Yu-san walked me part of the way home, until I insisted on walking by myself. When I reached my house, I immediately ran up the stairs. "Good afternoon Naoto-kun. Er… Naoto-kun?" I heard my grandfather call from behind me.

"Good afternoon, Grampa," I called down to him, barely paying attention. I quickly walked into my room, reaching under my mattress and grabbing the small revolver I kept in my possession that I usually carried with me on special investigations. After making sure that my gun license was tucked in my wallet, I rifled through some of the clothes in my dresser until I came across a small box of ammunition. Stuffing the bullets into my pocket and grabbing the glasses Teddie had given me, I swiftly left my room. However, I suddenly bumped into my grandfather in the upstairs hallway, and frantically, I slipped the revolver into my back pocket, concealing it with the back of my uniform. "S-sorry, Grampa..."

"Is something the matter, Naoto?" Grampa asked me.

"I was just about to head to Junes," I said, quickly fabricating an excuse. "We seem to be low on some things."

"Would you like me to come with you?" my grandfather asked.

"No, thank-you," I said, walking around him and making sure not to turn my back on him, beginning to walk backwards down the stairs. "I can handle it myself. You deserve a break; you've been working more often lately."

My grandfather eyed me suspiciously, but before he could say anything else, I had walked out the front door.

"Hmm," I sighed to myself, holding the side of my index finger inquisitively against my chin in the Electronics section at Junes. Before me was a generously sized TV: The one which the others had taken me out of. "So," I said quietly to myself, "This is the TV they use to enter that world…" I reached out one hand, stroking the sides of it as if it were some sort of fantastic beast… Of course, I had made sure that no one was looking. "If the others can enter TV's after receiving their Personas, I should be able to as well…" I carefully reached out and touched the screen, and as I had expected, my finger seemed to phase right through it as if the screen did not exist. The surface of the screen also seemed to ripple as water would at my touch.

"As expected," I whispered. After looking around to make sure that there were no customers who could see me, I moved swiftly, first inserting my arm, then my shoulder, my head, and the rest of my body into the TV.

What I had forgotten about was the excruciating falling sensation which took place immediately after entering the TV. It almost caught me off-guard, but as I felt myself fall, I noticed things that I could not see beforehand while trapped in the bag that the culprit had stuffed me into. Before me, rather than darkness as I had expected, there were flashes of white and black, accelerating as my velocity seemed to increase. Eventually, the black and white faded away, and instead was replaced with an ominous, almost sickly yellow fog.

I was scared of what would happen to me once I reached the ground, but I didn't have much time to worry, because before I knew it, what looked like a black and white target rose up from below me and smacked me as I landed painfully on my side. "Oof!"

I groaned, rubbing my side as I sat up and briefly wondering if I had fractured any ribs. The pain quickly subsided, however, and I stood to my feet, squinting into the fog. It was nearly impossible to see anything in front of me, and the strain of my eyes soon began to hurt my head. Remembering the glasses that Teddie had given me, I took them from my pocket and slipped them over my eyes. Immediately, the fog seemed to disappear from my vision. It was still a slight bit foggy to a degree, but it was at least permeable to my eyes, and took the strain from my mentality. There was also an electrifying static feeling to the place, as if it had more of a charge or electric current than the real world. This detail was barely noticeable, however, and even now I was beginning to feel used to it.

Before me, as I saw, there was what looked like an eerie, abandoned TV studio. Fitting, I thought, for a world inside of a TV. It was very interesting to me, and I would have liked to examine the place, but I reminded myself what I was here in this world to do. I placed a hand over my heart, feeling its anxious beating inside my chest. "Sukuna-Hikona…" I said softly to my other self, "Are you ready?"

I felt as if I could feel the fluttering of his wings within me. Grinning, I turned to one of the catwalks on the edge of the studio, and before I could think, I made my way onto it, wandering deep into the fog.

After wandering for quite some time, I found myself in a seemingly endless forest, which seemed somewhat familiar. I thought for a while, and realized after some time that this was the same forest I remembered seeing blurred glimpses of immediately after the others had rescued me from my Secret Laboratory. It seemed that the laboratory, being born of my own emotions, was drawing me closer to it. Exhaling deeply, I realized that even though that was the last place I wanted to go, it was the only place in this world that I was somewhat familiar with.

