Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

We begin our story in the Velvet Room. On the table lies a deck of cards, as Igor’s voice narrates our tale…

(A card with a picture of a blonde-haired teen is flipped on the table)

“Once upon a time, in a humble town, there lived a handsome young boy. To himself, he felt like a prince--- charming, stunning, and having an aura that drew women towards him. He was a kind young lad, and held promises with care…”

(A card of the blonde kneeling down and handing a girl a flower is flipped down next)

“However, despite his beauty and charm, the self-claimed prince held a fault… he was too attracted to women. Everywhere he went, he would beguile every gorgeous young lady his eyes fell upon. However, no one taught him that flirting was not something to be treated as a game, as it could lead to broken hearts, outbursts of rage… or the scorn of another.”

(A card of a party is flipped down next)

“The prince would learn this lesson the hard way, one fateful night at a party. Throughout the night he flirted and charmed many women, but one certain woman caught his eye…”

(The party card flips over to show the prince holding hands a silver-haired woman)

“With hair that shined like silver, a dress as white as fresh fallen snow, and eyes that sparkled like rubies, he felt the need to sweep this certain maiden off her feet. ‘Never before have my eyes fallen on such an image of beauty. Let us leave this place and run away together,’ he invited her.”

(Another card flips forth, showing an image of a man glaring at them)

“Unbeknownst to the prince, the woman he flirted with was Izanami--- the wife of Izanagi, both who were powerful beings. Seeing the prince try to charm his beloved the way he had done with many other girls, Izanagi was beyond furious.”

(The card flipped to show the prince begging in front of Izanagi and Izanami)

“’You dare try to steal my wife away?! For this, you shall suffer!’ Izanagi proclaimed. The prince begged for his forgiveness, apologizing to the couple. ‘Please! I was only speaking out of the love in my heart!’ he claimed. ‘Do you honestly think your empty words and means of flirting are what love is about? You know nothing of love at all!’ Izanami proclaimed, and together she and her husband placed a curse on the prince, and all his friends…”

(The card flipped again, showing a silhouette of the prince changing shape, surrounded by fog; it flips once more, showing the silhouette of a funny-looking bear)

“The curse spread from the prince to his friends, engulfing them all in fog. Much like the words he used to charm women, the prince was transformed into an empty bear suit. However, having pity, Izanami offered a solution…”

(A new card flips down, showing a pair of glasses; next to it, a card with a TV on it appears)

“In order to break the curse, the bear had to learn the true meaning of love--- to love another from the outside world, and earn their love in return. His friends were given glasses in order to see around the fog they were forced to dwell in, and a special TV so that they could see the outside world, which could also show their world to others on a rainy midnight. However, should the fog lift before the curse is broken, the bear and his friends would be trapped in the world forever.”

(One final card is flipped down, showing the bear sitting by the TV in despair)

“Despite this grasp of hope, the bear and his friends fell into despair as time went on. Even if there was a chance their world would be found, how would anyone from the outside find love inside an empty bear?”

~Bully and the Bear~ 

Chapter Text

It was an early morning in the town of Yasoinaba, as a bleach-haired teen stalked down the road. He was clad in a black school jacket that hung off his shoulders, a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with a white skull print on the front, black jeans, and a necklace with a bullet charm on it. One of his more noticeable traits included the scar above his left brow, and the ever-present scowl on his face.

His name was Kanji Tatsumi--- the local troublemaker, as many called him. Always picking fights, skipping classes, staying out late, and scaring the shit out of anyone who dared to cross his path.

Normally the teen wouldn’t be awake at such an hour, but if you had spent the whole night chasing down a gang of bikers who kept your mother up half the night with their ruckus, plus spent a good amount of time punching faces and throwing someone into someone else… you’d be walking home at an early hour too.

He rubbed his face, feeling the bruise on his cheek. A few of those punks got some lucky shots in, but in the end he managed to send them running… well, mainly because the police sirens were coming their way, but he felt he subdued them enough to teach them a lesson.

The only difficult part would be facing Ma…

She had lectured him a hundred times in the past about getting into fights, and chances are she’ll lecture him a hundred times again… but he was in for a long sermon for staying out all night getting into a rumble with a bunch of roughnecks.

Sighing, he trudged ahead. Best to face the music and get it over with.

As he walked, he looked around the small town. Inaba was practically the sticks; the only interesting thing about it was the Amagi Inn, run by a nice young couple. There was someone else who worked there, but the hell if he knew who it was. The Inn was a nice little landmark, best known for its hot springs and great service. It was pretty much the talk of the town some days…

That is until the ‘new place’ came along.

Kanji shook his head; he didn’t want to think about any rumors. He had his own to deal with already. Hell, almost everyone had some rumor to spout--- whether it was about a reporter having an affair with some enka singer’s husband, a teen idol coming to town, some junior detective solving 34 cases... what’s next, a murderer on the loose?

This town sucks, the rebel thought, glaring ahead. A buncha dumbasses so bored they tell wild stories to spread around, until they have to start a new one when it becomes old news. People whisper behind your back in order to start shit, then suddenly everyone’s avoiding you, not even bothering to ask if what they heard was true. Even if they do… shit, like they’d take my word for it.

…The hell?

Up by his house he saw a squad car. Out front, his mother was speaking with two officers--- Detective Ryotoro Dojima and Tohru Adachi. “…into a scrap last night with a bunch of bikers, and their description matches your son’s…” Dojima was in the middle of saying.

“There he is--- whoa!” Adachi exclaimed, spotting Kanji immediately. “Damn… you really got beat, didn’t you? Heh, I guess I should be afraid of what the other guy looks like---“

“Shut up, Adachi!” Dojima snapped, before turning to Kanji’s mother.”Seems like your boy came home,”

“Thank you, officers. Let me handle it… and I apologize for my son’s behavior,” Ma replied, sighing as if she had said this many times before.

“See to it he listens this time. Next call we get, we’re taking him downtown,” Dojima gave Kanji a look, before he and Adachi walked back to their car.

Kanji sneered, but looked at his mother. “Look, if those punks weren’t making so much noise---“ he began to argue.

“Inside, Kanji.” Ma stated, walking inside. Letting out a groan he followed her into the textile shop. He stood by while she paced a bit, letting out a short breath. “I know you meant well, but I do not want you getting into fights. Violence is not the solution.”

“What, so if some jackass comes at me with a knife, I should try talking to him?”

“Don’t act smart with me, young man! From now on, I expect you to behave yourself.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore, Ma! And shit, if those cops would just crack down on jerks like that, I wouldn’t be getting into fights---“

“Kanji. It’s not about the police. It’s not about the biker gangs. It’s about you. You have got to stop acting like this… think about where you’ll end up! Do you want to throw away your future and end up in jail? Do you want people to fear you all your life?”

“I’m not scaring anyone! I’m just not taking shit from anyone!”

She shook her head. “Acting like a rebel is not the way to go. …Your father would tell you that much,”

Kanji clenched his fist. Ma always brought up Dad to drive a point home, and it got under his skin every time. “DAD WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD ME HOW TO ACT, YOU FAT COW!”

With that outburst, he stormed out the door, ignoring his mother’s calls for him to come back. With a look of anger twisted on his face, every passerby steered clear, some crossing to the other side of the street just to keep out of his way. He kept walking until he reached the riverbank, sitting down on the broken bridge and glaring at the water; his reflection rippled in the waves, his burning gaze most clear. With a heavy sigh, he covered his face. Dammit…

“Hmm? Isn’t that your friend, big bro?”

The tiny voice caught his ears, and he looked over. Walking nearby with a fishing kit was a short, silver-haired teen wearing a white shirt and the same school jacket and black jeans, and beside him was a young first grader with brown hair tied in looped-pigtails, a pink vest over a white shirt, and a burgundy skirt. They were Yu Narukami, and his young cousin Nanako Dojima--- the only people in town who weren’t afraid to talk to him.

“Oh. Hi senpai. Hey, Nanako.” Kanji muttered in greeting, looking back at the water. “Didn’t expect to see you guys out this early,”

“It’s the best time to go fishing. Nanako wanted to come with,” Yu replied, walking over and sitting down next to him.

“We didn’t catch anything, though. They kept getting away,” Nanako said sadly.

“I’m sure you’ll catch something if you keep trying,” Kanji assured with a kind smile.

The little girl beamed. “Yeah! That’s what big bro said!”

The rebel had to chuckle; Yu was staying with his cousin and uncle while his parents worked overseas, and during his time Nanako deemed him as her official older brother. Not that he could blame her--- his senpai had the ability to get on anyone’s good side and stay there. …Heck, if the guy earned his friendship, he could win anyone’s heart.

Of course, with Kanji’s reputation, he often worried if he would put Yu’s social life at risk. Hell, his uncle was a cop--- if they were seen hanging out, his senpai would probably get the book thrown at him every night!

Noticing the troubled look in the rebel’s eye, Yu gave him a concerned look. “Are you okay, Kanji?”

“Yeah… what happened? You have a big bruise on your face,” Nanako added.

“I-I’m good. Just didn’t get any sleep last night. Buncha bikers were revving their engines all night,” Kanji answered, though decided to leave out the part where he hunted them down. “As for my bruise… ah, that’s my own fault.”

“Oh, cool! I heard about them! Being in a biker gang looks fun!”

Kanji pointed at her. “No it isn’t, and don’t talk like that.”

Yu chuckled. “Wanna take a walk with us?”

“Sure,”

“Nanako, go on ahead okay?”

“Um, okay. But don’t fall too far behind!” Nanako replied, and walked ten paces ahead of them.

As they walked, Yu kept his voice low. “…did you get into another fight again?” he asked.

“Y-yeah… I chased down those bikers last night. They were keeping Ma up… and then I got in a fight with her this morning,” Kanji murmured, his eyes on the ground. “…Your uncle was on my doorstep. Said if they hear about me causing trouble again, I’ll be paying a visit to the police station.”

Yu looked ahead. “You need to change,”

Kanji looked at him. “Yeah? How do you propose I do that?”

Yu shrugged. “Being a nicer guy would be a good start.”

“Tch. Hard to be nice when everyone treats you like a brute,”

His senpai nodded forth. “Nanako doesn’t. I don’t. …Remember how we met? Nanako was livid when her doll got torn. You were walking nearby and offered to fix it. The next day, you brought it back, and it looked good as new.”

Kanji blushed, wishing Yu wouldn’t bring it up in public. “Y-Yeah, I remember… you thought I had bought a new one, ‘til she said it belonged to her mom, and then you invited me out for ramen.” he shook his head. “B-But don’t be talking about it out in the open! I don’t want people pinning me as a sissy…”

Yu shrugged. “Would you rather have them think of you as a criminal?”

“No, but… You know what it’s like. Real men don’t like cute shit or sewing or baking…”

“You bake too?”

“SHUSH!”

Nanako looked over. “What are you two talking about?” she asked.

“Kanji knows how to bake,” Yu said with an innocent smile.

“Senpai…!” Kanji groaned. If this guy hadn’t earned his respect, he’d be getting tossed in the river!

“Oh, that’s great!” Nanako exclaimed, looking quite impressed. “Can you teach me?”

“Uh…” He looked at Yu. “Is that okay with you, ‘big bro’?”

“Sure--- you can teach me too. At least so my school lunches stop coming out sour,” Yu joked.

“Fine… I will.”

“Yay!” Nanako cheered. “Let’s start now!”

“Whoa, hold on! I don’t even know what we should make!”

“We can do it later. Right now, lets all---“ Yu began to say, until his phone rang. He answered it. “Yes? Oh, hey Kou--- what? Today?! Ah, shit, I forgot! …No, don’t worry! Tell Daisuke I’ll be there soon!” He hung up, looking at Nanako. “I have to head to the school. I forgot we had a soccer game today!”

“But, I thought we were going to spend the day together?” Nanako asked, sounding heartbroken.

“Can you stay at a friend’s house until I’m done?”

“All my friends are busy this weekend… but I’ll be alright on my own. I’ve always watched the house while Dad’s working,”

Yu sighed; it was clear he didn’t like leaving his cousin home alone, no matter if she were used to it or not. He then looked at the rebel. “How about if Kanji hangs out with you? You guys can figure out what we should bake later. …That is, if he doesn’t mind.”

“Whoa, wait! I can’t just---“ Kanji began to sputter… though looking at Nanako, rejecting the idea would probably break the little girl’s heart. “Can’t… just… say ‘yes’ without asking Nanako if it’s okay.”

Nanako smiled. “It’s okay. ...But come straight home after the game,” she told Yu.

“I will. You two be good,” Yu replied, waving to them as they parted ways for the time being.

Little did anyone realize Yu Narukami would be late on his way home…

Chapter Text

Yu Narukami had moved to Inaba back in April. Since then, he had met a few people, joined a sports team and drama club, and applied for some part-time jobs to earn a little cash. Ryotoro Dojima and Nanako made sure to help him feel right at home… though he found it troubling that Dojima wasn’t home very often due to his detective work; having lost his wife years ago due to a drunk driver, he had no one to stay home with Nanako until his nephew came to stay.

Dojima, Yu figured out quickly, was quite strict. A couple times, Nanako had to call him out for questioning Yu like a suspect whenever the teen was late coming home from practice or school. But there was a calm side to him, as they would sit down and share a conversation.

Nanako warmed up to him, having been shy at first. But after spending time with her, he earned the title of ‘Big Bro’; when she wasn’t engrossed in watching television or spending time with friends, the two would be playing games or sharing stories; once in a while, Yu would find himself answering difficult questions from the little girl.

“I often hear rumors at school,” Nanako told him once. “They’re mostly about this big building in town… Someone said it was supposed to be a shopping center, but there was a big rainstorm that caused damage and they had to shut it down. Everyone thinks it’s haunted, and anyone who goes inside ends up trapped in there forever. …But lately everyone talks about the ‘ghost channel’ that comes on rainy nights when the TV is off. They call it the ‘Midnight Channel’,”

“Pretty spooky,” Yu had responded. He had heard quite a few tall tales back in the city--- the wildest one was about people turning into coffins in the middle of the night, and the local school turning into a massive tower filled with monsters.

But, he never found himself getting immersed in local folklore. He busied himself with school and friends…

He ended up thinking about Kanji.

The first time he heard rumors about the rebel, he immediately thought about Dojima’s lecture about not hanging out with any troublemakers. That thought went out the window early this summer, when Nanako came running up to her big bro crying about how her favorite doll ended up ruined after some bullies ripped its arms off and threw it in a mud puddle. Suddenly, up steps this intimidating thug-like teenager who claims he can fix it for her.

Yu had been a little skeptical, worried that this was going to be another bully who would make Nanako cry. “The damage doesn’t seem that bad… I can bring it back to you tomorrow afternoon.” The rebel had promised. Nanako handed over her doll, holding him to his word.

The next afternoon they had waited… and sure enough, Kanji came along with a doll that looked brand new. “Did you buy a new doll?” Yu had questioned.

“What, ya saying I couldn’t fix it?!” Kanji had sneered.

“He couldn’t buy a new one. This was my mom’s doll. Dad said she kept it since she was my age, and gave it to me when I was two.” Nanako had informed them both; she smiled up at Kanji. “Thank you so much for fixing it! It looks beautiful!”

“U-Um… no problem,”

The rebel had begun to walk off, until Yu called him back. “Hey… Wanna go out for some ramen? My treat,”

He remembered the surprised look on the rebel’s face. But, he had accepted, and after a couple bowls of ramen and a walk through town, Yu had developed a friendship with the rebel. Sometimes, he felt he was the only friend the bleach-haired teen had…

If I can help him change, maybe people would see him as something other than a brute… Yu thought.

A raindrop hit his forehead just then, and he looked up at the dark overcast sky. Within a matter of seconds, a downpour hit! Pulling his jersey over his head, Yu searched for cover; the bus stop was three blocks down, and most of the shops on the street were closed down.

Looking ahead, he saw a massive building and ran towards it. It looked a little rundown, a rusty sign reading ‘Junes’.

There was a clap of thunder followed by lightning. Yu gave a jolt, and ran up to the doors. Apparently, one of the automatic doors was stuck open and he squeezed through, looking around at a dark and dusty lobby. On one side there were some escalators that were covered in cobwebs, and on the other there were elevators that remained shut.

He sighed, sitting down and looking out at the rain. It didn’t seem to be letting up, meaning he would probably be stuck in the building for a while. He took out his phone to call home and let Nanako know he had to wait out the rain, but he had no reception. “Great.” He muttered.

“Yip!”

“Gah! What---“ Yu gasped, jumping to his feet and turning…

Seeing a fox with a scar over one eye and a red bib tied around its neck. It was looking up at Yu intently, making the teenager feel petrified; was this place a domain for wild animals? He didn’t see anything else, just this fox.

