Opening Notes; Time to kick this story into overdrive! Lol sorry, I have the first five episodes of 5ds playing in the background, but as I promised before, this is where things are going to be kicked up a notch if I do this right. Enjoy folks!

Real quick, I want to give a shout out to a few of my more thoughtful reviewers. Ulrich362, Master of the Wild Card, and Hakuryukou79. Thanks guys and gals for the feedback, and let's not forget the awesome Minaly22. Without the cards she's created for this story, none of this would have been possible. Thanks again and as I said once before, if you're ever in the need for Yugioh card ideas, hit up Minaly22. Adios folks!

Also, Merry Christmas folks and have a safe but happy New Year!

With Sam's assault on the stadium ended, and no one the wiser about it, that left Yu and his friends in a rather odd situation given the fact that the domed building itself was in ruins. Their use of their Personas had totally destroyed sections of the floor, the ceiling had a gaping hole in it, and more than a few empty chairs had been crushed. Luckily for them, no one knew they were the ones responsible, but the damage to the stadium was extensive enough that the last duel of the day was cancelled, with Yu being declared the winner by default since Nanako was still peacefully asleep in Ryotaro's arms. He couldn't have cared less about winning the tournament since Yu was just grateful everyone was alright. The trophy, the money, none of that mattered to him in comparison to his family, his friends.

As such, with Nanako tucked into the backseat of Ryo's van, Yu and his friends rode alongside the detective as he led the way back to the Dojima residence. Labrys had gone her own way, saying that Mitsuru needed her back at Tatsumi Port Island. With the slowly increasing Shadow activity, she wanted all hands on deck, and Labrys was one of their most formidable warriors. They had bidden the Anti-Shadow weapon a number of fond farewells before they left for home, a noticeable spring in their step despite the impending trouble waiting for them on the horizon. They had learned long ago that dreading the future didn't change it, that they needed to enjoy what time they had, while they prepared for whatever came their way. That, among other things, was what it meant to be a Persona user.

Coming to a stop in front of the small, two floor house, Yu looked towards the setting sun and nodded his head in silent acknowledgement of the fight yet to come. Looking at the back seat where Ryo was currently getting a sleeping Nanako out of the car, he had a feeling that when she woke up, the next step in her journey to becoming a full fledged member of the Investigation Team would truly begin. And he'd be there, every step of the way.

(Play Persona 4, A Poem for Everyone's Soul.)

Velvet Room

Blinking sleepily, Nanako yawned and stretched before slowly blinking her brown eyes. She froze when her vision cleared up, and she saw that she wasn't tucked in her bed. She wasn't even in her house she quickly realized, her eyes falling upon the blue covered interior of someone's car. The quiet noise of the engine told her that on its own, but looking out the windows to her left and right revealed a serene, flower covered plains area whipping by as the unusually long car made its way. To where, she didn't know, nor did she really care, Nanako found to her mild surprise. Wherever she was, however she had gotten in this vehicle, she had the distinct impression she was safe. That nothing bad was allowed to happen here.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Velvet Room, Nanako Dojima." Igor stated in his usual semi-creepy voice, earning a startled yelp from the young girl as her gaze fell on the black suited man at the other end of the limousine. Igor merely chuckled, waved a white gloved hand, and folded it back under his obscenely long nose. "Do not be alarmed. You are safely asleep in your bed. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. And I must say, out of all of our previous guests, you are by far the youngest. Still, it would seem that, like your cousin, Yu Narukami, you have quite the intriguing destiny. Never have there been two Fools in the same family before."

"You're Igor, aren't you? You helped my Big Bro two years ago." Nanako gasped, and relaxed when the older man nodded his head.

"I, and my assistant Margaret, merely gave him the tools to complete the task that had been set before him. The will to act was his alone, Ms. Dojima." Before she could speak, Igor held up a hand and only then, looked up from his folded hands, a strange little smile on his face. "Your friends all united under his banner, and together, they did the impossible many times over. In several years, you as well, will be asked to do the same thing young one."

"Because of the power….I got during my duel." She stated rather than asked, and was rewarded with an amused chuckle from the Velvet Room resident. "And I'm supposed to do the same thing?"

