The team sat around the table at Junes, platters of food growing cold as they stared sullenly at the ground. Yosuke had been unable to find Teddie overnight, and the rest of the group had fanned out to search for their missing friend after Yosuke had informed them of Teddie's absence. Rise went inside the T.V to search the other world, and the rest searched all of Inaba, Okina, and even Shichiri Beach, but their efforts had proved fruitless. They sat now, looking downcast as Rise reported the bear-boy's absence from his home. "He plays dumb a lot, but he's attached to us deep down...He wouldn't disappear without saying anything, right?" Yosuke asked, looking around at his friends. Chie, sitting next to her boyfriend, squeezed his hand gently and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, bringing a slight smile to the brunettes face.

"It's okay…He'll come back. He always does." Chie said softly, leaning onto Yosuke's shoulder. Despite his constant complaints about Teddie, Yosuke had grown to see him as an annoying younger brother, and cared deeply for the blonde youth.

"I'm worried for Teddie myself, but let's trust in him and await his return." Naoto placed a hand on Souji's leg as she spoke up, squeezing the boy possessively as if worried he might disappear yet again. "Right now, we must concentrate on the case. It won't be long before Namatame is transferred to another location. We must hurry, or we will miss our only chance to get his perspective on this."

Souji nodded. "It occurred to me last night that Namatame said he'd saved you guys when he saw you." The silverette looked at the people around the table who'd been kidnapped. "If saving you involved your death, I don't think he'd have said that at all."

Naoto nodded; she hadn't thought of that. "Then, considering Namatame's words, it might be possible that he never meant to hurt Nanako-chan. However, that does not mean he's innocent of the kidnappings. And it's entirely possible he killed Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi as well."

Souji shook his head, and Yu spoke up. "I thought about that last night, but it doesn't make any sense. Namatame had a rock-solid alibi when Yamano died; I know you know that, Naoto-kun, Souji's told me. What made me stop and think was the warning letters we got." The team looked at the twins questioningly.

Souji reached into his pocket, producing a copy of the letter they'd received in October. "The message on this letter was 'don't rescue anymore'. Namatame's words and this letters message don't add up. If Namatame was the killer, this letter would have come from him. But let's entertain the possibility that it isn't him, and look at this differently." Souji placed the letter in the centre of the group, and Yu began to explain where his brother had left off.

"Like Souji said, Namatame said he'd saved you all when he saw you in the T.V. But this letter told us to stop rescuing people. The two just don't match up, especially when we consider that second letter we got." The group looked back and forth between the twins, waiting for more information; the two seemed to have a plan involved here, and were speaking as if this had been rehearsed. "The second letter said that if we didn't stop, someone else would be thrown in and killed. Someone close to us. That, of course was Nanako."

Souji reached into his robe, thinking hard of the letter he and Yu had received that fateful night. Dojima had taken it from him, but Souji hoped that his new connection to Morpheus might allow him to create a copy of the warning. He felt the texture of paper materialize in his hand, and sent a quick thank you to the Dream-lord as he placed the second letter on top of the first. "This was sent to us the night Nanako was kidnapped. But look closely at the phrasing. We were told if we didn't stop, someone would be thrown in. yet Nanako got thrown in that night, before we'd even had a chance to act on this letter. Why would Namatame send a warning, only to completely ignore it and act on the threat he'd written in instead?"

Kanji snorted derisively "Easy. Namatame's frickin' insane. That's all there is to it."

The others were nodding, but Naoto shook her head, catching on to what Souji and Yu were saying. "It's not just that. Look at how it's written. If the killer had written this, he wouldn't have worded it this way. It would likely be closer to 'I'll throw someone close in and kill them' rather than 'will be put in and killed'."

Souji nodded, grinning as Naoto explained her reasoning further; leave it to the Detective Prince to catch a seemingly small detail that changed the entire course of reasoning. "So, then, what does that mean?" Chie asked, looking confused. Souji looked at the martial artist with a wry smile; sometimes, Chie missed the blatantly obvious.

"That would mean that Namatame didn't write this" he said, tapping the letter. The rest of the group sat quietly, processing this newfound information.

"But only the killer would write such a letter and deliver it to Dojima-san's house, right? If someone else wrote it, that could only mean..." Yukiko spoke softly, thinking hard as she tried to find a new connection.

Rise looked confused. "So, does that mean Namatame really was trying to save his victims?"

Naoto looked around at the group. "Everything is exactly the opposite of what it first seemed...In Namatame's parlance, "failing" would have been the first two cases, when the victims died. If he had used his method twice, and failed both times, he would hardly have continued using the TV. And yet he did. It all seems to suggest that someone else wrote this warning letter while observing the entire case..."

Yosuke looked up in surprise. "Someone else...Then...It wasn't Namatame that killed Saki-senpai and the announcer!?" the brunette asked.

