The Shortest Distance from A to B

by zero-damage

Persona 4. A record of Kanji Tatsumi's year - specifically, his interactions with and raging crush on one difficult pint-size detective.

29. Chapter 23

A/N: Long chapter is long. Apologies for the delay, real life intruding as always.

Story so far: Everyone was a drama queen.*

In this part: Teddie goes bear-hunting, the team conquer the castle, and Kanji spends a night in the rain.

(*credit to DemonRaily, and I wish I'd thought of it for the last chapter)

---

November 17th, 2011

"I'm serious, Souji," Chie snapped. She shot him a fleeting sideways glare, but her attention stayed on Yukiko. "That was way too close."

Kintoki-Douji finally flickered out of existence. Four Diarahans in a row must've snapped what energy he had left. Most of it had been spent hours ago, when Teddie had been scaling the castle's upper floors and Yukiko had been the one sitting idle outside the gates. Souji had come back for her later, of course - then almost gotten her killed, along with the rest of the team.

Kanji shook his head. Souji had done his best. And, pale face and frost-dusted sweater aside, Yukiko seemed fine now.

"C'mon, senpai," he said to her, reaching out his hand. With a faint smile, she latched on and let him pull her up.

Across the castle courtyard, Chie still hadn't quit. "We couldn't have crawled back here, we were so wrecked! What if you hadn't had any Goho-Ms?"

Souji mumbled something in response - and now Yukiko was joining in too, trying to intervene - but Kanji couldn't focus. He glanced over his shoulder. Naoto was sitting on the steps to the main entrance, fingers toying with the long tear in the left side of her school jacket. It ran down to the hem and the edges were stained rust red.

She'd been far better off than Yukiko - who Souji had basically carried back - but the slash she'd taken from a Dancer had been pretty bad. Leave your Persona running on empty and the hits got dangerous. If Souji hadn't warped the team out, she would've been in real trouble.

He walked over. "You, uh, doin' alright?"

Naoto looked up at him, then quickly away. She folded her arms over the torn fabric. "I am fine."

It was pretty sad, Kanji thought, that a three-word answer had doubled what she'd said to him since their run-in with Sonoda.

Souji's voice - rising and edged with frustration - cut through his thoughts. "It had nothing to do with how strong we are," Senpai insisted, the heel of his hand pressed against his forehead. "I just…pushed a little too far." He sighed, dropping his arm back to his side. "I'm sorry."

Chie quirked an eyebrow at him. Glancing at Yosuke, Kanji saw his mouth curl into a small, relieved smile.

Souji turned to Rise. "You're still sensing something on the tenth floor?"

"Yeah. Something very strong," Rise said. Her visor and Himiko both dissolved into the air. "Feels a lot like a True Shadow."

"In that case, we're going back to the main lot."

"Agreed." Naoto quickly stood up and began walking toward him, noticeably favouring her left side. "We will purchase some restoration leaves and -"

"No. We're leaving. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Or the day after," Yosuke cut in, then cringed under Souji's sudden glare. "Look, partner, we're all beat. If Namatame's up on the next floor…"

Surprisingly, there was only a moment's hesitation. "Fair enough. Ted and the girls could use a break."

Chie gave a firm nod. Yukiko just looked away.

Naoto didn't say anything either - but Kanji had caught the flash of confusion in her eyes when Souji had first proposed leaving. He felt a little bewildered too; he'd been startled enough when Hanamura put the idea of a rest day forward, and he definitely hadn't expected Souji to agree. Whatever his two senpai had said to each other three nights ago had clearly changed something.

They filed back to the main lot, Rise taking the lead. Chie looked like she wanted to sling Yukiko over her shoulder and haul her out the television, but settled for quietly fussing over her instead. Kanji had resigned himself to just watching Naoto, and hoping she wouldn't catch him doing it. He needn't have worried; her gaze was fixed on Souji.

It wasn't until they were all lined up in front of the television stack, waiting to climb through the screen, that she finally pulled Senpai aside. They both moved to the edge of the lot, near one of the metal towers that held up the stage lights and out of hearing range. Kanji couldn't tell what they were discussing - only that every time he looked back, Naoto was the one speaking.

---

November 18th, 2011

"Dinner, fresh from Souzai Daigaku!" Yosuke pulled a Styrofoam container out of the bag, popped it open, and passed it to Souji. "Good prices, occasionally good food -"

"- and we'll spend so long chewing it, it'll last all week," Souji said, peering disdainfully at his blackened steak skewers.

Tired of waiting, Kanji had started rifling through the paper bag himself. Where the hell was his fried rice? "No way. If we don't finish it tonight, we're using the leftovers for ballistics."

"Ingrates," Yosuke muttered, with a roll of his eyes that turned into a wince when he opened his box of steak croquettes. "I was gonna call Aiya to deliver, but Souji's been living off that lately."

"I'm not a great cook," Souji said, a little sheepishly. "Never seem to have the right ingredients."

Senpai's new diet of greasy take-out probably didn't have much to do with his skills as a chef. Kanji glanced at him, then at the kotatsu, then shrugged. "You won that omelette cook-off."

Locked in battle with a mouthful of charred steak, Souji took a while to respond. "… I'm mediocre, not terrible," he eventually explained. "My parents tend to work late, so I learned to do the basics."

"Problem starts when you get creative. Like that cold potato soup thing you brought for lunch." Chopsticks aloft, Yosuke winced. "I haven't eaten mayonnaise since."

Souji's brow furrowed. "Ran out of milk. I was hoping it'd work."

Yosuke grinned, rolled his eyes again, and went back to his croquettes.

The silence felt more awkward than it should have. But they were sitting at the same table - and though Yosuke seemed weirdly nervous and everything Souji said sounded just a little forced, Kanji let it slide. His two senpai were at least trying to mend their bridges. More than he could say for him and Naoto.

…Shit, why was he dredging that up again? Kanji couldn't remember getting so hung up on anyone in his life; six months stuck on the same refrain.

He looked around the Dojimas' living room as he ate, trying to distract himself. Last time he'd eaten here had been at the watermelon party back in the summer. He'd turned half the kitchen upside down trying to find the damn salt until Nanako had finally taken pity on him and pulled it out from a dark corner cabinet. After that, she'd given him the grand tour: explained how she ordered the dishware, showed him where she'd found her half-eaten science project (with an apologetic note from Big Bro), and proudly pointed out her three crayon drawings of Detective Loveline, stuck with magnets to the front of the fridge.

The pictures were gone now, and so were the dolls and building bricks by the television stand. Kanji wasn't surprised.

"We should've gone in today," Souji suddenly said.

Yosuke glanced up mid-mouthful, quickly swallowed, then shook his head. "Nah. It's better that we take a break before - you know."

"Yosuke, she's been in there two weeks."

"An' tomorrow's the end," Kanji said. "Looking forward to takin' out Namatame, that son of a bitch."

Souji shot him a warning look. "Careful, Kanji. We need to bring them both back safely."

Letting loser punks like Sonoda turn and run was one thing. Holding back on a kidnapping, murdering bastard was another completely - and who'd miss Namatame anyway? But Souji was still staring, waiting for an answer, so Kanji gave a halfhearted nod. "Gonna be like with Kubo. Kick his ass, haul him back out."

"Good. He'll face justice." Senpai was saying the right stuff. He just didn't sound all that convinced.

Opposite him, Yosuke had abandoned the croquettes in favour of poking holes in the foam container with his chopsticks. He glanced over his shoulder. "You okay there, Ted?"

Teddie was sitting cross-legged on the sofa and staring at the floor. For once, he hadn't been interested in dinner. Kanji wasn't sure whether the bear really needed to eat; maybe he'd just been mimicking everyone else.

"I was thinking," he said. "It's hard for humans to be inside the television. Nana-chan deserves something special when she gets back."

"She wanted a new kotatsu," said Souji. "This one doesn't heat up properly."

Yosuke shrugged. "No problem. We've got tons in stock at Junes and I get a store peon discount."

"Okay." Souji glanced at Kanji, mouth curved in a slight smile. "She might like a doll, too."

"Yeah, we sell those," Yosuke said, with a reproving glare at Teddie. "Somebody keeps moving all the Risette ones to the front of the main display. You know those aren't really for kids, right?"

Teddie's forehead creased in confusion. "But everyone likes Rise-chan! Nana-chan does too, we should get a Risette for her."

"Whatever, Ted. We'll get the nice, non-creepy kotatsu instead."

"We'll pick it up on Sunday," Souji said, then quietly added, "Depending on how things go."

"Cool. Hey - I, uh, brought a few DVDs. Two of them are Satonaka's dumb kung-fu stuff, but they're kinda fun."

Souji blinked at him. "She actually let you borrow them? After 'Trial of the Dragon'?"

"Hey, you know how it is, partner." Yosuke waggled his eyebrows. "Ladies can't say no."

"Never thought I'd hear you call Chie a lady."

The grin Yosuke had been sporting vanished. "Dude, you're the one who keeps nagging me to be nicer to her!" He gestured toward his backpack, dumped by the kitchen table. "You wanna watch one?"

Souji fidgeted against the floor, expression now carefully blank. "Not tonight," he mumbled. "There's a lot to plan."

Yosuke looked crestfallen, but didn't push it. He diverted the conversation instead. Something about weird mystery gifts recently appearing in Souji's locker, and how he seriously needed to exploit his popularity. The rest of the evening continued in the same vein: Kanji tuning in and out as Yosuke flitted over inoffensive topics, Souji forcing tight smiles, and Ted staring out the window until the sky grew dark.

