I forgot Arena was canon, but I'm going to pretend that it's not.

Some quick answers to reviews.

Tara getting a harem sadly won't happen, I'm gonna have her try to find 1 person who she'll probably label as her mate, classical 'hurt her you get a super angry dragon dropping down on you like the wrath of god', so... Yeah.

We'll stay in DxD/P5R, so no using Ophis to prowl the multiverse... Unless I make a sequel.

I still have no idea just who I'm going to pair her with, though I'll figure it out. An Omake of Tara and Zaka meeting could happen, though it'll probably be non canon.

Also, being sick sucks. Don't get sick.

{Tara's POV 11 days later}

Looking between Aigis and Akira, I only had one thought going through my mind. (What the fuck just happened?) Fuuka had met Akira already, she didn't really engage him in conversation, talking to Yusuke more often since both of them shared their love for art, both making and viewing it. Naoto hadn't met him yet, she went to Leblanc when she found time, and those times just happened to fall during hours Akira was out. It didn't help that she was getting caught up in meetings with the police, as well as with the SIU.

That aside, nothing had happened when Fuuka had met Akira, but that apparently didn't matter to Aigis, since the moment those two shook hands, SOMETHING happened. My senses went haywire, a sudden pressure slammed into me, and I could tell Fuuka felt it too. It was a fucking miracle that Uncle Ro had stepped out to go do something at his place or else he'd be in the middle of some weird shit.

What was the thing that was freaking me out you may ask?

Well, the moment Akira and Aigis shook hands, not entirely sure why the former android wanted to do that in the first place, they both seemingly... Froze? It was like someone pressed pause, only making both of their eyes started glowing a dark blue that felt familiar, but I couldn't put my tongue on it.

So there we were, me, Fuuka, and Morgana just looking on confused as Aigis and Akira just stayed as still as statues... None of us knowing what the actual fuck was going on.

{Akira's POV a few minutes earlier}

"Morning you old sack of bones! How're ya doin?" Hearing the familiar voice of the redhead that was quickly integrating herself with my team, I felt my face break into a smile. We'd made another group chat, one that included the Martial Artist since she interacted with all of us frequently, almost as much as Mishima, and was just good to be around.

(Tara's here early.) And she was. Usually she would appear at around 3-4PM, generally when I was here after Shujin released us, so her showing up before I'd left for school was a surprise. (But a welcome one.) I snorted at that thought and got up. I was pretty much fully awake and ready to start my day, so there was no reason to stay cooped up in the attic.

Plus, Morgana was already downstairs, probably already eating some breakfast from Boss, so I had more reasons to go down then to stay up here.

Walking down, I met a familiar sight. One of the newer regulars was here contently drinking a cup of coffee as she sent appreciative looks at the Sayuri. She had an air of peace about her, looking and feeling like she was someone you could just sit next too and relax with, even if you didn't know her. It was thanks to Yusuke that I knew her name was Yamagishi Fuuka. What I'd do with that information was anyone's guess. "She does have the look of a fair dame, one with an aura of innocence, non?"

I ignored the whisper in my ear, though silently agreeing with him, and turned to the redhead that stood taller then anyone here. She was wearing baggy clothes today, which was good in my opinion. Thoughts about the buxom redhead wouldn't be as easy to brush aside early in the morning. "Ayyy, sup Akira-kun." I smiled back her, idly wishing I was as much of a morning person as she appeared to be.

"So that's him." That whisper nearly went unheard, but I still heard it.

Blinking, I turned my eyes to the new woman sitting besides Yamagishi, and immediately felt something strange. She looked normal, blonde hair and blue eyes, a normal look, normal black dress and clothes, but it was the air she had. Something about her was different, but I didn't know what. Shaking those thoughts away, I walked into the cafe, noticing Boss was heading out for some reason. I saw breakfast was ready though, so I wasn't worried about that, more focused on Tara and the new woman. "Morning Tara-san, you're early."

Tara nodded towards the blonde woman who was looking at me as if she was appraising me. "Yeah, family friends wanted to come over early, so early we came... That sounds wrong, but fuck it." I snorted at that. The phrasing WAS a little iffy, but she spoke in unintentional innuendo more often then not.

"'Family friend', huh." Morgana's suspicious tone set off an alarm in my mind... Another went off when I realized he wasn't actually appreciating the female form in front of him, and actually staring at her with narrowed eyes from his perch on one of the booths.

It didn't help when Tara just hummed in response to Morgana's words, another confirmation that she heard him but chose to not respond to him. "Poor chat." A mental snort was my response to that.

Arsene aside, I made my way over to the booth with my breakfast, sitting across from Tara as I did. "So, any spontaneous scheduling changes I should know about?"

Tara hummed as I started eating my breakfast, tapping the table as she thought. It was a viable question since the schedule was still early in its inception, so changes wouldn't entirely be a surprise. "Nah. Saturdays and Sundays are still good... You're sure you wanna stick with an hour for both?" I chewed on some of my curry for a bit, then nodded. Consistent hour long sessions would help build up our stamina, while also giving us time to adapt to our new strenuous workout.

