Yukari sat on the couch in the lobby, tapping away mindlessly at the TV remote. Channels came and went, first the news, sports, and then a talk show. The one thing they all shared in common? Apathy syndrome. And not just on the TV, but everywhere she went people were either standing or sitting in place muttering incoherent speech.

She had no desire to do anything, not even Makoto could bring her out of the state she was in. The world was ending and she knew that yet all she could ask was why? Their group had done everything in their power to eliminate the dark hour and all that got them was a crazed chairman and some agent of death masquerading as a human. And said "human" had only left them with the message of their eventual demise.

"Nyx. That is her name, she is the maternal being that the shadows seek to rebirth. If that happens all life will vanish, and the worst part... nothing can stop her."

"You're joking right?!" Yukari yelled out in protest. "There's no way that she can't be stopped. Just look at us, we destroyed 12 guardian shadows and you mean to tell me that this 'maternal being' is somehow different?!"

"She is." Ryoji deadpanned. The look on his face was expressionless, but his eyes conveyed a look of sadness.

At least that was what she wanted to believe at the time. When Makoto had first introduced her to Ryoji she had felt a strange aura surrounding the young man, little did she know that it was because he was the appraiser to Nyx. Though that didn't matter anymore, nothing did after all, because by next spring she would be dead, Makoto would be dead, and her friends would be dead. Reality had been cruel to her throughout her entire life, why would she expect anything to change now…?

Deep down she wanted to cry; she wanted to vent her frustrations into a void; she wanted to shut herself away from the world, at least until that day came. But she couldn't bring herself to do it in front of her present company. Fuuka was trying to research the shadows again in an attempt to find a way to prevent Nyx's arrival. Meanwhile, Junpei stood near a window, looking outside as he tightly clung on to the sketchbook Chidori had left behind for him. Looking at them only reminded her of how weak she had been throughout the past few weeks since Ryoji disappeared. She wasn't as strong as them, she didn't have the guts to look as optimistic as they did. Maybe simply disappearing was better, that way they didn't have her around to ruin the mood. Yukari stood up from where she sat and lazily walked towards the stairs.

"Yukari-chan?" Fuuka looked towards her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Junpei asked with a face full of concern.

Fuuka and Junpei looked at each other worriedly. They knew the gravity of the situation, yet they felt helpless as Yukari kept going farther and farther into the dim hallway. They looked down, disappointed in themselves when suddenly they heard a loud thump come from Yukari's direction.

"Yukari!" Fuuka yelled as she got up, running towards Yukari. She found her collapsed near the steps and hurried Junpei over to them.

"Woah, Yuka-tan are you alright?!" he said, as he arrived.

"It's nothing…" she replied weakly, pretending that nothing was wrong with her.

"What do you mean it's nothing?! You just fainted!" Junpei retorted back.

Yukari was so close to snapping at Junpei and demanding that he leave her alone, but before she could even say anything Fuuka had already spoken up first.

"You haven't eaten at all in the past two days, have you Yukari?"

Busted.

She knew someone had to notice her recent change in behavior, but she thought she could hide it. It was true she had stopped eating because to her there was no point in eating tasteless food, at least that's what she thought about food whenever it came to mind. Everything seemed to be lacking in something as of late. Even so, she had to keep pretending she was okay; she couldn't break down in front of them no matter how much she wanted to. She slowly picked herself and continued up the stairs to her room, ignoring Fuuka's question.

Fuuka and Junpei didn't know what to do or say to her as they watched her go up the stairs. Fuuka decided that she had to do something as she reached for her phone and began looking through her contacts. She eventually found Makoto's number and began calling him. Junpei, on the other hand, put his hand on her shoulder, startling the teal-haired teen. She looked at him and noticed his face wore a look of disapproval. Fuuka knew that Makoto had a right to know, but what good would it do to worry him more than what he already was? After all, they knew that Makoto still felt guilty for Ryoji's true intentions. Still, she had to at least let someone know of what was happening to Yukari. She looked again at her contact list and saw Mitsuru's name just under Makoto's. She didn't call her but instead left a brief message.

Fuuka: "Could you come to the dorm? It's Yukari, she isn't managing well, and she won't let us know what's wrong with her… I'm worried about her…"

A few seconds later a response came in.

Mitsuru: "On my way Yamagishi."

