The house was completely empty. To my disdain, not a single person was there. No Nanako, no Uncle, not even Naoto. Drenched in rain, I checked my phone.

"Oh... seven missed calls."

I switched on the voicemail. A familiar voice boomed through the speakers. "Narukami! You leave her to do whatever she does, and what do you know, she catches a cold and throws up all over the sidewalk! Christ, you're dense. Acting without thinking, you run off! She told me, so quit dodging calls! Look... we're not highschool kids anymore. You just can't leaver her alone like this!"

It ended there, and ran into the second to last. I didn't want to listen to them. Feeling horrible as I already did, listening to that would only serve to dishearten me further, so I practically jogged upstairs to take a shower.

Nanako's room was open, and I heard the TV blaring. I guess she was home. Knocking first, the door opened slightly. She was laying on her bed, ear buds in. I could hear some English. American music, I guess. Noticing me, she took one out. "Yeah?"

"O-oh, nothing. I was calling for someone, didn't know you were home." My hand went for the back of my neck, rubbing it nervously. I didn't want her to think I was spying on her.

Standing, she walked over to me. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"O-oh. Ok."

"What, were you gonna take one?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. Go ahead."

Sniffing the air, she looked at me with mocking disgust. "You smell terrible. Don't use all the hot water, I hate cold showers." Turning, she closed her door and likely returned to her music.

That little interaction, for some reason, triggered something in my head. Voices started to converse, unintelligible conversations. My ears started ringing again. Then, out of the sea of conversation came the voice again.

PLEASE

I DON'T WANT TO DIE

"St-stop..." I dropped to the floor clutching my skull, cringing.

That's what you sound like!

"What..." That voice...

Oh, enough of that. You know exactly what's happening.

"NO!"

It's not over, bastard. Izanagi may have stepped in to help you last time...

"I already... took you... down..."

Shut the hell up. C'mon, and this time, don't bring the bitch.

"She's... not a..." With my vision growing dark, my eyes drew closed. I slipped into unconsciousness. "...why...?"

You want me to explain? No. I don't have to explain to you. You left me for so long. It doesn't get to be that easy! NOTHING YOU DO FROM NOW ON WILL BE EASY! You hear me? Good...

"Yukari!"

"I know- agh!"

The girl in pink flew to the floor, the turquoise girl following suit.

"Wh-what do we do?!"

"I'm thinking!" Yukari tried to stand. "That opening in between those two Mayas!"

"Okay! Let's run!"

The lobby of Tartarus being infested with this many shadows? Yukari had to be dreaming. As soon as she got back, she'd have some choice words for her "friend".

I woke up laying on my bed. The room was pitch dark, and next to me was a sleeping Naoto. Sighing to myself, I put a hand on her head, and stroked her hair slowly. Her breaths were deep and slow. Definitely sleeping, so I stood up quietly. Having no idea how I got there, I proceeded downstairs.

To my surprise, my answers sat at the kitchen table. Yosuke and Chie were having a quiet conversation, presumably about me, because as they noticed me, they hushed up immediately.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, man." Yosuke smiled, melancholy.

Chie looked apologetic. "I really am sorry for leaving those messages, I had no idea-,"

"It's okay, Chie. No need for that." I looked to Yosuke. "I didn't win. My shadow, he's still... still there."

"What?" Yosuke grinned. "Dude, you must have been exhausted and dreaming. I saw your shadow disappear after you accepted it."

"Yeah... I guess. He just seemed so... I don't know, real."

Chie frowned. "Jeez, we were gonna wait for Dojima-San to get here, but it's three in the morning!"

"He never works this late, well, not anymore."

My friends looked at each other, then sighed. "Well," Chie started, "I can check the office. I'll make him go home. Then we can go home." Chie looked at Yosuke with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm beat." He hugged her lazily. "We'll call you tomorrow. For now, get some sleep."

