"

If it was planned, then how could you get them to go over that specific part of the road? I mean it couldn't be that simple could it? "Do you think they would use the same method as the plane hi-jacking?"

"You mean the driver? So maybe he was brainwashed like the others?" Yukari asked.

"Wait, whadda 'ya mean by others?" Labrys asked.

"When you were taken to Inaba, there was a plane hi-jacking that was used to pull our attention away from you. That was how you were taken and thrown into the TV," I turned to her. "Though none of us were there as Mitsuru-san wanted to keep it as low profile as possible. So she had disguised most of it as her returning from vacation."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. But wait if we're headin' back to Inaba, is Oniisan okay?" Labrys was concerned for Kayane, obviously. Well it was only because of him that she had agreed to go with us to get maintenance done on her. Which she had really needed.

"Calling him from the helicopter might be hard but I'll try," I pulled out my phone and selected his number and then managed to snug my phone into the head piece so I could hear him. The phone rang and rang...and rang. Then it clicked over to voice mail.

"Come on, Kayane. You're supposed to leave a personalized message for people that call you," it was the voice of Rise.

"Fine. I'm not here, call back later. How's that?" Kayane's voice spoke.

"Not cute at all," Rise spoke but then it beeped indicating time to leave a message. I found myself chuckling a bit. That seemed to described the two of them pretty well.

"Kayane-san, its Hamuko. Give me a call when you get this, or a text message, I don't care. Just let me know you're okay," I closed it. I turned to Labrys. "He's not picking up. Kikuno, do we have any number of those kids from before?"

"I do have the number of Shirogane Naoto," Kikuno said.

"Give it here, can I call her?" Labrys asked.

I nodded, "That's fine with me." I handed over my phone and Labrys expertly dialed the number and put it up to her head.

"I got through! Miss Detective...Uhh, wait, No! This is Naoto-kun, right?" Labrys was talking louder than she needed to.

It was impossible to hear both sides of this conversation with the noise of the helicopter going.

"Oh, that's good to hear. Oh but listen up, 'cause we got a big problem. Kirijo-san and the others were on their way to Inaba, but they've gone missing," Labrys wasn't wasting any time. It was a good idea if we had extra hands in Inaba too. Especially those that know the area. The conversation was continuing, "If I remember right, they found a weird Shadow reading over there, so they were gonna go look into it."

That was how we all got involved. We got gathered quickly to find them, and we had no idea of how dangerous the situation was. But the more time passed it seemed like it could be worse than we thought.

"She said the reading spiked allova sudden. Did somethin' happen over there?" Labrys asked the other side of the phone. "Yeah, me and some of the others are en route to Inaba."

After a moment Labrys seemed to panic. "Naoto-kun? Naoto-kun? The line went dead!"

Labrys handed my phone back. Not only that but my phone was no longer working. I pressed the power button, but nothing happened. What the heck was going on? "My phone is not working and..."

"I managed to get in touch with Junpei. Apparently he is in Inaba so I told him to stay there. Kikuno, how long until we are in Inaba?" Yukari spoke up.

"We are approaching it right now," Kikuno announced.

Then the video displays within the helicopter all suddenly change and start showing a video.

An image of a ring, like a professional wrestling ring appears on the screen. And a announcer begins to speak, "The strong win while the weak disappear! Tonight, we will witness the hottest battles in all history! The goddess of victory is waiting to descend upon the ring! P-1 fans, are you ready? ARE YOU READY!?" The announcer raises his voice to rouse the crowd. Then it shows a line of the contestants...and at the top of the stage was the one called General Teddie, and a girl in a bikini that was obviously the fake Rise. This was the same as the incident that had just happened.

"Time to let loose an all-out war!" General Teddie exclaims and uses the cane and lifts into the air getting a roar from the crowd as a response. Then the video shifted, showing all of the contestants once again.

"The contestants of the previous P-1 Grand Prix have returned for another tournament, right on the heels of the last one! These warriors will create another legend, here at the world-shattering P-1 ring! These are battles of honor! Battles of will! Sparks will fly! Some fight for pride, some fight for glory! Will this be decided by pure muscle, or will a battle of wits determine the outcome? Things are heating up! Tonight, who will win the title of champion!? Who will be crowned with the winner's wreath!? Whose tale of glory will resound for generations!? All that remains are the dreams of the warriors As the Grand Prix plunges into its final chapter,the P-1 Climax is..."

"...bearly getting started!" General Teddie cut in. The TV cut to a heavy static.

