"Did you really expect them now? What, it looks pretty clear to me that you were ditched"

Teddie said nothing, refusing to turn away from the dim glow of the screen.

Sensei had promised they'd be back today. They had a plan, and Sensei and Aniki were going to be here and they'd be walking through the Shadow Inaba's outskirts, trying to clear out small shadows in the area, and Chie-chan would come later on. They promised, and… Well, that was all Teddie had to go on.

He was sure he could hear her scoffing at that, but it was true. All he had to go on humans was what he seen with the group, as well as the killer that he had never met, but had a pretty big reaction on his world.

She was proof of that.

He could make out only the smallest bit from the outside. The outside was much quieter now, even if he dare not stick his face out to see what was happening out there. The sounds outside, of chattering humans and shoes and squeaks and beeps and jingly songs, they had stopped again. People were normally not here after that point, or at least Sensei, Aniki and Chie-chan had never been here this late, but it was still bright with the white light and colorful neon, and he could still hear the jingle so maybe they-

A heavy piece of metal, too fast for the bear to see initially, hurtled right past his ear, bearly cuffing the fluff as it clattered along the floor. The pipe echoed as it landed, along with the Shadow Girl's giggle at the sight. Well, he couldn't suppress his wince at that, as well as the pain from his cuffed ear.

Teddie couldn't stop the jerk of his head back, before shivering at the sight of her. The mangy-looking Shadow Girl sneered at the sight. "That's going to get really boring quick, if you never say anything and only react if I hit you." she said, pushing away a strand of hair. The chain locked around her wrists rattled with each movement. "I mean, I just want to talk… You know how boring and lonely this place is. Why are you being so mean, and ignoring me?"

"Bearcause-" Teddie stopped himself as he stumbled on his words, eliciting a scoff from her. Reel it back, calm down a little Teddie. Gotta be a brave bear, what would Sensei say if he saw Teddie being so scared of just talking to a Shadow? He swallowed, before trying again, "Because you're mean. And you'll just going to pick on me more."

"Well, yeah." Her tone was blunt, as her smile widened. Teeth should not be so sharp, with such a humanoid and pretty face, he thought. "But so is everyone, when your back is turned! I mean, do you really think your Sensei and your Aniki aren't off being thankful they don't have to hear your dumb puns, or that you're not acting like a giant needy baby about seeing Chie-chan again? If anything, I'm doing you a service! I'm just saying what everyone's saying behind your back to your face, so you can stop screwing up and making things harder for the rest of us. Don't be a selfish little brat, Ted-chan."

"I-I'm not!" He insisted, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped at that. "And you're wrong! They wouldn't act like that behind my back! Y-You don't know them-"

"Like you do?" The Shadow Girl's head tilted as she asked. At that, Teddie sputtered, trying to find the words to prove she was wrong, even if all she said was a rather severe grin at that. "You're not like them… But I know what humans are like. Of course I know, and I know that humans lie, and they talk shit about you when you're not around… How about this, Ted-chan, I'll throw you a bone. You're being so mean to me, ignoring me and saying I'm a giant liar, but I'll give you what you want. I'll leave you alone for a little while.

"… I… I don't know what to say to that." Teddie said, truthfully. The relief in Teddie's voice was evident, even if he bit back on his surprise. If he made her mad, she wouldn't go away, right? So being surprised or thinking she was lying, that would make her mad, maybe? "That would be…" Could he say nice? She was saying she'd throw Teddie a bone, so that was her doing a good.

These kinds of word games were not something he liked, but at least it was just word games this time.

Teddie trailed off uselessly, looking back at the shadow girl as he twiddled his mittens together. He looked at her, doing his best not to shake- she didn't like the shakes. Or maybe she liked them. After all, she would laugh the most when he started shaking. But Teddie was sure making her laugh was no good, and not laughs like that. At least she couldn't cross into the stage itself, but he was still too exposed for his liking.