It took me quite some time, but I eventually spotted the metal entrance of a building that seemed very out of place in the middle of the woods. Confirming that this was the entrance to my laboratory, displayed on the side of the building, was the golden falcon design I remembered so well. In fact, I remembered it too well, to the point where I flashed back to visions of the gigantic, robotic monster that had terrified me so much… Although she had been a part of my own soul. A metallic pang struck through my head, and I could not bring myself to stare at the golden falcon any longer. With a hiss, the large, metal door of the entrance opened, as if it were the mouth of a great beast, beckoning me to walk willingly into its throat. I stood in the entrance, pushed the brim of my glasses further onto my nose, and after a moment of hesitation, I walked once again into the place that had been haunting my mind for so long.

I needed to train myself. That was all that I could think about at the moment. If I could become useful for fighting shadows, maybe I would mean more to the others. Walking downward through the endless halls of the underground laboratory, however, I began to wonder if I had made the wrong decision to go alone. No, it would have been foolish to request assistance. It was not only the fact that I didn't want to bother any of the others, but also because I could not humble myself to ask for help. If I was simply training alongside the others, I would always remain as the group's weakest asset. However, if I trained myself on my own, and worked hard enough to teach myself to handle my Persona well, perhaps I could catch up to the others and prove to them that I was worth something other than just deductions.

Part of me worried about my first confrontation with a shadow, but I reminded myself that now I had a Persona. After watching the others' techniques when they rescued me, I was sure that I could do the same. First, though, I needed to find a shadow to fight.

It was extremely lonely and eerie walking through the labyrinth of the secret laboratory. The only sounds I could hear were the beeping of the numerous monitors and controls covering the walls that surrounded me, as well as my own nervous breath and anxious heartbeat. Eventually, I saw something that made me stop cold in my tracks. My instincts prompted me to sprint down another adjacent hallway, and I squatted against the wall, swiftly drawing my gun and loading it post-haste with a round of bullets. Then, I peered cautiously around the corner, gun drawn, and inspected what had spooked me.

What I had seen looming around the corner down the hallway was now lurking ever closer to where I was. Its form was definitely something supernatural. Drawing nearer to me was a large mass of black, shadowy mist, crawling along the floor like a moving puddle. What it used to crawl were two lanky, wraith-like arms tipped with bony claws, and in the center of the mass was a single mask bearing a morose and despondent facial expression.

"Huh," I smirked to myself, "So, this is a shadow. Perhaps this shall be easier than I suspected. Okay, Persona, are you ready?"

I waited a few moments before the shadow turned and changed its direction. When its mask was facing away from me, I acted swiftly and charged toward the monster. As I approached it, I aimed my revolver, preparing to shoot. Once the sight was pointed at the beast, I let out a mighty grunt as I pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled sharply in my hand, and the bullet snapped from the barrel, seeming to puncture a small hole in the shadow, which began to leak black mist as if it were blood.

As I had suspected, the shadow turned, making a low growling noise before facing me and dashing forward more suddenly than I had apprehended. I took a few steps back, continuing to shoot at the monster in panic before the revolver's round ran out.

"Okay," I said, "I guess that means it's time for my debut. Come on!"

As I willed, a blue ethereal light surrounded me, and a small tarot card, the Wheel of Fortune, descended in front of my face. I smirked confidently, remembering watching the others summon their Personas before me to combat my Shadow. Now, it was my turn to awaken my potential.

I reached out in front of me until the card sat in the center of my hand, and then, flexing my arm and crushing the card with all my might, "Persona!"

I looked around for Sukuna-Hikona, but he was nowhere to be found. "...What?" Confused, I summoned my card again, crushed it, and cried again "Persona!"

I felt a sharp sting across my face as the shadow's claws raked my cheek. I staggered backward, feeling the wound. Luckily, it had not drawn blood. "...What the hell…? Where is he…?"

I looked at the shadow, whose mask began to rear up into the air, immediately becoming much taller than myself. Its claws kneaded the air, and a gurgling growl rang out from somewhere within it. Then, before my widening eyes as I fearfully stepped back, the black form of the shadow began to melt away, revealing a new surface. Now, in front of me stood an enormous black lion. Around one of its paws was a chain, connected to a massive ball which now bore the mask that had previously marked the shadow's "face." The lion's gaping jaws opened to let out an earsplitting roar, and I knew that this mighty beast was perhaps more than I had bargained for.

Nevertheless, I gritted my teeth and summoned my card yet again, crushing it and crying "Persona!"

Nothing.

Now I was growing frustrated. "Persona!"