---

Kanji arrived back at the shop at around seven, helped his mother close up for the night - then pulled out a spare display stand and went to work.

Souji's comment about the doll hadn't been lost on him. It'd also reminded him of something else Senpai had suggested a few weeks back, in such an off-the-cuff manner that Kanji had initially ignored it, but which right now sounded like a great distraction. Something that'd keep him from worrying about tomorrow and stewing over Naoto - mostly because he'd be worrying over what everyone else would think instead.

But hell, it was time to man up. No turning back, Kanji vowed, as he grabbed a tennis-player tiger and added it to the stand.

If Takeshi and his mom had liked the dolls, perhaps other people would too - and it wasn't like anybody had to know who'd made them, right? Even if he only sold a couple, it'd offset the cost of his materials. And on the off chance they turned out to be popular, he could start taking more custom requests, get an order system going and - -

The shop bell rang behind him.

Startled, he dropped the pink rhinoceros in his hand, pivoted - and saw Teddie waving at him from the doorway, a cheerful smile on his face. "Hey, Kanji-chan!"

…Oh, crap.

Arms spread, Kanji lurched back and tried to hide the display. "Dammit, why're you here? Shop's closed!"

"Door's unlocked," said Teddie. "And I want to buy something."

"Y-you already got a scarf outta Ma!" Damn bear was wearing it now, and it was still yellow and now it clashed with his bright blue duffel coat too and why wouldn't he just fricking leave? "The hell else d'you need?"

"One of the dolls you made, Kanji-chan. You're standing in front of them," Ted added helpfully.

Kanji briefly debated flying into a full-on rage, but vetoed it in favour of lowering his arms, taking a deep breath, and trying to limit the damage. "H-how'd you know I- -"

"Tatsumi-san told me last time I visited. She said you like to make hats and scarves and dolls and that you're a bear-y good boy even if you do keep sticking metal in your face."

"Ted," Kanji began, very carefully. "You cannot tell anyone else 'bout this, got it? Or I swear, I will stuff you face-first in your bear suit and glue the zipper shut."

Teddie's frown landed somewhere between confusion and disappointment. "Why?"

"Because!" Souji knew, Naoto knew, and that was already two people more than Kanji had ever intended.

"But you've put them in the shop." Ted stepped forward, leaning around him and peering at the dolls perched on the display. "People are gonna see."

"So? Nobody has to know I made 'em!" Kanji would have to make doubly sure Ma understood that part. "An' it - it was Souji-senpai's idea anyway."

Teddie gave a satisfied nod. "Sensei has all the good ideas! Like what presents we should get for Nana-chan." He paused, fiddling with the drawstrings on his coat. "Which is why Teddie's here."

Realization dawned on Kanji. For perhaps the first time ever, Ted had a legitimate reason to be bugging him. "That's why you want one of the dolls?"

"Sensei's been busy lately," Teddie said, intently studying a purple stuffed giraffe. "He won't have time to pick out the best one."

Kanji had planned to choose the doll himself - but if he needed something to distract him, Ted probably did too. "…Fine," he said, stepping aside. "Have at it."

Teddie beamed at him, broad and uncomplicated, then turned back to the display.

He spent less time deciding than Kanji had expected. Ten minutes later - most of which Kanji spent sweeping the shop floor and desperately hoping that none of this would ever make it back to Yosuke - Teddie wandered over, a brown toy bear clutched in his hand.

Puppies, Kanji had figured. Maybe pandas. Souji had even mentioned something about a platypus, though that'd have to be a custom job. But a bear? He frowned, first at the doll, then at Ted. "Nanako likes bears?"

Teddie gave a small shrug. "She likes me."

Kanji looked at the stuffed bear again. He'd made it back in the spring, right after Souji and the senpai had pulled him out of the television. Kept it simple. No outfit, no accessories, just brown fur and button eyes.

"I, uh, could make her one a'you," he offered, staring resolutely at the broom in his hands and hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. "In your suit."

"That's lovely, but why would you make a stuffed toy broom?"

Kanji's head snapped up. "No, dumbass! Of you!"

"Ohhhhh." Teddie paused again, brow furrowed in thought. "Later, maybe. Nana-chan will be back before you can finish it."

"…Yeah. 'Course."

"And a mini-Teddie could never be rushed." He held the bear aloft, one of its arms in each of his hands. "All the dashing good looks and enchanting charm that broke a thousand hearts, squeezed into one of these! It'll take you months."

Kanji didn't mention that he'd already started a few prototype Persona dolls, and that if he could wrangle Izanagi into knitted form then a suited Teddie would be a breeze. Instead, he leant the broom against the wall then snatched the bear from Ted's raised hands. "This is going in a bag and stayin' there till you give it to Nanako, alright?"

Teddie nodded absently as he rifled through his coat pockets. From the left, he pulled out a clutch of crumpled notes, and from the right, a handful of coins. "Here," he said, holding them out.

"Whassat for?"

"To pay for the doll."

"Dammit, Ted, I ain't takin' your money," Kanji growled. "Just - keep quiet 'bout all this, okay?"

For a moment, Teddie simply blinked at him. Then he shrugged again, put the notes and coins back in his pockets, and smiled. "If you want, Kanji-chan."

Kanji responded with a halfhearted scowl. The toy bear was going in the plainest bag he could find. Hell, he'd tape the top shut for good measure - and, in the future, remember to lock the fricking shop door.

---

November 19th, 2011

Getting back to the ninth level of the castle was simple. Kanji wasn't sure how, but, as usual, Souji could control where the entrance portal would let out, or at least at which floor. Only worked on levels they'd already fought through - why can't anything be easy, Senpai had once complained - but it was better than nothing. Especially when the TV world had a nasty habit of moving all the furniture around every time the team left.

However, that usually didn't involve getting rid of all the Shadows.

The twisted branch that stretched up to the tenth level was a long walk from where they'd warped in, yet they hadn't encountered a single Shadow. Like they'd all just up and vanished. Kanji was convinced that they'd come from Namatame rather than Nanako - so did that mean something had happened to him?

"I don't get this," Chie muttered, peering up through the gap between the ninth and tenth floors. "Where are all the Shadows? This place was crawling with them last time we were here!"

Rise stood at the back of the group, eyes covered by her Persona's visor. "Himiko can sense them…but on the next floor. Whatever's up there is acting like a magnet."

"Then we need to move quickly," said Souji. "Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, I want you up front."

For a split-second, Naoto looked utterly bewildered. "Senpai- -"

Souji cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. "You aren't equipped for this fight. We've never encountered a True Shadow vulnerable to light or dark and Sukuna-Hikona's other attacks weaken you too much."

"But I need to- -"

"Naoto-kun, we talked about this. The decision's been made."

"...Very well." Hands clasped behind her back, Naoto stood down and stiffly stepped away.

"What about the rest of us?" Yosuke asked, a little too hopefully.

"I'll need two strong healers, and Chie's our best front-line fighter," Souji said, glancing at him and Kanji in turn. "I'm sorry."

"…No worries." Yosuke tried to smile, but it quickly faltered. "We'll have your back, partner."

They scaled the branch to the tenth floor one-by-one, Souji taking point and Teddie (who had enough trouble negotiating stairs in his bear suit) clinging to his waist. Chie and Yukiko went next, then Naoto, then Rise and Yosuke - with a stern warning from the former that the latter had better be good at climbing with his eyes closed. By the time Kanji made it to the top, Souji was standing in front of a huge set of double doors, each carved of dark granite and decorated with a golden lion's head.

He leaned forward and pressed one ear against the smooth surface. "Definitely something behind there. Sounds like a lot of voices all talking at once."

"Can you hear Namatame?" Yosuke asked. "Or Nanako-chan?"

Souji shook his head. "Rise, you're sure they're both here?"

"Positive, Senpai."

"Right. Let's go."

The doors were as heavy as they looked. Kanji and Chie each shoved one halfway open and the rest of the team spilled through the gap - directly on to a narrow wooden bridge. On the other side was an island, bathed in brilliant sunlight and somehow floating in the air. Beautiful as the castle entrance had been, 'Heaven' had still seemed a weird name for a place crawling with Shadows - but now, Kanji understood. The Shadows had been Namatame's, same as the nine floors of twisting passages that led here. This place was Nanako's.

…But what the hell was with all the whispering? Dozens of overlapping voices that Kanji could barely tell apart, much less recognize. He couldn't even make out any words. Were people watching them on the Midnight Channel again?

"There, on that island." Rise pointed across the bridge. "That's where the Shadows are gathering. An think Nanako-chan might be there."

Yukiko hesitated, glancing first at Chie, then at Souji. "Um, maybe we should go slowly. We don't know what to- -"

Souji took off running.

As the team followed him haphazardly across the bridge, the sun only seemed to get brighter, its rays reflecting off the white stone statues circling the floating island's rim. Yukiko was right - they ought to be careful, something felt wrong - but Souji just kept going, barreling up the steps on the other side and leaving Kanji no choice but to follow.

Halfway up, Senpai jerked to a halt. Kanji almost slammed into him - then looked over his shoulder. At the top of the steps, dwarfed by the statues, stood a man dressed in the same green uniform and cap as the deliverymen Kanji regularly saw at the textiles shop. Had to be Namatame. And he was holding Nanako.

"B-Big Bro!" Nanako cried, squirming in Namatame's grip.

He twisted sideways, tugging her with him as if to shield her. "No! You mustn't leave!"

"Namatame." Souji's voice was stretched far too taut. "Let her go."

Namatame's eyes widened with surprise. His grip on Nanako relaxed a fraction.

"We know who you are and what you've done," Yukiko said. "Let go of Nanako-chan!"