He relaxed a little, as the fox wasn’t really showing any signs of aggression. Normally, most foxes would take off and run, or lash out if their territory felt threatened. But this fox wasn’t even growling, just looking at him. The teenager shifted, feeling a bit awkward. “Um. Hi?” he said.

The fox approached, sniffing him. Was it domesticated? Perhaps it came from Japan’s ‘Fox Village’, and was used to receiving treats from tourists. “Yip!” it barked, pawing at his pocket.

“Sorry, I don’t have any treats,” Yu replied; to help convince it, he dug out his wallet. “See? Nothing but my---“

*Chomp!*

Quick as a blink, the fox bit down on the wallet and snatched it from his hands! It then shot off, running over to the elevators! It hit the button and the doors opened, allowing it to dive in and hit another button!

Yu, flabbergasted at what the hell just happened, shook off his shock and ran towards the elevators. “Hey! Come back here!” he shouted, running forth. The elevator seemed to going up to the third floor, and he raced into the second one, heading up to the same floor.

Stepping out, he looked around, seeing the fox running around the corner. He followed suit, seeing it was going through the electronics department…

Or, what would have been the electronics department. He walked through the aisles of dust-covered computers, cobwebbed vcr and dvd players, and other tech that would probably never see the light of day. With so much here, he was surprised the store hadn’t been looted…

He cringed; suddenly those stories he heard sounded possible. No wonder people thought this place was haunted--- the further he walked in, the more chills shot down his spine.

There was a soft ‘thud’ from the other side of the shelves. Looking over, he saw his wallet had dropped in front of a big-screen television, the fox nowhere in sight. Yu gulped; he felt like he was in a horror movie. He kept his eyes open, not even blinking as he looked around and behind him to make sure no one or nothing was preying upon him. He bent down slowly, cautiously lifting his wallet…

He sighed. Nothing happened. “Just an empty store,” he told himself.

There was a howl, and out from behind him the fox leaped forth and slammed him into the TV!

…

Yu was expecting a crash, but was stunned beyond belief as he ‘slipped’ through the screen as if he was diving through water. His waist caught on the edge and his legs started kicking while his arms flailed, desperate to grab onto something… but he ended up falling!

“AAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHH!” he screamed, though hit the ground in seconds, rolling a bit.

He lie there as if paralyzed, his mind trying to register what happened. When his senses came back to him, he sat back up and took in his surroundings: everything seemed mostly yellow, a thick fog obscuring his vision; at the same time, he felt dizzy, though blamed that on his fall.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Yu called, his voice echoing. Standing up, he looked around for an exit, walking forth through the misty cloud.

That’s when he heard the whispers…

“Who is that?”

“I dunno… maybe it’s a new kind of shadow?”

“I’ve never seen a human-looking shadow before…”

“Hey! Who’s there?” Yu hollered, running in the direction of the voices…

He paused, squinting ahead. For a moment, it looked like he was back in town, a liquor store up ahead… but something felt weird. There were no people around, and in place of a doorway there was a black-and-red rectangular vortex. He stepped inside, finding the place in shambles…

He looked at some pictures littered on the ground. They were of a bunch of employees of some store, but someone’s face was scratched out…

‘Yosuke… he’s such a pain in the ass!’ a voice out of nowhere stated.

“What the…? Who’s talking now?” Yu looked around, but the voice seemed to be an echo.

‘I only act nice to him, but he takes it the wrong way! As if I’d ever date the creep…’

Yu looked at the picture once more. Suddenly he recognized the girl in the picture--- Sake Konishi, a third year at his school. He barely ran into her, but had hung out with her younger brother, Naoki; he had said she had applied for another part-time job… but she never went in, figuring they already had the position filled or the place was going under, like so many stores in town were going through.

There came a growl just then, low and gurgling. “…Please let that be the fox,” Yu squeaked, turning around.

Coming at him looked like a giant ball… with fat lips and a long tongue! He gasped, turning and running out, only to see two more of them coming his way! He shot down the street, pursued by the creatures. He ran, passing by… a castle?

“HELP!” he called, running up to the castle, ending up tripping in his haste. He turned and looked over his shoulder, gasping as the monsters behind him swarmed forth---

*POW!*

With a screech, one of them disappeared! “HEE-YA!” came a shout, as a girl leaped out of the fog, and kicked one of the balls clear through the air! There was a wave of fire, and the final ball hit the ground in defeat, disappearing like the first.

“Here, let me help you up,” came a voice; Yu looked up to see a boy with caramel-colored hair, wearing glasses, headphones, and… wearing the same school uniform as he did! What caught his attention foremost was the fact that he was carrying a couple Hunting-Nata.

“A-Are you okay?” asked the girl who had kicked the monster to oblivion. She had short, light-brown hair, also wore glasses, and sported a green-and-yellow jacket over a black skirt. She was wearing a set of combat boots.

“How did you get here?” asked another girl… who was dressed up in a pink princess gown (and glasses), had long black hair, and carrying a Tessen.

Yu looked at each of them. One thing they all had in common were their bright yellow eyes. “W-Who are you, and where the hell am I?” he asked, utterly confused.

“Oh! Um, I’m Hanamura Yosuke, and these are my friends--- Satonaka Chie, and Amagi Yukiko,” the boy of the trio introduced.

“As for this place… well, it’s hard to explain.” Chie answered, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Come inside, and we’ll… try to explain everything.” Yukiko added, leading him into the castle.

As they walked, they didn’t notice another figure watching from the sidelines…

~P4~

Yu had to cover his eyes upon entering the foyer. The whole interior of the castle was decorated in bright red and pink tones, a few sparkles floating down from above. The foyer itself had shiny décor and matching furniture, making him feel like he was taking cover in Barbie’s Playhouse. He held his tongue from making any comments, though, considering his hosts had just saved him.

Plus, his mind was still delirious about where the heck that TV sent him!

Having him take a seat in a red, gold-framed easy chair by the fireplace, his hosts got to work fetching him some tea. “So… before we say anything, can you tell us how you ended up in here?” Yosuke asked, sitting down across from him.

Yu scratched his head, not sure how to answer. “Um, it’s going to sound crazy…” Even though I’m in a fog-filled world filled with monsters and I’m having tea in a pink castle. “But… a fox pushed me through a TV screen.”

The trio looked at each other, then back at him. “A fox?” Yukiko repeated.

“Y-Yeah… I went inside this large department store to wait out a storm, and it took my wallet and led me to the electronics section---“

“Hold it… was the store called ‘Junes’?” Yosuke asked.

“Y-Yes, I think so… But, how do you know about it? And what is this place, already?!”

“Well… we call it the TV World.” Chie began to explain, though felt stuck. “Honestly… we can’t really find a way to describe it without sounding crazy.”

“Oh! Lets have Naoto –san explain it,” Yukiko decided, walking over to a speaker in the wall and pushing a button. “Naoto-kun, can you come upstairs please? It’s urgent!”

“Naoto-kun is pretty smart, and has been studying this place for a while,” Yosuke told Yu.

The silver-haired student watched; in an old-fashioned elevator, there was a *ding* as the iron gates opened. Out stepped a dark-blue haired boy wearing a blue detective hat, light-green shirt, plaid dark-blue pants, and a white lab coat. Just like the others, he wore glasses and bared yellow eyes. Beside him walked a bikini-clad teenage girl with violet-red hair done up in ponytails, also with glasses and yellow-eyed.

“I hope this doesn’t involve Chie losing her meat-gum again,” Naoto began to state, but stopped when he saw Yu. “What in the world…?”

“OOH! A visitor!” The girl in the bikini exclaimed, circling around Yu. “*gasp* Look… no yellow eyes! He’s from the real world!”

“Intriguing…” Naoto observed Yu as if he were a specimen. “But… the TV World has restricted access. How could someone have found a way in?”

“I-I felt through a TV…” Yu answered, awkwardly.

“A TV? …Hm. Considering the connection between our world and the television, that makes sense. Can you show me where you fell in at?”

“I guess, if I can find my way back… ohhh.” Yu rubbed his head, his nausea increasing.

“Oh, that’s right! Here, you need these!” Yosuke stated, and handed Yu his glasses.

Immediately the fog disappeared, and Yu looked around--- squinting as the castle was a lot more vibrant now. “Um, I’ll put them on outside,”

Stepping out with the group, he tried them back on. He walked in the direction he had come from, the others following. They passed the liquor store, and soon he was in an area that felt familiar--- proof being he had dropped his wallet in his fall and it was still on the ground.

“It was right here. I fell from up there,” he pointed up to a high portal above.

“Oh wow… getting back through there is gonna be a challenge.” Chie stated.

“Can he even go back? We never could…” Yosuke whispered.

“Huh? What was that?” Yu questioned.

“N-Nothing! …By the way, I’m Rise,” the bikini girl said quickly, linking her arm with his. “You don’t have to leave just yet. I mean… maybe you could help us!”

“(Rise! Don’t drag him into this!)” Yukiko hissed.

“(But he might be our only chance!)” Rise hissed back. “(Plus, he’s cute!)”

“What are you guys talking ab…” Yu began to demand, taking off the glasses… and immediately fell to his knees, feeling sick. “Ohhh… my head…”

“D-Do you want to come back to the castle?” Yukiko asked. “You should rest there---“

“Nooooo!” came a shout, and Yu looked forth.

He squinted, seeing a silhouette in the fog. He could make out small round ears, stubby arms and legs, and wide eyes. Suddenly he was pulled to his feet by this thing! “Hey! What the…?!”

“Wait! He might---!” Yosuke began to sputter, but was silenced when the creature took his glasses back from Yu and tossed them to him.

“He can’t stay here… This place isn’t built for people from the outside--- he’ll get sick!” With a stomp of its foot, the creature summoned a stack of TVs! “(plus, I’m waiting for a girl, and this guy may dominate the competition!)”

“Whoa! Hold it!” Yu cried, as he was shoved into another TV screen!

“Back to your world you go…!”

*THUD!*

~P5~

When Yu opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor of the electronics department. Rubbing his head he sat up, looking back at the TV. Did that actually happen? He wondered.

Shaking his head, he walked back to the elevators… but for some reason they wouldn’t work. Sighing heavily, he took the stairs and walked out of the large department store. The rain had stopped, at least… but it was late in the afternoon.

Yu looked at his watch, gasping. It was already 6 o’clock! “Shit… Dojima’s gonna kill me!” he cursed, racing home.

Hopefully Nanako was doing alright…

Chapter Text

Crossing through the iron gate, Kanji looked at the humble little home. It was a two-story structure, with a small kitchen and living room within, and a small backyard beyond sliding glass doors; the bedrooms were upstairs, he figured. It might have been a small house, but it was a bit bigger than the connecting apartment back at the textile shop.

Taking off their shoes, the two walked around the house as Nanako gave the rebel a tour; once finished, she immediately grabbed the recipe book, going through a list of dishes she wanted to make--- Kanji had to tell her to go easy, just in case they didn’t have all the ingredients. Thankfully for him, Nanako wanted to wait until Yu got back before they began cooking.

To pass the time, they turned on the TV; Magical Witch Detective was having a marathon, the little girl bringing up how it was her favorite show, and so they killed time binge-watching it.

After watching so many episodes to the point where he had every word of the theme song memorized, Kanji looked at the clock. It was late in the afternoon; around this point, Nanako wasn’t very interested in her favorite show anymore. “I wonder where Big Bro is at…” she said to herself.

“I’ll try calling him,” Kanji said, taking out his phone and dialing. However, it went straight to voicemail. “Weird. He’s not answering…”

“You think he’s okay?”

The rebel rubbed the back of his neck. He thought hard; he recalled how his senpai had a busy social life… but surely he would remember to call! However he didn’t want the little girl to get all worked up. “Yeah, the game probably lasted longer than we thought.” He looked around the house. “He’ll be home soon… why don’t we find something to do while we wait?”

Nanako sighed. “Okay… What do you like to do?”

Kanji drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch; he was a little shy to bring up his interests. “Um… well, I-I like to sew, you already know that.”

“I remember, you’re really good at it! …oh, but I don’t have anything we can use,” Nanako pondered, looking up at the stairs. “Do you like to draw? I have an art kit up in my room,”

He smiled, giving a nod. “Sure, sounds good.”

“Okay! I’ll be right back!” Nanako ran up the stairs to fetch her supplies.

The rebel let out a breath, relaxing a bit. Nanako was probably the only girl (outside his mother) he could talk about his hobbies with. The first time a girl learned about his hobbies, he had fixed her backpack… and other girls made fun of him, calling him a sissy. He had gone to his dad for help on what to do.

“Be a man,” his father had said…

Kanji shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it.

He heard the door open and close just then. “Oh, good. You’re back,” he said, walking towards the entryway. “Nanako and I were getting wo---“

He froze, seeing Dojima had walked in!

“What the…? Tatsumi Kanji?” The detective questioned, a look of surprise on his face which morphed into suspicion. “What are you doing here?!”

The rebel backed up, gulping. “Er, Dojima! S-Senpai… Well, he asked me to bring Nanako home, because…” he stammered.

Nanako came down the stairs right then, carrying pencils and paper. She stopped when she saw the bitter look on her father’s face as he faced the teen, and how nervous Kanji looked. “Hey… what’s going on?” she asked.

Dojima looked at his daughter. “Nanako… what did I tell you about talking to strangers?” he asked, calm but firm.

“Kanji’s not a stranger! He and Yu are friends!”

The detective looked back at Kanji. “Is Yu home?”

“H-He had a game…” Kanji replied.

“Then why are you here?”

“He was invited!” Nanako spoke up, sounding angry. “I didn’t want to be home all alone again, so we let Kanji come over! Why do you have to treat everyone like a suspect?!”

Dojima inhaled, his lips a straight line as he was doing his best to keep his cool. “I don’t like you two inviting friends over without my permission…” he gave Kanji a look. “…especially if these ‘friends’ had been out all night picking fights.”

Nanako clenched her fists, stamping her foot. “I-It’s better than being alone all the time!” Tearing up, she turned and ran up to her room, dropping the papers and pencils.

“Nanako!” The detective let out a heavy sigh. He turned and looked at Kanji. “Go home, Tatsumi. …And stay away from my daughter AND my nephew.”

Kanji sneered, grabbing his shoes and storming out the door. He heard Dojima muttering, “…thought I told that kid not to hang out with gangsters…” on his way out. Pulling his shoes on, he stormed down the street.

Well, what did ya expect, dumbass? He criticized himself. Did ya think the cop who threatened to haul you in would actually welcome you into his house, just cuz his kid liked ya? He only sees you as a troublemaker, just like the rest of the town! Two people ain’t gonna change that…

At a bus-stop, he spotted his senpai. “There you are!” the rebel hollered, getting his attention.

“Kanji! I thought you were with Nanako,” Yu questioned.

“I was… till your cop uncle tossed me out. …But where the hell were ya?! Nanako was getting worried!”

“I had to wait out the rain, and… kinda lost track of time,” Yu answered, though there was an uneasy look in his eye.

“Huh? What happened?”

“I-I’ll tell you later… right now I better get home before I get read the riot act for being late.”

“Tch, being late will be the least of your problems…” Kanji stormed off. “Better keep away from me, before your uncle pins you as a criminal next.”

~P5~

“Kanji, wait!” Yu called, but the rebel continued to storm off. The silver-haired teen hung his head, walking home.

The moment he walked through the door, he immediately knew how Kanji felt.

Dojima was waiting for him on the couch, and the glare in his eye made the teen freeze. “At the table. NOW.” His uncle ordered.

Without hesitation, Yu obeyed, sitting down across from him.

“I’ve had a long day, today. I’ve been up since 3 AM responding to a call about a brawl, followed by going to the home of the one who started it and speaking to his mother who--- as always--- had to apologize on his behalf. I had to go back to the office and finish the paperwork, having to force myself to stay awake just to make it through lunch, and dealing with a bunch of bullshit at the office. I come home… and guess what I find?”

It was a rhetorical question, he knew; he held his tongue.

“The same troublemaker we got a call about standing in the living room. …Nanako said you invited him over to stay with her while you were at a game.” He crossed his arms, staring intently at Yu. “Tell me, son. What gave you the idea to leave my daughter home alone with some punk?!”

Options ran through Yu’s mind in a heartbeat. Should he play dumb and say he didn’t know about Kanji’s reputation? (No good; the whole town knew the rumors about the rebel). Should he say he knew nothing about it and act surprised? (Nope--- for one thing it would be a dick move to bail out on Kanji, not to mention he wouldn’t dare pin Nanako as a liar). Should he just throw himself down and beg for mercy? (…oh c’mon, he had more courage than that!)

