Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life Part 6

May 2nd, the day before the second half of Golden Week began. The two teens had requested half of May 3rd off as the old Investigation Team had all decided to get together, well Naoto was still tied up with work but Rise was back at least. In addition, as they had been working through one of the inn's busier periods they hadn't seen much of the rest of their friends either. It would be a nice chance to catch up. When they had put in their request for just a few hours off, the Amagi's looked at each other sadly making Yu and Yukiko slightly nervous. But if her parents really needed the staff that badly they would be there. To the two's surprise, Yukina soon wore a bit of a smile but Fuyuhiko still looked dejected.

"Actually, we were thinking of giving you all of Golden Week off." The young couple looked at each other trying to hide their excitement. "Oh mother you don't have to do that."

"Yes. Yukiko and I would hate for you to-" but he was interrupted by Yukina holding up a finger. "You should hear the rest of what we have to say before you speak. Your father and I want you to enjoy what will be your last Golden Week as children. After this, you two will be young adults with a baby and a commitment to this inn. I haven't had a Golden Week off in over a decade and I had to be sick for that 'vacation'" she chuckled a bit at her little joke and glanced over the faces of the younger couple. Grateful, understanding, and without any reservation, such a future seemed not to bother them at all. It made her frown at her next announcement.

"Also this vacation will help make up for the lack of another one." Yu and Yukiko exchanged glances, unclear as to what she meant. Yukina continued. "Well your wedding will be towards the end of June which is, as you know, the busy season."

They still didn't get it, not even Yu. Looks like she'd just have to come right out and say it. "The inn will need to be closed down for that day and maybe even the day beforehand depending. And of course, it will need to be closed for the birth which, if it's on schedule, will be in early August which is also in the middle of the busy season. I'll get right to the point, we can't afford to send you on a honeymoon."

With that, tears began to stream down Fuyuhiko's cheeks. "We are so so sorry dear. And after my speech about the importance of a wedding! Oh I'm a failure as a father!" And he collapsed on to the table making great sobs. Through his tears, they could make out him talking about how wonderful his own honeymoon had been and how saddened he was that his daughter couldn't experience such joy because of his own incompetence.

"Fuyuhiko, you realize by calling yourself a failure as a father, you're implying I'm a failure as a mother right?"

Immediately, he sobered up and gained a nervous grin. "W-well of course I didn't mean to imply- hey did you do something new with your hair? It looks very pretty." He heard a giggling from across the table, at first he was glad his little comedy routine had helped soften the blow like he had planned but that wasn't quite the case.

"Daddy, it's fine. We're so thankful for everything you've done so far. Right Yu?" Her husband nodded simply. "We understand. Thank you for telling us." Yukiko gained a bit of an embarrassed look as she began to stroke Yu's firm arms. "Besides, everyday has been like a honeymoon." What once would have sent Fuyuhiko into a dramatic rant was now met with a warm smile. Yukiko touched her fingers to her lips. "Are you sure you and mother will be alright though?" She felt herself pulled into a big bear hug by her father. "You're the best daughter a man could ask for! Go on and enjoy your vacation. We can handle things here."

A muffled "thanks daddy," came from his chest.

And that's how the two found themselves working hard in the kitchen late one night. With their schedule freed up for the rest of the week, the pair had nothing to do but prepare a proper boxed lunch for their get together tomorrow. It was clear by this point she had mastered sweets, but a mom couldn't just feed her kids dessert, she needed to master more substantial fare. One would expect a girl, who's roomy kimono now clung to every bulging curve of her body to be eagerly wolfing down whatever was in front of her so that her friends received only scraps, but this was not the case. Making the best food possible for her future son was far more important than filling her belly, although the plate of yakiton skewers her husband made next to her certainly helped her resolve.

Right now, she was in the middle of a little snack break. Yu could actually feel his mouth watering a bit at the delectable smell coming from her boxed lunch. And the best part was it was all hers. When he had tried to help, she had swatted his hands away. "I want this to be like a test, and you can't accept help on tests hubby!" Besides, he had the important task of preparing a nice meal for his wife and child. Whenever she'd try to peak over his shoulder, it would be his turn to chide her. "I want this to be a surprise, and you're not supposed to spoil a surprise!" She slapped him on the arm for that but giggled all the way back to her station. If he said it was better as a surprise, then that meant it was.

Her cute button nose twitched as Yukiko tried her best to make out the smell, but she had to stop when she realized how distracted it was making her. She couldn't have both hands rapidly patting and rubbing her gut with a dreamy look in her eye if she was going to finish cooking by bedtime after all. She took a quick break to take a big bite out of her skewer. "To know how proper meat should taste," she told herself.And that's how the two found themselves working hard in the kitchen late one night. With their schedule freed up for the rest of the week, the pair had nothing to do but prepare a proper boxed lunch for their get together tomorrow. It was clear by this point she had mastered sweets, but a mom couldn't just feed her kids dessert, she needed to master more substantial fare. One would expect a girl, who's roomy kimono now clung to every bulging curve of her body to be eagerly wolfing down whatever was in front of her so that her friends received only scraps, but this was not the case. Making the best food possible for her future son was far more important than filling her belly, although the plate of yakiton skewers her husband made next to her certainly helped her resolve.

Right now, she was in the middle of a little snack break. Yu could actually feel his mouth watering a bit at the delectable smell coming from her boxed lunch. And the best part was it was all hers. When he had tried to help, she had swatted his hands away. "I want this to be like a test, and you can't accept help on tests hubby!" Besides, he had the important task of preparing a nice meal for his wife and child. Whenever she'd try to peak over his shoulder, it would be his turn to chide her. "I want this to be a surprise, and you're not supposed to spoil a surprise!" She slapped him on the arm for that but giggled all the way back to her station. If he said it was better as a surprise, then that meant it was.

Her cute button nose twitched as Yukiko tried her best to make out the smell, but she had to stop when she realized how distracted it was making her. She couldn't have both hands rapidly patting and rubbing her gut with a dreamy look in her eye if she was going to finish cooking by bedtime after all. She took a quick break to take a big bite out of her skewer. "To know how proper meat should taste," she told herself.

She happily munched away with a hand on her belly. Yukiko liked to rest it right on the counter while she worked. It really made her feel like she had her own little helper right with her. She had to arch her back a bit to get the whole thing on the counter top making her hips push out nice and round. The heiress had a habit of humming and swaying while she worked, how could she not considering just how happy she was, but it certainly didn't make it easy for Yu to focus. With her growing shelf bobbing and weaving in the back, he tried to focus on her front. That didn't help. A cute plump belly resting comfortably on the counter top with her pretty manicured hand gently soothing its contents. Her other hand delicately grabbing her skewer that she happily munched on, filling up her cheeks with the meat she craved. She let out a little "mmmm" over his cooking, whispering to her belly after it was over.

What made him smile the most was immediately afterwards. Yukiko took a bite of her own cooking and gave off an even happier sounding mewl. He couldn't quite make out what she whispered into her stomach afterwards but it sounded like "let's see what daddy thinks."

He barely had enough time to hide his confection from sight before a pair of arms wrapped their way around him, a big soft belly and two plump breasts pressing heavily into his back. He saw and felt a spoonful of rice and meat raise slowly to his lips. "Open wide," she cooed gently using the voice she spoke to the baby with. Yu happily obliged. "How did I do?" she pressed.

Yu gave her his two thumbs up on her cooking but she looked like she was waiting for more. "Was my feeding technique any good? It felt right but I worry I came on too strong? You didn't feel too pressured to eat did you? I want to help our little boy but I don't want to smother him..."

She felt a firm hand curve down her soft hip followed by a pat. "Just trust your instincts. They haven't steered you wrong yet."

Before they could make out for the fourth time that evening, Kasai interrupted. "I honestly don't see how you two get anything done," she teased. Her expression shifted to a more serious one as she held out the phone. "It's a Mr. Inoue on the line. Said he wanted to ask you something about a Rise Kujikawa." Perplexed, Yukiko took the phone and put it on speaker so Yu could hear.

"Hello this is Yukiko Amagi speaking." Yukiko had heard Inoue's name in passing but she'd never spoken or met him before. She honestly had no idea why he'd be calling her. "Yes sorrty to call so late. This is Rise's manager, Mr. Inoue. To put it simply, I can't get in contact with Rise at all. I was wondering if perhaps you had seen her. You're the only one of her friends who's number I know. I tried calling the Shirogane estate but apparently Ms. Naoto is abroad and hasn't heard anything either."

Yukiko could feel a bit of panic welling up in her chest. Could last year's cases be repeating? A firm hand on her shoulder helped calm her down. That's right, there was no reason to jump to conclusions just yet. "No I haven't seen her. I'm sorry. Yu have you heard anything?"

"No I haven't."

This garnered a surprised reaction from the man on the other end. "Yu? As in Yu Narukami?"

"Yes. We've met before sir."

A grin came unbidden to the manager's face. It was true he was worried sick but it was also true that the young boy was in another girl's house at quite inappropriate hours unless they were dating. That certainly removed one potential headache "Forgive me, I just always thought that you and Rise...never mind. Sorry to bother you, if you hear or see anything please contact me immediately and please don't let this leak." The two promised to keep silent, and with that, Inoue hung up.

Immediately, Yukiko turned to Yu. "I have a bad feeling about this. Should we tell the others?" Yu shook his head. "I want to confirm something before worrying them. It's supposed to rain tonight."