Still nothing. The lion reared itself into the air, swiping its claws across my face and leaving a deep gash. I stumbled backward to the floor, and then squirmed onto my stomach, trying desperately to scramble away from the beast. "Come, Persona!" I kept crying out, crushing my card again and again. Still, no matter how many times I tried, nothing would happen. "Come, Persona! PERSONA! AUGH!" I felt the lion's claws rake my back, and soon, it was on top of me.

"Ngh! Get off! Come, Persona! Come, PERSONA!"

Nothing, and again, nothing. I did not understand. Why couldn't I summon him!? Was I meant to just die here, alone? I didn't want to be alone. If I was to die, I would at least have wanted to see my friends one more time. They, as I thought there in the brief moments before what I assumed would be my death, were the ones who had ultimately brought joy into my life. I was scared that they did not see me as a friend of their own, but at this moment, I didn't care. Even if they didn't want me as their friend, they still made me happy, and I wished to see them one last time.

This thought made me angry. How DARE this wretched shadow take away my chance to give a final farewell to those who mattered most to me?

...That's right. They mattered most to me.

"COME, SUKUNA-HIKONA!"

BANG.

I had sworn that my gun was out of ammunition, yet still, one last shot had remained, and this bullet had flown straight through the center of the Wheel, smack in the middle of my arcana.

It happened quickly- so quick, in fact, that I barely got to see him in action. In a flash of light, the enormous black lion was knocked backward off of me. I saw him for but a split second. My god, he was small, but he was fast… Much faster than any of the others' Personas. It seemed that he had knocked the lion over, and it could not recoil for the time being.

Sukuna-Hikona quickly flitted over to me, looking down at me with almost a disapproving expression. His golden eyes, once again filled with their fiery passion, showed his strength and willingness to fight and defend, yet they also showed wisdom and caution. He didn't have to speak in order to get his message across to me. After all, he was me. And as I nodded to him apologetically, I realized that I should have swallowed my pride and not entered this world alone. Once he had his reassurance, his shape fizzled out of existence and he returned to my heart.

However, I was not prepared for what happened next. When I turned back to the shadow, it had already gotten to its feet, and was currently charging at me with its full speed. I had no time to react, and simply cried out as I raised my arms and stumbled backward again.

I had expected to be dead by this moment. However, with my eyes squeezed shut, I was simply flattened across the floor, arms out in front of me as I had prepared for the worst. I slowly and hesitantly opened one eye to look up at the beast that had charged at me. When I took in what I saw, I immediately opened the other eye.

The lion was stuck in place, as if it were a statue. All motion of the shadow had ceased. All over its body, ice crystals had begun to form, stiffening it and encasing it in a thick block of sparkling ice. With a crackling sound, the shadow lion was immediately frozen solid as it was reared over me, jaws gaping with an intent to crush me. As soon as the lion had frozen over, it suddenly shattered into pieces, and I was forced to shield my eyes. Razor-like ice crystals stung at my skin as they were scattered around my body. When I looked up, I saw the remains of the shadow disappear in a burst of black mist.

I wondered briefly if I had done this, but I was promptly denied when I suddenly heard a voice cry out my name from the end of the hallway which I had entered through. "Naoto!"

The voice I had heard was that of Kanji-kun, who was immediately at my side. When I looked up, I saw Chie-san standing in a fighting stance with her arm outstretched, bearing a very concerned expression on her face, as if she had been deathly afraid that I would be killed. In front of her stood an enormous female soldier: her Persona, who was still pointing her weapon in the direction that the shadow had been. Chie-san's ice attack had saved my life. Behind Chie-san, still running toward me, were Teddie-san and Rise-san.

"Naoto-kun! Are you alright!?" Rise-san squealed in a worried tone I had never heard her use.

"I'm fine," I nodded, "Quite shaken, but I am alright."

"What were you thinkin', you little dipshit!?" Kanji-kun snapped at me, "You coulda been killed!" He reached one of his thick hands down to me, and I grabbed it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I felt that his hand was shivering.

"I wanted to teach myself how to fight…" I admitted, "I felt that if I trained myself to catch up to you all, I might… Be able to offer more to the team…"

"What!?" Chie-san squawked, still in her stance. I noticed that she was shaking as well. "Do you know what a stupid move that was!? Wanted to offer more to the team… What a load of bullshit! You're a goddamn Detective Prince, of COURSE you offer a lot to the team!"

"I wanted to be more than just a goddamn detective!" I snapped at her. For a few moments, everyone was silent. Snarling, I continued my rant. I knew that I would regret this, but I didn't care right now. "Yes. That's right. The only thing I'm good at is being a detective. Yes, I love being a detective, and I always have. Still… I can't help but feel like I should have so much more potential. I want to fight! I want to help you all defeat shadows, and I want to make myself stronger! Is that too much to ask for myself!?"

