Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 23
I own absolutely nothing related to Persona, or SMT, or well anything.
What can I say about this chapter…? Well you'll see. One word… Alive
To say that the group was a complete mess when everyone's favorite defective came up besides Kanji, Rion, Naoto, and Rise was a bit of an understatement. The rage, distress, and pure sadness in the hearts of everyone were prevalent to anyone in the area.
As Adachi walked besides the sitting and standing forms of Rion and Kanji as Dojima walked down the hall, he asked, "Dojima-san? What's with that look?" Kanji, Naoto and Rion looked at him, the pain written on their faces. "Huh? What's wrong everyone?" Adachi asked. Adachi made the connection by seeing Naoto's teary gaze while being held in Rion's comforting yet distressed care, and Kanji's angry eyes. "Huh? Wait… I… Is Nanako-chan…?" Adachi was worried and a bit shocked.
He suddenly noticed where Dojima had walked off to, "But then, where did Dojima-san go? His room isn't that way…" He made a shocking realization, "Wait a sec… that's the way to…!" Rion's eyes flared up in slight shock and rage as Naoto and Kanji looked confused. All the while, Rise just kept crying under Rion's other arm.
"You're telling me that…!" Rion exclaimed and asked with fervor, "You had no way of monitoring him!? Dojima-san has full access to him, no matter what guards you have up there." as he and Kanji both confronted Adachi while Naoto and Rise had stood up, away from the man. Rion had discarded his walking stick and left it against the wall.
Rise yelled for Souji, "Senpai! Senpai!" All of the others came running at Rise's beckoning out of Nanako's room. Rise explained to them, "Dojima-san might've gone after Namatame. Adachi-san said he was admitted to this hospital!"
Yosuke advanced towards Adachi and cried out, "You're telling me you transported him to the same hospital? For crying out loud, he's the suspect in the case."
Adachi explained nervously, "Wh… What are you getting mad at me for? This is the biggest hospital, and he's in no condition to be moved."
"Where is his room?" Souji asked. He wanted to follow Dojima as well. Secretly, he had half a mind to do what his uncle had planned. Souji was not sure if it was the best idea though.
"I… I can't tell you that," Adachi explained. The others seemed to think otherwise, and Adachi knew it.
Kanji yelled at him as Rion backed away for his own safety, "Just tell us where he is already! Dojima-san's on his way, ain't he? You don't know what he's gonna do there if we don't stop him!"
Chie looked shocked, but everyone else knew what he meant, "Kanji-kun, you don't mean…"
"Of course he means that," Rion answered.
Adachi shook his head, "H… Hold on… Just what are you guys talking about?"
"Cough it up! Where's his room!?" Kanji picked up Adachi for the second time today.
Adachi struggled to say, but he managed to get it out, "T… Top floor, in the second surgical ward, furthest room back. But, there's a police guard."
Kanji released him, and Adachi took a deep breath. All of them started running towards the stairs to try and catch Dojima, and find Namatame.
"I don't know…," Souji thought, "What I will do when I see my cousin's killer."
---
In Nanako's hospital room,
Teddie was keeping a lonely vigil over Nanako's body.
"I…," Teddie started to say, "I was always watching over Nana-chan… And I still couldn't save her. It happened in my world." Teddie was breaking down, "Even though I was the only Teddie in that place… I… I still couldn't do anything… I…" Teddie had started crying.
---
Outside of Namatame's room,
By this time, Dojima had reached Namatame's room, and the two guards had stopped him and were holding him to make sure he could not go any farther. They were probably afraid for the same reason the others were.
"Let go of me… I need to speak with him," Dojima told the guards.
"Like we said, without permission," one of the guards replied.
"Permission?" Dojima asked the guard, raising his voice, "Who gave him permission to kill Nanako? Tell me that, huh!?" He yelled at them, "To hell with you all." Doijma continued in absolute rage. Only he knew how mad he was, "Why is he still alive when Nanako's dead!?" He struggled against the guards, "Give me back Nanako! Give her back! She's… She's all I have!" Dojima finally told them in absolute resignation, "She's… the only one… in the world."
The other policeman said to the first one as he saw Dojima's strength waning, "Call a doctor!"