He let out a breath; being honest was the only way to go. “I met Kanji earlier this summer. He fixed one of Nanako’s dolls, and we started hanging out. He’s not as bad as you think---“

“’Fixing dolls’? …Yu. He got into a fight with a biker gang last night. He skips school, bullies others, and stays out late! His own mother has to apologize for his actions! I don’t want you hanging around that troublemaker--- and I sure as hell don’t want my daughter around him!” Dojima pointed to him. “That kid’s nothing but a brute; he may act nice around you for now, but sooner or later he’s going to pull some crap, and I don’t want you dragged into it! Your parents told me to keep an eye on you!”

“It’s not like that! I’ve heard every rumor about him, but he’s not a criminal! Do you honestly think I would be dumb enough to leave him alone with Nanako if I didn’t trust him?” Yu retorted.

Dojima quietly seethed. Standing up, he walked away from the table, his back to his nephew. “You’re both grounded. No TV. No going out with friends. You are to go to school and come straight home.” He looked over his shoulder, a cold look in his eye. “And stay away from that punk!” With that, he pointed to the stairs. “Now go to your room.”

Yu sighed, but did as he was told. Down the hall, he heard quiet sobs coming from Nanako’s room. He looked back at the stairs, making sure his uncle wasn’t coming up, then snuck over to her room, lightly knocking on her door. “Nanako? Are you okay?” he whispered.

“B-Big bro…?” Nanako replied quietly. He slipped in through the door, closing it behind him with a soft *click*; immediately she ran forth and hugged him around the waist, sobbing into his shirt. “W-Where were you? Kanji and I waited for hours… a-a-and then Dad came home and he started treating him like a criminal…”

“Shh, I know, Nanako. I know. I’m sorry,” Yu rubbed her back, walking her over to the bed and sitting down next to her. “I didn’t mean to be late. If I was home, I’d make sure Dojima knew Kanji was our friend… I-I tried just now, but… he doesn’t want Kanji around us anymore.”

Nanako looked up at him with sad eyes. “Is it because he got into a fight?”

“Huh?”

“That’s what Dad said… is that how he got a bruise on his face, too? Is Kanji really a bully like everyone says?”

Yu shook his head. “Kanji’s not a bully… What kind of bully would fix your doll? And he wasn’t mean while I was away, right?”

“No… we watched TV while we waited for you, a-and we were going to draw when Dad came in.” She wiped her eyes. “But why does he fight?”

The silver-haired teen shook his head. “Kanji… is just misunderstood. I don’t think he likes to fight, but feels like he has to. But he’s really a nice guy… he just has to let everyone see that, but people need to give him a chance first.”

“I see,” She looked back up at him. “…But where were you all day?”

Yu rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I had to wait out the rain, and hid inside a store… and a fox stole my wallet,”

Nanako gave him a look. “I want the truth!”

“No, seriously! I had to chase it through this huge, empty department store to get it back.”

Her eyes widened. “Y-You went into the haunted Junes store?! What was it like?”

“Dark, at first. But after I went into the TV--- er, I mean, the electronics section, it got a little brighter.”

“Did you see any ghosts? I heard rumors that people have heard voices before.”

Yu paused, recalling hearing Saki Konishi’s voice at some point. “Yeah… but, they were nice ghosts. They, um, kept me company until the rain stopped.”

“Really?” Nanako gave him a look. “Are you making this up?”

Yu chuckled. “That’s the funny thing about ghost stories, isn’t it? Everyone thinks it’s all made up… until they go there themselves.”

“That is true… Then, will you take me to Junes, someday?”

The teen thought for a moment; recalling the monsters in that world, how dizzy he felt, and how easy it would be to get lost in that fog, he knew it would be a bad call to take his ‘little sister’ to such a place. “Maybe not… it was pretty scary, sometimes.”

“But you said the ghosts were friendly!”

“Some were… Here’s what happened.” Yu said; for the next few minutes, he told her about how he was chased by monsters, until the ‘friendly ghosts’ chased him off. He couldn’t exactly say he ‘fell into a TV and ended up in a different world’, so some parts he had to edit—rather than saying he went inside a castle, instead he stayed in the ‘home and furniture’ department.

He could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t believe all the story, but a gleam in her eye showed she found it all entertaining. “So… you came home after it stopped raining?” she asked, a sleepy tone to her voice.

“Yeah. The ghosts wanted me to stay, but I told them my little sister was waiting for me.”

“I bet they’re lonely… just like Kanji,”

He looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah… if people see him as a bully, he must not have a lot of friends. He must feel lonely,” she snuggled into her pillow, dosing off. “I hope we can play with him again sometime… he’s really nice,” with a soft sigh, she drifted to sleep.

Yu rubbed her head. “…I’m glad you see it, too.” He stood up and--- checking the hall—tiptoed back to his room.

Lying down in bed, he stared up at the ceiling for a while, still wondering if what happened back at Junes really did happen, or if it were just another ‘ghost story’ to hear. He shut his eyes, the events of the day taking their toll on him and sending him into a slumber.

Chapter Text

The street lights had come on when Kanji made his way back home. He had spent a long while sitting on the hill overlooking town, trying to clear his head. He ended up dosing off at a table after realizing he hadn’t slept all night, snapping awake when a stray cat jumped up in front of him only to scurry away. Realizing how late it was getting, he made a beeline back to the textile shop--- no use letting Ma get worked up if he stayed out late again.

The rebel sighed, hands in his pockets and eyes on the stars. Be honest, Dad… how much of a man am I to you? He mentally asked. His father had been the one who got him interested in sewing, his parents having started the business together… so why did he tell his son to be ‘manly’? Was he bullied for it as a kid and didn’t want his son going through it too, so he tried to abolish his interest in the craft? Or did he think his son was weak for letting a bunch of girls make him cry?

Kanji shook his head. He refused to think about it for more than a few seconds--- every time thoughts of his dad entered his mind, it only made him feel like a bigger disappointment than he already was.

‘You need to change’, Yu had told him…

He stopped, sighing. Maybe Senpai had a point…

“H-Hey! Give that back!”

Kanji turned his head in the direction of the small cry. It was coming from an alley! “What the…?” he gasped, running down the lane; around the corner, a small boy about age 10 was surrounded by a few older kids, looking at least the rebel’s age.

“You know the rule, shrimp--- you come through our alley, you pay the fine!” one of the bullies sneered, having a few yen in his hand, which he began to count. “Uh oh--- and it looks like you’re 500 yen short of the tab!”

“You don’t own this alley! I don’t owe you anything! Gah!” The boy was suddenly picked up by the shirt!

“You know what we do to weaklings who don’t pay up?” the brute raised his fist, while his cronies cracked their knuckles.

“Yeah--- you let them go before I kick your ass!” Kanji shouted, storming forth.

The bully gasped and dropped the boy, who quickly took this chance to scramble off. “Shit, it’s Tatsumi!” one of the underlings stammered, backing up.

“(Stand your ground, you cowards!)” the leader of the bullies hissed, before turning towards the rebel. “Where do you get off coming on this side of the street, Kanji? Terrorizing one block not good enough?”

“Where do you get off shaking down little kids? Too stupid to get a job?” Kanji retorted, giving him a shove. “Now scram!”

The leader pushed back, Kanji grabbed him by the shirt, and the bully swung up his fist---

It wasn’t long before a fight broke out, but apparently these guys missed the news that the rebel had fought a biker gang the previous night! He swung one punch after another, grabbing one bully and tossing them into the trash bins, while shoving another into the wall.

“Get bent!” he snarled, grabbing a bin and throwing it at the leader, knocking them down!

Suddenly there were flashing lights coming from down the alley, and a pair of officers ran into the fray! “What’s going on here?!” one of them shouted. “A little boy came running up to us, saying some goon was trying to steal his money!”

“IT WAS HIM!” all the bullies shouted at once, pointing at Kanji!

“What?! The hell it was!” Kanji shouted, turning to the officers. “These punks were trying to shake a kid down!”

“It’s not true, officer! We were all on our way back from Aya’s Diner, when we saw Tatsumi chasing a kid down this alley!” the leader spoke up, standing up while holding his ribs. “Ow… damn, I think he broke my ribs…”

“Y-Yeah! We ran in to save the kid, and Kanji just started beating the shit out of us!” one of the underlings added.

“…I can’t feel my face…” the other underling groaned, rubbing a bruise on the side of his face.

“Tatsumi? As in Tatsumi Kanji?” One of the officers questioned. “We got a report about you just today! Beat up a biker gang, didn’t ya?”

“Forget about that! These guys were harassing a kid!” Kanji snapped.

“Yeah right, like we’re going to believe the local troublemaker. Come with us, kid--- we’re taking you to the station!” the second officer sneered.

“B-But… I didn’t do it!”

“Come quietly, and there won’t be any trouble.”

Kanji pointed to the bullies. “If you’re taking me, you’re taking them too!”

“These boys will be taken to the hospital after the beating you gave them. Now move it!” The first officer snapped.

The rebel clenched his fists; however, he had enough common sense to know that if he resisted, not only would the cops result in using force, but it would also make him look guilty. Muttering to himself, he went with the officers, being shoved into the back of the car. He looked out the window, seeing the punks flipping him off before running off.

~P4~

He sat in the interrogation room for almost an hour before someone came in. Outside the door, he heard a voice. “This had better be good, Adachi… I don’t want to hear it, just go get the paperwork done!”

Kanji sat up straight, recognizing the voice. Oh, shit…

Dojima walked in, rubbing his face. “(go figure, I just get home and they call me back---)” he was muttering under his breath, stopping when he saw who was seated in the room. “Tatsumi Kanji?! …Dammit! Morning, afternoon, and now night--- how many times am I going to see your face?”

“Pleasure seeing you again too, Detective.” Kanji remarked. “But listen, I’m innocent here. I was on my way home, when I saw these jerks---“

“Save your breath, punk. We have 3 witnesses against you.”

“Those witnesses are the ones who were causing the trouble! Argh---!” Kanji inhaled, rubbing his face. “Dammit, I know I have a bad rep, but I ain’t heartless enough to pick on a kid! Ya have to give me some sort of credit!”

Dojima planted his palms on the table. “Considering you’ve been skipping school, picking fights, and taking off from home late at night, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on.”

Kanji clenched his fists. “Seriously?! You’re not even gonna give me a chance?! …Is this because of this afternoon?!”

“Settle down! Considering the accusation against you, you’d do right to watch your temper!”

“Listen, you---“

*Knock knock*

The door opened, and Adachi poked his head in. “Um… sorry to interrupt sir, b-but Mrs. Tatsumi is here?” he said, awkwardly.

“Dammit, Adachi, this is private!” Dojima snapped. He groaned, rubbing his face before pointing to Kanji. “You. Stay here.” With that, he stepped out.

Kanji walked over to the door, listening…

“What is my son in trouble for this time, if I’m allowed to ask?” Ma was demanding.

“Sorry ma’am, but seems like your son really did it now. Bullying a little kid out of his money--- talk about low! OOF!” came Adachi’s reply.

“(Shut up, Adachi!) …Two of our men were on patrol when a young boy ran up to them this evening. He said he was running through an alley on his way home when someone tried to beat him up for his money, until someone else came to his rescue. …According to the report, your son was the accused bully, and we have 3 witnesses to back up the claim.” Dojima answered.

“Oh honestly, Dojima. Stealing money from a child? My son may be hardheaded at times and pick fights, but he is not a lowbrow criminal! Did you ever stop to assume that the ones accusing him of the theft were the ones committing the crime? Did your men ask the boy for a proper description of the thug?” Ma questioned sternly.

“Sorry, ma’am, but considering your son has caused a bit of trouble---“ Adachi began to state.

“A wolf can put on sheep’s clothing, gentlemen. Until there is solid evidence that Kanji is going around beating up people for their money, I do not see reason for you to be holding my son in custody.”

“*sigh* …Very well, ma’am. Adachi, go find out who that kid was.” Dojima said.

“Um, y-yes sir,” Adachi answered, his footsteps retreating.

Kanji let out a relieved sigh, though felt a little ashamed that his mother had to clear his name…

However, the conversation continued.

“I think you should consult someone about his behavior.” Dojima was saying. “You can’t keep defending him forever, and one of these days he’s gonna land himself behind bars!”

“Please, Detective… My son is not a criminal. He’s just… been rough around the edges ever since his father passed away. Things haven’t been easy since then. He’s had trouble at school, he doesn’t want to get close to anyone... In fact the only one he’s ever spent time with these days is his senpai, Narukami.”

“Tch, well… his ‘senpai’ happens to be my nephew, and he’s grounded for staying out late and leaving Nanako alone with some--- *ahem* with your son. He used to be responsible until your son came along.”

“I am not here to mix words, Dojima-san. I am here to take my son home--- and perhaps you should not jump to conclusions when it comes to the children in our lives.”

“*sigh* …I’m sorry, but considering the circumstances… well, you may want to consider sending him off somewhere to get straightened out. Otherwise, the only place that will be may be prison.”

“I will handle it, officer. Now may I please take my son home?”

Kanji backed away from the door, standing by the table as the door opened. “Alright son, you’re free to go.” The detective said with forced decency. The rebel gave a stiff nod, before walking out.

~P5~

The walk home was long and quiet, Kanji racking his brains to try to say something to dissuade his mother from the idea of sending him off, but the words kept getting stuck in his throat. Once they were home, his mother told him to go upstairs. “Ma, listen. I didn’t---“ he tried to say.

“We will talk about it in the morning, Kanji. It is late, and you were up all night last night. Things like this are better discussed after a good night’s sleep.” She stated.

“Like hell I’m going to get a good night’s sleep!” Kanji shook his head. “Just… tell me one thing. Are you… You’re not gonna send me away, are ya?”

“Of course not! If sending a child away because of some bad deeds was the solution, then we wouldn’t have so many bullies running around the streets.”

“But you’d be better off without me, right? Ya keep bringing up how I turn your hair gray and keep having to apologize to the police and shit!”

“Watch your mouth young man, and stop assuming such horrible things! If getting rid of you was the answer, I would have done it the first time you started acting out of line, wouldn’t I?” she walked up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. “I don’t want you to go away, Kanji… I just want you to think about your future. I want you to stop acting like a brute and take your life seriously.”

Kanji moved away from her grasp, turning and heading up the stairs. “Yeah right… “ he muttered to himself as he made his way to his room, slamming the door behind him.

He lied down on the bed, turning on the television and flicking through the channels--- not really looking for something to watch, but to distract himself. Ma was just trying to make him feel better, trying to give him reassurance… but the look on her face--- the sheer disappointment in her eyes--- said it all: I’m nothing but a burden.

He sat up quick, flicking back to the last channel. It was a repeat of the 6 o’clock news--- the story on his fight with the bikers!

Oh shit… there was a reporter on the scene, wasn’t there? He had been so blinded by rage all he could remember was those he beat up and the police sirens.

He stared at the screen… holy shit. He was throwing someone overhead, kicking and punching… his eyes turned to the camera. “The hell are you looking at?!” he had shouted, before slamming his palm into the camera, the screen turning to static. The anchor was yapping about ‘troubled youth’ and ‘how lack of proper discipline’ leads to this sort of thing, but he wasn’t paying attention. All he focused on was the clip showing how vicious and savage he acted.

Ma had to apologize to the police for him.

Senpai was grounded just because he stepped foot in his uncle’s house.

And the police pinned him as Public Enemy Number One, taking the word of three bullies over his, right off the bat.

He put his face in his hands. Rage, shame, and spite were all building up within him…

He sat in silence for a long time, before coming to a decision.

~P5~

*tink tink*

Yu stirred, sitting up in bed.

*tink tink*

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he walked over to the window to see what was making all the racket, opening it---

*Thonk!*

“Ow!” Yu hissed, rubbing his forehead after the pebble one-shot him.

“Shit--- sorry, senpai!” Kanji called in a whisper.

“Kanji? …What are you doing here? It’s almost midnight!”

“I know… just… can you come out here real quick?”

“Hold on,” Yu poked his head out the door, looking down the hall. Dojima had gotten in twenty minutes ago after having been called back to work; thankfully, his uncle was so worn out that he passed out immediately… all he had to do was stay quiet.

Keeping his stealth, Yu walked down to the front door, waving Kanji inside. Ever so carefully, they snuck their way back up to his room, keeping the lights off and using the TV to cast a dim glow around the room and he kept it on mute. Both of them waited a few minutes, just to assure no one else was awake, before speaking.