"Even when you're just too useless to speak, I can understand you, and I help you out as you deserve." She flashed a grin at him, her teeth luminescent in the darkness. Sharp and long, probably sharper than Teddie's own. "And when I come back, maybe you can answer my question on why Hana-chan and the rest of them never came back for you... But then again, I already know. And you should know too."

As the Shadow Girl skittered off, the only sound Teddie could make out was her rattling chains. ... No, the song from inside the place was-

Teddie turned sharply to look back at the TV, only for the bright white light to suddenly die. No more jingle, no more light from the Junes place that everyone came from. No people inside, for several hours at least.

... They never came today.

2:58 PM

The wall clock above the board was still analogue, but it was still clear the time. No alarm yet, and only now was Yanagi-san coming up to the front of the class to lead the standard 'thank you' send off to Mr. Morooka. It was only by the grace of god that class had been calm, with the hardest work being Ms. Sofue's lecture.

Not counting the amount of classmates that gave Yosuke cold glares. Or the empty desk that normally belonged to Yukiko, sitting just in front of Chie and Souji. A constant reminder of what happened over the weekend, the strain leaving all three tangled up in their own anxieties. The minute ticked onward, 2:59 and the class all standing for the proper class bow to their teacher before leaving for the evening.

If they were stiff as they got up, no one said anything. No one noticed the sounds of glass and plastic medicine bottles clinking together in Chie's coat, or how Yosuke kept his arms down very close to his sides, much less the very vague imprint of what could be nata within his school jacket. And they certainly didn't notice the gaunt look in Souji's face, or how pale and quiet Yosuke had been all day, or how tightly Chie's fists were gripped.

The three bowed in time with the rest of the class, calm, passive, polite.

At the gentle ring of the bell, the clock shifting, they didn't move any faster than their classmates, at first. Yosuke kept his arms down and Chie surprisingly didn't push into anyone even by accident, as the group mixed in with their classmates. Students poured into the hallways, gossip and chatting all around them, unaware of the three students pushing their ways more to the doorway.

If Chie shoved into a student in her haste to get to the lockers, most people could write it off as her being just mad her best friend wasn't around today. If they noticed Yosuke yanking his shoes off to toss on a pair of running sneakers, or how the new kid shadowed between Satonaka and Hanamura, holding their bags or jackets, it wasn't attention-worthy.

People wanted to get the hell out of school, since it was just only work and none of the clubs or sports activities had started, and some of the teachers- King Moron particularly- were still at their saltiest at the beginning of the year.

For the rest of the school, Souji, Yosuke and Chie's descent into hell went completely unheeded.

When they entered the TV, Souji found shivers going down his spine, silently wondering if this had always been such a nerve-wrecking experience before coming to the conclusion that it was the tension in the air. With Chie so on the edge that the poke of the finger should be enough to make her lose it, and Yosuke's spirits still located somewhere between Hades and Yomi, these weren't exactly the most pleasant conditions under which he had entered the TV so far.

He couldn't blame them; In fact, Souji himself was barely doing better. He knew that. His shaking hands and tense shoulders couldn't hide any secrets.

But how could you blame any of them? Things had somehow gone from bad to worse. Yukiko had been protected but was kidnapped, Konishi-senpai had lived but only in the vaguest sense of the word, Souji himself knew all about how to fight using a Persona but couldn't call even Izanagi... To call the situation a mess would have been an understatement.

This wasn't what he returned for.

Not only had he failed to avert even one of the catastrophes he tried to prevent, somehow he had managed to make them even worse. Yosuke's and Chie's crushed emotional states were the sad testimony to that. They hadn't been this bad at that point the first time around... With a breath he tried to focus on the task on hand, ignoring Chie's fretful fidgeting to the best of his ability as he took his usual look around the area right after arriving.

He didn't get far.

Just a couple of second after he had solid ground under his feet, Souji went flying back from an assault of fur and felt, the surprisingly light but sturdy mass of red and blue throwing himself at him and Yosuke. The clinging and shrill cries made Souji shiver before he could comprehend what was happening, only avoiding in drawing his sword and go into a battle stance by sheer confusion and the small arms wrapped around his waist and arms. Souji finally processed what was happening, as he realized who was tearing small holes and dramatically whimpering into the fabric of his shirt.