(Hopefully we can keep it going while we work on Kaneshiro.) I mentally frowned at the thought, this Palace Ruler being the most dangerous we'd gone up against so far. Sure, Kamoshida and Madarame had connections, but Kaneshiro was a literal mob boss. (If we make any mistakes, we're screwed.) The pressure was there, gods it was there, but we couldn't let it overwhelm us. We had a goal to achieve, the means to do so, as well as the motivation to make sure it went perfectly. We COULD do this, and we WOULD do it.

"Cool." Tara's comment brought me out of my thoughts. "By the way," Uh oh, nothing good ever came of something that started with 'by the way.' "Ryuji's leg, it's fucked up." Knew it.

I also knew that wasn't a question, so I nodded. "Yeah, his knee was broken and didn't exactly heal right." Tara had made herself responsible for our physical health, sort of like Tae did with me, so this was something she would need to know. Plus, she already knew something was wrong. "You'll need to talk with Ryuji about it though since I don't know the specifics of the injury." Which was also true.

The red haired Martial Artist nodded, then scratched her chin. "I should be able to get something to help him with that. Though I'm n...- Akira-kun?" I didn't notice when I dropped the spoon I was eating with, but Tara's reaction made me realize that I had. Thankfully, there was no curry on it, so I wouldn't need to get changed again.

Still, her words had shocked me, so I thought I was in the right to react like that. Ryuji loved to run. That was a simple fact and also a major part of who Ryuji was. He was a runner who loved the wind in his face and the burn in his legs.

He was a runner who had his favorite activity taken away from him due to Kamoshida being an asshole.

But Tara could possibly help him get better? "How much do you need? I'll pay for it!" And I would. Ryuji was my first friend here. The guy who helped take my mind off the son of a bitch who ruined my life. Even knowing that I was branded a 'criminal', he stuck with me just like Ann did. They both understood the stigma that would come from being friends with a supposed 'criminal', but they didn't care.(For the Japanese, being labeled a criminal will pretty much destroy your life. Doesn't matter if you were innocent, that stigma will still ruin everything. It's crazy how different that part of their culture is.) For that alone I'd do whatever I could to get Ryuji that piece of himself back.

Tara blinked at my sudden outburst, then just stared at me. I met her gaze without wavering. This was too impo...- "Strawberry cake." Huh? Tara snorted, so I might've said that outloud. "For the next three training sessions you buy me a slice of strawberry cake beforehand."

I stared at the redhead, baffled that she was completely serious. "That's it?"

She rolled her eyes at that, and I felt like she was calling me stupid in her mind. "I'd say it was free, but I doubt you'd accept it without trying to repay me later down the line." It said something that she was right. "So, I'll accept payment in the form of tasty cake, and get you some of the shit Gramps uses when he breaks something when he fights." Something about that seemed off, I didn't know what it was, and I was too happy to really care, but I could tell Arsene filed that away for later.

Now though, I was happy for my bestfriend! "Any preferences on where I get the slices?"

Tapping her lips for a bit, she shrugged. "Surprise me." That was easy. I'd need to ask Ann about a few places, consult the almighty Google, but I could do it.

The day looked to be starting on a high point, and despite the Sword of Damocles that was Kaneshiro, I doubted there'd be anything that would bring it down. "It is thoughts like those that prelude life altering events."

I felt a wave of deja vu at that. /Didn't you say that before?/

"Yes. It was moments before Sakura Tara barged into your life. Want to make a bet on how lo...-" I knew what Arsene was about to say, but my other self was abruptly cut off from the most surprising source.

"Acceptable." I noticed Tara and Morgana both blinked at that, I did too, and we all turned to the blonde woman I unintentionally forgot about. She was still looking at me, but the look in her eyes changed. Before, she seemed appraising... Now?

Now she approved. Of what, I didn't know. All I knew was that one moment she was sitting on her seat at the counter, and the next she was standing in front of me, gazing at me with blue eyes that looked like they could see my soul, hand held out in the familiar gesture of a handshake. "Arisato Aigis."

Reflexively, I brought my hand out and shook hers. "Kurusu Akira."

The moment I shook her hand, the world greyed out.

But this wasn't like a Confidant being formed, this was something new.

That feeling only grew when the sound of strings rang through my mind, and Arisato's eyes glowed a shade of blue I would never mistake. "#Beneath the waning moon, I walk at night, and muse on human life for all around. And I, with faltering footsteps, journey on. Watching the stars that roll the hours away, till the faint light that guides me now is gone. And like another life, the glorious day shall open for me from the empyreal height, with warmth and certainty and boundless light.#"(Paraphrased from 'The Journey of Life' by William Cullen Bryant) The sound of shattering glass rang out, and from behind Arisato I could make out the form of a robotic Persona with a massive Lyre on its back. The Persona looked at me with its crimson eyes, and actually nodded at me. "#Fools we may be, yet Fools are just what the world needs.#" That said, the Persona shimmered for a few moments, then shot towards me like a bullet.

