Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

…

The air shakes with the scream of the blazing Deity Shadow hanging above Inaba. Hi-no-Kagutsuchi had been fought to a standstill by Labrys… and her friends.

“Impossible… The will of a puppet like you– A single will was able to surpass my own!?”

“Sheesh, it's like talkin’ to a broken record…”

Labrys is on one knee, her frame scorched and bent to all hell. It's a miracle she's even still functioning. But she can't go down yet: Not while this bastard still lives. Not while he has Sho—her brother—in his grasp. Using her axe as a crutch, she brings herself to both her metal feet.

“You can't hear the voices of everyone who's supportin’ me! Yosuke-kun, Yu-kun, Teddie, and all’a their friends… my sistah, Mitsuru-san, Akihiko-san, and everyone else in the Shadow Operatives… all’a them are here with me, lendin’ me their strength!” She yells to the deity of solitude, tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s not just my will, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi! It's ALL of our wills!” Labrys forces her hand servos to twist into a pointed finger, and sticks it out at the being of fire. “And we will never let the world succumb to a bastard like you!”

“Silence, pest! Your words mean nothing! I cannot lose… I am stronger than ANYTHING!!”

Both combatants are struggling to regain their footing. Their battle shook the tower itself; even Labrys's strikes were strong enough to send waves through the structure. If this fight starts again, even the lightest blow could make the entire building collapse. Forget about the end of the world: All of Labrys's comrades would be crushed.

She would not let that happen. She wouldn't lose her new family; Not again. Never again.

[Persona 3: FES OST – Heartful Cry (Dual Mix)]

Labrys’s perception of time slows to a near-standstill. To her, everything looks as though it was recorded on a high-speed slow-motion camera.

Hey, me.

Labrys hears a familiar voice echo in her mind. Distorted, yet clear. She knows who it is; her other self that reappeared from her blackbox. Her Shadow.

Hey there, old friend.

Mind if I take over? I have a stake in this too, y’know.

Labrys knows what she wants. Her repressed part of her ego was being controlled by Hi-no-Kagutsuchi not two days ago; contorting her form into unnatural things, making her look like Teddie, and forcing them to pit her Self's now-friends against each other. To relive the same unfathomable experiences she did on Yakushima. Labrys's Shadow is angry, and the subject of her wrathful ire is staring them right in their face.

How about this: we share control here. We’ll defeat him together, as one! …

…That works for me.

Just remember what I told you earlier…

Yeah, I know. I haven't forgotten.

I am thou…

Labrys's perception returns to normal. She feels the presence of her Shadow taking some of the load off her own mind. She feels rejuvenated once more. Her eyes have changed, too: Her right has remained red, but her left has turned the glowing gold indicative of a person's own Shadow.

The Shadow and Self dig their axe deep into the crumbling ground. The tower could collapse any second now; they need to end this quickly.

Reaching the hands of their singular frame out to the sides, each Labrys calls forth their own tarot card. Spinning in azure flame, the cards bear the same Arcana; the Wheel Of Fortune. The archetype of an individual who is taking their life back into their own hands.

Bringing their hands together with a thunderous clap of metal, the Shadow and Self of Labrys crush both spectral cards at once, summoning their Personas at the same time. The Weaver of Beasts stands elegantly with her strings between her fingers in front of Labrys's frame. The Flaming Bull Of Minos stands at his full height behind them, completely dwarfing Labrys and Ariadne, and unleashes a roar to rival that of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s before.

[Stop BGM at 0:49]

Labrys feels a resonance in her very soul. A power unlike any she's felt before courses through her; she’s sure her other self can feel it too.

Her bonds.

[Resume BGM at 1:09]

“—and THOU ART I!”

Asterius and Ariadne begin to luminesce so brightly that it drowns out the light from Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s flames. Even the god of solitude must cover his eyes with his spindly hands; it must be as bright as the sun itself. Both parts of Labrys scream out in both pain and exhilaration as their power makes itself manifest.

When the light finally fades, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi peers out from behind his thin fingers. And what he saw terrified him.

A robotic being matching the fire god’s stature stands directly above Labrys. Atop its head is a Greek soldier’s helmet with Asterius’s horns protruding from its sides. With a coil of metal wire intertwined with grapevines strapped to his right arm and an intricate sword flickering with green flames in his left, his metal frame overgrown with plantlife is reminiscent of the giant Mecha suits of super sentai shows, but with human-like musculature.

Theseus.

“Oh my God! Guys, look!” Rise calls out to her comrades throughout the tower. She and Fuuka broadcast their views of the situation on top of the tower to their respective teams. Even the Shadows on the ground have stopped in awe at the presence above them.

“She’s doing it! Go, Labrys! This is it! Take on our strength, and save Sho!” Yu yells to her. He knows what he’s seeing; even without being a Wild Card, in so short a time, Labrys mastered the power of bonds. Only one who has done that can truly evolve their Persona such. If only one person has the ability to save the red-haired boy abandoned by the world, Yu knows without a doubt that it's Labrys.

All of the Persona-users in the combined team scream out to Labrys to cheer her on one more time, echoing through the halls of Yasogami and the crumbling Neo-Tartarus;

“ONE FINAL BLOW, LABRYS! GO!”

A mixture of genuine terror and rage spreads across Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s face.

“How DARE YOU! I’LL DESTROY YOU ALL INDIVIDUALLY AND PAI–”

[Persona 4 Arena OST: The Fog (Knockout Ver., Extended)]

Before he can even finish his declaration of war, the new Persona launches its assault. He tosses one end of his wire into Hi-no-Kagutsuchi's mouth, grappling around the boy he uses as his core. Grabbing the slack, Theseus simultaneously yanks the boy from the fire god’s maw and begins rushing towards the Malevolent Entity.

Both the Shadow and Self of Labrys make their move as well. Flinging their left arm to grab their brother's unconscious body and pull him to the ground, they simultaneously grab their axe and begin rushing Hi-no-Kagutsuchi. Their leg motors are pushing past every limit they have to make this frame move, and yet it feels to them like their body is weightless and unfatigued.

Once Sho has been flung to the ground behind her, Labrys retracts her left arm and activates her axe’s ramjets while giving plenty of slack to her right arm. Jumping toward the fire god, Labrys's body begins to spin and build momentum for her axe. Theseus winds up his own arm for an attack, poised to slash down into Hi-no-Kagutsuchi's neck.

At maximum rotation, the Shadow, Self, and Persona of Labrys smite that foul-breathing deity dead with a fire like no other.

“VIRIDIAN GUILLOTINE!”

With an axe from the right and a green flame-wreathed sword from the left, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s remaining body is cleaved from both sides at once. There isn't even a throat left with which he can scream his final agony. All that remains are dying flames, and the disintegrating flesh of Shadows falling to the roof of the tower like black rain.

[BGM stops]

Labrys's frame descends to the roof of the Tower. Theseus begins to glow again, though not as brightly as before. When it once again fades, Asterius and Ariadne stand in his place.

Labrys holds out her hands, ready for the Personas’ cards to float back to the palms controlled by their respective users. But they float back to only one; the right. The hand of Labrys's Self.

Wha–?

You’re me, after all, aren't you?

[Persona 3 OST – Because I Will Protect You]

Labrys closes her eyes to gaze within her own heart, and looks at her Shadow in her proverbial golden eyes. For the first time, Labrys’s Shadow has a genuine yet small smile on her lips.

What are you doin’? Asterius is your Persona!

And I am you, dumbass. What I have, you do too. You havethe rage of Asterius in you, bouncing around in this titanium skull’a yours. He’s part of you; he is you. He’s your Persona just as much as he is mine. And not only is he your Persona…

As she says this, the Shadow begins to change her form. Her entire body changes color into a pale white, and her figure becomes lithe and covered in metallic plating. Red spectral threads weave between her fingers, appearing almost like a maze from which one may never escape. Her voice becomes slightly deeper, but undistorted and elegant.

…but I am, as well. I am Ariadne, the guide of your labyrinth. I am the other you that exists within, your repressed self conquered, and your first façade. You and I are one and the same; this, you should know.

The Bull Of Minos appears from the ground in front of Labrys as well, wreathed in flames and spewing more of it from his horns. His arms are crossed upwards like a fiend born of man, but his expression is as composed as can be for a burning cow skull. His voice is low, yet oddly refined for a creature of wrath.

And I am Asterius, the guardian of your labyrinth. I am your focused rage, your burning flame of rebellion, and another mask you may wield to protect yourself.

Both Asterius and Ariadne hold out their hands, and before them appears a new Tarot Card. Interestingly, there is no image printed on the card; only a blank slate. Asterius speaks to Labrys:

Go on. Meet your OTHER, OTHER other self.

Neither Labrys nor Ariadne can help but giggle at the confusing phrasing of that. Not like it was inaccurate. Reaching out her heart’s human hand, Labrys pinches the card, and crunches it in her fingertips.

Before her now kneels Asterius' and Ariadne’s fused result. Smaller in stature than his form before, he stands roughly between the Minotaur's and the Weaver’s heights. A voice unlike either of them, both strong and calm in tone, speaks to Labrys with a gentle smile on his metallic face.

I am Theseus, the explorer of your labyrinth. I am your unyielding courage, your boundless compassion, your shield and your sword, and your resolve to never be alone again. To never let OTHERS who share your plight be alone again.

All three aspects of Labrys harmonize into a single voice, echoing throughout her Sea of Souls…

Though you may not need us at all times, our Self, we are always with you. Always there when you require a façade to endure life’s hardships. 

The faces of all of Labrys's sister units all appear behind the Personas as well. Unit #024 stands at their front, smiling with tears in her eyes and holding out her hand to Labrys as they all add themselves to the chorus…

And we, sister, all exist within you as well. Our experiences are yours, to make you who you are now. 

For we art all thou…

“...and thou art all I.”

Labrys opens her eyes again, tears streaming from the corners, and now sees three cards spinning both on their own axes and in a circle around each other. She puts her other metal hand over her chest, and feels a warmth in her Papillon Heart.

She looks to where Sho landed before, and sees him begin to stir.

Go to him, says Ariadne, within Labrys's heart. Make sure your brother is never alone again.

Chapter Text

Sho stands up on his own. Remarkable, considering how he was being drained for all he was worth only moments before by the dead god. Labrys rushes to Sho’s side to see if he's okay.

“Sho-kun! Are you alr-”

She stops once she catches a glimpse of his face. Sho’s eyes and his scar are glowing, as blue as a midday sky. He looks to Labrys, with a knowing and somber expression on his face, hanging his head as if a weight were strapped to it by the crown.

“I… I know now what Minazuki is. Or was, I guess.”

Labrys stands there in confusion. “Huh? Whaddaya mean?”

[Persona 4 The Animation OST – Alone In This World (Piano Ver.)]

“Minazuki was never a separate personality. He was me. He just separated himself into the Plume Of Dusk when Dad put that in my head,” Sho replies. He doesn't have that same spark he did before, Labrys notices. None of that fighting spirit. He just looks… tired. Sad. Empty. 

“He was… you?” Labrys asks, confused. 

“Yeah. He was the side of me I couldn't reconcile. The one that couldn't understand humanity...” Sho looks down and to the side, with an even more pained expression than before. 

Labrys gasps in both shock and realization. Everything was starting to fall into place; Plumes Of Dusk aren't just able to hold personalities, they're literally fonts of energy. Evokers use Plumes as a means of summoning Personas during the Dark Hour, too; they provide enough energy to force the Shadow out of the body, summoning it as a Persona. Like how the TV World allows one to summon their Persona at will, but in a mobile and more taxing form due to its burst-of-power nature.

Therefore, if the Plume were big enough, then theoretically it could provide enough energy to separate the Shadow from the Self indefinitely, as a sort of pseudo-TV World. Thinking about it, considering the size of her Papillon Heart, it's probably why Labrys half-awakened Ariadne when she tried to escape from the facility on Yakushima...

And like Teddie, who was a Shadow that developed his own ego and obtained Kintoki-Douji as a result, and like Labrys’s own Shadow with Asterius, Minazuki developed just enough of a distinction from Sho to obtain his own Persona: Tsukiyomi.

That only leaves more questions, though. “But wait—why didn't he try’n provoke ‘ya? Don't Shadows born directly from someone always try to get their hosts to reject them? Why’d he choose to coexist with ‘ya?” Labrys asks.

“I dunno. Maybe I was too young to understand anything he was saying,” Sho ponders, “or maybe he really did just wanna protect me.”

He grasps his head, and sighs. “I guess I might not ever know now.” 

Labrys could sense something different about Sho now. The glowing scar and eyes were the first big indicators, but now that she's focusing on it, she can feel a resonance between their two Plumes. A very different one than she felt before. And now Labrys thinks she has a good idea what it is.

