A/N: Well, I spent a good long while writing today. With a very extensive editing process, this chapter looks to be the most revealing and sweet yet. Some Naoto/Yu light fluff towards the end, just for you guys 3

My aunt's ego made a beeline for Fuuka. Intelligent move on her part, as our one and only analyzer would be taken down. Lucky for all of us, we weren't at all lethargic on the uptake, for when the ego reached out with a metallic hand to grab Fuuka, Yukari shot a sharp arrow right into the joint. Yukari, the pink sniper. It was just then that I thought of who she was, and also when I realized that I still watched Featherman. She'd kept the job for eight years. Impressive, to say the least. Fuuka took a few steps back, then grinned. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve too, you know!" And with that, her persona rose its arms and blasted a huge ray of light into the ego. Adachi let out a 'yee-haw', then, mimicking the action from before with the many armed shadow, grabbed his persona's coat and ascended. While in the air, he drew his pistol, and descended back into the ego's head. Fearless was the word I grabbed for as he headed towards the flaming head of the being. Landing with... grace? He landed. Yeah, he landed and let out the entire payload into the thing's face.

My turn I guess, to be impressive. Raising my hands into the air, I reached for my persona, Mot, but was met with Izanagi instead. "The hell?"

That momentary lapse in attention led to my pummeling, as a metal fist rammed into me, and sent me farther than a discus. A tree stopped my forward motion, and I slumped down. Raising my head, I noticed that it wasn't the shadow that was now pursuing me, it was...

"Uncle?"

He approached slowly, but was quite close. "Yu... why didn't you tell me about this place...? You're just like everyone else, even at the station. They all take pity on me... I could have helped. I'm such a horrible father..."

Father? Was he talking about Nanako... or me?

"When you left... it was almost as if things went back to the way they'd always been. When you would come back, it was okay. Nanako and I became so close... but without you, we had no reason to sit at the dinner table anymore. When you left... your shadows haunted the hallways."

He wasn't lying. Even if this was his shadow trying to trick me and not the man himself, this shadow was Uncle's, not some fake made out of jobber shadows. No, he was one hundred percent serious.

"Now, I'm working constantly again, and even though she doesn't mind... I do. I can't spend my twilight years being police chief in a backwater town with all this god damn baggage!" He smiled, a sarcastic, melancholy smile. I had always thought that they'd be okay without me... now, I realized that I meant a lot more to them than I did to my own parents...

"My own parents..."

His face grew pale at that. "...Sis... and Ryuzaki-San..."

Hello again. It's me, good old Yu Narukami.

"No!" This couldn't have happened at a worse moment.

Oho, don't worry, if you live through this, I'm paying you a visit. IF you LIVE that is.

My mother always loved me, but father was stony faced. Ryuzaki Narukami, head hancho of the Narukami law firm. His coworkers always called him the 'Oshare Banchou', the joke being he was good looking and kind of a hardass. Mom, Hinawa Seta, was always looking forward to seeing him when he got home. She was really into tarot... ironic, I know. These memories came flooding back to me all at once, and I felt... angry. I felt so angry, and whenever I looked into the sky after they died, I knew that there was no God.

I felt some kind of light in my heart. "No... I will always live. I will protect everything dear to me... you are NOT my shadow, fool. For my own shadow would sympathize... all while berating me. No... I defeated my shadow. I have the RIGHT to my happiness! And so does my family!"

I rose my right hand into the air, a bright gray light blasting forth. The trees ripped apart around us, scarring the landscape. My uncle, along with my aunt's ego, stared at me with awe. The fighting stopped completely to witness the spectacle.

"You may be the shadow, the true self, Uncle Dojima, but I've always been in your heart! Never forget that! Let this image burn into your head, and see the truth!"

The words came to me like the lyrics of Ring Around the Rosie. Then, all of a sudden, a name; Izanami Kyukyoku. I'd no idea what to expect, but I reached deep into my soul. "Per... So... Na!"

A familiar figure appeared, Izanagi, floating alongside another, the goddess Izanami. She smiled at me as Kyukyoku no Kami Izanagi was formed above my head, in a great flash of gray light. A great being, with a long silver cloak, with blue armor akin to the armor that Izanagi Okami wore. His blade was just like his Totsuka blade, but with a faint blue glow to it. On his coat, right on the chest, was a black outline depicting a butterfly. I smiled. "You, Chronos, try and trick us now. I wield not only myriad truths, I hold absolute truths in my hands. My friends and I will take you down, so that neither you nor Philemon can do this to anyone anymore!"