I couldn't move, it came too quickly, and I also literally couldn't move. The Persona impacted me, but instead of being shot towards the wall, it entered me. I could feel this new Persona take place within the Sea of my Soul, and felt it change within me. The moment the change was done, I instinctively knew who and what it was. "#I am thou; thou art I, the Journey of one Fool may have ended, yet the Journey is never truly over. I, Orpheus Picaro, shall join you and walk the path of The Fool once more, Kurusu Akira.#" As soon as he finished speaking, another round of shattering glass sounded out, freaking me out as another Persona began shimmering behind Arisato.

However, the figure behind Arisato didn't fully manifest, and just shot towards me without missing a beat. Like Orpheus Picaro before it, the Persona entered my Sea of Souls, and I immediately had the mother of all migraines slam into me. Thought despite the headache, I heard the growling voice of whatever Persona this was. "% WeAk. UnWORthY. PrOveE yOUrSeLF. %" That was all I got for my troubles before wherever that Persona was sealed itself inside my mind. I didn't even know that was possible, but apparently it was!

The world came back into focus, and the headache got worse... Like WAY worse. "Before you pass out I would just like to tell you I told you so. So, I Told You So." And then I was out like a light.

{Tara's POV}

For a moment, no one moved as Akira's head dropped into his morning curry. None of us seemed to know what the fuck happened, aside from Aigis, but seeing as aforementioned former android was, we weren't going to get answers. So, there we were, cat, dragon and human, looking on with no idea what to do now.

So of course that was when Uncle Ro came back. "He...- Hell happened to him?"

Safe to say, Akira was excused for the day.

{Akira's POV 15 minutes later}

The first thing I felt upon my return to consciousness was a pounding headache. It was like someone told a construction crew made of Giants to go wild in my head, and gave em barrels of alcohol to make sure they did just that. "An interesting description, an amusing one as well, but quite on point." Even Arsene sounded groggy, which was a surprise to be sure. "Yes, well you feel just as bad as I do given what just transpired."

A string thrummed in my mind after Arsene finished speaking, reminding me just why I was in pain in the first place. "#I am sorry for my companion's unruly entrance. He has never been one for subtly.#" It was going to take some time to wrap my head around having The Father of Music in my mind, but I'd get there eventually.

/Is that what we're calling it? I thought I was hit by bulldozer!/ I could feel Arsene agree with me. Though, we were both silenced by the furious roar that went off in my mind, scaring the shit out of us. /WHAT THE FUCK?!/PUTAIN DE MERDE!?"

"#... I apologize for Tha...-#" Another roar cut him off, causing my new Active Persona to sigh. "#Him. I apologize for him.#" Arsene and I's response was to just nod, and put that out of our mind for now.

/We'll be talking about this later you know./

"#That is fine. However, I believe you will be learning far more then you'd expect in a few minutes.#" I blinked at that, then zoned into reality as I realized something.

I noticed the fact I was no longer in Leblanc, or even the Velvet Room. I was in a completely different place, I knew it wasn't Boss' place since I'd actually been invited to eat there a few times or to go grab an umbrella when it was needed, but I DID notice. I still had a headache though, so I was slow to question it. "Fuckin FINALLY!" I recognized that voice though, and turned towards the traditional sliding door to see Tara opening it, an amused grin on her face as she looked at me. "Yo, you're lucky you woke up so soon, I was a few minutes away from just smacking you awake."

Even feeling as groggy as I was, I could still reply. "I don't feel lucky Tara-san." I really didn't, but my misery could take a backseat for the moment. That thought, I blinked into focus, and took in the room I was in, idly noticing the soft futon I was in. "Where are we?" I didn't know where I was, so that was an important first question.

My red haired friend grinned at me, walking into the room as she did. "You're at one of the Sakura's Tokyo properties." My brain only had the time to process the 'one of' part before she went on. "After the whole thing with Aigis happened, we came to the decision to bring you here to talk about it... Well, they're gonna talk to you about it, I don't really understand what the fuck happened, so I'm just gonna sit around and look pretty."

I could feel a sweatdrop at that, but I managed to latch onto the most important part of that. "Arisato! Who is she? Did you know that'd happen? How do you know her?!" The deluge of questions was deserved in my opinion, and it looked like Tara agreed.

Looking at me for a few moments, she nodded at some unspoken thought. "She'll answer that first question, the second is a no, and the last one is because of my sister. You'll get your answers soon though." I frowned, not entirely satisfied with those answers, but before I could question it my migraine decided to remind me it existed, making wince and grasp my head. "Oof... Imma go get you some Aspirin." And like that, she left... "Oh yeah." Uh oh. "KITTY! He's up! Natsu, get over here!"

"THANK GOD!" Hearing the relief in Morgana's voice, I momentarily wondered why he was that happy ab...- The sound of happy barking cut that thought off, and I figured out why he was relieved.

The sound of nails on wood sounded out from the hall, and I stared at the small red furred puppy that ran passed my room, wondering if my eyes we...- "Nope, you saw correctly."

Ah... /Is this going to be our new normal? Puppies with sparks of fire around their mouth and spontaneous Persona acquisition?/ I'd known Tara owned a dog, she proudly shared pictures of him in the group chat whenever she felt like it, but I didn't know the pup could do things with fire!