“Kanji… what’s wrong? Did something happen?” Yu asked in concern. The rebel wouldn’t have come back to his house in the dead of night, especially after getting thrown out by his uncle, if it wasn’t important.

“Huh boy, listen to this…” Kanji muttered; keeping his voice low, he told Yu about what had happened after he left--- from coming across a bunch of bullies to being accused of theft and taken down to the station, ending with how he asked his mother if she would really send him away. “The thing is… I think I should go away.”

“What? Kanji, no, don’t think like that…”

“Well, why not?! “ Kanji clenched his fists, his eyes shut tight. “No one but you sees me as a good guy, the police practically have a jail-cell waiting for me, I keep giving Ma a hard time… and now, your uncle’s treating you like a suspect just for hanging out with me. You told me I need to change… well, what’s the point?! Every time shit goes down, people will think I’m the cause…”

Yu gripped him by the shoulder. “You can still try… It will take a while, but eventually people will know you’re not a menace.”

The rebel stood up. “Easy for you to say. The minute you come to town, you’re instantly popular! People ask ya to join the clubs, you’re able to get a part-time job with ease… everyone likes you! It’s like… you have this aura that lets people bond with ya. Me? …I either scare ‘em off or drag them down.” He began to pace. “I saw myself on the news tonight. I think… It would be better if I left.”

Yu stood up, staring at his friend in alarm. “You can’t just run away and expect things to get solved! Your mom would be worried sick, and… something bad could happen to you! Do you really want that?!”

Kanji sighed, leaning against the wall. “I dunno… I just feel like I should go away for a while, until the heat dies down. Give everyone time to get over what happened, and then I’ll come back and make a fresh start.”

“But everyone who cares about you will worry…”

“They’ll be better off! I mean… *sigh* I just want to hide out somewhere.”

*knock knock*

Yu and Kanji both jumped, realizing their voices were above whispering. “Big bro? …Who are you talking to?” came Nanako’s voice, to their relief. The door creaked open and the little girl poked her head in. “Huh? Kanji-kun?”

“H-Hey, Nanako… How are you doing?” Kanji answered quietly, giving a small smile in greeting.

“I’m okay… but why are you here so late? M-My dad said Yu and I couldn’t hang out with you anymore…”

“I won’t be here long. I just… came to say goodbye.”

Her eyes widened in alarm. “W-What? Are you going away because of what my dad said?”

“Well… not quite. I just need a, uh, vacation. Yeah, that’s it. I’m going to go stay somewhere,”

She frowned. “You’re not leaving town, are you?”

Kanji paused. The idea had merit, the problem was he didn’t have the cash, and chances are the police would find out he was a runaway and drag him back home. “N-No… I don’t exactly know where to go. Any ideas?”

Nanako thought, then snapped her fingers. “Junes!”

“Huh?/What?” Yu and Kanji both questioned, the former having a stunned look on his face while the latter looked at her in confusion.

“That’s where Yu said he went today. He told me there were some friendly ghosts there, so you’d have some company. And you’d still be in town so we could come visit you if we wanted. Plus it’s a big store so you’ll have food, beds, toys, and anything else you want. …The food might all be packaged though, because there isn’t any electricity to keep vegetables and stuff from perishing. But if you get sick of it, we can bring you some takeout.”

Kanji rubbed his chin. “Hide in the haunted department store, huh? I’ve heard rumors about that place…”

“Nanako, I-I don’t think Kanji wants to stay with ghosts---“ Yu began to say.

“Alright. I’ll go there tonight.”

“What?!”

The rebel looked at his senpai. “Well, you heard the girl. I can’t really leave town, and there ain’t any options that would beat an abandoned superstore. Ghosts or not, it’s the only place I can go to lay lo--- er, have a vacation.”

Nanako beamed. “Going to Junes would be a fun vacation. I wish I could stay with you,” she looked at the rebel. “But… why are you going on vacation? It’s not a holiday or anything this week.”

“I know, it’s just…” Kanji knelt down, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m dealing with a lot of sh--- stuff right now, and I need a break.”

“Okay… But don’t be gone too long, alright?” She smiled. “I still want you to teach me how to sew,”

Kanji smiled, giving a nod. “Sure. Maybe Junes has some stuff, then you and your Big Bro can visit and I’ll teach ya a few things.”

The little girl hugged him. “Thank you!”

The rebel blushed a bit, patting her on the back. “Y-You’re welcome… *ahem* B-Better get back to bed. And don’t tell your dad any of this, okay?”

Nanako rolled her eyes. “I know that. You think I’d want to get my sentence extended?” With that, she bid them goodnight and went back to her room.

Yu rubbed his face. “…I’m not sure about this,” he sighed.

Kanji gave him a firm glance. “I’ve made up my mind, senpai.”

The silver haired teen looked out the window. He didn’t want Kanji going there at all… but it was late at night, and his mind was too tired to fill him in. “Fine… but lets wait until tomorrow. I’ll take you there after school.” He grabbed a pillow off the bed and an extra blanket. “Here, you can crash on the couch tonight.”

“Thanks, senpai. I appreciate this,”

The two lied down, sleep slowly coming to them.

Tomorrow would be a day neither would forget.

Chapter Text

Yu was thankful his uncle always left for work early, both him and Kanji making their way to school. Exams had passed already, thankfully, and summer break was just around the bend… not that the rebel cared, he figured, and he hoped his friend’s grade average wasn't so bad he’d need summer school or end up held back.

The day came and went, and before he knew it he was meeting with Kanji down by the sewing club, both of them heading out to the Junes store. “Are you absolutely sure about this?” Yu asked.

“I’m positive, senpai.” Kanji said bitterly.

“…Did you at least leave a message for your mom?”

He shook his head. “She’d just try to get me to come back. The ol’ lady will probably be more relaxed without me bringing the cops over every five minutes.”

Yu sighed heavily. He made a mental note to inform the rebel’s mother that her son was alright and just hanging at an old store; after hearing about how she reacted to his conduct, he had a notion she was the kind of mother who would wait for her child to get fed up with fending for themselves and come home.

…he just wished they had chosen a better hiding spot.

Junes looked worse on a clear day than a stormy one, Yu noted as they approached it. He could make out the worn out sign, cobwebs in the windows, faded advertising posters, and dust-covered doors quite clearly. Inside was still just as dark; he tried the elevators, only to find they still didn’t work. Walking up the escalators, he walked around the store with Kanji.

The rebel himself kept his eyes and ears open for any paranormal activity, and wondered if this wasn’t going to be like those setups where the ghosts only came out when the main character was alone. “So, did you really see ghosts in this place?”

“N-No, I just made that up,” Yu answered, though couldn’t quite convince himself. “Watch your back though--- there’s a fox running loose in here.”

“Weird,” They stopped near a clothing department, and he let out a breath. “So. Where should I crash?”

“I think the beds are over this way,” Yu replied; they walked, passing by the electronics aisle.

“WHOA!”

He jumped. “What? What is it?”

Kanji strode over. “Check out the size of these TV sets! They have to cost at least a thousand dollars!”

Yu quickly walked over. “Ah, don’t get so close… I-I think there’s something wrong with them,”

Kanji arched an eyebrow. “There’s no electricity in here. How would you know?” he crossed his arms. “Alright, senpai, spill it. You didn’t want me coming here and have a weird look in your eye. What exactly happened here?”

Yu took a breath. “It’s hard to explain. What happened was…”

“YIP!”

The two turned, seeing the fox from yesterday was hiding on a shelf--- then jumped and pushed Kanji into the TV!

“That!” Yu gasped, grabbing his friend by the ankles when he sunk through the TV!

“HOLY SHIT! SENPAAAIIII!” Kanji screamed.

“H-Hang on! Don’t thrash so mu--- WAH!” Yu cried when his friend slipped through, pulling him in!

Unlike last time, rather than falling from the sky, the two ended up ‘rolling’ across the ground out of a stack of little TV’s. They sat up…

“Yip!” the fox barked, jumping through next and landing on Yu’s back before sitting in front of them.

“Ow… whoa, what is this place?” Kanji asked, standing up and squinting through the fog.

“…honestly I was hoping it was a trick of my imagination,” Yu answered; looking around again he was convinced his trip into this world was anything but a dream.

“You’ve been here before?!”

“Yeah… I didn’t think it was real, though.” Yu shook his head, turning around. “We need to head back.”

“Grrrrrr…” came a low growl from the fox, the wild canine blocking their exit.

“C’mon, beat it! Scram!” Kanji yelled, trying to scare it off.

The fox seemed to give him a deadpanned look.

“I… guess we’ll have to wait for it to leave.” Yu guessed.

“Whatever… so what is this place, and how did you get here? What all happened?” Kanji asked, walking over to a railing and looking around.

“I don’t even know how to explain it… C’mon, I don’t think it’s safe to be out here.” He led his friend down a path, coming across the replica downtown district. Through the fog, it was hard to navigate, but they made it to a replica of the textile shop. Inside though the shop was empty.

“Huh? This looks like my family’s store… but where is everything?” Kanji asked.

“I think it’s just a copy.” Yu sat down, rubbing his face. “It was so weird… I went into the liquor store, and I heard the voice of one of my senpai’s complaining about someone. Then all of a sudden, these weird creatures came out to attack… and I was saved by these other teenagers. They all wore glasses and had yellow eyes.”

“Were they ghosts?”

Yu shook his head. “I don’t think so… I didn’t feel the air turn cold, and they didn’t look dead or anything… so I don’t know what they were. But they helped me, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Kanji looked around. “Where are they now?”

“I don’t---“

*ching ching*

“A-HA!” came a shout, as something suddenly burst into the store! “I knew my nose smelled something fishy! I thought I told you this place is too dangerous!”

Kanji gawked. Standing before him was a strange looking bear, with red and blue fur, a white face and stomach, and large brown eyes. He was stunned when the creature spoke, hearing it chew out his senpai… but at the same time, he couldn’t wrap his mind around how adorable this thing was! Of course he was shocked to see such a bizarre creature speaking like a human… but still, it was cute like an overgrown plush toy.

“We didn’t mean to come in--- this fox knocked us back into the TV, and it was blocking the exit!” Yu said in defense.

“I don’t care if Godzilla himself is blocking it--- you have to leave this place! The fog is too thick for ordinary people… and I don’t want some pretty-boy around spoiling my chances at scoring!” the bear was ranting.

The door opened again, this time two other teens came in--- Yosuke and Chie, Yu recalled. “What’s going--- whoa! You’re back!” Yosuke gasped, seeing Yu… then noticed Kanji. “And you brought a friend?!”

“W-Why did you come back?” Chie asked.

“It was all an accident. We really should leave…” Yu began to state.

Kanji looked at everyone, trying to figure out what all was going on; he looked around at the shop, wondering if this was a good idea…

Suddenly the shop shifted, small details like scarves, fabric and the like appearing…

Then he heard his mother’s voice.

“Where did that son of mine run off to this time? I swear, he’s always causing trouble!”

“What the…?” Yu gasped, hearing the voice too.

“Who is that…?” Yosuke whispered, though Chie only shrugged.

“M-Mom…?” Kanji whispered, but didn’t see her anywhere. He looked up at a TV on a shelf, showing the inside of the store; she was talking to the police!

“Ever since his father died, he’s been nothing but a rebel. I’ve tried talking to him, but all he does is talk back and lash out… I don’t know why I even try… Perhaps it would be better if I sent him away after all.”

The screen turned to static and the voice faded. Kanji winced.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Yu spoke. “What… what was that?” he asked.

“In this world… we hear things we don’t want to hear,” Chie explained softly. “…Is your friend okay?”

Yu approached Kanji. “…I think we should go now,”

Kanji just looked around the shop, back at the TV, before shaking his head. “…Go home without me, senpai.” He muttered.

“What? Kanji, no---“

“For the last time! You. Can’t. Stay here!” The bear spouted. “There’s monsters running around, the fog is too thick for you to see through, I’ve got girls to score with---“

“I DON’T CARE!” Kanji bellowed, making the bear topple back! “I’m… I’m better off in here than out there!”

“That’s not true!” Yu sternly replied. “You don’t know anything about this place--- hell, I’ve been here and I still don’t understand it!”

“Understand…” Kanji motioned to the outside. “You think it’s easier to understand shit out there? At least here I’d be the only normal one!”

“Hey!” Yosuke said in offense.

“Kanji, you have to think about this. This place is full of monsters, fog, and… you could get hurt!” Yu replied. “And I don’t want to walk away knowing that you’re risking your life, just because you’re having problems---!”

“IT’S BETTER THAN OUT THERE!”

Yu sighed bitterly, rubbing his face. He really wished Kanji would stop being stubborn and use his common sense for once!

“Um… can I suggest something?” Chie spoke up. “I don’t know why you want to stay here so badly… but, we could help you out. We have places where Shadows--- er, the ‘monsters’--- can’t go, so you would be safe there.”

“Yeah, a-and if you ever go anywhere, we can use our Personas to help keep them at bay.” Yosuke added.

“What the fur?! Yosuke-san! Chie-chan! What are you saying?!” the bear exclaimed. “We can’t just let some stranger stay here!”

Yosuke put an arm around the bear, guiding him to the door. “Excuse us!”

…

Yosuke and Chie walked outside with the bear, keeping their voices low. “Listen, I don’t know about you, but I doubt this whole situation is circumstantial,” Yosuke whispered. “This is the second time in 24 hours someone’s dropped in here… I think they could help break the spell!”

“How?! They’re not girls at all!” The bear sneered. “You know how it goes--- I have to have a girl fall in love with me, before the fog lifts!”

“Well… maybe if we help out his friend, that kid will help us out in return. He looks like he has experience in wooing girls,”

“Ugh, don’t be a creep… But, it would probably work. I mean, girls love a guy who’s willing to help others,” Chie included.

The bear thought for a moment. “Hmm… yeah, I get it. I let him stay, and his friend could see how hospitable I am, and bring over bunches of girls! Alright! We’ll do it!” he exclaimed, going back into the store. “Alright, he can stay here for a little while… but understand we’ll want a favor in return!”

Yu looked at Kanji, letting out a sigh. “Fine… but if there are ANY problems, you come back!” he said sternly.

“If you ever get worried about him, just watch the Midnight Channel,” Chie assured Yu. “Just keep your TV off at midnight when it's raining, and it will appear.”

“The same works over here, but mainly on clear days.” Yosuke added.

“That’s weird… but alright.” Kanji replied with a shrug.

“C’mon, we’ll walk you back to the exit. …Teddie, why don’t you take Kanji to the castle?”

“Right this way!” Teddie told Kanji, leading him out.

Yu patted Kanji on the back as they walked down the street, reaching a crossroads. “…Be safe, and don’t do anything reckless alright?” he said.

“Heh, you sound like Ma,” Kanji scoffed, but patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll be okay, Yu-Senpai. I’ll see ya… later.”

Yu nodded, waving to him as Chie and Yosuke led him off, watching as his friend and the bear disappeared in the fog. He looked at his two guides. “Exactly… how does this place exist?”

“It’s a long story… It used to be a big department store, until… well, something happened.” Yosuke replied.

“W-We can’t really give many details… But, don’t worry. Your friend will be okay!” Chie assured. “And we’ll send him back out if there’s any problems,”

“Alright…” Yu replied; up ahead, he saw the stack of TVs, the fox nowhere in sight. Before he climbed through, he looked back at them. “…Are you guys ghosts or anything?”

“Not really… we’re more like ‘shadows of ourselves’,” Yosuke replied. “Again, it’s hard to explain.”

“B-Better get home. Oh! And we’ll have Teddie make you some glasses next time you drop in!” Chie told him, giving a grin. “They help everyone see through the fog. We’ll make sure your friend gets some too,”

“Okay. Thank you… His name is Tatsumi Kanji, by the way. And I’m Narukami Yu,”

Yosuke shook his hand. “Glad you guys dropped in. We’ll take good care of him till he’s ready to go home,” he said. “Um… any reason why he wanted to live here, by the way?”

Yu shook his head. “It’s not my place to say… I just hope he changes his mind soon. Thanks, anyway.” With that, he went through the exit.

Yosuke and Chie looked at each other, before turning and going back.

“…You think he’ll be here long?” Chie asked quietly. “I mean, the fog’s already been thinning down in some areas,”

“I hope not… I just hope this encounter is the solution to our fate,” Yosuke replied. “Otherwise… it’s goodbye TV World, and goodbye us.”

Chie shook her head. “Lets not think about that! We’ve got a guest to take care of… Poor guy, he must feel like a total reject.”

“Well… he’ll fit in well here, then. C-C’mon, we’d better not keep them waiting,”

Chapter Text

The rebel followed the odd-looking bear down a lane, heading towards a large castle. The fog was heavy, so he had to follow close, trying his best to make out his surroundings; but outside the castle, it was impossible to tell what other bizarre things surrounded him.