"Senseeeeei! Aniki! ...Y-You guys came... b-baaaack!" Teddie sobbed, tearlessly and not… quite as dramatically as he was prone too, but rather distressed, earnestly and undoubtedly distressed. It didn't help that Souji recognized this line, those same words coming from a horrified Chie within the Junes TV section the first time over. Was this a coincidence? It had to be, but even so the sheer dissonance was unnerving to him, causing Souji to pull away from Teddie as he tried to clear his mind. Even if Teddie seemed less-than-interested than anything other than grabbing onto his and Yosuke's uniforms and pressing himself close, eliciting a wince from the small bear as Souji pulled back.

He loosened his shoulders, trying to calm down and stop with the jerky and startled motions- A task that was somewhat difficult with the… fear still coming from Teddie? What was going on?

Yes, Teddie had been troubled when they entered the TV around this time the first time around... But had it really been this bad so early on? Souji felt like he would have to answer that question with 'no' and that fact did nothing to help him feel less unsettled about their situation. The acid ached in his throat. Yosuke, Chie... And now Teddie, too.

"Whoa,- Hey, knock it off! What's gotten into you, Ted!?" Yosuke blurted, too distracted by the sudden bear to notice Souji's awkwardness. The way Teddie attempted to push close to him and clinging to his clothing was clearly making him uncomfortable. Yosuke raised his arms and moved to push Teddie off of him, but then abruptly stopped when he caught a glimpse of the bear's face. If it hadn't been clear before that Teddie's 'costume' was perfectly capable of facial articulation, it definitely was now. Yosuke let his arms sink again, he bent down a little as he winced. "… What's up with you? Did you see a ghost or something?"

From the corner of his eyes Souji could see Chie visibly shudder, a clear spike of worry weaving into the anger and panic already tangled within the slight girl. Chie's phobia of ghosts mixing with her panic and guilt over what happened with Yukiko? And her anger at Souji for having to wait so long to get to Yukiko's dungeon? Souji was sure that trying to explain to her again that the Studio was a safe zone and that no Shadows, ghostly or otherwise, would chase them down here would probably earn him a punch to the face. At best.

Teddie, meanwhile, took a moment to reply to Yosuke. "No... E-Ebearything's just... Normal in here," Teddie claimed, even as his words were still choked up with dry sobs, "I... I'm just... So ha-a-appy to see you guys again!" The little bear's words then reminded Souji of something.

Right. They had promised Teddie that they would come to see him yesterday.

Suddenly, it made complete sense that Teddie was in such a messy emotional state. Lonesomeness and troubling thoughts never mixed well for Teddie, especially over a long period or without any explanation. Souji bent down and started to pet Teddie gently.

"Teddie... I'm sorry about yesterday. We meant to come but, well... Something went wrong."

"Went wrong...?" Teddie tilted his head curiously, a surprised glimmer appearing in his eyes.

Souji tried to explain, but as soon as he tried, someone else's arm pushed against his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble to the side. Chie shifted into Souji's place, glaring at Teddie with wrath.

"Can we just cut past all this emotional crap and get to the point!? We're not here to play, someone's in danger and we need to go after her right now!"

The harshness in Chie's words was enough to make Souji jolt too, even if she was chewing out Teddie. It was his fault, she didn't need to be taking out on Teddie when he was the one who asked her to... When he heard Yosuke clear his throat, Souji snapped out of the spiral. Hopefully it would do the same to Chie's diatribe and Teddie's panic. Yosuke scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to find the right words, or even anything remotely close.

"You said that everything over here has been normal, right Ted? Are you really sure about that? Yesterday, our friend was taken away and we think that she was thrown in here," Yosuke gestured towards Souji. "He's pretty sure of it too, and Chie saw the killer's truck in the area where Yukiko-san was last at."