"Indeed. But do not worry Nanako. You still have many years before you will be required to stand on your own against another great threat to your world. Enjoy your youth while it lasts, and whenever you feel you cannot proceed, remember the bonds you have already forged with your 'Big Bro' and his good friends."

"And if I say no?" Nanako asked with a just noticeable grimace on her face. Even as the words left her mouth though, they sounded hollow to her small ears.

Igor chuckled again and leveled his intense gaze on her. She got the powerful impression that he was looking right through her, rather than at her. If she didn't know any better, Nanako was sure Igor was staring at Okaasan herself, as if her Persona were all the proof he needed about the girl herself. "You would not be the first to say such things, but they always come around. Destiny would not have chosen you, if you were one to turn your back to the suffering of others. Your heart demands that you do whatever you can, to ensure that others do not come to harm."

Nanako felt a small smile appear on her lips despite the fact he had read her like an open book. She nodded her head at last, much to Igor's amusement. He was right. She couldn't just stand by. Even two years ago, after she had started to come out of her shell, she had tried to help her new friends and family in her own small way whenever the chance came along. "I see my faith was well placed. Rest now, and when we meet again, you will be ready for whatever comes next. Good luck."

Dojima Residence

Nanako woke up on the couch. She yawned and saw that everyone was sitting or standing about the living room, talking quietly amongst themselves. It was only when she sat up that she realized that she had been laying her head against her dad's leg. "Well hey there kiddo. Glad to see you're awake." Ryo said, a small smile on his stubble covered face. "Just in time for dinner, go figure." He teased before ruffling her short head of hair.

"Congrats on beating that Sam guy's butt Nanako-chan!" Chie was the first to say once everyone realized she had finally woken up. "Those new cards of yours sure pack a punch!" She stilled a moment later though, remembering what it had taken for her to get them in the first place.

Nanako shook her head before she or anyone else could say anything. "It's okay. I know...I know what you're going to say, and I'm fine, I promise! I have all of you with me, and you'll always find a way back, no matter what happens!" The rest she left unsaid with her dad sitting right next to her, but the Investigation Team knew more than enough.

But Detective Dojima wasn't stupid. Stupid got you killed in his line of work, and he was too stubborn to let some things go, especially when his family was in the center of it. It came as little surprise to Yu then when he turned his gaze on him from across the living room. "Something happened at that stadium. When Sam Tywell played that...whatever it was, something happened didn't it? Something to do with that other world." To him, it was the only explanation for Nanako's heartfelt outburst. A heartfelt outburst that Ryotaro felt was incomplete. His detective's intuition was rarely wrong when it came to such things.

"Yeah, it did Uncle Dojima." Yu admitted after a tense silence fell over them all. "But it's not my story to tell this time. But I do promise you this, what happened in that stadium has given Nanako the same power we all possess, the power to protect everyone. I also know she'll do just fine." He replied with every bit of sincerity he could muster. His gray eyes said the same thing, earning him a small, grim nod from Ryo.

"Alright, but you two aren't off the hook." The detective said at last, a slightly amused gleam in his gray eyes even as a frown appeared on his lips. "I want an answer to what happened today, but we're all tired and excited, so let's just eat, get some rest, but tomorrow you're mine." He chuckled when his nephew just smirked and nodded his head.

"That's fine. We have nothing to hide." Yu reassured him just as Yukiko and Chie came out of the nearby kitchen, bearing that night's dinner. The smell was too good for Chie's usual attempt in the kitchen, which told him that her 'assistance' had been minimal at best. They did not need a repeat of Mystery Food X. The memory of the school camping trip two years back, and the girls' attempt at making food for the rest of the team still left him with cold shivers at the sheer disgusting taste he could even now recall with perfect clarity. Yosuke had fallen after one bite, and he hadn't fared any better. Even though they had improved since then, Yu still looked at anything Chie and Yukiko made together with dread.

So much so that he had missed the last few moments of conversation. "-and then you used that Enchanted Marshmallon to weaken Sam's Avenger Knight! How'd you even know the effect Nanako-chan?" Yosuke asked, excitement in his big brown eyes. "You never used it before."

"He's right. How did you know Nana-chan?" Yukiko asked, an equally curious expression on her face.

