Author's note: Thanks for the reviews and favorites, guys. :) I'm happy to provide entertainment. I love hearing what you have to say, which parts you liked, what lines you like the best, and of course, I appreciate you all for taking the time to read this.

To be clear, I've never played any of the Persona games -since I don't own a system capable of said fun times- so I've been studying my little cycling butt off to make this as awesome as I can. It's funny how this is how I'm going to learn about the Persona users attacks.

And now, back to the shenanigans.


Rescue Operation

January 6th. Raining. Yu Narukami's hospital room in the evening after chowing down on delivery Nikudon from Aiya's Chinese Restaurant.

"I hope you all know why I called you here," Yosuke began.

Teddy bounced up and down. "We never had a Persona Pow-Wow before! This is beary exciting!"

You realize this entire conversation goes against everything we do to keep you guys sane, right? Sukuna, Naoto's Persona, snarked.

The investigation team filled the small room. They faced each other in a huddle with their hands stacked in the middle. The link between them hummed with life and knit together the voices of their true selves.

"Circumstances being what they are, I think we can overlook that rule this time," Chie answered. The tall brunette had filled her in on what transpired the night before. She found it tough to believe such a fantastic tale, but she also knew Yosuke well enough to know he wouldn't joke about something as serious as the health of their friend, or any possible way to save him. She'd remained quiet as he explained it.

"You said it was 'vitally important, time sensitive, and the very balance of the galaxy was at stake,'" Yukiko repeated his words verbatim from their phone conversation that morning.

"Mm, steak."

"Chie."

"Right. Focusing."

"Maybe not the galaxy, but it's still epic. I'm just gonna come out and say it:" Yosuke cleared his throat. He had to be sure he was clearly heard. "Yu's buried under all of his persona and the only way we can wake him up is go in and dig him out."

What do you mean 'go in and dig him out?' Konohana's soprano voice lilted the question.

I think he means we need our Human selves to locate Narukami-san's individual consciousness.

"Wait, us?" Rise blinked in disbelief at Himiko's voice. She'd blithely suggested it with such ease. "Why do we have to go? Why can't you guys?"

Because I came from your heart. Everyone heard her persona speak up. I use your spiritual energy to amplify my power.

We all do with our other halves, Added Kintoki, Teddy's Persona.

Jiraiya continued. My energy comes from Captain Clutz here, which means you guys are the batteries. You'll have a better chance of getting out of that sea of Persona in one piece.

All of you will, Konohana, Yukiko's persona chimed in.

"So if we go, what happens to us out here?" Chie asked.

We'll protect you. Tomoe's resolution rang solid through each of them. We'll still be connected. I would die before letting any harm come to you.

"We're really gonna do this? Go inside his head?" Kanji stammered. Clearly this was incredibly uncomfortable for him. "Isn't that freakin' impossible?"

"It seems impossible," Yukiko sighed.

It's not impossible, just improbable, and highly unlikely to succeed by known scientific means. Sukuna stated. Naoto remained silent even though her voice –altered slightly- could clearly be heard by everyone in the circle. Given the right expenditure of spiritual energy, a swap to a location, or person, of singular focus is technically achievable given the proof of what we're already capable of. This is so exciting.

What Young Frankenstein here means to say, Jiraiya interjected, is to pretend this conversation is reversed. We'll pool our ultimate awesomeness together to switch places and send you all through the link the same way we're all connecting right now. In fact, we can try a little experiment of switching Tomoe with Chie and—

She stomped hard on Yosuke's foot.

"Ow! Why?! He said it!"

"He's you, so you said it."

"Semantics," Yosuke grumbled.

It wasn't even anything dirty! Ow... my foot...I gotta walk on that.

"Even though it sounds ridiculous, I'm willing to try, " Yukiko spoke over Jiraiya's complaining.

"What if we get stuck?" Teddy looked worriedly to each of his friends. "What if we can't get out?"

