Story so far: Kanji had trouble understanding Naoto's approach to relationships, culminating in an argument in Okina - at the same time Souji was meting with an incarcerated Adachi.

In this part: A battle with a near-goddess, a meeting with a real one, and an early gift.

March 7th 2012

Yukiko stared at the blank television screen, one hand worrying the fabric of her skirt. "Does Dojima-san know about this?"

Souji shrugged. "Which part?"

"All of 'em," Kanji cut in. "That you went to Okina to talk to Adachi, and he told you whatever he did—" because Souji still hadn't spilled the details "—and now we're gonna jump into the damn TV again 'cause of it."

He hadn't meant his voice to come out loud as it did, and this early in the evening Junes was far from empty. Two little girls watching Featherman on a nearby television stared up at him wide-eyed, while Souji coughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Uncle was the one who got me in to see Adachi in the first place," Senpai reminded him – though, hearing it, Kanji wondered again how Souji had ever wrangled that. "And he already knows about the TV world."

"Just not that we're doing this," Yukiko said, without making it sound like a question.

Souji shook his head. "There's no way he'd ever agree. Even if he really got it, which he doesn't, he'd still see this as a gamble - which it kind of is."

Wasn't the most reassuring thing Senpai could've said, but he didn't generally take risks without reason. "Not if that asshole Adachi told you something you needed to know," Kanji said - then, a little harsher than he'd intended, "You still haven't told us what he told you."

A long pause – then Souji let out a slight sigh. "I know, and I'm sorry. I needed to talk to – some friends, first."

Friends. Like this Margaret chick they were supposed to go see who wouldn't just tell Senpai whatever it was she knew. If they were all that close, why wasn't she helping him straight up?

"We're your friends too," Yukiko said quietly.

Souji frowned at her. "Of course you are. Don't ever think otherwise."

And yeah, Kanji already knew that, but hearing it helped. Part of him had worried that this would be a repeat of last year, when Souji had pushed them all away after Nanako's kidnapping; that Senpai had decided to do all of this by himself. But if that was true, he wouldn't have called everyone here to Junes, right?

"You just gotta remember that, Senpai," he said, clasping a hand on Souji's back. "We're doing this together."

The smile Souji gave him was small but reassuring. "Thanks, Kanji."

"But Kanji-kun has a point," Yukiko said. "We'd understand things better if we knew what you and Adachi talked about, or what he wrote to you."

"Well…the letter didn't say much other than asking to speak with me in person. And even when we met, he..." Souji tipped back his head slightly, gaze fixed on one of the gaudy orange sale signs hanging from the ceiling. "I guess he might not have had any answers, but he was asking all the right questions."

Kanji's brow furrowed. "...I don't get it."

Souji glanced down at his watch. "The others should be here soon. Let's head inside."

In the months since they'd last gone in, the TV world hadn't changed. The leap through the screen and the sight of the studio lot had both brought back a weird sort of not-quite-nostalgia: a mix of good and bad memories that Kanji was glad he'd experienced but definitely didn't want to relive.

Looking at Naoto - standing beside the exit television stack and apparently lost in thought - brought back a different set of feelings. There was an overwhelming sense of relief that they'd made it through the past year, made it together, but it was tinged with a growing sense of anxiety. What did it mean if one half of a couple insisted on keeping it secret? Did Naoto really accept him, or was he an embarrassment? It made a bad sort of sense. Smartest kid in the school, practically a genius – like she'd want anyone seeing her with big dumb Kanji-kun.

...Damn, that was pathetic. Kanji shook his head. He was better than this. Maybe it was lack of sleep just setting his nerves on edge; he'd had another one of the dreams last night. Near-darkness, a sudden fiery heat, a glimpse of Izanagi in the fog. Images and sensations that didn't seem to mean anything, alone or together, but which left him on edge nonetheless.

The group was still waiting on Yosuke to finish his shift in the grocery department, so there was time to chat with Naoto. Kanji walked over to her. "Yo. Doing alright?"

She flashed a quick smile that he couldn't help immediately returning. "Yes, just thinking. I didn't anticipate revisiting this place."

He glanced over at Souji. He was sitting cross-legged beside the fox and absently scratching its ears. "Souji-senpai'll explain it."

"It is vital he does so," she said, folding her arms. "I want to know what transpired during his meeting with Adachi."

"You and me both. And this Margaret chick, I wanna know what the deal is there." Kanji grimaced. "Got a bad feeling about her."

Naoto quirked an eyebrow. "We haven't even met her." Then she frowned. "But I understand the sentiment. I don't know what Senpai meant regarding her intent to test us, but it didn't sound positive."

Since Souji's call the previous night, Kanji had wondered what 'testing' someone implied. He didn't know Margaret or the first thing about how she operated, but to him the phrase suggested only one thing: a fight. "...Maybe we'll have to tussle."

Naoto didn't look surprised; Kanji wondered if she'd been thinking the same thing. "I hope not," she said. "We're desperately out of practice."

"Yeah." Save that one weird flash last December, he'd never even tried summoning Rokuten Maoh. "I know."

Both fell into gloomy silence, Naoto staring glumly at the studio lot floor and Kanji wishing he hadn't brought the idea up. Part of him had originally planned to talk to her about their argument in Okina instead, which they still hadn't addressed - except that'd be an even worse conversation and one they really needed to have elsewhere.

But they needed to have it, period. "Hey. You, uh, wanna hang out after this?" he asked.

Naoto stiffened. "Not so loud," she muttered.

...And this kind of crap was exactly what they needed to hash out. He'd kept his voice low, nobody was remotely within earshot, and asking to hang out didn't even have to mean anything unless you were seriously paranoid. Kanji tried not to grit his teeth. "I wasn't loud."

She hesitated. "...It doesn't matter. Just...be careful." A tug at her cap. "We can go to your house, if you like."

"Yeah, okay." He drew a deep breath. "I think we oughta talk, y'know?"