"I just...knew. I can't explain it, just that I knew every card in my new Persona deck as if I had used them my whole life." Nanako replied, just as confused by it as they were, but she shrugged it off and beamed at them. "But I was still able to win! We still protected everyone! That's all that matters."

"Indeed Nanako-chan." Naoto agreed from a distant corner of the living room. "Regardless of the means, you were ultimately the hero of the day. What puzzles me is Sam's disappearance after his life points were wiped out. Someone didn't want him to talk." While the last part had been her musing aloud, Naoto wasn't all that surprised when her friends started to chime in.

"Maybe it's a side effect of using that Midnight Hour card?" Rise said thoughtfully, "he was awfully chatty about it until Nanako turned the tables on him. When he lost, it activated its effect and….made him disappear to the other world."

"It would seem so. It's one of the few explanations that make sense." Ryo groaned and rubbed his hands over his eyes before slapping at his knees once. "Until you came to town Yu, things were so much more simpler." He sighed but smiled despite the headache he currently had from the talk of magic, monsters, and who knew what else, none of which he had even known existed until Yu Narukami had showed up at his door. Not even a week later, and the first body appeared, strung up on a TV antenna. Even so, Ryo was no fool, and eventually found out the truth, that without Yu and his new friends, things would have gone far beyond a few dead bodies with not even a hair out of place to say what had happened to them. "Still, why a card game?" He finally asked, addressing the room at large.

"Who knows. And does it matter? Some jerk is trying to mess with us again, and as far as I can tell, this is the same shit Adachi would pull." Kanji growled out, and slammed his fist into his open hand. "'Cept that bastard's still in lockup, which means he can't have done this."

"That didn't stop him from helping us take down Mikazuki." Naoto stated, but held up a hand before they could speak. "That however does not make him a suspect. He helped us, as you just said, and while he did commit the first of the murders before having Namatame act as his unwitting proxy, he has done more to assist us than hinder us in recent months. Besides, we can easily access the prison's security videos and see if anything strange has happened since his transfer." This she directed at Ryotaro. "Right Dojima-san?"

"Yeah, we could, or rather I could if I thought anything was amiss. I'm still a detective after all, even if my reputation was torn apart by his antics that occurred right under my damn nose."

"But since we're uncertain about his involvement at the moment, you'd rather not risk it in case we're wrong." Yosuke sighed heavily in response before the older Dojima could say a word. "Well, we caught the last guy, I'm sure we can do it again." He perked up, an all too familiar smirk back on his face.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but can we just eat and worry about it tomorrow? Besides, some of us do have to get up in the morning." Rise chimed in, a teasing gleam in her own gaze as she looked towards Yosuke and Teddie.

"Rise's right, let's eat." Yu stated, and no one hesitated to follow his lead.

It wasn't until everyone had left that Ryo stopped Yu in the kitchen that he knew the detective wasn't going to wait until morning, not if the determined set of his jaw was anything to go by. Yu only nodded when he saw that Nanako was nowhere in sight, having already headed upstairs, which meant Ryotaro was wise enough to corner him once everyone was gone. That promised interrogation was being sprung on him early. "You want to know what happened."

"Yeah, especially since it involves Nanako. You know as well as anyone she's all I have left in the world Yu. You too, since you saved this family in more ways than one." Ryo said and motioned for him to sit at the table before taking the chair across from him.

"I understand, trust me. And trust me when I say I don't like this any more than you do, but if she's awakened to...the same power we have, then she may not have much of a choice. Besides, you know her as well as I do Uncle. She won't be content to sit idly by, not if she can do something." It was here that Yu stopped and gave the detective the briefest of grins. "She got that from you."

"It must run in the family, that tendency to run into danger rather than away from it." Ryo cracked a smile at that before sombering seconds later. "Now will ya quit stalling and get to the part where you start making sense?"

"I planned on it. But before I do, I need you to do something Uncle. Let me get to the end before you ask any questions, no matter what I say from here."

"That bad?" Ryo asked as he leaned back, and wasn't as relieved by Yu's shake of his head as he thought he'd be. His gut said this was going to be a long night.

"No….but it isn't gonna be easy since this hits a little too close to home." Yu emphasized that ominous statement by looking to a nearby picture that was hanging on a wall. It showed a baby Nanako, a far happier Ryotaro, and his dead wife, Chisato.

