would a couple of party girls have been doing at school at night?"

Yukari: "... The people who partied with them on Port Island might know something, let's check it out!"

Junpei: "Huh!?"

Yin (Cleaning his mouth): "Isn't that place filled with like... Druggies and straight up delinquents? That seems like a bad idea, horrible even"

Yukari: "Who cares about that? This might keep the shadows from causing more harm! Plus, Yin trains under Akihiko almost every day! Surely he can keep us from getting harmed, we have to do this!"

Yin: "Please don't use me as your excuse to go... (Sip)"

Yukari (Ignoring him): "... Though you might not be interested in any of that stuff, Yuki..."

Junpei (wrapping his arm around his neck): "Come on Makoto! I'm not letting ya' weasel out of this! You're coming along too!"

Makoto: "... Understood"

Junpei: "Hah! That's our Makoto, he's on board!"

Makoto: "Personal space"

Yin (Smirking, eyes closed): "... Welllll... If Makoto's going then I guess my help won't be needed so... I'll just wait for you all at the dor-"

At that moment, Yukari wrapped her own arm around his neck, looking at him sternly, what he failed to notice was the way Yukari was gripping her soda cup, in an emotion that could only be described as anger/disappointment.

Yin: ".... To Port Island we go..."

And so the next day, in June 6th, the quartet arrived at Port Island well into the night, where laughs and giggles could be heard alongside talks of the type you would expect of a place like this, the moment the four were noticed, murmurs arose, talking about why were some little students in there.

Junpei: "This is bad man... this is way worse than I imagined!"

Yukari: "Stop gawking Junpei!"

Junpei: "I can't!-"

At that moment, two guys stood in their way with clearly less-than-friendly intentions.

Guy 1: "I think you guys took a wrong turn somewhere"

Guy 2: "Having you around will kill the mood! Go home, goatee"

Junpei: "G-Goatee? Ohhh, you must mean me..."

Yukari: "... Why do we need your permission to come here?"

Yin (Softly): "H-Hey, Yukari... Better not provoke them, believe me, I've been in these situations enough times to know it is better to just wait for them to go away..."

Guy 1: "Huh? You got spunk girl, I like that"

Junpei (Turning to Yukari): "H-Hey! Are you one of those people who always say exactly the wrong thing!?"

Yukari: "What's that supposed to mean? Anyway, don't let this punk scum scare you"

Guy 2: "Tcht... 'Punk scum' Huh?"

The punks started closing in on them, prompting Junpei to turn to them, scared.

Junpei: "W-We're sorry! She didn't mean anything by it! I promise she's just spirited, she's nice!"

One of the punks, who had a weird nose-to-ear piercing got really close to Makoto's face.

Guy 3: "Come on, speak up"

Makoto: "... Impressive, you chained your nose to your face so you won't lose it"

The moment Makoto made that comment, Yin (who had been staying behind the group), tried to and failed miserably to contain his chuckle, something that weirdly enough, brought the faintest of smiles to Makoto's face... Unfortunately, the guy wasn't as pleased, as some people around started riling the guy up, saying that he roasted him and many more things, fed up with this, the guy brought his fist up.

Guy: "You brat!"

Acting quickly, Yin got in front of Makoto, pushing him aside and accidentally knocking Junpei down in the process, as he intercepted the guy's punch by ducking under it, grabbing his arm and throwing it behind his back, making him land on the ground on his back with a pained grunt coming from the punk, Yin looked down to Makoto and Junpei, where Makoto looked mildly impressed and Junpei Just looked outright terrified, he helped both of them up and lightly dusted off Junpei's clothes.

Yin: "Sorry about that..."

At that moment, everyone noticed that many delinquents were starting to approach them. Seeing this, Yin stood in front of them, trying to ready himself in case he needed to keep the other three off harm's way, when suddenly...

???: "Alright, that's enough"

A commanding voice came from an entrance, coming out from it came a familiar looking teen (that honestly looks like a divorced guy), wearing a black beanie and maroon coat.

Guy 1: "And who the hell are you huh!?"

Yukari: "It's the guy from the hospital..."

Beanie: "They didn't know what they were getting into, I'll get rid of them. Happy?"

Guy 3: "It's already too late for that!"

Guy 1: "You're going down too buddy!"

The piercing guy tried to punch him, but the hatted teen simply grabbed his fist, and brought him closer for a headbutt, bringing him down to the ground, and shocking the other punks.