Souji nodded at Yosuke's explanation, as he watched Teddie carefully. Chie appeared to have shaken the little guy up, but Yosuke's words were at least more benevolent, and hopefully easier for Teddie to understand. At least it calmed him slightly, as he alternated between looking at Yosuke and Souji, catching a tiny peek at Chie, before he bowed slightly and started to focus.

"A person? Over here?" He repeated what Yosuke said. "That shouldn't be. If anyone showed up, my nose would have-" Teddie abruptly stopped right there and Souji was sure that he saw the bear's little, black nose twitch a little. His eyes widening, Teddie brought his head up again with a panicked look to his face. "W-Wait, you're right! There is someone in here! They're not even that far away! How did I-" Tiny paws went up to Teddie's head and he started shaking it, as if trying to clear it out. "T-That's strange... Why didn't I notice that bearfore! The scent is right there and crystal-clear! I-I..."

"Teddie! Focus!" That was Yosuke. This time he had raised his voice. "Do you know where Yukiko-san is?! We need to get to her as fast as possible!"

"If you know where Yukiko is, you better spit it out right now, you hear me!?"

Chie's addition to Yosuke's plea wasn't exactly helpful and by now Souji was sure that she was, in fact, not thinking even one bit rationally at the moment. Her emotions were out of control. His hands shaking a little, he was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to take her along in the first place.

There was no choice in the matter. She would have forced her way here, possibly endangering herself worse by coming in by herself or trying to confront Namatame personally, even if he begged her to stay out of this and wait until they rescued Yukiko-san. If anything, bringing her now was the only decent course of action, at least they could help Chie focus her panic and anger to saving Yukiko.

Of course that didn't change the fact that every sound out of her mouth was making Teddie flinch by now and he stood there, petrified, arms covering his face... Was he expecting Chie to hit him? What kind of life was Teddie leading here?!

"But... I can't... I don't think I know where..."

"Teddie," Souji stepped forward with a tense face, his body slightly angled down to Teddie. "Her name is Yukiko Amagi, and she's the same age as us. She lives at an inn with a hot spring, one that's been in her family for a long time. She... She loves horror movies and ghost stories, and hates snow." Trying to talk about her Shadow left his throat dry and tight, almost eliciting a gag from Souji before he switched gears. It wasn't his story to tell, even if he wanted to think about her Shadow and what was coming.

Teddie didn't need to know what her Shadow was like until they were going to fight, not yet. All Teddie needed was to know her.

"... I-I'm not sure if this is enough, Sensei," If he was in a clearer state, Teddie could be able to track something closer. As it stood, he was beary close, with a general idea of where the scent was coming from. But general was never enough in the TV, even before Miss Scary Shadow was lurking around.

Souji sighed, trying to think of something closer. As Chie stood up, ready to offer something better than just basic facts- as if Souji could really know Yukiko that well, as if he could understand how she felt- Souji started up again, "She had a little bird. I believe it was a song bird or something wild... She used to keep it in a cage, but the bird flew away recently. She was really upset about that. Will that help?"

The group was quiet, Chie's eyes widening at that as Teddie started to sniff at the air. He took a moment, sniffing deep and hard, before looking up a set of scaffolding, "I... I think know where now! It's beary close from here, up that ladder and down a few corridors that-a-way!"

Before Teddie had even closed his mouth again, Chie was already sprinting into the direction he was pointing, not loosing a second. Baffled, Souji and Yosuke watched her backside escaping into the fog, zooming towards the ladder Teddie had spoken about.

"What... What the hell, CHIE!" Yosuke was after their friend before Souji was, catching up to her before she could get any higher. He grabbed Chie's leg, keeping her from climbing any further. Damn the most assured future asskicking for this, like hell he was going to let her charge off into the middle of a dungeon on her own! "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Let go, Hanamura!" Chie hissed from between her teeth, struggling against Yosuke's grip as she glared down at all of the boys.. "I need to go! I need to get to Yukiko! She's all alone, and she has no idea where she is... She's probably tired and I think she hasn't eaten anything ever since breakfast yesterday, we need to... I..."