Dojima continued to struggle, "Let go of me… I need to…"
Adachi had arrived by this point and was surprised to see Dojima resisting against the guards. "Holy crap! Dojima-san!" He told the guards, "Quick, get him to his room! I'll go alert the doctors!"
The guards slowly led Souji's uncle away from Namatame's room. It left the opportunity wide open for… the Persona-users. They had slowed down considerably when they figured it was pointless to chase after Dojima. Souji was the first to reach Namatame's room after seeing Dojima being lead away.
"Well… this is opportunistic," Souji thought, "There's no one there."
"Dojima-san… Was he seriously gonna?" Chie asked worriedly. Chie was a mixture of both frightened and saddened by now.
Yosuke sighed at the sight of Dojima's failure. Namatame surviving did not sit well with him either.
Kanji seemed to try and justify Dojima's actions as he said, "His only daughter's dead… Nothing woulda surprised me."
Rion shook his head as he said, "Dojima-san knew that there was all but no chance that Namatame would be convicted of his crimes due to his current testimonies."
Yosuke said painfully, "Dammit! He's killed Saki-senpai, and now Nanako-chan. And that bastard's going to walk away without paying for what he did." Yosuke's tone of voice had risen as his speech continued. He was pissed at Dojima failing.
"That's not right," Yukiko agreed. Yukiko didn't know what to say. What could she say about Souji's cousin dying and the person who killed her? Getting away with it all? "What can we do?" Yukiko thought.
Naoto just sighed. "The criminal system is not fair," She thought, "I don't agree with it at all sometimes. Not when it affects the people we care about." She had started crying, and looked to Rion for comfort. He placed his arm around her.
Rise said sadly, "Why? Why is he the one that gets to go on living?"
They heard a crash on the other side of the door. It was in Namatame's room. With no guards, they decided to check it out.
"Let's see what the hell that is," Souji told them, "A crash in Namatame's room."
Namatame's room was nice, really nice. It was a two person suite, but only Namatame was present for obvious reasons. It had a large screen TV, which Souji found very odd… and many other amenities were present. When Souji and the others walked in, they saw Namatame on the floor, the window open. The group ran up to him and confronted him.
Namatame was very weak as he struggled to say, "Agh… Ugh…" He was dressed in a white hospital gown, his hair slicked back.
"What are you doing?" Souji asked. "If he's trying to escape, I'm having Rion draw the blade out of his staff right here and now," Souji thought, "No questions asked."
"I… I was scared… So… I… I," Namatame tried to explain.
Yosuke confronted the criminal, "You have your life, and now you want your freedom, too!?" He was yelling at Namatame.
Yosuke's girlfriend yelled at him, "It's your fault that Nanako-chan's…!"
"I… I didn't, I…," Namatame pleaded with them.
Souji was fuming from the ears. You could see the smoke, not literally. He was so pissed at that moment, he had to take a deep breath or he'd be asking Rion for his walking stick right here and now.
As Namatame pleaded, the TV suddenly turned on, grabbing everyone's attention.
Rise said to the others, "12 o'clock… Is it the Midnight Channel? Hey, isn't this!?"
"It appears so," Rion said calmly. He pushed every other emotion he had away to focus on this new development. There was something bothering him about this.
The picture was one of Namatame in his delivery uniform. He had trademark yellow eyes of a Shadow as he said in a cold dark voice, "I failed to save her. It's because you got in my way."
"Another Namatame?" Yosuke wondered. He was obviously confused. He joined pretty much everyone else with that, "How!? The real one's right here, and we already beat his Shadow…"
Rion closed his eyes in thought, "It couldn't be… If that's the case, then that would explain a lot about it."
Naoto put forth her explanation, "No… Come to think of it, Namatame never faced his other self. And we didn't witness his Shadow returning to his body as a Persona, either. Perhaps that's why we're seeing this now."
"What… the…," Namatame said. He was obviously scared and confused.
The Shadow repeated, "I failed. But it wasn't my fault. And the law can't touch me anyway."
"Wh… What!?" the real Namatame said, confused.
Chie asked the others, "Is that what Namatame's really thinking?" She raised her voice, "Then he wasn't deranged or anything. He knew what he was doing!"
"To hell with the law! I won't ever forgive you for what you did!" Yosuke told Namatame.