Naoto shrugged lightly in response. "We can't say for certain yet. We urgently need to speak with Namatame face to face..." Souji shifted in his seat, making movement as if to stand.

"Well, if we need to talk to him, we don't really have much time." The silverette looked at his girlfriend next. "I assume you already have a plan in place, right?" he asked, and Naoto smiled in response, producing a small black box.

"Of course I do."

Souji grinned widely; he was glad Naoto was smiling again. Last night had been…hectic. "Let's get going, then!" Souji offered his hand to Naoto, who took it as she stood up. The rest of the team stood as well, ready to go whenever. Souji nodded, and began walking towards the bus stop in the shopping district, Naoto at his side. As they walked, he thought about the night before…

Last Night...

Souji narrowly dodged behind a wall as the book Naoto had been holding came flying past. "At least it's a small one…" he thought wryly as another book hurtled towards him. The group had gotten back to Inaba fairly late, and Souji had insisted on walking Naoto home. They had arrived at her residence quickly, and the sleuth had offered to let him in for a while. Souji had accepted, and was just walking out of the restroom when he'd been hit in the head with a pillow from the detectives couch. The look on Naoto's face was not a playful one, so Souji had decided evasion was prudent as he tried to figure out what he'd done this time.

"Naoto, is there any specific reason you're lobbing books at my head?" he called out, and flinched as a heavy encyclopedia ricocheted off the edge of the wall he was hiding behind. Looking out quickly, he saw Naoto in the process of finding another object to throw, so the silver-haired teen took a chance and made a mad dash for the bathroom he'd just come out of, closing the door behind him. He'd apparently made it just in time, as a loud "THUNK" resonated through the door. The clattering of something heavy and made of plastic hitting the floor told Souji she'd moved from the bookshelf to somewhere else, probably the kitchen.

Naoto's voice came through over another assault against the bathroom door. "You know very well what you did, Senpai!" Souji smiled lightly at the use of the honorific title; Naoto couldn't have been beyond reason if she was calling him that.

"Well, knowing me, there's quite a bit I could have done." Souji spoke louder over the clattering of metal; what was Naoto throwing now? Souji thought hard. "Was it the ring?" He heard movement coming towards the bathroom, and decided that it might be wise to brace against the door. However, Naoto appeared to be picking up her ammunition, if the movement and clattering outside was any indication. Souji waited silently as Naoto quickly cleaned up, and cracked the door when it seemed she was done. Naoto stood facing the hallway with her arms crossed, shaking as the adrenaline that had fueled her ebbed away. Souji opened the door more and stepped out.

Naoto huffed as he walked towards her, and turned her head as he reached out to hold her. Souji brought her head to his chest and stroked her hair, whispering softly. "I'm sorry, Naoto. I wasn't anticipating leaving that day, and I really wasn't expecting to come back, either." He felt Naoto tense slightly as he talked, but she didn't say anything, so Souji continued. "I…had to make a decision…Morpheus is more different than I first thought. His power had a price. And when you and the others were under Kunino-sagiri's control…I got desperate." Souji felt his eyes water as he thought back to the battle that had cost him so much. "Morpheus was willing to help me save you…but if I did, I was going to disappear. If I didn't, you'd have died, and I couldn't see that as a choice at all…"

Souji's tears fell as his voice began to crack, and Naoto began to relax in his arms. "S-So I made my decision…you saw what happened. After I disappeared…I woke up somewhere else. It's hard to explain, b-but I had constant reminders of what I had been fighting for. In order to get back…I had to comply with Morpheus, or so I thought." Souji grew silent, thinking about the long hours of managing people's dreams, and the fight with his Persona. "In the end, I was able to free myself, and Morpheus relinquished his power to me. I can use his power without a cost now…After that, Morpheus returned me to the real world, where you found me…" Souji finished, squeezing Naoto a little tighter.

The sleuth finally relaxed fully, and wrapped her own arms around the silverette, speaking softly. "I'm sorry I got angry…I just…I thought you were gone, or dead, and that I'd never be able to see you again…and then, suddenly, there you were, standing in front of the hospital, and I didn't know what to think, or how to feel. I was happy, angry, sad, confused, and worried all at once…"

Souji chuckled softly through his tears. "Well, I doubt I'd have felt any different if it had been you instead of me…"

Naoto pushed the side of her face further into Souji's chest, feeling all her energy drain away as she let go of the feelings that had built up. Exhaustion kept her from crying more, and Souji's hand running over her hair was making her feel sleepy. "I like your robe…" she murmured quietly, feeling the soft fabric on her cheek. The silverette hadn't taken it off since he'd gotten back, and he smiled at Naoto's words.

"It was a gift and an apology from Morpheus. It's quite comfortable." Breaking away from the embrace, Souji led Naoto over to her couch, sitting down and holding her close to his side as she sat next to him.

