A/N: Though our young hero has gained another ally, he will still need to garner more power to prepare for the ordeal that awaits him. Let us see how he handles new obstacles towards reaching that goal.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

Chapter XXVII: The Faceless Academy

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Noon

"Yamasato-san, you should know before we go any further. There's a choice you can make here. You can end your pain permanently by destroying your Shadow, or you can accept that pain and have your Shadow become a new part of you," said Ryuta.

"Are you kidding?" Ayuka replied. "There's no question." She approached her Shadow and crouched down to her level. "You're coming back with us. I won't take no for an answer."

"Are…you really sure?" Shadow Ayuka muttered. "After everything I've said and done…maybe…"

Ayuka cut her Shadow off by putting a finger to her lips. "Not another word. No more excuses. You're me, and I'm you. We complete each other. We need each other in our lives to remind us to be better people. And I vowed to myself when gained my powers to never let anyone suffer in silence again. Wanting to save you was what helped me awaken to my Persona. I'm not going back on my word, so you're coming back with me. End of discussion."

Suddenly and without warning, Shadow Ayuka began to cry. All of the sadness that had welled up inside of her over the years finally came out at full force. But if you looked closely, you could see some tears of joy mixed with the tears of sorrow. Ayuka wrapped her arms around her Shadow and held her close. Then her Shadow wrapped her arms around Ayuka and did the same. "Thank you. Thank you so much," Shadow Ayuka said through the tears. Then a bright aura began to envelop Shadow Ayuka and soon her body began to fade away into a bright light, until nothing was left of her but a small ball made up of darkness and light.

Ayuka never let go of her Shadow. The ball simply entered her heart in a gentle manner, as if her Shadow was also continuing to hold onto Ayuka. After a few more moments of grasping the air, Ayuka crossed her hand over her heart and noticed a newfound warmth in its place. "I can feel her right there inside my heart. She's so happy that it feels like she might burn me from the inside out if she's not careful."

"You two are finally free," Takuya replied.

Ayuka nodded. "Yeah, we are. Free at last." A few moments later, she stood up and turned to face the three boys. "And we could've never gotten to that point without you guys. I could say thank you a million times over, and it still wouldn't be enough."

"No thanks necessary, you're our friend," Takuya replied. "And now it looks like you're going to be our comrade in arms too."

Ayuka giggled and looked over her new outfit. "I look pretty good, don't I?"

"Not bad, the motif is definitely something. Gothic, music-themed Red Riding Hood?" Ryuta asked.

"Sounds about right," Ayuka replied. "And the name's Cavatina, now."

"Cavatina?" Ryuta replied in confusion. "That's an odd one. I mean mine is pretty self-explanatory, but what the hell does Cavatina mean?"

"It's a classical musical term, meaning a short, melodious song that is a vital part of any symphony. I am now a part of the great symphony that is your world, so I think it fits perfectly," Ayuka replied.

"It suits you, definitely," Takuya replied. "And you were a natural out there too, I think we're going to work really well together, Cavatina."

Ayuka giggled again. "I hope I can be a great asset to your team, Sin Eater."

"Well now that this situation is resolved, what say we all head back to our world?" Ryuta asked.

"Sounds good to me," Shinichi replied. "But the door is…" Shinichi turned back to the wall where the door to the hospital room once was and was surprised to see that it had reappeared again, "…now back apparently."

"Well I guess that's our way out, come on," Takuya replied. Then the four Grim Reapers made their way to the door and exited the room. They then found themselves atop the large stone staircase once again. Only now, the sky had returned to its warm, serene pink color.

"Wow," Ayuka said in awe of the landscape. "So this is the world inside my soul, huh?"

"It might look nice now, but trust me, when we were climbing up here it was anything but," Ryuta replied.

Shinichi looked back at the church and spied a change to its layout. "Hey guys look at that stained-glass window." The other three party members looked back at the church and saw the change to the stained-glass window. The once blank faces of the boy and girl were now smiling and appeared to be very happy.

"Their faces came back," Ryuta replied.

"That's you and your brother, isn't it?" Takuya asked Ayuka.

Ayuka nodded. "We look so happy together too." She sighed. "I spent so long locking away all the painful memories that I forgot to cherish the good ones."

"Don't worry, you have a long life ahead of you," Ryuta replied. "While you're remembering the good times you can make even more great memories for yourself. You can live and enjoy life for your brother's sake."

Ayuka smiled. "My mom said something similar to me earlier today."

"…" the three boys shared a perplexed look.

"Ayuka, what day is it today?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka looked confused. "It's Wednesday." Then she saw the boys concerned looks and realization struck her, "Oh right, Limbo."

"Of course you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, time flows really differently here. I'd say you've just been here a few hours at most," said Shinichi.

"It's Friday. You've been trapped here for two days, remember?" Ryuta added.

"We're so sorry, we would've come and rescued you sooner, but we didn't know until yesterday that you had ended up here. And we couldn't come then because well…" Takuya trailed off.

Ayuka looked at the three boys, they all gained very depressed looks. "What aren't you guys telling me?"

"…" the boys were silent at first, unsure of how exactly to break the news to Ayuka. Until finally, Shinichi spoke up.

"Well, do you remember last Sunday when Takuya and I gave you a crash course on Limbo?" Shinichi asked. "This concerns those things we discussed called Omens."

"Omens? What about the Omens?" Ayuka replied.

"Well if you'll recall, they're sort of like mirages of events yet to occur. Warnings of tragedies that will occur in the future. Omens of death," Shinichi explained. "They occur really frequently, and always show a person dying in a tragic manner. I used to see a lot of them before I met Takuya. In fact, we met when he saw an Omen for the first time."

"Okay, so to recap, these Omen things, they show someone's death, right? And you try to stop them, right?" Ayuka replied.

"It's…it's not that simple," Shinichi replied. "Our current theory is that Omens are the will of the universe itself. And any person who appears in one is almost certainly destined to die. I tried personally to prevent the future that the Omens foretold, but the people I saved just appeared in another Omen later on and died in a different manner. Basically, when you appear in an Omen, you are marked for death."

"What? Then what's the point of there even being Omens if these things you see are destined to happen?" Ayuka replied.

"That's exactly what I said, and I convinced Shinichi that maybe there was a way to stop the fate foretold in the Omens, one that he just hadn't discovered yet. So we decided that we would do everything in our power to prevent the fate that we foresaw in this most recent Omen," Takuya replied.

"And when I awakened to my powers, I did everything I could to help them too. But in the end…it just wasn't meant to be. The person we saw die in the Omen, died in real life," Ryuta added.

"…" Ayuka was silent for a moment as she contemplated all this information. And then she finally spoke up. "There's a reason you kept all of this from me, isn't there?" Ayuka asked. "I know the person who died, don't I?"

"…" the boys fell silent again.

"I appreciate your actions in trying to spare me unnecessary grief. After all, you thought you could prevent it from happening. But I want to know. Please, I can handle it," Ayuka replied.

Takuya sighed and then spoke up. "It was Endou-senpai. Endou-senpai was murdered last night."

"…!" Ayuka's eyes widened in surprise and then she looked down at the floor.

"We're so sorry, Ayuka. You knew her a lot longer than any of us did, so we can't even begin to imagine how you feel," said Shinichi.

"But if it makes you feel any better, we're not stopping here. We all agreed, we want to find out what happened and help catch her killer. It's the least we can do, since we failed to protect her," Ryuta added.

Ayuka nodded. "Then let me help too." She looked back up at the boys. "Endou-senpai was one of the nicest people that I have ever known. She never stopped trying to cheer me up and get me to play piano again. I let her down every step of the way though, and I blamed her and the club for what happened to Iwasaki-san. I want to make it up to her, in whatever way I can. So please."

Takuya walked up to Ayuka and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Of course. You're part of the team now and we could use all the help we can get. So let's go back home and plan our next move."

Ayuka nodded and then she sighed. "Still though, I've been gone for two days. My parents must be going crazy wondering where I am."

"About that, my cousin kind of hinted that your parents reported you missing," Takuya replied.

Ayuka looked worried. "That's not good." She sighed in exasperation. "What am I going to do? I can't just tell them that I've been stuck in another world this whole time. They'll think I've gone crazy and have me committed."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something," Ryuta replied. "What's important now is that we get you back home immediately. Who knows? Your folks might be so overjoyed to see you that they forget about everything else."