"Hey, what was that just now? Wasn't that all the Persona -users in Inaba? It also showed Mitsuru and the others, too," Yukari was definitely alarmed.

"I read the case records. If I recall correctly that was the Midnight Channel that was being broadcast in Inaba," Ken offered what he knew.

"I was on it, too. But I don't think it was like this last time," Labrys added.

"So the P-1 Climax? Its a continuation of the previous incident...which means the mastermind definitely lured the others here," I gripped my phone tightly. And Kana was already in Inaba, somewhere. That means she was in danger too. And Kayane.

The video displays come to life again, "Yoohoooo! Have you been well, Labby-chan?"

"General Teddie? But I thought I already..." Labrys was on high alert now. That's right before this General Teddie had been in reality her Shadow. But that incident had closed with her accepting her Shadow and gaining a Persona.

"Hahaha, there's no way I'd go away so easily! I mean, a P-1 without me is like a tuna sandwich without the tuna!" General Teddie gloated.

"Wait, he can hear us? Isn't he that Persona-user Teddie?" Yukari asked. It was easy for her to be confused, she had been working and wasn't as quite caught up with all of it like everyone else. I had the added benefit of being able to meet them, although I had only showed up at the end of everything.

"No, he must be the General Teddie who hosted the fighting tournament last time. The records said he'd been eliminated, though," Ken frowned but then quickly turned to the display. "General Teddie, where did you take Mitsuru-san and the others? If you don't give us a good answer you're gonna pay."

"Psssh. It's past your bedtime, cubby. If you're gonna keep giving me lip, I'm not going to explain anything," General Teddie scoffed.

"Explain?" Labrys questioned.

"That's right. I mean, the four of you are bear-y important guest stars in the P-1 Climax, after all. So you'll participate, of course... right?" General Teddie grinned.

"What? What're you after?" Ken immediately responded.

"Heeheehee... If you value the lives of the hostages, you yapping pup, you don't have any choice but to participate," General Teddie sneered. "Hahahahaha! The P-1 Climax... It's the end of the world, one-on-one death match that's worthy of the name 'climax'! And best of all! If you don't win the one-on-one tournament to the finish within the hour, the world will end! No punches pulled this time! I'll make myself clear so that no one misunderstands. This will not be taking place within the TV world. It will, in fact, take place in the reality which you occupy...Enjoy it while you can. Alllll righty then! Time to show off how that special stage is going!" The video feed suddenly switches.

On it shows strange partial crosses...tied to them is Aigis, Akihiko, Mitsuru and Fuuka. Each tied to their own. Then it swaps back to General Teddie.

"Mitsuru!" Yukari calls out.

"Sanada-san, Aigis san, and Fuuka-san too! You bastard," Ken clenched his teeth.

"Hyaaaahahahaha! What will be the fate of our captured queen and her loyal minions? Oh but wait, there's more!" the video screen switched. Another individual, he wasn't tied on a cross but he looked battered and beaten and not moving on the ground. I felt my blood start to boil up from the sight.

"You! What did you do to Oniisan!" Labrys didn't hid any of the malice she felt.

"Kayane-san! You son of a bitch, you better not touch him!" I yelled.

"Oh, hehehe. Strike a nerve did I? Guess you'll just have to get to the tower to find out. Oh, annnnnnd, this is a no-fly zone. We don't have any room in the parking lot for that thing, so you'd better start walking to the battleground. As a little incentive... Bearsona! Kamui-Moshiro... Throw 'em a Tomahawk!" With that General Teddie disappears from the monitor.

"An alarm? No... There really is a missile coming our way!" Kikuno calls to us. "Evasive maneuvers! Everyone, brace yourselves!"

"A-A missile! Aaah!" Yukari is gripping my arm with her left hand and the side of the helicopter with her right hand. I grab the metal bar at my side with my right hand that is the side Yukari is grabbing and then one of the straps above me to steady myself as the helicopter takes a sharp turn and I get tossed to my left. Koromaru slips but Ken grabs hold of the dog at the last moment and pulls him close. Labrys is using a few things to steady herself as well.

Suddenly there is a deafening roar and the helicopter shakes madly, but it does recover.

"Are we hit?" Ken calls out.

"It barely missed, but there's a good chance that ti will still detonate..." Kikuno couldn't finish it before we heard a pop close by.

"It exploded. Wait... It's a firework?" Ken yells out.

Sure enough, outside the helicopter we can see as a giant visage of General Teddie's face as if it had been drawn in the night sky. And it has his tongue sticking out as if he was taunting us. How wonderful.