Her expression suddenly wary, Naoto looked on the verge of responding – until Yosuke chose that moment to tumble into the TV world with a yell, landing heavily next to Souji and sending the fox scurrying.

He sat up, rubbing the small of his back. "...Ow."

Chie grinned at him. "Nice landing, Hanamura. Ten points for technique!"

"It's not my fault! The floor manager showed up out of nowhere," Yosuke grumbled. "It was either jump in quick or wait till he left, and I was running late as is."

"No problem." Souji unfolded his legs and climbed to his feet. "Now we're all here - Rise, can you lead us to Nanako's Heaven?"

"That's where your friend Margaret is?" Kanji asked.

"Yeah. We're going to the top, where we fought Namatame. The portal should still be there."

"Look, Souji." Arms folded, Chie shifted awkwardly in place. "I'll go wherever you want and fight whatever you need me to fight. But could you at least explain what we're doing?"

Rise had evoked, her eyes hidden by the mask Kanzeon was holding over her face. "Senpai...I can sense a presence there," she said, a slight tremble in her voice. "It's huge. Bigger than anything we've faced."

"That would be Margaret." He let out a quiet sigh. "When I met with Adachi, he raised a lot of questions, the biggest being how he, Namatame and I got the power to enter the TV. He thinks it may have something to do with when we each arrived in Inaba. Somebody told him about the Midnight Channel on his first day, and – I think someone spoke to me, too, or did something, but neither of us can remember who it was." Souji paused, and winced. "Except it's more like – something's stopping us from remembering."

"Huh." Yosuke folded his arms. "So where does Margaret come into this?"

"Margaret and her master have been helping me since the start of the case. I went to them both for help, but found Margaret alone instead."

"And she said she'd help you figure it out?" Chie asked.

Souji hesitated. "…Actually, she challenged me to a battle."

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Dude, for real?"

"A personal favour to her, she said. And a way to test whether we're ready to see the truth."

"So...we're really going to fight her?" Yukiko's eyebrows were angled with worry. "Even if she's as powerful as Rise-chan says?"

"...Sorry to drag you all into this. I just – assumed you'd—" Souji paused again, gave a slight shake of his head, then glanced around the group. "If any of you want to leave, I'll understand."

"Moron." Grinning, Yosuke slung an arm around Souji's shoulder. "We've been with you all the way. What makes you think we'd quit now?"

Whoever this Margaret was and whatever reason she had for picking a fight with Souji, she'd picked one with all of them. "We're with you, Senpai," Kanji said.

Naoto nodded. "Too many questions remain unanswered. If your friend can address even a few of those, it is our duty to confront her."

"I have unanswered questions too! Two of them," Ted said, counting them off on his fingers. "First, is this Margaret lady pretty, and second, did Sensei score with her?"

Souji glanced at Rise – who looked vaguely murderous – and paled. "No comment."

"Then I bet she is! And maybe you did, but it's okay, Teddie would've too. Let's go, Sensei!"

When they spilled through the portal at the top of Heaven, the sky was pitch black and starless.

Five months on, this world stood out in Kanji's mind more than any other except his own. It wasn't for good reasons – there'd been the desperate rush to save Nanako, and then the fight with Namatame where half the team had been forced to attack their own leader – but nonetheless, he knew this place, and it'd changed. Blue-tinged light seemed to emanate from the floor, casting strange shadows across their faces, and the lack of sunshine had added a chill to the air. Even the light breeze that had skimmed Heaven's open upper levels was gone. Maybe it should've felt sinister, but what he really got was a sense of stillness and expectation.

The huge metal door by the portal had been left open, so the team quickly ran through and across the wooden bridge spanning the darkness. It wasn't until they reached the island on the other side and began to climb the steps to the dais that Kanji was able to see the woman standing at the top.

Yosuke let out a low whistle. "Whoa. She's beautiful."

Beautiful didn't do it justice. Tall and regal, the woman looked like a sculpture, all fine angles and perfectly carved features. Her midnight blue clothing blended with the darkness, a sharp contrast to her pale, clear skin and platinum blond hair. She didn't speak at first or even really look at them, instead focusing her attention on methodically brushing dust from the thick leather-bound book in her arms. If this was Margaret, she looked more exquisite than threatening, but that didn't—

"Who is this?" Rise blurted, with a stumbling step back toward the steps. Her eyes were wide and she appeared on the verge of turning to run. "She's—I can't—"

Souji gently gripped her shoulder. "Relax, Rise. Don't try to scan her."

Rise rounded on him, eyes narrowed. "You – you said she – are you and her—" Then she stopped, and rubbed a hand over her mouth. "Okay. Okay, no scanning."

Margaret's gaze skimmed each of them in turn, then finally settled on Souji. Her expression held nothing but indifference. "So, you've come."

He gave a brief bow. "As you requested."

"I spoke with my master after you left. It seems my predecessor – my sister – also requested a duel from our last guest. I called her foolish, but it seems we are kin indeed." Her lips had curved in a small smile, but it vanished in an instant. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes."

Rise made a clumsy grab for his arm. "Senpai, her power's off the charts! Please tell me you're not gonna fight her!"

Yosuke stepped forward, palm cupped upward as if to summon his Persona's card. "Well, if that's what it comes down to, we'll just—"

"No." Margaret kept her gaze firmly on Souji. "I ask that you show me your power alone."

Alone? Who was she kidding? If she was as powerful as Rise had made out, why the hell would Souji ever want to tackle her alone? Senpai wasn't dumb.

"Fall back, guys," Souji said, raising his palm.

…Okay, maybe Senpai was. "What the hell?" Kanji snapped.

Teddie blinked at Souji. "Sensei - you're joking, right?"

"Nope." Souji walked closer to Margaret, one careful hand on the hilt of his sword. "If this is what it takes, I'll do it. I have to know the truth."

She nodded, brisk and quick. "As the one who rules over power, I will fight with utmost deference to you. Show me what lies beyond a mere exchange of words!"