"Here's hoping, huh?" Ayuka replied.

"And there's one more thing," Takuya added. He sighed and looked down at the floor. "Yesterday, while you were still here, a new story was posted on that blog, Yousha Unmasked. It was a story about you."

"…!" Ayuka was surprised once again.

"At first it just talked about nitpicky things, like the fact that you don't perform even though you're in the orchestra club. But as it went on, it talked more about your family's circumstances, and your brother. And in the end, the bastard who runs that stupid blog accused you of…" Takuya struggled getting the last part out, "…having something to do with your brother's death."

"I read that post too. But obviously it's a bunch of bull," Ryuta replied.

"When we get back, you might start hearing whispers about you behind your back. Believe me, Ryuta and I know what to expect from shit like this. But just know, we have your back no matter what. We know the truth, and you know the truth. Who cares what those idiots choose to believe?" Takuya added.

Ayuka smiled. "Thanks, guys. But it's okay. After how much I've grown today, I'm not going to let something as stupid as that get to me. I'll be fine."

Shinichi smiled. "Well said. You've really changed Ayuka. Now let's get you back home."

Then Ayuka turned to face the staircase. "That looks like a long way down though. It's probably going to take us a while to get back."

"Well if this is anything like Ryuta's world, you should be able to open up a shortcut home for us," Takuya replied.

"A shortcut, huh?" Ayuka replied. Then all of a sudden, Ayuka's right arm began to glow and her Skeleton Key Tattoo began to shine from underneath her cloak's sleeve. "…" As if in a trance, Ayuka raised her arm up and then a loud unlocking sound filled the air, and a few moments later, a large, door-shaped hole appeared out of thin air. A bright light came from the other side; it was so bright that it was impossible to make out what was on the other side. Then a few moments later, Ayuka came back to her senses and saw the door in question. "Did…did I do that?"

"Yep, and that's our way home," Takuya replied. "Follow us." Then he, Ryuta, and Shinichi walked through the door one by one. Ayuka took one last look at the church behind her and then she smiled, and then she quickly followed after the other Reapers and the world went white around her.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Noon

A few moments later, the group found themselves in a familiar location. The inside of hospital room 1245. It looked just like Takuya remembered it from two days ago, dimly lit and dingy with a flower vase full of sunflowers in the corner. Takuya, Ryuta, and Shinichi were standing in the middle of the room while Ayuka was sitting on the hospital bed.

Ryuta looked around and saw that he and the others were once again in their normal clothes, and Shinichi had returned to his normal form. "Hell yeah! Another win for us!"

Ayuka looked at the sunflowers in the vase and smiled. 'Benzo, I'm going to miss you. But I promise, I won't waste my life mourning you anymore. I'll live. I'll live for you,' she thought to herself.

"Ayuka?" Takuya called out to his friend, getting her attention. Then he reached into his pants' pocket and pulled out a familiar folded-up piece of paper. Then he handed it to her. "Thank you for trusting me with it, but I think you should hold onto it after all."

"…" Ayuka silently grabbed hold of the piece of paper and then unfolded it. She stared at the sheet music, looking over each note on the tablature very carefully. And then she stared at the title of the composition: My Dear Sister. "It's so sad, he said he was going to play this for me as soon as he got better. He wanted me to be the first person to hear it."

"Well here's an idea. Why don't you play it to honor him? It can just be in front of us if you're worried about others watching," Takuya replied.

Ayuka shook her head. "I don't know. It's been so long since I've played in front of anyone, even my parents."

"Come on, you love music. You gave up playing because of your brother, but you said it yourself, you're past it now. You're ready to move forward," Shinichi replied.

"He's right, there's nothing holding you back now. You should do what makes you happy, I think that's what your brother would've wanted," Ryuta added.

Ayuka sighed and then she nodded. "You're right. I know you're right. We both loved performing for each other. It was our dream to become concert-level pianists. Even though my brother was practically a prodigy, he still looked up to me. He told me that he would only keep playing if I kept playing. He couldn't outmatch his hero so easily." Ayuka gently stroked the sheet music. "Maybe it is time for this beautiful piece he wrote to be heard."

"We'd love to hear it. But no pressure. Whenever you're ready, we'll be there to listen," Takuya replied.

Then the melancholic moment was interrupted by Ryuta, who spied a surprising sight. "Guys! Look!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Then Shinichi spied it too. "Ayuka! Behind you!"

Ayuka looked behind her and her mouth was left agape at the surprising sight. "…!" She immediately hopped off the bed and backed up to the wall.

Takuya stared in awe at the strange phenomenon. Another person had appeared in the hospital bed. The person in question was a small, skinny boy with brown eyes, freckles, and dark red curly hair. The boy was wearing a hospital gown and a hospital bracelet and he appeared to be almost see-through. "Ayuka…is that…?" Takuya tried to get out before Ayuka cut him off.

"Benzo!" Ayuka exclaimed as she crossed her hands over her mouth.

"That's Benzo?! Your younger brother?!" Ryuta exclaimed. "But isn't he supposed to be…!"

"He is," Shinichi cut him off. "Benzo Yamasato is dead. This is his ghost."

"His ghost?" Takuya repeated in confusion.

"Guys, remember I told you before that I'm not an ordinary ghost. I can walk and talk, and have full control of my abilities. But I'm also not the only ghost stuck in Limbo. This is the way ghosts normally act. Devoid of all emotion and thought, almost like they're in some kind of trance. Apparently, Benzo got stuck in Limbo too, and this is the result," Shinichi explained.

True to Shinichi's words, Benzo was absolutely still as he sat on the hospital bed, he didn't even blink. And he appeared to have a thousand-yard stare. "But Ayuka and I were both here before, and we didn't see him then. Why is he here now?" Takuya asked.

"If I had to wager a guess, I'd say it's because something's changed since then," Shinichi replied. Then he looked to Ayuka. "Most likely, Ayuka caused him to appear."

"…" Ayuka was at a loss for words. She carefully crept over to Benzo's bed side and then crouched down beside him. "B-Benzo? Is it really you?" she called out to her brother's ghost.

"…" Benzo didn't respond, or even seem to acknowledge Ayuka's presence.

"He's…he's not responding," said Ryuta.

"They never do. I really don't know why I'm the only one who's different. I wish I knew, I wish I could help them," Shinichi replied.

"Benzo? Benzo, can you hear me?" Ayuka continued to call out to her brother.

"…" but still Benzo didn't respond.

"Benzo! Benzo, please! Answer me!" Ayuka exclaimed, as her eyes began to swell up with tears. "It's me, it's Ayuka! Nee-san! Please, look at me! Can't you see me?!" Then she tried to grab onto him, but was surprised to see that her hands went right through him. She couldn't even touch him.

"…" Ayuka's pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Ayuka," Takuya muttered. He didn't know how to help her.

And then suddenly, another surprising event occurred. Shinichi's mind went blank and his eyes turned blood red, and then a well of insight filled his mind. "…" Shinichi spied the sheet music lying on the bed next to Ayuka and Benzo. And then without a single word, he walked over to the bed and picked up the sheet music.

"Shinichi?" Ryuta called out to him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Takuya asked.

"…" Shinichi didn't respond. Instead, he placed the sheet music onto Benzo's lap and then grabbed ahold of Benzo's left hand. Somehow, Shinichi was able to touch him. Then Shinichi motioned for Ayuka to grab ahold of his right hand, and a few moments later, Ayuka hesitantly did so. Then Shinichi's Reaper eyes began to glow and two different colored auras began to envelop his hands. A vibrant magenta aura consumed Shinichi's right hand and a cool green consumed his left. A few moments later, the auras dissipated and Shinichi's eyes returned to normal. He let go of Ayuka and Benzo's hands and then backed up from the bed. "H-Huh? what just happened?" Shinichi asked.

"Dude, what did you just do? Your eyes turned red, just like in Limbo," Ryuta replied.

"Guys, look!" Takuya exclaimed as he pointed at Benzo. Another surprising event occurred, as Benzo's body began to become fully solid, and a few moments later he began to stir.

Benzo blinked and then observed his surroundings, and then his sight landed on a very familiar individual. "N-Nee-san?"