"Again, I told you so." He wasn't helping. "I wasn't intending too." I wanted to be mad, I really did, but at the same time I knew this was karma for being so sarcastic to a few people back in my birth town... But come on man! "You'll figure it out." Why was this my life?!

"Joker!" Tearing myself away from the annoying Devil in my mind, and ignoring said Devil's chuckling, I saw Morgana running towards me. His fur was frazzled, his scarf seemed a little singed, and he just looked like a mess. When he was in range, he jumped into my futon, and gripped my shirt like it was a lifeline. "We gotta escape! That little menace is going to be the death of me! The death of me!"

I stared at my feline friend, baffled out of my mind. "... Are you okay?"

"NO I'M NOT OKAY YOU IDIOT! THAT DEMON BREATHES FIRE!" Morgana HISSED that at me! He'd been proclaiming he was human for months, then he does that?! "AND I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT, STUPID! OKAY PEOPLE DON'T JUST SUDDENLY COLLAPSE!"

... He had a point. "Well, uh... My head hurts, I feel like an Oni decided to play whack-a-mole in my mind, and I've got two new tenants staying with Arsene."

The possibly 'not a cat', stared at me, yellow eyes unflinchingly gazing into my own gray ones, then blinked. "I think I heard that wrong. I could've sworn you just said you suddenly got two more Persona's out of nowhere."

Chuckling at that, I turned away from my mentor in thievery, scratching my cheek awkwardly. "... You heard that right."

There was silence for a bit, he was obviously processing the stateme...- "WHAT THE FUCK?!" There was the reaction.

Before I could explain, Tara came back, her sweater open as her dog was stuffed between the mountains that were her breasts, a glass of water and an entire bottle of Aspirin in her hands. My eyes lingered on the fire breathing puppy happily parked in heaven, but I tore them away when the red head held out the cup of water and pills. The raised brow and amused smirk she sent at me told me she knew what I was looking at, and didn't mind.

"Lucky bastard." We both ignored Morgana's jealous hiss.

After taking the Aspirin, my headache dulled, and we looked to the rich redhead. "Aigis, Fuuka, and one other Persona User are in the living room." I was starting to think I should just stop getting surprised by her at this point. "You good enough to head over now, or want to wait for a bit?" That was a VERY good question.

After taking a minute or so to think on it, I nodded at her... And was unceremoniously dragged towards the livingroom, futon and all. (Well this is happening.) I ignored Arsene's laughter, as well as Orpheus Picaro's general amusement, and let the Queen of Swords drag Morgana and I away.

"Hello you beautiful beauties, I've come bearing a Fool!" Well, if there were still any doubts that Tara knew, they were washed away as she said that. "And a cat!"

"I'm NOT a cat!" Expected reaction was expected.

"Hmm?" Turning to the source of that hum, I blinked when I saw Arisato looking at Morgana. "But you're current form is feline in nature... So aren't you a cat?" Well... It looked like Tara wasn't the only one who could hear him.

Mona yowled at that, but he wasn't able to get a response out before a voice I didn't recognize spoke up. "Simple observation," Both of us whipped towards the source, and I nearly had a heart attack. I knew Akechi was called the second Detective Prince, so obviously there had been an original. Even a country kid like myself knew about the first Detective Prince... So I was justified in freaking the actual fuck out when Shirogane Naoto, the Investigation Queen was sitting by the side of a kotatsu, sipping tea. "The 3rd generation had a dog, my generation had a fox, and now there's a talking cat... There's a joke here, but I'm not going to say it." That said, she went back to sipping her tea.

Tara snorted, dropping my futon as she walked over to the kotatsu. "A bitch a babe and a pussy walk into a brothel." The Investigation Queen spat out her tea in one of the most hilarious spit takes I'd ever seen... Permanently destroying the image of her I'd built up in my mind.

"... Foxes can be called babes?" The question from Yamagishi, which came while she was rubbing Shirogane's back, just made me look at her like I'd never seen her before.

And of course Tara just nodded to it. "Yeah. Guys or people in general call certain women foxy, so it fits."

"Ah... That makes sense." Why was Arisato going along with this?!

"... But a brothel? Really?" Yamagishi's question was one I had as well underneath the incredibility of this whole scene.

"It fit." ... Tara was going to be the death of me.

"CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" All eyes found themselves on Morgana, who'd justifiably snapped. Hell, if I didn't have a dulled but still pounding headache, then I would've snapped earlier.

The women all shared a look, Shirogane's was more of a weak glare, and the redhead shrugged. "I'm literally not involved in this shit the same way you three are, so don't look at me."

Que another look shared between the three women, which led to Arisato nodding. "I will handle our Journey, Shirogane-san will handle hers. Acceptable?" The Investigation Queen nodded, and with Tara laying down off to the side, began to speak. "23 years ago, scientists under the employ of the Kirijo group conducted an experiment using Shadows that had made their way to the real world." If Morgana and I hadn't been paying attention before, we were now! "This experiment resulted in the Shadows going berserk, destroying the lab and killing the scientists in the process. That was the immediate consequence of that experiment... But not the only one. Due to interference from one of the scientists, 13 Shadows of immense power were created based off of the Major Arcana. These Shadows resided within a tower that rose towards the sky, a tower we called Tarturus. Tarturus was only accessible during what we termed The Dark Hour, the 25th hour that caused the barrier between reality and the Shadow World to briefly merge, leading to Shadows manifesting in reality. These Shadows could and would attack regular humans, causing anyone caught by them to be afflicted with Apathy Syndrome."