At the end of the sentence, she cast the book to her side, but instead of dropping to the floor it remained suspended in midair, pages flipping despite the lack of any breeze. Eight summoning cards appeared around her, floating just like the book, as Margaret too rose up from the dais. She seized one of the cards, crushed it in her hand with a flare of pink light – and a familiar scarlet figure burst into the air. "Siegfried!"

"No way!" Rise gasped. "She can use Senpai's Personas?"

Siegfried drove his sword into the ground and a plume of fire blazed toward Souji, a wave of heat surging with it. He evoked in time for Trumpeter to take the brunt of the magic, but the attack still left him staggered. Before he could recover, Margaret summoned again, this time calling - Okuninushi, wasn't it? – and immediately crashing down a powerful Ziodyne. Souji lunged sideways, trying to dodge, but the blast threw him heavily to the floor.

He rolled over onto his knees, card already in his palm. "Yoshitsune!"

With a snarl, Yoshitsune charged across the dais and cleaved his sword through Okuninushi in four, six, eight long strokes. As Okuninushi sputtered out of existence, one of Margaret's cards dropped to the floor. She grabbed another. "Loki! Niflheim!"

Even standing back from the fight, Kanji could feel the torrent of ice; shards of it were landing at his feet. Souji hadn't had time to summon. He was on his hands and knees, a faint figure in swirling, snowy white. The ice storm passed, and again Margaret evoked. "Ardha!"

This was stupid. What were they supposed to do, watch Senpai get his ass handed to him? Kanji could feel himself straining forward just as Rokuten Maoh strained at the edges of his mind, demanding to know why they weren't fighting too. Glancing over his shoulder, the others looked equally torn. Yosuke still had one hand out, like he was about to evoke, and Rise had turned deathly pale.

"She's too strong, we have to stop this!" Rise said. "We have to—"

The rest was cut off in a roar of sound and a searing burst of light. Though Kanji mercifully blanked out the Megidolaon's impact, he still felt each bruising smack as he tumbled back down the steps, Yosuke and Yukiko falling along with him in a tangle of limbs.

Damn – if the splash damage had been enough to knock them flying, what about Souji? Kanji groaned, trying to open his eyes and sit upright as Rokuten Maoh crashed around inside his head, telling him to get up, stop being such a fricking wuss, Senpai needed his—

"Guys! Are you okay?"

He wrenched his eyes open. Chie was halfway down the steps, body half-twisted like she didn't know whether to help them up or go back to Souji.

"N-No," Yosuke managed, though it ended in a shuddering groan. "My shoulder, it's…dammit, it hurts…"

Yukiko climbed stiffly to her feet. "Don't worry, I've got you. Amaterasu!"

As a Mediaharan crested through them – a warm glow in his bones, easing away the throbbing pain - Kanji's eyes flickered shut again, just for a moment. He opened them to see Chie turning back toward the dais.

"We've gotta help Souji!" she said. "No way am I waiting here just watching him get—there's just no way!" She ran back up the steps, blue light already surrounding her hand. "Suzuka Gongen!"

Yukiko reached out after her. "W-Wait! Margaret said we—"

"I don't care what she said," Yosuke growled, still gingerly clutching his shoulder. "Souji can't take her alone. What other choice do we have?"

Too right. Kanji pulled himself from the floor and stumbled up the steps. He reached the top just in time to catch a small white figure materialize beside Naoto and shoot toward Margaret. Wasn't that Naoto's new Persona? He'd figured she might've got a bigger one, but—

He shook his head. No time for that. He held his breath and crushed his card in his hand. "Rokuten Maoh!"

Behind him, Rokuten Maoh blasted into being. The big guy looked much the same as he had in Kanji's mind and in the glimpse he'd caught back in December: a burlier, fire-red version of Take-Mikazuchi, clutching a jagged blade in place of the latter's lightning bolt. He lurched forward and brought the sword crashing down, sending streams of electricity racing toward Margaret. The impact knocked her back, and another of the cards floating around her dropped lifelessly to the ground. Suzuka Gongen followed through with a lunge of her spear that Margaret barely dodged – buying enough time for Kanji to dash forward and haul Souji up from the floor. "C'mon, Senpai!"

"N-No," Souji muttered, half-draped from Kanji's shoulder. "I'm…supposed to—"

"Senpai, you can't do this alone!" Rise had evoked too, a new Persona standing at her back. "We're not letting you!"

Ted quickly called Kamui and cast a Diaharan; still holding Senpai up, Kanji could feel the cool wave wash over them both. "It's okay, Sensei!"

Souji stumbled away from him. "But she said I—"

"Thunder Reign!"

A thunderous rumble, a flash of lightning – and something round and heavy slammed into Kanji head on, knocking him to the floor. He landed badly, hitting his head and dizzying himself. Vague sounds of battle continued around him – people shouting, the roar and crackle of magical energy – until finally he came back to his senses to find Ted sprawled insensate on top of him.

"Get offa me!" he snapped as he shoved at Ted's bulky form. On the other side of the dais, he could see Margaret charging up for an attack, energy racing over her body. She had fewer cards surrounding her now – maybe that was the key? Make it so she couldn't summon? – but whatever she fired out next was going to hurt bad.

Worse, she looked like she was enjoying it. Eyes narrowed, she smiled. "You will honor me by fighting as though you mean to kill. To hold back would be nothing short of insulting! Helel, Morning Star!"

Rise might not have been scanning Margaret, but her hearing was just fine. "Uh-oh - everyone guard!"

...Which Kanji couldn't do with Ted on top of him. He grit his teeth, screwed his eyes shut, and braced for impact.

It never came. The terrible, familiar sound of almighty magic was there, the burst of light, the rush of wind that accompanied it – stronger this time, even more than the last Megidolaon, to the point where the air seemed to ripple with energy - yet there was no pain. As the last traces of the spell dissipated, he opened his eyes to see Yamato Takeru floating in front of him and Ted, the Persona's body fizzing and crackling with static. Beside him, Naoto was on her knees, guarding just as Souji had instructed but watching Kanji carefully. When she caught his eye, she gave a firm nod, and laboriously pushed herself to her feet.