"…!" Ayuka gasped and then reached out and wrapped her arms around her brother. "Benzo! Benzo, it's really you!" And then she cried into his hospital gown.

Benzo was surprised at the sudden contact, but then he smiled and wrapped his arms around his sister. "It's okay, Nee-san. It's okay."

"This…this is unbelievable," said Ryuta. "Shinichi, I thought you said other ghosts aren't like you. But Benzo's moving and talking just like you do. What gives?"

"I…I have no idea," Shinichi replied. "Did I do something?"

"I think you did. Before Benzo sprung to life, your eyes changed and you grabbed hold of him and Ayuka," Takuya replied. "Shinichi, I think you just awakened your eyes."

"My eyes?" Shinichi replied. He thought about it for a moment and then a phrase came to him. "The Eyes of the Phantom." Then Shinichi gasped. "…! Where did that come from?"

"It was the same with me. No doubt about it, that was the power of your eyes. You must be able to interact with other ghosts, even get them to wake up," Takuya replied.

"Wow, that is one cool power. And judging by this sight, I think Yamasato-san really appreciates it," Ryuta added.

The group looked on as the siblings continued their long hug. And after a few more minutes, they stopped hugging and stared into each other's eyes. Ayuka's tears had begun to dry and a smile enveloped her face. "I can't believe it. You're here. Right in front of me."

"I can't really believe it either. It's so good to see you again, Nee-san," Benzo replied.

Ayuka's expression changed to concern. "Benzo, do you know that you're…"

"Dead?" Benzo cut her off. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I know. I remember everything right up to it. And then everything went dark. I was lost for a long, long time. For what felt like eternity. And the next thing I know, I wake up here with you." He smiled at his older sister. "You've gotten taller, and prettier too."

"Oh you," Ayuka replied as she ruffled up her younger brother's hair. "Always the flatterer." Then she directed Benzo's attention to Takuya and the others. "By the way, these are my friends. They've helped me a lot over the past few days. They even made it so I could talk to you again."

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Benzo.

"Same here," Ryuta replied.

"Ayuka's talked a lot about you," Shinichi added.

"We're all a little shocked to be meeting up under these circumstances though," Takuya added.

Benzo chuckled. "That goes for me too. I really don't know why I'm here either. After I died, I thought that was it. There was no afterlife, no light, no darkness, just emptiness. If anything happened to me during that time, I can't remember it."

"What do you mean, Benzo?" Ayuka asked.

"I'm not really sure. If I had to describe it, it's sort of like I was in a deep, deep sleep. I didn't dream, I didn't see anything. It was like my mind was shut off. And after that, I woke up here. This isn't the afterlife though, is it?" Benzo replied.

Takuya shook his head. "This is the world of the living. We're not really sure why you're here either. All we know is that something strange has happened to this world, and the dead can't pass on properly."

"I'm the same," Shinichi replied. "See," he said as he began to hover in the air.

"Hmm, weird," Benzo replied. "Well for whatever the reason, I'm glad that I woke up when I did." He turned to Ayuka. "Because I got to talk to you one more time, Nee-san." He smiled. "Back when I was sick, you, Mom, and Dad were so sad. You tried to put on brave faces for me, but I could tell how you all really felt. I'm glad to see that you're happy again."

Ayuka's eyes began to water again. "Truth be told, I was still sad for a long time after you passed away. More so, because I blamed myself for what happened to you. I should have never pushed you to do that surgery, and I should have never yelled at you when all you were doing was…"

Benzo put his finger to Ayuka's lips and quieted her, much in the same manner Ayuka had done to her Shadow earlier. "It's okay. I didn't blame you then, and I don't blame you now."

"I'm so sorry, for everything," Ayuka replied.

"Don't worry about it. If anything, I should apologize to you. I wasn't taking your feelings into account when I made my decision. That's why in the end I went through with the surgery, because I knew it would make you happy," Benzo replied.

Ayuka scoffed. "Idiot, and look what happened when you did that."

Benzo chuckled. "What's in the past, is in the past. Let's not worry about it anymore. After all this time, I'm just happy to see you and your smiling face." Then he noticed something sitting in his lap. "Is that…?" Benzo reached to pick it up and saw that it was the sheet music to the song that he wrote for Ayuka. "My composition. I never did get to play this for you, did I?"

"It's okay, it wouldn't feel right playing it without the original artist," Ayuka replied.

"The hell it wouldn't," Benzo replied.

"Benzo!" Ayuka exclaimed.

Benzo chuckled. "Sorry, but I'm not going to take that. Promise me, that when you get the chance you'll play this yourself. And then after that, make an even greater composition, and then another, and then another. And don't stop until you're a world renowned composer and pianist. I still expect you to follow our dream." Benzo handed the sheet music to his sister.

Ayuka giggled. "I actually stopped playing for a while after you passed away. I started up again recently but I can't play in front of others and I'm not nearly as good as I used to be, but for you I'll keep trying. And I'll do whatever I can to make our dream still come true."

"You better," Benzo replied. Then the two siblings laughed together.

Ayuka sighed. "I was so lost without you, but thanks to my friends, I was able to get better. I think I'm going to be okay from now on. Me, Mom, and Dad, we all miss you every day. That's never going to change. But now, we're all going to do our best to live in happiness. I promise you that too. So you can rest easy, okay?"

Benzo smiled again. "Okay, thank you, Nee-san." And then suddenly a bright light enveloped Benzo, it started out small but soon it grew in size and intensity with each passing moment.

"Whoa, what's with the light show?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

"Call me crazy, but I think that's the light," Shinichi replied in bewilderment.

"The light," Takuya repeated. "But if that's the case then…"

"He can pass over," Ayuka finished Takuya's thought.

"It's so warm and comforting, Nee-san is this for real?" Benzo asked.

"I think so," Ayuka replied. "It's the next step for you."

"But I don't want to leave yet. I want to see Mom and Dad again, and I want to spend more time with all of you," Benzo replied.

"…" Ayuka and her friends remained silent.

"Nee-san, do I really have to go?" Benzo asked his sister.

Ayuka held onto his hand and then gently stroked it. "I know it's scary, but you won't be alone. Me, Mom, and Dad will always be with you in your heart. And we'll all see each other again one day. I promise. But until then, you deserve to be happy too. That light is telling you that it's time to let go. You're at peace now. So go on, it's okay."

"…" Benzo was silent at first but after a few moments he nodded. "Okay then, I'll go on ahead. I love you, Nee-san. And tell Mom and Dad that I love them too. And I'll be counting the days until we're all together again." Suddenly, Benzo started to become transparent and his hand slipped out of Ayuka's grasp. "Until we meet again, goodbye, Nee-san." And then a few moments later, Benzo completely disappeared into the light, and the ray of light vanished before the group's eyes. Soon the hospital room was dark and quiet once again.

"Goodbye, Benzo," Ayuka whispered as her tears swelled up.

"…" Takuya and the other boys were silent for a few minutes while Ayuka continued to cry. They wondered if they should say something to her, but before they could, Ayuka stood up and took a deep breath. Then she dried her eyes and turned to face the boys.

"Ayuka, are you okay?" Takuya asked.

Ayuka giggled and then she smiled. "Yeah, I am. In fact, I'm better than okay. I got to see him again, even if it was just for a few minutes. I could thank you guys a million times over and it still wouldn't be enough to express my gratitude for everything you've done for me."

Takuya smiled back at her. "You're our friend, we'll always be there for you."

"Always," Shinichi replied while nodding.

Then Ryuta walked up to Ayuka. "It occurs to me that with everything going on, we haven't been properly introduced. We already know each other so it's pretty much a formality at this point but…hi, I'm Ryuta Yanasai. Nice to meet you," said Ryuta.

Ayuka giggled. "I'm Ayuka Yamasato. Nice to meet you, Yanasai-san," she replied.

Ryuta shook his head. "Please, just Ryuta. You're already on a first name basis with them, why should it be any different for us?"

"I see your point, Ryuta. Alright then, just call me Ayuka," she replied. "Now then." Ayuka surprised Ryuta by pulling him into a hug, making him blush at the sudden physical contact.

"Hey! Hey! What gives?!" Ryuta exclaimed, trying to get free.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy that I don't what to do with all the excess joy," Ayuka replied. "Help me get rid of it." After a few moments she stopped hugging Ryuta and turned her attention to Shinichi. "You're next, Ghost Boy. Come here!"