With thoughts swirling around in my head, I had no choice but to follow their advice. Turning towards the staircase, I bid them farewell. As they closed the door, I remembered I had to lock it. Dojima had a key, he'd be fine. Approaching the door, I noticed something on the ground.

"...Shoes?" Picking them up, when I began to observe them, they did not seem familiar.

"Oh, those are mine."

My eyes grew wide. That voice, his inflections, I would never forget that voice. "Tohru... Adachi..."

"Yeah." His voice was that kind melancholic tone he was so well known for. I turned to face him, anger in my eyes.

"How are you even here?!" I rose my fists up, ready for a fight.

"Whoa, whoa there, easy! Jesus, you kill a few people and all of a sudden the entire Dojima house wants to kill you!" He chuckled, mockingly. "Put the fists away kiddo. I have no reason to fight you. In fact, I have a gift. I just came to send Philemon's regards."

My brow furrowed. Philemon? He sent Adachi? "What do you mean? A gift?"

"I'm practically throwing people into the television for a living now." His smile angered me. "Really, I don't know, he saw my talent for it, I guess."

"So, he has you doing it, eh?"

"Seems so. Uh, another thing, that gift? I threw in your uncle."

My heart felt like it stopped for a moment. Having to process the information given, Adachi used my confusion to hop back into the television. "Wait! Get back here, you bastard!"

"Nah." His voice echoed through the TV set. "Just come get him. The fog is on the way."

"God Dammit!" I threw on my shoes, and threw a foot into the TV. There was no time to sit and think, I had to do this.

As always, the TV trip was disorienting, and I found myself on my ass. "Jeez... ow..." I took a good look around, and, to my surprise, the area I was in mirrored Inaba exactly. I came out in what looked like an impact crater. That's when I noticed it was right where the house should be. I quickly panicked, before Adachi spoke up.

"No need to freak out. Because this house is a portal, no damage has been done to our side." He shrugged. "I don't know, most TVs don't lead here anymore. I looked like a dumbass at Junes trying to find the right one-,"

Shooting my glance up, I saw him leaning on a TV. "Adachi, where is he?" I stood.

"Beats me. He just saw me and turned tail. Figured that I'd come and get you." He shook his head. "You know him better than I do. Maybe you can tell me where he'd go?"

He seemed genuine. "I... I guess-,"

"Oh, what about there?" He pointed off into the distance. A large blue-green tower sat off against the sky.

"Well... it's a prominent landmark. If I were running, I'd go there."

"It's settled, let's go." He clapped his hands, and walked ahead of me. "Truth be told, I only came to get you so you could help with combat."

"I figured as much." I rolled my eyes, as we traversed the city, heading for the tower. "Judging by where that thing is, it's sitting right where the flood plain is."

"Yeah, no reason for it appearing. It just sprung up after I escaped in here." Shrugging, he seemed proud that he escaped prison through a TV. "I found my suit all ironed and pressed at my apartment. No idea why. I'm surprised nobody else was there." He sighed. "All Philemon's plan, I guess."

By this point, I was getting tired of hearing Philemon's name. He really irked me when I saw him, so there was really no reason to listen to his drivel. "Enough of the asshole deity, Adachi."

"Fine, fine. Then again, Izanagi's an asshole for just helping you out. You know that that persona isn't even yours, right?"

"What...?"

"Yeah, Magatsu Izanagi is mine. But, for some reason, your Izanagi seems suspicious. Like, he's pitying you."

"Stop. Let's just find my uncle."

"Oh, roger that, boss. Jesus, you're ignoring the elephant in the room, kiddo." He sighed. "Remember, I still like you. We were friends once, I don't hate you like I hate other people. I worry."

"Was that a compliment?"

"I guess."

"Well, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Ever."

Yukari held Fuuka's arm tightly as they turned the corner, heading towards the shopping district. "Can you find an exit?" She asked her friend.

"I-I can try, just let's find a place to rest."

Ducking into a small textile store, Fuuka summoned her persona. "I think... there's one... back in the department store!"