Waiting for the Midnight Channel always felt like an eternity of almost unbearable slowly building anticipation. The other spouse's presence certainly helped things fly by though. In fact, now it was an almost pleasant experience with the way Yu started teasing her almost immediately after they entered the room. "We have a little more than three hours. But I know a way we could, ah, pass the time." He drummed his fingers on her chubby baby belly, ripples now visible due to the night gown. "Noooo," she whined. "I'm always so sleepy after we make love at night. And we lay together this morning! We can only be intimate one more time this week hubby!"

Yu chuckled as he briefly dug around within her navel making the girl suck in air and moan. He'd never done such a thing and she almost asked for more before catching herself. "If you don't want to have a limit, all you have to do is say so. I don't mind. So what do you want to do, Yuki?" He punctuated this by slowly running his hand down the complete curve of her belly, emphasizing the crescent motion he had to take now to do so. She could have stopped him at any point but waited until he had reached the end and let loose a shudder.

After she realized what she had just done, she quickly broke from his arms and ran to their shared bathroom. When she came back, her face was dripping with cold water like she had to splash herself to cool down; Yu did his best to hold back laughter. She really was determined for whatever reason. Sometimes when Yu would remove his shirt after they had went over their limit for the week, Yukiko would immediately turn off the light before Yu had even finished changing. "I can't risk our marriage hubby! There must be a reason why the average is only five times a week and not seven!" Yu wanted to point out they had agreed on four but decided to keep quiet. "I just can't figure out why though!"

Yu raised his hand and Yukiko took on a combat pose to ward off any naughty fingers. To her surprise, she received only a chaste rub on her head and face. "Well your instincts haven't steered us wrong yet. That's okay, I wanted to ask you a few questions anyway. About our wedding I mean." This immediately turned Yukiko back into her usual affectionate self. The time went by in a flash with almost no dead air between the two as Yukiko relished in the opportunity to be tutoring Yu on something for once. But eventually, as the rain started pouring in and the rest of the lights in the building began to shut off, they knew it was time.

Yu could feel his heart drop when he heard the telltale eerie whine of the Midnight Channel but even he couldn't have predicted what would happen next.

"Rivals, they are friends... yet powerful foes." Suddenly, loud rock music started blaring from the television as the faces of the Investigation Team flashed on screen. The screen panned to what looked like a wrestling ring, with Teddy in its center; he was dressed in a ridiculous costume and seemed to be the host of the "event."

"May the manliest of all men, come on down!" He said with a flourish.

"Nobody touches his precious family! The Uxorious Sister-Complex Papa Bear, Yu Amagi!"

Yu saw his own form flash on screen and his own voice say something although he couldn't make out exactly what it was as he was overcome by shock. Chie and Yosuke soon followed with equally ridiculous titles.

"Please escort me to the bedroom my husband! The Deflowered Princess of Thorns, Yukiko Amagi!" Yukiko's blush was enough to light up the dark room they were in. Kanji and Naoto followed before they had time to blink. "Fight and survive to the one throne waiting at the end! The P-1 Grand Prix where fierce fights will be fought! The battle begins tonight!" It ended as quickly as it began. Four cries of utter shock and bafflement went up throughout the small town of Inaba simultaneously.

Yukiko was at an almost complete loss for words. This was almost as bad as the whole "scoring princess" thing a year ago. Oh god, people must already be talking about it. The thing that bothered her the most though was how clear the picture was. Usually, it was almost too blurry to make out. Unless someone was inside the TV. But that was impossible. Even if someone had been thrown into the TV, the only shadow left was...Teddie.

Yu seemed to be on the same train of thought and immediately reached for the light switch and his phone. "Yosuke..."

"Woah hey partner. What's up? Wonderful weather we're having ahaha-haaaa. W-what are you doing up so late? Shouldn't you be in bed with that lovely wife of yours? Ahaha."

"Yosuke, is Teddie there," Yu asked, already knowing the answer from his friends nervous response.

"Of course he is! B-b-but he's asleep right now! You know how lazy he can be ahahaha! I'm going to really give it to that darn bear tomorrow so don't worry about a thing and just get some sleep."

"Yosuke, what's going on? The truth now." An audible sigh was heard over the line. "I can't hide anything from you can I? No. Teddie's been missing since early this morning and he's not picking up his cell. Frankly, I'm worried about him."

This time it was Yukiko's turn to pipe up. "Yosuke, what made you decide to check the Midnight Channel?" He let out a groan when he heard her voice. "Aggggh great! Now you're in it too! I promised Chie I wouldn't get you involved! I really screwed up this time huh? *sigh*"Some more prodding brought out the truth. Not only was Teddie missing, but Kanji was as well. Worst of all, Chie had heard a rumor the Midnight Channel was back on from some classmates and had only told Yosuke. "We didn't want to get you two involved. I mean you have the baby on the way and you're working so hard with the inn, but I guess that was pretty dumb, huh? Sorry man."

"You're a good friend, Yosuke. But I can't back down now."

"I knew you'd say that. I was kind of hoping I'd get to be the big hero this time haha. But it'll be nice being on another case with you...partner." Yu grinned a bit. Yosuke had a habit of speaking without thinking and at times seemed almost addicted to conflict, but Yu was comfortable calling him his best friend. "There's actually something I haven't told you yet, Yosuke. Rise's manager just called and..." the three exchanged the facts that they had so far. According to Chie, Naoto was still fine but she was quite busy with work. Looks like it would just be the four of them.

After the phone call ended, Yu pinched the bridge of his nose. Hopefully this was all just a big misunderstanding but he had a feeling something foul was afoot. Before he could get too deep in thought, he heard the sound of a throat being cleared. "Honey -um- I know you would probably like me to stay here, and I understand this could be dangerous," the girl took a deep breath and scrunched up her face, her eyes held a look of utmost determination. "But I can't just sit back nice and safe when our friends could be in trouble! I know it might sound selfish but- mmph"

A peck on the lips was a welcome surprise as well as Yu smiling warmly. "I don't think it's selfish at all. I feel exactly the same way as you do." He took her hands in his own. "I think it's admirable and mature. If you keep this up, everyone will have to start calling you Mrs. Amagi." She thought that was the nicest thing he would say to her that night but she was quickly proven wrong.

"Besides, our team is missing something without our cute helpful medic. Just promise you'll stay behind me, partner." She brought her hand to her lips in shock. "I'm your...partner? You really mean that?" A kiss to her engagement ring was all that needed to be said. "Oh hubby! We are partners! I never even thought of that! *Mwah* *mwah* *mwah*"

.......................................................................................................................................

The couple had wanted to get an early start on account of the two big boxes full of lunch they had to carry, so as soon as they woke up, it was time to suit up.

"You sure you don't want to change into something else? We don't have school today after all."

Yukiko looked at her husband as though he were crazy. "But we're going to be investigating. I need to wear my Investigation Team uniform even if it is a little -urgh- tight." A little was quite the understatement. She'd sized up on the bottom part of the uniform to a large but even that was looking a little snug but the top had remained a medium mainly due to the fact she could hide her excess under her red sweater. But nothing was hidden now.

She had stopped wearing regular bras entirely after her largest one had snapped right off her body and the wonderful love making session that followed, but her stretchy maternity bra looked just as undersized. The two pronged assault of her swaying jiggly mammaries from above and her big doughy belly from below transformed the once tank top like fabric into a much more normal bra. Her belly's desire to bulge out as proudly as possible pushed it up where her fattened chest greedily devoured the extra fabric, emphasizing their size even more. The strain her milk dispensers put on the bra was easily visible with the slightest peak of areolae on display. Her breasts inherited their greed for more space from her belly and pushed against their prison so much so that even the straps over her shoulder hung forward along with them.

All of this was completely visible despite being outfitted in the standard white uniform of Yasogami High. Yukiko was just simply unable to close the buttons around her chest, even with hubby's help. Her motherhood had just made her far too gifted up top, much to her secret delight. It could barely manage a diagonal covering, bulging cleavage and plenty of bountiful chest meat perfectly visible.

That was nothing compared to the uniform's failure at covering her prodigious pregnancy swell. She couldn't tuck it in even if she had wanted to, it wouldn't even reach to her waist. In fact, she had to leave the bottom button unclasped, the two ends of the shirt framing her navel making it look all the more enticing and pokable. Even the buttons she managed to close still displayed prominent gaps between them, giving Yu an eyeful of the pale bread dough texture that her body was becoming. Not yet quite fat enough to make her body bulge through the buttons, but the workload they were putting on them was evident through the abundance of fabric lines her own abundance created.

Not only did she have her big belly slung over the waistbands of her stockings and skirt, now she had to do the same with her hip blubber leaving the plump tire of fat circling around her waist entirely on display. What certainly didn't help mask her soft cheesy body was being clad only in her stockings. Although they were a size large, they only enhanced her softened squishy appearance, clinging to the pale gelatin of her rump like a sausage casing. They looked comfy and snug like a more erotic pair of yoga pants. The fabric was especially frayed on the insides of her thighs, a product of her constantly expanding curves and the friction they caused together. Even her puffier arms were being squeezed by the holes in the shirt.

Yukiko tried one last time to fasten the bottom button before quickly giving up. "I didn't think I'd need a bigger size before Golden Week was over. My size large doesn't get here until next...week." After saying the word "large" aloud she began to trail off. This whole time it had always been "sizing up" or "getting bigger clothes" but she never really had thought before that she was "large." In fact, now that she thought about it there was only one size bigger than large, extra large, the size that Hanako wore.

