Author's Note: Okay, here's a quick canon rundown for purposes of this fanfiction. Games come first, anime second. Persona 4 Arena gets stacked with anime for my purposes as well, since these ideas were already pretty well formed by the time that came out and the True End episode of P4 the Animation is merely a suggestion. A suggestion I am largely chucking out the window. Basically, I'm using it for more information on the character but running with the True End of the PS2 release of the game.

Raidou's eyes flashed open to the familiar wooden ceiling of the Narumi Detective Agency's break room. Groaning he sat up, back cracking from landing on the wooden floor. "Everyone here?"

The floor creaked slightly as he stood. Souji lay in a fetal position, a small blue butterfly on his shoulder.

"Hey," Raidou called, kneeling down beside the young man, "you need to get up."

Scared gray eyes met his, but were unable to hold the contact and looked away once more.

"Come on. It's not like this is your first time around shadows."

"Izanami," Souji muttered, slowly sitting up. Raidou gently scooped the butterfly into his own hands before it could fall.

"Izanami? That's a goddess, not a shadow."

"My Shadow," Souji clarified, "Izanami."

Raidou shook his head. "But you've met your Shadow before. That's how you got your Persona."

Souji began to shake his head, but then stopped. "I..."

"You what?"

"I never thought about it that way."

"Thought about what?"

"I never encountered my Shadow."

Raidou gently stroked Butterfly, forcing himself not to push Souji to continue too quickly. The young man still trembled and would likely need some time, or a distraction, to recover. Instinctively, Raidou pushed some MAG through the small being in his hands. He was grateful to see its glow intensify in response.

"Persona come from accepting your Shadow," Souji explained slowly.

"Okay."

"I never had to do that, but I still got a Persona."

"Maybe you didn't need to confront your Shadow."

"But I did, but I didn't realize I did, and now…" He put his face in his hands. "It's worse than I thought." He took a deep breath and looked up to Raidou. "What about you?"

"About me?"

"Your Shadow, it got to you, but not like others I've seen, or myself. What happened after he…"

Raidou stood. "I'll take you home."

"But—"

"No but's."

Souji stood slowly. "What did I do wrong?"

Raidou sighed. "You need to worry about yourself." Why was Souji determined, comforted even, to discuss someone else's problems rather than dealing with his own?

"What?"

"Don't blame him," Butterfly's voice whispered in Raidou's mind. "I know where he's coming from. This is how he needs to be."

Quickly, Raidou thrust Butterfly towards Souji. "If you're going to worry about someone worry about him. I gave him a bit of MAG, but I think he'd rather be with you."

"I need to worry about myself but should worry about him," Souji countered, even as he took Butterfly from Raidou's hands.

"He knows where you're coming from." Raidou turned and headed for the door.

"What's that mean?"

"I don't know. It's just what he told me." The Devil Summoner headed through the door and quickly down the stairs, Souji following closely behind.

"Welcome back," Narumi-san greeted as they walked through the door to the main office.

"Any messages?"

"Not yet."

"Alright. I'm taking this one home." Raidou grabbed some keys from a peg by the door. "Can you get me there on your own?" he asked, turning back to Souji.

"Yeah."

"Alright then. We'll be back, Narumi-san."

"Don't get killed," she called back as he and Souji left.

"I can take the train."

"No, you can't. Besides," he walked around back of the shared building to a small parking lot, "I need this."

"No."

"What?" Raidou queried, tossing Souji a helmet.

"I am not taking that motorcycle with you ever again."

"The moment you're alone you'll break down again. Besides, some air is just what you need."

Souji looked dubiously at the helmet in his hand. Then, with a sigh, put Butterfly against his shirt. It now looked like nothing more than a blue butterfly broach. "Are you sure?"

"Aren't you?"

"No."

Raidou put his own helmet on. "Come on."

"We'll get killed."

"You fight shadows and demons. Why worry about this?"

"I'm more likely to get killed."

"Your parents will freak, won't they?"

"Yes."

"You're in college now."

"I still have to live with them."

Raidou got on the bike. "I'll get you home."

"In one piece?"

"I'm still in one piece."

"By how much?"

"By a diarahan's worth. Now, get on."

Tentatively, Souji got on the bike. Raidou grunted as the young man wrapped his arms around him. It felt like Souji was trying to choke him with his own intestines.

"Looser," Raidou grunted.

"Why?"

"I am not driving without air."

Souji loosened his grip, a little bit. Raidou's intestines probably weren't where they were supposed to be, but at least they weren't trying to come up his throat now.

Raidou started the engine.

Author's Note: Okay, I'll be the first to admit this is a bridge chapter (and that it looks like there will be quite a few of these while I get everyone established and ready for the next phase).

Still, this kind of epilogues a phase of the story, doesn't it? Guess I'll have to make the next chapter a little different then.