“Sho-kun… hold out ‘ya hand.”

“Huh?” Sho asks, confused. He hesitatingly complies, and holds it out in front of him.

Azure flames appear from his palm. Within the blue aura’s confines, a tarot card materializes, spinning round and round.

“...no…” Sho realizes what Labrys is getting at, and begins shaking his head. “No, no no no! Why would he–”

“Sho-kun.” Labrys interjects forcefully. She has to make him see the full truth.

She steps closer to him, slowly. “I want you to crush the card.”

“No!” Sho screams, tears in his eyes. “I… I can't! Don't you get it?! He was all I had! He was the only one who was there for me, and I left him all alone! I’m no better than the world that abandoned me!”

Sho falls to his knees, grasping at his heart. Rivers flow from his eyes now, and he begins to sob uncontrollably. “I shouldn't have this! It–it doesn't belong to me, I don't deserve it!” 

Labrys kneels down next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Sho-kun… even if he was alone, so were you. You were both tossed aside by the world, left to fend for yourselves. No one here can blame ya for being angry for that.”

She tosses aside her axe, and places her other hand on his empty shoulder. “But even still, you had each other. And fronting for you when you were tired, protecting you when you were hurt… that was enough of a bond to give your Shadow that Persona.”

“He still shouldn't've had to bear that pain alone!” Sho lashes out, screaming in Labrys's face. “I was there, we should've shared that burden together!”  

Labrys is unfazed, and presses further. “That’s the thing, Sho-kun; he didn’t. He shouldered that burden of solitude right along with you. Even in solitude, Sho-kun… that was a bond you and he shared. And that was enough for him.”

Labrys grabs Sho’s wrist, and pulls it up between them, with his palm facing upwards. “And when he eventually disappeared, he gave you access to this Persona, too. You and Minazuki are one and the same...”

She holds out her own hand, and crushes the card that materializes in it. Behind her manifests Asterius, her and her Shadow's rage manifested as a Persona. “...and anything that was part of him is part of you, too.” 

Sho stares at the Bull Of Minos in disbelief. That monster he fought before, when the toaster’s eyes were yellow… that was the Shadow’s Persona. But it was… hers now?

He looks back at his own outspread hand, and the card once again spinning above it. “But… h-he was the only one who was there with me. If he’s gone now, then that means–” Sho’s sobbing starts up again. 

“No, you're not, Sho-kun.”

[Persona 3 OST – Memories Of The School]

Sho looks up at Labrys again. She has a determined look on her face, and the blue from the flames flickering in Sho’s hand highlight her expression. “I will never let you feel like you’re alone again. We will never let you feel like you're alone again. We’ll be there with you, to support you. Yu-kun and his friends, Mitsuru-san and the rest of the Shadow Operatives–all of us’ll be right next to you, whether ya need us or not.” 

Labrys un-balls her fist, and points at the card. “We’ll bond with you… every last one of us.” 

Sho’s expression softens at this, and stares at her silently for a while. He feels something welling up from within him, but they aren't tears or rage. This is something… new. Different. It’s warm, and comforting, and feels like it’s tethering around his heart. 

[BGM stops]

They both look at Sho’s tarot card. Looking at its Arcana, they see something new. Sho had seen Tsukiyomi’s Arcana in the past while mentally backseating for Minazuki; it had been of the Moon before. But now, a new image sat in its place: 

A young man, wearing a pointed hat and carrying a rucksack, takes another step towards the edge of a cliff. 

The Fool. 

Sho sits there for a moment, hesitating. What does this mean?, he asks within his own mind, to no one in particular. But he unexpectedly hears a familiar voice answer him. 

“It means your journey is now truly beginning, Sho. And it won't just be me by your side anymore. It is just as the girl says; that warmth you feel in our heart is proof enough.” 

Sho and Labrys look to the side, and see someone emerging from the remaining haze atop the tower. He bears the exact same appearance as Sho, glowing scar and all, but his eyes glow a bright yellow. And his expression is soft and somber. 

“...Minazuki-kun?” Labrys asks first. 

“You knew me once by that name, yes,” the Shadow replies. His hands are in his pockets, his gaze locked on Sho. “But I am more than merely that. I am a Shadow… the true self. And I believe Sho has something to ask of me.” 

He hesitates, but Sho slowly gets up, and walks towards his yellow-eyed mirror image. He stops about a meter away from his Shadow.

“...why?”

“Why did I what?” The Shadow eggs Sho on a bit.

“...why did you choose to coexist with me? To protect me? To…"

He closes his eyes. "..to help me destroy the world?”

“You know the answer to that already, Sho.”

“...”

“Minazuki” was right. He did know it. He just didn't realize it until now.

[Persona 4 OST – I'll Face Myself]

“...because I wanted to make the world into one I could live in.” Sho struggles to stand once again, and Labrys rushes to his side, but he waves her off before he continues. “I didn't want to destroy the world; I just wanted one I could understand. And you were there to enact my will.”

Sho regains his footing. “When I woke up, I was in a hospital on the edge of Inaba. My care had been paid up to the heat death of the universe, and I had a shit-ton more money left in my name in a deposit box… you can probably guess where it came from.”

“Ikutsuki?” Labrys asks.

“Yeah. I guess that asshole really did have a heart somewhere in all that crazy…” Sho chuckles quietly, a slightly bitter edge to his words. “I was raised to fight: it was the only way I got that bastard to smile. And he still tossed me out like the Tuesday trash when I turned out to be a nuisance.”

Standing a little taller now, Sho presses on. “So there I was, with enough money to last me two lifetimes in a world I wasn't raised to understand. Bored out of my own skull, everyone lookin’ at me funny, no one to fight, nothing to keep me entertained… but that's when the Foggy Day Murders started.”

“You mean you…?” Labrys trails off, anticipating the answer.

“Kept up with the guys down there? Yeah. I saw it all; their escapades though the TV World, the gods they killed, and how they solved the case!” Sho gushes about the time he spent watching it all unfold, his hands waving with every word. “It was so damn fun to see, too; I wish I could've been right there with them. I thought they were just like me.”

So Sho had been following the Investigation Team all throughout last year… Labrys was sure Rise and the others were freaking out after hearing that one.

But then Sho starts to slump a bit. “And then right around the time Silver Hair left to go back to Tokyo, that thing contacted us, and asked if I wanted to give the world its comeuppance. Minazuki drew up the plans, and I went along with it… now here we are.”

All of the pieces fell into place before Labrys now. Hi-no-Kagutsuchi capitalized on Sho and Minazuki’s limited understanding of the world; made them pawns in their own game.

“But you know something now, don't you?” “Minazuki” asks Sho.

“I do,” Sho replies. “I know that I need to learn about the world as it is now. To experience—no, to live in—the world as it is now.”

He steps right up to his other self, and says the words he knows he needs to. “I know that you were born of my rage. I’ve never denied that. But I also never accepted you… and I’m sorry I pushed you so far away from me, and left you alone like I did.”

Sho takes a deep breath, and he looks directly into his Shadow’s eyes.

“You weren't just my alter, there to front for me when the going got tough. You were me–you are me. And I’m you.”

[Persona 4 The Animation OST – Eternal]

“Minazuki” finally smiles. He nods to Sho, pulls his hands out of his pockets, and embraces his Self in the first hug he’s felt in a very, very long time.

Sho’s Shadow begins to turn into the same particles that had been floating up to the top of this very tower; into Persona Fragments, coalescing into a single mass. And when all had been transformed, a new entity stood before them.

This new Persona wears a long red coat made of flowing straps, similar to Tsukiyomi’s but shorter, and beneath that he wears black undergarments, gloves, and boots, all of which of which cover his entire body. Rather than a short sword that flickered with fire seemingly made from the void itself, it wields a massive, intricately designed scythe with its blade bathed in a combination of black and white flames. Its head is covered in the same blaze, but one can make out the vague outline of a humanoid face through all of that.

“Allow me to introduce myself once more,” it speaks. “I was once known as Minazuki, the other Sho. But my true name is Homusubi, the firestarter. I am your desire for knowledge, your longing for understanding, and your wish for a world to live in. I am always at your side, ready to protect you as I always have, though in a new form.” 

He kneels down to his Self. “Remember always, Sho; I am thou, and thou’rt I, and we shall never be alone again.”

Homusubi fades from view, turning into the Aeon tarot card and floating to Sho’s hand once more. Sho falls to his knees, the awakening of his own Persona demanding he buckle under the pressure, but he draws one of his swords to use as leverage and pulls himself to his feet.

The look on Sho’s face now is one of serenity, and completeness. He chuckles wryly to himself. “So this is what a bond feels like, huh? A… real, honest-to-god bond.” He reveled in the warmth it gave him for what felt like an eternity.

Then he felt something wrap around him from behind. Servos turning and shifting: Labrys. Looking down, he sees her red metallic forearms wrapped tightly around his torso, threatening to never let him go.

“Hey… can I call you my brother?” Labrys asks.

Sho places his free hand over Labrys’s at that. He looks upwards towards the moon.

It’s full tonight.

“Yeah,” Sho says, tears forming in his eyes again, his voice airy, but... content. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Within his soul, he hears someone speaking to him. A woman’s voice he doesn't recognize, although it feels familiar. As if they had been with him for a very long time, lingering in the corners of his heart…

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast established a new bond…

With these ties shall come the strength to change the worlds of every human heart.

Thou hast awakened the Fool Persona within thine own heart and another's, granting both new fonts of power…

Minazuki Sho has established the Fool Social Link with Labrys!

Labrys has established the Fool Social Link with Minazuki Sho!

Chapter Text

…

“...”

“...”

“...you heard that too, right?” Labrys asks. That certainly wasn't one of her Personas.

“Did we both hear a... weirdly familiar voice talkin’ about changing the world?” Sho confirms. Neither Tsukiyomi nor Homusubi have feminine voices, either, so it couldn't be one of his.

“Yeah.” Labrys lets go of Sho, finally. He feels his organs decompress a bit from how tightly she was hugging him. Turning around, he sees Labrys with her own tarot card spinning in her hand. There’s a new Arcana there; it’s split into four colors with various objects in each quadrant.

“Theseus is… a Temperance?” She asks in confusion. “But…”

Holding out her other hand, two other cards appear. One has a star with a face on it, and the other has a woman wearing a weird looking hat and a popped collar.

“How did these change too…?” Labrys asks, to no one in particular. Sho wasn't the one with the Persona before: what the hell would he know about stuff like that?

“I believe my master has the answer to that.”

…that sounded… even more familiar than before. Once again, Sho and Labrys turn in the direction of the newcomer. Before them stand two very oddly dressed women in blue, both with white hair and yellow eyes. Sho recognizes the older looking one on the left — he thinks. Maybe.

“Elizabeth-san?” Labrys asks the one on the right. He recognizes her from watching the stuff in the TV World unfold the other day. She kicked Silver Hair’s ass before nearly pissing herself around the end, didn't she?

“Hello again, Miss President,” she replies, bowing deeply. She seems far less giddy than the other day. More reserved, less eccentric; a quiet smile sits on her lips as opposed to her typical wide, almost delighted one. “To think that the Velvet Room would have not one new guest, but two…”

“It would be most prudent for you to speak with Master Igor. This is a circumstance the Velvet Room has not seen in years,” Margaret interrupts. “As well, the tower is currently collapsing.”

[Persona 3 OST: Shadow]

As if on command, the entire tower begins shaking. They begin to hear cracks from the sides of the building, and chunks of the ground become dislodged and fall to the floor below.

“Oh, shit!” Sho exclaims.

“I’ve prepared a means of transporting your friends within the tower and below it to safety. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to send them?” Margaret asks nonchalantly. 

“Uh—well, the whole buildin’s about to crush all of us any second now, so anywhere’s fine! Please just do so now, Margaret-san!” Labrys yells. She's struggling to maintain her footing at the moment, so she’s too busy to think of a specific place.

Sho, on the other hand, has an idea. “Wait—the TV World! That would be the safest place for them right now, right?” He voices his idea to the Velvet Room Attendants, who nod in confirmation.

“Very well, then,” Margaret says, “to the Hollow Forest they shall go.” She opens her book–how the hell is she doing that with no hands?–and summons forth a blue magic circle in the air. It begins to glow white for a moment, then dissipates back into the leather bindings of the tome.

“Now, if you would please step through the door,” Margaret gestures to her left. An ornate blue door, covered in golden spines and detailing, materializes next to her. In the center of the door is a stylized golden letter V. Margaret snaps her fingers, and the door swings open, revealing what appears to be a black void.

Sho wastes no time with questions. “Come on, scrapheap!” He yells to Labrys, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her towards the door. 