The voices stopped in my head at that moment. My Kyukyoku Izanagi turned its attention to the ego that had spawned, now very meek in itself. My uncle lay on the ground unconscious. He'd have to face this himself, and I'd be the one to help. But before I could begin to even attack the ego, Adachi spoke up. "Wait a minute! What in the living shit just happened?!"

"I... I don't rightly know." I stared at my hands for a moment, my full cognitive function returned. "I guess... it really was Chronos who did this?"

"You mean you didn't know?!"

"Look, I'm about to explain a lot of stuff, but after we take her down!"

Yukari spoke up after a long bout of silence in the most eloquent way possible; "Finally, something that makes some semblance of sense around here!"

Fuuka shook her head, exhausted. "I hate to be rude, but your persona gives off some unreal readings." Under her breath, hoping that I wouldn't notice, she added, "Almost like Messiah..."

I'd have to ask her about that, but at the moment, I had to deal with the ego. Kyukyoku flew forward with ridiculous speed, plunging the blade deep within the ego's head... and with that, it wailed in pain, and dissipated, leaving behind the shadow of my uncle. I knew then, that it wasn't the ego of my aunt, or some hogwash of the sort... it was my uncle's shadow in full form. It'd been masquerading as my aunt to mentally destabilize my uncle, so that it could run amok.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Adachi again spoke, practically in unison with Yukari and Fuuka's protests. "You swatted that damn thing away like a stinkin' fly!"

I rushed over to help my uncle up, who was starting to see clearly now. His face had gotten some of the complexion and expression back, but he was still depressed and destitute. I looked him in the eye, as he stared back with guilt. "I know. I understand. I realize that you both needed mke, and I'm sorry I couldn't-,"

"No... you may have defeated my... shadow for me. But I can do this part on my own." He used me for a moment as a crutch, then hobbled over to his shadow, standing in the middle of the clearing. Looking at the flowers, purple in hue, he spoke to his shadow; "The kakitsubata were her favorite kind of iris... mostly because Nanako would pick them for her..."

His shadow remained silent.

"I'd always get her the hanashobu, and she'd laugh. 'I should start calling Nana-Chan kakitsu, and you hanasho... I'd thought about buying her those on the day she..."

Again, no response from the shadow, but at the mention of the flowers, it smiled.

"I'll never forget. And it still hurts. But we have him now, and Nanako is still here. We've gone through this before, but never like this. This time... we do it together, and no looking back."

"I'd thought that we'd never talk about those flowers again."

Dojima laughed at his shadow. "Times change... and I guess it takes this guy here to show us that."

With a nod, the shadow rose into the air, and started to change, just as all of them do, into a new form... something large, golden, and serpent-like. The great dragon roared, imposingly, it's Chinese roots apparent as it flew around in the air effortlessly, before it returned into my Uncle's soul.

"Hunag Long?!" I spoke, surprised. I never would've thought that he'd receive such a powerful persona... but here we were. He turned back to me, grinning, then dropped like a domino. I rushed to catch him, but Yukari grabbed him instead. "H-hey police dick, mind grabbing him?!"

Adachi scowled. "Why d'you need my help?! If you're so independent, why can't you keep up a regular old man, eh?" He was obviously offeneded at the use of his P-1 nickname.

"How do you remember his P-1 Climax name anyway?" I laughed.

"He has dick in the name, and I thought that was- urgh- kind of funny." Yukari struggled, as she set my uncle down gently. "We really should go now. There's a lot to do now that we've got most of the mess sorted out."

"Not yet... there's a few things bothering me." Granted, this whole situation was messed up, I just needed to clear it with the rest of the group. "First, how was I able to use Izanagi? Why couldn't I summon anyone else?"

"Well, quick theory, but you know how I said that Izanagi was taking pity on you?" Adachi questioned. "Even if you do or not, listen up; it was pity, pity that he couldn't get through and help all the way. I think that Chronos was trying to get you to doubt yourself, to get your shadow to reawaken. He knew that when you defeated your shadow, something like Kyukyoku would form. I dunno, just a theory."