"This… Please… Stop!" Namatame held his head and shook it violently.
"He seems confused, however…," Rion was contemplating in his head, "Unless he's playing a mind game. If he's really thinking this… no…"
Kanji asked him, "Huh? Stop what? We ain't even done anything yet!" He looked at the former secretary, "Or do you want us to do something? Something fitting for a bastard like you!"
Rise was getting scared as she said, "Kanji…" Rion glanced at her and gave her a look of reassurance to try and help her calm down.
Yosuke sighed at Kanji's outburst and Rise's remark. The Shadow replied, "Do whatever you want. You hate me because the child died, don't you!? I don't care either way. Living or dying makes no difference to me." He chuckled, "But you… You're different… You can't do such a thing. You wouldn't dare, right? I'll continue "saving" people. It's my mission."
The TV turned off, and the Shadow disappeared.
"Mission!?" Yukiko sounded disgusted.
"My god…," Naoto exclaimed.
Namatame held his head and said, "Please… stop."
Yosuke looked at Souji and said, "He wants us to stop. What should we do?" Souji's eyes widened slightly. Even he was unsure if he wanted to do this. He had thought about it, but to real do it…
"What do you mean?" Chie asked. She looked worried.
Kanji explained, "We can't let this bastard do whatever he pleases."
"Still… What are you going to do?" Yukiko asked.
Yosuke said with conviction, "No way I'm gonna walk out of here doing nothing."
Chie said, "I… I understand, but…"
Naoto stepped away from where Rion was standing and said, "This must be a luxury suite. Most hospital wards don't have such large televisions. Why, with something like this in the room, this man could have escaped at any time. Although once he enters… he may find there is no way out."
Rion stepped up to her and whispered into her ear, "Wait a moment before you act irrational…"
Naoto turned towards Rion in shock and annoyance. She didn't like his interference. But seeing her look seemed to have annoyed him. "Shut up, Rion…," Naoto said softly.
Rion just turned away from her in disgust. "It's not my fault anymore if he dies…," Rion thought, "They can all send him to hell if they want."
Rise's eyes widened as she said, "W… Wait a second! You don't mean… Are you serious!?"
"You just gonna turn your back and walk away?" Kanji asked Rise.
"That's… But…!" Rise tried to answer.
Chie exclaimed as she turned to Kanji and Yosuke, "What's gotten into you guys!?" She shook her head as she looked at Namatame, "This is crazy! How can we do something like that!?"
Yosuke turned to her and exclaimed to all of them, "Chie! Everyone… Listen to me. If we're going to do this… this is our only shot. We won't get a second chance. At this rate, this guy's going to get off the hook… And he'll go around "saving" people again! You just heard what this bastard's thinking! If that happens… it'll be just like Saki-senpai and Nanako-chan… Who knows how many other innocent people will die this time? I can't let something like this go! This person can't be convicted… I won't let it happen before it happens again. There's no way I can do it. It's just wrong, isn't it!?"
"But… Y… Yosuke," Chie tried to say in defense.
"All we have to do is push him inside the TV… That's it," Yosuke explained, "We do that one thing, and then it's all over."
"J… Just push him inside?" Chie asked.
Yosuke looked at all of them, "If any of you want no part in this, just leave the room now. I'm not gonna force you to stay." He turned straight to look at Souji and said, "As for me, nothing could make me forgive this bastard… But before we do this, I want to hear what you think. What do you wanna do, Souji?"
Souji took a deep breath as he thought about what to do with his cousin's killer. Could he take a life if he never saw him die?
"Wait a second here…," Souji said to Yosuke.
Yosuke yelled at him, "We don't have time to wait! If we don't do this now, the cops'll come back!" He asked Souji, "What are you trying to say?"
Souji shook his head, "We're missing something."
Yosuke looked confused, "Something we don't know? What don't we know!?"
Souji had noticed Rion's eyes the whole time. It's why he never spoke during the whole time. Despite his wish to kill Namatame here and now, it was Rion's contemplation that made him question something. He had noticed Namatame on the floor. So, Souji responded, "Namtame's true feelings."
"But we just heard the guy's true feelings on TV!" Yosuke rebuked Souji. Yosuke exclaimed, "What didn't you understand!?"
"Something's bothering me," Souji said.