"Umm, I'm not really much of a hugger and…," Ayuka cut Shinichi off by pulling him into a big hug. "And there it is. I never would've guessed you used to be this affectionate."

"It's kind of freaking me out to be honest," Ryuta replied.

After a few more moments of squeezing Shinichi, Ayuka let go and turned to face Takuya. "I guess it's my turn now," said Takuya as he chuckled and outstretched his arms, preparing to receive Ayuka.

Suddenly, Ayuka began to blush a deep red. "Umm, raincheck. I think I got it all out of my system with that last one." Then she began to giggle in a very awkward manner.

Takuya seemed kind of disappointed. "Really, but last time you wanted to…"

"Raincheck! I'll get you next time, I swear!" Ayuka exclaimed.

Takuya shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, if you insist."

"…" Ayuka silently looked away from Takuya as her blush deepened.

"…" Ryuta silently looked back and forth at Takuya and Ayuka. He smirked. 'Oh, I see how it is. Someone's got a little crush. Mental note: next time you see an opportunity, tease the hell out of them,' Ryuta thought to himself.

Shinichi cleared his throat to get the others' attention. "Sweeping past all that awkwardness, I think I should remind you all that we need to get Ayuka home and get back to school before anyone notices you're gone."

"Right," Ayuka replied, coming back to her senses. She sighed. "I still have no idea what I'm going to tell my parents though. I'll probably get grounded for…for…for" Ayuka trailed off and then her eyes began to close, and suddenly she fell backwards.

"Ayuka!" Takuya shouted and then rushed to catch her before she hit the floor. Luckily, he managed to do so. "Ayuka! Ayuka! Can you hear me?!"

"What's wrong with her?!" Ryuta exclaimed in horror.

"Did we screw up in Limbo somehow?! Or did I…?!" Shinichi was cut off by a loud snore.

"Zzzzzzzz," Ayuka snored. She appeared to be in a deep sleep.

"N-No way," said Shinichi.

"She fell asleep?! You've got to be kidding me?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Takuya sweatdropped and shook his head. "Nope, she's out like a light." Then he picked her up and carried her princess-style to the hospital bed so she could lay down.

"Well when you think about it rationally, and take into account all the emotional trauma she went through today, coupled with the fact of awakening to her Persona and Grim Reaper powers, she must be completely exhausted," Shinichi replied.

"True, I guess that could have happened to me too if I didn't have tons of energy to spare," Ryuta replied.

Takuya sighed. "Well clearly, we can't take her home in this condition. I guess we don't have any choice but to wait here until…"

Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse set foot into the room. "What are you children doing in here?! This room is off-limits!"

"Crap! What's with our luck today?!" Ryuta whispered. Then he spoke up. "W-We can explain, you see our friend here collapsed all of a sudden and…"

"Collapsed? Let me take a look," the nurse replied, motioning for Takuya and the others to move out of the way so she could examine Ayuka. After a few moments of gently checking her vitals and performing a few tests, the nurse backed away from the bed. "She seems fine for the most part. You say she just collapsed suddenly?"

"Y-Yeah, we think it's been a while since she's gotten any sleep," Takuya replied. "Before she could drop to the floor, I put her on the bed."

The nurse looked back at Ayuka. "…!" And then realization hit her. She had seen this girl's face before. "Wait! This is that girl who went missing from the hospital the other day!" She turned to the boys. "Did you two do something to her?!" Of course she couldn't see Shinichi.

"Wh-What?! No, no you've got it all wrong, we would never…!" Ryuta tried to defend Takuya and himself, but the nurse wouldn't listen.

"You can explain everything to the police when they arrive. In the meantime, I'm calling security," the nurse replied.

"Shit, what do we do now?" Takuya cursed under his breath.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, After School

Unfortunately, Shinichi couldn't simply make Takuya and Ryuta disappear like last time. The nurse kept watch of the boys until the hospital security staff arrived. After which, the two boys were escorted out of the hospital room and taken to a small, enclosed, security room. A security guard guarded the outside of the room, while Takuya and the other boys sat inside, awaiting for the police to arrive. "Oh, this is bad. This is really bad," Ryuta said in a panicked tone. "What the hell are we going to do?"

"I have no idea. I guess they think that we have something to do with Ayuka's disappearance," Takuya replied.

"Nobody's looking right now. Why don't I do the same thing I did last time and help you guys escape with my powers?" Shinichi asked.

"It wouldn't do any good, they've seen our faces and talked to us at length. They won't buy none of it happened like Handa-senpai did. And if we run now, the police will probably have us labeled as fugitives," Takuya replied.

"Shit, there really is no way out of this is there?" Ryuta replied.

Takuya sighed. "I think we're just going to have to bluff our way out of this somehow."

"How? What the hell are we going to say? Officer, you have to believe us. We didn't kidnap Ayuka or anything. She was taken to another dimension and held hostage by her own darkness before we burst in and rescued her. At the very least, they will have us committed," Ryuta replied.

Takuya groaned and slammed his hands on the table. "Dammit! It can't end like this! At this rate, even if we don't get arrested, we'll sure as hell get expelled!"

Shinichi sighed. "I'm sorry guys, I really wish there was something I could do."

Then the boys were interrupted by the arrival of the police. A female detective with short lavender-colored hair entered the room and walked up to the boys. This was Detective Kirii Asakawa. 'Wait, I recognize her,' Takuya thought to himself. 'She was that detective at Endou-senpai's crime scene. Why is she here now?' Takuya got a good look at the detective's face. 'I wasn't just imagining it. She does look very familiar. Where do I know her from?'

Little did the boys know, Asakawa was here because she had also taken on Ayuka's missing person case earlier that day. "Hello, sorry I kept you. I was half-way across town when the hospital called me. I'm Detective Kirii Asakawa, Priority Homicide Detective 2nd Grade."

"P-Priority Homicide?" Ryuta repeated in confusion.

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it, it's a fairly new task force established to deal with the city's major cases, primarily murder investigations. I'm only here talking to you now because I promised an old colleague of mine that I'd look into Ayuka Yamasato's case. I have to admit though, I really didn't expect her to have been abducted, especially not by her own classmates," Asakawa replied.

"I-It's not like that, we would never hurt Ayuka, we didn't…" Takuya tried to explain but Asakawa cut him off.

"Let me finish," Asakawa replied in a stern manner.

"…" Takuya went silent.

"She means business," said Shinichi.

"I went to see her before I came here. The doctors say that besides being exhausted, there's no sign of trauma to her body. That's good for you two. It could have been a whole lot worse if she even had a single bruise on her person. Unfortunately, you two can legally be charged as adults just for the kidnapping alone. But I don't like to rush to judgment when I working a case. It's possible you two were just in the wrong place at the wrong time so before I take you down to police headquarters, I'm going to give you a chance to tell me your side of the story. But let's get one thing straight, I don't play games. I'm trusting that you two will cooperate, considering your circumstances, and I won't have to separate you to get a clear picture. Do we understand each other?" Asakawa asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Takuya and Ryuta replied.

"Alright then," Asakawa replied, before pulling a chair up to the table and sitting down. Then she pulled out her notebook and a pen so she could take notes. "First of all, can I get your names?"

"I'm Ryuta Yanasai," Ryuta replied.

"And I'm Takuya Miyazaki," Takuya replied.

Asakawa wrote down the names as she said them aloud, "Ryuta Yanasai and Takuya…Miyazaki?" Asakawa looked perplexed. She looked up at Takuya and then carefully studied his face.

"Umm, is there a problem, Ma'am?" Takuya asked, when he saw how intensely Asakawa was starting at him.

Asakawa stared at Takuya for a few more moments, before her eyes went wide and she gasped in surprise. "…! T-Taku-chan?"

"Taku-chan?" Ryuta and Shinichi repeated in confusion.

Now Takuya was staring at Asakawa in a confused manner. "Taku-chan? How do you know that name? The only person who's ever called me that is..." Then Takuya's eyes widened in insight. "Wait a second. Kirii Asakawa? Kirii-nee?! Is that you?!"