“Wha– Sho?!” In the heat of the moment, Labrys forgets her honorifics.

“No time for idling, sis! It's bad for the environment!” He flings his sister’s metal frame into the void, then jumps right in behind her.

Time stops for a moment, the crumbling of the tower reduced to a standstill. Elizabeth sighs, knowing that the dilation is not her own doing. She knows what's coming.

“Elizabeth…” Margaret starts, turning towards her sister, “I can sense an even grander power flowing from within you. Labrys and Sho are not the only ones beginning their Journeys, I believe.”

“Perhaps you are right, sister,” Elizabeth replies. She looks to the book in her left hand, and feels the many façades her guest used written within it emanating with power. Ink infused with the boy’s very being lines its pages, defining gods and demons and everything in between as her Guest once wore them.

Masks which he wore like a dancing reveler, in an endless Danse Macabre… from which even now, he never could rest.

She feels Thanatos–nay, Ryoji-kun–acknowledging her resolve from the Death section. “I know now what I must do… I am uncertain what will transpire from this point forth, but I know the means by which I may achieve my goal.”

Margaret smiles, knowing what her purpose is. “Then, if you are truly beginning your journey, perhaps you shall return to the Velvet Room again. Not as an attendant… but as a guest.”

“That would be quite a turn, wouldn't it?” Elizabeth herself laughs at that. A great irony it would be, indeed. It would be a first even for Master Igor…

...perhaps even f-

“Sisters!” A masculine voice interrupts Elizabeth's train of thought. To the surprise of both Margaret and her, their brother Theodore floats down to the tower, holding several dozen cans of Dr. Salt NEO in his arms.

“Theodore?” Elizabeth asks, a bit surprised to see her younger brother. “I never thought you would be outside the Velvet Room. Whatever could you be doing here?”

Theodore is somewhat embarrassed by this. “I was out collecting this ‘cola’ Margaret was telling me about, but then I sensed the grand power being awakened from this place, so I came to observe,” he happily explains, but then the corners of his mouth turn down. “However, it would seem I was a moment too late… Would you care for a can?” he asks, holding out one of the metal cylinders. “This drink is remarkably sweet—and with such an unusual sensation to its taste! I’ve never tasted anyth–”

Ah. Something useless errand, it would seem. Still acquiescing to his elders. “Yes, I’m sure it tastes wonderful, Theo,” Elizabeth interrupts, with a dismissive wave of the hand, “but I’m afraid I have somewhat more pressing concerns.” She turns to the edge of the tower, making to step off the edge.

“But – Elizabeth! Wait a moment!” Theodore tries to stop her. He has so many questions for his sister. “Where have you been all this time? I’ve been so worried about you! Have you been well? What have you been do–”

Elizabeth turns back towards her brother abruptly, startling and interrupting him. She stares at him for a few seconds, as though she were trying to find the right words to answer him. She opens her mouth, and Theodore eagerly awaits his sister’s reply…

“...on second thought, perhaps I will take a drink for the road…” She says ponderfully, taking one of the cans from his arms and continuing to walk towards the edge, seemingly ignoring all of his inquiries. 

“Wha–Sister!” Theodore regains his composure, although becoming slightly more desperate in his words, and keeps trying to follow Elizabeth. “At least tell me what you’ve been doing these past two years! Is it related to the Grea–”

“CALL HIM BY HIS NAME!” Elizabeth screams shrilly, startling Theodore once again, but for a much different reason. In all of their existence, Theo had never once witnessed his sister scream. Where was this coming from?

She stops again, but doesn’t turn around. “Yuuki Makoto! That is his name, so at least give him the respect he deserves as a person instead of objectifying him with the title of ‘Great Seal’, or ‘Messiah’, or ‘Universe’! I won’t stand for it!” There is a certain hysteria and sorrow to Elizabeth’s voice that shakes him to his very core. 

“Elizabe-?” Theodore starts, but stops as he remembers something. 

Two years ago, after Aigis’s battle with Erebus, Elizabeth left the Velvet Room. She was obviously distraught by her guest’s death, just as he was when his own sacrificed herself, but even then he didn't think she was going to abandon her duties over that.

And now here she is witnessing the awakening of the Wild Card from not just one, but TWO individuals. And Margaret mentioned feeling Elizabeth’s presence in the realm of man just the other day… and in the Hollow Forest, too.

Theodore drops all the cans from his arms, slack as they are from the realization. “You… you intend to release their souls? Dispel the Seals they sacrificed themselves to form? Are you out of your mind?!”

“I never should’ve expected you to understand, brother,” Elizabeth says, with venom in her words. She turns to face him again with a look of grief and bitterness on her face, tears flowing from her golden eyes. “You detached yourself from your Guest, after all, didn’t you?”

“Wh-” Theodore starts, his face contorting in hurt and anger.

Margaret finally steps in, getting between her younger siblings. “Elizabeth, that’s enough! You have no ri–”

“I don’t have the right?!” Elizabeth retorts. She had never felt this much rage before, and this feeling was upsetting enough to make her knees buckle. “I watched my Guest – the man I love – be forced to sacrifice himself for a people that will never know his name as he repels Death itself for the rest of time! And Kotone suffered the same fate! But I’m the only one grieving for both of them, aren’t I?!”

She points an accusing finger at Theodore. “What right does my idiot twin brother have to condescend to me?!”

Theodore snapped back at her, and he snapped back hard. “You’re going to get all of mankind killed, you fool! Don’t you realize that?! You’re willing to sacrifice all sapient life on Earth just so you can get two people back?! And how dare you suggest I never grieved Kotone! Of all the utterly selfi-”

“That isn’t her goal, Theo!” Margaret yells.

He stops in his tracks.

What does she mean, “that’s not her goal”? That’s the only way to get them back…

...unless…

His expression softens. “You’re… not trying to bring them back?” Theo asks.

“Their bodies have – long since decayed, Theo,” Elizabeth answers in between her crying, “I couldn’t bring them back either way...” She’s clawing at her own arms, both the cola and her compendium on the ground.

“What, then? What is it that you’re trying to do?” Theo asks desperately. He kneels down to Elizabeth, his tone softening once again as he regrets both his own and his sister’s outbursts. “Please, Elizabeth, help me understand!”

…Silence, save for Elizabeth’s occasional sobbing.

[Persona Q2 OST – A Corner Of Memories - In The Labyrinth]

“...I just – I want to ease their burden,” Elizabeth quietly replies after a long moment. “I want to kill Erebus completely, without – without a chance for him to return and torment their souls any longer.”

Elizabeth slowly stands, still crying as she explains herself to her siblings. “Their sacrifices never should’ve had to occur, Theo. They found their answers to Life, and they could’ve had so many years to continue those lives.

“But they chose to give up their own for humanity itself, and only a small few shall even know what they fought for!” she yells. “Even if I kill that two-headed bastard, their souls can’t get the rest they deserve, because he will keep coming back, and they’re the only ones who can form the Seal!”

She cries out to Theo, desperate for his understanding. “The burden they carry is far heavier than they deserve! All I want is to end their suffering once and for all, nothing more!”

“Elizabeth, that is not our lot in life,” Theodore points out. “We are facilitators; mere observers, even. We cannot directly interfere with the fate of mankind; you know that.”

“The Velvet Room cannot, brother,” Elizabeth says, waggling her finger at Theo, “but I am not merely of the Velvet Room anymore.”

She holds out her hand, and appearing above it appears her own Fool Arcana.

Theodore stares at the card, shocked. “You’re… beginning your own Journey?”

“That I am, Theo,” Elizabeth says, smirking through the tears. “I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goal. And nothing will stop me from doing so. Not a god, not Master Igor; not even Philemon or the Crawling Chaos themselves. All I need do? Form ties.”

Theodore sits there with an absolutely dumbfounded look on his face. She intends to become a Wild Card? But… 

“...but how?”

[Persona OST – Aria Of The Soul]

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.”

Sho and Labrys look at their new surroundings. They’re sitting in what seems to be a limousine; Labrys notes that it's not dissimilar in layout from Mitsuru-san’s, but it's covered in what seems to be a plush velvet colored a deep cerulean. 

To Labrys, it's… certainly an interesting choice of color palette, but not in an unpleasant way.

Sho personally thinks it looks gaudy as all hell, but whatever.

“Hello again, young Torchbearer.” Sho looks to the other end of the cab: a hunchbacked old man with the longest nose seen on any humanoid creature in all of existence sits there, a deck of tarot cards sitting before him on a small circular table with a blue and white tablecloth. 

“And a true pleasure to make your acquaintance, Weaver of Fates,” the man says to Labrys. Sho looks to his right, and sees Labrys in her soul’s true form: with none of her metallic frame, Labrys looks truly and completely human.

“Sorry, but uh… who’re you?” Labrys asks. She’s unaware of the Velvet Room’s nature; to be fair, neither is Sho, but she hadn't even been in the room before now.

“My name is Igor,” the man replies. “I am the steward of this Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… And only those who are bound by a very special contract may enter this room.”

“Such a pact is usually only formed by one person at a time… but to have two individuals awaken to the Wild Card at once, and with each other as their contractors, no less…? I have not seen an occurrence such as this since…” Igor trails off, as though remembering both fondly and solemnly times long since passed.

“...well,” Igor chuckles, “the world was a different place then. But it appears circumstances have brought about individuals with more than one Persona yet again.” Igor looks again to Labrys, and it takes a moment for her to realize it's her he speaks of.

“...huh? Me? What, am I an extra-special case?” Labrys asks, confused. She’s trying to search her memory banks for more information on this “Velvet Room", but there’s basically nothing on record. Just who is this guy?

“That you are, Fateweaver. You are the second individual to have developed the capacity to become a Wild Card rather than be granted the power by an external source.” Igor picks up the tarot deck and begins looking for a few specific cards.

“You recently restarted your life, taking your fate back from those who held your chains,” Igor starts, holding up the Wheel of Fortune card, “even awakening to your own Persona. But the Persona ability alone is not merely a special case, as this night has shown; you have become like your sister, or your friend the Truthseeker, both of whom have been guests in this room before you.”

“Wait, Aigis has somethin’ to do with this?” Labrys asks. She’s heard stuff about the Wild Card ability since she was taken to the Shadow Operatives’ facility. Yu-kun and her sister are both able to use multiple Personas, and fuse them together into new ones. But now Labrys is able to use the ability, too?

“Indeed,” Igor confirms. “In a way, she started her own Journey twelve years ago…”

[Persona 3 Reload OST – Memories From 10 Years Ago]

At the turn of your millennium, a young boy and his parents were driving across the Moonlight Bridge, in the wrong place and at the worst time. 

A being of unfathomable power, born from mankind’s desire for Death, had escaped its prison and made its way to the bridge. Death claimed the lives of the boy’s family, even in its incomplete state… and it nearly claimed his, too.

But your sister was there to hinder the Shadow’s destruction. Not entirely, but she still prevented it from claiming more. To do so, she sealed Death within the boy, forcing the Shadow into a deep slumber for a decade. That boy would go on to lead a team of Persona-users, much like your friends in the Seekers Of Truth, and prevent the destruction of mankind.

However, the trauma of seeing his parents be killed, along with having Death sealed inside him, had an unintended effect on his mental state. The boy became mostly quiet, outwardly emotionless, and without a purpose in life. He was, for all intents and purposes, a blank slate. Empty…

Igor holds up the Fool tarot card for both Sho and Labrys to see. “...yet he held infinite possibilities within himself. And he would go on to connect – bond – with many. That is the power the Wild Card ability grants to people; to become whatever someone needs you to be, to be what the situation requires.”

[Aria Of The Soul – resume]

“After the boy’s… passing, so to speak,” Igor goes on, “Your sister attained the ability to wield multiple Personas just as you have now, before starting her own Journey within an Abyss Of Time. Back then I was unsure of how she had done so, what with her mental state being so set on following the boy to the ends of the earth, and even now I am still somewhat uncertain of how she did so, considering the circumstances.”

Igor sets the deck back on the table, multiple cards still in hand. “The Persona is… a sort of battle implement, I suppose. It is a mask which we use to protect ourselves against hardship in life. Normally, each person can only have one Persona, because they only have one heart, and hearts are not usually very malleable. That very malleability is the essence of the Wild Card.”

“However, it was not always like that,” Igor clarifies. “Before I took up the mantle of being the Velvet Room’s keeper, those who could wield a Persona were all able to wield many, not merely a select few individuals. But after two grave blunders on the part of my creator, the ability was limited to those who were central to a grand Journey, though for what purpose I do not know.”

“What kinda ‘grave blunders’ we talkin’ here?” Sho asks. “Must’ve been some pretty big fuck-ups if he needed to take away abilities from people.”