"Yes, it is," Kanji-kun grunted from beside me. I looked at him, completely appalled. Before I could explode at him, however, he continued. "If you're gonna be that much of an idiot to think you gotta do this by yourself, and if we're gonna keep having to save you like this, YES, it's too much to ask! To put yourself at risk like this is WAY too much to ask of us! We're a team, Naoto, and like it or not, you're OUR responsibility as part of this team. And you goin' off and almost gettin' yourself killed like this is a pretty shitty way of paying us back for saving your ass."

"Kanji-kun, calm down!" Rise-san cried, "We won't get anywhere if we're all just yelling at each other." She turned to me. "Naoto-kun… You know that we all value you very much, right?"

"As a detective, I know," I scowled, "But what about when this case is finally closed? Will you still need me? What benefit would any of you receive from my presence? I have nothing to offer as a friend…"

"That's not the way friendship works, dumbass," Kanji-kun growled as he crossed his quivering arms. His voice was wavering somewhat. "We don't stick around with you because you offer anything to us. We stick around with you because we LIKE to."

...Could this really be true? I looked around to each of them. "...What…? Is that… True?"

"Of course it's true!" Rise-san yelled at me. Her face remained angry, but I could tell in her voice that she was very scared and concerned. "So let's get the hell out of here!"

My face softened, and I dropped my head in disappointment with myself. "Alright," I said, nodding slowly and sighing. "I'm… Sorry… It wasn't very smart of me to go into this world alone. I was almost killed here once, so… I don't know what made me feel like it wouldn't happen again."

"If Tomoe hadn't saved you at that moment, you would've been killed," Chie-san growled.

I looked up at her Persona, who had lowered her weapon and was now looking down at me with the same disappointed expression as Chie. Sighing, I approached her. "Thank you, Tomoe. You saved my life…"

I felt a sharp slap across the face. "...Ow!" I hadn't realized that Personas could come in physical contact with people, although I probably should have, since they could come in contact with shadows…

"...Okay, Tomoe, I'm upset at Naoto too, but let's be easy with the language."

"What did she say…?" I asked, rubbing my cheek which had been through hell within the past few minutes.

"Er…" Chie-san said awkwardly, "I don't really think you want to know." With that, Tomoe glared at me and then disappeared back into Chie's heart.

"Come on," Teddie piped up, "Let's get Nao-chan home. It seems like she's had one grizzly day."

"Thank you all," I said, tipping my hat to them, "I promise, from now on I will not enter the TV by myself. It's far too dangerous here… And now I know that first-hand."

"Tch," Kanji-kun grunted, beginning to walk back in the direction from where I had come. "Come on, 's getting late. Junes'll be closed soon and we'll be locked inside if we don't hurry."

"I'm sorry," I apologized once more to Rise-san and Chie-san as we followed after.

"It's alright," Rise-san said, "But please, don't let it happen again, Naoto."

"We're all important to the team," Chie-san said, "If any one of us gets hurt, the team suffers. Not to mention, we'd all be worried in general."

"This world is very dangerous, Nao-chan," Teddie said as he followed behind me, "It's not safe for one person to be wandering alone. We care about you!"

"Hmm," I chuckled half-heartedly to myself, "I suppose I'm just getting used to the aspect of people caring about me like this."

"Oh," Chie-san said, "And here. This should help that gash on your cheek. You don't want your Grampa thinking you've been in a fight or something." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, green stone like the one I had seen Yu-san use when I was being rescued.

"What is this…?" I said curiously, taking the stone from her and inspecting it.

"It's a life stone," Chie-san said, "It heals wounds almost instantly. They're scattered throughout this world. Really helpful in battle! Oh, and don't worry. Yu-kun's got a lot of 'em."

"Thank you," I said to her before gripping the stone tightly in my hand. Immediately, green light shone through my hand, spreading up my arm until it reached my cheek. I felt the gash close up almost instantly, and when I felt my cheek where it had been, there was not even a scar. "Wow…" I was completely baffled. "It's as if science does not even exist in this world…"

"We just sort of go with it now," Chie shrugged. "No one knows how anything works here, so there's no point in questioning stuff like that."

"This world truly is a remarkable and terrifying place," I stated, "I wonder if its mysteries will ever be explained to us… There's nothing that troubles me more than an unsolved mystery."