My eyes widened at that, the story was put out of my mind as I focused on a specific portion of that tangent. It was before my time, but I'd apparently had an aunt that was affected by tha...- (Holy shit... Mental Shutdowns are just like Apathy Syndrome! How did I not see that?!) It also clicked with something Madarame said. "Black Mask." Morgana stiffened in my grasp, coming to the same conclusion.

"'Black Mask?'" Uh oh. Looking towards Shirogane, who was clean now, I did my best not to flinch under her stare.

Knowing we were probably on the same side, probably because they were also Persona Users, aside from Tara, I explained what Shadow Madarame told us. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Hmm..." Shirogane frowned, scratched her chin, then narrowed her eyes at me again. "Are you currently busy with one of these 'Palaces?'" Morgana and I nodded. "Whose?"

It might've been because of my headache, but I didn't take long to answer. "Junya Kaneshiro, a Yakuza boss." The silence that rang out surprised me, though the reactions of everyone else surprised me more.

"Balls of steel." Tara's comment made me sweatdrop.

"A good source of information... Wait a minute..." The sharp look was starting to seem like a staple of Shirogane's, because I swore she'd yet to drop it.

"... I believe being on the bad side of a Mafia boss is detrimental to ones health." Arisato was right, but the deadpan tone she said it in hit me like an arrow to the heart. "But then again, you ARE a Fool." Another to the heart!

(It's not my fault! Honest!) Arsene cackled in my mind, while Orpheus Picaro just hummed. /Hush you two!/ I was ignored.

"Hah... To be young and face overwhelming odds." I blinked.

Turning towards Yamagishi, I saw as everyone gave her the exact same look of exasperation... Well, Arisato just nodded along, but I didn't count her since they were friends. The woman in question didn't even mind our looks, opting to just calmly sip her tea like she didn't just tell us she was nostalgic about being in danger... (Are we going to be like that too someday?) The image of me and the rest of the Thieves sitting around a campfire and talking about 'the good old days' was a strange one, but one that called to me.

"Anywaaay." Tara brought me out of my thoughts, I was finding having a headache made me prone to odd thoughts. "You guys got way off topic. Back to story time with Aigis, then Naoto, then grill Akira and Morgana." Surprisingly, the three women nodded at the redhead's words, making me wonder once again just who was Sakura Tara?

"Point." Arisato reclaimed our attention, and I stared back at her as she clasped her hands in front of her. "It was 10 years after the initial experiment that a boy who perceived the world through apathetic eyes transferred into Gekkoukan High School." My eyes widened at the coincidence. "That boy's name was Arisato Minato, the third Fool."

From there I was told stories that gave me context on just how bad the 'Ruin' Igor had warned me about could be. It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid, I was worried out of my gourd! The possibility that any of us could die during our missions was there, hell, Ann could've died if she didn't Awaken, same with Ryuji, Mona and I, but it never really hit home. But now, now that someone that had gone on their own Journey told me they'd lost people, especially their Fool, I was close to panicking! It didn't help that both groups fought some kind of god by the end of their Journeys!

I was probably showing signs, but I didn't notice, too worried that I'd lead someone to their deaths if I wasn't good eno...- Something wrapped around my waist, making me reflexively look down... Only to blink as I noticed it was a golden scaled tail? "You know," The drawl of the red haired Martial Artist brought me back to the now, and I was only slightly panicking at the fact Tara had a tail that looked and felt like it could snap me in half. "I'd be a pretty shit friend if I let you and the rest of my friends go out without proper training."

My eyes snapped towards Tara, the tail and slit eyes were inconsequential compared to the offer of even more/better training. "We're in. We'll need to figure out a set schedule, but I'm sure everyone will agree that we should be prepared."

Tara grinned, fangs sharper then knives on full display. "Good boy. We'll need to wait till the rest of your squad is out of school though." ... Shit, she was right! "Though, that doesn't mean we can't do something else." I wasn't the only one confused at that, so after blowing a raspberry, the reptilian(?) redhead clarified. "Take us to the Metaverse. I wanna test some stuff with the girls." That made sense.

As everyone agreed, and we started making our way out, I had a thought. (Did we ever tell her about the Metaverse?) I had a feeling the answer was no, but surprisingly, I wasn't worried anymore considering Tara was fully on board with training us.

{15 minutes later Tara's POV}

"Beginning Navigation." That was the only warning we got before reality decided to do ALL the drugs. Colors shifted and swished, the world flipped on its head, and my senses felt like I was drop kicked by a Bear. It was like I'd gone on one of those spinning teacup rides at an amusement park...