Then don't get stuck. Take-Mikazuchi, Kanji's Persona, bluntly stated.

"No way I'm gonna let that happen," Kanji glanced to Naoto, who blushed in kind.

Yosuke was the first to let go, feeling the contact from the others fade away and moved to Yu's right. "It's your choice." He regarded each of them with a level of seriousness he rarely displayed. Normally, he was the jokester, the one who lightened the mood with corny catch phrases, or witty one liners. Right now, in this room, that Yosuke was nowhere to be found. "No one has to do this if they don't want to. You can walk out now and we won't think any less of you. We'll still be friends. But I'm going after him."

"And let you hog all the glory? Nice try, Hanamura. I'm not letting you out of my sight." Chie stood next to him.

"You seriously think that little speech is gonna make any of us back out after everything that's happened? You're more of idiot than I thought." Kanji stood at the foot of the bed.

"Narukami-kun would do the same for any of us," Naoto stepped up to the left side of the bed.

"He's saved all of us." Yukiko took a place near Yu's head.

"Yu-Senpai needs us, and I won't let him fight alone," Rise let her gaze stay on the comatose boy from next to Yukiko.

"I will not abandon Sensei to the darkness!" Teddy moved up next to Kanji.

It was amazing how one person could bring together so many different people from various walks of life. They were all going to put themselves in danger yet again for someone they loved. For their leader. "Then let's do this." Yosuke clasped his hand around Yu's right wrist. "Everyone focus on Narukami. Whatever your Persona needs to do, let them do it." He took a deep breath to strengthen his courage. "Rescue operation: 'Wild Card.' -Begin."

Chie placed her hand on his shoulder.

Rise lay her head down on his chest.

Yukiko rested her palm gently on his forehead.

Teddy and Kanji each touched his bare feet.

Naoto wrapped her small fingers around his other hand as best she could.

For a long moment, nobody spoke, though everyone closed their eyes.

"This is so many shades of awkward," Kanji muttered.

"Shh. Just concentrate," Naoto nudged him in the side.

The room went silent once more.

Yosuke felt the same static tingle at the point of contact and focused on it.

He thought he heard the crackling of knuckles come from his Persona. The sudden sense of 'this is probably a bad idea, and really going to hurt' quickly swept over him. His moment of panic was quickly crushed by someone-Jiraiya- grabbing the back of his head.

Hold onto your butts.

He felt a push from the within his own mind, then a rush of air accompanied by a falling sensation. When he opened his eyes again, he was at the Tatsuhime shrine just above the shopping district. Rain peppered the ground in silvery darts, and lightning flashed overhead. He had to be in Yu's head. With the storm going on out in the real world, and somehow also in here, the sounds of the weather must have been bleeding through Narukami's hearing into his…dream? Whatever this place was.

He quickly took shelter and brushed his hands over his clothes to sweep away the extra water, when his hand swept through a strong, condensed current in front of his chest. He waved his hand back and forth to find it isolated in one spot. Only when he turned his palm upwards did he see the faint blue outline of what looked like a cord. He moved his hand away and the cord faded from view. Jiraiya's memory cleared up his confusion. This was his connection to his own mind –to Jiraiya. Which meant he was actually inside the mind of Yu Narukami and not passed out drooling on the floor. If he had this, it was a solid bet the others did, too.

"Freaky," he mused. He called into the surroundings through cupped hands. "Yu? Yu!"

"Over here! Hanamura-chan!" Rise ran up to him, covering her head from the rain and took shelter beneath the shrine. "That was an even stranger trip than through the T.V. Did you find Yu-senpai?"

He shook his head. "I just got here. Where's everyone else?"

"Right here, man." Kanji walked up with the others right behind. He glanced around. "So, this is Senpai's coconut, huh? Shit, I expected something cool. Not this sleepy crap town. Why the hell would anyone pick this stupid place as their dream?"

"Second question: Why is it raining in his head?" Teddy stepped back underneath the protective overhang of the shrine for a clear view of the slate gray sky.