Fuuka let out a sigh of relief. All she could do now was wait until Mitsuru arrived and hope for the best.

An hour had passed since Yukari's incident in the lobby. She was lying in bed, curtains were drawn, her bright pink walls were now a dull grey which left the room feeling heavy with dread. She had finally gotten the distance that she had wanted and still she found it difficult to let herself go and give in to her emotions. Loneliness had and always was her best friend, it's how she got by through life so easily by not allowing anyone to get close and see her vulnerabilities. Except well for him - Makoto. For some reason, she had always found it easy to be around him and just be herself, he never criticized her for being concerned, and he was always patient with her even when she was at her worst. But even that would not last much longer. It didn't matter that she had just learned how to properly live with him because everything she had worked for was being stripped away from her. Everyone would soon meet the same fate come spring, and all she could do was wait it out in her room away from everyone. Or at least that's what she would have liked had it not been for the knock on her door.

"Yukari, It's Mitsuru. May I come in?"

"The door's open," she replied groggily, even though she had allowed her to come in, deep down she didn't want to see anyone. "Why can't they understand that…?" she muttered to herself underneath her breath.

Mitsuru let herself in, and immediately she noticed Yukari's back was turned to her. She knew it wasn't going to be easy talking to her, not in this state. Even so, Mitsuru had to help her by any means necessary. She let out a small sigh before speaking up again to the brunette.

"I heard that you've been neglecting your health."

Yukari ignored her, continuing to look away from her in protest. However, Mitsuru remained steadfast hoping to reach out and rescue her friend.

"I know how you feel, but you should at least take care of yourself–"

"If that's all you came to say would you mind leaving now?"

"Yukari... "

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like talking to anyone right now."

Mitsuru looked down, unable to think of what to say next. Though a small part of her told her that it was best to listen to Yukari and leave. After all, she had done the same to others when her father had passed away. But it was because of Yukari that she was able to recover and look forward again. It just didn't sit right with her not being unable to help her friend in her time of need. She had to think of something, and then it hit her, the CD Fuuka gave her when she arrived at the dorm. She reached for her pocket and pulled out the small CD case and placed it on Yukari's dresser.

"I'll leave this here for now. It's a CD that contains the real video of your dad during the accident ten years ago. I figured you would want to see it before any of us did." she paused for a bit, pushing back her hair a bit to reveal her crimson eyes in the dim room. "Just promise me you'll watch it, please? It's very important."

Yukari didn't answer. Mitsuru hesitated to say anything else and left Yukari's room, quietly closing the door behind her. Yukari peeked her head over to make sure Mitsuru was truly gone. She looked over to the small CD next and scoffed, turning around again in her bed. Mitsuru, nor the others could ever understand how she felt.

"What's the use in seeing something like that now?" she said quietly, closing her eyes. She needed to simply disappear from everyone's lives, it just seemed much easier that way… "When I die, I wonder if I'll see dad."

A moment of silence followed, and suddenly her heart had felt like it had been slammed against her chest. Her eyelids burst open at the sudden pain as her body forcibly turned her around on its own, throwing her into the air for a brief second. An intense pain suddenly took hold of her entire body as an ominous red glow filled her room. When she had finally mustered enough strength to look up, she had noticed that her persona Io had manifested itself before her.

Io was gripping its head and violently thrashing about in the air. All Yukari could do was look on in horror, "Io why?" Io had suddenly stopped moving and set its sights on Yukari. It reached out with both of its hands and wrapped them around her neck in an attempt to choke her. Yukari did her best to resist, but the more she fought it the easier it became for Io to take a hold of her.

"No… stay away… please don't… No!" she screamed, gasping for air as her persona suddenly disappeared. Her heart was beating wildly against her chest as she gripped her shirt tightly. She was trembling to the point where she found it harder and harder to maintain her eyes open. Sweat rolled down her head as her ears began to ring, followed by more ragged breathing; before she knew it everything went to black.

The cold icy winds of December were always so unforgiving to those who walked in them without the proper protection. Snow filled the streets, making the roads slippery with frozen ice layered over them. Normally, restaurants would be open for customers looking to escape the cold and partake in hot food and drink. For Makoto and Akihiko, it was the complete opposite. They had been walking around the Iwatodai strip mall in search of something, anything to eat, yet all they were met with was closed doors. Well if Makoto was honest with himself it was more so Akihiko's persistence that got him out of the dorm in the first place.