He stared at her, face flickering with recognition. "I remember you. The girl in the kimono. You were smiling. You - you were supposed to be safe in here." His blank gaze traveled over Kanji and Rise in turn. "You all were."

Naoto climbed a step higher, passing Souji. "Nothing about this world is safe. Release the child and we can all leave."

Namatame blinked at Naoto, then down at Nanako, like he'd forgotten he was holding her. "No…you don't understand, I have to save her too."

That same 'save' crap as before…and none of it mattered. The scumbag had hold of Nanako, he was hurting her, and they were all just standing and watching while he- -

"Quit talkin' shit and let the girl go!" Kanji roared, launching himself forward.

He made it two steps up before noticing someone had grabbed hold of his jacket. It was another step further before Namatame reacted - jerking back, face twisted with fear, both arms tightening around Nanako. "D-don't come near me!"

…Dammit. Freak the guy out, he might hurt Nanako worse. She'd started coughing, smacking her small fists against the forearm pressed against her neck. Kanji stopped dead - then realized someone was still tugging on the back of his jacket. Someone who he'd just pulled up three steps.

Glancing over his shoulder, he barely caught sight of Naoto behind him. "What're you- -"

"Calm down!" she hissed. "We have no idea what we're dealing with!"

"But he's gonna hurt her!"

"If you startle him again, almost certainly. It would be reckless to take any action without discerning his intentions. We have to keep him talking."

Shit, how was Naoto so calm? She'd fought almost every step of the way up here, even gotten pissed over not being on the final team - and now she wanted to talk to this asshole?

With three steps between them, Naoto and Souji were on the same eye level. He looked at her, jaw tensed. "…Are you sure about that?"

Naoto gave him a firm nod, then stepped out from behind Kanji to face Namatame. "Why are you doing this?

Namatame didn't answer at first; just stared into space, eyes glazed and hollow. "On rainy nights, on the television…they signal me…to save them." he finally answered. "That's why I put them in. That's why I brought this child in."

"Big Bro, h-help me!"

"Dammit, just let her go!" Souji yelled.

He wasn't supposed to snap like that; he wasn't that kind of guy. The most emotion Kanji had seen him show was right after their failed attempt at rescuing Naoto, and even then he hadn't sounded so desperate, hadn't had his voice crack halfway through. Now he was staring up at Nanako, one foot on the next step up but his body twisted away - like half of him wanted to move and the rest didn't.

"Senpai, we need to pull his attention away from Nanako-chan!" Naoto hadn't taken her eyes off Namatame, and if Souji had planned to answer, she didn't give him time. "Namatame-san. How does putting people in this place constitute saving them?"

Namatame was still staring away, gaze fixed on the top step of the wide staircase. "It was supposed to be a safe place - b-but it isn't. They're everywhere, I - you can hear them, can't you?" He shivered. "I - I didn't know…I just wanted to save you."

Rise was still at the back of the group, but the girl always knew how to make herself heard. "Did I ever ask you to save me?"

More importantly, how did throwing someone in here help them? "And you didn't save us, dammit!" Kanji snarled. "It was the exact opposite!"

"But…if I hadn't put you in the TV - how would you have ended up?"

A hell of a lot better, Kanji thought. Wouldn't have woken up in some weird-ass bathhouse, wouldn't have needed rescuing, would never have met his flaming creeper of a Shadow and had to listen to it whine over- -

He paused.

Facing his Shadow had been one of the most difficult and painful experiences in his life. But what would've happened if he hadn't?

Rise must've hit the same conclusion. "…You mean, we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves? But - but we nearly died!"

Namatame stared at her, expression suddenly pained. "Exactly. And you didn't - because of me."

Behind Kanji, Souji drew a deep breath. "We're getting nowhere, Naoto-kun."

Naoto twitched her head to the right, as if to glance back at him, but her gaze stayed fixed on Namatame. "I have one more question. What is your connection to the Midnight Channel? Are you controlling it?"

He shook his head fiercely. "No! How could I? I-I don't know how it works! Innocents appear, tell me to help them. Save them."

"How does murdering people save them?" Souji barked. "What kind of savior tries only to kill?

"Murder…? No, no, I'm helping them!"

"We've helped people. You've done nothing but harm!"

Doubt flared in Namatame's eyes but shifted immediately into anger, impossible shadows flickering over his face. "Shut up!" he snarled, his entire being focused on Souji. "I know you. I know what you are!"

"What are you - -"

"All the people I saved…you're using them. Fooling them," Namatame spat. "This girl included! But you won't hurt her anymore - because I'm gonna save her!"

Couldn't talk to the guy. Why had they even bothered trying? All they'd done was waste time listening to him babble and talk shit about Senpai - and despite his best attempts to control it, Kanji's temper finally snapped. "You asshole! You're not gonna get away with this!"

Naoto grabbed his arm. "Hold on - we have to - -"

Kanji broke from her grip without effort and strode up another two steps. "What we have t'do is kick his ass!"

"Kanji-kun, we need to find out what he knows!"

"Enough!" Souji snapped, with a vicious swipe of his arm. "I've had it with this - -"

"Shut the hell up!"

At the sound of Namatame's voice - now almost a scream - Kanji pivoted back to face him. Dark fog curled around his body, his face and yellow eyes now fully cast in the same strange shadows.

"What a wonderful world…an unknown, unreachable place, filled with fog." He laughed, a high-pitched, terrible sound that echoed through the air. "It's filthy over there. So many evildoers…but I'm a Saviour! A righteous hero!"

Souji lunged forward. "No you aren't!"

Naoto made a grab for his jacket. "Senpai, wait!"

But Souji was already running, shoving past her and scaling the remaining steps two at a time. "Nanako!"

After that, everything seemed to happen at once.

Naoto immediately hurtled after Souji. Yosuke yelled at them both to stop. Chie slammed into his back as she barreled up the stairs, Yukiko and Teddie almost tripping over her in turn - and somewhere behind them, Rise was begging everyone to wait, this wasn't safe, they weren't even in formation and –

Teeth clenched, Kanji ran up to the dais in long, quick strides. He hauled his fist back, aiming for Namatame's head, but the arm Souji slammed against the bastard's throat proved far more effective. Namatame staggered backwards, hands moving to his neck - and Naoto, small and agile, darted in and caught Nanako as she fell.

Souji glanced between Namatame and his cousin, hesitated - then snatched her from Naoto's arms.

Kanji braced his shoulders. Rapid footsteps sounded behind him - Chie and Yosuke, probably, and in his peripheral vision he glimpsed Souji backing toward the stairs - but he didn't dare take his attention off Namatame.

He was breathing hard, fists clenching and unclenching. "Give…her…back."

"Go to hell," Souji spat.

"No! I'm - going - to save her!"

The final word stretched into a long scream - and the sun vanished.

Kanji was left blinking as he adjusted to the sudden lack of light. The wind picked up, so suddenly it almost whipped his jacket off his back. Above him, the cloudless sky had turned a deep bruised purple - and at the far edge of the dais, flanked by two of the statues, Namatame's figure was outlined in glowing blue smoke.

Something was wrong. Kanji knew the drill; he'd not only stared his own Shadow in the face, he'd punched the guy out. Where was the other Namatame?

Halfway down the stairs, Rise had already evoked. "Kanji-kun, Naoto-kun, move!"

He leapt back just as the first bony spike exploded through Namatame's chest. Another burst out the man's back with a wet crunch, jerking him backward like a rag-doll, then two more through his shoulders - his whole skeleton cracking and reforming.

The wind buffeted Kanji as it tore across the dais. "The hell's happening to him?"

"He's merging with the Shadows!" Teddie yelled above the howling gale. "Sensei, we have to do something!"

No time. Rise had been right; Namatame was a magnet, ripping shapeless black masses out of the ether that fused to his skin. They slowly dragged him higher, his limbs dangling like a puppet's.

The screaming finally stopped. Bones creaking, a sound like wet cloth tearing - then nothing at all. Kanji's vision flashed a dizzying white.

It took him longer to recover this time - valuable seconds that felt like hours - and when his sight returned it was dotted with glittering lights. Squinting, he tipped back his head, wondering why the sky had turned blue again - then froze.

Behind him, Chie let out a whistle. "Okay, this one wins the prize."

Kanji was used to freaky True Shadows. Technicolor strippers, hat-wearing cyborgs, giant evil babies, he'd met (then clobbered) them all, but Namatame's was a new level of weird. Its body hung in the air, suspended from spiked concentric rings rotating around its massive head, spindly arms swaying at its side. Wings sprouted from its back, poking through its flowing white gown. Looked like a twisted version of one of Souji's Personas; Gabriel, Uriel, something like that. As if Namatame had tried to make his own version out of Shadows - and himself.

People confronted their Shadows. They didn't become them. What would happen when they beat this one?

…Like it mattered right now. Kanji cracked his knuckles. "Ain't nothing new. We're taking it down!"

"Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, I need you up." Souji stared down at his cousin as she lay limp in his arms. "And - I need someone to - -"

Yosuke crouched down in front of him and reached out for Nanako. "I've got her. Go!"

Souji eased her into Yosuke's arms, gave a quick nod toward the rest of the team - then stood up and fell into battle stance, Chie, Yukiko and Teddie mirroring the action.

They'd planned this. And Kanji had sat out a big chunk of Rise's Shadow fight, so this was nothing new.

…So why did he feel at such a loss?

He shook his head. Yosuke and Naoto had already retreated to where Rise was standing, in the middle of the stairway. Kanji quickly followed.