Asakawa cupped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my God! It really is you!" Asakawa immediately stood up from her seat and then ran around the table and practically tackled Takuya into a hug. The female detective's serious demeanor immediately shattered and a huge smile enveloped her face. "My little Taku-chan! All grown up! I can't believe it!"

Takuya was hesitant at first, but soon he hugged Asakawa back and lightly smiled. "It's good to see you again too, Kirii-nee."

"What the fuck?" Ryuta muttered as he gave the duo a strange look.

"Seriously," Shinichi replied as he did the same.

A few moments later, Asakawa let go of Takuya and then looked down at him. "I had no idea you came back to Japan, I thought you and your parents moved overseas," she said.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, we did. I've lived in America for the past eight years, but umm…well some bad stuff happened over there so I decided that the best thing to do would be to move back. I'm currently boarding at my grandfather's school."

"That explains the uniform," Asakawa replied with a giggle. "Oh my God, you look so different that it took me a second to recognize you. That tanned complexion and..." Asakawa ruffled up Takuya's hair, "…what on Earth did you do to your hair?"

"What you don't like it?" Takuya replied in a jokey manner.

"I mean, I guess it suits you now but it's just hard to believe that the adorable little brother I remember looks like this now," Asakawa replied. She smiled at him. "You've gotten very handsome though, just like I knew you would."

Takuya blushed. "Stop it, Kirii-nee. You're embarrassing me."

Asakawa simply laughed at Takuya's reaction. "You still blush red as a tomato whenever a girl teases you. So cute."

"Umm, sorry to interrupt," said Ryuta, interrupting Takuya and Asakawa's little chat. "But what the hell is going on?"

"Seriously, this is getting awkward," Shinichi added, unbeknownst to Asakawa.

"Oh right, this probably seems pretty weird, huh?" Takuya replied. "Well this is Kirii Asakawa, as you already know. Or Kirii-nee, as I call her. She's…well…" Takuya blushed again before he continued, "…she's my old babysitter."

"Babysitter?!" Ryuta and Shinichi exclaimed.

Asakawa wrapped her arms around Takuya's neck and pulled him in close. "Actually, I'd say I'm more like the beautiful older sister he's never had."

"You see, when I was younger my parents worked most of the time, so they hired Kirii-nee, who lived in the same apartment complex as us, to look after me. We got pretty close over the years," Takuya added.

"Every day was pure bliss. I never had any siblings of my own either, so I cherished the time I had with my cute little Taku-chan," Asakawa added.

Takuya's blush deepened. "Kirii-nee. Embarrassing," he groaned.

Asakawa simply giggled at Takuya's misfortune, before releasing him and sitting back down in her seat. "Okay then, I think now that we're properly introduced I can skip the domineering interrogator shtick and just talk to you normally. Go ahead and tell me what you know and then you're free to go."

"R-Really? We don't have to go to police headquarters?" Ryuta replied.

Asakawa shook her head. "Nah, my little Taku-chan would never hurt anybody, especially not a pretty girl. I taught him better than that. And I know that anyone he chooses as a friend can be trusted as well. So this is just a formality at this point. You can tell me anything, I promise I won't bite."

Takuya and the others let out a sigh of relief, and then they spent the next half hour carefully constructing a believable explanation on the fly. Thanks to Asakawa's guard being lowered, she was really comforting and patient, giving the boys the time they needed to get their story straight. After Asakawa finished jotting down some notes on their conversation, she put down her pen and looked back up at the boys. "Alright, let's go through this one more time, just so we're clear. Taku-chan ran into Ayuka Yamasato here at the hospital on Wednesday and helped her set up some sunflowers that she had brought to honor her dead brother." She looked at Takuya. "Very sweet by the way, Taku-chan," she remarked. And then she got back to the story. "And after a little conversation with her, Taku-chan left her there and went back to the academy with his cousin. Then a few hours later, she showed up at Taku-chan's dorm room unannounced and asked if she could stay with you two for a while and talk. You all lost track of time and before you knew it the trains had stopped for the night and Ayuka had neglected to call into her parents and let them know where she was and that she was okay. She fell asleep soon after that and then proceeded to sleep through the next day as well."

"Yeah, Ayuka was really messed up and going through a lot of things. I think she just needed someone to dump out her problems on, and then when all was said and done, she just passed out. I think she was really overdue for a good rest," Takuya replied.

Asakawa sighed. "If what I've heard about her so far is true, that's completely understandable. If I even went through half of what she's been through, I don't think I'd leave my bed for an entire week, much less two days. Anyway, continuing from there, today she asked you two to take her back here to the hospital because she wanted to gain some closure. But she passed out again soon after, and that's when the nurse found you." Asakawa crossed her arms. "That is quite a story."

"It's true though, we swear," Takuya replied. Deep down, it hurt him to lie to his once beloved babysitter. But what other option did Takuya have? Would Asakawa even believe the truth if he told her?

Asakawa sighed. "For some reason, around the time of Ayuka's disappearance, the security cameras stopped working for a short period so could have left of her own accord like you said, and there would be no record against it."

'Huh, small miracle?' Takuya asked himself.

"But I don't understand why Ayuka didn't contact her parents as soon as she had the chance," said Asakawa.

"Well when she first came to the dorms, she wanted to talk to us immediately. And like we said, time got away from us. By the time she was done venting, the last train had already left so she asked if she could stay the night in Takuya's dorm room. She meant to call her parents right after that, but she fell asleep in a matter of moments. She ended up sleeping through yesterday to this morning, and when she finally woke up she saw that her phone had died on her," Ryuta replied.

"We volunteered to call her parents for her but she said she didn't want to get us into any trouble," Takuya added.

"Okay, I think I understand that part. But if you knew that Ayuka was in such bad shape why didn't you contact anyone else? Like you grandfather? Couldn't he have helped?" Asakawa asked Takuya.

Takuya looked down at the table. "We didn't think it was right to tell anyone about Ayuka's problems without her consent. We know it was probably a dumb move, but we were just trying to protect her. We tried to get her to go home as soon as she woke up, but she insisted on coming here first."

Asakawa sighed. "You know, you three really caused a lot of trouble. I spoke with Ayuka's parents personally this morning. They were so worried that something awful had happened to her. When you get the chance, you should apologize to Ayuka's parents with her."

"We will, we're really sorry about all of this. We didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. We were just trying our best to honor Ayuka's wishes," Ryuta replied.

Asakawa nodded. "I understand. Alright then, I think I'm satisfied. You boys are free to go." Asakawa collected her notebook and pen and then got up from her seat.

"One more thing, Kirii-nee. We could get in a lot of trouble if anyone at Yousha found out about this, so we were wondering..." Takuya started to speak before Asakawa cut him off.

"If I would cover for you and keep the school and your grandfather out of the loop?" Asakawa replied. She sighed again. "I should say no and tell you boys that you need to learn a lesson in all of this, but I think considering the circumstances, I can let this one slide. But that's it, okay? Don't pull a stunt like this again, or else I will be forced to turn you in. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Takuya and Ryuta replied.

Asakawa shook her head and groaned. "Ugh, this whole thing turned into a real mess." Then she smiled at Takuya. "But I guess a little good came out of it. I got to see my cute, little Taku-chan again after all these years." She pulled out a business card from her pants' pocket and then scribbled something on the back of it and gave it to Takuya. "Here, my card. My work phone number is on the front and I wrote my personal phone number on the back. Don't be a stranger, okay? Hit me up sometime and we'll catch up and talk about old times."

Takuya smiled. "Sure thing, Kirii-nee. I'd like that." And then he chuckled and said, "But it's kind of weird seeing you like this. I remember watching a lot of crime shows with you when I was younger but I never thought you'd actually become a real detective."

"Hey, I seem to recall telling you that I could be one after guessing the right killer countless times," Asakawa replied.

"I didn't think you were serious though. It's quite a surprise, a good one though. You've done really well for yourself, and I'm proud to call you my stand-in big sister," Takuya replied.

Asakawa giggled. "You're sweet. But don't let looks fool you, I'm still the ditzy, obnoxious college girl that you remember." She checked the time on her phone. "Well I better get going, my partner is probably waiting for me at headquarters right now. It was nice to see you again, Taku-chan. And it was nice to meet you, Ryuta-kun."

"Nice to meet you too, Ma'am," Ryuta replied.