The girl padded over to the mirror they shared almost in a trance. Was it just her or was her body...jigglier? Even her feet seemed softer as they gently and daintily stepped across the room. That could just be all the lotion though. With her back turned, Yu got a nice look at how her pantyhose handled her big butt. Unfortunately, the cheeks didn't bulge over the top but they were clearly trying to. 30 minutes of waddling would make the fabric slide right down exposing the tops. It was so arousing to him how her back fat and her round bottom were becoming separated, and how her rump would jiggle almost like it had a mind of it's own. A division only made more obvious by the leggings creating a slight overhang of that squeezable back blubber, enough to pinch an inch at least. Her whole body was becoming an adipose laden symbol of arousal for Yu and he was enjoying every moment of it. She'd put on 55 pounds of baby weight but Yu was willing to bet at least 40 of those pounds were nothing but pure buttery fat considering she wasn't even six months yet.

Yukiko seemed to be having a different reaction. She poked and prodded herself all over, seemingly surprised by just how much her finger stuck in. Despite all the flab, she still had a very round and motherly shape. It was like her pregnancy curves provided firmness from which to hang all of the results of her indulgence. Like a coat rack for obesity. "Size large. I'm not exactly swimming in these leggings either," she thought to herself. Yukiko ran a hand along the underside of her belly. Still nice and firm but with a bit of flab collecting on the bottom making it oh so soft. The action served to remind her what this was all for as her hand returned to a more natural position on her belly. She gave her tummy a pat which besides causing a bit of bounce created another reaction.

"Ooooorrp." Still full from her late night snack, Yukiko's gut was a bit on the "stuffed" side to her embarrassment.

She turned a nice shade of red and she created a roll of fat with her fingers. And was her face always that puffy looking? Oh my. She'd certainly have a bit of work to do after the baby was born. Hopefully her classmates would be understanding of the fact that her little man was a hungry little guy...

Before she could delve any deeper into such thoughts, Yu's hands returned to her favorite place. Protectively around her belly. "Yuki you have to put on your sweater and skirt, you're driving me crazy walking around like that." He began to kiss along her face and neck bringing out a lusty moan from the girl who once blushed at even the thought of a peck on the cheek. "Yu, um, I need to go up a size again..." A slight amount of insecurity crept into her voice.

"Outgrew your schoolgirl uniform? That's expected considering you're more womanly than ever, Mrs. Amagi." Upon hearing that, Yukiko almost immediately forgot what was bothering her, any feeling of anxiety being replaced with a warm content tingle. "Schoolgirls don't have the curves for motherhood. They're too small to fit into proper maternity clothing. But you're not. I bet they would be the perfect fit on you. We should get you some more, I think you'd wear them well, being so fertile."

"Actually, I think they should put you on the cover of a maternity catalog. Other women should strive to be like you, Yuki. I thought I knew what attractive was...until you got pregnant. How wrong I was." He increased the speed of his rubbing, afterwards squeezing her as close to him as he could. "How very very wrong I was."

She dropped her leggings and underwear to the floor. "These p-panties are *oooh* ruined now so it's okay. Please hurry but *oh* be gentle!" Yu looked to the floor, just like she said , the panties were soaked through. As he inserted himself up to the second knuckle, he felt a slender hand wrap itself around his shaft. "I-I've never done this before. I hope you like it!"

He did. Very much so.

Minutes later, Yukiko stood fully dressed and ready to go. Her red sweater required constant tugging and often left the bottom part of her pregnant and flabby belly on display. Her breasts were round, perky, and clearly visible even despite the concealing power of the sweater. Her skirt covered everything just fine unless she bent over, then the lower part of her rear would peak out. She liked to show off her pregnant body, but that was a little too much.

"Wait, you forgot something important." Yukiko looked at him perplexed until he placed a red headband atop her head. "Perfect." She giggled happily, completely forgetting about any earlier worries. She was just too happy. Yu blushed a little bit. There was always something he wanted to say but he'd always been too embarrassed to say it even to Yukiko. "Can I get some sugar, sweetie?" He pulled her into an embrace and went in for the kiss. Yukiko, always eager for a kiss from her husband happily accepted.

When they parted, she smiled up at him. "Sure, but I don't have any in my room. What are we making? Ohhhh I hope it's something rich and chocolatety. Mama needs a little kick to start her day! I can just taste it melting in my mouth already!" She joyfully licked her lips and began her journey down to the kitchen. Her hands moving to soothe her now grumbling belly on the way. She moved with grace, but she couldn't hide her clear excitement for a sweet treat. Just before she was out of earshot, Yu heard a little gasp of surprise. "No silly! Not a kick like that! You're so goofy -snrk- hahahaha. Ahahahaha my little comedian!"

Yu blinked rapidly before following his wife. That had gone better than he had expected. But with all the distractions this morning, it was a good thing they got up early. Yukiko happily munched away; chocolate french toast would probably be a common request in the future. She was so absorbed in her eating, she was oblivious to the tell tale sound of stitches popping.

.......................................................................................................................................

Even if Chie didn't know where the hideout was, she'd easily be able to find the way by following the sound of Yukiko's giggling. There they were, bright and early as ever. Yukiko had her hands in her lap and a slight blush on her face, she rocked back and forth a little bit as Yu tapped her on the nose with a single finger. The two were smiling so brightly at each other, Chie thought she might go blind. The black haired girl continually looked between her bun in the oven and her husband, smile never leaving her face. The martial artist looked on the scene with fondness, but some sadness crept onto her face. "I've been replaced," she thought to herself, mostly joking.

No, this was a good thing. It meant Chie would never be able to fall onto her old crutch of using Yukiko to avoid her own issues, and the same applied to her friend. Forging separate lives while still maintaining a strong friendship would just be another indicator they'd moved past their codependency. Any remaining doubt was dashed when Yukiko turned her head.

"Chie! I'm so glad you're here!" The girl tried her best to rise to a standing position but as Yu's hands went to his wife to help her up and she let out a slight puff of exertion, Chie decided to rush over to her instead. "Oh you don't have to stand up for me." The brunette looked sheepishly at her shoe, kicking her foot against the ground a bit. "Sorry about trying to keep this from you. I just didn't want to worry you two. You know with the baby and the wedding and all." She had really wanted to handle this herself so as not to worry the young couple but she was glad they were here at least.

Yukiko held out an arm which Chie noticed had the slightest wobble to it, but that was a conversation for later after they made sure the others were alright. "Oh Chie come here." Chie allowed herself to be pulled into a hug, although she squirmed a bit.

"I think that...you're a really good friend. But you're important to me too and so is everyone else, so never forget that. Okay?" She didn't let go until she heard an "okay" back from her best friend. "Oh, I almost forgot! I brought a boxed lunch for everyone. There's plenty to go around so feel free to dig in!"

"Wow Yukiko! It smells great I can't wait to try-" Chie was confused. There were two large lunch boxes on the table. One was quite large and the other was more than a third of its size. "I-is the small one for the girls and the big one for the guys?" Yukiko giggled. "No silly! The little one is for us and the huge one is for everyone else!" At "us" she gestured to that big belly of hers leaving Chie at a loss for words. It was still enough to feed two full grown adults.

"Heeeeyyyy!" Yosuke's shouting chased any thoughts of diet advice out of Chie's head for the moment. With Investigation Team Classic all assembled they could begin. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to discuss so the meeting was quite short. All they really knew at this point was the program was different from the pattern in the past and Teddie seemed to be the host. The only way to progress would be to take a look for themselves.

"Well, until this case is solved, I hereby reinstate the Inaba Investigation Team!" His announcement was met with a round of applause from everyone else at the table much to his exasperation. "I don't think the applause is necessary," but Yu and Yukiko ignored him.

"The team is back! You're in for a treat, you get to see dada be a super hero! He's going to solve another mystery, and you get a front row seat!" Yu moved his hands lovingly over her bump as she cooed but noticed Yosuke's odd expression. "What's wrong, Yosuke?" His partner looked pensive. "Well, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but is it a good idea to bring your pregnant wife along." He held up his hands defensively at Chie and Yukiko's glares. "I'm just saying!"

Yu could have given all sorts of reasons. Spirit was their most valuable resource and Yukiko had an abundance of it. With her focusing on healing, the others could focus fully on offense. The Fox was busy nursing her kits and with Rise gone, they had no real way of replenishing energy. But he settled on the real one. "I just feel better with Yukiko at my back."

That earned him a smooch on the lips and hand on his chest gently rubbing up and down. Yosuke groaned at the cheesy line but relented. He trusted his partner's judgment and it wasn't really his place to say. Chie laughed at his groaning. "I think somebody's jealous Captain Resentment." Yosuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's ressentiment you moron! It's French! And anyway, at least I'm not a carnivore or a sister complex or whatever."

"Mine isn't that bad." Yu said almost immediately.

"I know everybody knows already but it's still kind of embarrassing to be called 'deflowered' like that. Why did they have to put it like that?" Chie went to comfort her best friend having her lost virginity broadcast in such a way but Yu was faster. He took her hands in his own. "Yuki, in your case 'deflowered' is a compliment."

"W-what? Really?"

"When plants are deflowered, they grow back even more beautiful than before, blossoming into something truly incredible." She knew what was coming next but still waited with bated breath. "And that's exactly what's happening to you. Yuki, you grow more beautiful by the day, like a lovely cherry blossom." Yukiko wrapped her arms around the back of his head and kissed him deeply before he could say anymore.