Cradling Nanako in one arm, Yosuke sat down on a step and pressed two fingers of his free hand against her neck. "She's breathing, and I can feel a pulse…but I don't know what else we can do for her."

Naoto glanced down at Nanako, expressionless, then looked away.

Kanji could hear air rushing behind him, at the top of the stairs; the sound of four Personas being evoked in unison. If he went up there, he'd get in the way. Senpai had always insisted he could only handle a four man team.

"…We've gotta stay here," Yosuke was saying, mostly to himself. "Look after Nanako and - -"

Lightning crashed down, the crackling roar of a Ziodyne. Kanji spun round. Teddie was flat on his back, arms and legs wriggling as he tried to right himself, but nobody was free to help. With Namatame so high off the ground, Chie's kicks were useless, forcing her to use Suzuka Gongen's taxing physicals instead and leaving Amaterasu casting out wave after wave of healing magic. Souji was busy flipping through Personas, tossing out every elemental he had.

None of it was working.

Kanji glanced sideways. Naoto was standing beside him, lips drawn in a pale thin line. "We need to help them."

Beneath Himiko's visor, Rise gave a slight shake of her head. "You can't. Kanji-kun and Yosuke-senpai aren't strong enough."

"I am."

"No, Naoto-kun, not for fights like this. Besides, if I have to track too many people then Himiko gets muddled."

Rise was right on all fronts. Hama and Mudo never worked on True Shadows and Kanji and Yosuke would be tossed aside like empty soda cans. Naoto didn't respond, and hardly moved except for the slight twitch of her hand at her side. The thumb and forefinger were pinched together as if ready to throw a card.

Up on the dais, Yukiko was trying to heal Teddie, until a flurry of icicles drove her backwards to the edge of the top step. Chie ran over to haul him up instead, Souji and Cerberus covering her dash with a jet of flame, but she'd barely grabbed his hand when Namatame Garudyned them both. The gale almost threw her off the edge and slammed Ted into Souji like a bowling ball.

Too many of the team were down. Namatame took the opening. He started spinning in rapid circles, each rotation faster and faster, showers of sparks falling from his metal halo - then, just as suddenly, he stopped.

…What kind of attack was that?

Naoto inclined her head toward Rise. "Was that a debuff?"

"No…but Namatame's…changed. I don't get it, I'm scanning him and all I get are Agi spells!"

Souji was on his feet again. All Kanji could see was his back, outlined with the unmistakable blue glow of a Persona card. "Chie!" he yelled. "Guard!"

Whatever had made Tomoe Gozen morph into Suzuka-Gongen had given Chie a major boost, and a fireball that a few weeks ago would've sent her flying merely staggered her. A black and white figure twirled out of nowhere, spear thrust forward, but vanished a split-second later in a sudden burst of light. With nothing else to block it, the light - a beam of sunshine, shot out from the glowing orb on Namatame's halo - shone on Chie instead. Stumbling, she tangled her feet together and fell to the floor.

The beam hadn't been electricity, though, hadn't been much of an attack at all, and she was back on her feet in a moment - but the motion looked wrong. Like someone was yanking her up on strings. Arms and legs stiff, she jerked back, swung sideways - then lurched forward toward Namatame.

Kanji watched, waiting for her to attack the Shadow. She didn't.

"Wait, what are you- -Chie-senpai! Stop!"

Yosuke's head jerked up. "Satonaka? What's she doing?"

Naoto was staring at the dais, eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "…She's switching sides."

And Kanji knew that had to be wrong, Naoto had totally the wrong idea - until Chie hurled herself toward Souji, landing a kick square in his abdomen.

Senpai wasn't prepared, had no reason to be. He doubled over and fell to his hands and knees. Namatame angled forward again, arms dangling limp at their elbows, and another beam of light flashed through the air - half of it catching Teddie as he tried to pull himself up and the rest hitting Yukiko a few meters behind him. Just like Chie, they both staggered back, stiffened - then moved to flank her. It was hard to tell from where Kanji was standing, but it looked almost like they were being dragged.

"They're gonna - - dammit!" he growled. "The hell's he doing to them?"

"Teddie, Yukiko-senpai - please!" Rise usually kept her hands clasped together while evoking - but now they were balled into fists. "You aren't thinking straight!"

"Have you seen this affliction before?" Naoto asked.

"No…this is different. Namatame's - he's controlling them somehow, they're not listening to me!"

Naoto gave a sharp nod. "Yosuke-senpai, please remain with Nanako-chan."

"Wait a sec," Yosuke began, "what are you- -"

But Naoto was already running up the stairs.

No way were Kanji's reflexes as fast as hers. By the time he threw himself into a run she was almost at the top. He hurtled after her in long strides, taking the steps two at time until he reached the dais - just in time to see Chie slam knee-first into Naoto and send them both tumbling back down the stairs.

He yelled Naoto's name without thinking, almost ran down after her, but caught himself on the top step.

Yukiko and Ted hadn't noticed him. Just kept tossing out ice shards and streaks of fire at Souji. Izanagi was taking the worst of it, but how long would that last?

Naoto might not be able to handle Chie - Kanji wasn't sure he could - but she at least had a fighting chance. Souji didn't.

Kanji angled himself forward, planning to run in and haul Senpai up. A searing wall of flame cut him off at the first step. Didn't hit him - he'd felt the heat coming, leapt back on instinct - but it made reaching Souji impossible. He started back for the steps, hoping to run around the flames, and almost slid off the dais. Ted had iced the floor.

Shit. They wanted to take Souji out. Didn't care about anyone else until the moment they tried to help him - which was probably why Chie had tackled Naoto.

How was he supposed to- -

"Tatsumi! Keep 'em busy!"

Yosuke's voice. Kanji didn't bother to look back. He darted in front of Souji instead, jumping clear over the patch of ice, and turned to face Yukiko and Teddie. Namatame dangled near-motionless in the air behind them.

Kanji was bad at some things, good for others. Making a ruckus was one of the latter.

"Hey! Y'dumb bear! Thass right!" he shouted, waving his arms to draw Teddie's attention. "An' you, Yukiko-senpai! C'mon, I'm not even singed!"

The worst part was her expression. Kanji could see it on Teddie too, had even glimpsed it on Chie as she'd slammed Naoto down the stairs. Yukiko raised one arm, face frozen in that same look of blank terror, Amaterasu's card glowing in her hand - and he dove without thinking.

Three long, fiery streamers seared past him. Couldn't see where they struck, or who - and he should've taken them, made sure they didn't hit Senpai or Hanamura - but now Ted was gearing up too, Kintoki-Douji flickering to life behind him.

Kanji's first, primal instinct was to will his card into his palm. Instead, he ran forward. "You heard me, bear! What's that butterball Persona of yours waitin' for?"

Bracing himself against the flurry of hail, he let Take-Mikazuchi swallow the damage. At the back of his mind, the Persona was roaring. No words but the meaning was clear: they were in a fight, they had to take the bastards down, why the hell wasn't Kanji evoking?

Because Souji had rules. Number one: never willingly sic your Persona on your friends. You took a bad hit, got confused, Senpai would just cast Silence and seal everything away. Fists and feet were simple. Personas were a different matter; something Kanji was rapidly finding out.

The last lumps of ice slammed into him. He clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering. "H-Hanamura! Move it!"

"I've got him!" Yosuke called out. "C'mon, Souji, you're gonna - whoa!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Kanji saw Chie rocket forward, leg outstretched in a flying kick that barely missed Yosuke's head. Yosuke dodged down and left, threw his card before he'd even stopped moving - and in a rush of wind, Jiraiya whirled into existence.

Kanji spun around, a curse already on his lips, but for once Hanamura knew what he was doing. Jiraiya was pulling his punches, casting a gale fierce enough to keep Chie at bay yet too weak to do her any harm.

Wait a sec. If she'd made it back up here, was Naoto - -

No time to finish the thought. Yukiko was on the offensive again, tossing out two Agidynes in a row. The first fireball landed half a meter to Kanji's left. The second should've caught Souji head-on - but the flames seemed to arc around him instead and quickly died away.

"Kanji-kun! Move!"

Kanji darted right, and a bolt of golden light sliced through the space where he'd been standing.

Same beam that'd gotten Chie and the others. He had to pay more attention. He glanced at Teddie and Yukiko in turn, searching for the glow of their cards, then back at Souji. Senpai was still on his knees, but now Naoto was standing behind him. A lightning rush of relief coursed through Kanji - then froze ice cold in his veins.

Naoto's arm was straight and stiff, the barrel of her gun pressed against the back of Souji's scalp.

Beam must've caught her. Shit, this was bad. Fire and ice were harsh enough, but a bullet to the head? Could any Persona block that?

"Snap outta it, Naoto!" he yelled - knowing better than to hope she'd listen.

Senpai's lips were moving but the gun stayed at his head. Kanji swallowed against the tightness in his throat, wondering if he could evoke fast enough.

Then he noticed Naoto's arm trembling.

Her eyes flickered right for a split-second, meeting his - and he launched himself forward.

Naoto had to have seen him coming, yet she stayed rigid even when he caught her in a full body tackle. As they hit the floor - Kanji with his arms around her, trying to both restrain her and limit the impact - a shot rang out.

Stomach twisting, he glanced over his shoulder. Souji stared back at him, eyes wide. Naoto must've jerked her arm sideways at the last second.

Which meant she still had her gun.

Kanji rolled over, flipping her onto her back and knocking her revolver from her hand in a single fluid motion. He grabbed her arms at the elbows and pinned them against her sides - one knee pressed against the cord linking her gun to her belt.

Naoto blinked up at him. "...Kanji-kun?"

