Author's Note: Hey guys! Hullo! My apologies for the delay. Between being sick, being busy, and doing a bit of both... it has been a long month. So as I told you before, I had cut the previous chapter short due to the length and the reveal of more information. So here is the last of that situation and some additional stuff to set up the complete madness that is to come. Also doing some stuff with establishing some more characterizations for some of our party and the rocky relationships between two generations of Persona Users. Reviews welcome of course.

For as monstrous in size he might have been, Kanji was good at tailing a target. He had been following the teens since the day Nanako had asked about her cousin. Kanji and Naoto had thought it was weird. A call from a clearly upset Yukiko had definitely put them on high alarm. The point of the plan was that eventually Yu would talk to Nanako and tell her everything. However, he hadn't wanted it to interrupt her high school studies. It was very likely that she would not believe him, but on the off chance that she did believe him it could be devastating to her. So, Nanako was suddenly asking questions that none of them were really ready to answer.

The first week it seemed that nothing happened and he was just about to let it go when back to back, both Chie and Yosuke got the verbal fourth degree from the high school girl. She was still asking question and now Kanji was on the case again. With his large arms generally not agreeing with sleeves Kanji wore a plain tank top and long brown pants. He caught up to her with her friends Yuuta-kun and Miwa-chan. There was some blonde upperclassman who gave Kanji the wrong kind of vibe. Specifically the vibe of someone who was exactly like what he had been as a teenager. So now Kanji knew he had to be right on their case. It was when they got to Junes that he started to get nostalgic. But they did not go to the food court. They were going to the…mirror aisle?

Then, Nanako reached out to a mirror and she led the others through it. Kanji's brain stopped for a moment. It was one thing to remember going into the TV, it was another thing to see Nanako leading a group of teens into another world. Kanji almost didn't want to follow them. But something gnawed at the back of his mind. He needed to know what they were up against. So he walked over to the mirror they entered. He looked at the mirror cautiously. As he got ready to go in, a woman and her child entered the aisle. He gave her a friendly smile and quick nod. She walked past with her child. Kanji sighed. If he waited around to much longer someone else would see him. So he slipped into the mirror carefully fitting his whole frame through the… well frame.

Ending up on the other side of the mirror immediately a name came to mind. "Mirror World," Kanji named out loud. He walked through the backwards Junes and tried to find the kids he was following. As he made his way out, he grabbed a metal chair. Stepping through a broken sliding door he caught sight of the kids off in the distance. He walked after them. There seemed to be no hurry for them.

After a while he got his bearings and Kanji realized that he was heading into the residential district. However, he was immediately caught off guard by the sight of a school. At the door, the group of high school kids entered the building leaving behind a bear suit.

"The hell is that? Looks like Teddie," Kanji asked himself out loud. As he got ready to approach, the bear suit began to get fidget-y. Kanji watched as it reached up and tore its own head off revealing a long blonde haired girl. "Somehow it looks even more like Teddie," Kanji remarked remembered the 'Miss' Yasogami High pageant. The girl in the bear suit finally made a decision casting the head aside and entered the school.

Kanji had no idea what was going on inside, so he decided to take a more careful route than the front door. After all, this was no Yasogami High School building. Kanji circled the building almost completely when he heard the sounds of combat through a partially open window. He moved a box over to get up to it and peering through it he saw the thing that confirmed everything that was happening here. Nanako and her friends were Persona-users now. Kanji however could see that everything was not going in their favor and he wanted to get in there and help. The window was stuck. So Kanji began to tug on it until finally with a burst of strength the window came open. Looking into the room now, the Shadow seemed to be defeated but now the girl in the bear suit was there. She looked pissed. Kanji started climbing over the lip of the window when she began transforming. He had landed on the ground when she yelled. He took off at breakneck speeds when she did. The bleach haired boy stepped forward to try to block her charge. While Kanji respected that, this girl was clearly a monster now, there was no way he was going to withstand the charge like that.

Kanji dipped his shoulder low and collided with the animalistic girl. Her bladed hand reached for him he picked her up and threw her. "Yah!" Kanji yelled triumphantly. Being in battle again honestly felt good. "You mess with the bull, you get the horns!" However the monster girl was clearly not done with him. So he decided to pull out the big guns. Kanji began to glow blue and the Emperor Arcana card floated in front of him. "Persona!" he called as he swung his metal chair through the card. A large swell of energy exploded out from him as his Persona formed. "Takeji Zaiten!"