"Well, what is it!?" Yosuke yelled at the leader. He told Souji, "I already told you, there's no time to waste! Are you even getting at something, or are you just stalling!?"
"We're missing something," Souji answered. He knew for sure that there was something wrong with the picture now.
Yosuke had calmed down a little as he asked, "Missing…? Like what exactly?" Yosuke raised his voice again, "Dammit! I've heard enough of this bullshit! Give me a straight answer! Are we doing this or not!? That's all I give a damn about right now!"
Souji was sick and tired of Yosuke right about now. He needed to question Namatame. Even if he was Nanako's killer, he needed answers. Something was wrong, and he wasn't the only one that knew it. So, he was shutting up the man that would never shut up here and now. "CALM THE HELL DOWN!"
It put everyone in their places. No one spoke, and Souji could finally think. Rion pushed up his glasses, and closed his eyes again. Souji thought Rion was probably glad for the peace and quiet.
Naoto was obviously affected by Souji's outburst. When Naoto tried to grasp his hand for reassurance, Rion ignored her need. She was saddened and a little scared. He must be annoyed at her, or just stressed. She remembered what she said to him, he must be mad.
"Nnngh," Namatame mumbled in the background.
Yukiko finally managed to say, "H… He's right. L… Let's all calm down for a second."
Yosuke muttered, "I'm perfectly calm."
"That's bullshit, Yosuke," Rion responded from the side. Souji knew Rion was the only calm person in the room.
Chie asked Souji, "Hey… what did you mean by "we're missing something?""
Yosuke looked at Souji and asked, "What's there to miss with a sick bastard like him?"
Rise looked at everyone and suggested, "Hey, let's all take a deep breath. After what happened to Nanako-chan, and seeing Dojima-san… we're not thinking straight right now."
Rion told them, "We all need to relax for a bit."
Kanji shook his head, "Tch… Fine…"
Everyone took a second or two to breathe and regain their composure.
Souji finally felt like he had control of the group again. He hoped Yosuke would not go crazy anymore, or that Kanji might go postal on Namatame.
Naoto breathed, took a look at her closest confidant and boyfriend before saying, "You're right… We should calm down and think rationally about this. I realize now that we've heard nothing from Namatame's perspective." She nodded, "There's no denying that this man has brought great harm to Nanako-chan. But other than that point, the rest comes from our assumptions based on watching the Midnight Channel a moment ago. I won't deny that we were blinded by the heat of the moment… trying to impute all responsibility to him rashly."
"But…!" Kanji exclaimed.
Yosuke responded, "Yeah, the guy's not saying anything. Whatever reason he had, there's no doubt about the fact that he's been throwing people inside the TV. It was him who put Senpai through that misery. How can we possibly understand someone who says killing people is the same as "saving" them?"
Rion shook his head in denial as Souji asked, "Has he ever truly said that, Yosuke?"
Naoto agreed as she said, "Failing to understand and failing to listen are rather different things."
Yosuke was at a loss for words.
Naoto continued, "Truthfully, not all the hitches that were nagging at me have been answered yet. We'll have to see what he can tell us about them." She looked at Namatame, "Though it appears he's in no condition to do so at the moment."
Rion took a deep breath as he tried to explain, "We know that Nanako-chan was thrown in by Namatame, correct?" The group nodded as he continued, "And you all agree that Namatame threw all of you in to save you." He pointed in the general direction of Rise, Kanji, Yukiko, and Naoto. The group nodded, "So, why… why would he throw Yamano and Konishi in before all of you, if he was trying to save you? If he did so, for what purpose did it serve? And what was he saving you from?" Rion asked them.
No one could really answer Rion's questions at that time. Souji looked at the stoic boy who was obviously thinking again. He probably knew the answers to his own questions.
Yosuke crossed his arms then just nodded, "True… Dealing with him right now might not solve all the things that are bothering us. Dammit…" Yosuke was annoyed as he said, "But you better remember this… I'll do everything I can to stop him from repeating what he's done. Anytime, anywhere… anything."
"Let's just think for now…," Souji said. He sighed. He was tired, and emotionally wiped. He was devastated, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. And he had to hide it all from them. He felt like Rion trying to maintain this stoic. "How does he do it?" he thought.