He didn't dare let go. "You - you with it again? 'Cause I ain't gonna - -"

"Kanji-kun! The atmosphere's shifted again, I'm getting nothing but Garu magic!"

Oh, shit.

The blast of wind hit him harder than a Panzer's cannon. As he hurtled through the air, sailing clear over the staircase, he was briefly grateful for two things: that he hadn't been blown off the side of the island instead, and that he'd thought to let go of Naoto first.

He didn't remember hitting the floor. Everything just went blank.

At least, until something started shaking him. Whatever it was, it pissed him off. Like his head didn't hurt enough already - or everything else. Kanji tried for an impressive and creative string of curses, but it came out more like a half-growled grunt.

"…Crap…c'mon, you big ox…"

Somebody's voice. Somebody Kanji promptly smacked in the head - or would've, if his own hadn't been throbbing so badly.

A sudden breeze picked up. He tensed his muscles on reflex - but this one was gentle, even warm. It made everything hurt a little less, and he forced his eyes open. A slightly blurred Yosuke was floating above him, nose bloody and mouth curved in a nervous grin. "Ha! See, Tatsumi, I knew you were just faking me out."

Kanji swallowed. His mouth still tasted like iron. "…What th' hell..."

"Garudyne." Yosuke rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, smearing the skin with blood. "Dude, for someone so heavy, you flew like a bird! Or a brick."

"Th-the fight - are th'others still - -"

"Yeah. Naoto's holding them back from Souji, we gotta go help."

Kanji bolted upright. "You friggin' left her up there?"

"She told me to get you! Stop griping and- -"

He didn't wait for the rest. Muscles aching with the effort, he barreled up the stairs past Rise and Nanako, back to the dais.

Sukuna-Hikona was in clear view, darting through the air as he dodged fireballs and ice shards. Naoto wasn't. It wasn't until Kanji reached Souji that he realized she was on her hands and knees two meters ahead. Her revolver was on the floor beside her, still attached to its cord, and she was trying to grab it - but a sharp kick caught her in the ribs and knocked her onto her back.

Chie leaned back, one foot raised above Naoto's head.

"I am so gonna get my ass kicked for this!" Yosuke groaned, then hurled himself shoulder-first toward Chie, sending them both crashing down in a tangle of limbs.

Amateratsu and Kintoki-Douji were hovering by their owners, prepping another barrage of fire and ice. Kanji had to move quickly, get Naoto off the floor and out the way - but a heavy weight was hanging from his jacket.

He glanced down. Souji had latched on to the hem. "Maziodyne."

"B-but y'said we shouldn't ever - -"

"I-I know. But - we have to buy time."

Kanji took a deep breath, summoned his card - and crushed it in his fist.

With a roar of thunder, Take-Mikazuchi burst into existence, lightning crackling from his hands in a wave of jagged bolts. Amateratsu's fireball sputtered into embers as Yukiko was staggered by a direct hit. Ted was left shuddering on the floor, even after the electricity had fizzled away.

Kanji grit his teeth, told himself that the sudden thrill of excitement was solely his Persona's - but in the end, weren't they the same damn thing? Was this what he really - -

A sickening crunch sounded somewhere to his right. When he turned his head, Yosuke was crumpled in front of Chie, left arm twisted at an impossible angle.

Chie stared down, confused and horrified. "Y-Yosuke? Why're you - -"

"Chie-senpai, you're back! Please, you have to help Yukiko-senpai!"

"But Yosuke's…"

Souji must've called one of his Personas during Take-Mikazuchi's attack, fixed himself up enough to stand. "Chie, go! I've got him!"

Chie took off running. She reached Yukiko in a moment, dodged a swipe from the other girl's razor-sharp fan - then drew back her hand and slapped her friend hard across the cheek. The fan clattered to the floor.

"Kanji-kun, stop gawking and get Teddie!"

…The hell was he supposed to do with Ted? Wallop him? At a loss for anything better, Kanji ran to the bear's side and tried to pin down his arms, same as he'd done with Naoto. Unfortunately, Ted - or his suit - was a lot rounder. The grab turned into a grapple, earning Kanji a growl that reminded him far too much of Teddie's hollow-eyed Shadow.

He lunged sideways over the suit; knees trapping one of Teddie's arms against the floor, hands holding down the other. "Dammit, Ted! You think this shit is gonna help Nanako?"

Mid-flail, Teddie stopped struggling.

"Yeah, s'right! Nanako-chan needs you. You're the only one who can get her outta here. Now quit being such an ass!"

"…That - that's not bear-y nice, Kanji-chan."

Twisting against the suit, Kanji managed to glimpse Ted's face. The frozen look of terror had turned into a hurt frown. "Yeah, and I ain't either," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet.

He glanced around. Souji and Yosuke were a few meters behind him, the latter clutching his arm as Kikuri-Hime bathed him in pale yellow light. Chie was pulling a dazed-looking Yukiko toward them. Ted quickly abandoned his attempts to stand up in favour of rolling away on his side - something was seriously wrong with that bear - and Naoto was - - slumped on the floor at the top of the stairs.

Kanji made it two strides before he realized where Ted was headed.

"He's got her, Kanji!" Souji yelled. "I need you for Namatame!"

They'd all taken bad hits before. Naoto had been both tough and smart enough to haul herself somewhere safer before passing out. And what was more useful: fussing over her or kicking Namatame's ass?

Kanji lifted his palm, card burning. "C'mon, Take-Mikazuchi!"

His senpai started hurling out what little they had left - Amaterasu casting sweeping streams of fire, Suzuka-Gongen thrusting and twirling her spear, Souji crushing a different card with every attack. Namatame was tossing elementals in response, vicious blasts of wind included, but the gaps between each attack were growing longer.

Bastard was going down. Take-Mikazuchi's massive form crashed forward, grabbed the metal halo in both fists, and pulled hard - Kanji's own hands automatically mimicking the motion. Dragged down with his halo, Namatame dropped low enough to touch the floor. Swinging his shield forward, Kanji ran to attack, but Chie was quicker. Never saw her launch the kick - just slam foot-first into Namatame's left cheek, wrenching the Shadow's neck sideways and earning a shrill shriek. Kanji gladly cut it off with a well-aimed throw of his shield directly into Namatame's forehead.

It'd only dazed him, but that was enough. Thor was already there, hammer held high over his helmet, electricity crackling over the metal surface. Souji glared at the Shadow, fist clenched and on his knees - and the hammer smashed down. The Shadow disappeared in a shower of light, leaving a crumpled, human Namatame face down on the floor.

It struck Kanji then that they might've killed the guy - and that, disturbingly, he didn't care.

"That…" Yosuke managed, still curled on his side and cradling his arm, "was just about…the worst thing ever."

Shrugging off Chie's offer of help, Souji pulled himself up. "Nanako - is she…"

"I've got her, Senpai."

As most of the team headed back down to Rise, Kanji stayed put. Someone had to watch Namatame. Chie didn't leave either, just kept staring into space, shifting from foot to foot - at least until Naoto walked up between them.

Startled, Chie raised her hand as if to touch Naoto's shoulder - then pulled back. "Naoto-kun - I-I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to - -"

Naoto shook her head. She had her jacket sleeve pressed against her chin, trying to stem the blood trickling from her lower lip. "You weren't at fault."

"Well, at least we know you can handle yourself now. Took on three of us at once!" Chie's smile was desperately forced. "Kanji-kun can finally quit worrying."

Denial was too exhausting. Naoto hadn't bothered to glare at him anyway, instead turning her attention to Namatame. "…We should take him with us."

She was right. Couldn't leave anyone to die in here - no matter how much they deserved it. "Guess so," Kanji muttered.

---

The rain started up shortly after the police arrived. Just a light drizzle, but it was enough to leave Kanji shivering beneath his jacket. Or perhaps it was exhaustion; just staying upright was a pain, especially when he still felt like he'd been used as a football, and the flashing lights of the two ambulances didn't help.

Nanako was already inside one of them with Souji and Yosuke, who the paramedics had hassled into getting his arm checked out. Two cops were hauling Namatame into the other. Kanji was grateful that for once the team had gotten lucky, and Junes had already closed by the time they'd climbed out of the television - because while explaining how they'd found Namatame near Junes would be difficult, it was far easier than finding a reason he would've been wandering around an empty electronics department.

In truth, Naoto was the one stuck doing the explaining. One of the plain-clothes detectives - a bearded, older looking guy, probably one of the seniors - had pulled her aside about five minutes ago. From what Kanji could see, she didn't look fazed, but it would've been nice if they could've all gotten their stories straight first.

"Guys…how are we gonna get to the hospital?" Rise asked. She'd pulled her own jacket up over her head to block the rain.

Kanji shrugged. "Walk, I guess." Wasn't that far, and they wouldn't get drenched. Smart enough to check the forecast, Yukiko, Chie and Naoto had all brought their umbrellas and stashed them in the main lot - though only Yukiko had thought to grab them before leaving.

"Maybe the police could take us?"

"I doubt it," Yukiko said, before Kanji had the chance to point out that of all the ways he'd prefer to travel, inside a cop car was bottom of the list. "There's too many of us, and they'll be busy with Namatame."

Like that asshole even mattered now. He needed to face justice - even if it wasn't the sort he really deserved - but Nanako was the real concern. It'd only taken Souji and the team a couple of days to pull Kanji out. Rise and Naoto were in there much longer, and suffered for it. Eventually they'd recovered, just needed some rest - but Nanako was a little kid, and she'd been stuck in there two whole weeks.

The old detective had finally quit badgering Naoto. She headed over to the group, hands shoved in her coat pockets.

