(First, I should reiterate to Persona fans that pretty much nothing I make up in here is DDR canon. Second, sorry for it being late, and next week's will probably be late, too. Third uh... I... am just sorry for this chapter. It should be rewritten like three more times. xP)

You were in another room filled with machines. that lined the wall and left the middle of the room empty. Instead of looking like a factory with conveyor belts and worker robots, the room only had several computers that may have been linked together like a supercomputer. The machines left a shell-shaped area open where a person stood, facing the wall.

Yuni pointed ahead at him. "Hey! You're that... that one kid! From the arcade!"

The boy standing several feet away -having near-black hair, glasses, and a sweater- was Robert. What was he doing there?

He turned in your direction and acknowledged your group, but he didn't respond.

Yuni was bitter from his silence, but she was soon concerned. His face looked somber. "Yo? Are you okay?"

"How did you get in here?" Akira asked him.

"I," your friend began, hanging his head a bit to avoid eye contact, "I took Emi in here."

Everyone was shocked.

"No way," Yuni began, "all this time, it was really-"

"I did it to protect her!" Robert shouted. "After the things I heard that happened to all of you... I thought... I don't know what I thought..."

"You heard about this place, and you still took her here?" Zero berated him.

"I had to make sure she was okay," he argued, panicking. "I owe it... to Erika..."

Who?

… that had to be Emi's friend.

"I was given this power, and I have to use it." He looked at his hands before he curled them into fists. "I have to be stronger so I can stop people from dying... no one else can be killed in this world as long as-" he screamed, holding his head.

You led the others closer to him, and you asked him what was wrong.

"My power... it... I can't... control..."

What kind of power did he have? Was he the evil person that Devil Zukin could sense? What could you do to help him...?

You heard a whirring sound...

"Get... away..."

You thought his Shadow was forming, but you couldn't sense anything like it. It was as if you could hear a pulsing, rhythmic beat, quickly increasing in speed. The faster it got, the more you wanted to run away. Your instincts told you to direct the others to the back of the room, despite your worry of your friend's safety.

AGH!

Large, thick wires from the machinery shot out from behind him and into his back. He screamed after the first one, and he fell limp before another four dug their way into his body. Your eyes widened as you watched the wires bulge and shrink, looking like they drained the life from him. You furiously grabbed your sword and began to charge to one of the wires, hoping to cut it, but another thick cord whipped you in your right shoulder, knocking you onto your side.

"Ah! Souji!"

It sounded like Alice, but you didn't look back. You stamped your sword into the ground for support as you rose again, trying to get to the living cords.

What was he, really?

"What am I?"

You skidded to a halt. It wasn't Robert's voice at all; his lips didn't even move.

"What do I sound like to you?"

His voice sounded distorted, but you could tell that it wasn't what he was talking about. The beating remained at a constant speed, at a familiar suspenseful rhythm you felt you had heard before.

With one huge pulse from the draining cords, Robert faded into Shadow-like dust. The girls behind you screamed; you gasped to yourself, afraid that he was either gone or consumed by the monster. The lights from the computers in the room turned red, giving the entire room a crimson hue.

In Robert's place was a hairless humanoid being with pure black eyes and red cracked skin. He had black claws and was wearing a dark, old-looking robe. He was tall and slender, like he was starved beneath the oversized cloak.

"I... am Paranoia Hades!"

He's... named after a song? No... he is the song? You could hear bits and pieces of the synthesizers and beats in your head. That was that boss song that always seemed to come up when Robert was playing it... had he been Paranoia the entire time? That didn't matter. What could you do to bring him back?

"So, should we start beating him down?" Yuni asked you.

You hesitated to give any commands.

"Souji," Akira called. You gave him your attention. He glared at you with a stern yet determined look.

"I know your friend was just there, but the only way to do that is to beat this monster. We're all here to help if you'll still be our leader."

You thought about it, and then you nodded. You pulled Futsunushi from your soul, and the others called their own Personas.

You wanted to start by slashing at the cords; perhaps if you could disconnect him from the machines, he would be less powerful. Futsunushi struck the wires with his swords; those wires would try to bend and strike him, but he was able to block the attacks. As he did that, you also tried to cut the wires from Paranoia, but it didn't seem like you were doing any damage.

You traded Futsunushi for Loki, hoping that his ice powers would be more effective than the other demon's physical power. You commanded the Persona to use Bufudyne on Paranoia's body. He cringed, but he seemed unaffected after the ice shattered. He was naturally hunched over; it was difficult to tell whether or not anything was doing damage.

As for your team, Tsutomu and Yuni were relying on their physical attacks and only getting as far as Futsunushi did moments before. Akira must've given up on his gun, while Lu-yan was trying to paralyze Paranoia. Hael and Alice were launching winds into the cords, likely trying to disconnect the monster from the wall as you were, but the wires refused to break. They flailed around wildly after each gust of wind. Zero remained in the back, having Maion cast Almighty spells.