Ryo got the hint and stiffened at the implication. "What does Chisato have to do with this?"

It was still a sensitive subject for the older Dojima, and under normal circumstances Yu wouldn't have brought it up. But this was as far from ordinary as you could possibly get. "I never...I never explained how we got this power in the first place, not in detail at least." While he had told his uncle the highlights, enough for him to put the pieces together, they had decided not to include the how because of the simple reason it was far too personal. Yu sighed, hating to go behind his friends' backs like this, but things had changed when Sam decided to drag his cousin, Ryo's daughter, into the fight. So Yu told him the rest, all of it, leaving nothing out, as well as Nanako's recent confrontation against her 'Other Self'. The last part of his story was the hardest for that simple reason alone, and Ryotaro was understandably moody by the time Yu finished.

"That bastard….purposely dragged my daughter into his sick game, just to get to you?!" Ryo growled, and Yu could only nod since that was what it seemed like to him given Sam's words to Nanako. He sighed and slammed a hand against the kitchen countertop hard enough to rattle a few plates, but before Yu could get close, Ryotaro spun around and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's alright. I might not like it, but it's alright because you and your friends were there to protect everyone, Nanako included. I just hate feeling…."

"Helpless?" Yu finished, and Ryo only sighed in agreement. "I'd feel the same way if I wasn't able to do something about it. Even though I've been in the center of it since the start, there's still a lot of things I don't understand. Why now, why here, if it matters. Whatever the reasons, so long as we have the ability to protect people, then I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure we're there to stand in the way."

"Do you have to include Nanako in this as well Yu?" Ryotaro at last asked, before looking towards the same picture on the wall.

Yu knew all too well why he'd ask that. Despite having grown apart from Nanako after Chisato's death, he still valued the girl far more than any treasure in the world. Yu had helped remind him what being a father was about. Ryo's constantly running off to work anytime they called, of putting off time to be with her because she reminded him far too much about his wife, had stopped. To say she was the only thing he had left to live for wouldn't have been a far stretch. Knowing all this, Yu chose his next words carefully. "Let me ask you a question then Uncle Dojima. Would you rather she become a strong, capable woman, able to stand on her own two feet? To be able to face the world in all of its beauty and horror with her head held high? Or do you want to coddle her, to stop her from growing into the strong woman we both know is in there?"

Ryotaro Dojima could only blink at Yu's words before he lowered his head and gave a long, tired, drawn out sigh. "Damn….have I said you're too smart for your own good lately? Don't answer that." He said just as Yu started to open his mouth. Ryo let his hands drop to his sides before casting his weary gaze to the ceiling. "There's no way to talk her out of this either, she's just like me, as you said. She got her stubborn streak from Chisato though."

"Two very good qualities." Yu replied, a light smile on his face.

"Matter of opinion in this case." The detective muttered darkly, but he sighed again and relaxed slightly. "It's a lot to take in...especially since you just told me her...what'd you call it, her 'Other Self', tried to get her to jump. I still don't like it Yu, but I'm starting to understand why you didn't say anything before. Let me sleep on it...maybe it'll make sense in the morning."

"Good night Uncle." Yu said, only to receive a half hearted wave from the detective. It was a lot to take in, so he didn't blame Ryotaro for his reaction. With that in mind, Yu turned in soon afterward, having taken the time to wash the dishes before going to bed himself. The world might be ending, but the house work still needed done. Besides, it gave his whirling mind time to slow down. But it seemed his night wasn't over when he laid down, only to wake up in the back of Igor's car.

Velvet Room

"You know, I'm getting rather tired of being summoned like a dog, especially after Nanako was dragged into this." Yu sighed as he sat himself down on his customary seat across the table from Igor, Margaret, and much to his surprise, Marie.

"You think you have problems?" Marie shot back as she crossed her arms and glared daggers at the gray haired youth.

"I think we'll let you get reacquainted. Come along Margaret." Igor chuckled before disappearing. To where was anyone's guess.

"Marie, be kind. You know he'll help you if he can." Margaret intoned before she too disappeared, a strange look passing over her beautiful pale face.

Marie, otherwise known as Kusumi-No-Okami, a fragment of Izanami herself, in a manner of speaking, looked uncharastically depressed for the first time since they freed her of the Goddess's control. Taking a steadying breath, Yu leaned forward when it looked like the young woman wasn't going to start speaking. "I'm no longer able to do anything…."

