EDIT- Chapter 7, and 8 were really short so you know what? I just combined them together. Simple solution, bam.

-Summer Day 6-

"So.. Let me get this straight." Tatsuya sighed running his hands through his hair as he registered all the information he was just given, "The TV world reflects the desires of the masses as a whole but only special areas appear according to the person who was thrown in the TV. Then some twisted psycho... Adachi was it?.. Threw the two first victims into the TV and then netted Taro Namatame into committing the kidnappings." he looked to the team for confirmation, continuing only when he received a nod, "And then this is where you all come in. Your friend that is missing, Souji Seta, showed you the TV world first? And as you did so, you all had to fight your shadows and obtained your personas. With that in mind you formed your own little Scooby-Doo mystery gang and resolved to capture the culprit. But that wasn't all, there was a bigger force at hand. Then you come to find Izanami who is the mastermind behind it all, but you pretty much beat her and got her to promise to never do this again... Does that about sum it up?"

Yosuke waved his hand side to side, "Eh, more or less."

"Ok, now you have to explain your situation to us." Yukiko leaned forward intently, eager to hear his own tale.

At this, Tatsuya frowned and shoved his hand into his pocket, turning something over in his hand, "I don't remember everything just yet. I admit a whole lot came rushing to me yesterday, but there are a lot of gaps in my memory so I'm not so sure how well my story holds up." he shrugged as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well what do you remember?" Chie tapped at her forehead.

Tatsuya had to think for a moment, "I think I was about your age when I first awakened to my persona. Or maybe I was younger?" he seemed to be deep in thought, "Uh, something about rumors, and a creepy clown person. Then, hm... Astrological signs?"

His words began to fall apart as it seemed so did his memories.

"Honestly the most stuff I recall are things I'd rather not bring up."

"It's alright Suou-san, we won't press any further then."

"Thanks."

And so silence befell the team once more. Soon enough however, Tatsuya pushed himself from his seat and fixed his jacket slightly, "I should get going. Unlike you kids who have all the time in the world, I still have a job to get to filling in for Satonaka-san." to which Chie shrank into her chair with a sheepish smile.

"Kind of disappointing, I was really looking forward to helping you guys out in that strange world. Guess I'll try to help when I can." he added before giving a small wave, "I'll see you guys around." he smiled and left.

Once Tatsuya was out of earshot, Yukiko beamed, "So what are the odds of this happening huh? Now we have a new ally to help!" to which Rise groaned and leaned back into her chair while pushing her hair back,

"Speak for yourself! When he started questioning me before the whole incident, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I could feel myself growing older." she twirled a lock of hair, glancing at it as if expecting to see gray hairs.

"I dunno man, this seems way too similar to that Adachi guy. I mean come on, police guy, we barely know him, he was taking the whole situation way too well." Kanji frowned and crossed his arms in defiance, "How do we know we can trust the guy?"

"His shadow did say some preeeetty suspicious things" Teddie pointed out with a deep frown.

"But does that really mean he's a bad guy? I'm sure he's just been through some tough things is all." Chie spoke up in Tatsuya's defense.

"We just don't know yet, we shouldn't be suspicious nor should we let our guard down." Naoto interjected before the table could break out into a full out debate, "Let's not forget that our main focus here is to keep an eye out for clues about Souji's whereabouts."

"Sorry.." The whole table mumbled.

"So, we found no evidence that could tell us where he was yesterday, that leaves the Midnight Channel as our prime source of clues." Naoto stated.

"Yeah but what if waiting is a bad idea. We all know what happens after a few days passed after the Midnight Channel aired it's next victim, the fog would roll in and..." Rise trailed off.

A body was found.

The thought of seeing Souji's body dangling from a TV antenna or telephone pole proved to be a gut-wrenching thought for everyone and even Kanji felt sick at the idea.

"We'll just have to..." Kanji swallowed hard, "We're just going to have to make sure that it doesn't happen. We'll check the Midnight Channel and the TV world every day for new clues until we uncover something." he cleared his throat with determination.

Naoto gave a small nod, "That seems like our only options at the time. We'll split into teams and check the TV in shifts, Rise will check for any energy spikes however, and we'll only sweep the area quickly is all while whichever team is staying behind will check the Midnight Channel at any given rainy night." she suggested as a plan.