If the ride spun at 2-300mph. (Thank god I'm not a Human Dragon Slayer, I would've lost it.) When everything stopped freaking the fuck out, I noticed that at some point in time I ended up on the ground, my tail out and thrashing as one of my horns got itself stuck in the floor... I wasn't sure HOW that happened, and just groaned as I brought my additions back inside as I staggered to my feet. "Ugh, now I know how Issei feels when we spar." Taking time to breath, and get my senses under control, my eyes spotted something new where Akira had been standing.

Looking up, I blinked, pausing as my mind processed that yes, there was a weird cat thing standing by Akira's side. "The fuck?"

The cat and I stared at each other for a bit, then he spoke. "What, never seen a specimen of true manliness?!"

My eyes decided that blinking a few times was a good response to that, because the fuck? "... It's a strange day when one recognizes the fact that a shapeshifting talking cat isn't...-"

"I'M NOT A CAT!"

"- The most surprising thing I've seen." Morgana slumped as Naoto finished her sentence without caring about his interruption... Poor guy.

Aigis and Fuuka hummed at that, which brought my attention to them... And getting a look at them, I realized something wasn't quite right here. "Is it just me or or you two in different outfits?"

Aigis and Fuuka had somehow changed clothes while I was on the sudden but real stronk acid trip, both sporting what I knew to be their Gekkoukan High uniforms, the armband of S.E.E.S proudly displayed on their arms.

The S.E.E.S duo happily smiled, and I could see the nostalgia in their eyes. "I'm just happy they've resized to our current figures. Could you imagine if they stayed High School sized?" Looking at them, I realized Fuuka was right, they WERE sized for their current selves... Cool.

"It's somewhat amusing at how different our Metaverse outfits are." Looking to Naoto, I squinted as I tried to figure out what was different with her clothes...

Which was nothing at all! "Nani the what fuck?" My eyes roamed Naoto's form, not even caring that she was attractive as I looked for the cha...- I was starting to get tired of blinking. "You get glasses?!" Seeing the detective's amused nod, I gaped. "Again, Nani the what fuck?"

The 4th gen Persona User, as well as Akira, snorted. "I'll admit, compared to everyone else, I am HIGHLY under dressed."

"No shit." My thiefy friend nodded, making me remember that he was here. Granted, I KNEW he was here, but my mind had focused on the headache, getting my senses under control, the not cat, my students, THEN Akira. Looking at his outfit though, I had to admit that it was cool. "Lookin snazzy Akira."

My friend grinned a cocky grin that'd make lesser willed woman weak at the knees... Too bad I was a lesbian so it didn't do jack shit to me. "While we're in the Metaverse, call me Joker." I nodded at him at that, a nod that made his grin inch up a bit.

"And I am Mona, the Meowvarlous Phantom Thief!" As one we all directed a deadpan at the POSING cat boy... Because seriously?

"... I'm tempted to introduce you to Kuroka, just to see who can make me snap first." The looks I got for that were summed up as 'what the fuck', but I didn't mind... It also reminded me that Kuroka could probably help him with the 'human' thing. (Later though, do what we came here to do first.) Nodding to myself, I pointlessly clapped, I'd already had their attention but I'd already gone through the motions to clap, so oh well. "Anywaaay! Now that we're here, I wanna test something." As I said that, I knocked on my link with my sister, getting her attention. {You're gonna want to see this.} Her curiosity bled through the link, followed by her senses melding with mine.

I felt her looking at it all, focusing on Joker and Mona for a moment before her attention landed on the older Persona Users. [Well, you're correct about something for once.] My eye twitched, but I didn't take the bait. [This will be interesting.] I mentally nodded, focusing my senses on the girls in front of me.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what I wanted to test, so the girls instantly knew what I meant. The three female Persona Users shared a nod, and with a move that I could swear was choreographed, Aigis and Fuuka withdrew guns from... (Chotto mate. GUNS?!) My brain was lagging from the headache, so I didn't make the connection right that instant.

Though, when they both put the pistols to their heads, my sister supplied the answer. [Hoh? So being in The Metaverse supplies them with their Evokers. Fascinating.] Ah, that's what they were.

""WAIT!/DON'T DO IT!"" Oh yeah...

Watching Joker and Mona dash towards Aigis and Fuuka made a thought fly through my mind. (The boys don't know...) I didn't remember if Aigis just brushed aside the fact they shot themselves with fake guns to use their Persona's, but the boys were in for a show.

The boys were too slow though, and the girls pulled the triggers with massive but slightly unhinged grins on their faces, the sound of shattering glass ringing out the moment they did. ""PERSONA!"" Reality went on another acid trip, bringing me along for the ride as my senses freaked the fuck out, having the side affect of fucking with my sister. The air pressure didn't help as I, and the rest of the group was sent flying back.

As I tumbled through the air, I brought my wings out and righted myself. With my body no longer going for a ride, I brought my eyes towards the girls, spirals of shattered glass spinning around them as ethereal figures manifested above Aigis, and around Fuuka.

The familiar rotating shield appeared above the former android, but it didn't stop there. A flowing white dress fluttered in the breeze as the body of a woman began to fill out the cloth, gray, nearly black armored arms shot out of the sleeves, one arm gripping a sick looking golden spear pointed towards the sky. The last thing that formed was the head, a head covered by a gold helmet from those gladiator movies. (Daaamn... We gotta fight later, I wanna throw down with a goddess...) Taking a second to process that, I grinned to myself and nodded. (God my life is awesome!)