Kanji wasn’t a hundred-percent sure why he decided to stay in such a supernatural place; it was a spur of the moment decision… hearing his mother’s disappointed voice, thinking about all that had happened yesterday, he just couldn’t think straight and just told himself, “Screw it!”, and now here he was.

Thankfully, the bear broke the silence. “My name is Kumada Teddie,” he began. “I’ve lived here for… well, as long as I can remember.”

“I’m Tatsumi Kanji,” Kanji answered; now that he was fully aware of the situation, now he had to focus on getting over the fact he was in a fog-filled world with a talking bear. “So… how does this place exist?”

Teddie scratched his head. “I dunno; maybe magic or something?” He paused just then, his ear twitching. “W-We’d better hurry and get inside. The Shadows are on the prowl,”

“Shadows?” Kanji looked around, walking close to Teddie.

“They’re monsters that make up this world, born of people’s negative thoughts and feelings. They normally don’t attack normal people, but lately they’ve been really restless; I think it’s because of the stormy weather. …They don’t come near our place, though. With such strong Personas, they stay away.”

“What are Personas?”

“They’re what help everyone fight Shadows; they’re made up of the good feelings in their hearts.” Teddie looked ahead at the castle, both of them walking up a brick walkway. “Everyone here had to go through some issues… and facing those issues are what helps their Personas form.”

“Weird… Do you have a Persona?”

Teddie looked down. “Not really. But, I’m good at sensing Shadows! And I can tell when people come into this world… well, that last one I just recently discovered, but it’s still impressive!”

They entered the castle, and immediately Kanji was blinded by pink. “Geez! What’s with all the pink and sparkles?”

“It’s how the place was formed… I have no idea why some of these places appear like they do.” Teddie led him through the foyer and towards the stairs; he stopped at an itinerary; apparently, there was more to the castle than just glitter and beauty. “These are some of the places connected to our base.”

Kanji studied the map. Out back there was an entrance to an underground lab--- with an elevator that connected to the castle; near that, there was a small fortress, but it had a large ‘X’ over it; connected to the castle off to the left appeared to be a strip-tease; to the right seemed to be a large beanstalk in a beautiful garden; the copy of downtown Inaba was also listed a ways off but also had an ‘X’ over it; and finally a tiny stack of TV’s simply listed ‘Exit’. Close to it was a place with a question-mark over it.

“You can go anywhere you want, except the places that are crossed off.” Teddie informed him. “Those are where the Shadows lurk.” He then waddled towards the stairs. “We can give you a tour later. I’ll show you to your room,”

“R-Right,” Kanji followed him up a flight of stairs; there were hundreds of rooms in this place, he figured, and tried to memorize every detail so he wouldn’t end up getting lost, but everything looked the same. It didn’t help that a different door led to a different hallway.

Finally, they entered a spacious room with a bed, dresser, and a window-view of the garden area below. If it wasn’t for the red velvet bed cover and matching canopy, sparkles, and pink-overload, the rebel would find the accommodations suitable. Though, he noticed small animal figurines on the dresser, which he secretly admitted were pretty cute.

“If you need anything, just hit the buzzer.” Teddie told him, motioning to a speaker-box on the wall. “Rise-chan is normally keeping an eye out for Shadows in the area, and Naoto-san is always down in the lab working on stuff. Otherwise, Yosuke-san, Chie-chan, and Yukiko-chan are always around.”

Kanji looked at him. “What about you? Where are you going?”

Teddie rolled his eyes in an innocent manner. “I’ve, um, got stuff to work on. Remember, no wandering off on your own. See ya around!” With that, he took off.

The rebel watched him go, scowling at the bear’s rude departure. He went over and sat on the bed, looking out the window.

Suddenly he had doubts about staying here…

~P4~

~Back in the Real World~

While only half an hour had passed in the TV World, hours had passed in the real world. Yu figured this out when it was already four o’clock by the time he got home. Thankfully, Dojima was not home yet; Nanako claimed he always got home late sometimes.

“Is Kanji okay?” Nanako asked her big bro, as the two of them worked on dinner.

Yu spaced off a moment; ever since he left Junes, he was concerned for his friend, his mind going back-and-forth about running back in there and talking his friend into either coming home or staying elsewhere. “I think so… It’s hard to say. He had a weird reaction towards the ghosts,” he answered, giving her a smile. “But, we shouldn’t worry--- they said they’d help him out,”

Nanako beamed. “Can we go visit him later? I wanna go to Junes and meet the ghosts!”

Yu rubbed her head. “Yeah… but it might not be until we’re done being grounded. Your dad would be mad if we snuck off to a haunted superstore.”

The little girl sighed, setting the table. “Dad always gets mad… I think it’s because he’s always worried about me, now he has you to worry about too.” She crossed her arms. “But he’s always at work and hardly home! I’m always doing the laundry, going grocery shopping, and walking to and from school alone… at least, I was until you came along. But you’ll be going home once your parents are back.” she sat down on a chair, sighing. “I tried to tell Dad how I felt yesterday--- he was mad that Kanji was over here, but I told him it was worse being home alone.”

Yu sat down beside her. “Well… I guess he had a right to be upset. He only knows Kanji by reputation; but again, he shouldn’t have judged him too quickly, and listened to us when we told him he wasn’t such a bad guy. Your dad sees a lot of bad people in his job, so he probably has trouble understanding when a ‘local troublemaker’ isn’t the bully everyone makes him out to be. …but Kanji has to see that himself and stop getting into fights.”

“Why did he get into fights?”

“He… well, he felt he had to fight to solve things. Like those bikers—he fought them because they were making too much noise and keeping his mom awake.”

Nanako rubbed her chin. “We were taught that violence never solves anything… but why do people fight anyway?”

“It’s pretty complicated.”

The door opened and shut just then, and in walked Dojima, accompanied by Adachi. Immediately, the detective approached Yu, whose first thought was immediately, ‘Uh oh’. “We got a call from Mrs. Tatsumi… apparently her son took off last night and never came home. Do you know anything about it?” he questioned his nephew.

“I saw him at school,” Yu answered, keeping cool.

“Did you two go anywhere? Because his mother’s worried sick, and if you know something---“

“Maybe he ran away,” Nanako huffed, cutting in and crossing her arms. “I know I would, if everyone was being mean to me.” She gave her dad a cold look. “You told him to stay away from us, and we’re the only friends he has! He probably thinks everyone hates him!”

“N-Nanako!” Dojima sputtered, taken back by her scolding.

“That does sound practical,” Adachi agreed, rubbing his chin. “I mean, I always ran away from home when I got into a fight with my parents--- oof!” he was silenced when Dojima elbowed him in the gut.

“Listen. I’m not questioning you like a suspect,” Dojima sighed, turning to Yu. “Kanji’s mother is just worried. She says he’s taken off before, but always came home at some point during the day. She’s asking us to keep an eye out. If you see him at school… just tell him to go home,”

“I’ll let him know that if I see him,” Yu promised. He remembered his mission to go to the textile shop and informing the worried mother that her son was alright… and hopefully would be ready to come home after being in a strange place after a couple of days. He stood up. “Lets finish making dinner, Nanako.”

Nanako nodded, following him into the kitchen; Adachi and Dojima sat in the living room. “You know, if we could track down Kanji and bring him in, that would be a pretty sweet deal,” the subordinate whispered. “I mean, imagine the headlines: local authorities find missing troublemaker and give him what-for!”

“Shut it, Adachi,” Dojima scoffed. “There’s a chance the kid will go home on his own. You just focus on your own work, and stop treating every little thing like some big case.”

Adachi sighed, slouching a bit. “Whatever you say, sir…”

Nanako and Yu finished making dinner, preparing to take the contents over to the table. “(Are you absolutely sure Kanji will be okay?)” Nanako asked in a hushed tone.

“(Yeah, he’ll be fine),” Yu assured her, though was trying to assure himself at the same time. I hope.

Chapter Text

Kanji rubbed his head as he tried to find his way around the corridors. He had been looking out the window trying to see through the thick fog into the garden, when suddenly nausea came over him. He tried to lie down, but the headache kept him from drifting off. When he felt he was going to be sick, he began looking around for someone to help… or at least a bathroom before he heaved.

“Hey! Is anyone here?” He called, his voice echoing down the endless twists and turns of the hallways. Finally, he came across a set of stairs leading down, finding himself inside the foyer. He tried calling for someone again. “Yo! Anybody home?!”

There came the clacking of heels, and in walked Yukiko. “Oh! You must be Kanji-kun,” she said, giving a humble bow. “Welcome to the castle. I’m Amagi Yukiko. Do you need anything?”

Kanji blinked a couple times, wondering if he were delusional or if a girl dressed as a princess was really talking to him. “I’m… not feeling so good. Do you have any aspirin or anything?”

“We have some medicine in the kitchen. Come with me,” Yukiko led him through a set of double-doors and into a bright pink kitchen. She looked around the cabinets. “Hmm… I could have sworn we had some Patra gems. Those normally cure all ailments.”

Chie entered just then. “Hey, Yukiko--- Oh! Kanji-kun! H-How are you doing?” she asked, surprised to see him out and about.

“Not good… I feel lightheaded,” Kanji replied, keeping his eyes covered--- seeing all the pink wasn’t exactly relieving him of his nausea.

“What if we get you something to eat? That should help--- I know I always get lightheaded when I don’t get enough meat.”

“Is there anything you feel hungry for?” Yukiko asked the rebel.

Kanji thought for a moment. He didn’t exactly get a chance to eat much in the last 24 hours, maybe that was why he wasn’t feeling so good. “Y-Yeah, maybe a sandwich or something… I could eat anything.” He replied.

“Great! We’ll whip you up a great meal! Go wait in the foyer, okay?” Chie told him.

The rebel nodded, walking out into the foyer and sitting down by the fireplace. His head was swimming, and began to wonder if he would be able to eat at all. A few minutes later, Chie and Yukiko entered with a covered tray, setting it on the table. “Here you go!” Yukiko said, lifting the lid. “I hope you like it,”

One look at the dish, and Kanji knew for a fact he would be sick. “What… is this?” he asked, looking at a bowl of some strange concoction.

“Well, we had a bunch of ingredients lying around, so we decided to make some curry. We’ve added some steak, chocolate, vegetables, cheese, egg whites, milk, a few spices, and extra flour so to make it thick and filling,” Chie explained.

“We cooked it fast so we wouldn’t keep you waiting. Go ahead, try it!” Yukiko implored.

Kanji gulped, taking a spoonful. Going against his better judgment so not to upset his hosts, he brought the spoon up to his mouth.

Right then, Yosuke came running into the room. “Kanji! NO, DON’T----!” he tried to warn.

Too late.

One bite was all it took.

*HURK!*

*BLEH!*

“Erm… m-maybe it needed a little more salt?” Yukiko nervously guessed, watching as the rebel ended up spewing right into the fireplace (which suddenly turned purple for a moment, the flames looking weak).

“More like a crucifix! We’re supposed to make this guy feel at home, not poison him!” Yosuke snapped. “How many times did we tell you girls you’re not allowed to use the kitchen?!”

“Hey! We weren’t going to let him go hungry! And we tried our best!” Chie snapped back.

“You call ‘Mystery Food X’ your best? I’d hate to see what your worst would do!”

There came more heaving, as Kanji ended up puking. “I-I’m sorry, Kanji-kun! Should we get you something else?” Yukiko asked.

“No! No, please… just… ugh, I feel dizzy…” Kanji groaned. “Do you guys have any acidophilus?”

“Crap, that’s right… you need glasses!” Yosuke gasped, slapping his forehead. “I completely forgot!”

“Oh, shoot! That makes sense,” Chie realized.

“I’ll ask Naoto if there’s any spares lying around.” Yukiko said, going over to the speaker. “Naoto-kun…”

“Glasses?” Kanji questioned while Yukiko was making the call. “How would those help?”

“Well, they help you see through the fog for one thing,” Yosuke explained, sitting down across from him; he adjusted his own glasses for emphasis. “The stuff tends to make everyone dizzy, but with special lenses like ours it keeps us from suffering from nausea and getting weak.”

The rebel arched an eyebrow. “That’s weird… how can just a pair of glasses keep me from feeling sick?”

“We… don’t really know. Just seeing this place in a clear light keeps our mind off it, I guess.” Chie surmised.

“Mm-hmm. If you aren’t straining your retinas, you won’t suffer any headaches.” Yukiko added, walking back over.

“So… a world inside a TV, a talking bear, shadow monsters, and now fog that makes you sick unless ya got a special set of specs. Is there anything else I should know, or is that as crazy as it gets?” Kanji asked.

“Well, I guess you’ve already heard about the c--- mmf!” Yukiko began to state, until Chie covered her mouth.

“CASTLE up the road! Yeah, that place is CRAWLING with Shadows, so stay away from there.” Chie said quickly.

The rebel only arched an eyebrow in suspicion. Before he could question anyone, however, there came a *ding* from the elevator, as the gates opened, Naoto and Rise stepping out. “We found some extra glasses!” Rise exclaimed.

Kanji blinked, taken aback by an energetic girl in a bikini coming his way, followed by a boy in a lab coat. “What the…? What’s with the getup?” he asked, turning to Yukiko. “How come you three are dressed so weird?”

“Pardon our attire, but it’s because---“ Naoto began to reply, though paused a moment, staring at the rebel. “Huh?”

Kanji looked at the lab-coat clad teen, arching an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Naoto shook his head. “*ahem* As I was saying, there is a reason for our wardrobe… though the truth may be quite complicated for someone from the outside.”

“Here, put these on. Then we can tell you everything,” Rise said, handing Kanji a set of glasses.

He slipped them on, and all at once the fog lifted… the only downside was he could see the pink and glitter in high definition.

“(Rise! Not that pair…!)” Chie whispered.

“(I’m sorry! But it was the only pair we could find!)” Rise whispered back.

Kanji looked at all of them. “What? What is it?”

Yukiko bit her lip, covered her mouth, then began to snicker. “Pffffffft! Oh my gosh…! I f-forgot about those glasses! Ha ha ha ha!” she then burst out laughing, holding her stomach.

“Yukiko! Shush!” Yosuke hissed.

“I’m sorry! He just… looks so hilarious! Hee hee!”

Kanji took off the glasses, getting a good look at them. They were a pair of joke-glasses! “The hell…?! Hey! I thought you guys were trying to help me!” he snapped. “What’s the big idea, making me look like an idiot?!”

“Whoa! Take it easy, dude! W-We weren’t trying anything!” Yosuke sputtered.

“Trying anything, huh? …So that’s it! You don’t want me here, so you give me shit to eat and these dumb glasses to get me to leave!” he then chucked the glasses into the fireplace. “FINE! I’m outta here! Promise or not, I’m not going to hang around a buncha assholes!”

“Kanji! Wait!” Yosuke called, but the rebel was already running out. “Dammit--- c’mon! We can’t let him go out there by himself!”

The rebel charged into the fog, hearing rushed footsteps behind him; but if his rough lifestyle taught him anything, it was how to outrun someone. Ignoring their shouts and pleas for him to return, he picked up the pace.

He looked around, searching for the TV’s he came in through. He spotted a shape in the distance. That had to be it!

A low growl proved him wrong. Upon closer inspection, the shape turned out to be some sort of tiger with a ball-and-chain attached to it… two more coming up behind it! Kanji backed away, turning to run, but was cut off by what appeared to be a set of twins that were impaled through the sides, and a pair of red mist clouds wearing red masks. He was surrounded!

There was a blast of fire, as suddenly a figure clad in pink and white, with long-petal flowers attached to its hands soared forth. One of the Shadows went to lunge at it, but another strange looking figure--- this one mostly blue, with wings and antennae like that of an insect--- shot by and smacked it off course. Two more figures--- one clad in yellow with a pointed helmet and the other looking like some sort of disco-ninja-frog--- leaped into the fray, knocking the Shadows back.

Kanji got to his feet, backing away from the fight. He didn’t want to consider himself as one to run from a fight… but these things weren’t people--- they were shooting out fire, wind, and causing heavy damage to their foes; the monsters he encountered were no different--- shooting lightening, throwing boulders, and doing something to stun their attackers. He didn’t have any powers…

He turned quick and ran onward, hoping none of those… things were trailing him!

…

He saw a door up ahead. Maybe he could hide out there---

Something came out of the walls beside him, reaching out and causing him to stumble back. Taking form before him was nothing but a large arm, with an even larger sword. It pulled back, preparing to swing---

“LOOK OUT!”