“That is… not my story to tell,” Igor replies somberly. “But I assure you, anyone currently existing in your world would not exist had the proper corrections not been made. Twice over, mind you; whatever your Hi-no-Kagutsuchi was planning to do would have paled in comparison.”

Sho sits back in his seat at that, eyebrows raised. Way to tell me I was outta my depth…

“Returning to the topic of your sister, Fateweaver,” Igor goes on, “she reached the Wild Card state after the boy’s death. And she was the first person in years to have attained more Personas than her first and her evolved ones.”

“But how?” Labrys finally points out the elephant in the cab. “What makes me and my siblings such special cases?”

“Once again, that is not my story to tell. It is not the place of those who reside in the Velvet Room to give you all of the answers,” Igor says, “and in truth, even I am not privy to particulars. We may only observe and provide assistance to Persona-users. You are the only ones responsible for the choices you make, Fateweaver, and what you choose to make of the truth you discover is your choice alone.”

“But how the heck’re we even supposed to know where to start lookin’?!” Labrys stands and asks, outraged at Igor and his withholding of information. “You can't just expect us to go into this whole ‘Journey’ thing blind!”

“I never said you would,” Igor says. “Allow me to clarify: We can only observe your journey. But I can at least divine some basic things about your twin stories.”

Igor waves his hand over the tarot deck in front of him. 9 cards flick to different parts of the tablecloth, in two rows of three, with one card at the very top and another at the very bottom, and the final between the rows.

“These cards… they can be arranged or drawn in any number of ways to reveal possible futures,” Igor says.

He flips over the two cards to the left of Sho and Labrys, revealing… the Emperor on the top, and the Star on the bottom. Weren’t they Sun and Fortune before?

“These first cards represent your past selves,” Igor says. “The people you were before mastering your Shadows, so to speak. These are still a part of you, and as such you wear their masks with ease.”

Igor gestures to the first card. “The first card, the Emperor, might represent the Torchbearer’s distaste for the world as a whole. With the abandonment from your father, you came to distrust any who stood on your path, whether they offered weal or woe, and so grew to resent the world in its entirety.” 

Sho hangs his head in discomfort, but nods. Tsukiyomi stirs within his mind at that… a constant reminder of Sho’s lingering vitriol. Minazuki – well, Homusubi now – quietly acknowledges Igor’s words, attempting to assuage the other Persona’s rage.

Igor goes on, gesturing to the lower card. “Fateweaver, this Star may represent the hope you hold in your heart. You choose to see the best in people, and that led you to not only save your brother, but reach a form of power that allows you to connect with many people you thought may never understand you - like a... certain Magician, or a High Priestess - much less connect with others in such a manner.”

Labrys blushes a bit at that comment. Igor undoubtedly means Yosuke and Yukiko… and yeah, she never thought someone could even remotely comprehend her trauma before meeting those two… but he and she really did understand.

Yosuke didn't try to simply sympathize, but he attempted to empathize with her loss – hell, he did empathize.

And Yukiko... they both understood wanting to break free from having their lives plotted out from start to finish. She never thought anyone else could understand being caged like that.

Igor flips over the middle two cards, revealing the Moon and the High Priestess.

“Torchbearer, this Moon Arcana could represent your deposition towards the outside world who scorned you,” Igor goes on. “You projected your trepidation of mankind onto the world around you, and isolated yourself as a result, fueling your and your Shadow’s bitterness. And yet, now that you realize this, you have the opportunity to change and be redeemed… in the eyes of someone.”

Of someone? Who the hell is he talking about? Sho asks himself.

Perhaps he means one of the Persona-users from Yasogami we met earlier, Homusubi suggests. At least two of them are bound to hold a grudge against me alone…

…

…Sho remembers Labrys’s eyes going yellow in the tower when he was using the remote control earlier. 

And he remembers the dude with the kunai and brown hair being particularly pissed at him during that event.

He feels beads of water coalesce on his forehead and neck, falling down his body under their own weight. Oh, shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit…

Igor points to the High Priestess, now looking to Labrys. “Ah, the Priestess… this could indicate a conflict of wishes within your heart. You are passionate about many things - many people - but perhaps you shall feel torn between them… will you be forced to choose one or the other?”

Her face contorts in concern. That's… certainly disquieting, Ariadne points out. Does he mean something involving your compatriots in both teams?

Maybe…? Labrys ponders. Her eyes flick to different parts of the Velvet Room as she tries to organize her thoughts, trying to sort through this long-nosed man’s cryptic messages…

…but her head only starts spinning as a result. Even if she’s still a robot – well, in chassis anyway – too much is being thrown at her, it’d be hard for anyone to pick out the exact meaning of Igor’s words. She’ll sort through it later.

Igor next flips over the cards on the far right, revealing the Aeon and the Temperance.

“How curious…” Igor trails off as he looks at Sho, who re-composes himself. “Perhaps the Aeon represents a lack of understanding here. Not only on the part of others, but on the part of yourself as well. You lived in isolation, and such a circumstance would naturally leave gaps in one’s knowledge of the world. But by the same token, people will likely have the opportunity to learn from you.”

Sho nods, solemnly acknowledging his words. Homusubi’s words from moments ago come to the forefront of his mind;

“I am your desire for knowledge, your longing for understanding, and your wish for a world to live in…”

Guess I should open Silver Hair’s notebook then, Sho thinks to himself, and start reading the next chapter of my life... 

I’ll never be rid of your damnable puns, will I? Homusubi deadpans.

Not a chance in hell, Sho deadpans right back.

…

Homusubi sighs. …I suppose it was worth asking…

Sho smirks. Min was always more of the straight man, anyway.

Igor continues, gesturing to the Temperance and then to Labrys. “The Temperance may represent your new reconciliation with your Shadow and the possibilities to spring from such. You accepted her as your Persona, and awakened to new power moments ago, surely, but those were merely the first steps of your journey; in fact, I’m sure there is even more for you to discover about your other selves. Whether through trials or ties shall be up to you.”

Labrys’s Personas each become more excited as they hear this through their Self’s ears. What’ve you all got in store…?

Igor chuckles. “Even I could not foresee such a thing, Fateweaver,” he says, as if in reply to what Labrys didn't say aloud.

Labrys is somewhat nonplussed. “Can you… hear my th-”

“A magician never reveals his tricks.” Igor looks almost… mischievous.

Labrys pouts at that. Then why'd you bring it up?!

Igor chuckles again at Labrys's expense, then flips the top and bottom cards over, revealing…

…finally, familiar Arcanas. Sho’s Sun on top, and the Labrys’s Wheel Of Fortune on the bottom.

“These are what these other Arcana culminate in. Each person’s story is made up of different elements, and their component parts represent different sections of a person’s individual thread of fate,” Igor reveals.

“Past,” he says, gesturing to the left column, “present,” to the middle, “and your ‘ideal’ selves; the selves you have resolved to become.”

“They represent your individual stories, of course,” Igor says, “But in the end, every individual is a Fool on their own Journey of self-discovery,” he says, turning over the final card in the center, revealing the Zero card. “And every thread is constantly being woven together as time passes; It is up to you to determine what path you pave."

Both Sho and Labrys slowly nod as they absorb this information.

…just one question. “So what part do you play in this?" Sho asks. "What's your angle? Why tell us all this?” 

“I have no hidden agenda, Torchbearer,” Igor replies. “Neither does the Velvet Room; well, in its current state, it does not. We are facilitators of those who have mastered their other selves, nothing more. Guiding them towards a desirable future for everyone.”

“...Uh-huh.” Sho didn't believe that for a minute.

“Now then, I believe your friends are waiting for you in the Hollow Forest,” Igor says. Sho’s and Labrys's visions slowly get brighter and blurrier. “When next we meet, you will each come here of your own volition.”

“Until we meet again… farewell.”

Chapter Text

“...There. That feel any better?” Yosuke asks, wiping a bit of grime from his brow - oh, great, more Shadow guts. That’s definitely gonna come out of my clothes easily…

“Mhm, a lot better! Thanks, Yosuke-senpai!” Rise confirms.

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - Truth is Hidden into Fog]

Yosuke and the rest of the group are surrounded by the various TVs stacked around the entrance to the Hollow Forest. Every Persona-user with the capacity to heal was rushing around, trying to get everyone to a stable condition. 

All of the teams’ medkits, Macca Leaves, and Bead Chains had been used up in their last stand against the Shadows, and everyone’s collective mana had gone towards destroying those fragments of ego rather than healing. Stuff that could restore mana was only used when a person's reserves were spent, at which point more fire, ice, wind, and lightning would fly out from their Personas.

Now that they're safe (they hope) in the TV World, they could focus on making sure everyone was alive and accounted for, and that meant making sure wounds were closed and afflictions cured. Even Kanji’s pitching in a little bit, since Take-Mikazuchi was apparently hiding some decent team-wide healing abilities.

Yukiko and Takeba-san especially are rushing frantically around the stage, popping Chewing Souls into their mouths like candy and casting healing spells until they’re practically collapsing. Jeez, even Teddie looks deflated… 

Yosuke’s being put to work, too, since Jiraiya was always able to heal (albeit on only one person at a time and far slower than someone like Yukiko), and he was tasked with healing Rise’s wounds. After helping Yamagishi-san get that message to Labrys, Rise immediately got to work supporting the team with buffs and even destroying a few Shadows herself.

Rise’s wounds aren’t all that severe (a few cuts and sprains and such), and she has some minor self-regenerative capabilities thanks to Himiko, but they were enough to warrant a few Diarama casts anyway.

She stands up to stretch a bit to work out the kinks, but notices the dour look on Yosuke's face. “What’s wrong, Yosuke-senpai?” she asks. “Something on your mind?”

“Yeah,” he says, wiping sweat off the palms of his hands before sitting on the ground, hugging his knees. “Thinking about Labrys, I guess. We haven't heard from her since we got sent in here.” None of the people with navigation abilities were able to contact her since being teleported into the Hollow Forest, and it’s been almost an hour since then.

“Hey, I’m sure she'll be okay,” Rise tries to reassure him. She sits back down next to him. “She’s strong, senpai; a little fire and some rubble wouldn't bring her down that easy.”

“It's not that Kagutsuchi thing I’m worried about, Rise,” Yosuke says. He’s fiddling with his kunai, spinning one on his finger from the ring. 

Minazuki. 

“Oh, please, like Mr. Bloodhair would even be in a state to take that girl down,” she scoffs. “She’ll be fine, Yosuke-senpai. It’s not like what happened a few days ago, when she didn’t have a Persona. He’s probably being carried here on her shoulder as we speak.”

…It’s a small comfort, sure, but it does make him feel a bit better imagining Minazuki being knocked out and slumped over Labrys’s shoulder. A smirk spreads its way across Yosuke’s face.

“Hey, that’s a frown turned upside-down!” Rise jokes.

“You know how to make people smile, that's for sure,” Yosuke replies, chuckling. Maybe not just a small comfort.

[Stop BGM]

“...Thanks, Rise.”

She returns his smile. “Don’t mention it, Yosuke.”

She doesn't usually drop the honorifics with him, at least not in public. Only when it's just her, him, and Yu. And they're within earshot of other people, too…

…yet he doesn't feel like he's unsafe right now. Maybe that's a sign.

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - My True Feelings (Instrumental)]

“Should we tell them?” Yosuke asks.

“...wait, like right now?” Rise asks in surprise.

“We can't keep it a secret forever,” Yosuke reasons. “And I don't want them-”

“-getting the wrong idea when they eventually find out,” Rise finishes. Because they will find out.

“Yeah."

"Is this even a good time, though?”

That’s a good point. Everyone’s exhausted right now, and it might be better saved for another day when everyone would be more rational. 

Then again, is there a good time for breaking news like this?

Yu and Yosuke have wanted to tell everyone for months, but there just hasn't been a good time before. Not that they were afraid of being shunned by the rest of the team, but they were waiting for the right moment, and the schedules just haven't lined up for everyone. 

They were planning the reveal for when Yu arrived for Golden Week (even though Naoto wasn't supposed to be in town), but then the Grand Prix and saving Labrys came up, which… definitely complicated things a bit further.

Not to mention the scandal it might cause for Rise and her career. An idol is as much the fans as they are the individual, and a reveal like that could cause her to lose a large enough part of her fanbase that she wouldn't be able to go on as one.

“I don't know,” Yosuke admits after a moment of contemplation. “But I can't keep pretending like I don’t-”

“I know,” Rise empathizes. “I know. You have… no idea how much I want to tell them, too,” she says. “But we're all tired. We're all beaten up. At least let everyone get some sleep, okay?”