She'd just saved his and Ted's hides, no question. Ted was gradually waking, and Kanji was finally able to roll him to one side. While Yukiko helped the bear up, Souji evoked. "Trumpeter! Debilitate!"

As Trumpeter raised its horn, Yosuke's new Persona – a blue, souped-up version of Jiraiya - uncurled into the air and hurled out a violent Garudyne. Kanji instinctively knew he didn't have to be afraid of wind magic anymore, that Rokuten Maoh could take it, but watching Margaret get slammed with the fierce, twisting gust still made him feel slightly sick. She dipped down and almost hit the floor, but pulled herself back up and snatched a card. Siegfried again. Kanji quickly summoned, ready for Rokuten Maoh to take the brunt of her next attack. Waves of fire tore over the dais, unbearable heat and smoke clogging the air. Before the magic could start to fade, Rokuten Maoh lunged forward and smashed down his sword. The blow didn't catch Margaret directly, but the shockwave knocked her back and left her open to a follow-through Bufudyne from Souji's own Loki.

Another card fell. They could do this.

"Keep at it, guys!" Rise's voice echoed in his head. "I think taking out those cards drains her power!"

Still flickering, Yamato Takeru flashed through the air. In his weakened state, he was easily swatted aside by Cu Chulainn – Naoto flinching with the impact – but the distraction was enough for a revived Ted to shoot off a volley of ice shards. Yet another card dropped to the floor: two remaining.

Suzuka Gongen whirled her spear then spiked it forward. Margaret dodged with inhuman speed, twirled aside from Amaterasu's misaimed Agidyne, and reached for another card. Her hand never made it. Souji had summoned his own Cu Chulainn, and the Persona swung his spear in a wide arc, the hilt slamming into her and flinging her off the back of the dais. As she vanished from view, Souji ran forward, eyes wide with panic.

Yosuke gaped. "Holy crap, a fall like that..."

...But wasn't she supposed to be able to fly or something? She'd been floating earlier, right? The whole team had been whaling on her, so it wasn't like she couldn't take a hit, but a nine-floor plummet was a whole different matter. Kanji dashed forward too, toward the edge of the platform – and straight into a thrashing, whirling blizzard. It hurt: ice biting into his skin, chilling him to the bone even through his clothes. Though his eyes were nearly screwed shut against the hail, he could still make out Margaret flying up over the dais with Loki at her back, a single card rotating around her – and Souji, standing upright at the center of the storm, a second Loki hovering behind him.

Kanji had already dropped to his hands and knees. Wait it out, just had to wait it out, but why was it lasting so long?

A hand grabbed his arm. He glanced sideways to see Naoto on one knee beside him, blindly clutching at his sleeve. She'd followed Souji too, he realized, and was trying to pull Kanji back out. He pushed himself up, slung an arm around her as they moved, and staggered out of the ice-storm toward the steps.

The ice-storm whirled around Souji, hail and sleet pounding against him – then died in an instant, Margaret's Loki vanishing along with it. In his place appeared the same figure Kanji had glimpsed earlier: golden, majestic Helel. The Persona raised its hands, ready to call down another crushing almighty attack.

Souji got there first. He summoned his own Helel in a flash and cast Megidolaon at the same instant Margaret's Helel did the same. With two spells cast at once, the thundering sound of almighty magic would be even louder. Kanji clasped his hands over his ears and waited for the racket to end.

It never started. The two spells met in the middle in a burst of blinding light, as each Persona vied to dominate the other - but after only a few seconds, Souji's Helel was flickering with static. Souji himself was grimacing, one hand pressed against his head. Kanji started forward, held out his hand – but before he could call Rokuten Maoh, Yosuke summoned Susano-O, Kamui rolling into the air almost at the same instant. They cast as one: Garudyne from Susano-O, Bufudyne from Kamui, and the two spells were perfectly timed. Kanji winced as a blast of huge frozen spikes, as violent as Loki's storm, slammed into Margaret's Helel and speared it twice through its chest. Golden light shone from the wounds, disrupted by static. It was the last glimpse Kanji caught of the Persona before Souji's Megidolaon finally broke through.

Man, he should've kept his hands over his ears. The roar went on for what felt like ages, even shook the dais – and when the noise and light finally abated, Margaret was kneeling on the floor, her book beside her, her lips still curved in a smile.

"Impressive," she said, slowly rising to her feet. "You, a human, won against me, one who rules over power..."

"But I didn't win alone," Souji said with a shake of his head.

She chuckled. "Precisely."

Realization flashed over his face, followed by a sheepish smile. "…Ah. I should've seen that coming, right?"

"I promised I would offer you what assistance I could, should you prove yourself. You did so admirably. Here." Margaret held out her closed hand, then opened it to reveal a golden light. Souji reached out in turn and she placed something into his upturned palm.

Souji frowned at his glowing hand. "What is it?"

"A crystal of power, nurtured by you throughout your journey. It will allow you to see the truth without being swayed by hollow rumours."

"Rumours aren't the problem," he protested. "It's that I can't remember."

"Truth only appears to those who have observed, considered, and made a choice," Margaret said, as she picked up her book and clutched it to her hip. "At the end of the path you chose lies the truth. Believe in it, and continue without faltering."

Souji nodded slowly. "That's, uh, very vague of you." Then he closed his fist and slipped whatever she'd given him into his jacket pocket. "Any chance you could be more specific?"

"No."

Chie let out a sigh. "Figures."

Head tipped slightly, Souji studied Margaret carefully. "You enjoyed that battle, didn't you?"

She smiled again. "Perhaps."

"What's wrong with you?" Rise snapped. "Senpai could've died if we hadn't stepped in!"