[You being a battle junkie is surprisingly helpful when it comes to learning their capabilities.] I ignored that. [You do know that was a compliment, right?] I did, but I also knew it was a backhanded one. [True.] ... My eye twitched again when she admitted it.

Ignoring my annoyance at my sister, I turned my gaze over to Fuuka, seeing the familiar glass sphere enveloping the Navigator, but like Athena, it didn't stop there. A black body began rising from the top of the sphere, a body which was covered as a maroon leather corset grew into existence. The corset's gloves cut off nearing her shoulder with some frilly white cloth at the end. Then came the wings, looking far more detailed then they were before, a fact I noticed as my eyes flicked to the sphere to confirm that it too was more detailed. The finishing touches were the neck and head, though I was surprised when a white mask grew over her face, covering it all as her gray hair burst into existence, a headband following soon after. (... Cool. Very cool.)

They were both amazing, and even with my headache, I could just FEEL their strength would be Ultimate Class at the LEAST... Well, Athena was, Juno was weaker, but that was obvious given the fact she was a Healer/Navi. [That's not even counting the fact they can act somewhat independently of their summoners. Just imagine some fool trying to pick a fight with Aigis and they end up provoking a goddess as well.]

I snorted at that, because she wasn't wrong. {I'm kinda sad their dog is dead. Could you imagine some dude trying to fight a dog, only for said dog to pop off with a Stand?!} The thought itself was fucking hilarious to me.

After a mental eye roll, Martha responded. [Not a Stand, but I understand the amusement.] I could tell she found the idea funny too, but just wasn't gonna acknowledge it.

That aside, my grin was like a shark's as I looked at the Ultimate Persona's, but neither my sister or myself were ready for what happened next. ""I am thou; thou are I. No longer will the light of our lives be out of reach. Today onward we will strive to tear the skies asunder, move Heaven and Earth to return our beloved. That we swear upon the name of Athena!/I am thou; thou art I. No longer will we let the world pass us by, lost in days of sweet remembrance. Hope shall lead to power, power to freedom, freedom to reclaim the one who loved and was beloved by all. That we swear upon the name of Juno!""

In Olympus(Going with the split personality thing of PJO) two goddesses frowned as they felt a tug on their Domains. It only lasted for a moment, yet neither goddess could trace the feeling back to the source.

Slowly nodding, because what else do you do when goddesses decide to make a grand exclamation, I looked towards Naoto. She'd brought out her sword, which was stabbed into the ground to keep herself from being sent flying into a wall. The detective had a grin on her face as she looked at the girls' Ultimate Personas, one that was both full of excitement and eagerness. [It seems even the mature detective isn't above getting caught up in the flow of emotions.]

I paused at that, idly flapping my wings as my mind processed what my sister just said. {What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why can't you just say she's excited or something?}

Martha was silent for a moment. [... Shut up.] I rolled my eyes.

Anyway with her accounted for, I looked for Joker and Mona, finding the former perched on the ledge of a building a little ways away, and the latter being held under the former's arm. They were both gaping at Athena and Juno, but I could see the anticipation in their eyes. They probably couldn't wait to reach their levels of strength, which was fair.

With everyone accounted for, I landed on the ground, noticing that neither Joker or Mona saw my wings, and walked up to Aigis and Fuuka as I put my wings back in. I hummed as I got a few feet away from the goddesses, who both looked down to me. I'd already acknowledged the fact they were strong, stronger then anyone I've fought, which made me excited. Though, I was surprised at the warm feelings I was getting from them. ""Hello Hatchling/Lightning Child."" My eye twitched at Athena's greeting, though Juno's made it up to me.

[Heh. Hatchling.] I was going to choke the bitch.

Ignoring my sister. I spoke to the goddesses. "Hey... So quick question, why the big ol announcement now, instead of the first time Aigis and Fuuka brought you out a lil bit ago?" It was a viable question, one that I was honestly curious about. "And why do you like me?" That was just a normal one.

The answer came from the Goddess of Wisdom, which wasn't a surprise. "While we may have been summoned into reality, we were not whole." Tilting her head a bit, she went on. "There is a threshold that keeps us... Bound, in reality. That threshold, as well as the requirements that our Other Selves must pass, keep us from fully interacting with reality. However HERE? Here we are whole." Huh...

[Hmm... It's similar to levels.] My building confusion was swept aside at that. [Looking at it that way, Aigis and the other Persona Users were at level 0, unable to call their Persona's to them or do any form of attacks. Upon learning how to use magic they 'leveled up' to level 1. Combine this with our training sessions, and you get an environment where they can safely and steadily level up back to their peaks, while also giving their Other Selves a chance to get as strong as they are.] Martha's breakdown made all the sense, so there was nothing I was confused about. [I must confess though, the threshold they need to pass interests me. They're making fantastic progress already, but I wonder how long it'll take to surpass it.] She had a point.