Akihiko had gone on about how he needed to do something and that Makoto had to be the one to accompany him, however, as far as Makoto was concerned, it was nothing but restaurants since they left the dorm. What that had to do with him, he didn't know. He followed his senpai as they climbed the nearby stairs and spotted the ramen shop that they and their friends often frequented. Akihiko claimed that it would be the one place that would be open, but by the time they had reached the doors they were yet again met with another "closed" sign.

"Seems like they're closed," Makoto said.

"I can see that…" Akihiko sighed. "Well, this blows… I was hoping to treat you to something and I figured one of these places would do, but I guess I should've known better."

"Why, all of sudden? Wouldn't have Mitsuru-san appreciated the thought more than me?"

"I-it's not that, and what would you know about her appreciating stuff from me?!" he said in a flustered state. He quickly regained his composure and his face suddenly fell into a much grimmer frown. "Our pick-up bet in Yakushima. Since I lost, I figured it was about time I paid back what I owed." he paused briefly, thinking on what to say next. "And besides… it's the last time, and I don't want to leave any loose ends."

That struck deeply in Makoto's heart. On one hand, Akihiko was right to assume that this would probably be the last time they could share a meal outside of the dorm. On the other hand, it was hard to see him give up so easily. Did the news of Nyx's arrival affect everyone to the point of just accepting a death that they had not deserved? Though it wasn't like Makoto himself was innocent from any of this too. He had distanced himself from everyone else ever since Ryoji told them the truth and disappeared that night. They must have all thought that he had given up too, and saw it as the only way out that wouldn't cause them more suffering.

Akihiko turned around and walked away towards the set stairs, signaling to Makoto that they were heading back to the dorm. By the time they had reached the lower floor, Akihiko's cell phone had started ringing. He picked up the small cellular device and was immediately met with Mitsuru urging him to meet at the hospital. Before he could even ask why all she had said was that Yukari fainted and that he should bring Makoto along with him. It was already hard enough to keep his usual calm demeanor in front of Makoto, especially right now, it was practically impossible. Makoto noticed the worried expression on his face and felt his heart weigh heavily.

"What is it?" he dared to ask. Something was definitely off, but he wasn't sure if he truly wanted to know.

"This isn't gonna be easy, but…" Akihiko struggled to tell him.

"But what?" This time pressing Akihiko for an answer.

"Yukari… she's in the hospital right now. According to Mitsuru, she suddenly fainted and collapsed in her room."

Makoto's world suddenly shattered as his face reeled in horror. Akihiko tried to tell him to wait, but Makoto rushed past him and ran off towards the hospital. Akihiko tried to catch up to him and help him calm down, but Makoto was already out of his reach.

He didn't want to know why or how it happened, right now all he cared about was getting to her.

"Please be okay, Yukari… please!"

Mitsuru had been waiting inside the hospital lobby for Akihiko and Makoto to arrive. It just all felt so surreal ever since she found Yukari collapsed in her room. All she remembered was being told to leave, and not even ten minutes later she heard her scream out loud. What followed after was a loud thud and immediately she had gone to check up on her. When she found her, she didn't hesitate to alert Junpei and Fuuka right away. She had Junpei carry her all the way downstairs and set her on one of the nearby couches. Meanwhile, Fuuka had called the ambulance and before they knew it they were here waiting inside the hospital lobby.

Mitsuru reached for a small object and clasped it in her hands. It was the CD, she had gone back to Yukari's room to retrieve it, thinking that after she had felt better it would be best for her to see its contents. Regardless, everything just seemed to be happening so fast so suddenly that, Mitsuru couldn't help but feel that this had been her fault for neglecting her friend in her time of need. Sure she had been hoping to find a way to prevent Nyx's arrival, but it was hard to stay motivated as the days went on. Even so, that wasn't an excuse she felt was worth considering, if only she had done both at the same time this probably wouldn't have-

Before she could finish the thought, she noticed a blue-haired teen rush inside the hospital to the receptionist's desk. Mitsuru walked up to the frazzled teen and kindly got the nurses to relax.

"Yuki! Relax, Yukari is safe, she just fainted, but she's in stable condition," she said in a hushed voice.