“Tomorrow, then?”

She nods. “Just so everyone has a clear head.”

Alright. We can wait that long.

They’re quiet for a moment longer.

Yosuke feels a weight get out of his left shoulder. It’s warm.

He decides to rest his own head on that weight.

The weight gets warmer.

[Stop BGM]

“Hanamura, what the hell are you doing sitting around?! Go help Amagi!” they hear from across the stage from Takeba-san.

Yosuke jumps up and starts walking towards the aforementioned healer.

He looks back at Rise.

Just not long enough for this.

“…Sho-kun? You alive?”

“...yeah. Just… fuckin’ peachy…”

[Persona 4 OST - Reasoning]

Sho groans as he sits up, gripping his head and looking around. Adrenaline’s a helluva hormone, but when it wears off? Man, that pain hurts all the more. 

Surrounding him is the distinctive yellow of the TV World, complete with metal stage structures and randomly arranged spotlights.  

He glances over to his right, where Labrys is kneeling on the ground next to her axe. What metal that was exposed on her body was now dented and scorched a dark blue. Her Yasogami uniform was nowhere to be seen, likely reduced to ash and smoke, and a bit of her hair had been singed off by Kagutsuchi’s attacks. Heat still radiates from her chassis, though it looks like she’s cooling off a bit. 

It was a miracle that her synthetic skin was still intact, in all honesty: just as it was a miracle that Sho wasn’t turned to charcoal from being inside that fiery bastard’s gullet.

“You don't look too hot yourself,” Sho painfully jokes.

“I am a bit overheated,” Labrys replies, “and I think my joint motors’re burnt out. Gimme a sec to figure out what works n’ what doesn't.”

“Fine by me,” he grunts out. “I could use a minute myself…”

Sho immediately lays back down on the ground, staring into the sky of mankind’s hearts. 

Complete and utter silence falls upon the realm.

He decides to take inventory of his situation and faculties in the mean time.

1. The bot and I are siblings. Adoptive? Foster? Something. I’unno. Brother and Sister. It's a pact of sorts.

2. Knives and swords’re - wait, where's my swords?

Feeling around him with his hands, he doesn't find his swords. Fuck, I dropped them to grab Labrys when we were going through the door. They must’ve fallen somewhere around Yasogami when the tower came down.  

Checking his pockets, he finds a number of his combat knives left.

Still useful in close-quarters, at least, Homusubi points out.

2. Swords are MIA, still have a few knives. Need to look around Yasogami before someone else finds them.

• Rooftop or fields, maybe? -H

3. Lots of people in town probably hate me. Need to watch out for Ressentiment.

4. Nothing seems to be broken, might want to do a more thorough check later. 

5. Kagutsuchi’s dead. Probably. If Adachi didn't lose some of that Sagiri thing’s power, then maybe I didn't lose his, either?

• I feel Kagutsuchi’s power within my own. Did I steal his power? Am... I Kagutsuchi? -H

6. I never want to look at a nose ever again. Or see the color blue. Need to find a way to make myself colorblind.

In short: I could be dead, but I’m not. There's new power here that I don't know how to use and a guy who won't tell us the full picture for his amusement. I’ve pissed off a lot of people and I’m likely gonna be a wanted man for the rest of my life.

I might be fucked.

“Ugh.”

“Somethin’ wrong, Sho-kun?” Labrys asks.

“Nothin’. Just in a bad mood,” Sho replies, immediately shutting the conversation down.

“Alright.”

...

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - Out Of Mere Play]

…I’ve got an idea.

“...Toaster.” Sho blurts out.

“Not inaccurate at the moment, but would ya mind not callin’ me that?” 

“That’s what I was about to ask you about. Mind if I give you a nickname?” he asks. “A proper one, not a tournament moniker or somethin’ like that.”

“Such as…?” Labrys trails off in question.

“Does ‘Labs’ work?” he asks.

“...Yeah. I can work with that,” she affirms.

“Cool,” Sho nods to himself. “Cool, cool.”

“Anything I can call you?”

“You ca-”

Sho interrupts himself. “…Actually…”

…thinking about it, you n’ I never really had nicknames for each other, did we, Min? 

No, we never did figure that out.

Well, shit.

…Tsukiyomi?

What do you want, kid?

Mind if I use your name as my nickname?

…I mean, I doubt anyone else in this universe is actually named Tsukiyomi, so yeah, fuck it. Go ahead.

“...Tsuki?”

“...Eh, it works,” Labrys shrugs.

“Labs n’ Tsuki” they would be, then. 

[Stop BGM]

“Alright, my actuators’re on their last legs, but they're still functional for now,” Labrys says after a moment. “‘Long as I’m not movin’ like I was earlier, I should be fine, but ya mind helpin’ me up?” Labrys asks.

Sho gets to his feet and walks over to his sister. Holding out one hand, she grabs onto it with one of her own, and Sho pulls his sister to her own footless feet.

Labrys dusts herself off a bit, then starts looking around. “The entrance should be… that way,” Labrys points off to her left. There's a raised walkway that extends into the distance. The only thing Sho can make out that far away (and only if he really squints) is a concentration of lights, maybe 3 or 4 kilometers out. 

“What about your axe?” Sho asks.

Labrys’s arm shoots out towards said rocket axe, before retracting it back to her and mounting the giant weapon to the back of her chassis.

“Nevah said nothin’ about my chains bein’ busted,” she explains.

“...Fair enough.”

They both hop up onto the walkway and start towards the entrance. Aside from the taps of their feet on metal and the echoes that spawned from them, the Hollow Forest is once again quiet.

“...Labs?”

[Persona 4 The Animation OST- Freedom Overflows]

Oh, that’s gonna take a bit to get used to. “Yeah?”

“What do you make of that Igor guy?” he asks.

She takes a moment to think. “Eh, definitely weird, but I dunno,” she replies. “Couldn’t pull up anythin’ on that ‘Velvet Room’ thingy, either. Kinda sounded like you would’a had a better idea about him, actually.”

“Nah, only met him once before,” Sho clarifies. “Rejected that contract shit he offered me right off the bat, but I guess you n’ me being brother n’ sis was the same thing as writin’ my name on the line.”

“He mentioned somethin’ before about there bein’ more to it than that, but he was so dang cryptic. Nevah heard of a man who spoke in so many riddles,” Labrys says.

“Oh, you would’ve hated Ikutsuki, then,” Sho chuckles. “Jackass was full of even more puns n’ riddles n’ shit than me.”

“Oh God,” Labrys replies in mock horror.

Sho laughs. “Learned from the worst, I gue-” 

[Stop BGM]

A sharp pain hits Sho's middle torso. “-Ah fuck, that hurts!”

“Hey, are you alright?!” Labrys asks.

He feels around, gently – yeah, that's probably not supposed to be moving. 

4. Cracked rib, left side.  

• Probably the same one from after we tried to escape Ergo. Will need to be re-set outside if we can’t find healing items while we’re here, but currently not life-threatening as long as you don’t move erratically. -H

“One of my ribs might be busted,” Sho parrots aloud. “I’ll manage.”

He sighs. “Ugh… anyway. He mentioned ‘the Truthseeker’ was in the room before. Think that’s Silver Hair?”

“Yu-kun, ya mean?” she asks, to which Sho grunts in confirmation. “I think so. The team calls ‘emselves the Seekers of Truth, and Yu-kun’s their leader. He’s their ‘Wild Card’.”

Right. Igor mentioned that exact phrase, too; ‘Seeker of Truth’. “Makes sense. N’ Wild Cards are supposed to get stronger by making friends and shit, right?”

Labrys ‘mhm’s in reply. “Yeah, that tracks, too. When I was tailin’ him and his buddies last year, he sure as hell knew how to get around,” Sho says.

“What, like he made a lot of friends?” she asks.

“You could… say that …” Sho snickers to himself as a grin spreads across his face. “…Yeah. Let’s just go with that.”

Labrys is quiet for a moment before it dawns on her what he means. “... Oh! Oh my Go-”

[Persona 4 The Animation OST- The Name Is Carved]

“Ayup,” Sho agrees with a chuckle, popping the P. “Kinda bizarre how he's managed it this far, honestly. Greedy bastard. Was it… two people? Three?"

“How do ya even know this?!” Labrys asks, exasperated at his nonchalance.

“What the hell do you–snrk– think ‘tailing’ means?”

“What, were you, like, sittin’ on a roof across the street watchin’ ‘em go at it from the window?!”

“Call me Batman.”

“Tsuki!”

Sho’s snickering turns into uproarious laughter as he’s scolded by his sister. He leans on the railing, tears filling his eyes as his sides begin to hurt. This shit’s too funny! It hurts to laugh, but I can't even stop! I’m fuckin’ dizzy!

“PFFFFHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Despite her protests, Labrys can’t help but add to Sho’s cacophony of laughter. The idea of Sho sitting on the roof of someone’s house watching Yu-kun’s shadow rocking back and forth through the curtains was too absurd not to laugh at. 

For a solid three minutes, Labrys and Sho have themselves a laughing fit, each of them leaning on the sides of the walkway.

They both feel that same kind of warmth they felt moments before atop Yasogami-Tartarus…

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - Healing]

Yukiko was healing Koromaru, who put out just as much firepower as he unfortunately took during the battle. He’s sleeping, but he’s breathing, and if something can draw breath, it can be healed.

“Is Rise-chan any better?” she asks, still focused on Koromaru.

“Yeah, she’s doing fine,” Yosuke assures as he sits down, looking out at the other Persona-users. He hands her a Snuff Soul. “Her Persona’s own self-healing powers should take care of the rest.”

“That’s good. She really worked herself to the bone on our end,” Yukiko says, relieved. “Heck, without her, we might not’ve gotten that message out to Labrys.”

“Yeah. She’s something else…” Yosuke trails off.

“Which ‘she’? Rise or Labrys?” Yukiko says jokingly, trying to catch him off guard.

[Stop BGM]

A pause, but not quite a hesitant one. More… contemplative. “What if I told you ‘both’?” Yosuke responds.

Ironically, that caught Yukiko off guard. “W-well, I'd say your head is too big for your own good, Yosuke,” she stutters, looking away. Her face is turning pink at the thought.

Yosuke chuckles a bit. “You sound like Chie.”

Where is this coming from?

Wait…

He couldn't be planning to…

...could he?

…No. As dumb as Yosuke could be sometimes, he wouldn't try something THAT dumb, THAT perverted. He’d never be able to manage it, and both girls would eat him alive when they fo-

“You wanna know something, Yukiko?” Yosuke asks, interrupting Yukiko’s train of thought. “We’ve kept it a secret for a while, but I think now would be as good a time as any.”

“What's that…?” Yukiko says, looking back at Yosuke. He’s staring at Yu-kun. 

“I’ve been dating Yu and Rise for the last few months,” he says with an entirely straight face.

“...Huh?”

“I’ve been dating Yu and Rise for the last few months-”

“Yes, I heard you the first time. As in, Rise-chan is cheating on Yu-ku-” she starts, but she's interrupted again by Yosuke.

“No. I am currently dating both Yu and Rise. At the same time.”

He… he can't be serious, right?! “While they’ve been… publicly dating since the fireworks festival?” Yukiko asks, hoping this is just a joke. Surely he's just playing around, right? I was only trying to ma-

“Yep. It was around the time I awakened Susano’o. That was… around when we figured out Adachi was the culprit?” Yosuke says almost matter-of-factly.

“Y-Yosuke-kun, this isn't funny anymore.” There's no way Yu-kun is actually okay with this! He’s… he’s been dating Rise for months, and Rise’s only ever had eyes for-

“It’s not supposed to be,” he says, finally looking Yukiko in the eye.

And she sees it. That look in his eyes. Sharper than his kunai, and almost as determined as Yu-kun.

This is the same Hanamura Yosuke who would jump into a burning building for his partner and walk back out with his skin sloughing off his bones.

[Persona 4 OST - I'll Face Myself (Another Version)]

Yukiko’s shoulders go slack as she takes a second to stop healing Koromaru. “...My God, you really are, aren't you,” she realizes. “And… a-and everyone is okay with this?” she stutters out.

“The three of us? Yeah. I don't think I've been this happy in my entire life, actually,” Yosuke says, with a blush of his own now. “The rest of the team, though… they don't know yet.”

“Wait, do you mean I’m the first-”

“Yep.”

“...Oh my God.”

Oh, good heavens.

Yukiko’s hand comes to her mouth as she tries to process this - what, “flashbang”? What even is the word for something like this? Is there one? “Just - oh my God. ”

“Take your time,” Yosuke says. “I probably shouldn't’ve just sprung that on you with no warning, I’m sorry-”

“No! Please don't be!” Yukiko interrupts, holding out her hand to stop him. “I just - I need a minute, okay?”