"Geez… How the hell can you stay so calm, man?" Yosuke asked, "Then again, that's why you're our leader." Yosuke sighed, "Alright. Let's go ahead and think this through as much as we need."
Kanji told them, "If we leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves. Yeah, that ain't gonna cut it. I'm convinced."
Rise was happy that no one was thrown in. "Thank you… I'll think as hard as I can, and try to help out!"
"We all know how you feel, Yosuke," Chie said. She told the group, "C'mon, we've accomplished this much together, haven't we?"
Yukiko smiled as well as she could, despite what had happened, "Right… Together."
"Yeah…," Yosuke said softly, "Yeah… You're right." He apologized, "Sorry…"
The group felt like this was a turning point in their investigation if this was not over. Souji knew that if Namatame could possibly be innocent… then… Souji would need his thinking cap… Souji would need Naoto and Rion, double time. He didn't know that friction between the pair had just started.
After calming down considerably, the door opened, and a voice cried out, "Hey… You guys!? What're you doing!? You can't be in here!?" Both Adachi and the doctor came in as the group turned around.
"Oh shit…," Souji muttered, "This is not what I need right now."
"Oh crap…," Chie said, copying Souji's sentiments.
The doctor rushed over to Namatame, seeing his plight.
Naoto tried to vouch for the group, her expression worried, "We… were keeping an eye on the suspect." She continued, "The police officers outside seemed to have their hands full taking care of Dojima-san. If Namatame were to escape, it would be a disaster for the police's reputation, and their trust in you, Adachi-san." She had emphasized "Adachi-san".
Adachi got nervous, "Oh… I see. We'll tighten security from now on, and I'll arrange for him to be transported out as soon as possible. So… if you can keep quiet about being in here, I'd really appreciate it."
Souji nodded, while Rion shook his head as he thought, "We need to question him, and he's being transported? What the hell!? I could have handled that better."
Naoto turned her attention to the hospital gown-clad man and the doctor and asked, "How is he, doctor? He seemed extremely agitated only a moment ago."
"That's because you were all threatening to throw him into a TV," Souji thought.
The doctor stood up from checking on Namatame and said, "He seems fine for now, but he really needs his rest." He told them, "Outside, everyone. Doctor's orders."
"U… Understood," Adachi said quickly.
Rion looked at him as Yosuke said solemnly, "We should go too. Let's go back to Nanako-chan's room." This depressed Souji.
They made their walk back out of the surgery ward. They stopped and made a circle. Souji was at the point, with Chie and Naoto at either side of him. Rion was noticeably absent from the circle, and standing off to the side, eyes closed.
"So, what's this thing we're missing?" Yosuke asked Souji.
Yukiko responded, "To tell the truth, there's something that's been bothering me too. It's what Rion said. Why did he start killing people in the first place?"
"Well, he said himself," Chie answered, "it was to "save" them, right? So, he killed his lover in order to save her, and kept going?"
Rion sighed. "People are so naive…," he was thinking, "How long are they going to think this way? Namatame… pssh…"
Naoto said, "The police speculated that the first murder was related to the affair, so they called in Namatame for questioning. But everything in his testimony and his bearing… No matter what they looked at, they found nothing suspicious. If he truly is twisted enough to believe that murder is a means of saving people, I think that would have shone through."
"Maybe he faked it real well," Yosuke guessed, "Or maybe he started out with a normal motive, and got a taste for killing after the first time…"
Naoto shook her head at the Junes boy and explained, "No… If that were the case, his motive for killing the announcer would be even more inexplicable. Namatame and his wife were separated at the time. Both Misuzu Hiragi and himself testified that she had discarded him. Hiragi also knew about Yamano beforehand, and Namatame was shocked to hear of Yamano's death. Their relationship was known, and was not strained to the point of murder. Their's simply no motive in the affair angle. The police invested a great effort into investigating this point. Therefore, we have no convincing motive for Namatame for to kill Mayumi Yamano. Although, her name was written in Namatame's own diary."
Yosuke shook his head, "His reason for killing her…"
Rise responded, "It's still possible he was crazy to begin with and no one realized, right?"
"I doubt it," Souji said.
Kanji said, obviously frustrated, "Uhh… I don't really get any of this."
Chie said the same, "Argh! This is so confusing."