The Persona summoned by Kanji was a sight to behold. Like him, it was a giant and it looked properly powerful. Like a giant white mecha in a cape, all of its individual pieces had flame decals. It reminded them of a samurai helmet with large metal fins fanning out from its had giant fists and possessed a massive sword that looked like flames.

"Big bro Kanji?" Nanako asked not really believing what she was seeing.

"Tatsumi-san?" Yuuta blurted out.

Kanji stood tall with his Persona at his side. "Stay behind me. The second we get an opening we are getting the hell outta here," Kanji commanded all business. For the teens watching him, it was like seeing a professional in action. "Look girl, I don't know who you are, I don't know why you look like Ted, but I am going to give you one chance to get out of my way."

Eiddet was too far gone. Whatever the primal instinct that had taken over was, it had a right hold on her. An opening formed in her back and what appeared to be a rocket like apparatus extended from it.

"What the hell?" Kanji declared at the sudden change. Flames jetted out the back of the rocket and Eiddet came flying forward. Takeji Zaiten charged forward clashed its fist with the rocket powered girl. Kanji immediately flinched for the effort he was having to exert just keeping this much force at bay. "This is the Man's Way!" Kanji called out as his Persona then swelled with energy. Sakura petals fell from the sky and a bright light shown. Eiddet was thrown back and seemed like she was really out of it. "Let's go!" Kanji yelled out. The group was halfway to the door when they found it blocked by a younger Kanji.

"Kanji? My have we grown," the younger Kanji said effeminately.

"'The hell you doin' here?" Kanji asked angrily. "Who the hell are you?"

"Why I am you, silly. Can't you tell?"

"You're not my Shadow, if that is what you are getting at. I have a Persona. Just like all these kids. I am going to take them with me so we can help the one whose having difficulty standing, she's never been around this kinda of stuff before so if you try something," Kanji replied aggressively.

The other Kanji laughed. "Actually the half unconscious one has interacted with Persona users before but she doesn't know the truth behind why... but I digress, of course I am not your Shadow. I am your Reflection. Everything you are cause mirrors reflect all," the fake Kanji remarked. The fake Kanji's skin seemed to start glistening like a metal.

Nanako realized what was happening. "Kanji! It is about to transform like she did," Nanako warned him. It was true, the Reflection had a red blade extend from its grip. Red flames extended from the Reflection's wrists up the forearm.

"Kanji, you must be at least somewhat interested in what I have to do with you, right?" Kanji's reflection asked. Before Kanji could respond, a shield wielding warrior suddenly dashed past him and slammed into the Reflection.

"Good job, Yuuta," Shima said to his underclassman. Helping Shiho, the group made their way out of the gymnasium. However, they knew they would not get far with Eiddet now chasing after them.

"Shima, brace me. I think I can get us out of here," Shiho told him quietly.

Shima placed his arm around her waist to help her stay standing as she took on a blue shine. "Nanako, buy Shiho time!" Shima called out.

Nanako nodded and Themis exploded out from her. Her hammer meeting the enraged Eiddet. Nanako fell to her knees holding her head. Miwa summoned Rhea who took on a green aura and Nanako felt herself become partially rejuvenated. Hyperion reappeared next to Yuuta and set his shield up in the hallway behind Themis as Kanji's reflection was also on his way down the hall.

Shiho suddenly cried out as her Persona finally made itself manifest. Cloaked and hooded, she looked like her shadow form but much more reserved. "I am thou. And thou art I. I am Phoebe. My knowledge and wisdom will allow you to survive the injustices of this world."

"Phoebe, Traesto," Shiho commanded. The group suddenly let off a large amount of light. Then reappeared back in the backwards Junes.

After they all took some time to recover, Shiho in particular, Kanji finally spoke out loud. "Well, this certainly is not the way we wanted this to go."

"Wanted what to go what way?" Yuuta asked.

Kanji paused for a moment. "To talk about the whole Persona thing," he finally answered. "Look, I can't give you all the answers you want right now. But let me make some calls, I will make sure that we can get together as much of the Investigation Team as possible, sit down, and have a nice long conversation about this soon."