"What?" Yu asked, confused, and almost jumped back when Marie rounded on him seconds later.

"I said that I'm no longer a god, a piece of a god, or otherwise moron!" Marie snapped back, her blue eyes flashing momentarily before she calmed somewhat, her hands clenched into tight fists against her skirt. "Someone managed to steal my powers when I was coming home from my weather announcement job. To make it worse, the stupid coward didn't even have the decency to face me, so I have no idea who it was or why. All I saw was a flash of golden light before I blacked out, stripped of everything. Normally I wouldn't complain for a chance to be normal, but how would you like it if someone up and stole your Personas?!"

"I'd probably be freaking out about as much as you are Marie." Yu replied matter of factly, trying to calm her down. He knew that was a mistake when she got up from her chair and started pacing frantically. When she was worked up, she became almost impossible to reason with. Almost. "We'll find him Marie."

"You better, because if you don't, he'll likely keep on giving freaks Shadow decks, or worse." She muttered darkly, and stopped when she felt Yu's curious gaze on her. "Yes, I know about the damn deck that freak Sam used earlier today. Why wouldn't I? It IS a part of Izanami's considerable repertoire jackass. Which means I can feel anytime a Shadow is called out of the other world to this one, where they don't belong."

"But you can't feel where this guy is keeping your power." Yu stated calmly, even as a part of him wanted to panic at the very idea that someone had gotten the drop on a god and stolen everything that made her as such.

"No, otherwise I'd have done something about it by now stupid." Marie grumbled before flopping down into a nearby seat. When she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, Yu knew she was in trouble. She rarely let her true emotions out so easily, not without a lot of growling and snarling anyway. "I hate being so helpless again….except now I actually know who and what I am, and that makes it worse. I can't stand by and let someone abuse my power….even if I was an unwitting spy for Kunino-Sagiri, Amani Sagiri, and Izanami-No-Okami. But being powerless...I hate it!"

"But you're not alone anymore Marie. You have us to rely upon now. You don't have to go this alone." Yu replied, remembering the trials they had faced in order to give Marie a chance to live her own life.

Marie remembered it as well, and slowly let her legs drop back to the ground as she looked over towards him. "I know….and thank you, for all you've done up until now Yu. You saved me….gave me my freedom despite the 'role' I had been created for. You destroyed the fog, gave me my life, and I've created my own memories since. I've lived. I've lived and experienced so much, thanks to you and our friends….your friends really. I wouldn't have been anyone if not for you. That's why….I know you can succeed." Yu smiled and nodded as Marie leveled her deep blue eyes on his face, an immeasurably grateful smile on her face. "Just be careful Yu. If something were to happen to you…."

"Don't worry Marie, I'll be fine. We'll all be fine, I promise." Yu reassured her, his voice full of conviction, to do everything he could to see it through to the end.

"You….promise. Then I know you'll do everything you can to keep that promise." With that, the Velvet Room began to fade as it always did when his time there was over.

Dojima Residence

Waking up in his room, Yu wasted no time in preparing for the day, especially with Ryotaro no doubt wanting to talk to him and Nanako at some point. When he got to his door however, he wasn't all that surprised to hear voices down the hall from his room, and slowly peeked his head around the door after opening it slightly. Again, he wasn't surprised to see Nanako and his Uncle talking, and from the intense looks being exchanged, he was willing to bet his entire collection of Personas he had either found in the Midnight Channel or fused in the Velvet Room, that their talk involved what had happened yesterday.

It must have been the end though because Ryo walked away a moment later, but not before looking towards Yu, a small smile on his face. Yu smiled back, even though he had been caught peeking at them, and shrugged as he walked towards Nanako who was still standing in the center of the hall, a thoughtful look on her face. When their eyes met, she only smiled widely, nodded her head, and walked away. That was all the reassurance Yu needed as he turned on his heel and went about his own morning ritual.

Twenty minutes later saw them sitting at the kitchen table, a comfortable silence surrounding them despite the heavy tension that had permeated the house last night. Ryo was the first to break the peaceful quiet, an unreadable expression on his face. "I still don't like all this talk of her getting involved in all this, but I realize I can't really stop it from happening either. Be it as it may, I want you both to promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course." Yu stated without a second thought.