"What's so confusing about it?" Rion asked, eyes still closed, "It's simple."
Souji chuckled at Rion's response as Kanji glared at both of them.
Adachi walked in at this point and said, "Hey, we could hear you in there… This is a hospital, Maybe you should try and quiet down a little."
It didn't help that a nurse suddenly came running and said, "Oh there you are! All of you!"
When she arrived she commanded, "Please come with immediately!"
Chie wondered, "Wh… What's going on!?"
Adachi asked them, "What are you waiting for? Hurry, go!"
The group ran off, following the nurse. She seemed to be heading towards the ICU.
---
Teddie appeared in a dark, creepy fog on asphalt.
He said as suddenly awoke, "Wh… Where am I!?"
He turned side to side to try and get his bearings. He asked himself, "Is this Teddie's world? This doesn't quite feel like it, though."
Teddie started walking off as he said quietly, "I remember being at the hospital." He said sadly, "That's right… Nana-chan." He put his head down and started bear-crying, "I… I couldn't do anything. Why do I even exist? I couldn't keep my promise. I lost my reason to be there."
Teddie's head shot up, "That's it. I remember now."
He put his head down and said sadly, "So… it was true… Guys… Sensei… What should I do?"
---
The fates hated Souji. They had to return to Nanako's room. Why did they make him suffer? But there had to be a good reason that the nurse made him run so hard, right?
They had all walked into little sis's room with Souji leading the way into the room when the doctor turned around. He looked surprised and relieved to see them as he said, "Oh, there they are!"
What Souji would hear next would make Souji nearly collapse for joy as the doctor said, "Nanako-chan came around!"
Rise looked surprised and in awe as she said, "Huh? What did you just say?"
They all surrounded Nanako's hospital bed to take a look at her.
"Nanako-chan's… alive?" Yukiko inquired with tears in her eyes.
Even Yosuke was tearing up as he asked the doctor, "Are you serious?"
"No way…," Souji thought, "Nanako…, little sis." He was so happy.
The doctor explained, "It's very rare to be resuscitated after one's heart and lungs fail, but it does happen. But until I know why she collapsed in the first place, I can't say for sure how well she'll recover from here on. Still, Nanako-chan's a fighter, and she's trying desperately to stay alive."
"You aren't kidding, are you?" Souji shook his head. He wanted to believe the doctor, but it was really hard to after everything that had happened. If it was true… he could just be happy.
"S… So this isn't a joke?" Yosuke said. He really was losing his composure, "You're actually telling the truth."
"Nanako-chan…!" Yukiko said happily, but with compassion.
"Oh my God… I… I," Chie said, disbelieving. Chie was lost for words.
"Haha… This is amazing!" Kanji exclaimed.
"Miracles do happen," Naoto said softly, "I'm so glad."
"Finally, we have something good happen to a good person," Rion smiled.
Rise completely broke down, for about the sixth time today, "I… I… didn't know what was going to do." Her crying set off a chain reaction within the group.
Yukiko started crying.
Chie tried to stop the river of tears, but… "C'mon, stop crying, you two." It didn't work, as she started crying as well.
Souji shook his head as he fought back with all his strength not to cry himself. He was strong, but his own cousin, no, his sister… came back from the dead. He would be okay.
The nurse and the doctor checked up on Nanako and the doctor told the group, "You should all go home for the night." He continued, "I'll speak with Dojima-san tomorrow about Nanako-chan's treatment. It's rather chilly outside… If it starts snowing, be careful not to catch a cold."
Yosuke looked up while the others were still trying to gather themselves and asked, "Hey, where's Teddie? I noticed he didn't come with us when we went to Namatame's room."
"You think he'd be one of the ones lobbying for him to be…," Souji said, "But, he promised."
Chie took a deep breath and responded, "You're right… That's weird." She still had to fight back the tears though, "I figured he wouldn't move from Nanako-chan's side."
Yukiko wondered out loud as she took her own deep breath, "Teddie… where did you go?"
Yosuke said, "Oh yeah, he has a cell with him… Wait, I shouldn't use mine inside the hospital. I'll try calling him up once we are outside."