Chie bit her lip. A vivid bruise had blossomed on her left cheek; maybe Naoto had gotten in at least one good hit. "Naoto-kun - what did you tell them? Are they gonna want to talk to us too?"

Naoto hesitated, watching a beat cop close the doors of Namatame's ambulance. "…I doubt it. Few meaningful questions were asked after Kubo's arrest and I expect this to be no different." It sounded a little bitter. "Try not to worry, Chie-senpai. I provided only a vague explanation to Detective Ishikawa. I'll concoct a more suitable story later."

"But what if - -" A car pulled up close behind them, and Chie stopped short. "Wait, isn't that - that other detective? Adachi?"

"Late as usual," Naoto muttered as Adachi opened the door and stepped out of the car.

He walked toward them, one hand shielding his face from the drizzle. "Shirogane, is it true? You actually caught the guy?" he asked, and hastily added, "Uh, not that I didn't think you could!"

Naoto's expression stayed neutral, but Kanji caught the sudden tension in her shoulders. "I would hope not, Adachi-san."

"Great work, too. I'm just, uh, kinda surprised you kids found him." Kanji expected more after that - namely a bunch of awkward questions about how they'd found him, and where - but Adachi switched topics. "Hey, you need a ride to the hospital? My car can fit three more."

"Thank you," Naoto said, with a curt nod toward him, then a second at the girls standing beside Kanji. "Rise-chan, Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai will accompany you."

Rise frowned. "What about the rest of you? Can't we all just walk together?"

"It will help Souji-senpai if some of us arrive at the hospital with him."

"We should at least take Teddie," Yukiko said softly. Ted was standing alone by the lobby doors, watching as Nanako's ambulance pulled away. Bear had been so quiet, Kanji had almost forgotten he was there.

"Good idea. C'mon, Teddie," Rise called out. "Adachi-san's gonna take us to the hospital. You can squeeze in the back between Chie-senpai and me."

Ted should've made some sort of comment to that, and not a good one - but as he walked over, his gaze stayed fixed on the ambulance. "Okay, Rise-chan."

"… Kanji-kun and I will walk, then." Naoto didn't look at him.

She didn't speak to him, either, not even after Rise and the others had gotten into Adachi's car and driven off. Just opened her umbrella, glanced back at him, then nodded toward the street ahead and started walking. Kanji fell in step beside her, equally silent.

"What if Nanako - -" he started - then stopped, took a deep breath, and tried again. "You think she's gonna be okay, right?"

The question wasn't really directed at anyone; Kanji wasn't sure what had made him say it aloud, other than the need for some sort of reassurance. When she glanced up at him, catching his gaze for a split-second, the flash of guilt in Naoto's eyes was anything but.

---

The hospital was no better the second time round.

Dojima was still down on the third floor. Nanako's room was on the fifth - and yet everything looked the same. Long white corridors, stark overhead lighting, cheap plastic chairs lined against the wall. Even the weather was identical to the night she'd been kidnapped, and the atmosphere was just as dismal.

Kanji stared out the window, arms folded. Too dark to see anything besides rivulets of rain, but it was a good excuse not to look at the others. Not that it mattered; they'd all been staring at the walls or floors ever since him and Naoto arrived, and probably well before.

The only one missing was Yosuke, who was getting his arm patched up down in emergency. Teddie had stayed with him for a while - probably sparkled at every nurse he saw until they let him tag along - but left to check on Nanako. He'd already been up here by the time Naoto and Kanji arrived. Bear needn't have bothered; the doctors hadn't explained much of anything, not even to Souji.

But Nanako would be fine, Kanji told himself. She had to be.

"So, uh, Ted," Chie piped up - the latest in her series of attempts to break the silence. "Maybe you can answer this. How come Nanako-chan's other self didn't appear?"

"She's still small, so she probably doesn't have one," Teddie said, soft and resigned. "I think you humans start out fine. You just get messed up later."

Nobody had much to say to that, Chie included. "I - I guess so," she whispered, fidgeting against her seat, then fell quiet.

Back to the same smothering silence. It gave Kanji the sudden, stupid urge to break something.

"This is my fault."

Naoto's voice. He looked at her without thinking, knew it wouldn't have made a difference if he had. "Y'what?"

"I never considered Nanako-chan a potential target, just as I never considered that the culprit might be bringing a television with him each time." Her voice had risen in both speed and pitch. "If I'd been more thorough in putting the facts together, if I'd paid attention, she wouldn't be going through this."

Kanji frowned as he considered his options. Half of him wanted to shake her, because she was beating herself up again and what good was that to Nanako? The other half wanted to give her a hug. Combined, they panicked and opted to stare at the wall instead.

"Hey, it's not all bad! At least you didn't start whaling on your friends, right?" Chie was trying to keep her voice light. It came off as slightly hysterical.

"You weren't the only one," Yukiko said, with a fleeting glance at Souji.

Chie gave a single, sharp shake of her head. "I - that light he used, I couldn't even think anymore, and I- -"

Leaning closer, Yukiko twined their hands together, so deftly Kanji almost didn't notice.

"And I couldn't do anything to stop you," Rise added. She'd started tugging at a stray lock of hair, twirling it around her fingers. "I could hear all of you, but I couldn't get you to listen."

Hell, where would this end? Did they expect Kanji to join in? He wished they'd done more for Nanako, that they'd gotten to her sooner, that she'd never been kidnapped at all - but regrets wouldn't do shit to help her now. All they did was make a bad atmosphere worse. Why wasn't everyone pulling together on this? Souji could've made them, would've usually, but all he'd done for the past half-hour was stare at the door to Nanako's room.

Kanji glared at his shoes, frown deepening, and tried to ignore the cold lump in the pit of his stomach.

But Naoto just kept going. "Why did I waste time listening to what Namatame had to say? We should have rescued Nanako-chan weeks ago, and still I delayed it further! If - if we'd helped her immediately, this wouldn't have happened!"

Nothing about that sounded right. Not the quavering pitch, not the tremble in her voice, and not the idea that Naoto would ever go to pieces over anything. She didn't do that. She couldn't do that.

Kanji grit his teeth.

"It's nobody's fault," Souji said flatly.

"But…" Naoto gulped, drew a shuddering breath, "I-I still…"

Any of the girls could've started bawling, or Teddie, or even Yosuke. Hell, Kanji expected it from most of them, sooner or later. But not Naoto.

He finally broke. "Alright. Enough of this pity party!"

Chie looked both confused and insulted. "Hey now, that's kinda-"

"No, listen up. Why the hell are we standin' around whining?" he snapped - scared and pissed-off and a bunch of other things he couldn't hope to untangle. "Feeling pathetic, consoling each other - that gonna solve anything? We gotta believe in Nanako-chan!"

Naoto stared at him, grey eyes wide. He couldn't remember turning to face her.

"So just - stop rehashing what's already done. Get it together, Naoto!"

Shit, he might've overstepped the mark. But this was Naoto. She could handle it, and she'd do the same for him.

She blinked at him, momentarily frozen - then dropped her gaze to the tiled floor. "…S-Sorry. You're absolutely right."

It still didn't sound like Naoto, and her mouth quivered until she bit her lower lip to stop it - but Kanji would take what he could get. "This is all that bastard Namatame's fault. Nobody else's." He'd barely noticed his tone soften. "And it ain't like we were too late."

Naoto gave a stiff nod, raised one hand to clutch her opposite shoulder - and that was that, Kanji decided, he was just gonna hug her, wasn't like she'd hit him that hard - until he remembered the five other people in the corridor. Five people who were all quietly staring holes in him.

Rise, always happy to fill up a silence, leapt to his rescue. "Wow, Kanji-kun…you sounded cool for a second there!"

"Wh-whaddya mean, a second?" he shot back, hoping he wasn't as red as he felt.

Souji stood and turned to face them. "Kanji's right. We brought Nanako back, and now we just have to be there for her. All of us."

"Don't worry, partner. We're gonna be." Yosuke walked round the corner, from the corridor that led back to the elevators - his injured arm now in a sling.

Chie shot up from her chair, took two steps toward him, then apparently thought better of it. "So, uh, how's the arm?" she asked, forcing another smile. "Hope you didn't tell them I did it."

"I told you twice already," Yosuke said quietly. "It's fine."

"You guys still here?"

"Adachi-san," Naoto said. Her voice was now perfectly level. "The doctors haven't told us anything."

"Dojima-san's speaking with them now downstairs," Adachi explained. "They were still there when I left, but they said they want to run more tests on her - and on Namatame."

"Dunno why they're bothering," Kanji muttered.

Adachi shrugged. "They need to figure out what's wrong. The way he is right now, we'll never hear his story."

Honestly, Adachi was kind of annoying. Even more so when he was right. Kanji scowled, and didn't point out that if it'd been left up to the Inaba police force, nobody would be hearing from Namatame at all.

"Look, it's getting late. Staying here all night won't do anyone any good. You got someone to go home with, Seta?"

"Yeah, he does," Yosuke quickly answered, not looking at Souji.

Souji turned away, shoulders slumped, as if his own weight was too much to carry. "…I want to see Nanako again first. I'll meet you downstairs."

With a quick nod, Yosuke wrapped his good arm around Teddie's back and ushered him down the corridor. The rest of the team followed them to the elevators in silence.

Down in the lobby, they filtered into ones and twos - Yosuke and Ted hovering near the hospital exit, Chie and Yukiko hand-in-hand and talking near reception, Rise perched alone on one of the beige plastic seats. No Naoto, though Kanji remembered seeing her in the elevator.