"Yet you did, and our battle was instead invigorating to all involved." Margaret paused, tapping her long fingernails against the cover of her book, then looked Souji in the eye. "Before my sister left, she told me this. A soul slumbers at the ends of the world, that of a young man who devoted himself to becoming a seal. That soul is risking itself to prevent mankind from calling down ultimate destruction. She told me she was going to save him from that fate, that she would combine her powers with those who bonded with that soul to enact a miracle." She stepped toward Souji, stroked a finger along his jaw. "You have many bonds of your own. But should your own soul become isolated, and you lose everything – then just as Elizabeth did for the other boy, so I shall do for you."

"Thank you," Souji said quietly.

"No, I must thank you. Of all the humans I've encountered until now, you shook my soul the most. Let us meet again, Souji." With that, Margaret turned away. She held out her hand, moved it as if turning a door knob – and a glowing blue door materialized in front of her. She stepped through without looking back, and once the door had closed behind her, it vanished.

Yosuke idly flipped a knife in his hands, watching the spot where the door had been. "So, that was weird."

"I need to thank all of you, too," Souji said. "There's no way I could have taken her down one-on-one." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Which I guess she already knew."

"Man, we just got totally played," Kanji grumbled. He kind of got why – Margaret had wanted to test them, after all – but it left a bad taste in his mouth nonetheless.

Rise folded her arms with indignation. "She had no right to mess with us like that! Who the heck does she think she is?"

"A very, very powerful woman," Souji said absently.

It seemed like he'd meant to continue the sentence; Yukiko stepped in to finish it. "But together we proved ourselves, right?"

"Yeah, we did!" Chie agreed. "Good work, guys!"

"And nice work bailing out Kanji, Naoto," said Yosuke, with a smirk that made Kanji contemplate putting a boot in his mouth. "Got a soft spot for him, huh?"

Yukiko frowned, first at Naoto, then at Kanji. "Well, of course she does. Aren't they together now?"

…Oh, crap.

Kanji blinked. "Uh."

The entire group had fallen silent. Yosuke was suddenly very interested in the floor, Chie looked like she might be about to drag Yukiko away for her own good, and Rise was looking everywhere except at Kanji or Naoto. Yukiko just looked confused, Ted was indignant, and Souji – Souji didn't even appear to be listening, but what good did that do? Kanji glanced wildly at Naoto. She'd tipped down her cap and turned slightly to the side, but he could still glimpse a full-face blush that rivaled Yukiko's cardigan.

"…Oh," Yukiko said quietly, and winced at the elbow Chie jabbed into her ribs.

"It – It isn't like—" Naoto began, still half-turned away, but Ted got there first.

"Nao-chan helped me too," he pointed out. "Doesn't that mean I get to score with her just like Kanji-chan?"

By this point, Kanji was amazed Naoto hadn't erupted in flames. "H-He hasn't—!"

"Never mind that," Souji cut in, voice urgent. "We have to leave. I – think I've just remembered something."

Not now, had been all that Naoto had mumbled at Kanji on the way out of Junes. Which probably meant not ever, which in turn meant they were going to keep on pretending nothing had happened. Dammit, how long had the rest of the team known? He'd kind of seen it coming – after all, Rise had figured it out already, and Souji had probably known all along - but now even the oblivious Amagi Challenge had them pegged?

It wasn't Yukiko's fault, he knew that. She'd just been speaking the truth. If anyone, Naoto was the one to blame – but just thinking that felt wrong, like he was betraying her somehow. Like he wasn't taking her feelings into account. Like he might lose her, if he wasn't careful.

"Where are we going, Sensei?" Ted asked. It'd started raining while they were in the TV, in heavy, fat drops that splattered against the cheap Junes-brand umbrellas they'd had to pick up before heading across town.

"Moel gas," Souji told him. "That's where I went when I first arrived in town. Something happened to me there."

"You sure?" Yosuke asked. "I mean, that's kind of vague, you know?"

"And it seems like a long shot," Chie said. "Whoever was there on the day you showed probably won't remember it a year later."

Souji's shrug looked far from casual. "I know - but I don't have anything else to go on."

It wasn't long before they arrived at the gas station. Due to the weather and the late hour, the shopping district was deserted, save for one person: a long-haired guy Kanji had seen only once or twice before, manning the petrol pumps at Moel.

...Thinking about it, hadn't it been raining the other times Kanji had seen him? Weird to only work outside on rainy days. Souji seemed a little freaked out too, wide-eyed gaze fixed firmly on the attendant as he inspected the data screen on one of the pumps.

The guy noticed them, then. Though his face was only partly visible beneath the brim of his baseball cap, Kanji could still see him break into a lopsided smile. "Hi there, welcome to Moel. Do you need something?"

"It was you," Souji said, quick and quiet and firm. "You - did something to me."

Way to cut to the chase, Senpai. The attendant raised an eyebrow. "...'Did something'?"

"When I arrived here. Same as you did to Adachi and Namatame."

The attendant didn't seem fazed. He just smiled that same strange, uneven smile, and shrugged. "I welcomed you to town. Don't you remember?"

"I remember everything, now," Souji insisted. He'd braced himself, falling into a fighting stance. "You gave me the power."

Chuckling, the attendant tipped back his cap. "Ah, I've been waiting for you, Souji Seta. Dreams, half-memories…I'd wondered whether they'd lead you here."

"I don't get this," Yosuke cut in, turning from Souji to the attendant. "Do you have something to do with—"

"Namatame, Adachi, Seta - I am the one who awakened the power dormant within you three." The attendant held out his hand, as if motioning to shake. "Just like this."

On the final word, Souji gasped in pain and dropped to one knee. Rise darted forward and knelt down beside him, clutching at his arm. "Senpai!"

"The hell'd you do to him?" Kanji snarled.

"All it takes is a gentle push," the attendant – or whoever or whatever he really was – continued. "A handful of strangers were more than sufficient to stimulate a small place like this. Enough to envelop this town with fog, and later lift it - but why do you stand before me now?"