Someone collided with him just then, both of them rolling out of the way as the sword crashed onto the ground. They rolled through the doorway, and Kanji looked up to see it was Teddie! The bear shushed him, having him stay low behind a bed. The Shadow appeared to be looking around, before giving up and lingering off.

Teddie let out a sigh of relief, before turning to Kanji. “What are you doing out here?! I told you it was a bad idea to come out here by yourself!” he scolded.

Kanji sneered. “If those friends of yours were more hospitable, I wouldn’t have left!”

“What are you talking about? My friends are the best at being hospitable!”

“Yeah? Then why did they try to poison me, then try to make me look like a dumbass?!”

Teddie looked at him curiously. “Huh? They’d never do those things!”

“They did to me…” Kanji slouched, sitting on the bed. Dizziness was overcoming him again and he covered his eyes. “Nngh… I went to them feeling nauseas, then the girls gave me food that made me puke, and then they gave me glasses that made me look stupid,”

Teddie cringed. “Oh no… Yuki-chan and Chie-chan were cooking again? No wonder you thought you were being poisoned.”

“Huh? You mean they’re actually that bad?!”

“Well… considering you didn’t pass out, I guess they’ve improved a little? As for the glasses, did they look like these?” The bear reached behind his back, pulling out a pair of funny-glasses.

“Those are it… hey, wait! I threw those in the fireplace! You have more?!”

“I made a few of these as practice. …Here, I was working on a new pair for you,” Teddie reached behind him again, handing him a pair of tinted glasses.

Kanji put them on, seeing things a lot more clearly; his nausea began to lighten as well. “T-Thanks…” He stood up, turning to the doorway; just a way’s down the road, he saw the stack of televisions that served as the exit. “I… guess I should get going.”

Teddie looked up at him. “Y-You’re leaving?”

The rebel scoffed. “Well, why should I stay? It was a dumb move for me to come here--- I flew off the handle and ran out into a fog filled with monsters and almost got killed!” He began to walk off. “Sorry for the trouble. You won’t have to worry about seeing my face again…”

The bear ran around in front of him. “Now hold it right there, Kanji!” he spoke with authority. “Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you should just run off! It was all a misunderstanding, and you lost your temper. It’s happened to everyone before!” he turned, facing the area where the exit stood. “There’s a reason we all live here, after all…”

“Well… what is it? Why is everyone being so damn secretive about it?!”

Teddie faced him. “Because… it’s pretty personal. There’s some things everyone here doesn’t want to talk about. You can understand that, right?”

The rebel paused a moment, taking his words into consideration. “I guess…”

Teddie patted him on the shoulder. “I think we should talk to the others and clear things up before you decide to leave. It would be beary inconsiderate to have loose ends left behind,”

“Y-Yeah, okay… Lets go,”

They began walking back towards the castle; now that he could see through the fog, Kanji noticed everything looked like one big movie set; stage lights set up here and there, railings that kept others from stumbling into an abyss, and paint cans, crates, and spare lumber were littered here and there. Looking at the castle now, it looked like the set of some low-budget TV show.

There came growling just then, and they turned to see the arm-and-sword from before looming up behind them---!

*POW!*

One of the figures from before slammed into it--- the yellow-clad one--- using its spear to block its blade. A series of white lines appeared underneath the Shadow just then, making it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Standing nearby were Chie and Naoto. “THERE you are! Geez, don’t just run off like that!” Chie panted, the yellow-clad figure hovering beside her.

“C-Chie! Beside you!” Kanji pointed.

Chie looked up. “Oh, you mean Tomoe? D-Don’t worry, she’s not a Shadow--- she’s my Persona.”

“And this is mine,” Naoto spoke, as the insect-like Persona appeared beside him. “This is Sukuna-Hikona,”

“So these are Personas? …Cool,” Kanji observed, watching as the Personas disappeared. “H-Huh? Where’d they go?”

“Oh, don’t worry. They always disappear after a battle. They gotta rest up, you know.” Chie assured him.

There came footsteps, as Yosuke--- accompanied by the disco-ninja-frog--- and Yukiko--- accompanied by the pink-clad Persona--- ran forth. “(Yeah, we found them, Rise),” Yosuke seemed to be saying to no one, before turning to Kanji. “Dude, you gotta learn to chill out!”

“Are you okay? We lost sight of you during the fight,” Yukiko asked, looking a bit weak.

“I’m fine, but what about you? You look like you’re going to pass out!” Kanji pointed out.

“Konohana Sakuya--- er, my Persona--- took a lot of damage,” As if to emphasize this, the pink-clad Persona slouched in her stance.

“Jiraiya, use Dia on Yukiko,” Yosuke told his Persona. It nodded, a twinkle of light transferring from his palms to Yukiko and Konohana Sakuya, making them look refreshed. Afterwards, the two Personas disappeared.

“Whoa, these things can heal people, too?” Kanji asked, astounded.

“Well… not all of them. Each of our Personas have their own special skills. Mine is better with Bufu (ice) and physical attacks, for example.” Chie explained.

“We’ll tell you more--- but first, we’d better get inside.” Teddie jumped in.

Entering the castle, Kanji paused, seeing a tall figure with a satellite for a head, and underneath its transparent gown was Rise! “Oh good, you’re back!” The bikini-clad girl stated, her Persona disappearing.

“What kind of Persona was that?” Kanji asked.

“Himiko? Oh, she helps me scan for Shadows and people.”

“Rise is our special ‘Navigator’,” Yosuke said with a grin. “She’s pretty handy when we need to pinpoint what’s going on where,”

“A-HEM,” Teddie huffed.

“*sigh* (alright) When Teddie isn’t around, I mean.”

“Sorry about earlier, Kanji-kun.” Yukiko spoke up. “I wasn’t teasing, it’s just… I have laughing fits sometimes.”

“Yeah… normally over corny stuff,” Chie added. “B-But, we didn’t mean to make you feel bad. It was all a misunderstanding!”

“Right! We wouldn’t humiliate a guest like that!” Rise spoke up.

“I should have examined the glasses first… to be honest, I think Yukiko-senpai is the only one willing to wear them,” Naoto stated, tipping his cap.

“Hee hee, yeah… I’d probably look pretty goofy--- *snort* ha ha ha…!” Yukiko began to chuckle.

“Huh boy, here comes another one…” Yosuke sighed as their friend continued to giggle.

Kanji rubbed the back of his neck. “A-Apology accepted,” he replied, awkwardly--- it had been a while since someone had apologized to him rather than vice-versa. Teddie gave him a nudge, and he cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m sorry too. …I’m kind of used to people treating me like crap, so I instantly thought you guys wanted to get rid of me.”

Yosuke and Chie looked at each other, remembering the scenario at the replica-textile shop. “Well… you won’t get treatment like that from us--- not on purpose, at least.” Yosuke promised.

“Yeah, I hate bullies anyway! Why would I want to be one?” Chie scoffed, then began to do different karate poses. “If anyone comes around picking on someone, I’d be like ‘Hiya!’ and ‘Watchooow!’!”

“Eh heh… you’ll have to pardon Chie--- she’s kind of a kung-fu movie buff.”

“Hey! It pays off! Who else here can kick a Shadow into next week?!”

“Anyway… we accept your apology too, Kanji-kun.” Naoto spoke up, holding his hand out. “But from now on, please control your temper.”

“Um, I’ll try.” Kanji replied as he shook his hand; it felt pretty soft.

“So… do you still want to leave, Kanji-san?” Teddie asked him.

The rebel looked around at everyone, rubbing the back of his neck. He let out a breath, before giving a soft grin. “Y’know… I think I’ll hang out for a little while.”

Chie grinned. “In that case, we’ve got some serious training to do! If you’re going to be running around this place, you’ll want to be prepared for any attack!” she exclaimed.

“It would be wise for us to find you a decent weapon--- just for defense.” Yukiko added.

“Yeah--- a tough guy like you would probably be useful in battle… And if not, we can just give the Shadows leftovers from Mystery Food X,” Yosuke joked.

“It wasn’t THAT bad!” Chie snapped.

“…The fireplace is still purple,” Rise pointed out.

“Oh, like your cooking is any better!”

“I PROPOSE we rest first,” Naoto firmly suggested. “We’ve used up a lot of our energy, and Kanji-kun will need time to regain his own strength.”

“Good idea. Lets head to our rooms,” Yosuke said.

Kanji looked up the stairs, scratching his head as he thought about all the twists and turns of the corridors. “C-Can you show me where mine is, again?” he murmured to Teddie.

The bear nodded with a grin. “No pawroblem,” he punned, leading the way.

Chapter Text

While Kanji was adjusting to the TV World, Yu was trying to concentrate on keeping casual.

He had stopped by the textile shop on his way to his part-time job at the daycare and informed Kanji’s mother that her son was alright and just at a hideout to cool down. “I’m not too worried. Even as a child, Kanji always would find a ‘secret place’ to hide, and would often sneak back in while I was busy in the shop to take food for himself or sleep in his own bed and sneak back out in the morning. Barely a weekend would go by before he was ready to stop ‘running away’ and begrudgingly apologize.” She had told the silver-haired teen.

“He should be okay. He’s not alone at least--- a few other teens are with him,” Yu had said, trying to keep as close to the truth as possible without having to bring up the crazy details. It would be great practice if/when his uncle questioned him about the rebel’s disappearance.

“So long as they’re not bad company--- not that I can see my son surrounding himself with bad influences. Or anyone for that matter. You’re the first friend he’s made in a long time, you know. He used to hang out with the Konishi’s son up the street when he was little, but after his father died… he just decided to shut everyone out.” The mother let out a sigh. “I’m afraid it may happen again because of all this.”

Yu patted her hand. “It’ll be okay. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

That’s what he had been telling himself for the next few days. Whenever the nights were rainy (which he noticed happened quite a bit in Inaba), he would try to tune into the Midnight Channel, but could never find it. Crap, how did it work, again?

He wanted to go back to Junes and check for himself… but Dojima was keeping a stern eye on him, upholding the ‘grounded’ punishment to the letter. The only exceptions he made was for Yu’s part-time jobs (which he demanded a schedule for to keep track), but if the teen was so much as two minutes late he would be getting a call. He couldn’t ask Nanako to lie for him whenever Dojima called to ‘check in’ from work, as he didn’t want to get his ‘little sister’ in more trouble.

So he had to figure out how the Midnight Channel worked.

He was walking home from his daycare job that afternoon; his two sports friends, Kou and Daisuke, walked with him after catching up from the bus stop. “Man, your uncle sounds strict,” Kou said when Yu explained why he couldn’t hang out with them.

“Ah, my ol’ man is the same way. He once grounded me for two weeks just because I forgot to take out the trash,” Daisuke scoffed.

“Was it the eleventh time you forgot, or twelfth?”

“Very funny. …But I haven’t seen Tatsumi walking around lately. Where’s he hiding?” Daisuke asked.

“Sorry, I can’t say.” Yu replied with a shrug.

“Oh, c’mon! You gotta fill us in!” Kou begged.

“Yeah, man! What’s the big secret?” Daisuke questioned.

They continued on, Yu explaining over and over that he promised Kanji to keep it secret, and eventually his friends changed the subject.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain young detective overheard their conversation. “…Secret hiding place, huh?” Adachi whispered to himself, rubbing his chin.

…

Yu got home on time, he and Nanako deciding to order out for dinner as Dojima said he was going to be working late. Aiya’s delivery service dropped off their meal, and they ate while watching the TV, Nanako telling him about a rumor her class was spreading around about a boy who ate paste, but no one was into it as much as the ‘spooky stories’ she had told him about before…

Something dawned on him just then. Nanako had once mentioned the ‘Midnight Channel’ being a rumor! “Hey, Nanako, can you tell me the story about the ‘haunted TV’ channel again?” Yu asked, keeping it casual.

“Hm? Oh, you mean that Midnight Channel rumor? How come?” his little sis questioned.

“Oh, um, I just forgot how it went. Like it has a secret channel or something?”

Nanako rolled her eyes. “No. You can only see it on a rainy night, but your TV has to be off. Someone said they saw ghosts inside the TV… but I never stayed up late enough to see for myself. I always get too tired,”

Yu nodded. “I’ll stay up and see for myself, then I’ll tell you what I see.”

They continued watching TV after that. Yu looked out the window, seeing the skies were clear; he asked Nanako if he could check the weather channel real quick.

Just his luck, it wasn’t going to rain for another few days.

Kanji, I hope you come to your senses soon… Yu thought, mentally praying he wouldn’t have to wait too long for his friend to come home.

Chapter Text

"It's been a few days. Do you think it's a good idea for someone from the real world to be spending so much time here?" Rise asked as she stood in Naoto's underground lab.

"I have been concerned about that myself," Naoto answered, walking over and looking at some monitors; each screen not only showed all the levels of the lab's floors, but also footage from the other areas. "When I was first informed about how Kanji-san was feeling sick, I deduced that the fog in this world was having a negative effect on his health. Thankfully his nausea passed when Teddie gave him a pair of glasses like our own, but we should still keep an eye on him. I may even ask him to come to the lab for an X-ray, just to make sure..." The detective paused, a bit hesitant.

"Just to make sure...?" The teen idol pressed.

"...that he doesn't transform like us." Naoto looked at one screen, which showed Kanji standing in the castle's courtyard, training with Chie; the Kung Fu buff had been teaching the rebel special moves so he could defend himself against Shadows, and Yosuke had been having him try out different weapons to find something that suited him. "We're all prisoners of this world, and the curse had transformed us into our own flaws. Chie-senpai and Yosuke-senpai are the only ones whose appearance was not altered altogether, but I theorize it is because their complexities have no visual analogy. Still, we have all been changed into manifestations of our inner conflicts."

"But that was because we were cursed! Kanji-kun came here on his own free will! He won't turn into a Shadow like us! ...will he?"

"That is something we must remain aware of. Hmm..." Naoto began to walk out.

"Where are you going?"

"I believe it would do better to collect data via closer interactions." With that, the Detective Prince took the elevator upstairs.

Rise crossed her arms, resting her cheek on one hand as she smirked. "Hmm... I wonder if 'data' is the only reason for a closer interaction? Hee hee!"

~P4~

"W-Whoa! Watch it!" Yosuke cried, barely dodging a long sword as it was flung past his head, the blade hitting the wall and falling to the ground with a 'clang!'; the headphones-clad teen turned back to Kanji. "What the hell was that?! You're supposed to swing the sword, not throw it!"

"Hey, I lost my grip, alright?!" Kanji argued.

"It did look pretty cumbersome in your grasp," Yukiko admitted, tapping her chin. "You seemed to have trouble balancing it properly,"

"Yeah, it looked like you were trying really hard not to cut yourself!" Chie added.

The rebel blushed, crossing his arms. "W-Well, give me a break! This ain't the Age of the Samurai! I don't know how to handle a sword..."

"He does have a point..." Yosuke agreed, thinking for a moment. He looked at his Hunting-Nata. "He needs to find a weapon that works well with his skills. I mean, I work best with short daggers like these; Chie's got her karate-kicks, and with the right shoes she can send a Shadow flying into next week! And Yukiko, you have several kinds of Tessen that you use to match how elegant and graceful you are!"

"...I can also set people on fire. Keep that in mind, Yosuke-kun." Yukiko said with a smile, though her tone was filled with warning.

Yosuke paled. "Er... ah, right. M-My point is, you need to find something you feel comfortable with, Kanji-san. Something that really matches your style!"

"Style, huh?" Kanji murmured, trying to think. Unfortunately, his 'style' involved decking people, throwing something, and smashing everything within range. He walked over to an assortment of weapons they had brought out, ranging from guns to baseball bats to gauntlets to spiky cleats to golf clubs(?)... but everything he tried just didn't work for him, as if the weapons themselves were rejecting him! "I don't think any of these work..."

"Let's try some hand-to-hand combat then," Chie suggested. "We might be able to set you up with something if we see what kind of techniques you have!"

"I-I wouldn't call 'em 'techniques'... Whenever I got into fights, I just used my fists or grabbed whatever was nearby and smacked someone with it." He cringed, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought back. "One time, I hit some asshole with a chair."

"Whoa, like what they do in those Pro Wrestling tournaments??" Yukiko gasped, the princess-clad teen astonished.

"Sorta, yeah..."

"I-I don't think we have any furniture you can lug around, though. But we can find something later. Right now, let's spar!" Chie exclaimed, pumped up. "I want to see what you can do without a weapon!"

Kanji sighed, but gave a nod. He grinned with determination as he faced Chie. "Alright... Just so you know, I fight pretty rough, so let me know if---"

*THUD!*

Within moments the rebel was flipped onto the ground, seeing stars! "Rule one of combat, Kanji-kun: Never underestimate your opponent! Hyaaaah!" Chie cried, striking a praying-mantis pose.