"Chie, please!" Souji ran to the ladder, the squeaky sound of Teddie's footsteps following after him. As he approached, Souji tried to get her attention."Listen, I know... I know that you're worried for Yukiko-san, and we need to go in right away. And we're going to go in right now and we're going to save her as soon as we can, I promise we will. But to do that, we need to stick together!"

At first it seemed like Chie was ignoring Souji's words, intent on kicking Yosuke off and running ahead.

"I know the layout of the dungeon where Yukiko-san is in, by heart. Teddie can find it, as well as sense any Shadows coming up. Yosuke can fight against them effectively. And you..." Souji said, a small stall in his mind, trying to push back his own wish for her to go back and avoid the inevitable, "If anyone can help her with what she is going through right now, it's you. You know Yukiko-san better than anyone in this world, Chie. But that can only work if all of us stay together and ."

Chie relented, as she stopped trying to yank her leg from Yosuke's grasp. Face blank and breaths slow, she gripped the ladder step in her hands, not making any further attempted to free herself. "I... Know her better than anyone..." Chie went over Souji's line,whispering to herself, not sounding fully convinced. "That's what I can do...?"

... Why did he pause there?

Why did Souji pause when he was saying what Chie could do? She knew Yukiko? She could help her? Wasn't that was she was supposed to do anyway, what she was at the inn to help her for? That and to keep her safe... No wonder why she was here to 'know' her instead of to actually help save her. Yosuke had a Persona. Souji had his memories. Teddie lived here and had the ability to find dungeons.

And she didn't even know-

"Sensei is right, Ch... Chie-chan." Teddie said, quiet and timid. She tiled her head down, to see Teddie as he continue speaking. "Shadows don't usually attack normal people until the fog lifts. But that doesn't mean that this place is safe for you if you're all on your own. Shadows are not like people from your side and it's really hard to hurt one. You saw how bad Aniki's Shadow was. It went wild and y-you all got hurt! But... I can feel that power Aniki has now. It's really amazing. With a power like that we can drive away the Shadows for sure! So if I find that place that "Yukiko"-person is now and Aniki fights and Sensei leads the way... I'm sure we can help that person too! B-But... If you're all on your own..."

Chie stayed silent, waiting for the sentence to end. But Teddie never continued, instead shuffling under Chie's stare, hiding somewhat behind Souji's back. What was up with that guy? The way he kept switching between being over-the-top dramatic and a stuttering mess in two seconds flat really was getting on her nerves.

She knew all these things he was telling her already. Souji had told them all about it the other day. Yes, it was true. She had nothing to oppose those monsters, those weird "Shadows", with. Her legs could only do so much and she didn't have weird time-traveling foresight like Souji-kun or some kind of badass super-power like Yosuke.

She was just Chie Satonaka.

She could kick things and sometimes punch too, but right here, right now... What was there even still left that she could do? And especially when she was last put to kick and punch and she couldn't even reach Namatame's van, let alone Namatame? Where the only things she effectively battered were Souji's arm and the cream-colored kimono.

Everyone else had a purpose here. Souji-kun and that Teddie could lead the way, Yosuke could fight, but her... What was her role here? Understanding Yukiko's feeling? Was that really why she was here, and not just something Souji-kun said to get her to calm down?

Finally Chie complied, climbing back down from the ladder. Souji sighed in relief, now that all four of them were safely back down and could proceed properly. With a deep breath, the acid finally going down enough where he could breath calmly again, he offered a suggestion.

"Shadows almost never attack outside of the dungeons and labyrinths, so for now it should be safe if Teddie and I lead. Chie, Yosuke, the two of you should follow behind us for now. As soon as we reach the place Yukiko-san is right now, Yosuke will take the lead with me and Chie will take care of support with Teddie in the back. Teddie has no way of defending himself, so it would be good to have someone with some combat experience cover for him." And more importantly, it would be two bodies in front of Chie, in case she bolted again. If she was willing to run now... Well, that was unfair of Souji to assume. After all, Chie was agreeing now. Even if she didn't seem convinced, her hands no longer clenched but her shoulders deflated, her expression... Intentionally blank, but her furrowed brow and tightly pursed lips showing the tension still in her. This wasn't conditions he wanted to take her in, but he couldn't send her back either, and risk him and Yosuke having to shove her out forcefully, ruin the relationship between the group and leaving Chie damaged as a result.