"To...learn the truth," Souji managed through gritted teeth. "Who are you really?"

The attendant shook his head dismissively. "Grasping for the truth accomplishes nothing."

"I need...to know! Who are you?"

With that, Souji thrust his hand in his pocket and pulled out the glowing object Margaret had given him. It wasn't doing anything other than giving off that same golden light as before, and Souji didn't seem to know what else to do with it. The attendant quirked an eyebrow, then chuckled again.

"Ah, I see. You awakened to a power I had not imagined - and now you stand before me with it. Perhaps this is fate." He tilted his head, watching Souji with an idle sort of interest. "Very well."

And from nowhere, the fog rolled in.

Three months on, Kanji still hadn't forgotten how it had felt; the way the air seemed to congeal around you, masking sight and muffling sound. TV world fog was unmistakable. The light from the streetlamps was swallowed by the murky grey, casting the group into near-darkness – but they could still see the figure floating over them, just above the place where the attendant had been standing. He – no, she – was clad entirely in white, with skin nearly as pale again.

"I...am Izanami," she said.

Naoto drew a sharp breath. "The goddess..."

Souji pushed himself to his feet. Kanji watched his fists clench. "So, you're behind all this."

"Wait, she is?" Yosuke frowned. "But what about that other thing we fought? The ruler of the fog?"

"Ameno-sagiri is merely an aspect of myself that I birthed long ago. But I can no longer ignore this situation as mere foolishness, when it may be fate decreed by the world." Izanami's voice was calm, though not without a note of curiosity."This time, I shall pit my full strength against you."

Ameno-sagiri had been tough enough, and that was just part of her? Kanji shook his head. "But last time we nearly—"

"Izanagi." It took a moment to realize she was talking to Souji. "Will you show me honour, as you failed to do before?"

Souji stared up at her. His hands had uncurled at his sides. "...Yes."

"Then find me. I will be waiting for you in that other world."

There was no big thunderclap or flash of light. Just a quiet sound, like a piece of glass cracking – and Izanami vanished, the fog dissipating as quickly as it had arrived.

"Whoa." Yosuke let out a whistle. "That was even weirder than Margaret."

Chie shrugged a little helplessly. "Well...we figured out who's behind it all, at least?"

"Yes," said Naoto. "A god who wants a fight."

Yosuke rolled his eyes then grinned. "When do they ever wanna do anything else? Either they're Personas fighting with us or they're bad guys fighting against us. Not much difference."

"There's a huge difference," Naoto shot back. "She is a goddess, Yosuke-senpai. Any good student of Japanese mythology would know Izanami as—"

"Yeah, I know. I was in that lecture back on Port Island too. She's a goddess of creation and death, the ruler of Yomi, blah blah. It doesn't matter," he insisted, gesturing for emphasis. "If we don't go after her, we'll never figure out what was really happening here this past year. Hell, the fog just came back! Who's to say that won't happen again, and permanently?"

Souji gave a sharp nod. "Agreed. I need to confront her. I need to find out what she wants from him."

"We," Yosuke corrected. "And we just need to beat her, that's all. We'll be lying to ourselves if we say the case is closed now."

"I – I don't know about this." Rise had wrapped her arms around herself, probably as much for comfort as against the early spring chill. "Even without Kanzeon, I could sense how powerful she was. She makes that Margaret look like an ordinary Shadow."

Chie eyed Souji carefully. "You really think we can beat her?"

"We can try," he said. "I care about this town, and the people in it. I want it to be safe. I'll face whatever it takes to make sure that happens, gas station goddesses included."

"Okay. Okay!" Chie hopped back and punched a fist into her palm. "So we do this tomorrow, right?"

Souji's gaze drifted over each of them in turn. "I'm sorry to have to ask you all twice in one day – but are you up for this?"

Nods of assent came in response, along with a much needed, emphatic "Hell yeah!" from Chie.

"I think Margaret was a pretty good warm-up, right?" Yosuke said with a grin. It was to his credit, Kanji figured, that it only looked slightly forced.

"To say the least." Likewise, Souji's smile only made it halfway there. "We're as ready as we'll ever be. Head home, everyone, and we'll meet at Junes tomorrow afternoon."

As the group began to filter away, Kanji laid a hand on Naoto's shoulder. "Yo, wait a sec."

She didn't look up at him. Wasn't a good sign. "Yes."

What he wanted to say was: it's okay, it doesn't matter that they know. What came out was, "Just wanted to say thanks. For helping me earlier."

"Of course."

Like she would've believed him even if he had said it. The idea of people finding out about them was still anathema to her – but they had found out, so she had to get used to it, right? He sighed, dropping his hand to his side, and rolled his shoulders. "I – look, I got nothing to do rest of the evening. We could still hang out."

"We're both tired," she said flatly. "We should go home as Souji-senpai instructed."

He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. "Naoto, I think we've gotta—"

"Why did you tell them?" She was finally staring up at him now, blue-grey eyes narrowed and accusing.

Kanji jolted, startled. "I-I didn't, man, I swear."

"You must have. Otherwise they wouldn't—"

He grabbed her hand, looked her dead in the eye. "I just told you, I didn't. But they know now, so we gotta deal, yeah?" He sighed, hand still gripping hers. "They – shit, they don't even care, why would they? Why would you?"

She pulled away. "It – it changes things. The team dynamic, it's—"

"S'got nothing to do with that! You're just – I dunno. Ashamed, or whatever." Then, because he wasn't quick enough to catch himself, because right now it made a horrible, twisted sort of sense, "If it was Senpai you were with, you wouldn't be like this."

For a second, Naoto looked stunned – then furious. She jabbed a finger against his chest. "That is a ridiculous assertion!"

"Um, Kanji-kun, Naoto-kun?" Distracted, he hadn't even noticed Yukiko approach. "You, um, probably shouldn't be arguing in the street."