"Not too soon, Shiho just got her Persona and she isn't doing too good," Shima added bracing the poor girl up.

Nanako looked at Kanji with a new perspective. She could understand where he was coming from. There was an entire group of peoples worth of stories that would probably need to be explained. However she had one question for him now. "Kanji, did all of you start hanging out because of your Personas?"

Kanji nodded then added, "I wish it was that simple but that does wrap it up as easily as it can be."

"Ok."

Days turned to weeks. The group of teens took turns checking on Shiho whose condition was slow to recover. Nanako and Shima was especially attentive to her. Nanako was particularly motherly in her time with Shiho. One part Ryotaro Dojima, one part Chisato Dojima, and two parts Yu Narukami. Shiho has been very quiet as she observed the underclassman. The first few days that these students had been showing up for her, Shiho's parents had been very observant. However after days of no incidents, they practically disappeared knowing that their daughter was with good people.

"How are you feeling today, senpai?" Nanako asked Shiho as she finally found a moment to sit down.

Shiho smiled softly and replied, "I am better than I have been. Still hurt basically all over though."

"You and me both," Nanako agreed.

"How do you have so much energy. Nanako-kun?"

"You can just call me Nanako," Nanako told her. "And to be honest, I just don't think I have time to not be doing anything. Genetics maybe?" The joke went over well with Shiho who hid a small laugh behind her hand.

"I wish I had your drive," Shiho admitted. "You even managed to wrangle someone like Shima into following your orders."

Nanako nodded. "To be fair, I think that had more to do with him facing off with himself and accepting his own faults. Otherwise, I trust him to do what is right when it needs to be done," Nanako replied.

"I've known him for a while now. How do you face up to his aggression and willfulness?" Shiho asked somewhat exacerbated.

Nanako thought back to her childhood for a moment to her original bleached hair, leather clad punk. "He isn't the first person like that I have had the honor of being friends with. Watching my Big Bro and his own version of a street punk definitely helped."

"You have a brother?" Shiho asked.

"Not actually," Nanako admitted. "He is my cousin. But he lived with me and my dad eight years ago. He very quickly became like a brother to me though. He is also kind of the reason that we were able to save you, in a long roundabout certain way. I guess he started leading his friends in their activities as Persona wielders. He was often stoic, but never wasted words. When he spoke you wanted to listen, y'know?"

"Sounds like a heck of a guy if he made you guys save me," Shiho replied jokingly. "So who are Miwa and Yuuta to you?"

"Classmates and friends. Miwa and I have known each other since Elementary. Yuuta joined us shortly after that, though he was always more of a tagalong than a lifelong friend. It was only a mutual desire to know more about my Big Bro that brought us this far," Nanako replied. "So, can I ask you about your friend? The one we saw in your old school?"

Shiho nodded. "You mean, Ann. Yes, It's the least I could do considering all that you have done for me. What did you want to know?"

Nanako, who had been stressing over how to ask this question all morning, settled to just ask Shiho simply, "Do you still keep in contact with her at all?"

"I try to," Shiho answered honestly. "But I can sometimes go months without hearing back. We'll text back and forth for a while and then she'll go quiet again."

Nanako thought for a moment and asked, "Have you thought about letting her know how those times without contact make you feel?"

"I have thought about it, but she does apologize for the delays so I never feel right telling her about it and…" Shiho trailed off.

Nanako finished her thought for her, "You don't say anything and just let it fester." Shiho nodded. "Can I ask you about your time before Inaba?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Kanji's Reflection made an interesting comment about you earlier. About how you had been around Persona users before. Do you know what he could have been talking about?" Nanako asked her.

"Not really… except for one thing. Something I had been hearing about while I was in the hospital. It probably doesn't mean anything," Shiho thought out loud. Nanako gestured for her to keep going. "Well shortly before I had my… breakdown there was a boy who showed up at our school. To be honest, you description of your cousin made me think of him. It seemed like people just naturally gravitated to him despite the rumors that had been floating around. Anyway, around the time he showed up, he got very involved in the drama of our school, including with the teacher Kamoshida. Shortly before that bastard confessed to his crimes, there had been talk about a group who called themselves the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'I don't know, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense in my head. If they were somehow related to Personas, I would not be surprised at this point." As she spoke, Nanako pulled out her phone and began to do a search online for their name.