"Noooooooooo," Yosuke groaned to himself. He had forgotten all about this. Forget shadows, this was the most damaging part of the investigation for him. Looking at Chie, he found a kindred spirit to share his exasperation with. "I really wish Naoto was here right now, then the love birds would be outnumbered."

"Oh that reminds me Yosuke! The councillor told me to ask you to turn in your career form." It was an innocent remark but the way Yosuke reacted it was as though he'd been struck. Chie certainly didn't help. "You still haven't turned that in? Wasn't it due like two weeks ago?"

"Okay, okay. I'll do it when I get back. I keep just keep forgetting is all." That was enough for Yukiko who happily hummed and began to waddle away to save her friends but Chie and Yu fixed him with their gaze. Sure Yosuke could be a goof sometimes, but he wouldn't forget a required assignment. The truth was, he hadn't forgotten at all. In fact, it had been dominating his thoughts for every single day since he received it. "H-hey guys come on. You're my friends, if something was wrong you know I'd tell you, right?"

"Hurry everyone! Rise and the others could be in danger!" Yu and Chie gave Yosuke one last glance before moving along. Yu in particular gave him a knowing glance. He had been there when Chie and Yukiko had excitedly filled out their forms while Yosuke sat there in silence and he'd given him the same look he was giving now. And just like then, Yosuke had assured him nothing was wrong before Yu had been distracted by his wife. Yosuke had to sigh to himself. All that crap he gave his partner about keeping secrets and yet here he was doing the same thing. No wonder he was getting left in the dust.

With an assurance from Yosuke that he had Teddie keep the gateway open on the other side, the group was ready to go. Well, not quite.

"C'mon! The customers are leaving, hurry up!" If only they could. Yukiko's new found ponderousness made stepping up into the TV quite difficult. "It's a good thing Junes sells plasma screens," Yosuke snarked. Not out loud of course, he didn't have a death wish. "I'm *mmf* trying my best. Hubby, please give me a hand!" Yu dutifully gave her rump a little shove, sorely tempted to give it a nice slap but he held himself back, and with that they were on their way.

.......................................................................................................................................

"Everything was going so well too. Now these interlopers arrive. This could be...problematic." A deep otherworldly voice spoke to a young boy who wore an easy smirk.

"Relax Kagu, this could actually be beneficial."

"For the last time, my name is Hi-no-Kagutsuchi and you will address me-" but he was blown off by a flippant wave of the young man's hand. "Yeah yeah I know. You get really heated about that. Get it? 'Heated.' Cuz you're all firey? Hahahahaha." If the entity had teeth, he'd be grinding them right about now. Sensing his partner's extreme annoyance, the boy spoke up quickly. "Look, just hear me out. Let's send Narukami after the interlopers and that way we get no interference and we can work on exploiting his friends."

The god appeared to be giving this serious thought. "That boy has quite a powerful Persona." His partner rolled his eyes. "Look, do you really think he's going to break? And do you really think Labrys could beat him? C'mon now, get serious." The entity had to admit his partner had a point. Better to obtain a vessel for himself before hastily challenging the one who felled even the mighty Izanami. Besides, if something wasn't done with those Shadow Operatives, then the whole plan could come undone. The jovial young man turned more serious. "Plus this way I get to see that Kirijo woman crawling in the dirt. Or Narukami. Either way's fine with me!"

.......................................................................................................................................

"Mizui!"

The woman jumped up like some kind of startled animal. "I'd appreciate it if you answered the first time I called for you." She looked to the side completely ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sorano. It won't happen again." The tall man pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "That's what you said two days ago when you almost lost that folder in the meeting room. And when you neglected to take notes during the director reporting session." She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

"It's about Yu isn't it?" Mizui looked up surprised, but eventually just nodded. She had tried burying herself in her work like usual, but this time it didn't seem to be working. This wasn't like the disappointment in his voice from a missed birthday or when they had cancelled his after school plans at the last minute. He had seemed genuinely betrayed. Betrayed and angry. He had looked at her with utter contempt in his eyes, albeit briefly. What got to her the most was what replaced that contempt, pure sadness. Like he was in mourning.

Her husband quickly looked around to make sure no one was around before leaning over. "Look I understand. I'm not at all happy with the way things went either but we have to be firm. He'll take advantage of any hesitation on our part. You want him back don't you?"

"I do. I-I just don't want him back in this way." Sorano looked at her oddly and she desperately attempted to clarify. "I m-mean he'll be back but we won't have him. He'll hate us for making him choose."

"That's because he's a child. Putting the now above the importance of his family. He might even hate us forever, but that shouldn't matter, right?" His wife nodded but still looked unsure. His expression softened. Despite everything, she was still the boy's mother and thus her heart would logically be split. But he needed her with him. He remembered she was like this at the end of her maternity leave. She had made the right decision then and she would now.

"Look. Why don't you take the next few days off and come back on Monday? I can manage things here, it will be relatively light. Take some time to get your thoughts in order. I can't have you all scattered like this, on the job or with our son."

"No, I can't possibly burden you like that Sorano. Just- just give me something to do so I can keep myself occupied."

"You're more of a burden to me right now!" Seeing the wounded expression on her face, he placed a hand on her shoulder and calmed down a little. "Sorry, but it's the truth. So I ask again, will you please pull yourself together? For our family's sake at least." Sighing, she relented. "I suppose...a distracted mind will only lead to more mistakes. But I'll come back as soon as I can."

"I expect you will." As he left, she couldn't help but bite the nail on her thumb. "This is a problem. This is quite the problem."

.......................................................................................................................................

"Ugh."

Yu rose groggily to his feet and took a moment to collect his bearings. He was outside of a school, his school. But that couldn't be, yes it was coming back to him. They had entered the TV World as normal when all of a sudden the portal took on a strange reddish hue and things started going haywire. Then...Margaret had given him a warning about another ordeal and now he was here. The outside gate of the building looked absolutely pristine. So pristine that it was almost uncanny. "Yukiko! Yosuke! Chie!" He called out. The only effect his shouting caused was it caught the attention of some nearby students. No wait these weren't students. They were shadows in the vague shapes of students. They shambled towards him like zombies until they had surrounded him in a complete circle. Although they were shadows, they didn't seem interested in combat, only observing. Suddenly, a loud voice broke the eerie silence.

"Greetings boys and girls of Yasogami High! Sorry for the delay but your lovely Risette is now proud to present the P1 Grand Prix!"

"This is an out and out brawl. No need for manners or courtesy today! So go ahead and show us how you really feel!"

"But first, the General would like a few words."

A monitor lowered itself into Yu's vision as he was reeling from hearing Rise's voice. And who would appear but Teddie dressed in that ridiculous get up from the other night. "Welcome one and all to our bear-y own P-1 Grand Prix where friend faces off against friend for the grand prize waiting at the end! Oh sensei, what luck! I expect good things from you!"

Friend against friend? Something wasn't right here. Sure Teddie had dragged them into that ridiculous quiz show to compete but the way he was talking made it sound like they'd actually be fighting. "Teddie? What's the meaning of this? And why is Rise with you?"

"Tut tut tut sensei. Always with the talking. It's boooring. You need to put on a show for the audience." Yu said nothing and merely stared. It actually made the bear on the screen extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, he had a bit of leverage. "You don't even want to know what the grand prize is? I prepared a special prize for everyone. In your case I'm sure your prize is just dying to see her big bro." That got Yu's attention. "Teddie what do you mean by that? You better not have brought Nanako in here. You know what happened last time." Something was very very wrong. Teddie would never put Nanako in harm's way, even for one of his stupid pranks. He wasn't able to think any more deeply then that because the bear spoke up again.

"Bring out the first challenger!"

Smoke poured into the courtyard, temporarily blinding Yu. When the smoke cleared, he saw someone he'd never seen before. A tall red haired woman wearing a completely ridiculous outfit. A spy catsuit and fur coat. She was pretty certainly, but nowhere near as beautiful as his Yukiko so he didn't give it much thought beyond a cursory glance. She carried herself regally, like she was used to being in command.

Mitsuru Kirijo didn't know what to make of the sight in front of her. A boy, about high school age, with grey hair and a weapon standing in front of her. He didn't look like he meant her any harm and he carried himself with confidence and maturity. He had an honest look about him and something about him seemed familiar to him somehow. Like she'd met him before. She quickly shook the ridiculous thought off. He was pretty distinctive looking, she'd definitely remember someone like him.

Yu spoke up first. "What are you doing here? This place is quite dangerous. Are you a Persona user too?" Mitsuru allowed herself to relax a bit. Clearly this boy meant her no harm. "I could ask the same of you. You look to me as though you're still in high school." She offered him a kind smile. "Although if there's one thing I've learned, appearances can be deceiving." Before their conversation could continue, a high pitch ringing rang out throughout the courtyard making them both cover their ears. When Yu lifted his head up, the kind smile had been replaced by a cruel smirk.

"Yes. Appearances can be deceiving indeed." She stepped forward, the loud clack of her heel like the banging of a gavel. "I am Mitsuru Kirijo, head of the Kirijo family. And I too have the power of Persona. But mine is a little different from yours." Her earlier grace was still there but now it was laced with arrogance, her nose was turned up as though she were looking at a bug. It made Yu's skin crawl. "It has the ability to manipulate others into doing my bidding. Quite a useful feature for the head of a large corporation, don't you think?"