"Sounds good to me, maybe that way Dojima-san won't get too suspicious or anything. I mean he already sent Suou-san to keep tabs on us, so he must suspect something, we need to throw him off our scent." Chie snapped her fingers with a cheeky grin.

"Well I'm pretty sure that Dojima-san knows everything by now, what's the point in even keeping it from him?" Yukiko sighed, "Maybe he just sent Suou-san to watch us to make sure we don't get hurt, like it's his weird parental way of making sure we're ok?"

"That's a nice way of thinking about it." Teddie sighed happily.

"Well whatever happens, we can't let anyone else get involved with the TV world, we're lucky enough that Suou-san wasn't overcome by his shadow and he made it out ok with a persona too. We gotta be more discreet in our actions." Yosuke pointed out with his fork as he wasn't even eating, he just picked out a plastic fork and twirled it about to keep himself occupied.

"Yeah, makes gotta make sure nobody else gets tangled up in this mess." Kanji nodded.

While the others continued to discuss Teddie seemed lost in thought before bolting up from his seat, a look of sheer terror marring his features before he turned and ran for all he was worth.

Kanji looked dumbfounded, "T-Teddie?"

"Woah was he ok, he looked sick." Rise tapped her lips worriedly.

It was Yosuke who stood, "I'll go see what's wrong." if he could catch up that is, and with that he dashed off.

Naoto sighed, "Well this meeting has turned quickly into an unorganized mess." she sat back in her chair and brushed hair out of her face, "Perhaps we should just call it a day..."

"But we just got here!" Rise frowned.

"Exactly..."

"Can we go get something to eat?" Chie inquired meekly.

"... Yeah sure."

- o O o-

Tatsuya was out of it the rest of the day. He lied when he said he didn't remember much. It wasn't a complete lie, but he remembered much more than what he said.

"I want you to smile... Always..."

"You'll always be my little brother!"

"I'll stand by you, even when you don't need me anymore."

"Even if you hate me, I still love you."

He had such wonderful friends... Why had he taken them for granted? And now they were gone, he could never say how much they meant to him. But Maya was happy, soon to be married to his brother Katsuya. They were both happy. Lisa and Eikichi were a huge success in the media, especially Lisa. Her desire to be an idol still showing through to this world even though her true desire was...

He shook his head.

Jun seemed happier too. He got along better with his parents and he studied hard to be a teacher while working at the corner flower shop.

If only he could go up to them and talk just like they used to. But with memories gone, that was impossible. And even still, the Tatsuya they knew and loved was not essentially him. The Tatsuya here and now was just...

Leftovers.

In the back of his mind, he felt Apollo's warm hands on his shoulder.

"Fear not. The memories etched into your mind are in the past. You know as well as he and I know that their safety and happiness is all that matters."

Tatsuya smiled at his comforting words and knew they were true. Behind that mask he'd find his own face. I am you and you are me. Apollo always spoke the truth.

His daze was violently interrupted when Dojima slammed down a fat file onto his work desk. His eyes snapped wide and he managed to catch a glimpse of a disapproving look on the elder man's face. With a frown, Tatsuya scolded himself. Katsuya would have reprimanded him for dazing out like that, he needed to get in gear and focus. He opened the file and the gears began grinding in his head. Detective work ran in the family and within half an hour the whole file was filled, notes taken, suggestions added, sorted, and all the papers sent where they needed to be.

The rest of the day went very similarly in that fashion, each time Dojima would look at him expectantly. Was he supposed to give his report on the kids now? Just what would he say? Like hell he could tell the truth.

"Just tell the truth. Trust me on this one, just say what I tell you."

Apollo knew best...

Several hours later, Tatuya took a deep breath and made his way to the direction of Dojima's office, feeling every bit as nervous as when he had to report to his brother. The door to his office was wide open, he was on the phone with someone and an incredibly pained look was etched into his features. It was a deep pain. It almost made Tatsuya sad himself. Who could he have been talking to? He waited by the door for several minutes, listening to the man give out pathetic apologies over and over until it seemed that the person on the other line slammed the phone down in anger, cutting Dojima off.

He sat there, head in his hands and his shoulders shaking. Maybe now was not the best time. But by rotten luck, Dojima noticed Tatsuya just before he could move away. His eyes were red, like he was on the verge of tears.