A point I was also interested in finding out. "As for your other question," The goddess smiled at me, making the emotions coming off her brighten even more. "It is due to the aide you and your sister have provided our allies that we can fight alongside our Other Selves once more. For that you both will have our eternal gratitude." Made sense.

I saw Juno nod to that, and I was about to say something, but Joker landed besides me, dropping Mona as he did. Turning to look at him, the admiration and excitement in his eyes was clear for all to see. The look was also on the cat's face as he looked up to the Ultimate Persona's... But there was something else there too. It was hidden below his other emotions, but I'd had experience with Martha and Koneko when it came to seeing beneath the underneath. So looking at the emotion in his eyes, I was paused when I identified it as... Hope? (What?)

The look confused me, making me almost miss Joker turning to Naoto. "Quick question," I didn't miss that though. "You don't shoot yourself too... Do you?"

The detective scoffed, an anticipatory grin on her face as she observed Athena and Juno. The goddesses met her look, Athena with a calm look on what was visible of her face, while Juno's mask showed that she was looking at Naoto... And that was all. The Investigation Queen turned to Aigis and Fuuka, meeting their excited grins with her own, then turned to Joker. "No, no I don't." That said, she brought a hand forward and spoke. "Come!" A glowing Arcana card materializing into existence, slowly spinning, showing the Arcana of Fortune. Naoto's grin widened to show off all her teeth, then she spoke the same words Aigis and Fuuka did. "PERSONA!" She shattered the card in front of her, the sound being nearly identical to the third generations release.

That was the only similarity though as the trip my senses went through was slightly worse, and instead of the slow materialization Athena and Juno went through, Naoto's Persona shimmered into existence in one piece and in all of her badass glory. Nice black boots went to below her knees as form fitting black and white striped pants covered her lower body, a white belt with a sheath clipped onto the side finished off that part of her body. Her upper half was covered by a red uniform like thing [Tunic.] A tunic, which was a weird word but whatever, with golden links on some circles. Her hands were covered by black gloves, one hand holding the sword Naoto materializes, while the other had the shield thing she also makes when she's in her battle form. Her head was covered by the helmet, though her long blond hair flowed and swayed in a non existent breeze.

All in all, she was cool as fuck, just like Athena. "I am thou; thou art I. Our blades will once again be raised for those who follow the path of the just! Once more we will rise and show the world that evil cannot and will not survive under our light! I, Yamato Sumeragi, so decree!"

I blinked at that, deciding that my earlier course of action of just nodding along was the right one, and did it again. [A proper course of action.] The drawling answer from my twin made me snort. I doubted I'd ever get tired of my sister's sense of humor, despite knowing she was 95% serious and 5% joking.

Anyway we were all looking at Naoto's Persona, my cheeks starting to hurt at the grin that had yet to go away, in awe/appreciation. Those feeling only increased when the three Ultimate Persona's shared a look, idly making me wonder how Juno did that given her mask, and spoke to each other. "Well met fair sister. The might of your blade shall prove its worth alongside my shield."

"... We shall entrust our dears to the light of your sword and the strength of our sister's shield. Together, with our foresight, none will harm or cause them to suffer ever again." Juno's soft voice was a surprise, especially after the earlier proclamation. Though it sorta fit?

Yamato, I wasn't going to consciously think of that Persona with her full name, nodded at the goddesses. "My Other Self and I will endeavor to live up to the faith you have put in us, sisters."

(... This is cool as fuck.) Martha snorted in my mind, but I didn't pay any attention to it. (Though, I'm kinda curious about the whole 'sisters' thing.) My own sister's curiosity rose at that, recognizing it as a good question.

Joker, Mona and I were watching on in awe at the scene in front of us when I felt it. My senses suddenly decided the roundabout they were doing was more important, making me stumble as I instantly got a migraine that felt like my head was going to break open. I was pretty sure everyone noticed what was going on, the shouts of my name probably weren't my ears fucking with me, but I didn't really acknowledge them, more focused on almost ripping my hair out as I clenched my head. [O-Oh dear.] I could still hear and feel Martha though, and I could tell we were stuck in a feedback loop of pain and suffering...

Until a voice rang out clear as day in my mind... A voice that wasn't my sister. "Hmm... You qualify." The next thing I knew I was falling to the ground.

A single thought somehow making its way through my fucked mind. (Why did that sound like me?)

[Omake - This... Presents a problem. 'Igor's' POV]

Gazing upon The Metaverse, I scowled as I saw the return of fools whose Journeys had come and gone. The game had been rigged, but this was not supposed to happen! The Trickster was not supposed to meet fools from before his time! This development had the potential to ruin EVERYTHING! (And the blame lies with that infernal dragon child!) The insignificant wyrm was beginning to become an issue... One I would need to remove the moment I had an opportunity. Until then I would need to continue observing until it was time to strike.

The wyrm aside, the aid of these children and the their Persona's would propel the Trickster to new heights, heights my own Trickster would not be able to handle... (If I let him be that is.) My thoughts raced as solutions came and went, ideas that were feasible or not flashed through my mind until I came to a simple thought. (Perhaps it's time to meet my Trickster.)

Ba da dumm.

Get stuck with a cliffhanger nerds. Happy New Year and all that.