"I want to see her!" he demanded.

Mitsuru let out an annoyed sigh, "Look, I get what she means to you, but you can't go around acting like some lunatic. Yuki, you're better than this… please control yourself, if not for my sake or the others then at least for Yukari's."

"I-I see… I'm sorry Mitsuru-senpai," he cast his head down in shame. He had let their situation with Nyx spiral out of control. He was supposed to be their cool-headed leader, yet right now he was anything but that. "I really have been a bad leader as of late haven't I?"

Mitsuru shook her head and put her hand over his shoulder. "Look we're all on edge given what may happen in less than two months, but we've made it through everything, right? I don't see why that would change now," she said, trying to remain optimistic against all odds. "Anyway, come on, I'll take you to her room."

The two walked towards the nearby elevator and rode it up to Yukari's floor. The ride itself was rather fast and quiet, leaving the two to stand about awkwardly as the elevator beeped, alerting them that they had arrived. Mitsuru stepped out first and guided Makoto to Yukari's room. When they reached the door to her room, Mitsuru turned around and handed Makoto the small CD she had given to Yukari earlier.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It contains the original video footage of the accident ten years ago. She hasn't watched it yet, but I feel that she would be more inclined to see it if you gave it to her," Mitsuru smiled. "Anyway Good luck, we'll be waiting for you downstairs," she said as she was heading down the hall to the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind Mitsuru, Makoto went into Yukari's room. He had been expecting to find her asleep still, but to his surprise she was awake, sitting upright as she looked outside the window onto the cloudy grey sky. She turned her head to meet his gaze, and almost instantly a face of regret formed on her face. Tears began to stream slowly down her face and onto the sheets.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…" she said in a hushed tone. "I'm so sorry… I've been nothing but a burden to everyone and now I'm here in a hospital bed because I can't stop hurting myself…"

"Yukari, you know that's not true…" he said, trying his best to comfort her.

"Yes it is!" she yelled. "I'm the only one who can't seem to put on a fake smile! I'm the only one who stopped caring about themselves to the point of fainting and having their persona attack them! I'm the one who's failed everyone's expectations! Don't you see Makoto?! It's over! We've done everything we can and it wasn't enough!" she burst into tears, sobbing heavily in front of him.

Makoto felt his whole body get tense as his hands balled up into fists. He couldn't stand seeing her so defeated, especially if it was his fault that she felt that way in the first place. He took a seat on her bed and wrapped his two arms around her to hold her tightly, "I'm sorry for making you suffer, it's my fault that you're like this right now. If only I had been stronger for you and for them, none of this would be happening… " he lowered his head onto her shoulder. "No one is forcing their expectations on you, no one is forcing you to put on a fake smile Yukari."

"Makoto…" she whispered, her tears had managed to come to brief a halt.

"It was selfish of me to assume that you guys were fine without me," he paused for a moment. "I'm sorry I made this all about me, didn't I?"

"Don't apologize," Yukari said, wiping away whatever tears she had left. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just can't take any of this anymore. I wanted us to finally be happy, to escape somewhere far away from all of this, but all I did was cause you trouble. I'm a terrible girlfriend aren't I?"

"No, no you're not," he said, rubbing her back in an up and down motion. "It's not every day that we're told the world is going to end, you know. I think it's actually normal to feel the way you do."

"Even the not eating part?" she asked in a devious tone.

"No, not that," he spoke seriously.

It managed to draw a chuckle out of the young brunette. Though it wasn't nearly as full of life and energy, Makoto couldn't help but feel a small sense of relief wash over him. He needed to hear that, he didn't care how long it would take him to get her to laugh a little bit, so long as she did that was enough.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the young couple, "It's me Fuuka." She let herself in before the teens had any time to separate themselves. "O-oh! I hope I wasn't interrupting anything! I just came by to drop Yukari's laptop off!"

"For what?" Yukari asked.

"It's for the CD isn't it?" Makoto asked with an annoyed look. Fuuka's sudden silence gave him all the confirmation he needed. "I still haven't given it to her. Tell Mitsuru-senpai that right now isn't a good time for that-"

"It's okay," Yukari interrupted him. "I feel a bit better now because of you, and she did bring it to me earlier."

