Friday, 4-15-11. Weather: Heavy Fog In the Morning and Rain Throughout the Day

Yu has decided he hates the rain.

In the city it wasn't too bad, all he had to do was avoid going out on the balcony (which he did regularly, so he wasn't too worried about that) and sprint for any overhangs if he did go out.

Here in Inaba, though, running for an overhang wasn't possible while walking to school on the Samegawa Riverbank. And, since he had given his umbrella to Chie for the time being, he had to use his coat to protect him from the rain. Of course, since he still didn't know the path well enough, he couldn't run to the school in fear of tripping over himself or taking a wrong turn and ending up on the other side of town.

Regardless, his jacket was now ruined, and all the random students passing by with umbrellas was not helping.

"When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by." Yu paused, turning to his left to see two girls - each having umbrellas - gossiping.

"You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?"

"I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment."

"Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?" Sirens sounded nearby, drawing Yu's attention away from the gossip. Feeling water run down his neck, Yu hurried to Yasogami High, hoping that his jacket wasn't completely ruined.

"Hey, did you see it yesterday?"

"Of course not. What, is that rumor for real?"

"I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it." Ah, yes, more gossip. Just what I needed today. Yu groaned, adjusting his still soaking wet jacket. After lunch was over, the PA system buzzed to life again, telling everyone to head to the gymnasium. It probably has to with Saki going missing, or addressing what these guys are talking about. Izanagi, not enjoying having his bladed feet going through multiple students, decided to sit on the makeshift stage in front of them.

"Yukiko said she' be here after lunch." Chie mumbled in front of him, flicking her phone shut, and then turning around to face him and Yosuke. "I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden. Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?

"Oh, it's nothing." Yosuke said, keeping his arms crossed over his chest and gazing down at the open flip phone in his hand. Nothing my ass, you've been staring at that thing for the past ten minutes.

"Everyone, please settle down." Ms. Sofue's voice bounced around the auditorium, and the teenager's attention was brought to the stand in front of them. "The school assembly is about to begin. First, the principal has something to say." Moving aside, an old man with an enormous beard moved to the microphone, clearing his voice before speaking.

"I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3…" Knew it, they're going to say she's missing. "...has passed away."

The auditorium flew into an uproar, various students demanding to know what happened and why. A few of the younger students and the ones that knew Saki well began to audibly sob, and Yosuke froze beside Yu.

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts." The volume of the students rose again, and the principal quickly demanded for silence. "I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident, so mind what you say - not only to the police but to anyone who asks."

"Found dead?" Chie's voice shook. "How could this happen?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what everyone was asking when that Yamano lady was discovered." Yu's head throbbed, a migraine coming on, and the lights above him flickered angrily. Izanagi moved to their companion's side, ignoring their discomfort, and placed a calming hand on Yu's shoulder. The principal's address continued on, regardless of the uproar around him, but all Yu could think of was seeing the Midnight Channel's screen flickering, showing a girl writhing in agony.

"She died the same way as that announcer, right? That's so creepy." Yu ground his teeth together, ignoring the lingering headache he had and focused on the two rumor loving girls in front of him and Chie. The shorter girl had been escorting him to the nurses office after he told her that his pained expression had come from a migraine, but they had both stopped after Yu insisted they wait for Yosuke, who had stayed in the auditorium saying that "He needed time."

"Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole! It's gotta be a serial murder case."

"Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison."

"Unknown? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie! They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn't that scary?"

"Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain." Yu coughed loudly, causing the girls to look right at him as he gave them a glare. Looking nervous, the two of them ran off, but they giggled at each other once they had put enough distance between them.

"Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved." Chie looked like she was ready to strangle the two girls, but Yu placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Izanagi's tall form accompanying Yosuke out of the auditorium, and his attention immediately focused on his friend.

"Hey, are you okay enough to get through the day?" Yu asked, but Yosuke ignored his question, an odd amount of vigor behind his actions.

"Did you guys check out the TV last night?"

"Yosuke! Not you too!" Chie stomped her food on the ground, glaring at her friend.