The detective yawned as she laid her head on the boys shoulder, closing her eyes as Souji resumed stroking her hair softly. "Don't leave me again…" Naoto murmured softly, and she heard Souji's voice as if from far away as she drifted into sleep.

"Never…" he said quietly.

Souji waited for a while to allow Naoto to fall deep asleep before he picked her up to carry her to her bed. He laid the young girl down and covered her up, removing the tie she was wearing and draping it on a hanger in her closet. The silverette leaned down to peck her forehead, and quietly left the room after switching off her light. He entered the living room and looked around, deciding that he'd wake up a little early to clean up; there were still odds and ends lying about from Naoto's fit of rage. Sighing contentedly, Souji turned off the lights and laid down on the sleuths couch. It was too late to try to get back to the Dojima's anyways. The teen sat up and removed his robe before lying back down, wrapping the fabric around him like a blanket. He smiled as he began to fall asleep; he finally felt as if he was home.

Present Day...

Namatame was finishing his explanation of his true involvement with the case to the Investigation team. The group had come to get his explanation, and after some mild convincing on Naoto's part, Namatame had begun talking. He spoke of seeing the Midnight Channel, of seeing Mayumi Yamano thrashing violently on the T.V., and that he could reach into the T.V just as the twins had done. He spoke of seeing the outline of Saki Konishi on the T.V, and his warning to the young high-schooler. Namatame explained that he'd tried to help them, but hadn't known how.

He then spoke of seeing Yukiko appear, and had decided that he would try to save her before anything happened, thus leading to his kidnapping her and throwing her into the T.V. He hadn't known of the dangers of the world, and when Yukiko had appeared safe and sound, Namatame had become convinced that it had worked, never realizing that Souji, Yu, Yosuke and Chie had rescued her from that world. So he'd continued, kidnapping those who appeared on the midnight channel and throwing them into the T.V, growing more zealous as he saw his plan working each time.

Naoto shook her head as Namatame asked if he hadn't been helping them. "If a person is still within the TV world when the fog appears here, they will die. Beginning with Yukiko-san, the people you thought you had been saving were, in fact, in mortal peril...It was my friends here who really saved us all."

Namatame looked down. "I had a feeling that was it...When I went after that little girl and entered the TV myself...For the first time, I had some doubts about myself…The police were after me, so I had to get away. But I still felt I needed to do everything I could to save that poor little girl...That's why I went after her. But the TV world was completely different than I imagined...Such an abominable, grotesque place. I knew that the three of you who I "saved" went back to your normal lives, so I didn't realize how terrible that world was. I never knew...you couldn't even get out of that place on your own...No, that's a cowardly way to put it. I'd probably already begun to realize that it was a dangerous place...If I hadn't, I wouldn't have gone to see you all."

The group thought back to the concert they had put on for Yosuke. Namatame explained how he'd felt at the time, but apologized as he told the team that he was beginning to feel tired. Naoto apologized in return, and the team left Namatame to rest, making their way back to Nanako's room.

"This was the last place we saw Teddie, right? He was so worried about her…" Chie looked around the room.

Kanji clicked his tongue. "Tch...How can he flake out like this when we have to find the real killer?" The team sighed; Teddie's disappearance had sapped the team's morale, the fact that Souji had disappeared before made this situation much more taxing.

"Y'know, maybe he felt really overwhelmed…" Rise spoke up, looking around at her friends. "I mean, Souji-senpai had disappeared, and Teddie was crying all last month about that. Then, Nanako-chan…" Rise choked on the young girl's name. "…Y'know…so maybe he ran away because he felt abandoned?"

Yosuke looked annoyed. "That's stupid, though! I mean, Souji came back, and we were all here. What would have made him think that he was alone?" No one had an answer, and Rise looked down at the floor, looking worried.

Yu crossed over to her and gave her a hug. "For now, we need to trust that Teddie's okay. If he did run away, maybe he'll come back. But we need to try to figure out who the real killer is" he said, comforting the idol.

Naoto nodded in agreement. "The police consider the matter closed. We'll have to do all the investigation from here on out. Let's revisit Saki-san and Ms. Yamano's incidents and see if we can turn up fresh details." The others, excluding Yu and Souji, sighed exasperatedly.

"But it's been over six months...Wouldn't the trail be cold by now?" Chie complained, looking puzzled.

Yosuke shook his head. "I know, but we can't give up. We're the only ones who understand what's really going on. And you never know. People might remember some things now because they've had so much time to think about it. Let's split up and talk to people all over town tomorrow. We'll meet up in the evening to discuss our findings." The brunette looked around the room, seeing everyone agreeing with him.

"I hope we can find out something about Teddie, too..." Yukiko said.

Rise looked up at the girl and nodded. "I'll try asking around about him while we look." The team looked back at Nanako.

"We have to find the killer…for the sake of all the victims" Yu said quietly.