"He obviously missed on purpose. It was most likely fired from the direction of Inaba," Kikuno comments.

"That is not funny at all. Is he trying to start a war or something? Wait...what is that?" Yukari is looking out of the helicopter as she says this...which prompts the rest of us to look out.

"There's something in the distance... It's huge," Ken shakes his head. Without a doubt in the distance there is the shape of a gigantic building stretching towards the sky. Not only that, but something red is stretching out and around the town of Inaba. It looks like a red fog.

"I'll zoom in!" Kikuno calls out. She quickly adjusts the monitors in the helicopter to show us a better look at the structure. As soon as we see it I notice both Ken and Yukari tense up at the sight of it.

"No...no way... This is just like..." Yukari stops, not wanting to say it.

"...Tartarus," Ken finishes for her.

Yukari grips my arm tighter. "It can't...it just can't be."

"No, this is different. Its a different place and that red fog is not the same as the Dark Hour right? It isn't related," I do my best to ease Yukari even though she is beginning to hyperventilate at the sight of the building.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I have to withdraw before we're shot down," Kikuno voice pulls us back to the reality of the situation. "If they fire another one at us, I won't be able to dodge again. Even if it's only a firework, a direct hit can still bring us down. This helicopter is not made for actual combat situations."

"Hold on, Kuikuno-san!" Yukari seemed to be speaking easier now. "Can you drop low enough somewhere so we can get out?"

"There's now way. If we land, we'll be sitting ducks," Kikuno said.

"No. Once we're out, you get out of here. You don't need to land," Yukari quickly elaborated.

"What're you saying?"Kikuno obviously didn't like this idea.

"Please, do it," Ken threw in his support to Yukari. I knew the look they both had. That tower had been more than enough to push the two of them to act. "Don't worry, General Teddie asked us to come on foot. We'll manage somehow."

After a moment Kikuno finally responded, "Understood. I'm looking for a landing site... There appears to be a large shopping center nearby." However, it seemed the onslaught had only just begun as an array of missiles were flying towards us, but Kikuno puts us into a nosedive and heading towards Inaba. "Labrys there is something I want you to take with you." Labrys moved towards the cockpit.

"What is it?" Labrys asks.

"It contains data from the Kirijo Group database. Most of it is highly encrypted, but it contains files created by Ikutsuki Shuji. I didn't have time to properly go through it but there is a file on there called Project_PUPPETMASTER. I'm not entirely sure if that's a code or a description of the project," Kikuno was trying to explain this while coming in for a landing. That was pretty impressive. "It refers to an experiment involving a Plume of Dusk."

"A Plume of Dusk? So why're you givin' this to me?" Labrys asked.

"It might help you figure out the enemy's identity. I found traces of an unauthorized attempt to access this file from outside of the Kirijo Group's network. When I looked into it the requests made to break in to the network originated from this vicinity, likely from within Inaba itself," Kikuno explained.

"So someone in Inaba knew about that research before all this started and was lookin' for it? That means they musta been observin' Kayane and his friends in that time too!" Labrys was shaking her head.

"The firewall prevented the intruder from accessing the file, but the attempted hacker didn't even try to cover their tracks," Kikuno added.

"What? Who would do this?" Labrys shook her head.

Still not covering your tracks could indicate that at the very least they wanted the existence of that file to be known. Even if they couldn't get to it. I wonder who would gain something from that.

"It was only in fragments, but the name 'Minazuki Sho' appears many times in those files," Kikuno must have been a super maid as she was dodging missiles while having this conversation. The only reason I could hear it was because they were talking over the intercom system that went through the headphones for the helicopter.

"Who is he?" Labrys asks.

"I'll contact you once we crack the encryption, but in case it becomes difficult to transfer the data to you, I'll give you a copy," Kikuno was giving her a lot of trust even though Labrys had openly against having anything to do with the Shadow Operatives. But being as things were...there was no other choice.

"Alright. I'll download what ya got so far and take a look at what you've managed to decrypt," Labrys says and accepts the memory card. I assume she quickly downloaded into her personal memory banks because after a moment she was handing it back to Kikuno.

"We'll be over a Junes shopping center in a moment. Everyone, prepare to disembark," Kikuno calls out as Labrys moves back to us and is ready to go.

"Hold on! Over there... Isn't there someone on the rooftop?" Yukari is point out of the helicopter. Sure enough there is someone there but I can't make anything out.

I can't get a good look but Ken pulls out a pair of binoculars and looks down. He suddenly pulls it down and then looks again.

"Th-That's impossible!" Ken cries out.