"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so, I watched it again, and…" Yosuke turned to his left - Yu was confused for a moment before remembering that he was the only one who could see Izanagi - and stared out the window. "I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai." Ignoring the shocked faces in front of him, Yosuke continued. "There's no mistaking it. Senpai looked like… she was writhing in pain, and then she disappeared from the screen."

"What?"

"You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as the announcer's, right? Well, remember that guy you told us about? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer? Maybe, just maybe but, Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chie questioned, inching closer to Yu. "Hold on, are you saying that people who appear on that TV die?"

"I can't say for sure," Yosuke admitted before turning back to his friends, a determined expression on his face. "But something tells me I can't just dismiss it as coincidence." Chie let out a huff, fiddling with the end of her jacket. "Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there, and that room with the posters on the wall… It has to have something to do with the announcer's death."

"I mean… don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death?" Pausing, Yosuke turned to Yu, looking for some kind of support. "Well? What do you think?"

Yu slowly nodded, finally able to speak clearly without pain slurring his word. "You might be right."

"So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room, which means, if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too."

"Yosuke, don't tell me…" Chie began, even Yu looked concerned at this point.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself."

"D-Don't do this…" Chie said, grabbing Yosuke's wrist gently. "You should just let the police handle this and-"

"You think we can rely on the police!?" Yosuke yelled, ripping his wrist out of Chie's grip. "They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine, it's just… I need to know why Senpai had to die like this."

"Yosuke…"

"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now." Lifting his head, Yosuke looked at Yu. "Sorry, but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." Yosuke took off in a sprint, slamming the doors to the outside open and making a sharp right.

"I can kinda understand how he feels," Chie began, her jaw clenched. "But we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again."

"That's why I'm going with him." Yu said, ignoring Chie's shocked expression. "Listen, if he goes in alone, then there's no way he can survive. He needs someone else to go with him, and that bear thing did seem to like me, so maybe I can barter with them."

"God, you two are insane." Chie mumbled before moving for the door. "Anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone." Yu nodded and kept pace with Chie, making certain that the short girl never left his sight.

Yu had thought of a lot of things to expect when he and Chie got to the electronics department of Junes. This was not one of them.

Yosuke stood in front of the TV the three of them had gone into the day prior with a driver in his right hand. He also had rope tied around his waist, and the rest bundled up and hung around his arm. The moment he saw Yu and Chie, his face lit up, acting like this wasn't the strangest thing he had done in the year. "You guys came!"

"We came to stop you, idiot!" Chie said, throwing a quick jab at Yosuke's arm.

"Well, she did, anyways." Yu said, putting his hands in his pockets. "There's no way I'm letting you go in there alone."

"C'mon, you really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous." Chie continued, glaring at Yosuke. Yu could tell that she cared about the other city boy, despite her rough exterior.

"I know, but we were able to come back once, right? And Yu's agreeing to go with me, so it won't be too bad. If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!"

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me."

"That's true, but…"

"What about you?" Yosuke turned to Yu. "Could you just walk away?"

"Normally, yeah, I would." Yu responded before sighing and looking at his shoes. "But this whole murder case… it's just been so weird, and if the TV's involved in it, I'm directly linked to it, too. So, no, I can't leave this alone."

Yosuke let out a sigh of relieve and then smiled. "Yeah, I thought not. I'm glad to know you're that kind of guy." Turning to Chie, Yosuke handed her the extra rope he had on his arm. "Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this. We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."

"Wh-What?" Chie's gaze flicked from the rope to Yosuke and back again. "Then, this is a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec-!"

"Here, Yu. This is for you. I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed." Yosuke held out the golf club to Yu, who took it with a relaxed grip, examining it thoroughly. Yosuke turned around and took a deep breath, staring at the flat screen with a mix of fear and determination. "Alright, let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!"

"H-Hey! I said wait!" The two boys paid no attention to Chie's cry as Yu stuck his hand through the screen, allowing Yosuke and him to climb through. Chie quickly moved in front of the TV, expecting the rope to continue going into the screen, except, after a few seconds, the rope stopped moving and went slack. Confused, Chie began to pull at the rope, wondering if Yosuke had just taken a few steps back.