"Oh my," Nanako whispered. "I don't know if people having been Phantom Thieves at all was a good thing"

"Perhaps not," Shiho commented. "I was somewhat aware of the things that they might have been involved in. But I just don't know if I can really say I disagree with their goals. Afterall, look what it did to the man who almost killed me."

Nanako could not really argue with that. "Did you spend a lot of time with this new boy?" Nanako asked.

Shiho shook her head. "No but…" Shiho's voice trailed off as Nanako's questions that started putting some pieces in place that she had not had them before. "Ann did. I mean she brought him with us when we went back to visit the place I had leapt from. They seemed really close. Could she have been a Phantom Thief? Therefore, a Persona user?"

Nanako shrugged. "I mean it could make some sense, but only under the circumstances that everything we perceived is real. However, I would say that the reflection identifying you specifically as having been involved with Persona users before does seem to point that direction."

The two decided to calm down discussion topics to other things. Nanako caught her up with the things the group knew about the her Big Bro, some of the more innocent things about the other people she had collected. Though she did seemed to beat herself up over accidentally talking about Shima's phantom pain. Nanako went home that night, and the following day Shima showed up.

It was his third day that week, but he really did not mind. It kept him out of the house and whenever she dozed off, it gave him a lot of time to think. However today she was awake and it seemed like she wanted to talk about something but could not find the words to express it. However now she seemed to be ready to talk.

"Shima, can I ask you something?" Shiho asked him hesitantly trying to take a page from Nanako's book. Shima simply hummed in response. "Are you mad about the things my shadow said? About the way I treated you?"

Shima shook his head. "I have to be honest with you. You weren't the only one pushing people away, y'know?" he told her. "I mean, I am not going to say that it didn't sting my pride a little, but I can't hold that against you. Not after the life you've lived."

"So you know about me then. What did your section of the mirror world look like?" Shiho asked curiously. Her head tilted slightly and her currently down hair only accentuated the movement.

Shima exhaled slowly. "My own little slice of hell was a hospital. While the inside was much more distorted, the outside perfectly resembled the hospital that removed my leg. It was damaged beyond repair and would just prove to be a hindrance to my life going forward. So my parents asked for it to be removed," Shima explained bitterly. He may be more open than before, still did not like talking about it.

"Are you hurting right now?" Shiho asked him. Clearly she was referencing the phantom pains. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow though and the two engaged in a impromptu battle of as she might, Shiho caved. "Nanako mentioned it to me during one of her visits."

Shima nodded. "Of course she would have," he commented idly. "Well to answer your question, it's not really about if I am in pain. It's more about if I am showing it. Grimacing is honestly just annoying and a waste of energy. It seems like every day it takes just a little more than it used to for me to show the pain on my face." He looked at a concerned Shiho and he gave her what could only be described as a gentle smirk. "You don't need to be worried about it. Like anything else, feeling pain for long enough means eventually I can just ignore it. It hurts, just less than it used to if you think about it like that."

The girl smiled at this information and then seemed to consider something. However, before she could form the words, Shima spoke again, "Look, I know you are trying to be delicate about your questions. Can I just suggest that you don't bother? Like you said, I learned about you. The least I can do is be an open book for you."

"Well, clearly losing your leg has defined your life since the accident. But if it were just a matter of you having an accident, I don't know if I would expect it to be such a big moment for you if it had not come with some other consequence. Right?" Shiho explained her inquiry in a roundabout way. Even though Shima gave her permission to stomp wherever she wanted, she still wanted to show some tact.

"Well it did come with a consequence," Shima explained clearly seeing where her question was headed. He scooted himself closer to her side and rested one arm on her western style bed. "I used to be a star athlete." Shiho gasped as the pieces seemed to fall in place. "A pretty daaa-ng good one too. Losing my leg took that from me, y'know? Since then, I have just been wandering and wasting time longing for something I can't go back to anymore."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Shiho commented and she reached out and took his hand. The two of them stayed like that for a moment. Then Shiho's finger grazed by something protruding from Shima's skin. Rotating his hand and leaning forward to look at it she fell silent as she saw scar near the topside of his wrist that seemed to slip down into his sleeve.