"What are you getting at?" Something wasn't right here. But he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

"Does the name Nanako Dojima ring a bell?" Yu's blood ran cold when he heard her say those words. "Ohohohoho. I see it does. How about Yukiko Amagi? How far along is she now, five months, six?"

"H-how do you know all this?" The regal looking woman scoffed. "Come now. Surely you've heard of the power my family possesses. Such things are child's play for one such as myself. I've been watching you for a long time, Yu Narukami or I suppose you're Yu Amagi now."

He raised his weapon cautiously and she followed suit. "You've made your point Mrs. Kirijo, what is it that you want?" More infuriatingly condescending laughter soon followed. "I want you to come work for me, Mr. Amagi. Being a family man I knew you wouldn't come even when asked. So I needed some...leverage."

The two began to circle around the arena, weapons pointed at each other. "Controlling the weak mind of your bear friend was quite simple. And that brought your adorable little wife right to me. Don't blame yourself too much though, I would have been able to grab her even if you hadn't brought her with you. They're all further ahead, with my associates." Yu chuckled but it was a dark one with no sense of mirth at all. "Your plan has one fatal flaw, I could just kill you right now and all of your associates." He was seeing red and fully ready to do it but his own words snapped him out of it. "Calm down stupid," he thought to himself. "This isn't how a father should act. Think. That is a giant flaw. Surely, one who's intelligent enough to run a corporation at such a young age wouldn't commit such a grave error. And if she really had the power to control others, why did she need Teddie to kidnap Nanako? Why did she need me to bring Yukiko into the TV? Why wouldn't she just control me in the first place?" As if sensing his reason come back to him, Mitsuru let out a long low growl.

"Kill me? My my I'd like to see you try! Come Artemisia!" It seems that combat was unavoidable. "I don't wish to harm you, but I do need to find the truth. I'll have to use my power, my full power to bring an end to this quickly. Come Izanagi-no-Okami!"

Mitsuru raised her arms reflexively blocking the sudden gust of wind that nearly knocked her off her feet. And that was merely from the summoning. Yu hadn't meant it to hurt, it was more like a warning. "Please stand down and let me pass. You can't win." But she didn't listen and instead charged herself up. Yu allowed himself a small smirk. "That won't help you. Heat Riser."

"This Chief Executioner Officer is not holding back and neither is the Papa Bear. Which one of these titans will come out on top? I can't wait to find out!" Yu ignored "Rise's" jeering. She was wrong anyway, he thought as he sheathed his sword; he would, in fact, be holding back. The woman looked at him as though he were insane. "Fool. Do you mean to mock me? Well don't think that I'll- *ooooghh*" The graceful woman made a most ungraceful sound as Yu's fist connected with her center. She slumped to the ground, clutching her stomach. It was clear she was incapacitated, her attempt to stand was laughable.

"I still have some questions I want to ask you." It was a bit of a mundane way to end a fight. He had been thinking of moving so fast he would have ended up behind her and then attacking but there was no reason for spectacle, plus that might have been a bit too ridiculous. If Yukiko had been watching, he would have definitely done that though.

"Wow! The battle ended with only one strike! No wonder they call you a lady killer, senpai!" Rise's face on the monitor was quickly replaced with General Teddie or whatever he called himself. "That was an amazing display of grizzly violence, sensei! You have the strength of ten bears! Now onto your next opponent! Hey, hey are you ignoring me! Hey!" Yu was too busy helping the red headed woman to her feet to pay much attention to the bear. He still eyed her with suspicion, but those eyes didn't hold the same murderous intent they had before the fight.

When he had called forth that eerie pristine white Persona, Mitsuru instantly realized why the boy had seemed so familiar. That intense look in his eyes, he was just him. This power, it was the same as back then too. It was the day before they had confronted Nyx, he had plunged into the depths of Monad on his own telling them "this is something I need to do on my own."

She and the rest of SEES had waited in that lobby, with no idea what he was doing until he emerged a near half hour later, beaten and bruised but alive. He never told anyone what had happened but Mitsuru had felt it. Even though he was deep deep below in the basement of Tartarus and her detection abilities were far inferior to those of her younger navigator friend, she had felt the echoes of his power. And now here was that same power bearing down fully on her, well there was no way he was quite as powerful as the one from back then, but he was certainly close. When that initial wave of power had nearly knocked her to the ground, she had almost wanted to drop her weapon, disheartened.

But she had steeled herself and summoned her own Persona. If he was really the one who had stolen Labrys like he said, and if he knew so much about her personal life, she couldn't let him go free. Plus all the...salacious things he had said about her body couldn't be allowed to stand. Her resolve had quickly been brought to an end with that single punch. It had knocked the air right out of her lungs and she had fallen to the ground, arms and legs shaking to support her. The jeering of that announcer girl was mere white noise and she was fully expecting the finishing blow. Instead, she received a hand up.

"I still have some questions I want to ask you." The way he had said it was stern, but it held no malice like his taunts about her being a failure as a leader and inability to make friends had been. This shocked her but his first question shocked her more. "What did you do with my family?"

"Your...family? I'm sorry, I'm *cough* afraid I don't *hah* understand. I have no idea who you are." Then a sinister thought crept into her head. Could he be after revenge for actions the Kirijo Group had committed in the past? "Is that why you captured Labrys?"

Yu was baffled. "Labrys?" The sheer bafflement on his face was evident to the Kirijo woman. He truly didn't know what she was talking about. "Wait," they both said at the same time. Yu was beginning to piece together what was going on. In their efforts to get the two to fight, they'd unwittingly given Yu a major clue. That high pitch ringing didn't happen for no reason after all. "You first ma'am. What exactly did I say to you?" The two gave the other their accounts of what they had thought their opponent had said and what they had actually said. Mitsuru had thought he had stolen something valuable from her company and was out for revenge and Yu had thought she had threatened the safety of his wife and cousin.

"Wife and cousin...That's right! You're in that fighting tournament! I'm guessing not by choice?" Yu nodded but Mitsuru suddenly gained a hot blush on her cheeks. "Uxorious...sister-complex...and your name is Amagi. The other girl's name is Amagi too. And we are out in the country. Did you...marry your sister? And at such a young age too! Oh my! N-not that it's my place to judge of course!"

Yu quickly waved his hands. Best to nip that in the bud right away. "N-no. I married into the family so I took her last name. My sister is my cousin!" Seeing the look of utter bafflement on Mitsuru's features, he scrambled to explain. "She just calls me her big brother and...is this really important? What are you doing here anyway?" He tried to nonchalantly change the subject but it was clear he was a tad flustered. But just like that, Mitsuru was all business once again, explaining to him her mission and her role in the elite group known as the Shadow Operatives.

"It appears our enemy has the power to create a false perception of reality, and they're doing it to make us fight, hence the tournament like structure. I see." Her eyes grew wide in realization. "Could it be?"

"What?"

"The thing I'm searching for, Labrys, I don't know it's appearance or if it's even sentient but I do know it has the ability to create illusions. I believe that bear is using and will continue to use it to cause conflict. I can't believe I let myself fall under the enemy's spell so easily. If you hadn't defeated me, I might have seriously harmed you." The auburn haired woman looked overcome by extreme guilt for her failure and falling right into the enemy's trap. "I nearly fell for it too. But now we won't fall for it again and we can do better next time."

She gave off a small smile. Such a simple perspective, but it was quite comforting and true. Mitsuru chuckled. "You remind me of someone I once knew. You know, it may have been made under an illusion but consider that offer on the table. To join the Shadow Operatives as a reserve member. Let's consider the rest of this mission as your test." What else could she offer someone who had managed to keep a cool head under such circumstances and displayed such power? She stuck out a hand. "Let's try this again. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm the daughter of the CEO, not the company head."

"I'm Yu Amagi," he said shaking it. "And I'm afraid I have to decline your offer. I'm going to be a father soon after all and I have an inn to help run." His rejection moved her heart towards him even more. He too was someone who took prior commitments and promises quite seriously. "Just consider the door open, if you ever change your mind." Technically, Yu had made all of his friends by beating "them" up first, but it was weird the woman was so friendly with him despite slugging her in the gut not five minutes ago. "I guess someone in her position has to always look at the big picture," he thought.

To her surprise, he bowed and apologized profusely for it, which led to a guffaw on her part. "It's quite alright Mr. Amagi. If anyone threatened someone I cared about, I'd have executed them on the spot. I think you showed remarkable restraint, given the circumstances." Yu wondered if she really had the power to execute people, somehow it didn't seem impossible. "My Persona doesn't have the power to control others, but it does have the ability to communicate across long distances. If you would like, I could help you get in contact with your wife and anyone else you entered with." Yu stood there in shock. This was an incredibly lucky break. "You'd really do that?"

That warm smile from before the fight was back on her face. "Coordination is an invaluable asset in any operation. And...I'd like to ease your mind if possible." Yu smiled back. "You're a very kind person, Mrs. Kirijo." She was surprised by his straight forwardness and the faintest trace of a blush fell on her cheeks. "Please, call me Mitsuru."

Yu wanted nothing more than to contact Yukiko, make sure she was alright and tell her everything was going to be okay and he'd be right there. But she had a Persona to defend herself. There was one person here who didn't, and if his hunch was correct, she'd need protection more than anyone. "Before we contact my wife, I'd like to contact a friend of mine. Rise Kujikawa. She has powers very similar to yours so it should be easy to reach her. If we can get in contact with her, we could create a network with the rest of my team." He gave her a brief summary of the events of last year, surprised at how much she already knew.