Chie pulled the rope three times and fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

"See…? I knew this wasn't gonna work." Chie let out a hiccup as she looked at the sawed off end of a rope and smooth, black TV screen.

Like yesterday, Yu hit the ground hard, unable to figure out how exactly he could angle himself to land correctly on the ground when entering through a TV. The fog, and Yosuke then landing on him and winding him did not help in the slightest.

"Ow…" Yosuke mumbled, pushing himself up. "Huh, the land was softer this time."

"That's because you're on me!" Yu grunted, pushing Yosuke off of him and looking around. "Is this...?"

"Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Yosuke exclaimed, ignoring the oppressive feeling around him.

"Y-You guys? Why'd you come back?" Jumping in surprise, Yu and Yosuke looked up to see the mysterious bear from yesterday walk out of the fog and into their line of sight, their pupils shrunk to near-pinpricks. The pupils abruptly grew and an angry expression crossed the bear's face. "I get it, you're the ones behind this!"

"You're that thing from last time!" Yosuke shouted before grimacing. "Wait, what the hell did you just say?"

"Lately I can tell someone's been throwing people in here; it's making this world more and more messed up. This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in." Jumping in the air for a brief moment, the bear shaped their paw into a pointing finger and growled at Yosuke. "That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, rawr!"

"You can't just label us like that." Yu said, snapping his fingers for emphasis, with Yosuke chiming in a moment later.

"What're you talking about, "throwing people in"?"

"Well, that's probably whoever killed Saki-Senpai and Yamano, right?"

"So… someone's throwing people in here intentionally trying to kill them? In that case..."

The bear roared in annoyance, pounding their paw against the ground. "What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember how I had to let you guys out?

"Yeah, whatever." Yosuke said, placing his hands on his hips and throwing a smug smile at the bear. "We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli-"

"It's cut." Yu stated. Yosuke stopped his speech and looked down at his hand, which held the end of the severed rope.

"H-Hey, you better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Yosuke crossed his arms over his chest and flushed red, looking away from the bear. Yu chuckled as the bear stomped his foot repeatedly.

"I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time, but it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof? Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!"

"What proof would we show you?" Yu asked, confused at what the bear was getting at.

"See! So it is you guys!"

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you!" Yosuke shouted. "Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident, we're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts, that's when the Shadows get violent." In that moment, it was as if a light bulb lit up over the bear's head, and it smiled. "Ah, I get it."

"Huh? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit!" Yosuke scratched his head, and Yu realized that he had the same expression on his face when it was math class at Yasogami. "If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here? Shadows get violent?"

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens!" The bear shook its head and folded its arms behind its back. "Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it, you better stop right now!"

"We've said it before, we haven't done anything!" Yu said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Izanagi was still not present, and since Izanagi had been the one suppressing his headache through the day, it was now returning full force in this odd world.

"I've about had it with you." Yosuke said, taking a few steps towards the bear with a scowl on his face. "Why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying?"

"I-I'm just saying, you might be the culprits." The bear took two steps back, a sheepish expression on its face. "I'm just making sure."

"What? Man, this bear's driving me nuts! What is this place, anyways? It does look like a TV studio, like you said but… could something really being filmed here?" Turning back to the bear, Yosuke began his interrogation again. "Hey, is that weird show being filmed here?"

"Weird show? Filmed?" The bear was trying to see how the words rolled off of his tongue. "What does that mean?"

"Uh… I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here."

"I don't think it understands what you're asking, Yosuke." Yu smirked, finding the bear's confusion a bit endearing.

"This world has always been like this, no one has ever done that 'filming' thing here."

"What do you mean?"

"Only me and Shadows are here, I told you before!"

Yosuke groaned. "We don't know what these Shadow things are, or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to 'prove our innocence,' but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume?" Advancing towards the bear, Yosuke reached out and grabbed the bear's head, ignoring the protesting body beneath him. "I'd say it's time you showed your face!"