"What do you want?" he snapped irritably wiping his eyes quickly and beckoning Tatsuya inside.

Tatsuya lightly felt the lighter in his pocket and stepped inside waiting to hear Apollo's voice again.

"I'm here to give my report on the kids." he stated softly, unsure if Dojima even wanted to hear any of this right now.

Apollo's voice resonated in him and he mimicked his words.

"They did nothing special. You told me they frequented the Junes and it's electronics section often and as you said I found them there."

What was Apollo making him say, this would only arouse suspicions!

"Go on." Dojima huffed.

Tatsuya took a deep breath as Apollo continued, " But they didn't stay there for long. They moved on to the food court and I think they were just mourning the loss of their friend. However the Hanamura kid had to leave early from what I assume was his parents calling him in for work. The only one who seemed to be doing any investigating was the Shirogane girl." he leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms casually, "She was trying to give deductions and all that, but the others seemed too distracted."

Wow Apollo, that's the best you could come up with? By some stroke of luck though, Dojima bought it. Perhaps he was just too tired from the previous conversation on the phone. He really didn't seem all too interested in his report and was quick to dismiss it. Either Apollo's story really was good (which was highly unlikely), or he was just lucky to have walked in when he did. Either way, Tatsuya was dismissed and nothing more was said on the topic.

"I told you it would work."

"You got lucky."

"We got lucky."

The rest of the day was paperwork from that moment on.

- o O o-

Yosuke never caught up to Teddie, he had run off so quick and Yosuke waited too long to chase after him. Once Teddie disappeared into the elevator, it was certain that he wouldn't catch up to him at all. Just where that bear went, he wouldn't know until he asked the next time he saw him. What set him off so badly though was what was very worrying. This would bug him until the next time he saw that bear.

A small beeping in his pocket brought him to his senses as he reached for his cell phone to check his messages.

WE DECIDED NOT 2 MEET UP 2DAY, MEET US AIYA'S WHEN U R READY.

It was undoubtedly Naoto's handiwork. Just great and he was already on his way back to the Junes food court. With a grunt, Yosuke turned on his heel and strode to the other he could walk this whole place blindfolded by now. Once at the lobby however he paused for a moment. Adachi used to hang around the window, always staring at something seemed so spacy at the time, it was difficult to know what he was thinking. It was frightening to know he looked so harmless and yet the ideas running through his mind were...

Nope. Not going to go there.

And then occasionally Souj would be waiting for him by the doors on their days off. He seemed just as spacy and as hard to read. Thinking about it now, those two had similar looks...

The only difference is that Souji would smile when he saw Yosuke unlike Adachi who hurried away with some lame-ass excuse. He remembered that day.

He had asked Souji to go see some movie with him, heck he'd already forgotten it's title though. It must have been an ok movie, not what he was expecting from the trailer but good enough. They just hung around Okina afterwards. It was nice until Souji brought up operation "Up Close and Personal" Yikes there was one day he'd like to forget thanks for bringing that back up buddy. It cost him an arm and a leg to repair the damage Hanako had done to his bike!

That day was just one complete disaster, well for Yosuke anyway. Kanji didn't do any better, but Souji, hell at least he got a chick's number. But he seemed more interested in playing with the cat he found. Yosuke tried to tell him it didn't count, but that didn't seem to matter to him, he would have taken that cat home if Souji had any say in it. It was almost funny how disappointed he looked when Kanji told him it was time to put the cat away.

In the end though, every time they went to Okina city, he was followed by that cat at some point and then his entire attention was given to the little furball.

…..

It's weird how you think about someone so often when they're gone. If Souji were here, Yosuke would have different things on his mind, like what to do later today, what would he like to eat, trivial things like that. But every time he was gone, he found himself thinking about his friend. He even noticed it around the group how the suddenly spoke more of him, recounting their memories with the silver haired teen.

Why is that?

It was really weird how that happened, like desperately trying to cling onto the memories of that person because that person is no longer there to cling to.

But now his mind turned to the shadow they fought.

"So what if I thought it was fun?"

"You don't even care about Saki right now, you just used her as an excuse to seek the next cheap thrill."

Both their shadows had that much in common, they just wanted some sick form of fun.