They left Nanako to get some rest. Yukiko and Souji were hand-in-hand the whole way out. Souji could not be happier that his little sis was alive, and Yukiko felt the same that Nanako-chan was still with them. The whole group felt likewise about Nanako-chan's fate, but Souji's happiness was unmatched.
---
Inside Namatame's room,
Namatame was resting in his hospital bed and the police guard was dozing off as well.
"Couldn't save… I couldn't save…," Namatame was muttering in his sleep, "Why? Mayumi… and that girl, too… I couldn't save them."
The guard awoke and said to the suspect, "Mm? What's the matter, feeling guilty all of a sudden? Sheesh…" The guard went back to sleep.
---
The group had walked out of the hospital, and into the Shopping District. Souji was cold. He envied Rion's choice of sweatshirts. Souji wanted to steal it. Maybe he could guilt trip Rion into it by the fact that Souji's cousin almost died, but that'd be mean of him, he guessed.
Yosuke had tried to call Teddie again. "I can't reach him. Did that stupid bear forget to charge his battery?"
Chie said to Yosuke, "We took a quick look around the hospital, but there was no sign of him. I wonder where he went."
As they were pondering the whereabouts of the pedobear, white flakes began falling on the Persona-users heads. It barely cut through the yellow fog.
"Oh… It's snow," Yukiko exclaimed in surprise.
"Hey, you're right… Wow, it's been a long time since I've last saw real snow," Rise said. She thought, "That's what I get for being a model." She continued saying, "It doesn't look that pretty, though, because of the fog."
Chie proclaimed, "I guess this makes it the first snow of the year." "I just wish the fog wasn't here," she thought. She also said, "Brr… I'm freezing! Let's go home." She grabbed Yosuke's hand so she could have him take her home, but not before she said, "If you find Teddie, make sure you contact us, okay?"
"I know…, will do," Yosuke said, "We're meeting at the special headquarters tomorrow, right?"
Souji nodded, "Right after lunch…"
Yosuke, Yukiko, Chie, and Souji stuck around while Naoto, Rion, Kanji, and Rise left. Souji noticed that Rion was walking faster than Naoto.
Yosuke said to Souji, "Man, that Ted… I hope he just went back home by himself."
Souji nodded, "He doesn't know the good news." Souji thought Teddie would be ecstatic to hear it.
"I know what you mean," Yosuke chuckled, but he said, "He's probably fine, but I'll hurry home, just in case. See ya!"
"Bye…," Souji responded.
---
Souji had walked Yukiko to the bus stop in the Southern area of the Shopping District, and they were waiting for the final bus of the day to take her to the inn. It was a short walk, but any walk with Yukiko was precious to Souji. Especially since Souji was on a new high after what happened tonight. He felt like he was on mood swings. Souji was cheerful when they were going to pick out a kotatsu, then worried for Nanako, then devastated when she had "died", then angry and pissed at Namatame, and finally overjoyed at seeing Nanako alive again. Finishing off with a walk with Yukiko was just a bonus that Souji could not pass up.
"I'm so happy…," Yukiko told Souji, "I thought we lost her tonight. I don't want to experience that ever again." "If I ever had something like that happen to you," Yukiko thought, "I'd die…"
"You have no idea…," Souji responded. If Souji had lost Nanako… Souji would have lost part of himself.
"I think… this could have destroyed our group…," Yukiko said, "Especially since this fog is still here, who knows what this could have done to us."
Souji nodded, "Yeah… I don't think we wanted to have had a common bond of sadness." "I don't know... our group may already be losing its grasp. I'm seeing problems that I don't want to see," Souji thought as he saw Rion and Naoto not exactly leaving together. That could be a problem.
"I was scared, during what happened in Namatame's room," Yukiko told him, "But, you were much stronger than me. I could not even stop Yosuke."
"I guess… I wonder if it right to stop them, but I felt it was the right choice. I'm sure you would have done the same," Souji smiled as he said that. "If only it were that easy to say those things to them," Souji thought, "It took everything I had to make them shut up and listen to me."
Yukiko smiled back at him she explained, "I only wish I had your strength. Of course it was the right decision. You had my support, Chie's support, Rise's, and even Rion's. They wouldn't have let Yosuke and Kanji thrown him in."