He flopped down in a chair and stretched out his aching legs. He'd been too wired to notice anything beyond general soreness - but the fall from the dais had been one hell of a drop, and now his neck and shoulders had begun to throb. Eyes closed, he leaned his head back against the wall behind him and tried to tune everyone out.

"Hey, Tatsumi."

Kanji wasn't exactly asleep, but he had no clue how long he'd been sitting there, only that he'd like to keep doing it. He didn't open his eyes until a shoe tapped against his leg. "…What?"

"Time to go home, dude," Yosuke said. "You can walk Rise back, right?"

Blinking, Kanji sat up and glanced around the lobby. Chie and Yukiko must've left already. Souji was standing next to Teddie by the glass doors, one arm round the blonde boy's shoulders. "Sure." He tipped his head toward Souji. "What 'bout Souji-senpai?"

"It's cool, me and Ted are gonna go with him, stay overnight at his uncle's place."

"Good. Keep an eye on him."

"Not like I'm gonna sleep instead. Man, this still hurts," he muttered, tugging at the sling with his good hand. "Later, Kanji."

They walked out the sliding doors in a row - Ted in the middle, Yosuke and Souji either side. Despite everything else, it felt good to know that for once Senpai wasn't heading back to an empty house. Nobody should have to do that right now, Kanji thought - then paused.

Souji had Yosuke and Ted. Chie and Yukiko had their families, Rise had her grandmother - and though Kanji didn't expect Ma to be awake this time of night, knowing she was there made a difference. Naoto didn't have anyone, not in Inaba.

Kanji hesitated a moment longer - then stood up and walked over to Rise.

He was two steps away when she lifted her head. "Hey, Kanji-kun. Are we heading out?"

"Soon. Where's Naoto? She leave already?"

"Nope. She said she wanted some coffee." Rise nodded down the corridor to her left, just past the empty reception desk. "I think she went to that machine we passed on the way out here. You wanna talk to her?"

"Yeah," Kanji said, and resolved to ignore the slight smirk that tugged at Rise's lips. "Be right back."

He strode down the corridor and rounded the corner to the elevators. Naoto was standing by the machine, opening her can of coffee. At the sound of footsteps, she glanced in his direction, but averted her eyes as he walked closer.

He nodded at the can in her hand. "S'gonna keep you awake."

"Which is entirely the purpose." She took a sip. "I have an hour's walk ahead of me."

Didn't sound anything like she had upstairs. Didn't sound right, either. "You, uh, feeling okay?"

She shrugged. The motion looked anything but casual. "Bruised. Tired."

"No wonder. You went down hard."

"You've suffered worse," Naoto said, somehow sounding both resigned and exasperated. "A Gigas broke your jaw."

"Didn't try takin' on three people by myself," Kanji pointed out, immediately wishing he hadn't. Wasn't like she'd had any other choice.

"Please spare me your reproval, Kanji-kun." Her glare was directed somewhere past his right elbow. "Is there any other reason you wish to speak with me?"

He was tired, Rise was waiting for him back in the lobby, and walking away seemed like the smartest option - but even Souji hadn't left alone. "Back upstairs," he started, one hand moving to the back of his neck. "That stuff I said. Sorry if I was a dick."

Naoto's gaze softened a fraction. "It needed to be said." A pause. "Have the others left?"

"Yeah, 'cept Rise. Gonna walk her home."

"And Souji-senpai?"

"Yosuke and Ted went with him."

Naoto looked like she wanted to say something to that. There was a moment's silence before she settled on, "Their company will help."

Kanji gave a stiff nod, jaw tensed. "Yeah. Look, I - I'm goin' back with Rise anyway. I - don't mind walkin' with you to your place too."

The reply was smooth and instant. "No, thank you. It's fine. I should leave now." Naoto tried to walk past, stepping between him and the corridor wall - and almost slammed into the arm he'd used to block the gap.

She blinked up at him in confusion. Kanji lowered his arm but held her gaze.

Maybe it was down to exhaustion, but wrenching the words out was harder than ever. He took a deep breath. "If - if you wanna talk sometime, I'm - -"

"That won't be necessary. Goodnight." With that, Naoto walked past him and down the corridor, each step a sharp echo against the tiled floor.

---

If Rise was wondering why Naoto had left before them - or exactly what new way Kanji had found to piss off the Detective Prince - she was kind enough not to mention it. She seemed too tired and fractured to talk at all, and they made it back to the shopping district without exchanging more than a couple of sentences; something that would've disturbed Kanji if he hadn't been half asleep himself.

The rain had eased off, though the cold night wind still bit at his cheeks. As they walked past the dark Moel garage, he made a mental note to bring his winter coat the next time they did this - then remembered there wouldn't be one.

"I could hear them," Rise said - taut, like she had to force out the words. "I-I couldn't talk to them, but I could hear. They wanted to hurt him."

The fight with Namatame. With everything that had happened in the hospital, all the worry over Nanako, the team had managed to ignore the big white elephant in the room: the fact that more than half of them had tried to take Souji out.

But none of them had really wanted to, right? Kanji had been caught before - magic that filled your gut with white-hot fury, a Shadow whacking you so hard you couldn't think straight - and it'd never meant anything. "Why would they wanna do that?"

The question went unanswered. "It wasn't their fault. Namatame just latched on to whatever he could."

"Just a stupid spell. You've seen Shadows pull that crap before."

"Not like this." Rise's voice was almost a whisper. "I just wish I could'v don't know, Kanji-kun, maybe Himiko isn't good enough. Yukiko-senpai's and Chie-senpai's Personas changed, got stronger, but mine's still the same."

"So's Take-Mikazuchi. Don't mean anything bad," Kanji insisted. Admittedly, he'd briefly wondered the same thing - until Take-Mikazuchi had rumbled at him to quit fussing over nothing. "And yours is fine as she is."

Rise shook her head. "I couldn't get them to listen."

They were outside the tofu shop, the store itself in darkness but with one upstairs window casting light into the street. Rise would need to spin a few grandma-pleasing stories. Kanji turned, opened his mouth to wish her luck - and barely stifled a yelp as she threw her arms around his midriff, burying her head against his shirt.

…Rise was his friend, he reminded himself. Rise dealt with life via hugs. Rise was gonna finish up in a moment, ideally before she crushed his ribs. Kanji patted her on the arm and hoped for the best.

Chin tilted up, she managed a watery smile. "You know that isn't comforting at all, right?" she teased as she broke away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kanji-kun. We can go get lunch at Aiya."

"Sure. Later, Rise." He watched her open the store door and step inside, then walked the short distance to Tatsumi Textiles.

He'd been hoping all the windows would be dark. Unfortunately, his luck tonight matched Rise's; he could see through the ground floor windows that a light was still on inside the shop. Crap. Ma never usually stayed awake this late. Had she been waiting up for him?

With a deep breath, Kanji pulled his key out of his pocket, went to insert it in the lock - and almost fell back into the street when his mother pushed open the door.

"Kanji-chan, it's past midnight!" she scolded, shooing him indoors. "And why were you out at this hour with Kujikawa's granddaughter?"

Mothers, Kanji reflected, had scarily good eyesight. Or a sixth sense. "S-Sorry, Ma…she just needed somebody to walk her home."

Ma said nothing at first - just looked at him, like she expected him to keep going. "Well…that was very kind of you," she finally said, though it was almost a sigh. Her eyes creased with concern. "You've been coming home so late recently."

None of your business, he almost bit back - except it always had been, no matter how much of a fuss he'd kicked up. Ma had made it her business to stick by him. He thought of Souji, whose parents had palmed him off on an uncle he'd only once met; Naoto, who'd lost both of hers and fallen to her grandfather by default; and his own father, five years dead and already fading from his memory.

He took a deep breath. "I know. Ain't gonna be a problem now."

Ma stepped forward to rest a hand against his left biceps. "Is everything all right, dear?"

Kanji looked at her, then away. Swallowed, fists clenched - then swept her into a hug, almost lifting her off the floor.

Shit, he should've warned her first, he'd probably surprised the hell out of her - but then, this was Ma, so maybe he hadn't. Either way, she didn't question it. Kanji was more grateful for that than he knew how to say.

When he broke the hug off moments later, she just smiled and patted him on the arm again. "…I think we both need a good night's rest. Don't stay up too late."

His eyes had started prickling. Kanji quickly turned away. "I-I told you, quit tellin' me what to do."

---

Turned out a good night's rest wasn't an option. Too wired and sore to sleep, Kanji couldn't do much more than doze, and even that was regularly interrupted by sudden bouts of panic - the conviction that they hadn't made it before the fog, or that they had, and yet they'd still been too late.

Stupid. Yosuke had promised he'd call everyone if - if anything changed. Kanji's phone had buzzed with text messages three times in the past half-hour, but there'd been no calls and no voice mails. Was probably just Rise. She'd sent the first one - a long, weirdly-punctuated lament about how she was now grounded for life and was going to end her days wearing a tofu shop apron - and nobody else Kanji knew was half as much in love with texting.

His phone buzzed against the sewing table again. Maybe Rise couldn't sleep either. He thought briefly about answering, then thought better of it and flopped over onto his stomach instead, laying his chin on his forearms and listening to the rain pattering against the shop's old tiled roof. Wasn't much more than a drizzle. It fit his mood. And if he felt like this, how the hell was Souji coping?

Now he'd had time to think - more than he wanted - he knew Rise was right. The others had been trying to hurt Souji; Namatame had just amplified what they already felt. And it wasn't their fault. Kanji looked up to Souji, almost worshiped him - but he could still remember several occasions when he'd been so angry at Senpai he almost couldn't speak, and too many more where he'd been sour with envy.