Shima, who had been very quiet since Shiho grabbed his hand, traced a line to where she was looking. He then said out loud, "Collateral damage from the accident. Let's just say that car accidents that can or will take your leg from you, usually don't come without other damage. My body is pretty much covered in those, more or less." This seemed to resonate with her and she used her other hand to trace down the scar where it met another. Doing so seemed to make her eyes water.

"I have scars too. Emotional ones that run deep within my mind. But, I don't see them like I can see yours. The evidence of what happened to you is literally written on your body. I-" Shiho started saying as a tear finally escaped.

Shima shushed her and wiped the tear away. "Emotional scars are no less damaging, Shiho. Don't you ever try to diminish your experiences because of the damage on someone else is plain to see. It takes a different kind of strength to be the only one who has to live with the scars that other cannot or will not see."

Shiho cried harder as a sob finally escaped her. "W-why are you so nice to me Shima?" she asked him through the tears.

Shima turned his hand until his fingers wrapped around hers. "Because I don't need someone in my life that looks at things as they could have been. I needed someone in my life to see things as they are here in reality and not judge me. You saw me the day we met and yet you never treated me like I was an amputee. You treated me like a normal human being," he told her as he comforted her. "I see your scars now Shiho. Of course I care about you that much more."

"And before you could see them?" she asked, looking at him like she was trying to see through him. The tears were not stopping.

Shima looked down, reached up with his other hand and held Shiho's hand between his. "You saved my life Shiho," he told her, barely above a whisper. "My shadow revealed to the others that I was ready to die. I had even planned on doing it myself. Then I met you. After that… I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Then we started talking more. I saw things in you that reminded me of myself. While I could tell something was hurt, I just didn't know how deep until I saw it for myself."

This confession of his desire for death left them in a stale, cold silence. "Shima," Shiho finally said to him. When he looked up, she flung herself forward wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Shima."

"You're welcome," he replied quietly as he wrapped his arms slowly around her. Her sobs the only sound that remained.

The group had gotten together for the first time since their mission to save Shiho, the following day. The Mirror World had been quiet for some time. They had been fairly quiet on their bus ride. It was decided that they would meet up at the Amagi Inn The group reconvened and they waited for a somber looking Kanji who approached them.

"Big bro Kanji?" Nanako asked out loud,

Kanji looked at the groups of teens in front of him. "Look, we're meeting in the Amagi Inn's meeting room, but I uh-" he trailed off and this caused all the students to tense. "Let's get going. I have something to tell you when we get there." The group headed off for the building led by the giant Kanji. Upon getting there, they were welcomed by the sight of Famous Songstress Rise Kujikawa, Police Officer Chie Satonaka, and Private Detective Naoto Shirogane.

"Big Sis Rise," Nanako said aloud. Rise walked forward and embraced Nanako. Her normally bubbly personality seemed to be in short supply today.

"Hey Nanako-chan," Rise said to her during their hug.

Miwa finally asked, "Look, can we get this freak show started? I don't have the best memories of this place, right now."

Shima and Shiho felt a little left out as to why, but Yuuta seemed to get what she was referring to. The Inn's Manager walked out the front door. "To be fair, that was not necessarily my fault. You could have told us what you were actually up to," Yukiko commented slightly bitterly.

Shima however was familiar with this topic and interjected, "Oh? And if they had been honest would you have still hid the Persona thing? Y'know she didn't have any reason to think that you guys were related to shit like this."

"Watch your mouth punk," Kanji growled. "Let's just take this inside, huh?"

The two groups headed into the Inn and to a meeting room. Shima gladly took a seat and Shiho joined him at the fairly large table. Yukiko took her place at the head of the table. Kanji remained standing while the others all quickly filed to their own spots at or around the table.

"So about the last time we were here," Yuuta started. "We were not aware of any supernatural happening yet. That happened before we went to the Textile Shop. Just saying."

"Look details aside for now," Nanako interrupted before anyone else could throw more fuel on the fire, "Kanji said you had something to tell us?"

Rise nodded and then after a short pause said, "Yu is missing. No one has been able to get ahold of him in three weeks. M-my fiance is missing." Rise burst out into tears.

Nanako and the high school students, suddenly at attention, all asked, "Missing?!"