"Excellent thinking. Unfortunately, my powers aren't as honed as one of my subordinates or your idol friend. So I'll need you to provide a description." Yu gave her the best description he could making sure to even include her hairstyle. But it was all for naught. She didn't "pick up" at all.

Worst of all, was what Mitsuru said next. "She's inside of this world. I can sense her but she's not answering my calls. I don't mean to worry you, but I fear the worst." Yu took a calming breath. Panicking would do no one any good. He'd contact the others, see if Teddie or Kanji were in there and rendezvous in a nearby location.

"Tres bien! I can see why they made you the leader. Describe your wife to me. I saw her on the video but I'm afraid my memory is a bit foggy."

"She has long silken black hair that cascades down her back like a waterfall of femininity. It contrasts so beautifully with her fair complexion. Almost as much as the plump red lips on her face; they're subtle yet enticing much like her chocolate brown eyes. Yukiko prefers to wear a vibrant red that makes her look even more vivacious than she already is." At this point he wasn't even really talking to Mitsuru anymore, looking deeply into the blue sky. "And the pregnancy has only added to all of these things. She's nearly six months along now, and she's never been so full of life, so enthusiastic about every day. It makes me love her even more than I already did. I guess to describe what she looks like for you Ms. Kirijo, I would say the cherry blossoms on the Sakura trees outside our inn given human form. Breath takingly beautiful, blooming, and gives a warm comfort just from looking at her." His speech was halted when Mitsuru began to laugh. At first he was a bit embarrassed at how carried away he got, when he realized it was a joyful laugh absent of any mocking intent.

"I confess, I've always been fond of the idea of romance. I hope you make each other very happy."

Yu was surprised. Seeing his surprise, she rested a kind hand on his shoulder. "I believe people should be free to pursue what they love, no matter how foolish what they love might seem to others. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Besides, it was not uncommon for people in her station to marry right after high school and if he had taken on this "Yukiko's" name, she was probably from a wealthy family as well. The husband seemed quite capable at least. "Thank you, Mr. Amagi. You've given me more than enough to work with."

"Call me Yu."

Suddenly, the TV they had been ignoring, popped down again. After it was clear neither Yu nor Mitsuru had any interest in his nonsense, General Teddie had given up to find a way to grab the attention of at least one of them. And he had finally found it.

"Big bro! Help me!"

Yu whipped around to see a frightened looking Nanako on the screen. Next was a panicked looking Yukiko in near hysterics. General Teddie then flashed back, looking quite angry. "I see now I have your attention sensei. Listening to you two talk was un-bear-able. Letting everyone get in contact with each other would be beary beary bad! So don't do it, unless you want Yuki-chan and Nanako-chan to get hurt!"

Mitsuru stepped forward to say something but Teddie cut her off. "Ah ah ah. I'm not interested in what a loser has to say. It's sensei's decision." But to Teddie's surprise, after Yu's initial panic, he had calmed down. "I don't know if I believe that you have them. Could I see them again?"

"Sensei, I thought you were smart! I guess love really does make you dumb. Here they are!" Again, they flashed but the monitor had to take a moment to adjust. Longer than if they were just switching screens. And they were all in the same spot. He had noticed it earlier when it had switched between Rise and Teddie but now he knew for sure. "Very convincing illusions. But they won't work on me anymore. Next time, move around the room a little if you want to simulate different people." Mitsuru's gaped a bit. She hadn't even noticed that. "Mitsuru, please put me in contact-"

"Senpai help!"

When he turned around, Rise and General Teddie were in the same shot.

"Okay okay fine. I don't have Yukiko or Nanako or anyone else. But I do have Rise and I will kill her if either of you try anything." The General's Teddie like eyes had now become an eerie malicious yellow much like those of a shadow. "Not so smart now are you 'sensei?'"

"Senpai. I'm so sorry. I-I got you guys involved a-and I'm sorry." She sounded close to tears and Yu couldn't blame her. A sharp claw was directly under her throat.

"How utterly vile! I will personally make sure you pay for-" An actual snarl came out from the fake Teddie and a woman's voice emerged from his mouth, like he had forgotten to apply a filter in his rage. "I thought I told you that losers mean nothing to me. That threat applies to you to by the way, if you try to tell your allies anything, this girl dies! And that includes the ones outside! Her life is in your hands, Kirijo and yours too Amagi. If you're not at the sight of your next match in five minutes well you know what will happen."

Mitsuru and Yu nodded towards each other. The only thing to do was to press on. Suddenly, Mitsuru fell down in surprise. "Ah!" She began to rub at the spot where she had stopped. "There's some sort of invisible barrier preventing me from passing."

"How many times do I need to say it before you understand? Losers are nothing but garbage. They might as well not even exist! Once you lose, you're trapped there for the rest of the tournament!" Mitsuru bit her lip. She didn't want to have to do this, but she really had no other choice.

"Yu, there's nothing I hate more than pushing my family's responsibilities on another, but I need you to take on my mission. If you find this Labrys, you must retrieve it or destroy it! Please. I beg you." Yu nodded firmly. "I understand. If I had known you had such an important responsibility at the beginning...well no point in dwelling on what can't be changed. You can leave everything to me." Just like the one from back then, when he said that, she believed.

"Thank you. I promise I shall let no harm come to your friend." Yu was touched by her brave action. Trapped in a hostile land with no hope of escape, all to save the life of someone she barely knew. "I'm in your debt, Mitsuru."

"Think nothing of it. Now go. Your friends need you." As he ran off, she smirked. "Perhaps I should leave an anonymous donation on his doorstep once this is all over. It's the least I could do."

The General decided to get one last piece of snark in before he left. "Leaving behind your new friend like that? How cruel sensei!"

"Give it up, I know you're not the real Teddie. And that means when I get to you, I can tear you apart." He said it completely evenly, in the same tone one would use to list off an errand they had to do. The fake Teddie growled and withdrew the monitor. "Senpai's going to kick your butt all over the place! I'll be surprised if there's even a piece of you left!"

"Shut up you ditzy brat. Go back into your corner before I hurt you!" She obliged but stuck out her tongue before doing so. She knew any damage to her person would be inflicted on him tenfold. The General scratched at her neck nervously. A shadow could be harmed, but it couldn't be killed as long as its owner was alive right? But maybe he wouldn't care about that? With such power, he might even have a way to kill a shadow like herself. The thought made her rearrange the maze a bit. Best to be cautious. Keep him far far far away from the control room. Take the long way around.

Yu had started to run, but ramming face first into an invisible wall had slowed his pace. "I hope everyone's alright. Yukiko, please be okay."

.......................................................................................................................................

Yukiko's eyes fluttered open gently in response to a kick from her unborn baby boy. She wore a bright smile on her face since she had just woken from a wonderful dream. In it, her appetite had been truly bottomless. She could eat and eat all she wanted with no regards to the limits of her tummy. Familiar tastes danced on her tongue fed to her by her doting husband as he showered her with affection. She was able to fully provide for her baby, who in the dream was constantly hungry while familiar voices praised her incredible ability. She had swelled bigger and bigger until she was the size of a full term mama with triplets, streams of milk running down her enormous breasts. Her hands did their best to run along the sides of her massive massive belly unable to even reach the front. Yu covered the space she couldn't while bringing more and more delicious food to her waiting mouth. "Forget catalogs. They should build statues of you."

To be quite honest, it had left her feeling a bit frisky and a tad bit hungry. She puckered up her lips and closed her eyes for her good morning kiss, planning to drag Yu down for a more proper start to the day. After waiting for five seconds, she blinked in confusion. He would never leave her in such a position for so long. She took in her surroundings and realized she was in a large gym. Her school's gym. Except the chairs were piled high in unnatural looking towers and an eerie blue light seeped in to the otherwise dark room. Familiar strands of that eerie yellow tape fluttered in the slight breeze.
A cold sensation traveled its way up her body from her love handle, and that's when Yukiko realized she was on her side, cradling her bump protectively. That's right, now she remembered! They had entered the TV together. But no one else seemed to be around. "Yu! Chie! Yosuke! Anyone?" She called each in turn but each time there was no answer. They wouldn't abandon her. But thinking about it, there was that weird light show when they entered...

A bit of panic started to set in before she quickly quashed it. The little one could probably feel that. "Shh it'll be okay. Daddy and the others are here. We just have to find them. Until then, mommy will keep you safe." She hoped her soft pat would be a good substitute for a kiss. There didn't seem to be any shadows around despite the strange environment, so first things first would be standing up.

Yukiko moved on to her back and made to hop up onto her feet like she did when she had been knocked flat by a shadow before her pregnancy when she realized something. "I don't hop to my feet at home. He might think something's wrong if I do that." Plus her thighs would ache like hell if she got up that way, if she even could anymore. She rolled back on to her side, unaware of how her belly didn't just rest on the ground but spilled on to it a bit. From there, she pushed herself up from her side into a seated position with her arms, slowly and without haste like a good mama should.