Or worse, if Chie ran deeper into the TV in trying to circumvent the group and reach Yukiko first, only to end up with an entirely new dungeon.

"Alright, sounds good," Yosuke nodded in agreement. "Then I'll stay in the back for now. But make sure to give me a holler if you need me up in front, alright Partner?"

Souji stifled a cough at Partner, eyes going huge before nodding. If he realized the small smile curling up his lips, Souji certainly didn't say anything, instead starting to walk ahead obediently with Teddie and help him up the ladder.

As Souji helped Teddie climb up the not-so-mascot-friendly ladder, Chie and Yosuke waited for their turn to ascend. Time crawled slowly and thickly, and Chie's skin crawled. As she gnawed at her fingernails, Yosuke noticed of that and tried to distract her, rambling off the top of his head.

"Hey. It's gonna be alright. I'm sure we'll get Yukiko-san out of here."

Easy for him to say.

"I mean, this time we're actually prepared. Even if I didn't get any chance to train yet, er... Well, Souji's done all of this before, right? And then we've also got that Teddie-guy, too, and he helped out a bunch la... Well, he did. I mean, bear's got an arm on him, so, they know their way around here and we still have extra ice and fire crackers, so getting to Yukiko-san shouldn't be too hard. And once we do..."

She would just stand by the side and watch, right?

"...Well, just leave the rest to me then." Chie could briefly feel Yosuke's hand on her should, trying to give her a reassuring pat. She was sure he was giving that 'smirk' of his as well, trying to be Mr. Confident now. He didn't know shit about how she felt, having to rely on everyone else and not being able to do a thing besides sit back and 'know'.

Chie pulled away. She didn't need his sympathy, especially not now. It was nothing but humiliating.

Yosuke, slightly thrown-off by Chie's rejection, quickly tucked his hands into his pockets and awkwardly looked away. Right, what had he been thinking? Of course Chie wouldn't want him to act so buddy-buddy towards her. Sure, they sometimes borrowed movies from each other or went out for a snack after school, and they exchanged numbers, but that didn't mean that they were friends yet, did it?

He didn't know how she felt. Just like he didn't know what was going on in Souji's head. Or anything about that Teddie-guy. Or like how he hadn't even realized how disgusted Saki-senpai must have really been with him all this time, until it was too late to apologize properly...

She was right. He really got enthusiastic about these things much too quickly. Calling people his 'friends', thinking they might like him, maybe even see something special in him, only to be faced with the truth when these friends eventually disappeared. They either left him because he was no longer interesting or he let them down or turned them off somehow. Either way, it never lasted. It was always the same with him, wasn't it? How could he claim he even knew what it meant to have a "real" friend, an actual "bond"? He didn't have someone who he could always rely on and who could always rely on him, a best friend who knew him better than anyone else, like what Yukiko-san and Chie were for each other... Actually, that reminded him of something.

"But, seriously... That Souji sure is something." Yosuke raised his head a little and looked at small hole in the ceiling above which was currently blocked by the wriggling lower half of Teddie. Souji was apparently trying to pull that bear through the opening. "I'll admit, when he first told me that he had come from the future or another timeline or something, I thought he was nuts. But I guess there just has to be something to his story, right? I mean, as crazy as it sounds, he's predicted everything that's happened so far. A-and he knows things about us that nobody should know! Like... Well, like that thing with Yukiko-san's bird. I'd never would have guessed she had a wild bird as a pet. I didn't even think they'd allow her to have one at the inn, so I bet she didn't tell anyone but you about that..."

"I didn't know," Chie's dull voice cut into Yosuke's words. Startled, he turned his head to her.

"You didn't know she had a bird?" Yosuke asked surprised.

"I didn't know that Murasaki flew away. She never told me."