Sakuya, help me run through this.

Of course.

As we recall, Shirogane-san exited Aiya's first, followed by Narukami-dono and Hanamura-san. The latter two left on their own, whilst Shirogane came back in after a few minutes. She then received a call from the pair, sharing suspicion for her coworker. They were bruised when next we saw them, and when we went into the TV, Hanamura’s Persona had changed.

Rise-chan was with us at Aiya’s then; she couldn't have agreed to it that day, and that's probably the day when Yu and Yosuke had “that talk”. It must've been after we confronted Adachi directly, two days after or more. That was still early December.

When she collects herself and resumes healing Koromaru, she has a number of questions. “Okay, number one: You said ‘since we figured out Adachi was the culprit’. December Fifth, right? You and Yu-kun left Aiya's to have some sort of talk. Was that when this started?”

“Eh… around that time,” Yosuke says, twisting his hand in a “kind of” gesture. “The fifth was when I confessed to Yu at the flood plain. We talked for a bit about me being jealous of him over not having people drawn to me like he does, and subconsciously wanting his approval more than anyone,” he explains. “I asked him to hit the fuck out of me so we would be equals, we had our fight… and then, with the snow falling on our faces, I kissed a bruise above his lip.”

That adds up. I always sort of suspected he might be in the closet.

“Okay, two;” Yukiko asks. “When did Rise-chan agree to this?”

“The 10th,” Yosuke answers. “This was a couple days into exploring Adachi's section of the TV World. We both went back to Marukyu with her that day, told her what happened, and after a minute of processing it, she jumped across the room, arms ready to grab us by the throats…and kissed both of us.”

With a lowered voice, Yukiko exclaims, “At the same time?!”

“I know, right?! I didn't even think she loved anyone but Yu,” Yosuke agrees. “Apparently, she has feelings for everyone on the team.”

“Even me?”

“Everyone,” Yosuke confirms. “In fact, I think she's actually starting to warm up to Marie, too.”

He thinks back for a second, though, and corrected himself. “Well, everyone except for-”

Yukiko interrupts to venture a guess. “Teddie?”

“Teddie.”

“Figures.” Yukiko shakes her head. The little brother of the team. "But still… wow.”

[Stop BGM]

Now…

“Number three.”

“Shoot.”

“I’m glad you felt comfortable telling me this,” Yukiko starts, “and if you were looking for support and understanding, then know that you very much have it from me, but… Why tell me?” she asks. “Wouldn't - well, wouldn't someone else be better at keeping a secret like this? Naoto-kun, for example. She might be more knowledgeable about stuff like this, wouldn't she?”

“We’re gonna tell everyone tomorrow anyway, before Yu leaves.” Yosuke explains. “I told you now because you n’ I specifically have something in common.”

“Being?” Yukiko asks.

“Labrys.”

The thumping in her chest stops for a split second. Does he-

“Yeah, I know. I saw you buying extra makeup and a set of clothes while I was working this morning,” he explains, a slight smirk on his lips. “Chie’s never worn a dark blue cardigan, and she definitely doesn't use a compact.”

Seeing Yukiko turn her head to hide her now much more visible blush, he quickly adds, “A-and I don't mind that you do, honest! I’ve already talked with Yu and Rise about it, and we’re all okay with each of us loving other people too, but… but I need your help.”

When he has her attention, he goes on. “Labrys can take care of herself, I know that, but we haven't heard back from her since we got here, and that scares me,” Yosuke says. “If we find her in here, she could be in really bad shape, or worse… and Minazuki might be the one who hurt her.”

She slowly nods, picking up on the other unspoken message. “You want me to help you keep Labrys safe from him?”

“Yeah. He's dangerous, Yukiko, and we don't know if he’s got a clear head. We don't know what happened after she snuffed out Kagutsuchi,” Yosuke says. “I don't wanna leave her life to chance.”

“...”

“I can't ask Yu or Rise to help me with this: they’d both punch my lights out for even suggesting we fight Sho,” Yosuke reasons. “Teddie would blab the plan out to “Sensei”, so he’s out. Everyone else… they don’t get it. Get her . Not like you and I do. You're the only one I can ask, Yukiko.”

…He makes a compelling argument.

I know.

…

…Damn it, I hope this doesn't end badly…

“What do you need me to do?”

Finally, Sho and Labrys calm down a bit. Leaning on the railing, occasional giggles still escape their lips.

Sho holds his side (obviously his rib is still broken, and it's better to keep it from moving away from its old position too much), the fullness and euphoria of genuine laughter numbing the pain even better than adrenaline. 

…and yet.

There's just something that’s keeping him from enjoying it fully.

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - Memory]

“Hey, uh... Labs?” Sho asks.

“Mhm?”

“We’re, uh… we’re cool, right?” he asks, fearing the answer.

“Whaddaya mean? The thing with the remote?”

“Yeah. You're not gonna… y'know, hack my body to pieces and hide ‘em in the forest, are you?”

She gasps. “No! Oh my God, no. That was actually one of the reasons I went up the tower ta talk with you. If anythin’, I should be thankin’ you.”

“Thanking me?”

“You helped me realize somethin’, Tsuki. You n’ me… we’re a lot like each other,” she explains. “Puppets who cut our own strings, in a sense. N’ we both wanted understanding from the world. Only real difference was how we tried gettin’ that understanding. Realizin’ that was why I went up the tower to save you.

“But more than that; if you hadn't thrown me in the TV, I might not ever’ve met the Inaba team. Or properly awakened my Persona, or have this talk with you,” she goes on. “Heck, you even let me reconcile with my Shadow even more than before. I can't hate you for that.”

“Labs, I tried to kill you.”

“And my Shadow stopped ya before that happened, didn't she?” Labrys reassures. “We’re cool, Tsuki. Promise.”

That settles that, then. Sho’s head hangs back over the railing, relieved.

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast strengthened thy bond with another…

Thou shalt rival the strength of divine and daemonic alike as you wear the mask of the Fool…

The Fool Social Link of Minazuki Sho and Labrys has reached Level 2! 

*crack*

“...Well, that's only partly true.”

Huh?

A familiar porcelain white Persona stands outside the walkway, looking directly at Sho. Beads of sweat begin dribbling down his nape and back.

“I, for one, am not quite as forgiving as my Self, Firebrand,” Ariadne says. Bending over the railing, the Persona’s face gets right into Sho’s. “So allow me to make something perfectly clear.”

“If you ever attempt to harm Labrys in either soul or body again, then mark my words, Minazuki Sho, there will be no amount of armor that will save your head from my threads cleaving it off your shoulders,” Ariadne spits out. “You are fortunate I left you with merely bruises and burns from Asterius last time; I shall not extend another such courtesy again.”

Ariadne fades into nothing again, leaving the twins in silence.

“...T-Tsuki, I-”

“No. That's… that's about what I was expecting,” Sho sighs.

What the hell, Ariadne?!

When I get to beat him within an inch of HIS life, then I’ll forgive him.

“...Hey, wait a second! I feel like something just appeared in the TV World!” Rise exclaims. 

She immediately summons Himiko to get a clearer picture. “Yamagishi-san, can you sense it too?”

Fuuka summons Lucia alongside Rise, attempting to focus in on the newcomers. “Yes… there’s two new presences here. I can’t quite tell what they are, though. They almost feel like Aigis and Narukami-san, but not quite like them either...”

“Is it Sho and Labrys?” Yu asks while everyone gathers around the navigators. “They could be injured.”

Yosuke’s eyes narrow at his mention. So much for him being slumped over.

“Hmmm… one does sorta feel like Labrys, actually! Yeah, that's her!” Rise exclaims, which gets a sigh of relief from everyone. “And she's moving towards us! But then-”

“Where are they? Are they close?” Yosuke questions. Yu’s still looking at the Navigators; good. He’s not looking at Yosuke. He can ask for forgiveness later. 

He glances at Yukiko, asking a wordless question. 

She nods in reply.

“They're about 3 kilometers that way,” Fuuka responds, pointing out to the walkway behind the group, “but-”

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - FALLING DOWN]

*crack*

The sound of a tarot card being crushed rings in everyone’s ears. Quickly turning towards the source, they see behind Yosuke is his Persona, casting Masukukaja on him and Yukiko.

“We’ll go take care of them! You just focus on healing up!” Yukiko yells as she takes off with Yosuke.

“Yosuke, wait!” Yu shouts. “Yukiko!” Chie yells. Both are to no avail; they’re already far out of earshot.

“What are they gonna do?!” Chie worries.

“I don't know, but I’m not about to find out,” Yu says, shaking his head. He turns back to the group. “Naoto, do we still have some Super Sonics?” he asks.

“Yes, Senpai. We didn't really need to make use of them during the battle, so we still have about twenty left.” Thankfully, Naoto and Kanji had the forethought to sort all their combat-related items into individual bags last year. 

She tosses over the bag full of orbs of wispy green energy, one of which Yu crushes in his hand. He and Chie immediately feel lighter on their feet; a familiar feeling from their time fighting Shadows. A couple of these Masukukaja items paired with buffs from Yu’s other Personas should let them match Yosuke’s and Yukiko’s paces.

“We’ll catch up to them. You guys stay put!” Chie says. She and Yu take off down the walkway, trying to catch up to their partners. Damnit, you two, what are you thinking?!

“He’s bound to be exhausted. If we space ourselves out, we should be able to wear him down enough to the point he can’t keep up,” Yosuke suggests.

“Here, take this,” Yukiko says, tossing over two Snuff Souls. “I brought a couple in case a fight breaks out.”

“Thanks,” he says. He pops one into his mouth, instantly feeling his strength return. Each of these should buy him… a couple Garudynes, maybe one and a Sukukaja if he regenerates some more during the fight. 

“Yosuke, Yukiko-senpai, what the heck are you two doing?!” they both hear in their ears. Rise’s strength is enough to communicate, at least. That’s good.

“Making sure nothing gets out of hand, that’s what,” Yukiko yells out in reply. “We know Minazuki is dangerous as it is; we can’t have him hurting anyone else!”

“But Minazuki-kun and Labrys are both weak, and we were trying to tell you they were walking towards our location together!” Rise screams at them. “Yu-senpai was right: they both need medical attention, really badly!”

“Then what the hell do you expect us to do, Rise?! Just help him like he’s our best buddy?!” Yosuke shoots back. “He tried to kill Labrys, for fuck’s sake!”

“Yamagishi-san told you already, they felt more like Yu-senpai and Aigis-san! And their vitals aren’t fluctuating like they’re in a fight!” Rise tries to convince them. “If they were walking towards us, then maybe he isn’t trying to hurt anyone, or maybe she really was carrying him! Either way, they’re both in really bad shape, a-”

A new voice pipes up on the line. “Hanamura, Amagi, listen to me. The remote that Minazuki used earlier was one of only two left in the world,” Kirijo-san says. “He only had one remote, and the moment we return to our headquarters I am personally crushing the other to bits beneath my heel! What happened before in the tower will not happen again, you have my word!”

“Just whatever you do, do not do anything rash!” she urges. “We can’t take Minazuki into custody if he’s dead!”

And another voice comes up. “Damnit, you two, stop!” Yu urges. “I know how you feel, but if Labrys got through to him at all, then we don’t have to fight!”

“I’m not taking that chance, damn it!” Yosuke yells. “I don’t give a shit if he’s become a saint now, we’re not leaving him alone with Labrys like that! It’s too risky!”

“Is that what this is about?!” Chie says on the line. “He already got his ass kicked by her Shadow before, and Koro-chan destroyed the remote he had! What happens if you guys kill him, Yukiko?!”

“I‘ve brought people back from the dead before!” Yukiko replies. “That's why I came along!”

“Oh, like pulling the kid back from the shackles of death is any better! He's probably already face-to-face with Ryoji as it is!” Another new voice: Iori-san. “Look, you two, I get why you're really doing this; the heart wants what the heart wants! But beating the kid while he’s down isn't gonna win her over!”

“What the hell would you know about why we’re doing this?!” Yukiko and Yosuke yell over the line. They’ve just about had enough of everyone getting on thei-

“Because I’ve already lost someone I love, that's why!” Junpei screams.

They didn't even need Rise and Fuuka to hear that.

Both of them stop in their tracks, immediately turning back to the entrance.

And not just them, either. Everyone was in stunned silence.

“When I lost Chidori the first time, I wanted to rip apart the bastard who took her from me with my bare hands,” Junpei chokes out, “and I felt so goddamn powerless when he got away! I don't know what you're feeling?! I wanted to get revenge more than anyone here!” 