"Oh and don't worry about Ayuka, her parents are already on their way over to look after her. The doctors do say that she'll probably need to stay overnight for observation though. But I'm sure she'll be fine after a good night's rest. I'll let the guards know that you're free to go, so just leave whenever you're ready. I hope that next time, we can meet under better circumstances. Goodbye you two." Asakawa turned to leave and then exited the room, leaving the two living boys and the ghost alone once again.

Ryuta sighed in relief. "That whole experience definitely shaved a few years off my life."

"If Takuya didn't know the detective personally it could have been a whole lot worse," Shinichi replied. "But to think she bought that awful story, even when giving Takuya the benefit of the doubt."

"It was the best we could do on such short notice, but how lucky are we that the security cameras went out when Ayuka slipped into Limbo, huh?" Takuya replied.

"Yeah, that really was lucky. It made the part of our story about Ayuka leaving the hospital of her volition, much easier to buy," Ryuta replied.

Shinichi seemed perplexed. "Yeah, really lucky."

Takuya sighed. "But to make sure our story is bullet-proof, Ayuka will have to back it up. Odds are that the cops will question her too," Takuya replied. "Shinichi, can you look after Ayuka until she wakes up and relay our story to her?"

"Can do, you two just head back to the academy. As soon as she wakes up, I'll tell her the story and then head back too," Shinichi replied.

"Alright then, let's get back to school before anyone notices we're missing," Ryuta replied. He and Takuya got up to leave the room. Then he opened the door and motioned for Takuya to go through first. "After you, Taku-chan," he said in a teasing tone while he snickered.

"Shut up," Takuya simply replied. Then he and Ryuta left the room, leaving Shinichi alone.

Shinichi looked down at the floor. "Was that really just luck though?"

Friday, 4/18 20XX, After School

A little while later, Takuya and Ryuta took the subway and arrived back in Chiyoda. From there it was just a few minutes' walk to the Yousha Academy campus. As the boys approached the campus, they noticed that the police presence had really died down. Now only the security guards appeared to be monitoring the gate. But that was still an obstacle to the two boys. How were they supposed to get back on campus without being seen?

"Great, we left Shinichi back at the hospital. How the hell are we supposed to get through the gate now?" Ryuta asked Takuya.

"That's a good question. If we go up to the guards and just ask to be let back in, we might get busted for leaving without permission if it ever gets back to my grandfather. We're going to have to find a way to sneak in," Takuya replied.

Ryuta looked down at his right arm and an idea popped into his head. "What if we try to use our Skeleton Keys again?"

"Huh?" Takuya replied.

"Follow me," Ryuta replied as he led Takuya into a nearby alleyway. "Look, I noticed this building has a backdoor when we tucked away in here earlier today." Ryuta pointed to a sturdy iron door next to some dumpsters. "What if we use our Skeleton Keys on that door to access Limbo? Then we can just go through the Limbo version of the gate to get back to the dorms."

"I don't know. The last time we tried to use our Skeleton Keys on a normal door it didn't work. Remember? We ran around the whole dorm for hours trying out different doors like idiots," Takuya replied. "And I'm pretty sure that door is locked. I don't even know if they can open locked doors."

Ryuta walked up to the door and tried to open it. "Yep, it's locked. But look, we don't have Shinichi here with us so he can't just teleport us in either. He's a special case, but the Keys are how we access Limbo normally, right?"

"Yeah, at least that's how I think it works," Takuya replied.

"Well then if that's the case, there has to be more to them then we currently understand. You used your's before so you know that it's not just for opening those special locks. I say we give it a shot," Ryuta replied.

Takuya sighed. "Alright, why not? It's not like we have any other ideas."

Ryuta nodded and stuck his right arm at the door. Then suddenly, a purple Skeleton Key Tattoo began to glow from underneath his shirt's sleeve. He angled the key so that it lined up with the door's lock and then a loud unlocking sound echoed throughout the area, surprising the two boys. Then Ryuta lowered his right arm and the Skeleton Key Tattoo faded away. "Alright, here goes nothing." Ryuta tried to pull open the door and surprisingly it opened with no resistance. The boys looked inside and saw a dark, dreary realm within. "It worked! That's definitely Limbo in there. Come on, dude."

'It actually worked, I don't believe it. But then why didn't it work last night?' Takuya asked himself as he followed Ryuta through the door. A few moments later, the door closed behind them and they were left alone in the dark.

"Whoa, dude! Check it out!" Ryuta exclaimed in surprise. He was now wearing his Reaper costume. Takuya looked down and saw that he was wearing his as well. "Instant transformation. So cool."

"That's definitely different than what we've seen before. We literally just stepped foot through the door and now we're wearing these costumes again," Takuya replied.

"I think we're starting to get the hang of the Keys now. We can use them to travel from place to place through Limbo. We can even use them to open locked doors. How cool is that?" Ryuta replied.

"I still don't understand why it didn't work on any of the rooms in the dorm though," said Takuya.

"Hmm, maybe the Keys are very choosy about when they can be used or the doors that they can be used on," Ryuta replied.

"Maybe," Takuya replied and then sighed. "Why can't there be a manual for this kind of stuff?"

Ryuta walked back up to the door and pushed it open, and the boys were surprised to see that not only the inside of the building had changed, but the outside world as well. The sky was now a dark gray, and the sun was only a slightly brighter gray so it was really hard to make out, and the buildings that surrounded the alleyway were now pure white in color. It was truly a bleak sight. "So this is what the outside version of Limbo looks like, huh? It's like someone sucked all the color out of the world," said Ryuta.

"Yeah, it's a really weird sight. But it's not the weirdest thing about this place. Follow me," Takuya replied as he led Ryuta out of the alleyway.

"What the hell?" Ryuta simply replied when he was shown a shocking sight. Everyone and everything was gone. Every single person who was walking to and fro, all the cars that were driving around, all the urban animals that were moving about, and even the noise was gone. It was all just gone. Limbo was truly a bleak an empty world. It was almost like a hollow model of the world of the living. "This is…this is…" Ryuta couldn't find the words.

"Hauntingly beautiful. I think that's the best way to describe it. The lack of color, the complete silence, and even the fact that everything here is in reverse of where it should be. There's just something so hauntingly beautiful about it. Right?" Takuya replied.

Ryuta nodded. "Yeah, exactly. It's kind of overwhelming at first, but there's also something pretty cool about the fact that this is like our own private world. Only we can explore it. Seeing all this, makes me kind of want to see every inch of it." He watched the clouds in the sky slowly pass overhead. "Do you think Limbo is modeled after the whole planet, or is it just Japan, or even just Tokyo?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Takuya replied. "It's massive though, that much is clear. It has to be house all these ghosts and Shadows."

"True," Ryuta replied. Then he looked in the direction of the school and saw a disturbing sight. "Umm, Takuya? In the time that you've been here, have you ever seen anything like that?" Ryuta pointed in the direction of the school.

Takuya looked at where Ryuta was pointing and saw a very disturbing sight. "What is that?!" The entire Yousha Academy campus was covered up by a large veil of darkness. It was almost like a black bubble had consumed it.

"So judging by your reaction, I guess that's not normal?" Ryuta replied.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, this would be a first for me too." Then he took a closer look at the area and noticed something else. "But that looks familiar," he replied as he pointed at the main gate of the academy. It had changed appearance and took on the form of the ominous black iron gate that Takuya had already seen twice before.

"That gate again. Wait, so does that mean…?" Ryuta started but was cut off by Takuya.

"No doubt about it. It's another pocket Limbo world," said Takuya. "But still, that black bubble thing is worrisome. That's really different compared to the others worlds we entered."

"But that gate means that another person is trapped here, right? Then we have to get them out," Ryuta replied.

"…" Takuya was silent at first as he stared at the area. "I don't know, something doesn't feel right about this. Plus, we'd be going in with just a fraction of our man power. And there's no telling what's on the other side of that gate."

"But if someone's in trouble, we can't just abandon them. We've got to do something," Ryuta replied.

"But…" Takuya tried to get out a reply, but Ryuta cut him off.

"Look, let's just go in real quick and check it out. If need be, we can just retreat and come back another day," Ryuta replied.

"How will we even get out? The last two times we were only able to escape because of you and Ayuka," Takuya replied.