Guy 2: "H-Hey, you're that Aragaki guy aren't you?"

Guy 1: "You hang out here, but you're trying to get on our bad side!?"

Aragaki?: "... I don't remember ever being on your good side"

The punks, seeing that it was futile to continue the situation, simply walked away, the quartet, snapping out of the moment, turned to Aragaki.

Yukari: "Um... thanks-"

Aragaki: "Dumbasses... Go home, you don't belong here"

Yin (Thinking): "Well... I mean he's right but he could be a little more kind about it..."

Aragaki started walking away, when Yukari suddenly spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.

Yukari: "S-Sorry! But we had to come here because we needed information..."

Aragaki: "... You talking about that ghost story?"

Yukari: "Eh?... How did you know?"

Aragaki: "It's obvious from your uniforms... Those girls who were hospitalized hung out here and ran off their mouths every day, they talked about how they were bullying a classmate named 'Yamagishi'"

The moment that name left his mouth, Yin's eyes widened, his hands balled into fists and teeth gritting, but he contained himself, letting the conversation flow...

Junpei: "Oh... So she was bullied..."

Aragaki: "That's why everybody is freaked out, they said that Yamagishi's vengeful spirit got to them"

The more he heard, the more Yin's back felt colder and colder...

Yukari: "Yamagishi's spirit? What do you mean?"

Aragaki: "Don't you know? They said that Yamagishi kid might be dead, word has it that she hasn't come home for a week or so, you four go to the same school, how could you not know this?"

... That was the moment Yin was fed up... "Fuck. This... Fuck getting information"...

Yin: "... You're lying..."

The other three turned to him, surprised he was speaking up now.

Yin: "You... you have to be lying!"

He rushed at Aragaki, gripping his coat as he looked him directly in the eye, managing to startle him even for a second.

Yin: "She's not dead! She can't be! I've searched the city for three days asking around! I haven't slept in two nights, I've had hope she's still out there! She... Fuuka can't be dead! She can't!"

Just as he started feeling tears in his eyes, he felt a noticeably strong shove from Aragaki, pushing him off him and making him fall on the ground. Yin looked up at Aragaki, seeing he was looking down at him with mild annoyance, anger... and almost unnoticeable pity.

Aragaki: "... That's all I know about it, don't complain about it to me... we're done here?"

Junpei: "... Y-Yes! Thank you for your help! (Grabbing Makoto) Go on, bow to the man!"

Yin didn't pay attention to the conversation anymore, at this point he was completely spent, tired, and now fearful that his best friend could possibly be... He didn't want to think about it, so once Aragaki had walked away, he got up, looking at the ground, as he felt Junpei going behind him, he suddenly turned to the rest, his eyes clearly showing what he was feeling.

Yin: "... Can we go now...?"

Knowing better than to push him in this state, Yukari and Junpei looked at each other before going back at him, nodding as they turned around to walk away, Makoto took some time though, looking at him with that ever-bored face, but weirdly enough, Yin felt some semblance of lazy comfort from him, Makoto didn't start walking until Yin did so, walking side by side...

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The next day was sunday, meaning no classes to attend to, Yin spent the entire day in the dorm, periodically going to the dorm's computer to check the forums of the school, trying to scoop out anything useful about Fuuka, but ending up finding just the same results of the rumor that her spirit was the one that had sent those students to the hospital, seeing it wouldn't help him with anything, he stopped checking and went to his room, and before he noticed, he had already fallen asleep, seeing he had time to get ready, he lazily put on his uniform before going his usual route to school, but as he walked to the nurse's office to see if he had something to keep him awake he heard some conversation coming from inside the teacher's lounge, peeking in from the window he saw that the other three, alongside Mitsuru were questioning Natsuki on what happened to Fuuka, the sight of her making him want to go in and demand his own answers, but seeing they had it under control, he limited himself to listening.

Natsuki: "I went to the gym, thinking I had to let Fuuka out and the door was still locked, but when I opened Fuuka had vanished!"

Yin (Thinking): "Vanished?... But wouldn't she have appeared during the day if that was the case? Unless she..."

Seeing there was no one else in the hall at this moment, Yin finally let some of those emotions flow out, sliding his back on the wall until he was sitting on the floor, legs crossed as he held his head with a hand, sniffling as he felt tears starting to fall from his eyes, when suddenly he heard some steps coming up in front of him, looking up he saw...