Yosuke gave a deep sigh.

"Just what the hell was going on in your head, partner..?"

- o O o-

Teddie ran as fast as his long lanky legs would carry him, his breathing erratic and uneven, yet he continued to force himself to continue his sprint. It was something Kanji said that made him worry the most, "We can't let anyone else get tangled up in this" those words struck Teddie and set off a panic. He had to make sure she was ok, please please be ok!

Teddie nearly cried out in joy as his destination came into view. It was the ever war and familiar Dojima residence. He wasted no time in rushing to the door, however he made sure to knock calmly.

But there was no response at first.

Oh. Right. "Nanako-chan, it's me, Teddie~!" he sang happily.

Almost immediately the sliding door whooshed open and an elated Nanako jumped up to greet Teddie in a hug.

"Teddie, you came to see me!" she giggled happily as he spun her around once and set her feet on the ground. Teddie puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips,

"Well of course! I couldn't bear the thought of leaving the lovely princess Nanako all alone! It would be beary rude of me to leave you all by your lonesome." he bowed as if he were in the presence of royalty.

Nanako beamed and covered her face sheepishly, "You're so silly Teddie!" she chimed and giggled. She gave a little "oh" and stood aside, "Wanna come inside?"

Teddie stood up and nodded, "Oh sure! Uh.. I don't think I can stay too long though, I don't want your dad to get angry, 'cause he can get really scary."

"Oh that's ok," she shook her head, "Dad will be staying late today, so you can stay until then, right?"

Teddie seemed to be contemplating it and soon nodded eagerly, "Sure! And at least I'll visit you every day!" he jumped up once and struck a pose, causing Nanako to laugh.

"Thanks Teddie, you're the best." she smiled serenely.

Teddie smiled back and followed her inside. Knowing Nanako she must be very lonely in this house since her big bro was missing now, and her dad was working hard on finding him. This would be bad for her to go back to those days, so of course it was Teddie who had to make sure Nanako was happy and not worried for her brother and father, because she looked best with a smile, not a worried frown.

- o O o-

"The Fool. The first tarot card and yet marked with a zero. Known for it's empty yet infinite possibilities. It symbolizes the beginning of a journey. As it progresses it transforms into the other arcana. It is in this way that the fool grows, stronger and stronger until it reaches it's full enlightenment. The World. The end of the story, the ultimate goal.."

"I thought Souji had already obtained Izanagi-no-Okami and therefore obtained the world arcana."

"Yes but there is a flaw in this structure. For our guest Seta, the obtainment of the World arcana was merely temporary as the strength of his bonds is was gave him that final push to reach out. As we know, Izanagi-no-Okami eventually reverted back to Izanagi, the moment merely a large swell in power."

"So?"

"Our guest cannot obtain the power of the world without the bonds of his friends and currently there is a blockade separating he and his friends."

"In other words, he's stuck?"

"Quite."

"Can't he just get... Unstuck?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. He built the blockade himself, it is his duty to-"

"..."

"A-ah. I'm sorry, forgive my outburst."

"Woah what are you guys not telling me?"

"In due time Marie, in due time..."

-Summer Day 7-

Days went by agonizingly slow for the investigation team. There had been no clues whatsoever for a week and a half, and when a fog was announced on the weather, they all but panicked frantically, searching that odd circus world over and over until they knew it like the back of their hand. In the end they were exhausted and tired, Kanji and Rise most of all. Rise never stopped searching for Souji, Kouzeon by her side always, the both of them searching high and low for their beloved friend. Kanji was determined to find their leader, and no amount of shadows would stop him, even when the others were too spiritually and physically drained, Kanji still continued on urging them forward. He was also the one most thorough in their searches of the circus world, going over the entire dungeon floor before moving onto the next. In the end they would all come to that big top area where nothing awaited them, just cold mocking silence with the occasional honking of a clown horn somewhere in the distance.

As the day of the fog neared they began to panic frantically,Tatsuya unable to console them,and the only thing able to take their mind off the dreaded day was bringing Nanako with them to Junes. Of course Teddie had suggested it, and it was nice to see Nanako's smiling face, in a sense to the team she was all their precious little sister. Even when Souji had left after their wondrous adventure, they all still kept Nanako company, taking her to Junes and the Inn.