But what was the point in dwelling on it? Souji was gonna need the whole team now, even more than Nanako did. And that meant Kanji wasn't gonna whine, or cry, or any of that shit - not because it'd make him less of a man but because it wouldn't help either of them. He'd save his energy for the stuff that could. They'd visit Nanako, keep Senpai company, make sure that bastard Namatame got what was coming to him.

Kanji rolled onto his back again, stretched out his arms behind his head and focused on the rain, hoping the sound might lull him to sleep - then noticed that wasn't the only thing he could hear. A weird, hollow tapping noise had started up. Tink. Tink. It was coming from his bedroom window, as if something was hitting the glass.

He stood up, walked across the room and peered through the window - at the same instant another pebble ricocheted off the surface.

Somebody was in the street below. Somebody who was standing under an umbrella and clearly demanding an ass-kicking. Kanji was tempted to oblige, until the person tipped the umbrella aside and drew their arm back for another shot.

Exhaustion. It was making him hallucinate. Had to be - because there was no sensible reason why Naoto Shirogane would be in the shopping district, at three in the morning, throwing rocks at his window. Kanji rubbed his hand over his eyes, took a deep breath, looked out the window again. Naoto was still there. Meaning she'd genuinely walked halfway across town in the dark then started lobbing stuff at his house: two very non-Naoto actions. Meaning something was wrong.

He pulled on his black jeans and the first long-sleeve shirt he could find, crept downstairs, and unlocked the shop door. Naoto must've heard him fiddling with the catch, because he opened the door to find her standing under the awning, umbrella now closed.

He frowned down at her. "I got a phone, y'know."

"Which I texted," Naoto shot back, a little petulantly. "Three times."

"Why didn't you just call?"

"Why were you ignoring your phone?"

"I didn't know you'd be outside freezing your ass off!" Kanji snapped, with a quick swipe of his hand toward the street. "The hell're you doin' out here anyway?"

Naoto's expression shifted. She straightened her back, the motion stilted. "I...wanted to talk."

"Oh. Right." He felt suddenly light-headed - and out of his depth. "S-Sure, go for it."

Impulsive as the offer had been, he'd honestly meant it; he'd just never expected her to take it up. Kanji swallowed in an effort to steel himself, and waited for her speak.

An uncomfortably long time passed before she did. "My apartment's empty."

He nodded. "…Yeah."

"And I wanted to talk," Naoto repeated, as if trying to convince herself. Her foot started tapping against the ground. "This - none of this needed to happen, I shouldn't have let it happen."

"C'mon, don't start that again." He tipped his head, trying to gauge her expression. "You went home and stewed over all this crap, didn't you?"

Naoto didn't answer.

He grimaced. "Dammit, Naoto…you need t'get some sleep. You can't keep - -"

"I don't want to go back," she interrupted. "To my apartment, I mean. I-I don't want to be- -" She cut the sentence short with a quick shake of her head.

"You ain't." Kanji wanted more than anything for her to believe him. "Not anymore."

"That's the problem." Naoto pulled off her damp-looking cap and ran a hand through her hair. "It - it isn't worth it. They all leave anyway. Nanako-chan, she's- -"

"She's fine. She's gonna be fine."

Naoto finally raised her eyes to meet his, but quickly turned her head away. She didn't look convinced. He couldn't blame her.

He shifted in the doorway, one hand gripping the wooden frame. "Look, just - come inside or something, yeah? You can dry off." Even with the umbrella, her school jacket was still splashed with rain, and small droplets were clinging to her hair.

"I wouldn't want to wake your mother." Naoto paused, biting her bottom lip and wincing as her teeth grazed the cut. "Would - I, I intend to go to the shrine, y-you could - -"

Kanji didn't wait for her to finish. "Lemme get my coat."

---

Even in the lamplight, it was clear the shrine had seen better days. Tiles were missing from the roof, and weeds had grown between the flagstones and curled up around the posts of the torii. No wonder; the offertory box looked almost empty, and there were only four or five ema hanging on the wall above it. Naoto was standing at the top of the steps, studying them.

Kanji stretched his legs out and shuffled against the top step. Wasn't comfortable, but there was nowhere else to sit that was sheltered from the drizzle. "My ma's probably got a couple of blank ema at home," he said, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "If you wanna leave one."

"I don't usually believe in that sort of thing."

He wasn't sure he did either. Last time he'd visited this place had been with Ma, on the first anniversary of his dad's death. She'd said Kanji could write whatever he wanted on his ema; she wouldn't look. So he'd wished for the obvious, and hadn't gotten it. And to an ten-year old kid, what was the point in trying again after that?

Maybe he'd come back and leave one for Nanako anyway.

Naoto sat down next to him on the steps. She drew her knees up to her front and rested her elbows on top of them, shivering slightly in the cold.

She hadn't said much at all since they left the shop. So much for wanting to talk, Kanji thought, then decided that was unfair. Even when you needed to vent, when you had more stuff inside you than you could handle, there was a big difference between wanting to voice it and actually being able to do so. He knew that from experience. What he didn't know was how to reconcile the two.

Damn, Naoto had made a bad choice.

"You coulda called one of the others," he said, without thinking.

"They didn't offer." She stiffened slightly. "If I disturbed you, then-"

"'Course you didn't, dammit!" He looked away. "But Souji-senpai would've - -"

"Senpai has more than enough to deal with right now."

What Naoto needed, Kanji knew, was someone different; someone who knew the right words and the right order to put them in and the right voice to say them with. At any other time, that would've been Souji. No matter how much Kanji might've disliked it.

"He - he'd be there for you if he could. He was for me," Kanji insisted. "Just…y'know. Everything that's happened."

"Exactly." Naoto's voice wavered on that one word. "I-I must take responsibility. I have made these mistakes before and I didn't learn."

"Mistakes?"

"Procrastination. Hubris. Treating the case as a game of chess, another culprit to outwit." She closed her eyes and pushed her palm hard against her forehead. "Another notch on my record. And now Nanako-chan is paying the price for my inattention."

He couldn't stifle an aggravated grunt. "Naoto, Nanako was never even on TV, none of us coulda known she'd be taken."

"I could. I have only one reason to be in this town and yet I still haven't - -"

Kanji swiveled to face her. "You got more reasons now, alright?"

He'd spoken purely on impulse - and Naoto's confused, wide-eyed glance made him turn away. "N-Nanako's one of them, so's Souji-senpai," he quickly added, ignoring the blood he could feel rushing to his cheeks. "And - and there's people who want you to stay."

Silence. Naoto was staring into the rain, expression rigid and blank.

She sat upright a few long moments later, lowered her feet to the step below, and took a deep breath. "The only thing I had to offer you all was my ability as a detective. The detective prince," she muttered, almost spitting the words. "What use did that prove?"

"Dammit, you ain't listening!" Frustrated, Kanji smacked his palm against his left knee. "We all care 'bout Nanako-chan - but Yosuke, Ted, all of them, you think they're breaking their backs over shit they can't change? The hell do you get outta this?"

The glare Naoto shot him could laser a hole in concrete. "You don't understand," she said, her voice thick. "I was supposed to finish all this months ago, and I failed."

Exasperation, worry, anger...everything was coiling in his stomach all at once. He swallowed hard before continuing, trying to calm himself. "This ain't only about you," he said, firm but careful. "Let it go."

"I can't," she blurted. "What you said in the hospital, you were right - b-but I can't just…"

"I meant we all had to be strong together. None of us have to t'do everything alone."

Naoto looked at him - not a glare this time, something undisguised and painfully vulnerable - then stared at her hands clamped over her knees. It took him a couple of seconds to realize they were trembling.

He'd yelled at her earlier because they all had to keep their shit together, because they couldn't go to pieces in a hospital corridor - and because part of him had just been terrified to see her choke. She'd been grateful. Kanji still wondered who he'd really been trying to help.

He glanced back at her. Naoto had raised one arm to cover her face, left sleeve pressed against her eyes.

Kanji looked away again, his throat suddenly tight. He lifted his hand, hesitated - then laid it on her far shoulder, expecting her to flinch away. She didn't.

Her breath was hitching slightly; a tight, fighting sound that made his chest ache. Gut instinct told him that she didn't want him to say anything; didn't even want the acknowledgement that she was crying, not when she was trying so hard to stop. He stayed silent, his thumb rubbing small circles against the fabric of her jacket.

Naoto might be right: either people kept leaving her, or she kept leaving them. But not this time.

She calmed down sooner than he'd expected. Probably sooner than she needed. Kanji's eyes were stinging too now, for no damn good reason. He focused his attention on the rain pattering against the shrine roof and the sound of their breath: his almost silent, hers still rough and unsteady.

"Sorry." Naoto wiped her hand over her face. "I - I'm just tired."

He was still holding her opposite shoulder. Had she noticed? No way she couldn't, Kanji thought - then remembered there were a lot of things Naoto didn't notice. "Yeah, me too."

"Then you ought to be sleeping, not sitting outside in the dark." She managed a faint, uneasy sort of half-smile. "I apologize for dragging you here."

Kanji swallowed. "Naoto, I- -"

Naoto stared at him, eyes still red-rimmed and cheeks tinged pink under the lamplight. Her muscles tensed beneath his hand.

He'd expected to sound stupid, to not have enough words to hold everything he wanted to say. The problem was that he couldn't find any words at all.

Tonight was the worst time to put them both on the spot. Kanji looked away, knowing he was blushing and not caring. "I-I'm glad y'came over," he said instead, and gripped her shoulder a little more tightly.