He points an accusatory finger out in the direction they took off, his eyes streaming with tears. “So don't you talk to me about ‘what the hell would you know’ like no one else has ever wanted to get even, or protect someone they love! Get in line!”

Everyone else is speechless at Junpei’s own outburst. He’s heaving for breath; he hadn't screamed at someone like that since… well, that one time in the dorm with Makoto.

After a moment, he feels a hand on his shoulder. “In a sense, I understand you both…” Ken says somberly. “But taking it out on people for the sake of others doesn't get you anywhere."

He steps past Junpei, speaking out towards the walkway as if directly to Yosuke and Yukiko. “Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that Mom wouldn't have wanted me to go through with killing Aragaki-san.” Ken looks down, pained at recalling that time in his life. “And after he died at Takaya’s hand - protecting me, of all people - it felt like the shame I had for even considering stooping to that level would pull my heart right out of my chest… that sort of guilt never goes away.” 

“No matter what he did, or how you feel for Labrys-san, he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that!” Ken pleads. “Please, Amagi-san, Hanamura-san! Don't do this! Hurting Minazuki for Labrys-san’s sake won't make you feel any better!”

[Stop BGM]

Yukiko and Yosuke are both quiet.

They really just…

…contemplated beating someone within an inch of their life…

Yosuke leans on the railing. He… really hadn't changed a bit since Namatame, had he?

And he convinced Yukiko to help him do it…

Fuck.

He hears the hard footsteps of Yu and Chie behind them, rubber soles and muscle shaking the metal.

“...Tsuki?”

“Mm.” Sho and Labrys haven't moved any more from that spot on the railing. Sho hadn’t had many thoughts since the spat with Ariadne a few minutes ago.

“You feel that rattlin’?”

“Huh? Rattling?”

Now more aware, Sho listens for rattling, and sure enough, off to his right he hears metal shaking against metal.

There's someone on their way towards them - multiple someones.

Coming into their vision is Ressentiment and Snow Black, followed closely by Silver Hair and the Carnivore.

[Persona 4 The Animation OST - Truth is Hidden in Fog]

“Are you alright, Labrys?!” Yukiko worriedly asks as she gets close, examining the damage to the gynoid’s frame to see if Konohana-Sakuya can heal her at all. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, but check up on Sho!” Labrys says. “He mentioned somethin’ earlier about his rib bein’ broken!”

“I’ll do what I can,” Yosuke says, summoning Jiraiya to (begrudgingly) heal Sho. “Where’s the crack?”

Sho points at the appropriate rib. He knows exactly who Yosuke is, and he also knows about the dagger in his offhand he is failing to conceal. Concealed or not, though, a weapon is a weapon, and even Sho can’t move his hands fast enough to pull a knife from his own pocket.

Both Yukiko and Yosuke begin their healing processes, with Yu providing some Snuff Souls to replenish themselves as they go.

“Narukami, is Minazuki in your custody?” Mitsuru asks over the comm link.

“Yes, he’s here with us, and he’s conscious,” Yu replies. “We don't have anything to secure him with, though. Didn’t really think that through…” he trails off, shooting Yosuke a mildly irritated look. 

Yosuke tries to avert his gaze from Yu, but he feels the hole being bored into his skull regardless. He nods.

“Understood. Hmm…” Mitsuru ruminates. “Labrys, are your arms still functional?” she asks.

“I already know what you’re about ta ask me, Mitsuru-san, and the answer is no,” Labrys immediately replies, shaking her head vehemently. “I’m not tyin’ up my brother.”

“Wait, ‘brother’?!” Yosuke exclaims. “The same guy who tried reformatting you!?”

“Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, myself-” Sho tries to quip, but he immediately gets a kunai pointed at his eye. “-alright, I’ll shut up! Goddamn…”

“Sho and I are… more alike than we are different,” Labrys explains. “N’ bein’ byproducts of the Kirijo Group, I suggested callin’ him my “brother”. Like how I’m sisters with Aigis.”

“So what, you’ve just buried the hatchet?” Yu asks.

“A few minutes ago, too,” Labrys says with a smile.

“It's quite admirable for you to show that kind of maturity and solidarity, Labrys,” Mitsuru says, “but regardless, he is responsible for multiple major Shadow-related incidents, and Public Security will want a full debrief of the culprit. We can't exactly let him walk free.”

After giving Yosuke an irritated look asking for permission to speak, Sho interjects. “Look, Kirijo, you can hear me, right?”

“Indeed I can.”

“If you're worried about me running, then don't. If I wanted to, I’d’ve gotten the hell out of here the moment I could stand,” Sho says.

“Is that so.” She says it almost nonchalantly.

So she doesn't know what I can do... We have enough juice for a demonstration back-and-forth. Just the demonstrations, though.

Alright, you wanna play, Kirijo? I’ll play.

[Stop BGM]

Sho’s signature shit-eating grin spreads across his face. “Tell your navigator to keep an extra careful eye on my signal.”

"-at the hell was that?! Where'd he go?!" Mitsuru hears Satonaka wonder over the line.

“...What the-?! There was a burst of energy, and now his reading is at least 50 meters away from before! He’s off the walkway!” Fuuka exclaims. “It's almost like he's-”

“Teleporting,” Mitsuru growls. “Is he getting away?!”

“Wait! Now he's… back where he was sitting before?” Rise says. “He's back with Senpai and the others!”

"Don't fucking move!" Hanamura screams at Minazuki.

“You get the picture yet, Kirijo?” Sho asks over the line, almost mockingly.

“Fine, then. Answer me this; why aren't you?” Mitsuru asks, calling his bluff. “If you can outpace any of us completely, then why aren't you back in Inaba right now?”

[Persona 4 OST - Reasoning (Another Version)]

“Because I’ve got some business to take care of with you, Kirijo,” Sho says, “and I can't exactly do that if we don't talk face-to-face.”

“I don't fear you, Minazuki. If you think you can intimidate me, you’ll find yourself very sorely mistaken in a few minutes.” 

“It’s not a threat, Kirijo. I just wanna know a few things, that's all.” Sho leans back on the railing. “About my life before Ergo. And if she wants it, a new chassis for Labs. All the bells and whistles.”

“In exchange for what? ” Mitsuru questions.

“My... cooperation,” Sho replies, a smug expression on his face. Come on, Kirijo, take the bait...

“Do you really think I’m that gullible? ” she derides. “You kidnap me and my team, tie us to crosses like your father did three years ago, and attempt to bring about another version of the Fall: and you expect me to just believe you're throwing in the towel for a few documents and repairs for your sister?” 

“...I wouldn't really mind a new chassis, actually…” Labrys says quietly.

"You don't have any other surviving test subjects from Ikutsuki's side projects, do you?" Sho offers. "Think about all the things you might learn from studying a guy with a Plume Of Dusk implanted in his spinal cord..."

He looks across the walkway to see Labrys with a look of horror on her face. What the hell're you even sayin'?! You remember what those experiments were, don't you?!

He gives her a glance of his own; a raised eyebrow, and a mild smirk. I'm not that insane, and neither is Kirijo. Don't worry.

"Minazuki, the Kirijo Group ceased all human experimentation of that nature many years ago," Mitsuru scoffs. "And as the Group's head, I don't intend to put anyone through anything as horrific as that again... even you."

"I never said 'experiment', Kirijo. I said study," Sho says. "Think about it: You get all your assets back, Labs gets to play dress-up, and I learn more about my other 'siblings'. Everyone wins!"

[Stop BGM]

If they were in the real world, they would undoubtedly be hearing crickets to interrupt the silence resulting from Mitsuru's lack of a response.

C'mon... I know you see it shining on that hook. "We're waiting, Kiri-"

"Come to the entrance. Don't keep us waiting, Minazuki."

Jackpot.

"A pleasure doing business, Kirijo." Sho says.

"Now, if you're done with your little parlor tricks, will you let me finish mending your rib?" Yosuke irritatedly asks.

"Yeah, yeah," Sho says, holding up his hands.

Labrys shoots him another look, confused. What the hell was that, Tsuki?

He once again replies with the same raised eyebrow and smirk from before. I've got a plan, sis. Don't worry about it.

Yukiko and Sakuya managed to clean up most of Labrys’s scorching and bent metal, as well as get her joint motors back into a workable state, but Yukiko can't heal her all the way. She's just too exhausted, even with the extra mana boost from the Snuff Soul.

“I’m sorry… that's all I can do right now,” Yukiko apologizes.

“Don't be. You’ve done more than enough, n’ I’m feelin’ better already,” Labrys reassures, standing back up.

“Sho, can you move?” Yu asks. “Can't have you dying on us.”

Sho stands up on his own, still holding his side. “Yeah, I’ll live," he sighs, "but will you tell your boyfriend he can put his knife away, please?”

“I wouldn't put these away even if you were in handcuffs!” Yosuke retorts.

Chie picks up on that other bit. “Wait, what? Boyfriend?”

She squints, her eyes flicking between Yosuke and Yu, before they immediately widen in realization.

She gasps. “Is Yu-kun cheating on Rise-chan with Yosuke?!”

"Huh?! Wait, no, that's not what I-!"

[Persona 4 OST - Like A Dream Come True]

“These damn kids…”

Akihiko’s face is in his palm. The navigators are all broadcasting this to the rest of the Persona-users at the entrance, all of whom collectively feel a bead of embarrassment-induced sweat rolling down the sides of their faces.

Mitsuru had picked up on Hanamura's conversation with Kujikawa, and immediately knew what they were. She had mentioned it to Akihiko and Yukari moments before Labrys and Minazuki had appeared in the TV World, which prompted a "good for them!" and a "not half bad, kids" from her own beloveds.

“Should... should we explain what we are?” Yukari asks worriedly. 

“No,” Mitsuru says, “at least... not right now. It isn’t our place to assign a label to what they have. But they’ll figure it out - Probably soon.”

“Still, they couldn't’ve saved the relationship drama for after we got back to our world or something?” Akihiko asks, exasperated. “As much as I’d love to give a lecture about polyamory to a bunch of highschoolers and an android, I also wanna lie down.” He grimaces, looking longingly at the stack of TVs behind them. “And I could go for something to eat…”

Hearing Akihiko offhand, Kanji mutters to himself in curiosity. “Poly…amory? What, is that some kinda new shape or somethin’?”

“We’re absolutely going to have a team meeting tomorrow…” Naoto says, pulling her hat over her face in a futile attempt to hide the pink that now covered her entire head.

Chapter Text

“I can't believe this! I couldn't give a shit if you and Yosuke were gay, but how could you lead Rise-chan on like that?! And for so damn long, too!?”

“Chie-senpai, that's not-!” Rise tries to interject. There has DEFINITELY been a misunderstanding here, but—

Chie throws her hands up, not even hearing the idol try to defend her boyfriends. “Of all the inconsiderate—”

“Chie, would you listen for one goddamn second?!” Yosuke finally screams. “Yu isn’t cheating on Rise! I’m just… look, it's complicated, alright?!”

“Oh, it seems pretty clear cut to me, ya friggin’ perv!”

The team had successfully brought Sho and Labrys back to the entrance of the Hollow Forest, and Sho is now zipcuffed while amusedly watching the Investigation Team crumble before his eyes.

“Chie, stop!” Before the Carnivore can send Ressentiment and Silver Hair into the Hollow Forest’s equivalent of the Kuiper Belt, Yukiko gets in between her best friend and her now partner-in-crime. 

“Just hear them out for a minute, okay?!” she tries to reason. “Maybe this is all just… Minazuki messing with us!”

“I mean, you'd be half right,” Sho quips. “I was totally serious about Silver Hair and Ressentiment having a handy party, though—”

“Tsuki, quit antagonizin’ them!” Labrys scolds. 

“Hey, I never said I was judging!” Sho laughs, holding his hands up. “All I wanted was for Spikey over here to get his knife out of my back.”

“Oh, you are so lucky I don't have another hand, Minazuki—!” Yosuke growls as he narrowly avoids a stray kick from Chie.

“Why’s that?” Sho taunts before pointing at him. “Oh, yeah: you’re already working three handsy jobs!”

“Enough with the h—!” Yu snaps, his stoic mask finally worn thin enough to crack.

He spins on his heel directly towards the redhead. “Sho, as funny as this may be to you, we are all in very bad moods and very bad shape, no small thanks to you,” Yu says. 

He steps closer to Sho, finger outstretched. “Everyone here is running out of patience, including myself, so I suggest you stop poking fun at the relationship we’ve been trying to keep secret for the last five months!”

“FIVE MONTHS?!?” he hears all of his friends and Labrys exclaim. Sho just laughs his ass off, and three of the Shadow Operatives groan in disappointment.

Rookie mistake, kid… and here I was, thinking you knew something about relationship OpSec. Can’t really blame him, though.