"Yosuke, I don't think that this is a smart mo-" With an audible pop, the top of the bear's head flew off, scaring Yosuke so much that he flailed and fell down. The bear then waved its arms around and, finding the ear of its head, popped its head right back on, a saddened expression crossing its face.

"Me, the culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing, I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully." Pausing, the bear looked at Yu and Yosuke before smiling. "Okay, I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits, but I want you to find the real guy who did all of this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else…" The bear's mouth turned into a fanged grin, and he waggled his finger at the two. "I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."

"Y-You little-!" Yosuke growled, fingers clenched into the fabric of his jacket.

"This can't keep going on, my home and I will be a complete mess! And then, and then, I…" The bear then began to cry - or at least imitate crying, as no tears came from its eyes. Yu grimaced, and Yosuke looked away.

"What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out…" Turning to Yu, Yosuke let out a sigh. "Hey, what should we do?"

Oh god, is this the mystery the old man was talking about? Yu wondered, thinking back to Igors words and grimacing as the bear's crying continued. Either way, we don't have any other option. The bear's keeping us here, and unless we want to give Chie a heart attack…

"You're the only ones I can ask, will you promise me?" The bear mumbled, and Yu let out a sigh. Why did I have to be the one with the soft heart?

"I promise." Yu said, smiling as the bear looked up and began to smile, letting out a quick thank you.

"Damn bear," Yosuke mumbled. "Practically holding a gun to our heads. It's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves, I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy Yu Narukami. You got a name?"

"Teddie." Silence followed the bear's - Teddie's - response until Yu doubled over, letting out a wheezy laugh.

"Dude, it's not that funny." Yosuke placed his palm over his face as Yu's laughter continued.

"How- How is it not? The anthropomorphic teddy bear is named Teddie."

"Anyways," Yosuke continued, ignoring his friend's laughter. "How are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno, but I know where the last person came in!" Teddie exclaimed, and Yu's laughter soon ceased at Yosuke's response.

"The last person, you mean Saki-Senpai?"

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time, I dunno the name. I'll take you there, you might find clues. One thing first, you two should put these on." Teddie reached behind him and, in the palm of his hand, rested two pairs of glasses. Yu took the gray framed ones while Yosuke took the orange framed ones, despite their confusion.

"What're these glasses for?" Yosuke mumbled before he put the glasses on, jumping back in shock when the fog surrounding him practically vanished. Looking to his left, Yu froze and then smiled, vision clearing the same way. "The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist."

"They'll help you walk through the fog. I've been here for a long time, so you can rely on me!" Teddie's smiled fell into a more sheepish expression. "Uh… but I can only show you where the place is, you guys will have to defend yourselves."

"What happened to relying on you? Th-There better not be any monsters, you understand! We brought weapons, but I mean… They're more for show!"

"The hell? This is a golf club, it could definitely knock you out!" Yu exclaimed, lifting up the driver and waving the head around.

"Well… it isn't the best kind of golf club."

"Wha- This is a driver! Where did you get the club?"

"Er… my garage?" Noticing Yu's deadpan expression, Yosuke started chuckling nervously. "It was from my Dad's bag… and he hasn't played golf in seven years."

"Well, I've got no muscles, so anything is better." Teddie cheerily stated. "Oh, oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"

Can he really not fight? Taking a few steps forward, Yu pushed Teddie's shoulder, only for the bear to land on his back. It was like an overturned tortoise, Teddie's limbs were flailing and he let out a pitiful wail as Yu and Yosuke watched in embarrassment.

It was creepy to walk around in the odd and distorted world. A constant feeling of oppression hung over Yu, and each breath in was an effort. It was disorienting to breath in and kind of feel the moisture of fog entering, but to not see any fog around him. Not only that, but after he and Yosuke had continued down the path, the fog ridden metal bridge turned into an asphalt road. Details fleshed out every step, the road widened and buildings began crowding the new sidewalk. The sky was lit up with pulsing red and black lines, but the road and buildings were shrouded in a yellow glow.