"Are you sure?" Makoto was unsure about this. True Yukari wasn't blaming herself anymore, but no one got over something so traumatic, so quickly. Not even her, for as much as she claimed. Before he could protest any further Fuuka left the laptop on the nearby counter and quickly exited the room.

"Hey, look at me. It's okay. You said something about wishing you were tougher right? Well, that's what I'm doing," she said with a half-smile.

"You know that's not how it works… You were-"

"Don't say it." her voice fell quiet. "I-I know it doesn't go away like that, I'm not stupid! I just want to be stronger for all of us for a change. I'm tired of cowering in fear, heck even my own persona is annoyed of me if it tried to kill me."

"That's not-" he tried again to tell her.

"Okay that was a bit much, but I'm serious. Please let me try to be better, not just for you or the others, but for myself."

"I never said I wouldn't." he paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. "After all, I have to be better for you, the others, and myself as well. Together alright."

Yukari nodded. Makoto finally felt at ease once again. Though he was still cautious of her condition, ultimately he knew he could trust her to hold him to it. He reached for the laptop and handed it over to Yukari. He pulled out the CD and inserted it into the disc tray. Yukari looked through the files before finding the recording. She began to play it but quickly paused it, turning to Makoto.

"What is it?"

She didn't utter a word, and instead scooted over and patted the spot she was in. Makoto hesitated at first but eventually took his place next to her. It was a bit cramped, but it would have to make do for now. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. Yukari found comfort in the gesture. She finally hit play and the video began.

At first, there were bits of static interrupting the screen and then a man appeared. Yukari immediately recognized the man as her father, but she tried her best to remain calm at seeing him again. The vicinity around her father was in shambles as the lab was set ablaze, but even so, her father remained steadfast in his message.

" This experiment should have never been conducted! My employer has become obsessed with some loathsome idea. I'm probably not going to make it as I just freed several shadows in order to stop this horrendous experiment. I urge anyone who's watching this… please do not hunt down the shadows! If they are reunited the end of the world will surely come," her father said. "However, I have one last thing to say before I go…" The man lowered his head. "Whoever is watching this, if you see my daughter… If you see Yukari… I want you to tell her…"

Yukari began to feel uneasy again as a well of tears threatened to escape her eyes again. Makoto squeezed his arm around her to comfort her. She looked to him in surprise and calmed down, returning her attention to the video.

"I know I promised to be home soon, and I'm sorry but I'm going to have to break the promise. But I want you to know that daddy was the happiest man in the world when I got to spend my time with you. I love you, Yukari. Please take care of yourself."

An explosion followed and the video ended. Yukari was left stunned at watching the footage. "D-dad? Daddy?!" The well of tears from earlier couldn't be contained this time, and she turned her head, crying into Makoto's shirt.

Makoto felt anger well up inside of him, he didn't understand why such a video would even help Yukari in the first place. But as soon as he moved to close the laptop, Yukari's hand stopped him.

"Yukari?"

"I-it hurt to see it happen, but I needed to see it," She continued sobbing. "Remember what I told you on the beach? How I thought that looking up to my dad was stupid? This video proves that he was innocent all this time. That I was never wrong to believe in him. I've been suppressing it all this time, but I needed to have that closure," she sniffled, trying to stop herself from crying anymore.

"But do you really think that now was the best time?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Y-yeah I do," she answered confidently. "I just agreed to be better, no? If I want to do that, I have to know the truth. That way I don't fall into the same trap my dad did."

Makoto simply nodded at her resolve. However, he noticed a strange light glow from Yukari's chest. She noticed it too and soon Io appeared in front of them, it was covered in a strange blue color. Cracks began to form and from them, wings spread outward as Io's appearance began to change. When all was said and done, a golden persona with accents of blue and red appeared before her now.

"Isis," Yukari whispered. "That's her new name. My persona has been born again!" she looked towards the new mystical figure before it receded back into her heart. "It changed because I finally have my resolve. And now my dad knows that I'm doing okay! And it's all thanks to you, Makoto."

He shook his head and then smiled at her, "I didn't do anything, it was all you."

For once in the past few weeks, everything didn't seem so bleak. Maybe, just maybe there was a fighting chance against Nyx, after all. All he had to do now was to stop wavering for his sake, his friends, and most importantly for her. For the longest time, he hadn't been alive, that is until he met her, and because of that, he knew he had to protect her, even if it cost him his life.