Of all the things you could’ve said to try ameliorating the situation, that was the worst.

Damn it, you’re even more like Makoto than I thought…

What an intellectual move, Narukami, Beelzebub snarks. Do you intend to reveal the size of Hanamura’s me-

One more word out of you and I’m sending you back to the Sea Of Souls.

Now, now, Yu, let's not be so hasty, Izanagi cautions. He makes a valid point: you didn't need to make the situation more volatile.

Which is exactly why I don't wanna hear it right now! There’s a time and place, and this is neither!

Seeing an opportunity, Rise takes a deep breath, and turns towards their resident martial artist. “Chie, look: Senpai isn't cheating on me. It's nothing like that, I promise—”

“Then how the hell do you explain this?! ” Chie interrupts, gesturing towards Yosuke now hiding behind Yu. “They're not even bothering to defend themselves, eithe—”

She catches herself, though, realizing who she interrupted. “Wait, you’re in on it?!”

Rise groans. “We can explain that, too, if you would give us a chance to. ”

She places a hand on Chie’s shoulder. “Look: we’re all really tired, and thanks to Minazuki, we’re all on edge at the moment,” she says tiredly, turning towards everyone else. “Can we all just… sleep this off? And we can talk about it at Junes tomorrow?” she pleads.

“I am inclined to agree,” Mitsuru steps in, pulling the attention of the rest of the group. “This isn't the ideal setting for this sort of conversation. Minazuki’s custody must be addressed outside regardless, and…”

She hesitates for a second, looking over at the other present adult Shadow Operatives. The pugilist and the gynoid give her thumbs up and a smile respectively, while the archer gives her a shrug and a nod. 

She sighs. 

“...and we can help explain your situation as well,” she continues, turning back to the idol.

“...Oh.” Rise nods. “T-then yeah, tomorrow at Junes,” she agrees.

Thank the heavens.

She turns back towards the martial artist. “Please, Chie-senpai?”

Chie turns away from them, an almost… resentful expression on her face? “Fine,” she says after a moment.

What's got her so mad? She's not even the one she thinks is getting cheated on.

We can't exactly read minds, Rise, Himiko replies. Let’s just be thankful she’s dropping it for now.

Mitsuru turns towards the bear suit. “Teddie, I believe it was? Can you create another gateway for us to leave?”

“You got it, Mit-chan!” Teddie says with a salute. With a tap of his shoe on the ground, a new stack of 3 televisions mystically appears next to Teddie.

“Alright, I locked up behind me. We’re in the clear,” Yosuke announces, running to meet the rest of the group. “Well, for now… my dad's gonna be suspicious as hell when he checks the tapes in the morning.”

The 17 Persona-users stand in the Junes parking lot beneath a light pole, all breathing a sigh of relief that they weren't caught by the security guards.

“I’ll take that over stopping the destruction of the world a second—well, third time, I guess?” Yu jokes. 

“Easy for you to say!” Yosuke complains. “You're not the one who’s gonna get bombarded with questions when you wake up!”

“I feel ya, man,” Junpei agrees, scratching his head. “I don't even know how I’m gonna explain this to Chidori…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Mitsuru assures. “If your guardians or family require an explanation, please call or text this number.”

She hands Yosuke and the other Seekers printed cards, with her contact information. “I’ll be back in a moment; I’m going to radio Kikuno for her location,” she says, walking over to another street lamp in the parking lot that would be mostly out of earshot from the rest of the group.

While everyone else takes a moment to look over the cards they received and put the number in their phones, the other Shadow Operatives (excluding Junpei, Fuuka and Ken) follow Mitsuru towards the other street lamp.

“Well. That's a can of worms I wasn't expecting to open today,” Yukari sighs.

“Neither was I, but here we are,” Akihiko agrees. “Can’t really blame the kid for blowing up like that, though; you remember how it was when Aigis broke the news to the rest of the team.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Yukari bemoans. “Stupei wouldn’t stop going on and on about his and Chidori’s ‘sacred love’ or whatever. And Mitsuru always looked like she was moments away from killing him for a week straight,” she recalls.

“Junpei got over that part, though, didn’t he?” Akihiko reminds her. “And we went back to loving all the same.” 

He leans on the lamp pole, looking back towards the Investigation Team, bickering and bantering as they are. “These guys’ve been through thicker than this, Yukari; I see it in their eyes,” he says. And they have: defeating the embodiments of humanity’s collective unconscious desires is a rough job. SEES did it, the Seekers Of Truth did it.

It wouldn’t be easy—it never is—but… “They will come to terms with it,” Aigis assures. “If we did, unusual a group as we are, then assuredly they will, too.”

“Yeah…” she trails off in agreement. “I just wish it wasn’t—”

“Comparatively ‘niche’? Definitely ‘not normal’? ” Akihiko tries to finish.

“Yeah, all those, but also just… I wish this wasn’t all so complicated,” Yukari says. “I mean, the five of us are used to this, sure, but these kids don’t know what they’re getting into! A-and we aren’t just explaining ourselves this time, Aki-senpai,” she continues, “we’ll need to help actually guide them through that process! We don’t know how to do that!” Yukari exclaims.

“Then we’ll stumble through that too, right along with them,” Mitsuru says, finally joining the conversation and putting away her radio. “Kikuno landed on Yasogami’s soccer fields. She’s on her way with the helicopter now,” she says. 

Mitsuru turns to Yukari, looking regretful. “I… I know this isn’t what any of us expected tonight, but we aren’t going to establish a working relationship with them if their group is in chaos,” she says. “We all know very well what can happen when comrades come to an impasse like this, and while I’m sure this won’t become another situation with the Abyss Of Time, I don’t want to see them possibly come to blows on their own.”

“Then what do we do?” Yukari asks. “Just say to them ‘Hey, so your leader and two of his best friends all suck face with each other, also a large amount of our team does it too, none of us are normal’?”

“Frankly, Yukari? Yes,” Mitsuru sighs, “albeit a bit more verbose.”

“It’s hardly any different than how we explained it to the others last year,” Aigis points out, uncharacteristically dryly.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Yosuke asks his partner, once they're away from the group.

“Probably what they’re gonna do with Sho,” Yu says. “I’m hoping they actually bring us into that conversation at some point; I don’t wanna see him just get locked up.”

A pregnant pause hung on the air between the two men. 

“... Speaking of Sho,” Yu finally says, turning to his boyfriend, “we need to talk about what happened in there.”

Yosuke sighs. “I was hoping you wouldn’t bring that up…”

“What the hell were you thinking, Yosuke?”

“I don’t know! I just…” Yosuke tries to explain himself, stopping to organize his response. “I… I-I flashed back to Saki-senpai. I almost saw Labrys’s everything get wiped away, man! L-like an old save file that didn’t serve a purpose anymore!” he almost screams.

He leans on the other side of the telephone pole, letting go a breath. “You know how I feel about her, dude. I asked her on a date the other day. A date! And I get how she feels, to a certain extent. We both lost people that were important to us, and live in their honor! I can’t—”

Yu’s shoulders drop, starting to see what he’s getting at. “—can’t let someone who was about to kill someone you care about get away with it,” Yu finishes. 

“I— Y-yes! Exactly!” Yosuke exclaims. “If something actually happened to you, or her, or Rise, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself! A-and the thought that Minazuki might get off with just a slap on the wrist kept creeping back into my mind, and…” 

Yosuke sighs, slumping over and head in hands. “...and I ended up doing exactly what I did that night with Namatame. God, and I roped Yukiko into it this time, too…”

Yu sits down next him. “For what it’s worth, I get it,” he assures. “Really, I do. You were there that night outside the hospital. But that’s not an excuse to kick someone while they’re down; not when they have a chance to show us their true self. Not when there’s still missing pieces to the puzzle,” he reminds Yosuke.

He puts his shoulder around his partner. “No one got hurt more than they already were, so no harm, no foul,” he comforts. “So don't beat yourself up about it too much, okay?”

“Yeah.” Yosuke nods. He still feels that weird well in his chest, but… that's hardly new, is it?

“Also… the eyes?” Yu asks, trying to lighten the mood.

Yosuke chuckles after a second. “...yeah. And the hair.”

“Bright red, eh? Should I put in contacts when I come around next?” Yu laughs.

“Nah, yours are different, man!” Yosuke says. “Gray is stoic, reliable. And they always soften for us.”

“They’ll soften for you anytime,” Yu says, smirking and shaking Yosuke by the shoulder. “We’ll talk about Labrys and Yukiko with Rise after we break tomorrow. Now c’mon, let's go back.”

Both men get up and start walking over to the other Persona-users. The Shadow Operative seniors rejoin the group at the same time they did

“So… what happens now, Kirijo-san?” Naoto asks.

“Currently, the plan is to return Iori and Amada to their homes in Iwatodai. Then we can begin to properly assess the damage done to Labrys’s chassis,” Mitsuru replies, “assuming those Public Safety investigators didn't brutalize our facility.”

“What about Tsuki?” Labrys questions.

Mitsuru stands still for a moment, as if deciding what to do… before grabbing the knife from Akihiko’s belt. 

“Kirijo-san, what the hell are you—!?” Yosuke starts, but he’s cut off by Yu.

She gestures to the scarlet-haired young man with her free hand. “Come here, Minazuki.” 

Sho guardedly walks towards her, looking at the other Persona-users for their reactions. Ressentiment looks appalled, Silver Hair and Killjoy have their poker faces on, and everyone else just seems… on edge.

She points the knife at Minazuki—

—and slashes downwards, cleanly cutting the zipties from Sho’s hand.

…What.

What.

“ ...what? ” Sho parrots his Personas, dumbfounded enough to not even shake off the broken cuffs.

“You can't be serious! ” Yosuke practically screams.

“One.” Mitsuru hands Akihiko his knife back, ignoring the brunette. “You will have one chance to prove yourself, Minazuki. You will point out where in the forest your home is, and we will drop you off.”

She steps towards him, pulling off the broken ties. “The day after tomorrow, we will return with groceries. If you’re still in Inaba in three weeks, we will fly you out to our facility, give you a standard checkup, inspect your Plume, and give you access to all files pertaining to the PUPPETMASTER experiments in our possession. I doubt it will have anything regarding your life before the experiments, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Kirijo-san, I have to object!” Yosuke exclaims. “Minazuki is da—!”

“He was abandoned by everyone else in the world when he was deemed a nuisance,” Mitsuru interrupts, “which is exactly how we got to this point in the first place. I understand your concerns, Hanamura, but please listen for a moment.”

She turns back to Minazuki. “I’m not going to lie and say that I trust any part of what you said in that world. But you've had more than enough opportunity to escape by this point, and that does say something. I know you could have broken these at any moment. You're more than strong enough to do so,” she says, dangling the broken zipties between her fingers. 

“Do you truly want to show me you're not a threat?”

“...Y-yes?” Sho replies, confused.

“Then stay in Inaba, and prove it. It's easier for us to deal with you like this anyway; Public Safety would have your head on a pike otherwise.”

“But… why?” Sho sputters out. 

Mitsuru smirks. “Because there was another like you. It’d hardly be fair if I didn’t give you the same chance as her.”

As if on cue, debris kicks up across the parking lot as wind begins to beat down on the group. Kikuno has arrived, landing in the emptiest area of the asphalt. 

Before she can set both feet in the helicopter, however, Mitsuru turns back towards the Investigation Team; more specifically, Sho, still in shock. She calls out to him:

“We’re waiting, Minazuki.”

Don't. Remember what the Kirijos did to us.

But… my hands…

Broken from chains, Sho. By hers. 

That means nothing. She is Kirijo: her family stinks of copper and deceit.

And no one else is holding us accountable for the sins of our father, Tsukiyomi. Only our own.

And what if this is all a trick, Homusubi? What if she subjects us to scalpels, needles? Or locks us in another cage? We have a chance to escape from what may be a trap!

What trap? She hardly knew we existed until three days ago! Look in her eyes, Tsukiyomi, look around us! The Amatsu and the Pantheon are all torn every which way, moreso than even we are! Discordant, confused! And she's offering us a chance to start anew; that's far more of a chance than Father ever gave us! What have we to lose—a paranormal object we never asked for?!

She’s not like Dad. I don't trust her, but there's life in her eyes. Life he never had.

And I’m not asking you to trust her, my Self. All I ask is that you take the chance to start again. To carve a place out for yourself in this world.

…The world we just tried to end.

Yes.

You’re delusional.

And you’re me.

I… she’s still giving me a chance.

This one chance, Sho. Trust. Perhaps not in her, but in me— you. In the possibility for you to change into more than a weapon, more than an angry child.

“Give the world a chance.”