"What is this place?" Yosuke looked around in awe. "It looks just like the shopping district."

"It does?" Yu asked, trying to peer inside one of the buildings, but the window was completely blocked.

"Well, yeah it does. The north side of it, anyways."

"Some weird places have appeared here recently." Teddie admitted, shifting nervously behind the two humans. "Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do."

"By the way, why are you standing so far from us?"

"Remember, no muscles." Yu attempted to joke, but he was getting rather nervous. When he had entered this world yesterday, Yu had assumed afterwards that Izanagi had not entered because they had not gone through the TV in time. Now, however, there was no excuse why they couldn't have entered, and Yu felt on edge without the electricity wielding goliath by his side.

Yosuke's huff of annoyance snapped Yu out of his thoughts. "Man, they really went all out on this, but out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?"

"How should I know?" Teddie commented with a saddened expression. "This is reality for the one who's here."

"As usual, nothing you say makes sense…"

"Not really," Yu replied. "I mean, think about this. Yamano was the first one to enter here, right? The day after, we come in, and there's an apartment with that enka dancer's posters ripped up with a makeshift noose. Then Saki enters, and she ran a liquor store, so the shopping district would probably be a really big part of her life."

"So, then that means we're not far from Saki-senpai's-!" Yosuke's eyes widened, and he turned away from the rest of the group and began running, Yu and Teddie following not too far behind. Soon, the trio ended up near a small house with a tiled roof, two vending machines proudly standing next to a door with the same red and black pulsing lines coming from it. "I knew it! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parent's run. Does this mean she disappeared here? What could've happened?"

As Yosuke began to move to the store, Teddie yelped and jumped back. "Wait a second, th-they're here!"

"What?"

"Shadows, I had a feeling they were going to attack!" Teddie whimpered, moving so that Yu's body blocked his view of the liquor store. The teenagers eyes widened, and they both turned to the liquor store's morphed entrance.

The lines wavered, and pushing out of the odd light was a blue mask. It made a disgusting noise plopped to the ground, a second one soon following. The sludge pulsed, and a slimy body with two long arms pulled itself up from the ground and gurgled at the group. Yosuke scrambled back, tripping and falling on the curb, as he watched the sludge jump into the air and curl into itself, forming a large ball with a tongue lolling out of it's human-like mouth.

Yu's temple throbbed, his ears rung, and he doubled over, groaning in pain. All the noise around him faded away, and a voice rung in his mind.

I am thou, thou art I.

The time has come, open thine eyes and call forth what is within!

The link that he had with Izanagi shuddered and aligned itself properly. Yu smiled.

"Per… son… a."

Blue flames surrounded his body, and floating above his hand was a card. A silhouette of a man with a hat traveling over a hill with a bindle was being followed by a dog was depicted. In the trimming at the bottom was the number 0. Curling his hand into a fist, the flames grew stronger, and Yu's figure was no longer visible.

It's like the dream! Yu cheered inwardly as his Yasogami High uniform was replaced by Izanagi's outfit, and a metal mask slammed over his head. A Naginata appeared out of the blue flames, and rested comfortably in Yu's hands, and the flames dissipated to nothing, allowing lightning to jump off of Yu's body instead. Teddie and Yosuke looked at their changed friend in shock, and soon moved out of the way as the two Shadows charged at him.

Yu jumped, clearing the - rather disturbing - Shadows and guarded Yosuke, who still had yet to stand up. "Stay calm and listen." Teddie shouted from behind a vending machine. "Some Shadows have weaknesses, and if you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! I can tell this one has a weakness too!"

So these are Shadows, huh? "You mind telling me what the weakness is?"

"I haven't fought Shadows before, so you'll have to try stuff out and see what works!" Fair enough. Well, Izanagi can control electricity, so maybe I can try-

The Shadow to the left of Yu rushed forward, snapping Yu out of his reverie as its teeth chomped down on his left arm. Letting out a shout of pain, Yu lifted his Naginata and sliced right down the jawline of it's mouth, splitting it in two and ending its short life. The other Shadow gurgled and charged, tensing the muscles in its tongue to lick Yu. The transformed boy, on the other hand, was not going to let that happen, and threw out his arms, shouting "Zio!" as a bolt of lightning struck the Shadow and fried it to a crisp.