"Huh? Wh-What's wrong?" Yukari asks as she trying to figure it out with just her eyes.

"It's... Ikutuski..." Ken says.

"Huh? No way! We saw him die! Minato shot him and he fell off the roof and we even confirmed that he was dead," Yukari is up and is suddenly opening the side of the helicopter. Labrys moves over to look as well.

Suddenly the helicopter sways and I quickly move to prevent Yukari from hitting her head on the upper compartment that is above the seats. We were attacked again, but this wasn't another missile.

"We're under attack...by a Persona!" Labrys calls out.

"A persona but that..."

"The enemy's preparing for another attack! Incoming!" Kikuno cuts off Yukari.

Yukari is quick to act though and pulls out her Evoker. "You little...! Persona!" But before she even pulls the trigger, her Persona Isis, responds to her call. "Huh?" Yukari is confused, but her Persona creates a whirlwind around the helicopter in a moment that repels the incoming attack. "What? I didn't even use my Evoker yet!"

I blinked for a moment. "Really?" It wasn't impossible to do so, as if we concentrated we could summon our Persona without an Evoker. But Mitsuru and Yukari had a massive strain on them when they had done so. I could do so, but even though it was easier for me, it still put a strain on me to do so repeatedly. An Evoker removed all the middle ground and made it so it was less stressful on us as a result. Allowing us to fight longer and harder. Still Yukari was absolutely bewildered by the sensation. Pulling off the headset, I quickly moved next to her, grabbing a support and then wrapping my arm around her waist to steady her. "You okay, Yukari?"

"I guess what that General Teddie said wasn't a lie. He meant it when he said it would happen in 'the reality in which we occupy'. That red fog coming from that place must be the cause of it," Yukari quickly speculated.

"Hahaha... This is going to be fun..." another voice could be heard.

"Wha-? What was that?" Labrys is looking around.

"Yukari-san, Hamuko-san, he's winding up for another one! We're getting off, Koromaru," Ken was on his feet. The helicopter was close to the roof now as Ken was pulling his spear from above him. Then he and Koromaru jump from the helicopter and towards the enemy Persona that was coming towards the helicopter. Both Ken and Koromaru's Persona Cerebus strike the enemy Persona and land on the roof unharmed.

"Hm...It seems you're always taking on the responsibility of saving others, Yukari-san," Kikuno was calling back loud enough for her to hear.

"Seriously. It's like, 'Again? Really?' But I'll take this one. After all, I've gotten used to saving the world on a weekly basis," Yukari shakes her head and I giggle from next to her.

"Well what are you waiting for Feather Pink? Lets go," I pull my naganita from the same place that Ken's spear was and then hoped out of the helicopter and onto the roof. A moment later both Yukari and Labrys landed on the ground next to me. It seemed whoever had been attacking the helicopter had ran off. The helicopter was now pulling away and gaining altitude again.

Looks like we are in the food court, which is located on the rooftop of the department store. Something about the environment wasn't right. I had been here a couple times in my trips to visit Kayane. Kana and I had spent breakfast here once before we went to see him. Perhaps it was the red fog but things didn't look right.

"Where did he go?" Ken voiced as he was still standing battle ready with his spear. Koromaru growled as well, he was ready to fight as well.

"Hey, Ken-kun. Did you really see Ikutsuki here a moment ago?" Yukari was asking.

"Yes. I didn't see him clearly, but there's no way I could have mistaken him," Ken answered.

"That's impossible. I mean, Ikutsuki Shuji is dead," Labrys spoke.

"Yeah, we made sure of that," Yukari clenched her fist. I moved next to her. That was when I noticed the bow that was attached to her waist.

"Wait...Yukari...that weapon..." I can't help but point out.

"Oh right," Yukari pulls it out and the compacted bow fully extends out to show her. "I guess, Mitsuru had it made for me. It was supposed to be a gift as a congrats for getting the role of Feather Pink. It's really well made too. I guess it be a way I could properly use my archery skills on set too. The one they have for me on set is functional but I always have to compensate because I can't put too much stress on it. I've broken it a number of times and..." Her face went red after a moment. "Look it works and its all I have at the moment."

"How many arrows you got?" I moved the conversation forward.

"About a hundred. Hopefully I won't need more than that," Yukari said as she adjusted the quiver that sat sideways just below her waist, resting on her butt basically. But as she puts it back she looked so natural in this outfit I was starting to like her in this look. Considering how in shape she was, you would have never guessed she had a kid just a couple years ago. "Anyway, we can't just keep talking here, we have to get moving. Don't let your guard down."