Silence.

"...Um, Kanji-san? You okay?" Yosuke asked, kneeling down.

"I think you used a little too much force, Chie..." Yukiko cringed.

"All I did was catch him by the arm and flip him! ...though, m-maybe he hit his head?" Chie stated in defense, kneeling on the other side of Kanji, helping Yosuke sit the rebel up. "Kanji-kun! Can you hear me? Say something!"

"Oh, hey Ma... need help with the croquettes?" Kanji slurred, still a bit dazed.

"I'll, um, go get him an ice-pack." Yosuke stated.

~P4~

After his headache had passed, Kanji walked with Yosuke through the castle. "So... I have a question," The rebel stated.

"What is it?" The headphones-clad teen asked.

"How come you're wearing my school uniform?"

Yosuke paused and looked at his jersey. There was a look of sadness in his eyes. "It's a long story... I used to go to Yasogami High."

"Used to? ...So, are you guys like... ghosts or something?"

The yellow-eyed student shook his head. "No, but... It's a bit more complicated than that." The two of them stepped out onto a balcony, looking over at where the Downtown District was. "Living in this world kind of makes you look at yourself a certain way, often based on how others made you feel. I always wanted to fit in when I first came here, and make a lot of friends... especially when my old ones didn't contact me afterwards." His voice suddenly gained an echo to it. "I guess that's what happens when you pick assholes to be your pals-- doesn't surprise me those pricks forgot I was even alive!"

Kanji gave a jolt. "H-Holy shit! What's up with your voice?!"

"My voice? You're the one always talking like some roughneck punk---" Yosuke shook his head, giving a gasp. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say any of that!"

The rebel only looked at him, trembling a bit. "Yosuke-san... w-what was that just now?! Y-You sounded like you were possessed!"

The yellow-eyed teen swallowed, wringing his hands together. "It's just... um... it happens to us whenever we start talking about ourselves. D-Don't worry about it, okay?" He then started to walk away. "I'm going to go check on something. Then we'll get back to finding you a weapon, okay?" Without waiting for a response, he took off.

"H-Hey! Hold it!" Kanji raced after him, but Yosuke managed to elude him. "Dammit, what's going on?!"

"Ah! Kanji-kun, there you are." came a new voice, and he turned to see Naoto walking up the stairs; immediately the Detective noticed the distressed look on his face. "Did something happen?"

"You bet your ass something happened! I was just talking to Yosuke-san, and all of a sudden he started talking like he had two voices! Then there's the fact that he's wearing the same school uniform I have... He was talking about 'wanting to fit in when he first came here', but says you guys ain't ghosts... Agh, it's making my head hurt!"

Naoto sighed. "Well... this world IS complicated to those who do not originally inhabit it. The answers will be given in time... in fact, it relates to a quandary I have, given your stay here."

"Um... how do you mean?"

"It's a lot to explain. To start off, I would appreciate it if you came down to my laboratory for an examination. I am curious about how your body is adjusting,"

"How my body is adjusting...?" Kanji blushed deeply.

"Yes, if you don't mind. For the sake of your health, I hope you will take it into consideration."

"My health? Y-You mean I might die if I stay here?!"

"No! (at least, I hope not...) I just want to take some X-rays and look a few things over. But if you are uncomfortable about it, I will not pressure you."

Like I don't feel pressured already! Kanji thought. "N-No, it's okay! We can head down there now. Um, lead the way..."

"Very well. Right this way," With that, Naoto led the rebel down the stairs.

~*~

Yosuke stood out front. He looked around, before summoning a card and crushing it in his grip; Jiraiya appeared, the disco-ninja-frog looking at him and bowing. He let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."

"Hm? Is something wrong, Yosuke-san?"

The teen looked over, seeing Teddie stepping out. "No, everything is fine... I-I just got a little worried," Yosuke looked out at the fog that surrounded them. "Teddie... we had to deal with a lot of issues, right?"

"Of course! Why do you ask?"

"I-I was just wondering... what would happen if we weren't completely over our problems? Like something still bothered us? We wouldn't..." He gulped. "Our Personas wouldn't revert back, would they?"

Teddie gave a shudder. "I hope not! ...Is something bothering you?"

Yosuke shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine."

"If you say so... Where's Kanji-san? Chie-chan said he was with you,"

"I-I left him upstairs. He was pretty freaked out when he heard my voice changed..."

Teddie gasped. "Yosuke-san! You're finally going through puberty! Congratulations!"

"Wh--?! That's not what I meant! ...And I've already been through puberty, FYI!"

"What are you guys talking about out here?" Rise asked as she stepped outside next.

Yosuke sighed. "Nothing. Teddie's just being... Teddie."

"I'm wondering where Kanji-kun is. Have you seen him anywhere, Rise-chan?" Teddie inquired, turning to the bikini-clad teen.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea on where he is." Rise grinned, trying hard to suppress a giggle. "Naoto-san wanted to see him down in the laboratory for an 'examination'~"

The bear looked at her curiously. "An examination? Is he sick again?"

"No... But I think it's best if we wait for them to come back upstairs." With a smirk, Rise walked away.

"Huh? Why do we have to wait? Rise-chan! What are they doing down there??" Teddie ran after her.

Yosuke looked at Jiraiya, his persona giving him a shrug. "Yeah... I don't know what's going on, either." he sighed, before heading back into the castle.

Chapter Text

"W-Well? How does it look?" Kanji asked as he sat in the underground lab... though the place looked more like some supervillain's evil lair, considering the freaky machines and dark atmosphere. The bunker itself looked more like it was a place to hide out during a war, and he had second thoughts about following Naoto through the air-locked security doors for an 'examination'.

"So far, everything looks alright." Naoto replied, as the boy looked over some results from his x-ray, heart-rate, and other check-ups. "But you've only been here for a couple of days, and have been wearing our special glasses upon arrival, so you may not be showing any severe symptoms." He then began to check Kanji's blood pressure. "I recommend we do daily check-ups, just to be on the safe side."

"Symptoms of what, exactly?" The rebel felt an inner-panic... shown when Naoto noticed his blood-pressure was increasing.

"Kanji-kun, please relax. ...But if you wish to know, this world has an affect on outsiders. Both Narukami-san and yourself felt ill when you came here, and I have been concerned about any long-term effects since you've decided to stay." Once finished with his blood pressure test, Naoto wrote the results. "It seems there is nothing to worry about for the time being; however, if you begin to feel drained whether you have your glasses on or not, you should return to your area and seek proper medical attention."

That did not ease his nerves at all. "S-So... staying here too long might kill me, is that what you're saying?"

"It is plausible, but you do not seem to be exhibiting any severe abnormalities in your system."

Kanji stared at the boy in confusion.

"...There's nothing wrong with your body." Naoto put away his equipment. "As I've said, you should be fine, but let me monitor your health each day, in case there is a change. Without a Persona, you may be more susceptible to the fog's effects than we are."

The rebel followed him across the lab, looking at the weird machines as he did. "How did you guys get Personas, again?"

The boy paused; he was either hesitant to reply, or was considering an answer. "I can't quite explain it. ...I suppose it happens when you accept a part of yourself that you are not proud of." Naoto summoned Sukuna-Hikona, the insect-like Persona floating up to Kanji, tilting its head. "Once you have come to terms with yourself, the feelings you had been suppressing reform into an extension of yourself that aids you,"

Cute... Kanji thought with a blush, reaching up to pat Sukuna-Hikona on the head--- but the Persona zipped back to Naoto's side. 

"S-So, you get one when you get over some problem..." The rebel figured aloud; he then remembered how Yosuke spoke in two voices, earlier. "What about if you don't get over it? What then?"

"Huh?" Naoto looked at him, surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Earlier, I was talking to Yosuke-san, and... I dunno, a touchy subject came up, and suddenly his voice had like an echo to it, and he sounded like a total asshole!"

"..."

"Do you know something about it?"

"..."

"Naoto-san?"

"..."

"HEY!" Kanji snapped his fingers in front of Naoto's face when the boy remained silent. "You know something about it, don't you?! Fill me in!"

Sukuna-Hikona tapped Naoto on the head with its sword, snapping him back to reality. "I-I apologize! That is the first time I've heard of such an incident happening. Do you recall everything that happened up to that point?" the boy questioned.

"All I did was ask why he wears the same school uniform I have, and he said he used to go to Yasogami High--- he didn't really explain much, but trailed off talking about how this world makes you 'look at yourself differently' or something, and how he wanted to fit in with everyone... then his voice changed, and he started ranting about having shitty friends," The rebel rubbed the back of his neck; he could still feel goosebumps from the incident. "Just to be clear... you guys ain't demons or something, are ya?"

Naoto shook his head. "It's nothing like that..." He looked at his Persona, who floated down to his eye-level. "I suppose... some of us still have things we have yet to open up about," He cleared his throat, summoning back Sukuna-Hikona. "But, we shall discuss it later. As long as it doesn't happen again, I'm sure it will be alright." They began to walk towards a passage that led down to an elevator, which led back up to the castle. "In the meantime, let's return to the others. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." They stood in the elevator, pushing the button to head up to the foyer. "But, I'm not that hungry yet, either. I'll bake something later, though."

"Oh? What do you know how to bake?"

Kanji blushed, going rigid. "...Cook! I meant cook! I can make steak-skewers or something!"

The boy cocked his head. "What's the matter? You're suddenly all flustered,"

"I'm perfectly alri---!"

*KA-CHUNK!*

"WHOA!" Both cried, as the elevator suddenly have a lurch that made them topple! Kanji fell over, and in a moment of panic grabbed Naoto's arm, accidentally yanking the boy down on top of him!

The position was... awkward.

"W...what was that?!" Kanji sputtered.

"T-There must have been a glitch in the system. I-I'll have Rise have Himiko scan for any... um... malfunctions." Naoto stammered, suddenly blushing now. Quickly he sat up, pulling his lab-coat around his abdomen as he stood up. "*ahem* Are you alright?"

"I'm okay." Kanji looked at him, noticing the boy looked just as flustered as he was a moment ago. He rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing what to say.

*KA-CHUNK!*

"GAH!" Both yelped, as with another jolt, the elevator started moving again! This time, Naoto managed to lean against the wall... but Kanji lost his balance and fell forth, only managing to jerk his arm up and pin it against the wall to keep from landing on the lab-coat-clad lad, his palm smacking the space right beside Naoto's head.

Kanji looked down at Naoto, who was looking up at him, both of them a bit stunned about the position. It was then the rebel noticed just how small the boy looked in the lab-coat, and the way he was blushing was making his heart pound harder for some reason. He looks cute... but, wait, he's a dude... and I'm a dude... dudes aren't supposed to find each other cute! That's weird! ...Does he think I'm being weird? ...Why the hell aren't I moving?! He thought, feeling frozen.

"Um... Tatsumi-san, c-could you please respect my personal space?" Naoto asked in a meek tone, tipping his cap down as he looked away.

"Y-Yeah! Sorry, uh, I just sli---" Kanji began to stammer in apology.

*Ding!*

The elevator doors opened.

"Oh, there you are! How was the exa--- ohhhhhh..." Chie began to greet, pausing when she saw Kanji leaning over Naoto.

"Naoto-kun? What's going on...?" Yukiko asked, arching an eyebrow and giving Kanji a suspicious look.

"Nothing!/Elevator's broken!" The rebel and lab-coat lad both sputtered.

Naoto cleared his throat. "It seems the elevator's behaving oddly. It stopped between floors, then jerked upward. I recommend no one use it until it's fixed,"

"Yeah, it nearly killed us!" Kanji threw in, though mentally kicked himself for how stupid he sounded.

Chie and Yukiko exchanged glances, their expressions clearly stating: 'Something happened between these two.'

"Whatever you say, Naoto-san." The kung-fu buff coyly replied.

"Just so long as no one was hurt, that's all that matters." The princess-clad girl added, her voice having a warning-tone to it as she looked at Kanji.

Naoto cleared his throat again, tipped his hat to Kanji, before walking away. The rebel rubbed his face, heading towards the stairs. "I'm going up to my room..." he muttered, walking out the doorway---

*BOOF!*

...only for Teddie to ram into him that second! "Security breach! Security breach!" The bear shouted, oblivious to the fact that he just bulldozed his guest! "Shadows have gotten into the castle!"

"What?! How?!" Chie gasped.

"I don't know! I just know it's not safe for Kanji-san to be here right now! ...Where is he?! Rise-chan said he was with Naoto-san!"

"Ya just ran over him, ya idiot!" Kanji snapped, sitting up and rubbing his head.

Teddie did a double-take. "Oh! Sorry..." The bear ushered him back on his feet. "But we have to get you somewhere safe, before too many Shadows get in here!" he turned to Chie. "Yosuke-san needs backup in the west wing; Yuki-chan, find Naoto and take the right wing! Kanji-san, get back to your room--- as far as I know, they haven't reached the third floor, yet!"

Kanji nodded, running with Teddie while Chie and Yukiko rushed off, the princess-clad girl calling for Naoto. However, upon reaching the stairs, they saw Yosuke rolling down, his Hunting-Nata dropping out of his hands. A massive, beetle-like Shadow came crawling down towards him next! The headphones-wearing teen looked over at Teddie. "Ted! Get Kanji out of here, NOW!" he managed to cry out as he struggled back on his feet.. but the Shadow lunged forth and knocked the wind out of him, making him sprawl out again.

"Yosuke-san!" Kanji cried. He looked around, grabbing a chair sitting off to the side and--- with all his strength--- hurled it at the beetle. The chair smashed against its shell, but it did the trick--- it took its attention off Yosuke and came running at them, next!

"...Nice move, Kan-chan." Teddie deadpanned, hiding behind him.

"HEEEEE-YA!" came a shout, as Chie rushed forth and kicked the Shadow in the face. She then summoned Tomoe, who shot the beetle with a blast of ice, knocking it onto its back! While it was dazed, she hurried over and helped Yosuke back on his feet. She looked back at the others. "Ted! Get Kanji out of here! We'll handle this!"

Teddie grabbed Kanji by the wrist, pulling him away from the fight. "Hold on! We can't leave 'em!" The rebel shouted.

"Don't worry, they've handled bigger Shadows than that, before! But right now, we gotta get you somewhere safe!" The bear said, both of them heading out the castle doors.

"But I thought it was too dangerous out here!"

"It is! But when the Shadows find an opening to a safe-zone, they start swarming it worse than they do out in the open!"

They ran until they were back by the stack of TV's. Looking around, Kanji noticed that the vicinity had more color to it than he had seen before, able to make out the blues, reds, and blacks that had previously been shrouded in fog. He looked at the stack of televisions; part of him wanted to head through, head back to the safety of his home, whether he would be in hot water or not... but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to leave behind the TV World when there were still questions he wanted answers to. Plus, it would be a dick-move to bail out when everyone was back there, fighting!

He looked over his shoulder, thinking about the others... how they always had to fight Shadows to protect him as well as themselves... and here he was, running off to hide like a useless coward.

"Teddie, I need to go back. I gotta help the others fight, somehow!" The rebel told the bear.

"They'll be alright, Kan-chan, I pawromise!" Teddie assured, though the pun felt forced. "I can tell they're clearing out the Shadows quickly, even as we speak!"

Kanji gave him a look. "Are you sure?"

"Yep!" Teddie's ear twitched.

"..."

"..."

"I'm going back!" Kanji exclaimed, racing off.

"What the---?! Kanji! You can't fight! You don't even have a weapon!" Teddie screamed, running after him.

"So what?! I'm going going to puss-out!"

"...What does putting a cat out have to do with fighting?!"

The rebel ignored the bear, racing through the fog back to the castle. I know I don't have a Persona, or a weapon... but I ain't going to run off and leave everybody hanging! He told himself, running down the road. I'm already running away from home 'cuz of my problems... I couldn't call myself a man if I bailed out while someone was in trouble!

Reaching the entrance, he burst in. The foyer was empty, and no one was by the stairs. Running forth, he felt the ground shake and he fell to his knees; something was going on down below. "The lab!" He gasped, and raced over to the elevator, pulling on the lever, but it wouldn't budge! "Dammit... that's right, it's broken!" He then ran out a side door, racing forth towards the entrance through the bunker.

"KANJI, STOP!!!" Teddie screamed, popping up in front of him!

*Bump!*

*Thud!*

He didn't stop in time, crashing into Teddie! "Ow! Dammit, Teddie, the hell---?!" he began to curse... freezing and gawking.

Teddie's head had come off!

All color drained from the rebel's face. "AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH! OH, SHIT! TED! I'M SORRY!"