Yu smiled at the ashes of the dead Shadows rose and dissolved into the air, a burst of energy pulsing through him. His transformation burst into small blue shards and disappeared, returning him to normal. Yosuke, on the other hand, had the largest grin on his face as he ran up to Yu, shaking his shoulder harshly. "Whoa, that was awesome! What'd you do? Did I hear you say 'persona'? Hey, do you think I can do it too?"

"Calm down Yosuke, you're troubling Sensei!" Teddie walked over to the two high schoolers with a small grin on his face, ignoring Yu's confused expression. Since when did I become his sensei? "Gosh almighty, you're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power, no wonder the Shadows were scared of you."

"Doesn't exactly feel like they were scared." Yu muttered, rubbing the arm that the Shadow bit. He expected it not to hurt, or for the injury to be transported to Izanagi, but now he was expecting large bite marks to be present under his jacket. "Hey, Teddie, do the Shadows have names?"

"Mhm! Those guys were called 'Lying Hableries'." Teddie let out a sharp gasp and began to hop in place. "Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?" Yu nodded, and the bear began to giggle insanely. "That's what I thought! This is really something; don't you think so, Yosuke?"

The brunette teen angrily shoved the bear on his back, only for him to act like a punching back and come right back on to his feet. "Dude, you call him Sensei and then don't show me any respect?"

"Calm down Yosuke, I'm certain he'll call you Sensei after you kick a Shadow's ass." Yu joked, only to meet the concerned face of his friend.

"Dude, you okay? You look really pale."

"Huh?" Now that he mentions it, I feel exhausted… "I'll be fine, for now. Maybe we should head back, I don't think staying here for a long time is a good thing."

"No way, we're still investigating!" Yosuke exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air and moving to the liquor store's door, Yu and Teddie only a step behind. "Man, I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here…"

"I wish Junes would go under…" All three boys jumped in surprise and looked around for the source of the voice. A few seconds later, the conversation continued, and they realized that there was no definite source, it was just echoing around them.

"It's all because of that store."

"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there." Yosuke flinched harshly beside Yu, who winced as he realized that Yosuke was basically being taunted with two difficult subjects.

"Oh my, how could she, with her family's business suffering like it is?"

"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."

"Stop it!" Yosuke protested, but his shout was drowned out by the echoing voices and the chatter accompanying them.

"That poor father, to have his own daughter working for the enemy."

"What a troublesome child…"

"Hey, hey Ted!" Yosuke shouted after the remnants of the voices faded away. "You said that this place is reality for those that are here, right? So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"

"I only know about what's over here." Teddie responded.

"Fine, whatever's going on here… We'll find out ourselves!" Yosuke ran through the Konishi liquor store's 'door,' ignoring Yu's shout for him to wait as he charged into the liquor store blindly.

Yu had to cover his ears after entering the shop. The silence of the streets was replaced with loud chatter and shuffling feet, voices from random people beginning to echo around them. "Dammit, not again!" Yosuke yelled, just as a man's booming voice caused the walls around them to shake.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you? You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money, or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there, of all places!"

"I can't believe this…" Yosuke's quiet voice broke the illusion, the noises around them fading to nothing instantly. "She seemed like she had fun at work, she never said anything like this to me. You're telling me this was how Senpai really saw things?"

Moving around, Yu's eyes saw a pair of rather large scissors on the table next to a cut up photograph. Yosuke, who was on his left, saw the photo and took it with shaking hands. "This is the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes, why's it cut up like this?" Yu could only stare at the torn up photo with all the part timer's faces cut out, except Saki and Yosuke, that is.