Akihiko: "... Hey, you okay down there?"

Yin: "Sanada...san?"

Seeing his upperclassman Yin wiped his face with his sleeve, getting up and facing him, making a less than ideal effort in hiding the fact that he was crying.

Yin: "... Yes, I guess I am... It's just that... No, forget it, it's not important..."

Akihiko: "Hey, you can tell me, I'm your training partner, remember? We've shared some stories during your training, so don't be afraid of telling me what's happening"

It took some seconds, but Yin eventually let out a sigh of acceptance, and faced Akihiko again.

Yin: "... My friend... She's... She was locked in the gym before midnight, and now the one that trapped her is inside there being interrogated and is saying that she simply... Disappeared, so... I-Is she...?"

Yin looked up at Akihiko, hoping that his older teammate would be able to tell him something, anything that would help him, or even accept what he thinks is the biggest possibility right now... But Akihiko was only able to look at him, before letting out a sigh.

Akihiko: "... I think it's better we discuss this with everyone back in the dorm, but let me tell you something Yin... It's going to be alright, okay? No matter what happens"

Yin still felt an ache in his heart and mind, but he nodded to Akihiko as he tried to hold back his tears... And just like Akihiko said, once the sun was setting Mitsuru had called everyone at the command room.

Mitsuru: "I've decided to keep Natsuki Moriyama in protective custody here in the dorm, that way if anything should happen to her, we'll be able to take immediate action"

Yin felt uneasy knowing she was around the dorm, but he swallowed his pride knowing that not even she deserved to become one of the lost, simply ending up fidgeting with his hoodie's zipper.

Junpei: "Uhh... I'm still confused about one thing, how can Yamagishi-san still be in the school?"

Mitsuru: "... What happens to the school at twelve midnight?"

Yukari: "It turns into Tartarus..."

Mitsuru: "Exactly, Yamagishi probably wandered into Tartarus from the gym"

Both Yukari and Junpei gasped at this.

Junpei: "No way! So Yamagishi's been inside Tartarus these past ten days?!"

Yin gripped the fabric of his pants, trying to not think of what could've happened to her...

Akihiko: "Don't give up just yet, Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour, that being the case, where do you think Fuuka Yamagishi goes during the day?"

Makoto: "... She is nowhere, she essentially ceases to exist during the day, I think"

Yin: "S-So... If it's been ten days for us, Fuuka only experiences the Dark Hour of those days, so..."

Mitsuru: "... There's a possibility she's still alive"

Yukari: "... Even so, that's still a lot of time, an ordinary person who can't use a Persona, trapped in a place that's full of shadows..."

*Slam!*

A fist slamming down on the table made a loud noise, making the attention turn to Akihiko, who was the one that slammed his fist, and Yin, who looked angry...

Akihiko/Yin: "You want us to just write her off then?!"

The silence that came after their outburst was almost deafening, with both of them calming down, Yin looking down at the ground.

Akihiko: "Sorry"

Yin: "... Sorry as well..."

Akihiko: "... There's a way, we enter Tartarus the same way Yamagishi did"

Junpei: "Wait for midnight inside the gym? Is that like... Really a good idea?"

Mitsuru: "... To be honest, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this operation, at worst, you could end up stranded like her, still..."

Akihiko: "I can't stand by and watch, not if there's a chance we can save her, I don't want to regret not trying... If you don't want to go, I'll go by myself."

Yin: "... I'm going as well, not only because there's still a chance... But because this is my best friend's life on the line, she was the one that allowed me to be here today... She saved my life, I just have to return the favor, don't I?!"

Mitsuru: "... I understand there are risks, but what Akihiko and Tahara say makes sense... (Turning to Makoto) I can't guarantee your safety, but I hope we can count on you"

Makoto: "... Understood"

Yukari: "... Do you really?"

Everyone turned to her, confused.

Junpei: "What's gotten into you Yuka-tan?"

Yukari: "... I don't have the same kind of amazing resolve that Sanada-senpai has, or the connection that Tahara-san has with Yamagishi, but even so, if I see someone that I can help, I want to help them... I want to help Yamagishi-san too, you don't even care. Don't come if you're just doing it because you were asked to... That side of you really makes me mad."

Makoto simply stared at her, before getting up.

Makoto: "... Understood"

And so he started walking to the door.

Junpei: "H-Hey, what do you mean by that? Hey! Wait up Makoto!"

