*Takes place during Niko's time with Kokichi*
Niko wanders the endless halls of a black corridor looking for the boy who seems to have abandoned him until he hears a voice. It wasn't Kokichi. It wasn't a voice he recognized, but the way it presented itself was familiar.

"Greetings, my child."

"Huh? Who's there?"

"It is I...the great Gozetmek. But you may call me Gozet. It is my understanding that you possess a gift which allows you to communicate directly with Gods. Evidently, that understanding has been proven true."

"Nice to meet you, Gozet. My name is Niko. Did you just want to talk?"

"Yes, my child. Do not fear me. I'm embarrassed to say...the reason you are so confused...the reason you are not where you should be...is due to the actions of another beyond my control."

"You mean...that guy?"

"No. Kokichi does not possess such power. However, he has proven to be beyond my control in a way I did not anticipate. You cannot trust him."

"Well, he DID say he was a liar."

The voice chuckled a bit as Niko was put at ease.

"Indeed. My servant will arrive soon to retrieve you and bring you to your proper place. In the meantime...do you have any questions?"

Niko thought long and hard about what to ask THIS God. He didn't seem to be as eager to get to know Niko so he figured he would keep the questions less personal and more professional this time.

"...I'm dead, aren't I?"

"...Indeed."

Niko was expecting more, but honestly didn't want to dwell on the subject for too long. He got a straight answer and that was good enough.

"Is everyone else in this world dead too?"

"Not EVERYONE. There is one individual who is well and truly alive...hiding. But obviously, she is not part of any Familia. But she is not threat to anyone, so you needn't fear."

Perhaps it was his time listening to Kokichi, but Niko couldn't help but doubt the conviction in that statement. Maybe Gozet didn't want to admit how little he actually knew about this woman.

"These Familias. That guy talked about them, but I don't know how much of it was half truths or whatever. How many Familias are there?"

"There are currently FOUR in your sector of Zindan. They are all incomplete right now, but they are gaining in strength and numbers. You need not concern yourself with those outside of this sector. Your mark shows to which Familia you belong to."

Niko pulled on the collar of his coat and looked at the blue crown shaped tattoo on his chest.

"You Familia is known as Royal Blue. There is currently another Familia that is close to yours...both in strength and in indoctrinated members known as Pure White. There are two other Familias that are in their early stages of development."

Four Familias. He hoped that his would be nice.

"That guy told me that this was a game. A...Killing Game. Do we have to...fight the other Familias?"

"You do not HAVE to do anything. You are ALLOWED to fight each other...or you can ignore each other. Horde information or share it freely. Build up alliances or tear down any who stand in your way. How you conduct your business with other Familias makes no difference to me. However...in the end….only ONE Familia will be permitted into Nirvana when they find it."

"But...that means alliances are pointless!"

"Perhaps...but others might think differently."

"Wait...so we CAN kill each other? But I thought we were already dead."

"If Nirvana is the end goal...then Hell is the losers corner. You ARE already dead. Killing you again will simply seal your fate to eternal damnation regardless of how blightless you might be...failure in MY world will be met with ultimate punishment."

"...Ultimate...Punishment?"

Niko's heart just sank as he spoke the words aloud. Kokichi was nearby and heard Niko talking to himself as he heard those words. He heard those two words more than enough in his lifetime. He would have no part in it.

"Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"...My Familia. Are they nice?"

"One of them is for sure. But that seems to be getting used against him by another."

Niko turned around suddenly. That voice wasn't Gozet. It came from the angel behind him. He must've been Gozet's servant.

"Sorry for scaring you? Who were you talking to?"

"...No one."

"Hmm...but yeah. Those two are something else. In some ways it reminds me of myself and Lady Palutena...and then Esdeath opens her mouth and I immediately lose the comparison."

"Um..."

"Sorry...I guess we're BOTH talking to ourselves a bit today. You wanna come with me? I'll take you to your Familia."

Pit summons his portal and waves Niko over. He hesitates for a moment, but follows anyways. After they leave, Kokichi comes out of the shadows.

"So, the Spirit of Innocence can speak to Gods. Nyehehe. He should be entertaining at least. Hmm...Esdeath? She sounds like fun too. Every Spirit has their Mirror Image. That means one of the other Familias should be getting their own Spirit of Innocence soon. I'll try my luck with THAT one to see if they're more useful to me. I'll just take them."

*Back in present time on Moya*
Everyone was now enjoying their meal thanks to Mercy. Niko was completely absorbed in his pancakes as he stuffed his cheeks. Kamina was not one to be out done by a cat, but Sora was making it difficult as he claimed that Kamina was stealing his portion of steaks.

"Kamina! You're hogging it all!"

"Don't you mean hog-moling it all?"

"...That's terrible!"

Mercy tugged on Kamina's ear.

"Ow!"

"Kamina. Share. If you wanted more steaks, you should have asked for them. Niko asked for his pancakes. That's why he gets to inhale them."

"...Yes ma'am."

Kamina sighed in defeat as he relinquished the steaks to Sora. Sora began to bite and the steaks and tear them up with his teeth as Mercy smacked him on the head.

"Ow!"

"Um Himmels Willen, Sora! Use a knife! You are not an animal."

"Yesh ma'am."

He spoke with his mouth full as Mercy couldn't hold back her laughter. Sora noticed during all this commotion...Esdeath was quiet. She was sitting right next to him, but didn't make a sound. She barely touched her coffee. She was more focused on her small pocketbook that she was scribbling in.

"Uh...Esdeath?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you drawing?"

"...Oh...Nothing really. Just personal things for myself."

"Oh...Okay."

She leans over to Niko as he swallows his food and shows him her pocketbook.

"Do you think this is a good likeness of Sora?"

Niko looks at her drawing and start choking on his milk as he covers his eyes with flushed cheeks.

"I'm...not allowed to look at that kind of stuff!"

Mercy puts her hands on her hips as she glares at Esdeath who is now hiding her book.

"Esdeath! Did you just taint Niko's innocence with filthy pictures?!"

"...No...Maybe….Probably...Definitely."

"Do I even want to know of what?"

Kamina rats her out under his breath.

"I think we ALL know what it was."

"...Traitor."

Everyone else groans and tries to ignore it as Sora realizes what Kamina just implied.

"Wait...what?! I don't remember consenting to that, Esdeath!"

"Oops...Must've just slipped my mind. It's just a harmless book."

"I met someone who can make books into terrifying weapons!"

"Well, fine. Why don't you look and see for yourself..."

"No way! I don't wanna read your smut! Don't point that at me!"

Esdeath is prominently displaying her drawings before everyone, but no one even so much as glances at them. She begins to bask in their suffering as she thought to herself. "This could be its own form of torture."

"See how I've captured every nuanced curve of my legs here? And how Sora's hand perfectly fits right up-"

"AAGH!"

Everyone shouted at once as they got up from the table and started walking away. Esdeath sits back in her chair and takes the abandoned plates of food from everyone as she sips her coffee and giggles.

"Heh. What a bunch of prudes. I haven't even gotten to the kinky stuff yet."

Sora yells out in the distance.

"Namine never drew stuff like that!"

*Four Familias. The other two shall be referred to (for now) as Red and Black. There stories are a ways off but will happen in time. Both of them have only two members right now, consisting of your requested characters and a one of my own choices. That means we have six open slots. Don't be afraid to hit me the obscure ones. It should be obvious by now that I'm a fan of the unorthodox choices*