"I… never had the chance to say it…" Yu and Yosuke both froze as an eerily familiar voice began to echo around them. This time, Yu could hear the humming of the refrigerator fans while she spoke, but he kept silent out of respect. "I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"

"...that he was a real pain in the ass." Yosuke's arms fell to his side, photo fluttering out of his hand as he stared wide eyed at eh barrels of liquor stacked on top of each other behind the counter. "I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all, but he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip."

"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, and the neighbors talk behind my back. I wish everything would just disappear." Yu's grip tightened around the golf club's handle, and he was barely holding back the urge to slam it down on the counter out of rage.

"It's a lie, this can't be." Yosuke's bottom lip trembled. "Senpai's not like that!"

"It's so sad, I feel so sorry for myself, boo hoo." A twisted voice came from behind the two boys, fake sniffles interrupting it's taunt at Yosuke. Yu almost immediately became panicked, heart thrumming like it was about to burst out of his chest. Yu and Yosuke turned around slowly, only to both stop dead when they saw… it.

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass." A near mirror image of Yosuke began to cackle madly at the boy's shocked expressions. The only difference between the Yosukes was that the one standing farthest away had a black aura surrounding him, the twisted voice, and the searing yellow eyes. Teddie, who had been standing by the doors ever since the duo entered, moved to Yu's side. When he saw the doppelganger, his pupils shrunk, and he took two large steps back.

"Who are you?" Yosuke demanded, taking a brave step towards his 'twin.' "I wouldn't think that!"

"Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"

"What're you saying? That's not true, I-"

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being all alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping."

"Stop it!"

"Yosuke, get away from it!" Yu shouted, his link with Izanagi was strong and ready to be activated again if need be it.

The thing (Shadow. Yu's mind whispered the word like it was a taboo, it's his Shadow) cackled and continued. "Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe I do know everything you're thinking!"

"And why's that? Because I am you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV, now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?"

"That's not true. Stop, stop it!"

"You're just trying to act like a big shot. If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"

"That's not true! What are you, who are you?"

"I already told ya." The Shadow made a mocking bow, headphones hanging crookedly from its neck. "I'm you, your Shadow, there's nothing I don't know about you!"

"Screw that! I don't know you!" Yosuke's voice rose, hands clenched into fists, and his shout echoed throughout the store. "You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"

For a moment, it seemed like that was it. Silence hung in the air, and Yu desperately hoped that Yosuke's declaration would be all it would take to make that thing turn its tail and run. That is, until it began to chuckle - madly, ecstatically - and the aura around it that had looked so calm before rose and shimmered to a fever pitch. "That's right! Say it again!"

Yosuke, his previous confidence drained, moved away from the doppelganger, and repeated what he said before. "You're not me, you're nothing like me!"

Yu crouched down, moving the staff of the driver until it was blocking his chest as the Shadow maniacally laughed. Teddie's eyes narrowed and he too got in an odd fighting position. To Yu, it looked more like he was about to tackle someone and hug them to death.

"Yeah, that's right, I am me now. I'm not you anymore, see?" The black aura surrounded it, hiding it from sight, and Yosuke collapsed. Yu rushed over to his friend just as two frog-like legs slammed down on either side of him. A large frog-like creature with a yellow toothy grin leered down at Yu and Teddie, while the upper body of a human resided above. Its skin was pitch-black in color, with large yellow gloves covering its hands, a red scarf covering its neck, and yellow stars for eyes. Yu summoned Izanagi, the process from earlier repeating itself, and jumped in the air, Naginata gleaming in the dim light as the gargantuan shadow laughed insanely.

Alright I'm just going to type this at the end here cause this is important.

So right now I have two more chapters in reserve, so updates will happen, but I literally injured my middle finger about two hours ago. While it isn't broken, it hurts like a bitch and I cannot type efficiently. Hell, it took about seven minutes to type out this whole ending paragraph.

So, you guys'll be updated with the story for two more weeks, then a hiatus (which could now be more than a month long) so that way I can get more chapters typed up and ready to post and give my finger some time to heal! Also I'm super sorry about cutting off the chapter before the big fight, but this chapter would have been over 10,000 words long if I hadn't cut it off here.

Hope you've enjoyed the story!