"Sorry we haven't been able to take you out lately Nanako-chan." Yukiko pat the small girl's head as she enjoyed a sweet topsicle.

Nanako shook her head and smiled, "It's ok, I guess with big bro missing, everyone's busy trying to find him." she said this with a twinge of sadness.

Kanji frowned and ruffled her hair gently, "Ah don't worry about it kiddo, he'll be back before you know it."

Nanako cheered up a bit, "I just hope he's ok, wherever he is."

"This is sensei we're talking about, of course he's ok!" sang Teddie in a cheerful voice with a thumbs up.

"Yeah, of course he is. In the meantime, if you ever want us to come over and hang out with you just say the word Nana-chan!" Rise flipped her hair over her shoulder and bent down slightly to give her a small hug.

"Hey, how's your dad Nanako-chan? Is he ok?" Chie leaned forward a bit, she hadn't spoken with Dojima since he dismissed her.

Nanako gave one more lick of her topsicle before looking up, "He's… Sad. Big bro is gone, he misses him. Also he says Aunt Junko is really upset at him and might be coming over.."

The team went silent.

"Aunt Junko? Is that-?" Yukiko looked to Chie who nodded and finished for her, "Is that Souji's mom?"

Nanako nodded, "Uh-huh. Auntie Junko is dad's big sister, and I guess she is big bro's mommy too."

The whole team swallowed hard. Souji's mother would be coming to Inaba? Now they had to be prepared for the wrath of a mother. Souji never spoke about his parents, then again no one ever asked. If someone mentioned Souji's parents, it would be impossible for the team to put an image to them. Were they wealthy? Probably if they were always working overseas. But what were they like? They all imagined Souji as he was. Quiet, aloof,admirable, intelligent, attractive, brave, and fearless.

Without ever meeting them, they already imagined his parents to be very intimidating people, even more so than Dojima. And suddenly, everyone was worried.

"I've never met her before, or uncle Richard either." Nanako continued, taking the uneasy silence as a sign to continue, "But dad would tell me stories about him and Auntie Junko from when they were little."

Teddie gave a slight shudder, "Why am I suddenly so terrified?"

Yosuke pat his shoulder, "You're not the only one Ted." he whispered back.

Suddenly Rise smiled nervously and gave an energetic bounce, "Hey, who wants to go to the park?" she suddenly declared to make a sudden change in topic.

Immediately Nanako raised her half eaten topsicle in the air and voted for the park. It was a nice change in subject. It allowed everyone to relax and take a break with no worries, it was a perfect afternoon filled with laughter and a warm feeling of familiarity. It was if the team realized there was nothing to be worried about anymore and in that moment everything felt right again and it was if Souji were still there.

- o O o-

The entire investigation team spent time with Nanako everyday until the day the fog was announced. No one wanted to go out that day, Kanji stayed in sick with worry too scared to even leave his room. Yukiko couldn't concentrate on her duties at all. Naoto found not even her favorite blend of hot cocoa could calm her uneasy stomach. Chie decided to stay over with Yukiko the night before for comfort. Yosuke blared his music as loud as he was allowed without going deaf or disturbing his parents. Teddie remained silent and stared out the fog blocked window. As for Rise, her heart pounded and for a moment during the day she nearly had a panic attack.

However, everyone melted into a puddle of ease as the next day approached with clear skies and with no news of a discovered body dangling from some high up perch. While greatly relieved at this news, this only left more questions to be answered.

"Ok, so we didn't save him, but his body didn't appear during the fog yesterday. What does that mean, he's not really in the TV world?" Kanji asked munching on his favorite animal crackers.

Naoto rest her head in her hands, "I have no idea, this has never happened before…"

"If only Marie-chan were here, she might be able to explain something to us.." Teddie hung his head low.

"Yeah, but she went missing the same day Souji did." Chie waved a finger in the air.

Silence befell their table.

"You don't think they're connected do you?" Kanji looked to Naoto uncertainly before glancing back to the table.

With a sigh Naoto brushed her hair from her face, "It's too much of a coincidence for it not to be connected. The question is, how is it connected? Why did Marie and Souji go missing the same day?" she rubbed the bridge of her nose as she wracked her brain trying to force two pieces to fit together.