Yukiko felt not particularly hungry, but a bit peckish. And what better way to soothe the baby than with a nice snack like everything was normal and they were back home. She searched around for her bento, oh there it was. It was certainly hard to miss because of its size. But that was the one for every one else. She looked all over the room but considering the lack of light, wasn't able to see much. The shared bento was close, but not within reaching distance. She'd have to walk over to it.
She looked at her stomach sadly. "Sorry everyone. It'll just be a little nibble." Yukiko got into a push up position with her knees on the ground. Not that she'd ever done a push up in recent memory, her squishy mama arms wobbling a little along with her belly and butt as she got into position. She was certainly glad no one was behind her at that moment. She just knew the bottoms of her cheeks were exposed.
"One leg at a time," she mumbled to herself, making sure not to flub a single movement. As she pressed her hands on her knees and slowly brought herself up, images of a sumo wrestler entered her head causing her to giggle. If she was alone in her room, she would have done the wide step that they do. As it was, her arms flailed about a bit as she adjusted to her still new to her center of gravity before returning to their natural position. "See? Mama isn't completely helpless," she said to herself, tittering a bit as she slowly waddled over to the bento. A part of her was glad her clothing was so tight. It was a good regulator for her speed. One hasty movement and she'd be punished with embarrassment.

Yukiko slowly bent over and...grasped at thin air. That was odd, even when she was pregnant a slight leaning forward adjustment was all that was needed to pick things up. Realizing what the "problem" was she beamed and straightened herself. "Oh, you're getting so big! Oh but how am I going to feed you now..." If Yu were here this would be no problem. Thinking of him, the phrase, "trust your instincts" popped into her head and immediately she knew what to do. She just had to visualize the bento box as something different.

Slowly, she bent with her core, keeping her back straight and lowering her bottom while taking a knee. Her belly brushed up against her thigh in her pseudo lung position as she reached out her arms, taking the box into her bosom. It was just like a toddler running into the arms of his heavily pregnant mama. "Something I should be prepared for," she thought to herself with a bit of a blush. Yukiko even held the box like a toddler with one arm wrapped around its back and the other supporting its bottom.

Yukiko gave it a little bounce in her arms and giggled. "Thanks for helping mama practice sweetie. I think you deserve a little treat." She realized most of Yu's section would probably end up in her tummy anyway so no problem if she ate some.
She was so happy with her little idea that she hadn't heard the sound of tearing fabric just like she didn't feel the slight breeze tickling at her newly exposed rump. Popping the lid off she was only met with disappointment. At first she thought, her shaking it up and down was what caused the mess in front of her, but that wasn't possible. All the food was all mixed together and a strange smell was coming from the box. All her hard work, ruined; it was almost enough to make her want to cry. "Oh...oh no. I can't feed you this. I'm sorry honey. Just wait a little bit longer okay." It seemed her little darling had decided to be cooperative and even the slight peckishness she had felt before had faded. "Thank you for being so understanding," she murmured. This was quite a large room though, and with her speed it would take at least ten minutes to search it completely. She prayed it hadn't ended up at the top of one of the chair towers.

Briefly, she wondered if she should go out searching for the others instead. "No...if I don't know where they are, it would be better to stay still. I want you to remember that in case you ever get lost in a store, okay?" The sound of a footstep made her whip around, fan drawn in readiness. A voice spoke up, much louder than the quiet murmuring and slight grunts of exertion that had been filling the room until that point.

"Hey! I thought I heard someone in here! You ain't responsible for these wackadoo decorations here are you?" It was a girl, about her age with long white hair tied up in a ponytail that reached her waist. She had a stern visage and wore a Yasogami High uniform, not a single strand out of place or alteration of any kind, unlike Yukiko's own. The picture perfect example of a model student.

"O-oh my. What are you doing here?"

The girl seemed to misinterpret her question. "It would be weirder if I wasn't here. I'm the student council president of your school ya know? It's my job."

Yukiko had never seen this girl in her life but at the same time she hadn't paid much attention to the elections. They had happened just last week, so that meant this girl must have been the winner. Yu or Chie would probably know. They both paid more attention to things like that. "N-no I mean here, in the TV World, you shouldn't be here, it's not safe!"

The girl cocked her head in confusion. TV World? Wait, is that a fancy shmancy word for a broadcast? For the fighting tournament that was going on? "Well of course it's not safe here with all those numbskulls running amok out there. A fighting tournament," she scoffed, "can you believe that!? Geez, some people huh?" Her high energy and direct way of speaking left Yukiko at a loss for words. Slowly the girl's eyes opened in recognition. "Hey wait just one minute! You're Yukiko Amagi, the Deflowered Thorn Princess or whatever!"

"Please don't call me that," Yukiko mumbled but the girl continued on undeterred. "Fighting on school property and you're bursting out of your uniform there." Yukiko followed to where the president was pointing and realized her sweater had ridden up again, leaving a pale grabble handful of tummy pudge clearly visible. She self consciously tried to tug it down but that wouldn't do much good as it would pop right back up not two minutes later. "And, hang on, deflowered and the way you look...you pregnant?"

Despite her heavy flabbiness, Yukiko's pody still held the telltale signs of pregnant perkiness. A girl who was all fat with a belly her size would have it covering her crotch from view entirely plus the lack of any rolls on the front. It sagged a bit sure, but her fecundity acted as a kind of table on which to rest her marshmellow fluff. For the first time since the conversation began, Yukiko gained a beaming smile. Even a complete stranger could almost immediately tell she was pregnant from just a quick glance.

"Uh huh. Almost six months," she said with a hint of pride.

The girl scowled at her. "Don't sound so proud. You shouldn't be fighting in your condition. Hell, you shouldn't even BE in your condition. You're a student, ain'tcha? Geez louise, you really are a delinquent." She was about to lecture the girl some more but the glare Yukiko gave her shut her mouth pretty quickly.

"Now hold on just a minute young lady. You should never judge someone based on their appearance, it's very very rude!" She looked the president up and down noticing for the first time the girl was holding a lunch box. Yukiko's lunch box her husband had given to her. "How would you like it if I called you a delinquent because of your white hair? I bet that wouldn't make you feel very good now would it?" The girl in question subconsciously played with her hair a bit between her fingers. "N-no I guess it wouldn't," she stammered out looking down at the ground. Yukiko hand she'd been using to wag a finger moved down onto her soft hip. "And I wouldn't be so quick to throw stones considering that's my lunch box you're holding."

Yukiko's voice shifted into a higher pitch. She was still looking directly at the girl, but it was like she was talking to someone else at the same time. "You should try your best to get to know people. Never judge a book by its cover." The pregnant woman didn't seem truly angry, just cross. The student council president scuffed the floor a bit with her shoe. She honestly hadn't been expecting that, now she felt kind of like a naughty child. "S-sorry. It's been a long day and..." Yukiko shook her head sternly but gently. "That's never an excuse for being rude." The pale haired girl actually found herself blushing. "I didn't know the box was yours, I wouldn't have taken it if I had. You can have it back if you want. Sorry."

To the girl's surprise, Yukiko simply giggled. "It's okay. You were going to take it to the lost and found right?" The girl nodded. "I believe you. You seem very conscientious."

Yukiko moved to place down the ruined bento box. "Oh no. Let me, you shouldn't be bending over in your condition if you can avoid it." The heiress smiled warmly at this new girl, she was obviously a kind person, she was just a little stiff. "It'll be just like with Naoto," she thought, handing the box to the student council president. Yukiko was amazed when the girl was easily able to hold it in the palm of her hand with no strain whatsover. "Oh my. You're very strong. Do you work out?"

Miss President didn't know how to answer that. "I don't...think so? Is this not normal?" The slightest hint of insecurity made its way onto her features and Yukiko immediately felt bad. "Oh no, it's not weird at all. I imagine you have to move things around a lot as a student council president. Seems natural to me." The girl nodded a bit and mumbled to herself. "Yeah that sounds right." Before Yukiko could ask what she meant by that, the girl seemed to regain her confidence and her sternness and after handing Yukiko her box, she started speaking.

"Look, I'm sorry I came on you a little hard. You seem like a nice girl, but as the student council president, I think I'm owed an explanation of what's going on. What are you bozos fighting for? And what's with those strange ghost things? Those special effects seem a tad pricey for high school students." Yukiko didn't quite know what she meant at first. "Ghost things?"

"Yeah, those weird cartoon characters that appear behind you. How are you doing that?" Yukiko's eyes widened in realization. "Oh a Persona." Yukiko did her best to explain what was going on to the young girl and where they were. The girl looked skeptical until Yukiko called forth her own for a brief moment, flaring her heat a bit so the president could actually feel it. Miss President was shocked, but it was her third time seeing it so she maintained a semblance of composure.

"This is all so crazy. You're saying you and your friends beat up monsters inside a TVs?" Yukiko nodded happily. "Uh huh. We've gotten really good at it too." Miss President couldn't believe what she was hearing. This gentle looking girl was some kind of superhero? And there were more like her at this school? Then again, she was pretty sure normal schools didn't have monuments of chairs or a weird bear yelling at people to fight each other on a monitor. "It would also explain how that guy moved so fast," she murmured to herself.

"Hmm, what guy?" Miss President snapped her fingers. That's right. That guy was this girl's husband. If anyone could get him to stop, it would probably be her. "Well, Mrs. Amagi, I saw your husband fighting-"

"You saw my hubb- husband!? Oh please tell me where he is. He'll be so relieved to know we're safe." Miss President was bewildered at her sudden burst of excitement. "I-I saw him in the courtyard fighting some woman in a ridiculous get up with long red hair." Yukiko bit her lip. "Oh dear. I hope she's alright."