"Well, there's a nice theory to coincide with mine." Fuuka rose her voice. "As I was supporting you all, ever since we met up with you two, I've noticed that Narukami-Kun's powers have been blocked off by something, or at least, they weren't at peak condition. When you gained the resolve to fight during the confrontation with this gentleman here, you must have erased all doubts in your mind... maybe your will and the bonds you've forged help rid you of Chronos's influence?"

I ran a hand through my hair ever so slowly, while thinking of what was happening. "That's... very probable. I did address Chronos directly, and that's when the strange feeling, which has been plaguing me recently, subsided..."

"What about your speech? You didn't sound like yourself, Narukami." Yukari wondered.

Another thing that bothered me. "I'm not entirely sure... maybe it was Izanagi himself?"

Adachi scoffed. "What, the creator of Japan, just for you? Tch, if that's true, I'll be a little pissed off." He sighed. "I guess it's better you're on our side though."

"And with that, can we go? I need to sleep." The pink sniper sighed.

"Agreed. Let's go." The grogginess set in then, as the adrenaline of battle wore off. I was very lucky that these three were there with me, or else I'd have not lived passed that day. Now, all I wanted to do was sleep, preferably next to my favorite blue haired detective.

Yukari, Fuuka and Adachi all parted ways with me as I entered the Dojima household portal with my uncle. Adachi was going back to his apartment, which recently saw the tenant that came after Adachi, who lived there for most of the eight years he was in jail, pick up shop and leave. Yukari and Fuuka were going to the Amagi Inn, to meet up with their team. I arrived through the television, and who else but Yosuke and Chie stood there.

Yosuke was the first to speak. "Man, you are one lucky guy. Saved your uncle and everything, and leave without Naoto noticing you- ack!"

Chie delivered a backhand to his chest. "Shut up! Yu Narukami, we were worried sick! I-I-I- uggh!"

I couldn't hold it, and I felt bad for it, I really did, but I couldn't help but laugh at their reactions. "Y-you guys! Pfffhaaaa! You remind me of an old married couple! Heheh!" I was tired, and couldn't really control myself. "Ohohoo, man... do you really think I got out without Naoto noticing? Because she noticed." I yawned. "But I gotta put this guy to bed, so if you'll excuse me..."

I left the two downstairs, befuddled. As I marched upstairs, I heard the faint sounds of laughter from the both, and wishes of a good night following after. I returned the sentiment as I put my unconscious uncle into his bed. He smiled and opened his eyes; "Yu... Narukami... what a fine young man... I changed your diapers once... ya know..." and with that, he passed right out.

Checking Nanako's room, I saw her face, eyes closed, ear buds in. She was out like a light. Phew. Next, came the hard part. I took a look at the clock on the wall... 5 a.m. Jeez. Naoto was going to be upset. It was a lucky break that I didn't start work for another week.

I entered the dark room, and much to my surprise, Naoto wasn't sitting up. She was, however, very much awake. "Yu..."

"Hi, sweetheart." I quickly threw off my clothes and jumped into bed, rolling myself up with the covers. Naoto giggled weakly.

She looked at me in the dark, and traced the features of my face with a finger. "You've been out?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry to worry you. Uncle Dojima was... well..."

"It would not do much good to lie to a detective." Her voice was hoarse, but still imposing.

"I'd never. Not to you. No, he was in the T.V. Adachi-San did it."

"Adachi?" She didn't sound too surprised.

"Yeah. There's so much I need to explain to both you, and the others. But... for now, I just wanna be with you. I... I dunno, I just want to leave all that behind right now." I snuggled up to her, and she smiled.

"Yes... that would be very fine." She pushed herself into my arms, and we drifted off to sleep, just like that. If there was one constant in my life, it was definitely love. No doubt about that.

Nanako Dojima sighed with relief as her big bro left the room. Witnessing the absolute power that he held was something completely foreign to her... and she couldn't help but be in absolute shock. Marie masked their presences, and both had little time to get back to the house. Marie said she was going to have to come clean to the Investigation Team. Nanako Dojima, age fifteen, was ready. Ready to fight alongside those who defeated her shadow eight years ago. She was ready to fight alongside those who saved her life. Nanako Dojima, whose shadow contributed to the mass of Namatame's power, was now strong enough to aid in the battle against Chronos.

She wouldn't let them down.