"...W-We're not arguing," Naoto objected, though a little halfheartedly, her anger clearly deflated. She turned back to Kanji, though she didn't meet his gaze. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't intend to raise my voice."

"S'fine," he said reflexively. "I—"

There was no time to finish; Naoto was already turning away. "I need to leave now. Goodnight."

She headed south in short, quick strides, past the bus stop – was she planning on walking the whole way home? – and across the road. A part of Kanji debated following, another wanted to yell at her to stop being an idiot, but the rest of him figured that both options were dumb and that what Naoto needed to do right now was cool off.

He turned to Yukiko. "Sorry 'bout that. She's pissed that people know."

"I – I'm sorry. I just thought – everyone already knew. There are so many rumours at school and it seemed to make sense that you'd both be..." Yukiko trailed off, biting her lip. "Was I wrong?"

Kanji let out a heavy sigh and scuffed his foot against the ground. "No, you weren't."

"Then Naoto-kun just doesn't want people to know?" Yukiko paused, looking thoughtful. "I...suppose I can understand that."

"You can?"

"Well, I'd be anxious about it too. And Naoto-kun...well, from what she told us and the way she was before she joined the team, I - don't think she gets how people's feelings work, you know? Especially her own." Yukiko tilted her head with a frown. "She's probably scared."

Worst part was, Yukiko was on point. Kanji couldn't claim to fully understand Naoto, but he got plenty of parts, even when he didn't really want to and even though the knowledge didn't keep him from screwing up anyway. Yukiko had just voiced out loud what he already knew. Of course Naoto was scared shitless; if nothing else, her leaving Inaba had proved that. And hell, he knew the feeling, to the point where his chest ached with sympathy. But the way she expressed it – the secrecy, the paranoia, the arbitrary lines she drew in the sand – fed into all of his own insecurities. Buying into the she's-too-good-for-me deal was way easier than facing up to the truth: that Naoto had no idea what she was doing, that he was almost as clueless again, and that between the two of them they stood to break a lot of stuff.

...But that, he figured, was part of being with someone – which this was his first attempt at doing, in a case where both parties had some pretty major interpersonal failings. Screw sunshine and rainbows, they were lucky to have made it two steps out the gate.

He ran a hand through his hair, limp from the damp air, and looked back at Yukiko. "Thought Rise was supposed to be the one who sees through people," he said, mustering a smile.

"I do pay some attention." Yukiko's forehead creased into a frown. "Just not enough. I'm sorry I made things difficult."

"Not your fault. What were you supposed to do, pretend you didn't know forever?" He shook his head. Maybe that was what everyone else had planned on doing, but it'd be plain stupid. "Better that everything's out in the open, 'specially if we're gonna go throw down with a god tomorrow."

Her face paled, colour draining in an instant. "Yes. Especially." Then she shook her head. "We – should go home and prepare, I suppose."

The rain was already easing off. "Yeah. Later, Yukiko-senpai." With that he turned and walked down the street, back toward the textiles shop.

The air was warm and stale, and smelled like – he wasn't sure. It was pungent, maybe slightly sweet, but the surroundings were too dim to tell the source.

He stepped forward. The ground felt wet and uneven beneath his bare feet. He could sense rather than see the fog, too familiar with the way it clung to his skin and seeped in with every breath. Except the fog had been driven out months ago, he realized in a startling moment of clarity – which faded the next instant. The smell was growing worse as he walked: sickly sweet and putrid.

Defy mankind's wishes, and you are destined to be trapped here forever.

Though it seemed to come from inside his skull, the voice was familiar. He couldn't place where. Some time recently, something important he'd been told...

He caught a sudden noise ahead of him, then a flare of light in the fog.

The first thing he noticed was the blood pooled around his feet. As the fog rolled back, he realized it was covering the rocky ground – and dripping from the bodies suspended a meter in the air ahead. Each one was surrounded by flies and crawling with maggots, to the point they were unrecognizable - almost. The clothes, he'd seen before. One in particular – dressed all in blue – was horribly, bizarrely familiar, to the point where his stomach churned with overwhelming nausea. He bent double, ready to throw up, but nothing came out except bile. When he straightened, another figure was standing ahead, motionless but alive. Grey-haired, which was again familiar, though in a way that made him feel safe and reassured - until the hum of magic throbbed through him and the air behind the figure burst into life.

The figure lifted a hand, and the masked creature behind swiveled its spear.

Defy mankind's wishes, and you are all destined to fall but him.

As he staggered back through pools of blood, his head was spinning. This person was trustworthy, his mind told him, his mentor. Yet another voice in his head spoke louder: a deep rumbling that used no words but rang out as a warning.

Kanji lifted his head. The figure was laughing, the creature rippled with electricity, and the hanging bodies' hollowed-out eyes just wouldn't stop staring – all of which vanished when the spear thrust forward and plunged through his chest.

His eyes snapped open.

...Holy crap, what had that been about?

The room was dark and too hot - sweat beading on his forehead, sheets tangled around his legs – and it felt like his heart might hammer straight through his ribs, a sharp stab of pain with every beat. He gulped for air, fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms, and tried desperately to even out his breathing. Dammit, dammit, just a stupid nightmare, no reason to lose it so bad, no need to get so—

Except it'd felt ten times more real than any other dream he'd ever had...and yet still somehow like the others that'd visited him throughout the year. There'd been the fog, and Izanagi. Visceral and terrifying as this nightmare had been, it felt like it hung together with all the rest. Like all of this had been building up for months, and maybe longer. How long had Izanami been expecting Souji to come for her? Since the start? Maybe the dreams had just been a way to lure him out, but then why put the whole team through them?

Or maybe the dreams were just that. Meaningless. Kanji wanted to think so – but right now, believing it was difficult.

He sat up and fumbled around for his phone. He'd unclenched his fists but the shake in his hands still made him miss the buttons twice as he tried to pull up Naoto's number. The phone rang only once before she picked up.