"We will daddy, promise!" Nanako exclaimed before looking down at her food, a somber look appearing in her small brown eyes. "I want to be like Big Bro, I want to protect people. I want to make mommy proud….and you!"

"Nanako….you don't need to do anything to make me proud, just being you is enough." Ryotaro replied, smiling warmly down at his little girl before turning to Yu. "Guess you better get going then. Yosuke called, said he wanted you and Nanako to come down to Junes. I have a feeling they have something planned, given recent events." The detective shot a wry grin at the pair, and finally relaxed. "I know that whatever happens, you'll be just fine."

"Yeah! We're all one big family!" Nanako cheerfully declared.

"And it's all thanks to this guy." Ryo replied, before giving his nephew a strange look. "And just so you're aware, you can get her armor, but put a weapon in her hands and we'll be having words buddy."

"I take it you know about Daidara's equipment shop then." Yu chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm a detective, I figured it out pretty quick after you told me everything two years ago. Well, almost everything." Ryo added with a light chuckle, even if his previous statement had been completely serious. "I never would have guessed you had all that gear though, and that you managed to sneak it in and out of the Junes electronics department? You and your friends were pretty clever."

"Well, we were coming in and out of the giant flat screen, and no one caught us once, so there's that too." Yu added, and earned him another light laugh for his trouble, while Nanako just giggled, happy that they were happy. "Even so, most of our armor could have passed for clothes, and since we wore it underneath our regular outfits, it worked out well enough I suppose."

"Well, as I said, armor's all well and good, but let's keep the pointy objects away for now. Alright?" Even light hearted as it sounded, Yu knew better than to tempt fate by pressing the detective's compromise further than he was willing to go. Besides, Nanako was only ten years old, and while yes she had a Persona, they weren't about to go looking for trouble, so he was fine keeping it simple.

"That's fine. Besides, we never went looking for trouble, it always had a tendency to find us." Yu replied honestly, chuckling sheepishly while Nanako giggled yet again. "But yeah, I'm not about to go against your wishes Uncle."

"Good. Now get outta here you two." Ryo shot them a grin as he watched them go. Despite his misgivings with Nanako being 'chosen' or whatever to bear the same responsibilities that his nephew and his friends did, he believed that she'd be just fine as long as Yu was with her. He'd keep her safe, even at the cost of his own life, which according to him, it had almost come to that when he and his friends had gone up against Izanami-No-Okami. Whatever the case, Ryotaro was able to let them leave the small house without any concerns or worries for their wellbeing.

Daidara's Equipment Shop

Central Shopping District

With all the excitement of beating Izanami-No-Okami two years ago, Yu had forgotten the hoard of treasure he and his friends had collected from the Goddess's domain. Before they had left the house that morning, he had remembered the secret compartment he had created in the floor of his room, and had ran back in, grabbed his duffel bag that he had kept his katana in for whenever they went to the Other World, and grabbed every piece of seemingly random pieces of loot they had collected along the way. Daidara usually bought everything they brought in on the spot, or used the materials to forge them new and better equipment. Either way, Yu and his friends had walked away from their investigation, and saving the world from the mad Goddess, with quite a chunk of change to spare after everything was said and done. That said, they had agreed to use their combined funds only for emergencies, such as preventing another catastrophe, if for no other reason that it'd be hard to explain why they had far more money than they should have otherwise had. He was certain they wouldn't mind if he used some of it to purchase a new suit of armor for Nanako though.

Walking into the shop was like going back in time, and it brought a sense of nostalgia to see the master smith at his desk, his face uplifting into a grin at seeing one of his favorite customers back in town. "Yu Narukami! It's been a while!"

"Master Daidara, it's good to see you too." Yu replied, his gray eyes having since swept over the small shop's interior. Everything was as he remembered. The armors and weapons on display, everything neatly organized on either side, and more than a few pieces were situated behind the glass facade that dominated most of the front desk. The smell of the man's forge tucked away in the back room was still heavy in the air, but it never bothered Yu. The master smith's creations had likely saved their lives more times than he could count. "I hope you're not too busy but I could use a favor."