"We'll find a way, maybe there's some secret escape technique we just haven't learned about yet," Ryuta replied. He could see that Takuya was still on the fence about this. "Look we're not going to be able to sneak back into the academy like we planned anyway. Not with this thing blocking the way. We might as well go in and see what's up," Ryuta replied.

"…" Takuya was silent at first, but after a few moments he sighed and relented. "Alright, we pop in and see what's up. But our main focus should be trying to find a way to get back into our Yousha Academy. If there's an exit in this new pocket Limbo world we need to find it."

"Deal, now come on. Let's go," Ryuta replied as he ran ahead to the gate. Takuya hesitantly followed after him. When the two Grim Reapers arrived at the gate they examined it closely. And Takuya noticed two odd things right away.

"There's no lock," said Takuya, as he noted the absence of the skull-shaped lock that had kept the prior gates he encountered shut.

"Huh?" Ryuta replied. Then he saw what Takuya was talking about, and thought it was odd as well. "Oh yeah, come to think of it, you did have to use your key on a lock to get us into Ayuka's world."

"I had to use it to get into your world too. But this gate doesn't have one. In fact, it looks like it's open a crack too," Takuya replied.

"Maybe someone's already in there? You said it yourself, we're not the only Reapers in town," Ryuta replied.

Takuya stroked his chin in contemplation. "Yeah, maybe. That's not all though. Look at the sign above the gate." Ryuta did as instructed and saw another peculiar sight. The sign read:

Here lies the final resting place of *******************, R.I.P.

"What the hell? You can't make out the name. It's like it's scratched out or something. Who's world is this then?" Ryuta replied.

"I don't know, but something about all this makes me uneasy," Takuya replied. "Maybe we shouldn't risk it after all."

"But what if that person's Shadow tries to kill them too, like mine tried to do, and like Ayuka's tried to do?" Ryuta replied. "We have the power to make a difference in this world, so we can't shy away when things get tough."

Takuya nodded. "You're right. Okay, let's do this. No matter what's on the other side, we'll face it head on."

"Right," Ryuta replied. Then Takuya took in a deep breath and pushed open the black iron gate, and the next moment, a blinding white light surrounded him and Ryuta.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, After School

The Grim Reaper duo were surprised to see that what lied on the other side of the gate was none other than Yousha Academy. It was the exact same campus that they had left behind that very morning. Not a thing was out of place. The only difference between now and this morning was that there were more students scattered around. It appeared that the mandatory curfew had been lifted. "What the hell? We're back at the academy?" Ryuta asked. "But shouldn't we still be in Limbo?"

"We are still in Limbo. Look down," Takuya replied.

Ryuta did as instructed and saw that he was still wearing his Reaper costume. He was very surprised. "I-I'm still Scarecrow!" Then he looked at Takuya and saw that he was also still wearing his costume. "And you're still Sin Eater!" Then he looked back out at the academy campus. "Then this really is part of Limbo?!"

"If I had to guess, I'd say this this is another pocket Limbo world like we thought, only whoever controls this world sees it as Yousha Academy," Takuya replied.

"But this is already Yousha Academy in our world. Why would it look the same here in Limbo?" Ryuta replied.

"This isn't the normal Limbo version of Yousha Academy. That's where Shinichi and I both awakened to our powers. This place is different. It's someone else's world, there's no denying that," Takuya replied.

Ryuta rubbed his head in frustration. "So basically there's two Limbo versions of Yousha Academy. The normal one, and this pocket one. Not to mention the real one, which this also is. Ugh, this is making my brain hurt."

"It's confusing, I'll admit. But don't forget, this is still Limbo. There has to be a reason why this world looks just like Yousha Academy," Takuya replied. "We should do what we came here to do and investigate. Our top priorities are two things, finding out more about this place and locating an exit. Anything else, can wait for another day."

"You've got it, boss," Ryuta replied.

Takuya sweatdropped. "Please don't call me that."

"You've got it, chief," Ryuta replied.

"Or that," Takuya replied.

"You've got it, partner," Ryuta replied.

"Especially not that one!" Takuya exclaimed.

Ryuta was confused. "What's so wrong about 'partner'?"

Takuya was confused as well. He didn't know why he reacted that way to the word 'partner'. "I…I don't really know how to describe it. It's just…saying that nickname feels like we're mocking someone else's relationship."

"…?" Ryuta gave Takuya an odd look.

"Don't look at me like that, Yosu…" An image of another boy flashed through his head. A boy who was clearly not Ryuta. Takuya stopped himself. "Ryuta. Don't look at me like that, Ryuta."

Ryuta looked confused, but after a few moments he simply sighed and said, "Forget it. It's not that big of a deal. I'll just keep things simple, 'kay Takuya?"

Takuya was confused too. "Y-Yeah," he replied with a nod. 'That was really weird. For a second there, I thought Ryuta was someone else. And…' Takuya touched his body, '…I felt like I was someone else too,' he thought to himself. Then he shook his head. "Let's keep moving. There's students all around this place, maybe they have some information for us." Then he walked forward, approaching a group of nearby students.

"What was that all about?" Ryuta asked himself as he watched Takuya walk away. Then a few moments later, he followed after him.

"Excuse me?" Takuya called out to the students, making them turn and look at him in response. But as they did this, Takuya and Ryuta discovered something surprising about the students. They didn't have faces!

"Yes? Can we help you with something?" a faceless girl asked.

"What do you want? Can't you tell you're interrupting us?" a faceless boy asked.

The faceless girl turned to him and said, "Oh, be nice. We can spare a few moments."

"Yeah, it's not like you have anything else to do today," a second faceless boy with spiky hair added.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta stared at the three students in bewilderment. None of them had faces, and yet they were conversing with each other like normal. They spoke clearly even though they didn't have mouths and they were looking at each other even though they didn't have eyes. They seemed like normal high school students, except for the fact that the fronts of their heads were completely smooth.

The faceless students caught the two Reapers looking at them intensely. "Umm, what are you looking at? Is there something on our faces?" the faceless girl asked. If only she knew the irony of her words.

"Umm…" Ryuta muttered.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you that it's rude to stare? If you want something then spit it out already," the rude faceless boy replied.

"Sheesh, would you please take a chill pill," the faceless boy with the spiky hair replied. "What's to gain from picking a fight with everyone you see?" That was an ironic question as well.

"S-Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt or stare. It's just umm…," Takuya tried to come up with an excuse but couldn't think of anything. The whole "no faces" thing was still really freaking him out.

"Oh, I get it. You two must be transfer students," the faceless girl cut him off.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that's right. We're transfer students and we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about the school," Takuya replied, taking the excuse and rolling with it.

"Transfer students, huh? That makes sense, I've certainly never seen you two around before," the faceless boy with the spiky hair replied. "What's with those uniforms though? I don't know any school who lets their students wear those things."

"Oh umm, we transferred in from a school outside of the city," Ryuta replied. "Really private, only about a hundred kids or so go to it. And we didn't really have a dress code. We also haven't received our new uniforms yet so we just came today like this."

"So you guys choose to dress like that?" the rude faceless boy asked before laughing.

"Hey, stop being so rude," the faceless girl reprimanded him. Then she turned back to face Takuya and Ryuta. "Well it's nice to have you here. You're going to love Yousha. Despite what people say about it, it's one of the best schools in the world. All the teachers really care about you, and making friends is really easy here."

"Huh, never really heard anyone besides Endou-senpai talk about this place like that. Especially not since Yousha Unmasked popped up," Ryuta whispered to Takuya. But the faceless students picked up on the last sentence.

"Yousha…Unmasked? What's that?" the faceless boy with spiky hair asked.

"Huh? You guys don't know about the blog that trolls students of this school?" Ryuta asked.

"I've never heard of it," the boy replied.

"Same here," his rude friend added.

"Our school gets some criticism from the outside word, but trolling students? That's just plain mean. I doubt anyone would do something like that so brazenly," the girl added.

"…" Takuya and Ryuta shared a look.

"Anyway, you two said you had some questions for us?" the faceless girl asked.

"Oh, right," Takuya replied. 'I guess we should try and figure out how different this place is from our Yousha Academy,' he thought to himself. "Umm, well I guess the first thing we want to know is…"

Make A Decision

Have the police been here?

Has any student died in the past week?

Do you know Michiko Endou?

Why don't you guys have faces?