Souji thought about it, "Would they have really stopped those two? Could they, or would they be too scared to have stopped them from throwing Namatame into the TV based on what Yosuke, Kanji, and Naoto saw on the Midnight Channel?" "I guess you're right," Souji nodded, "If they tried, they would have had to go through at least two of us."
"Yeah…," Yukiko nodded back, "It's a good thing that everyone is together again and we have a common goal to try and find out the truth."
"I hope we find Teddie," Souji added.
"Yeah…," Yukiko said.
Yukiko laid her head against his shoulder, waiting for the bus to come. Even after this horrifying crisis, nothing would separate them. Souji's arm surrounded Yukiko's waist. He never wanted that bus to come. When it finally did, a disappointment to the pair… They shared a short, but beautiful kiss before letting her leave.
---
(I have to end at least with at least one more angst-ridden Naoto and Rion scene)
Naoto knew of Rion's temper, and she had figured out something. If you don't understand a situation, and you treat him badly when he tries to help you, he'll get annoyed. Rion had tried to calm her down when "Namatame's Shadow" or whatever showed on the TV, and freaked out everyone. She ignored him, and stared him down.
Naoto ran up to the man that was walking faster than her, and told him, "I'm sorry… I just wasn't thinking. We just all thought…"
Rion sighed, "You don't think… Don't tell me you ever thought of Namatame as the murderer!? " His final words came out rather viciously, and drove Naoto back.
"What!? You mean… you never thought he was? Then why, were you so dead set with us on capturing them?" Naoto asked. She was scared of Rion's temper. They had only gotten into one fight before, and it was worse than any fight Chie and Yosuke had participated in. Naoto wished she was not as volatile.
Rion explained, "Didn't you understand my Shadow? I just wanted to stop the kidnapper before they took someone like Nanako-chan again."
Naoto thought of the Shadow that spoke of Rion's indecisiveness, the one who never gave input, and blindly followed the others' path.
"By the time I get a chance to explain the truth," Rion continued, "Yosuke has already had his chances to explain the meaning of life, six times over, incorrectly. Do you really think that you truly wanted to become a man?"
"But… then why didn't you go to the police, at least Dojima-san and present your knowledge?" Naoto asked. Naoto thought about his last statement, "Could he be referring to the Midnight Channel…?" she thought to herself.
"The police!?" Rion muttered, "Give me a break… Anyone with a badge is as stubborn as a rock, and it's impossible to change their views on anything." He stared at her before leaving her behind.
"Fine!" Naoto yelled at Rion's retreating back, "Then… Go screw Rise-chan!" She didn't really mean it, but she was angry at him degrading her. Rise was still buddy, buddy with Rion regardless. She was jealous of their friendship.
---
She remembered what he had said to her last time, "Tch… I'm sick of having to deal with your grandfather. He accepts me, but does not trust me as far as his sword goes up my ass. He even threatened to send his Russian grand-niece after me with her long sword if I displeased him. Who the hell does that?"
She remembered the times he would let Naoto sit on his knees and let her lay back against his chest for hours at a time as she fell asleep. She never told her grampa about any of that.
---
Naoto found Rion sitting on a rock near her home in the Residential District with his head down. Rion looked nearly as depressed as he was when he thought Nanako-chan had died.
"Rion-kun…," Naoto looked at him, "This isn't about us, is it? It's nothing related to relationships or the such"
Rion shook his head as he said softly, "I never told you… that I've figured out what killed my parents. The police and detectives never were able to figure it out… because…"
"We're worthless…," Naoto finished with a glare reserved for him.
"They left at 11 p.m. and were supposed to return at 12 a.m. I'm not sure how it worked around two years ago, but I've come to one conclusion based on my memory loss," Rion sighed, "Shadows…"
Naoto looked at the fragile boy and said softly, "Rion-kun…" She came down to his level, "I don't think that's it…" She removed her hat and hugged him tight. Rion slowly returned the hug. She told him, "I didn't tell my grampa when I'm returning. So, we can stay for a little while if you need a hug." She didn't move from this spot.
(Okay, I added extra fluff at the end, and some extra angst because I wanted to add some extra substance to this chapter. I want to draw this story out some and flesh out the characters. If you dislike it, tell me through a review, and I'll promptly butcher the relationships through one or two lines in an unprofessional fashion. Most of it is a setup for the epilogue that's being planned.)