"You don't think it also has something to do with that other woman, do you?" Teddie piped up and looked around the table.

Everyone only looked at him bewildered.

"What other woman?" Rise frowned twirling her hair.

Teddie swallowed and raised his hands as if he could paint an image of her, "She was really pretty! Long gold hair pulled back, bright yellow eyes, wearing all blue, she was the one who brought us to Marie's shadow world during the ski trip remember?"

It took a second before Yosuke seemed to have remembered, "Oh yeah! That woman who pulled us through the TV. She said she was familiar with Souji, but then she just dissapeared as soon as she appeared."

Chie gasped, "That's right! She grabbed my arm and pulled me through!"

Yukiko remembered as well, "That's right… She said that she had been helping Souji-kun from the beginning, but he never told us about her, and we had never met her before then, or since."

"So you're saying that she might have some role to play in this as well?" asked Kanji through a mouthful of animal crackers.

Chie shrugged, "I don't know… Like Yosuke said, she appeared and disappeared just as suddenly. She's certainly mysterious, and suspicious, but we just don't know enough about her."

Naoto groaned, "I feel like the closer we are to figuring this whole thing out, the further we get. We just don't have all the right evidence.. So far this whole case is contradicting every theory we've ever had about the midnight channel.."

And with that, the table fell silent again. Teddie felt bad just for bringing the whole topic up as it just seemed to confuse people further. Just like that, they were back to square one.

Naoto finally breathed in easily and sat up, "Well then, we just do what we've always done, wait and watch the Midnight Channel. We're bound to find clues then."

Despite her words, the team felt uneasy and restless.

- o O o-

Why is it so dark, where is everything, why do I feel so cold?

"Welcome to the rift between consciousness. Here it easy to lose oneself, do you still remember your name?"

….. I- I can't. I know who I am, but my name, I can't remember it.

"... Well, worry not, like I stated, it is easy to lose oneself. However, you do not belong here. Tell me, what is your purpose here?"

…. I'm…. Looking for something… No wait, not something.. Someone.

"Do you know who? Can you say their name?"

I… No..

"...Then follow me."

But there is no one to follow. Or so I think as a glowing blue butterfly finds it's way into my field of vision. Without any hesitation I follow it as it flutters ahead in the darkness.

We come across a golden gate.. In front is the statute of a young man, arms across as if defending the gate, barbed wire strewn across it's form.

"Pay no mind to it, it is the soul of one who sacrificed himself. However.. I think this one bears similar qualities to the one you're looking for."

I don't question the butterfly as we continue on, soon the gates and the statue are out of sight.

An eternity passes and I want to go home. But I must find this person, I must. So I keep following the butterfly.

Then, I see them, their back is turned to me. I want to call out but.. I can't remember his name. This is the person I'm looking for, he's important to me, I know it. And yet I can't say his name.

The butterfly flies on, landing beside the one I'm looking for, and then taking the form of a man. He's tall, his long hair is tied back. He turns to me and he's wearing a butterfly mask.

I don't know this person, I just need the one in front of me, but he won't look at me. Does he even know I'm here? I can't call out. I can't say his name. What kind of friend am I?

I feel guilt, I don't remember him, but he's precious to me. I walk up behind him, and I wrap my arms around him. He's important to me, so I will remember him, and we'll go back home together.

"He is safe, know this. So long as he has you, he is safe. Simply remember."

Remember.

"Remember."

Remember.

I will.

- o O o-

"Wow…. You all look like shit, no offense."

Tatsuya Suou looked at the investigation team all huddled at their usual seating in the Junes food court.

Each one of it's members looked tired and irritable. They must not have had any sleep last night.

"Gee.. Thanks." Chie yawned mid-sentence.

"None taken jerk…" Kanji rubbed his eyes and slumped back in his chair.

"I can't remember why I couldn't sleep last night, it was horrible…" Rise groaned in a tearful voice.

"I didn't get a wink of sleep, a blue butterfly kept me up." Teddie had his forehead resting on the table and he nuzzled into it as if it would make it more comfortable.

"I think I had a near-death experience," yawned Yosuke, "I think I saw gold gates."

While Tatsuya had no idea about any golden gates, blue butterflies sounded all too familiar.

"Somehow," he looked down at his coffee cup, "I feel like you guys are getting into something huge here."