Last Choice.

"Why don't you guys have faces?" Takuya asked, trying to get straight to the point.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" the faceless, spiky-haired boy replied.

"Don't waste our time with stupid, jokey questions," the rude faceless boy added.

"I'm pretty sure we have faces, how else could we be looking at you and talking to you, right now? Are you feeling okay?" the faceless girl asked.

"I don't think they even realize it," Ryuta whispered in Takuya's ears. "Let's try asking some indirect questions for now, or else they might think we're insane."

"Right," Takuya whispered back.

Make A Decision

Have the police been here today?

Has any student died in the past week?

Do you know Michiko Endou?

First Choice.

"We heard a little while ago that the police stopped by the campus. Apparently something happened in the arts and clubs building. Is that really true?" Takuya asked.

"The police? No, it's been a quiet, uneventful school day," the faceless girl replied. "Where did you hear something like that?"

"Uh, never mind. I guess it was just a rumor," Takuya replied. 'It looks like today's events at our Yousha Academy haven't occurred at this Yousha Academy.' He sighed. 'Man, this really is getting confusing.' Then he whispered in Ryuta's ear, "Okay, for now let's call our Yousha Academy, Yousha A, and this place we'll call, Yousha B. Got it?"

"Got it. I think that will actually help a lot," Ryuta replied in a whisper.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" the rude faceless boy asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Let's move on," Takuya replied.

Make A Decision

Has any student died in the past week?

Do you know Michiko Endou?

First Choice.

"This might sound strange, but we heard another rumor that in the past week some of your school's students died. Is that true?" Takuya asked.

"What? No, of course it's not true. Nobody dies in this place, nobody ever even gets hurt," the faceless, spiky-haired boy replied. "Where do you keep hearing these nasty rumors?"

"Just around. There's a lot of buzz about this place online," Ryuta replied. "I've got a follow-up question though. What do you mean no one ever gets hurt here?"

"Yousha's a safe-haven. There are some people out there who look down on this school because it takes in all students, even those with checkered pasts. But this place is really special. It's like all the problems of the outside world just disappear when you come through the front gate. Everyone is so nice here, there's never any conflict, depression, or anxiety. Everyone is free to be happy here at this school," the faceless girl replied.

"I see," Ryuta said uneasily. "But what do you mean by that exactly?"

"It's exactly as I said it. This school's like something out of a slice of a life manga. Every day is so fun and joyous. Nothing bad ever happens here," the faceless girl explained. "Everyone makes friends here so easily, all the teachers are so nice and supportive and the classes are really easy. Everyone gets an automatic A just for showing up. There are so many fun extracurriculars, and everybody is amazing at their chosen one. It's the perfect school. And it's all thanks to her."

"Her? Who's her?" Takuya replied.

"Are you two stupid or something? How could you have applied to this school without knowing the best part about it. The Queen," the rude faceless boy replied.

"The Queen?" Takuya and Ryuta repeated in confusion.

"The Queen of Yousha," the faceless, spiky-haired boy clarified. "She's the school's Student Council President, and the reason why Yousha is so fun. She's dedicated her life to making this place a scholastic paradise. She's kind, thoughtful, courteous, down to Earth, and absolutely beautiful. She's like a goddess in mortal form."

"Everyone loves the Queen. If we didn't have her, we'd be completely lost," the faceless girl replied.

"I see. The Queen sounds really special," Takuya replied uneasily. 'Something's really off about Yousha B. There's no Yousha Unmasked, no deaths, nothing bad at all. According to these guys, it's the ideal school. And apparently it's all possible because of this so-called Queen of Yousha. The Student Council President of Yousha B.' Takuya's eyes widened with insight. 'Wait! Could it be…?!'

"Well is that all? It was nice talking to you two but we should really be getting back to…" the faceless girl started to talk but was cut off by Takuya.

"One more question please. I swear this will be the last one," Takuya replied.

Make A Decision

Do you know Michiko Endou?

Only Choice.

"Do you guys know a girl named Michiko Endou by any chance?" Takuya asked.

"Endou-senpai?" Ryuta replied. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Michiko…Endou?" the faceless girl repeated the name and shook her head. "No, sorry that name doesn't ring a bell."

Then all of a sudden, another faceless girl came running by. "You guys, she's coming this way! The Queen's taking her afternoon stroll of the campus right now!"

"The Queen?! For real?!" the faceless, spiky-haired boy replied.

"What are we standing around here jabbing with these transfer idiots for?! We have to go and thank her for this wonderful day!" the rude faceless boy added.

Then the two faceless boys and the new faceless girl all ran off in the direction of the Queen of Yousha. The first faceless girl turned back to Takuya and Ryuta. "You two should come too. The Queen is so nice and smart. She'll probably be able to tell you a lot more about Yousha then I can. She might even know that Michiko Endou girl you were talking about." Then she ran off to join the others.

When the faceless students were out of earshot, the Reaper duo began conversing amongst themselves. "The Queen of Yousha? What the hell are they talking about?" Ryuta asked.

"She must be the ruler of this world, and apparently she's made Yousha into the ideal school," Takuya replied.

"A school where everyone makes friends so easily, and all the classes are guaranteed A's," Ryuta replied.

"A school where there's no anxiety or depression. A school without bullying or anything bad," Takuya added. "That would be paradise for a lot of people out there, wouldn't it?"

"They didn't know anything about what's going on at Yousha A either. Yousha B must be an entirely separate entity," said Ryuta.

"Either that, or the Queen is somehow glossing over all the bad stuff to make her ideal school," Takuya replied.

"Do you think that she's the person who's stuck here?" Ryuta asked.

"No, you and Ayuka didn't have any real power in your worlds. You were merely the ones who created them. It's probably the same here. The one in control has to be the Shadow," Takuya replied.

"Okay, so the Queen of Yousha is a Shadow. But whose Shadow exactly?" Ryuta replied.

"They said she was the Student Council President, and all those compliments they paid her. I think it could only be one person," Takuya replied.

Ryuta thought about it for a few moments and then it came to him. "…! Endou-senpai. This is her world?"

"It makes sense. Something like the ideal school sounds like something she would envision," Takuya replied.

"But she's dead. How would that even be possible?" Ryuta replied.

"I don't know. But if I am right, all we need to do to confirm it is go and meet the Queen," Takuya replied.

Ryuta sighed. "Alright, I'm game if you are."

"Then let's do this," Takuya replied. Then he and Ryuta went off in the same direction as the faceless students.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, After School

A few minutes later, the Reaper duo had caught up to the faceless students. They encountered a crowd of students in the center of the campus. All of them appeared to be circling a single point, and they were all being very noisy.

"It's her! It's really her!" "Your Majesty, thank you for this wonderful day!" "Your Majesty, you look so radiant today!" Your Majesty, I love you and I love your school!" "Your Majesty, may I please join the Student Council! I want to be by your side 24/7!" "Your Majesty, I love you so much!" "Your Majesty, thank you for gracing us with your presence!" "We are not worthy of your kindness!" "Please let us worship you like the goddess you are!"

"Wow, this is intense," said Ryuta. "The students in this world seem to really love this Queen of theirs."

"Intense is an understatement. This is an other-worldly amount of obsession," Takuya replied.

A few moments later, the crowd loosened up and the Reaper duo were able to catch a glimpse of the famous Queen of Yousha. She was indeed a very familiar individual. She was wearing a blank white mask with no features on it, save for two slits for her eyes, which were now a cloudy golden color, to peek out of. But other than that, she was exactly the same from her long orange hair to her ladybug barrette and red friendship bracelet. There was no doubt about it. The Queen of Yousha was in fact Michiko Endou. "Aww, you're all too kind. I'm just happy you're all enjoying your school lives so much. Now please stop with the praises. You're embarrassing me," she said. Then she let out a giggle.

"Is that…Endou-senpai's Shadow?!" Ryuta exclaimed.

Takuya took a good look at the Queen and something in him just told him that she was something entirely different than what he had experienced so far. He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If I had to guess, I'd say she's what happens when a Shadow devours its host and takes their soul. I think…that she's a Shadow Spirit. A Shadow with a soul."

A/N: A new world has been created in Limbo, a world controlled by a deadly being called a Shadow Spirit. How will our young hero handle this new situation he has found himself in? Find out next time.