"Damn, that's far... anywhere else?!"

"Uh..." She concentrated. "...Wait, there's one in the residential district. We can try that one."

"Let's go!"

Adachi and I traveled in relative silence, until two girls turned the corner, running straight for us. They both looked confused, so Adachi and I assumed that whatever they were running from was a shadow.

"Get out of here!" The girl in pink shouted at us.

"No way, we can help!" I summoned Izanagi, as did Adachi with his own persona.

The pink ranger stopped, turned towards her assailants. "Hey, you're Yu Narukami!"

"Yeah, and you're in danger!"

"Guys!" The other girl I recognised as Fuuka Yamagishi, pointed towards a large, multi-armed maya with knives, rushing us.

"It's of the Magician arcana!"

"Shit, great!" Adachi, ever so subtle, ran forward, blasting the shadow with his pistol and Ziodynes alike. "Let's get this over with!"

"Sure!" I rose my hand. "Hit him with a Ziodyne!"

Izanagi shook his head. Instead, a weak Zio spell hit the shadow, preoccupied with Magatsu's attacks. "What the hell was that?!"

"You're gonna want to hit it harder!" Yukari shook her head. "Here we go!"

Wind swept around the shadow like a tempest, rending gashes in the ground and on buildings.

"Reel it in, Yukari!" Fuuka shouted over the commotion.

"Yeah, sorry!"

"Amateurs!" Adachi hopped onto the shadow's back, launching bullets into its mask. "This is being a COWBOY suckers!"

"Idiot!" I ran forward, grabbing onto Izanagi's coat as he lifted me up higher. I delivered a kick to the shadow's face, knocking it off balance.

"Now's your chance!" Fuuka shouted.

"I wont miss!" Yukari notched an arrow.

"Oh yeah!" Adachi Taunted.

"This will be over quickly!" I added, as we all piled onto the shadow, our persona swirling around it, creating a thick cloud of dust. I kept hitting it, until I felt it crush underneath my fists. Arrows flew by, striking the shadow, gunshots, lightning and wind cutting it, I felt like this was an old school all-out attack!

"I AM A THUNDER GOD! AHAHA!" Adachi kept calling forth blasts of lighting, they almost struck me, but I managed to avoid them. He stood atop the shadow's body, arms aloud, laughing quite maniacally.

When the dust settled, all that remained were purple shadow particles. I looked up at Yukari and Fuuka. "That was easy!"

"Whew. You guys are completely insane." Yukari laughed. Holding her hand out. "Name's Yukari. Wait, we met..."

"Yeah, we did. Nice to see you again."

"It's great to see you, Narukami-Kun!" Fuuka smiled.

"Oh, so no love for me?" Adachi frowned.

"Whose 'thunder god' over here?" Yukari thumbed Adachi dejectedly.

I looked over at him, as he was still holding his arms out. "Uh... he's an acquaintance. An old friend, I guess."

"Well, whoever he is, he's insane." Yukari shook her head. "You know a way out of here?"

"Yeah, but I can't show you. I'm looking for someone. He's in danger."

"Wait, Yukari, we should help them." Fuuka put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Looking at me, she queried; "Who is he, what's his name? I can find him."

Sighing with relief, I looked at Fuuka. "His name is Ryotaro Dojima. He's my uncle."

"Okay... let's see here... I'm getting energy somewhere... in the forest surrounding the city."

The forest? "O-okay... well, that's the last place I expected him. Let's go, Adachi."

"Sure, little leader." He mocked me.

"C'mon, let's go with them, Yukari."

She smiled to herself. "Alright, Fuuka. Lead the way."

I felt at ease now. We'd find my uncle, and I'd do well not to tell Yukari or Fuuka who Adachi was. They'd surely not help me then.

That's right. Lie to them.

Lie to their faces, Narukami!

Adachi wronged us, he'll hurt them too!

You're the leader! Don't let it happen!

You fool!