It seemed that no matter what everyone was doing, Paranoia himself didn't do much to counter you. Was it because Robert was part of him? You asked the monster what happened to him.

"I don't need him anymore," he replied. "He was my shell; when he finally took me to this world, I was able to manifest into what I am now." He continued to talk while being shot by several attacks from the others. "Outside, I'm just a piece of sound... but in here, I can be stronger! I've taken over the human life that I possessed on the other side and used it to be a living creature myself!"

Did that mean he was gone forever?

"He isn't gone."

That dark feminine voice... you turned to see Devil Zukin and Rage at the doorway.

"I get it now; that evil I sensed in that boy was that song. But I can still tell you that your friend is there. You have to destroy the song before it takes him over entirely!"

Was she all right? Hadn't she been afraid of Paranoia until now?

"I've been listening from the other side. I have a power that can protect others as well; I want to use it to save everyone."

"I'm back, too, if you need me," Rage said.

You smiled. You waited for Zukin to call Ouze. As the slim Persona appeared behind her, you could hear a piano like you tended to whenever Ouze showed up, and a light began to glow from behind the two.

"Stop," Paranoia muttered, cowering in the air, "you're..."

The comment was directed at Zukin, but she didn't reply. She was what?

"Heaven... you're that song of heaven!"

"Huh?" Yuni asked, stopping her failed attacks.

"I won't lose to you," Paranoia said, "I won't let some false hope destroy me!"

"All right," Rage said, "you got some information on him? Just tell me where his weak spot is, and I'll-"

"That won't be necessary, Rage-sama."

"What?"

"He is Paranoia Hades. He absorbs fire attacks; his form here is also immune to physical attacks. I am afraid there isn't must you or Yuni can do from here."

"Aww man," the blonde girl said, jogging to the back of the room.

"But he is weak to ice. His defenses are high, but he will be worn out soon enough if you're persistent. Fight him, Souji, and rescue that boy!"

You nodded; you thought about continuing to use Loki for wear him out, but you wondered if anyone could lower his defenses first. You would need a Persona that knew Rakunda; Maion was the one who had the support moves, so you asked Zero if his Persona knew anything about that move.

"What?" he shouted back. He was looked busy, and it didn't seem like he knew what you were talking about.

Suddenly, Tsutomu came from nowhere and dashed toward Paranoia. She dug her claws into his neck; the demon yelled and pushed her off with some sort of pulse from his body.

"She knew what you meant," Yuni said to you. "Have at 'im!"

You focused back on communicating with Loki, and you had him launch a Niflheim attack. Paranoia curled forward as he was frozen in ice; he arched his spine back and stretched his arms to break free from it. The ice shards shattered and melted into mist. The air around him was getting warmer. you could tell without being close simply by the fact that the air began to blur.

"He's charging an attack," Zukin warned. "A large fire attack. Protect yourselves!"

Loki's ability to block fire left you confident; you didn't know what to think of everyone else. You told them to run back and brace themselves. Believing they listened, you remained in place while Loki spread his wings to protect you.

Paranoia emitted six red rings of fire throughout the room. The lightning-fast rings flew as far as the walls and left burn marks on the room, even destroying a few computers in its path. Had you been hit without Null Fire, you would've been doomed for sure. You looked at your teammates; Hael had disappeared. You asked if Alice was all right.

"I'm okay," she said, "I just couldn't concentrate. Please come back, Hael!"

She raised her fan in the air, and her Persona materialized above her. Hael's garments floated as she created her own wind to power herself. She extended her arms, and a ring of light spread through the room. Once it struck you, you felt a small surge of power.

"It's something new," Alice said, "I think she called it Mara...ku...kaja."

That meant she raised all your attacks; you thanked her and continued to strike Paranoia with blasts of ice while Lu-yan's electric powers tried to stun him. Even knowing his weakness, you weren't ever able to stop Paranoia Hades from attacking. His fire skills charred Lu-yan, impairing his ability to attack. As that happened, you saw Tsutomu repeat her Rakunda skill to assist. Paranoia's weak looking hands grabbed her shoulders just after she hit him; his hands combusted and he pushed his ninja foe away with fiery energy. You believed her attack was successful, however, and you tried to freeze him in a block of ice again. Instantly, he performed his ring move to melt the ice; your attack didn't hinder his offensive power in the slightest! You heard someone fall.

"Akira!" Yuni shouted.

Zero would take care of him, you figured; you had to ask Alice to help you.

"I would advise you against that," Zukin said, "much like Benkei, a strong wind could possibly amplify his power."