"Hey. S'me," he said, before she could speak. "Sorry, I know it's—"

"I was awake. Did you—"

"Yeah." He swallowed. "Yeah."

"It was – different, yet similar to the other dreams."

"Just clearer. Too clear."

"I suspect Izanami is sending us a message, as she has most likely been doing for months."

"Woulda been nice if she let us sleep the night before we go to kick her ass, huh?"

Naoto sighed quietly. "I suppose it's more than we could expect."

They lapsed into silence, Kanji scrambling for something else to say. Naoto was the one to break it.

"If – if that's all, Kanji, I'll—"

"I love you."

Crap. That was a mistake. He was tired and freaked out, blurting out stuff he didn't mean.

...No, not stuff he didn't mean. Stuff he meant all too much but that might scare Naoto off – and probably had. The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Kanji couldn't even hear her breathing.

"Shit, s-sorry," he stumbled. "You - don't have to say it back." He took a deep breath. "But I do."

Yet more silence, stretching out for what felt like hours - until she finally spoke. "I – I know. I—"

"I just – I guess I had to say it." He tried for a rough chuckle. "Y'know, since we're facing down a god tomorrow an' all."

"Today. It's already two a.m." A pause. "You're not going back to sleep."

And face Izanami's horror show all over again? "No way."

"I won't either." She took a breath, barely audible through the phone. "I'm – at the apartment. You could—"

"You want me to—?"

"Or I-I could come to—"

"N-No way. Ma would kill us both." Didn't matter how badly either of them needed company, needed someone who got it. "I – I'll head over to you, yeah?"

"...Very well. I'll see you soon."

One hour later, he was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Naoto's small apartment, elbows resting on his knees.

Two cups of tea were on the low table in front of him. He'd picked his up and put it down again three or four times in the last five minutes, just for something to do other than stew in his thoughts. Naoto had disappeared into the bedroom immediately after making the drinks, leaving him alone. It was ten minutes later, enough time for the tea to cool completely, before she eventually resurfaced.

His eyes were drawn to the box in her hand. It was small and square, and a brilliant blue. "What's that?"

She placed the box on the table. "A gift," she said, as she knelt on the other side.

A gift? "Thought you were mad at me."

"It's...complicated. Open the box."

Brow furrowed, Kanji lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in white tissue paper, was a black digital watch - thick and clunky-looking with a square face. The time read 03:17 in blocky green numbers. "This is for me?"

"Press the top button on the right side," Naoto instructed.

When he did, the display changed. "It says one-point-one-em."

"One-point-one meters." She held up her other hand, showing the identical watch on her wrist. "It's – how far away we are from each other."

He blinked. "Oh. Right."

"I mean, the p-precision is lacking, I could only fit the distance to one decimal place while still including the unit, and the transmitter and sensor ranges are both limited so it won't work unless we're relatively close." She took a breath. "But I – I thought we could both wear them in any case. So each of us will know where the other is."

Okay, so that'd come out a little...well, stalker-ish. But when Kanji put the pieces together – the quiet and sincere way Naoto had said it, the fact that nobody had ever made him anything before, the idea that she cared enough to wonder where he was – he couldn't help grinning back. "This is all so I can't sneak up on you, right?" he said, slipping the watch over his wrist.

Naoto frowned. "...No."

"I know, I know." He tested a few of the other buttons, flicking between the time, the date, and the distance. She'd said she made stuff, but this was a whole other level. "Thanks, Naoto. This is the coolest gift I ever got."

"It was intended for White Day," she said softly. "But...I thought. What we're doing later today, it could—"

"Hey. Don't." They couldn't afford to start thinking that way. His stomach lurched, as if the thought itself had plunged into his body and twisted it into knots. "We're all gonna be fine. We're always fine."

She stared at the table, biting her lip, then lifted her gaze. "Do you truly believe that?"

He swallowed hard. "I've got to, y'know?"

Naoto studied him for a long moment, expression unreadable. Then she stood up from the floor, moved to kneel beside him on the sofa. With two fingers against his chin, she tilted his head toward her and pressed a lingering kiss to his mouth. When they broke away, Kanji hesitated, feeling like he should say something, uncertain of what that something should be – then dipped his head forward and leaned his forehead against hers. He'd grabbed her left hand without thinking, twining their fingers together.

Naoto said nothing. Her breath was warm and unsteady as she raised her free hand to the back of his head, thumb brushing the hair at the nape of his neck.

A dozen thoughts raced through his mind – questions about why she acted the way she did, apologies for needing to ask, even how pissed off Ma would be if she knew he was here – but one shoved its way to the front: a familiar, almost piercing gratitude that he was perhaps the only one allowed to know Naoto could be this gentle and unguarded.

"Don't go," she blurted, fingers tightening around his.

"I - I can stay till morning."

Didn't really answer the question, he knew that - but she still raised her head and kissed him again, all the usual hesitation gone. Some distant part of him still wanted to talk, to hash things out; the rest relaxed into the kiss by degrees. Naoto slipped an arm around his back, using his weight to shift herself closer. Eventually she pulled back and tugged him into a tight embrace, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"You're right. We'll be fine," she told him, voice probably not as firm as she'd intended. Kanji was still desperately grateful for the effort.

After a moment, he pulled back. "But you still want me to stay?"

"...It isn't necessary," she said, staring down at her hands clasping her knees.

Kanji sighed, then ran his fingers through her short hair. "Who said it needed to be?"

When he woke again, dim light was filtering through the window blinds. For a moment he was disorientated, expecting his mind to be reeling from nightmares – but there was nothing.

He figured it was around seven in the morning; he couldn't be certain, since he couldn't dislodge his arm to check his new watch. For someone of his height, sleeping on the sofa had been uncomfortable. His neck felt stiff, his arm was numb, and his back ached like nothing else. Even so, he didn't move. Naoto was curled up beside him, back pressed to his front, with his free arm draped over her.

He dipped his head, pressed a kiss to the top of hers, and held her a little tighter.