"Koromaru and I are going to continue looking for Ikutsuki. If it really is him, then there is no doubt that he is involved in this case," Ken spoke up.

Yukari nodded, "Yeah, you guys focus on that."

Koromaru barked his confirmation on the task as well.

"But that person seemed to be using a Persona. Won't it be dangerous for you two, goin' off on your own?" Labrys asked. Well, Labrys knew even less about us even if she had been given teh report of what happened to us before all this.

"Don't you worry about me and Koromaru. Even if we run into something we can't defeat, we'll find a way out," Ken gave her an assuring smile.

"And honestly, it's faster for us to split up. I am a bit worried but I'm gonna believe in you guys," Yukari was saying it more for Labrys' benefit than Ken, as they already knew that. They all trusted each other without having to say anything. Their time in school fighting together and climbing the tower Tartarus meant they had faced a lot of dangerous situations together, and they knew that they could all handle just about anything. "So I'll head towards the convenient store and get Junpei. It didn't seem like he knew about the situation but he cut out before I could tell him."

"More than likely because all the electronics in Inaba went out," Labrys said.

"Yeah, either way, he's still good in a fight, so I have to meet up with him. Plus who knows what kind of situation he might get himself into if I don't," Yukari sighs and I can't help but chuckle a bit.

"Huh? Did I say something funny?" Yukari looked to me.

"I swear, you and Junpei might as well be siblings," I find myself commenting.

"Ugh...I think I might puke if I ever heard him say something like Onee-chan," Yukari groaned as if she could imagine it.

"I hope Mitsuru-san and the others are okay... Maybe the two of you could head straight to the tower? Ikakure Kayane was taken as well right? I figured you'd want to head that direction Labrys and Hamuko-san," Ken spoke up.

I nodded, "Yeah. Sounds like a plan. We should get going."

"Yeah...but one other thing. Something felt off when I summoned my Persona earlier. You guys might want to be careful," Yukari really did look concerned. But if something felt off, then it had to be more than just the way it was summoned.

"You felt it too? It was like, well... It felt like the Evoker wasn't working, didn't it?" Ken said.

"Yeah... It might be that we can summon our Personas without our Evokers but there was something else..." Yukari shook her head.

"In any case, we should get moving. If what General Teddie said is true, we don't have much time to spare," Ken prompted us to get going.

"Mmhm, got it. If anything happens, let's meet at the bottom of the tower. Be careful guys," Yukari gave a pat on Koromaru's head before we headed to the stairs that were nearby and headed down and out of Junes.

"Be careful, Yukari. Just because you are Feather Pink, you aren't invincible," I say and are welcomed by a small giggle.

"You too. Just cause you can summon different Personas doesn't mean you can take on everything," Yukari responded in kind.

"Right, lets get moving Labrys-san," I turned as Labrys and I went in a different direction than Yukari.

"Why do you think they took, Oniisan?" Labrys asked as we were moving.

"Well, there was you, and then someone that looks like Ikutsuki shows up? A man responsible for splitting you up from your family and the death of Kayane-san's parents, your parents. Obviously, whoever the culprit is, they know about that connection. What worries me more was that while Mitsuru-san and the others were up on those weird crosses...Kayane-san had been beaten and was left on the ground. We have to make sure he's okay," I said as I picked up my pace, which Labrys had no problem matching.

"Please be okay, Oniisan..." Labrys says as the two of us say nothing and instead run faster.


A/N:

Whew...I barely got this chapter done in time for the release. Believe me it was a loooong day of writing to catch up. But I got it done. With this chapter that means we got everyone in Inaba and the stage is set for the mayhem to really get started. As you'll no doubt notice that things will change a bit as we move forward, and likely go waaaay off script once they get to the Tower. The main change is that Naoto doesn't stay at the police station. After all in the game she is looking over files related to Nyx and that whole situation. Obviously because of what happens, Mitsuru already shared most of that information with them as unlike the games, they did not exclude the Investigation Team because of Kayane. Since Kayane is connected to Labrys and all of it to begin with.

Plus with Kana and Hamuko also being additional characters that means things will also change with their presence. You can also see a bit of overlap as I'm pulling a bit from the P4 and P3 side of the story of Ultimax. Which in the game don't really mesh well. Which means things will likely come down a bit differently as a result. Exactly how that will change...I will leave it up to the next Chapter.

Not too much to go over here as most of this is really set up for what is going to be coming next. I hope all of you look forward to it. Next time, we're going back to Rise and see what Igor has to say to her in the Velvet Room. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think! See you next time.