"Stop helping them!" Paranoia Hades yelled. "I am a devil myself; I can turn you back into the demon you once were."

"You're lying," she muttered.

The heat around Paranoia dissipated, and he raised his claws. A dark, cloudy energy formed around his hands, and the room began to darken.

"He has switched elements," Zukin clarified. "Alice, this is your chance!"

You were concerned about what this energy would do to Zukin if Paranoia was telling the truth, but after Hael's Garudyne, you chose to hurl another wall of frozen crystals in Paranoia's direction. Akira had apparently regained his power, and Lu-yan charged a powerful electric attack.

"Thunder Reign!"

An explosion of bright electricity formed next to Paranoia's chest. The static flowed through his body and into the snake-like cords; the wires began to burst from the voltage, and Paranoia fell to the ground. The shock continued to travel through the wires, taking out most of the computers on Paranoia's side of the room. The room's lighting went back to normal, although some of the light bulbs were broken after the last attack. It was a bit dim, but Paranoia's dark powers subsided. Was he defeated? You knew not to jump to conclusions just yet, so you cautiously approached your enemy.

Zukin stepped next to you.

"What do you mean... I'm the song of heaven?"

Something was off about her voice.

Paranoia stirred; his head turned and lay sideways on the floor. "I'm not telling you anything."

The bat girl stomped her foot on his head and pressed his face into the ground. "Tell me."

"What... could I gain?" he mumbled painfully. "Nothing; I'd rather die than report this to the boss."

Zukin growled viciously and kicked him in the stomach, sending him about a foot away. "You're disgusting." She walked toward him and kicked his shoulder so that he lay on his back. She put her foot on his stomach. "You will die here, but you will tell me what you mean, or I will make sure your death will be painful one." She pressed harder, hindering his ability to breathe.

"Then... maybe I was wrong," he strained. "The demon in you... wasn't sealed at all."

Even if Paranoia was the enemy, you could tell she wasn't acting like herself. You ran to her and told her to calm down. You put a hand on her shoulder and she quickly hissed at you. Persistent, you grabbed her arm; she used her other arm to grab your hand and throw you onto the floor.

"Don't get in my way," she said. Her eyes were brightly glowing red. "If you do, you will go with him."

Was she that dangerous? Force wasn't going to get you anywhere; you tried to talk to her. Did she realize what she was doing? You were her teammate, her dance partner, her friend. You didn't know her for long, but you knew that she had her other personality. You believed she could fight her weakness to Paranoia Hades if she remembered why she stopped being a demon.

"I don't remember anything. I don't know who I am, or what this song of heaven is. All I know is that this monster is holding information from me." Her eyes shifted back to Paranoia.

What about the people she looked up to? The people important to her? What ever happened to wanting to be more human?

She was silent. Her eyes blinked a few times before her face lost its anger.

"Please forgive me. I remember now... we were here to save your friend." She walked back to Paranoia. This time, he cringed.

"That... that sound," he moaned.

What sound? You didn't actually hear anything.

"Get it... away from me..."

Zukin knelt before him. She tilted her head, likely about as confused as everyone else was.

"You are not that boy. You must give him his life back." Her voice was calm. By that point, you could hear a piano again. It was slow, but it was also something you thought you had heard before.

Paranoia Hades cowered. Shaking, he was engulfed in a blue light.

Once the light faded, Robert was there again.

Everyone raced to the unconscious boy. You asked him if he was awake; he didn't answer.

"We should get him out now," Zero said. "Maion cannot heal his wounds."

"What about Emi?" Rage argued. "She's still in here; are we just gonna leave her behind?"

You didn't think you had much of a choice. Shadows didn't attack quickly, and you believed Emi would be fine when you returned. You asked Zukin if she would be able to take you all back to this place on... Wednesday. You frowned knowing you couldn't come tomorrow.

She nodded. "Rage-sama, you have nothing to fear. We will all save her. Right now, we must save Souji's friend."

Akira effortlessly lifted Robert from the ground. "Let's hurry back."

(Hades's (or "Hades'?") design was based off of Feardancer's drawing on deviantART. I don't know if he was supposed to be in black and white but I like red better because that's what the video looks like. To clarify what I said earlier, I'm sorry for favoriting Devil Zukin and making up bologna about her; she's just so interesting to me. The point of the last battle is they did have to weaken Paranoia to free Rob, but songs can combat other songs as well, just not so greatly if one song has no idea what she's doing and is plagued by fear of the other. xP And also for making an OC have a significant role. I just couldn't have one of the dancers be the killer; it wouldn't have felt right.
I swear I fused Sraosha once with one of the support skills, but I'm too lazy to find my file and all the websites said he can't learn it, so blah. Due to Alice's lack of other skills and Yuni's dark skills, they got what they got.)