"He probably has to pee," Yosuke said absently without really thinking as he scanned the area around them.

Chie scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Ugh! Really, Yosuke?"

"Ew!" Rise suddenly didn't want to have anything to do with the rain. "Don't go saying things like that! We're here! That's so gross!"

"Focus, you guys. Remember what we're doing here," Naoto spoke up. She twisted her blue hat in her hands to wring out the extra water. "Besides, dreaming of water is a perfectly natural psychological phenomena in that case."

"Not helping," Rise glared at the short detective.

"Right," Yosuke looked to the group. "Jiraiya said all of his Personae were awake, so we could run into any of them at any time."

"How many does he have again?" Yukiko asked.

"Er, he can merge them, so..." Yosuke scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I have no idea. I wasn't paying attention."

"'Lotta help you are," Kanji rolled his eyes. "Why don't we split up? Take different sections of the town, and meet up back here in an hour?"

Chie nodded. "Good idea. Visiting hours at the hospital will end in about two hours."

"Amazing!" Teddy shifted his feet to show off a stronger pose. "The stalwart adventurers, diving into the consciousness of their leader to rescue him from the clutches of certain doom! The girls, quivering with fear, cling to the bravest bear to protect them."

"Who let him come along?" Kanji looked three breaths away from punting the short kid down the steps to the street.

"He's a part of this group, too." Naoto stated.

"Eh... right. Well, he ain't commin' with me." The rebel let those words replace him as he stalked off into the rain.

Naoto sighed and jogged off after him to keep up.

"I'll go with Teddy. He can distract me from the...ugh...rain." Rise tapped the bear on the shoulder, and the two moved off into the weather.

The sight of a few staircases ending suddenly into nothing caught Yukiko's attention. "This place really reminds me of Wonderland."

"Wonder-what?" Yosuke arched an eyebrow.

"Alice in Wonderland. Written by Lewis Carol in the 19th century. It's classic literature," Yukiko explained.

"Oh, an old book. That explains why I don't know what you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "Disney also made it into a cartoon?"

"Oh! Yeah, with the white rabbit! I saw that once."

She sighed. "Figures."

"Uh, guys? I don't think we're alone anymore." Chie pointed across the courtyard to the shrine entrance where a yellow flame swayed lazily from side to side. It drifted toward them yet remained lit despite the downpour. A pair of jaundice-yellow eyes opened from within a red hood that completely shadowed its face. "Wha-what is that?"

"Oh man, it's the Jawa from hell," Yosuke slid a foot back through a sudden shock of fear. It took a moment to register the lantern, the hood, and the fire that taunted anything to snuff it out. Its face cracked, showing a sinister grin of sharp white teeth.

"I think it's one of Narukami's Persona," Yukiko couldn't tear her eyes from that sinister smile. Adrenaline pulsed through her with terror of being torn to shreds by those wicked teeth.

Pyrojack locked them in its steely glare. Its devil grin spread.

Yosuke's eyed widened. Pyrojack was the first Persona Yu had used to defend against Chie's shadow outside of Izanagi. It had saved his life. He'd never thought that power could ever be dangerous to them. It was a part of their friend's soul, a part of the person they would each give their lives for. He knew how much the group meant to him –to them both – and neither would dream of turning their power against their friends. Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Naoto, Kanji, even Teddy were family. They used their skills to protect each other.

It couldn't be more evident that Yu Narukami was no longer in control of his Persona.

Their situation had just spiraled downhill from 'bad,' to 'You-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.'

"Oh man," he stammered. "You have got to be kidding me."


There's a rough week ahead of me, so this chapter may be the last for a few days. I've already written a bit of the next chapter, so I promise I won't leave you hanging for ever.

I've got a few voice over parts I'm auditioning for, so my writing may be brief for a while as I focus on creating a career out of this. Cross your fingers for the "Adventure Time" project I auditioned for yesterday. :3

Next Scent: Fragile Bonds