"...I'm okay." Teddie's head stated, while his body stood up!

That did not ease Kanji's heart-rate. "GAAAAH?! WHAT THE--?! HOW THE---?! YOUR HEAD FELL OFF! HOW ARE YOU STILL TALKING?!"

"I... honestly have no clue." Teddie's body walked over and picked up his head, popping it back into place. "But when you're pretty much an empty bear-suit, I guess anything is possible!"

Kanji's eye twitched. "I...! You...! It...!"

"Calm down, Kan-chan! At least complete a sentence!"

The rebel shook his head. "Never mind! I'm going down to the lab! Something's happening down there!" He pushed passed Teddie, running into the bunker before the bear could stop him.

"No, wait! You can't go down there! There's a massive Shadow down there, you could be killed!"

Kanji raced on, running through the doors. Red lights were flashing in the lab, and all the security doors--- which Naoto normally opened with a card-key--- were left open, as if something had hacked the system and kept them propped open. Not a good sign.

He reached the lab within minutes, Teddie right behind him the whole time... and they stopped in the doorway.

Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto were standing before the largest Shadow Kanji had ever seen! It had a large round head, a big mustache, and was dressed in royal garb... but what was most unusual was that it's entire body was a solid gold color.

Rise was keeping out of harm's way, Himiko shielding her. "Magic attacks won't work!" the bikini-clad girl was calling to the others. She paused. "(hmm...? What...?)" She looked over. "Kanji?! You can't be down here!"

"I ain't going anywhere! Let me help you fight!" Kanji called.

"With what?! You're just going to get yourself hurt! Ted, get him out--- AUGH!" Yosuke was shouting, jumping out of the way as the Shadow swung it's scepter at him!

"Take this, you big creep!" Chie shouted, running up and karate-kicking the Shadow in the side, but it only struck her back, knocking her over!

"Chie!" Yukiko cried. She raced over to help her up, only for the Shadow to hit her with a blast of ice! She fell to the ground, unconscious!

"Yukiko-san's been knocked out! Does anyone have any Recarm items?!" Rise cried.

"Dammit! We didn't bring any!" Yosuke realized, summoning his Persona. "Quick, use Dia on Ch---"

*BAM!*

"OOF!" Yosuke ended up smacked into Chie by the scepter.

The Shadow then pointed its staff, making green, red, and purple chains appear around both Yosuke and Chie!

"Oh no, they can't move!" Rise cried.

"...this is not a good day for me," Yosuke groaned, lying on top of Chie.

"It's not any better for me, dumbass!" Chie sneered.

Kanji looked around; seeing a large broken piece of steel lying on the ground, he picked it up and, holding it like a shield, ran forth. "Kanji, no!" Teddie cried.

"Hey, Big, Round, and Ugly! Over here!" Kanji shouted, running up and smacking the Shadow with the piece of steel. It looked at him and swung it's scepter, but he leaped out of the way, then jumped and stepped on the staff, leaping upward and striking the Shadow in the face!

Teddie stared in awe. He doesn't have a Persona... but he's still fighting. He's so brave...

The Shadow managed to get a hit in, sending Kanji flying a few feet before landing and rolling on the floor, crashing into Yosuke and Chie! "OOOF!" they all cried.

The bear cringed. ...But very, very stupid.

The Shadow prepared to strike them with another attack, but Sukuna-Hikona flew through the air, striking it in the head. Gunshots rang out, as Naoto had drawn his revolver and shot at the monster! "N-No way! You actually have guns down here?!" Kanji sputtered.

"Only those of us responsible enough to carry one," Naoto retorted, shooting the Shadow between the eyes.

Something happened just then; the Shadow's golden exterior seemed to crack, before shattering off! "Hey, something's different... I can read it's weakness now!" Rise exclaimed. "It's weak to dark attacks!"

"What does that mean?" Kanji asked.

"Sukuna-Hikona! Use Mudoon!" Naoto shouted, and Sukuna-Hikona shot out its palm.

Suddenly, dark, purple-outlined symbols glowed beneath the Shadow... and in an instant flash, caused it to disappear with a painful wail.

"...That." Chie answered Kanji.

"You did it!" Rise exclaimed, as she summoned back Himiko, running over. "That was the last of the Shadows. Is everyone alright?"

"We'll have to get Yukiko upstairs," Yosuke stated; now that the Shadow was gone, it's binding spell no longer affected him and Chie, the kung-fu buff currently propping up their unconscious friend. He then turned and glared at Kanji. "And what were you thinking, you idiot?! You can't just run into a fight like that! You were nearly killed!"

"I wasn't just going to run off and let--- OW!" Kanji began to snap, but the moment he stood up he felt a pain shoot through him. He gripped his ribcage. "Shit... that bastard got me good..."

"I told you, you aren't strong enough to fight Shadows!" Teddie whimpered. "Without proper armor, let alone a Persona, you're highly vulnerable to attacks!"

"Yosuke, can you heal him?" Rise asked in concern.

Yosuke nodded, summoning his Persona and having it cast 'Dia' on Kanji, as well as Chie. "Did that help?" he asked.

"A little... ow!" Kanji grunted, still feeling a pain.

"He might need another dose," Chie figured.

Yosuke gave the command, but Jiraiya only shook its head sadly. "Jiraiya doesn't have enough power. We'll have to head back up and get some rest." he sighed, while giving Kanji a stern glance.

"Can you walk, at least?" Rise asked Kanji, softly.

"Yeah..." Kanji sighed, standing up. He winced from the pain, looking over; Yosuke had his back to him, now focusing on helping Chie carry Yukiko.

Something soft brushed against his arm, as Teddie stood beside him, helping him keep steady. Naoto walked over to the other side of him, helping him as well. "C'mon. The elevator should be working properly, now that the Shadows are out." the boy advised.

They walked, and Kanji looked at Naoto. He was a total boss in that fight... using a firearm, and his Persona was able to deal some damage despite it's the smallest out of everyone's... this guy knows how to hold his own! Meanwhile... I just ran in and distracted everyone, and got my ass kicked... He thought, his eyes on the ground. Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko were in the elevator first, the headphones-wearing teen giving him one more look before the doors shut.

Someone patted him on the shoulder, and he looked over at Rise. "Don't beat yourself up, okay?" she told him. "You did a bit of damage, and I think that helped break the shield. But... until you get some good armor and find the right weapon, no more running into our fights, okay? We know how to handle the Shadows. We've been doing it for a while,"

"That's what I tried to tell him!" Teddie piped up.

"Yeah, yeah, I screwed up... let's just head upstairs," Kanji muttered, clenching his fist a bit; doing so, he ran his fingers through Teddie's fur, calming down when he felt how soft it was.

The elevator came back down, and they stepped in, heading back up to the castle.

Chapter Text

While Kanji was going through his training in the TV World, Yu was praying constantly for a rainy night. He checked the weather advisory every day after school, only to see clear skies or partly-cloudy days, and since the meteorologist on the program was hardly ever wrong, he realized he would have to wait until next week to see when he could watch the Midnight Channel.

The next option was to wait for Dojima to lift his punishment so he could go to Junes, and he would have to be a ‘perfectly good boy’ in order to earn his uncle’s trust again… but even if he did so, the detective would no doubt be suspicious of his good behavior and figure out his nephew was up to something.

That left with the final option was to hope that Kanji would come home on his own, but with every passing day that hope dwindled; even his mother, who had the assurance that her son would sneak back in-secret until he eventually got tired of hiding, was growing concerned.

“The other day, I cooked his favorite meal, and put the leftovers in the fridge. The next morning, I checked to see if there was a portion missing, but it remained untouched.” She confided in the teen when he stopped by after a tutoring session. “His room is still the same way he left it, and there hasn’t been any extra laundry… I keep telling myself that he must have just grown better at being stealthy, but I know Kanji would still show some sign of being home. I suppose what happened really did upset him.”

Yu nodded, thinking back to how he heard the mother’s voice in the TV World calling her son a burden. She doesn’t sound like that at all… he thought, and from the worry in her eyes he knew for certain how much she missed her son. She would never send him away. “If you want, I can go get him for you.” He told her. “It would be a break in my curfew, but I’m sure my uncle would understand---”

The woman waved him off, giving him a reassuring smile. “Nonsense, if we tried to haul Kanji back, he would just throw another fit. And I don’t want you to go through all that trouble and end up in hot-water with Dojima! No offense, Narukami-san, but your uncle and my son can both be a pair of stubborn mules when it comes to reasoning. So long as Kanji is not in any kind of danger and comes back home safe, that is all that matters.”

Yu nodded, though felt a knot in his stomach. Ever since he had left Kanji in the TV World, he had been having second-thoughts, worried that he might have made a bad judgement-call when it came to Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie, and wondering if they were not lying, deceiving spirits who were holding his friend against his will…

The clock on the wall chimed, showing it was 7 PM. “I’d better get home. I told my uncle the tutoring-job would only be a couple hours,”

“I’m glad you stopped by to check in. Next time you see Kanji, tell him that I hope he’s eating well.” Mrs. Tatsumi told him with a kind smile. “Arigato, Narukami-san.”

…

Yu got on the bus and took it back to the neighborhood, running up the block. If I had my own motorbike, running late wouldn’t be a problem! He thought, panting heavily. He did not see Dojima’s car, which was a good sign… unless his uncle had been home a moment ago and had to run back to the office, and God help the teen if the detective came back with a sore attitude!

When he got to the gate, he froze in his tracks.

Standing in the doorway, looking as if he were about ready to knock, was Adachi. The subordinate paused and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, there you are! I’ve been looking for you,” he said with a friendly grin.

“Is there a problem?” Yu asked in an even tone, though inside his heart was racing. Adachi never came to his house, unless he was with Dojima.

“Ha ha, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ve been seeing you around town, and realized you and I never really got a chance to properly introduce ourselves,” He held out his hand. “I’m Tohru Adachi, and I work with your uncle. I used to work on the force in the city, before I got a transfer out here.”

The teen shook his hand. “Narukami Yu, I’m just staying with my uncle for the year.”

“So he’s mentioned. How are you liking it so far? Making a lot of friends?”

“A few.” Yu looked beyond the younger detective towards the doorway. “I need to head inside,”

“Oh, right, you got a curfew don’t you?” Adachi clapped his hands together. “Well, why don’t we both head inside and continue our chat?”

The knot in Yu’s gut tightened; something about the young detective was sending a chill up his spine. “Dojima said I’m not allowed to have anyone over while he’s gone.”

“Hey, no worries! I work with your uncle, so I’m sure he won’t mind. Ha ha, if anything, he’ll probably just yell at me for acting like a babysitter rather than finishing up some paperwork!” He stepped aside, gesturing politely to the door. “But, I don’t want to risk getting you in trouble. I mean, I bet you’re already in it deep, considering what’s going on with that Tatsumi kid.”

Yu paused, looking at him in mild alarm. “What do you mean…?”

“You haven’t heard? We’ve gotten calls from his mother to search around town for him. He’s missed over a week’s worth of school and exams will be coming up before summer break in August, no one else has seen him around town… There’s been a rumor going around that he might have done something drastic,” Adachi stepped closer to the teen, curiosity on his face. “Do you happen to know where he might be? If you know anything, it’s important to let the authorities know, so we can help. It would be awful if no one knew, and suddenly he turned up dead somewhere!”

Yu paled. “…dead?”

Adachi flinched. “O-Oh, sorry! Bad choice of words! I-I don’t think anything THAT bad will happen to him, but well… I’ve been through a few cases like these, and sometimes it turns out the missing person just went through so much grief that--- I-I shouldn’t say anymore. …But just in case, if you know anything, would you tell me?”

“Adachi, what the hell?!”

Both Yu and Adachi jumped at the sound of Dojima’s bellow, and they turned to see the detective marching up the walk. “Dojima-san, sir! I-I didn’t hear your call pull up!” The subordinate stammered.

“I had to get it towed because the engine died on me, and had to walk the rest of the way home.” Dojima gave the rookie a stern look. “And I was hoping engine-trouble would be the ONLY surprise that would piss me off. Why aren’t you back at the office?!”

“O-Oh, well… I was on my way to pick up some take-out, when I saw your needed a ride home!” He patted Yu on the shoulder, the teen giving him a stunned look. “I thought I’d give him a lift, so he wouldn’t miss his curfew… and we kinda got wrapped up in a conversation and lost track of time.”

The younger detective flashed Yu a desperate look that said, ‘Play along!’ and the teen felt that chill again. “Yeah… we were talking about what happened to Kanji,” The teen responded in a calm tone.

Dojima heaved a heavy sigh. “That kid’s all everyone talks about, lately. It wouldn’t surprise me if he decided to skip town because of his rep,” he muttered, but gave Adachi a look. “But my nephew knows how to get home on his own, Adachi. Now get back to the office!”

“Yes sir!” Adachi took off like a shot, looking back and waving at Yu. “We can talk more during my next day off!” With that, he left.

The detective rubbed his face, looking at Yu. “I’m starting to worry about who all you hang out with,”

“Funny enough, I’m worried about who all you work with.” Yu responded, feeling just as mentally exhausted. “…He didn’t give me a ride, though. He just came by the house, wanting to ‘talk’.”

“Tch, I figured when I noticed his car wasn’t parked nearby. What did he want to talk to you about?” Dojima fished out his housekey, opening the door and the two of them walked in, slipping out of their shoes.

“I think he was trying to make small-talk, before he brought up Kanji.” Yu answered, sitting down at the table. Over in the living room, Nanako was watching television, looking over at them for a moment before going back to the quiz-show on the screen.

Dojima sat down across from him, handing him a soda while he had a beer. “I see. What all did he say?”

Yu frowned a bit. “He thinks Kanji might have committed…” He paused, looking at Nanako once more, before turning back to his uncle and whispering. “S-U-I-C-I-D-E,”

His uncle face-palmed, letting out a low groan. “(that dipshit is going to put everyone into a panic…)” letting out a heavy breath, he looked back at Yu. “So, why would he bring that up to you? Any idea?”

The teen thought for a moment. From what he could surmise, Adachi was probably trying to ‘scare’ him into giving away Kanji’s hiding spot… but if he told Dojima that, the detective would figure out his nephew knew of the rebel’s whereabouts, and it would be pretty hard to explain that there was a TV World inside an abandoned shopping center filled with monsters, yellow-eyed teens, and a talking bear; unless he could take his uncle there to see it all for himself, he wouldn’t buy the story… and getting him to come along would be a hassle considering Dojima wouldn’t believe him.

“The guy must be a lousy detective,” Yu answered instead.

Dojima sighed, raising his beer to his lips. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

There was a pause between them, and Yu looked at his soda, his mind wandering. Adachi pretty much segued from my curfew to Kanji’s whereabouts, and bringing up the idea that he might turn up ‘dead’? No cop would be stupid enough to let something like that slip…

“I’ve… decided to lighten up your punishment, by the way.”

Yu blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as he turned to his uncle. “Huh?”

Dojima gave a nod. “We, uh… we found that kid who had been robbed the night Kanji was brought down to the station. It was tough to track him down, since so many kids fit his description, but by chance one of the officers ran into him in the shopping district. The poor boy was crying because some bullies stole his money again, and was pretty mad that the police ‘arrested the wrong guy’.” He looked at Yu, apologetically. “Realizing that mistake, I thought about what you said and figured I shouldn’t have flown off the handle, like I did. …Wherever Kanji is hiding, let him know that his name’s been cleared.”

The teen stiffened. “What makes you think I know where he’s hiding?”

His uncle rolled his eyes. “Let’s just say it’s my ‘detective’s intuition’. After all, you don’t seem like the type who wouldn’t help out his friends.” He sipped his beer. “Go see him after school, and tell him his mom’s worried sick.”

Yu stood up, a bit elated at this fact, but paused. He looked at his uncle, curiously. “…I thought you said you didn’t want me hanging out with him?”

“I don’t… but considering an eight-year-old just chewed out a police officer for arresting his ‘hero’, I’ll trust your character judgement. Just don’t let yourself get dragged into any scandals.”

“I promise, I won’t.”

Nanako walked over, having been listening to the conversation for the last two minutes. “Oh! Does this mean Kanji can come over and help me bake?” she asked in delight. “I found a recipe for some cinnamon croquettes that I want to try out!”

 “Um… sure, as long as I’m home.” The detective said, though when his daughter gave him a bitter look, he quickly added, “O-Only because I’d like to try some!”

“Yay!” Nanako cheered, then skipped off.

Both Yu and Dojima had sweat-drops appear on their heads, as they looked at each other. Sometimes, I wonder if Nanako isn’t really in charge of this household. The teen thought.