"Come to outfit your new friend have you? I take it she's like you then? Full of surprises?" He asked, a knowing gleam in his eyes since he was one of the few people that had caught onto their constant running in and out of his shop, bringing in new and strange materials or needing past creations fixed for reasons they weren't comfortable in explaining. He had never asked though, and the one time Yu had contronted him about it, Daidara had surprised him, a hard thing to do on a good day, by saying he knew that whatever they were doing, that they had their town's best interest at heart. He had had a 'good sense' about them the moment Yu and his friends had walked in his humble shop. "So, what'll it be kiddo?" Daidara asked Nanako directly, and chuckled when she jumped and backed away.

"Um…." Nanako muttered and hid behind Yu's back, suddenly shy and uncertain in the presence of the strange, overly excited older man in front of her.

"It's alright Nanako." Yu chuckled as he ruffled her hair before directing his gray gaze on the master smith. "If you still have the materials, we'll probably just take another of the Haten Robes for now. I promised my uncle we wouldn't be giving her anything but armor for now." Even as he said that though, Yu couldn't help but notice that Nanako's gaze had been drawn to an intricately rune covered staff that hung on the right wall, behind a full suit of red, gold, and black samurai armor. He felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck as a vivid image of her trying to swing the staff came to his mind, and the ensuing dressing down he'd get from Ryo if he let her have it.

"Got it. I take it you have more materials for me then." He said, his gaze falling on the all too familiar beat up white and gray duffel bag at his side. "Let's see what you got!" Daidara's excitement was palpable, and once again, Yu was reminded of all of their previous encounters as he unloaded everything he had brought on the man's counter. After a few moments of shifting through the assorted items, Daidara nodded his head and stroked his chin before gathering everything into his bulky arms. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your order. This is just like the old days!" He called over his shoulder, all but running from the room in obvious glee at being given a chance to forge something truly unique once again. As promised, Daidara returned a few minutes later after a lot of loud banging emanated from the back room, before coming out with a bundle of white robes that were far tougher than they appeared. "That felt amazing to be able to flex my creative side again! Take it on the house Yu. For all that you and your friends did way back when."

"Thanks Master Daidara." Yu said as he carefully placed the new armor, considerably smaller than he was used to seeing, into his duffel bag, before slinging it back on his shoulder.

"Th-thank you Master Daidara!" Nanako replied earnestly, earning her a loud bout of laughter from the smith.

"You're more than welcome young lady. Now go on, enjoy the summer while it lasts!" With that, the two left, taking Daidara's advice to heart.

"He was really nice! Did he make everything for you and your friends Big Bro?" Nanako asked, her brown eyes wide and full of excitement as she walked beside Yu down the busy sidewalk. The Central Shopping District was livelier than ever, everyone truly happy and cheerful despite the horrible events that had occurred two years ago. With their victory, they were able to dispel the fog of lies from both the other world and this one, leaving nothing but the truth behind, which meant the people of their world were able to hold their heads high, among other things.

The simple truth was that their hard won victory had done a great deal to improve the lives of everyone around them, giving them new purpose, a new drive to see each day to its fullest, even if most of them had no clue as to why they suddenly felt livelier than ever. With that in mind, Yu wasn't about to waste his own chance at a full and happy life either as he answered Nanako's question. "Yeah. His creations saved our lives more than once Nanako. But let's not go looking for trouble." He added, earning him an amused giggle from the girl at his side.

"Right!" It was then that they heard an excited cheer from the distant parking lot that surrounded the Junes supermarket. "It's Teddie! Hey!"

"Hey there Nana-chan! Everyone's up in the Food Court, Sensei! See ya there!" The golden blonde haired young man shouted back before running towards the giant store. Yu and Nanako took one look at each other, and took off with all speed, both of them just as excited to see their friends after yesterday's trial.

The moment the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by the exuberant cheers from the entire Investigation Team, with Teddie and Yosuke naturally being the loudest of the bunch. Shouts of congratulations were the most prevalent, as was to be expected even if no clear winner had been determined. Even so, Yu wouldn't have cared either way since seeing everyone so happy and carefree was reward enough. Despite Marie's admission of losing her powers, he wouldn't have brought them down since they had something to celebrate. They'd need all the hope they could muster if this latest mystery turned out to be anything like last time. Let them enjoy the moment.