Junpei started trying to talk Makoto into going, but Yin's attention was placed in Yukari, who was looking at the ground, Yin made a mental note to thank her for wanting to save Fuuka, but right now it was time to get ready, Yukari, Junpei and Yin were in the first floor lounge, waiting as Mitsuru and Akihiko were outside discussing the line-up, Junpei was eating cup ramen (From Yin's stash mind you), while Yukari was thinking and Yin was walking around, going back and forth until Junpei spoke up to Yukari.

Junpei: "... Hey, don't you think you were a little hard on him earlier?"

Yukari: "... I'm scared, if Yuki keeps fighting without thinking for himself... It's going to get him killed someday"

Junpei: "Ah, relax, you're overthinking it"

Yin (Thinking): "... It's apparently my job to make sure that doesn't happen, 'Make sure the Wild card doesn't stray from their path'... Even now I don't know what it means, but that can wait..."

He looked at the Boost Buckle he had grabbed from his room, normally he would've gone with Monster, but something told him tonight was the moment to try and use it again, but just in that moment, Mitsuru opened the door.

Mitsuru: "Takeba, Iori, Tahara, everything is ready, let's go"

And so, they were on...

[Gotta find a way to stitch scenes together... Anyways Time skip]

Junpei opened a back door to the gym, letting everyone enter.

Junpei: "See? Got us in, easy peasy!~ I'm a... what'chacallit, genius!"

Mitsuru: "You unlocked it during the day, t!"

Junpei: "Uhh... Trees bean?"

Akihiko: "Good job!"

Mitsuru: "All right, we'll split into two teams here, three of us will assault Tartarus, I and one other will remain on standby outside."

Yin: "... I'm going in, my abilities are more useful in the battlefield anyways, and... I would like to see Fuuka is alright with my own eyes"

Yukari: "... I'll go in with Tahara-san as well-"

Junpei: "Time! Time, Yuka-tan!"

Yukari: "Huh?"

Junpei: "Remember when I screwed up on the monorail? Let me redeem myself! Okay?"

Akihiko: "Trust is something that has to be earned back Junpei, but I'll give you a chance to, you're with me and Yin on the assault team"

Junpei: "Sweet!"

Yukari seemed almost disappointed by this.

Akihiko: "What is it, Takeba? Does being paired with Mitsuru make you uncomfortable?"

Yukari: "N-No! Not at all!"

Mitsuru: "... If that's settled, let's all get ready, it's almost time..."

And so, Dark Hour arrived, Yukari and Mitsuru were at the entrance, with the latter trying to pick up the signals of the other three.

Mitsuru: "It's not working, I can't hear any of their voices... I'll try upping the output"

Yukari: "Maybe I should have gone with them..."

Mitsuru: "As I said before, I'm not willing to risk more members"

Yukari: "... I hope those three are fine..."

Inside Tartarus, in the Arqa block, Junpei and Akihiko were walking through the block. Unfortunately, Yin had been separated from them half an hour ago, how was he doing? Well...

*SHING!*

*Rip!*

*Rip!*

*RIP!*

The Kamen Rider was dashing around the block like a mad man, going fast like never before as he tore shadow after shadow with his Dueler, even when a Gigas (One of those shadows that look like Hulk Hogan) stood in his path, he simply jumped, lading on its shoulders before kicking off, continuing forward.

Yin: "Just wait a bit more... Fuuka!"

Eventually, after having run through two entire blocks, he felt his legs starting to feel like they were burning, needing to rest against a pillar to catch his breath.

Yin: "I... I need to keep going, even if just to regroup with Akihiko and Junpei... As long as I wish she's okay..."

???: "Hello? Is anyone out there...?"

That voice... the moment he heard it, he got up immediately, looking around for the source, when his eyes landed on a girl hiding behind a pillar... He felt like he could cry, as if he didn't cry just hours prior...

Yin: "Fuuka!"

The sound of his voice startled Fuuka for a moment, before she looked up at the armored guy in front of her that was just shy of tackling her into a hug.

Fuuka: "T-Tahara-san!?"

Yin hugged her, holding her close to him as if she was a lifeline, she could feel his body jerking and spasming, like if he was sobbing below his helmet.

Yin: "I... I thought you were... Oh thank God..."

Fuuka patted his back, not knowing what to say but wanting to comfort him, when suddenly...

Junpei: "Hey! There