"B-but I didn't even tell you who won." The pregnant woman was looking at her like she had just started speaking French before her mouth made a little "o" shape in understanding. "That's right! You haven't met my husband yet! I can't wait to introduce you. You know, he'll probably have this whole incident wrapped up by the time we get to him ahahahaha. Oh that reminds me, I never got your name."

"My...name?"

"Yes. I can't introduce you as Miss President. I can't believe I never asked!" She turned towards her belly for a brief moment. "What a silly thing for mommy to do! This must be the 'momnesia' thing people talk about." She laughed a bit but the other girl looked quite troubled.

"I don't...I don't remember my name. I don't remember anything. Why!? Why can't I remember anything!?" A calming rub on her shoulder made her flinch at first, but as the gentle rub continued she felt herself become calm.

"Shh shh shh shh. It's okay. I was the same way when I first came in here. It's perfectly normal. You just need some time to collect yourself. Everything's going to be okay, I promise." And the girl cracked her first smile. "Thanks Mrs. Amagi. I guess you were right, I did have you figured all wrong."

"Oh you can just call me Yukiko if you'd like. Mrs. Amagi is my mother *tee-hee*"

"I would like that. It's nice to meetcha Yukiko. I...I promise I'll help you find your husband." Yukiko smiled warmly at the girl which made her blush. It was more than just wanting to help. This Yukiko girl gave off a very calming presence that made the president want to stick around a little. It's like it made her forget all about her own worries with memory loss. It brought to mind brief flashes of something. A warmth from her past that she couldn't quite recall. "That's very kind of you. But please stay behind me. It's quite dangerous here and you don't have a Persona. I'll keep you safe and I know my friends are here somewhere."

Yukiko really wanted to hold the girls hand as she led her through the school. It was a strange urging that might have come from the fact she was a bit shorter than Yukiko but she held off. No need to make her feel even more like a lost child. "You can just toss that if you want. It's no good anymore." A twinge of sadness came into Yukiko's voice at that. Chie had seemed so excited, and she had promised everyone else lunch. She hated to let them down. Unfortunately for her, Miss President misinterpreted what she meant and literally tossed it over her shoulder. Yukiko could hear it shatter from across the room.

"Oh dear. Mother won't be happy about that..." but she shouldn't let it get her down. This was an important lesson in choosing her words carefully! The president looked sheepish as she asked if Yukiko was upset. "Not at all." She looked lovingly down at her belly again. "Things can always be replaced."

"I was kinda wondering about that. I thought there was someone else in here at first. Have you been talking to your baby this whole time?" There was that happy nod again from the raven haired girl, like she didn't see anything weird about it at all. "Yes. It makes me feel closer to him and I want him to feel comfortable with his mommy's voice when he's born. I feel like we already have a little bond, don't we sweetie?" But there was no kick this time much to Yukiko's sadness. "Oh. I think he might be sleeping right now..." but immediately she perked up. "That's okay. Get your rest. You've been so active lately." She switched to her normal speaking voice but didn't look up. "Did you know he moved 294 times yesterday? And that was just when I was awake!"

The other girl smiled so brightly her mouth reached her eyes, eyes that tears at their edges. "I like that. That's really something. This might be a bit soon to say this, but I think you'll be a great mom." She felt herself pulled into a soft hug. It was the warmest thing she had ever felt, and she ended up wrapping her own arms around the other girl. "Thank you so much. That's an unbelievably kind thing for you to say." When Yukiko realized what she had done, she backed off a bit embarrassed but Ms. President laughed for the first time that day with a slight blush on her cheeks. "It don't bother me none. You can hug me all you want, it's certainly comfy!"

The girl gained a troubled expression. "I got on you for getting pregnant so early, but honestly I think you have the right idea. So many things can only destroy in this world, and so few value their ability to create wonderful new lives. It's not fair, how our world is." The words were ominous and it made Yukiko shiver a bit but despite that she gave the girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I thank the gods everyday for the gifts they've given me. There's a lot of bad in the world but there's a lot of good too."

This made the other girl smile again. "I wish I could be as positive as you. But that ain't important right now." She took the lunch box out of Yukiko's hand allowing the girl to put her hands in their more natural position. "Right now, I gotta reunite a family."

The president realized from Yukiko's waddling speed that this would be slow going. Even her leisurely pace easily moved faster than Yukiko. But somehow, this didn't bother the white haired girl one bit. "So Yukiko, tell me a bit about yourself..."

.......................................................................................................................................

Elsewhere in the school, a battle had just come to its conclusion. "I don't ever wanna here any of that crap, coming outta your mouth ever again! You hear me punk!?"

"Y-yes sir, Kanji sir! W-whatever you s-say sir! Just please get your foot off of my chest!" Kanji was lost. He had been working late into the night on a project when he had gotten a call from Naoto telling him she couldn't make it after all. He had been so tired and dejected he hadn't noticed the bump in the rug, he had tripped and then...it was all blank. He must have hit his head. How else would you explain this ridiculous dream? A fighting tournament at his school for the title of the world's strongest man, and Teddie with that ridiculous costume with Rise there even though she wasn't supposed to get here until tomorrow. Pretty vivid for a dream though but he wasn't complaining.

His first opponent had been Yosuke who had popped off with his usual crap about about his sexuality. Trash talk was trash talk but man he could have held back a little. But he wasn't talking so much now that Kanji had won. "That's what I thought. Next time you want to run your mouth, just remember today." Man this was badass! If only he could do something like this in real life.

"W-wait but I was just asking w-"

A monitor came down and interrupted Yosuke. "Amazing job Kanji, but your fight isn't over yet! Climb to the top and claim your throne as the Beefcake Emperor!"

"Hell yeah! You know it Ted! You really know how to throw a tournament!" The creature on the screen gained a sinister smirk. Once he got to her, she's reveal that he'd actually been beating down his friends. His despair would eat him alive and Labrys would get to see that deep down everyone was just the same as her. She could still salvage this, she just had to keep Yu far away and her other self on a leisurely track to her away from the interlopers.

The one known as Akihiko was still wandering around aimlessly running into invisible wall after invisible wall much to his annoyance and her amusement and the one known as Aigis seemed to be locked in intense combat with a woman dressed in blue. The General didn't appreciate the intrusion, but it appeared to be beneficial for the time being. She licked her lips and continued. "You ready for your next match!"

"Lemme at em!"

"That's what I like to hear! Now get moving!"

And Kanji was off, leaving a stunned Yosuke behind. He tried to follow before ramming face first into an invisible wall, leading to another taunt from General Teddie. "This is the worst day ever," he whined. Not only was his career councilor still on his ass even on the holiday about his future career choice form, he had been knocked out of the "tournament" in the first round. He could only sit here while his friends were out their risking their lives. Staying behind useless while his friends did all sorts of amazing things. "It's a good thing I brought Yu along," he thought to himself bitterly. "At least now the case will actually get solved. No thanks to me." Thoughts of his shadow flashed in his mind as he realized something. Maybe this was a good thing. He wouldn't be able to use the TV World as a crutch to justify letting his real life remain stagnant. He had to sit here with nothing to do but think.

"I don't care if the tournament ends. You're not leaving until you have an answer!"

.......................................................................................................................................

Mizui had checked, rechecked, and then checked again the paltry amount of work she was allowed to bring with her. It seemed her husband was adamant on forcing her to come to a conclusion. She had finished what she had taken in little more than a day and now she was left alone with nothing but her thoughts. Her work associates had been given strict orders not to speak business with her and at that level, that's all there was to talk about really. And as for friends...she didn't have any. Even as a child, she'd never been a social butterfly and the few friends she had made had steadily faded into the background of her life. One declined lunch date turned into two, then three, then they just stopped calling entirely, knowing where they stood in Mizui's new life. A decision that was truly backfiring on her for the first time.

All her life, she had worked for the futures of her son and husband and now she was hated by one and viewed as a liability by the other. Her problem could be easily solved. All she had to do was remove her son from her life entirely. Her little baby boy. He probably didn't even remember this, but she had sang to Yu when he was little, before she had decided to continue working full time for the company. Back when he was just an innocent little toddler. All she had to do was phase that boy out of her life, just like she had so many others. Friends, relatives, even her own parents all for the sake of focusing on her career.

If only he'd accepted her proposal back then. Everything would have been so easy. When he had refused and looked so hurt by Mizui's actions, she hadn't been angry, just saddened. She truly didn't understand her son and he hated her because of it and that fact was like a dagger in her heart every single hour of every single day. All alone with no one to console her and nothing to distract her, she found herself weeping for the first time since her parents had died.

When they had died, that should have been a warning for her to cut back, but she hadn't taken it. They'd never been particularly close and when they had gone, they were gone. It was too late. A part of her was telling her that it was too late to fix her relationship with her son and to move on before things either got worse between them or her productivity fell even more.

"It would be easier and better for both of us if I did that," she reasoned with herself. "I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have." But her heart wouldn't let her. At first, she'd been able to silence it with that excuse but as the days turned into weeks and the excuse became closer and closer to a reality, she found it increasingly ineffective.

"Perhaps...perhaps I just need to talk things over with someone," she said to herself while wiping at her eyes; they were puffy and red, a direct consequence of all her suppressed emotions hitting Mizui at once. But who? Her husband had made his position on their son unbelievably clear, and if she talked to Yu about it, she'd probably wreck things even further. She had no genuine relationships with other mothers and she certainly wouldn't be taking parenting advice from some of her coworkers. Some of the stories they had shared made her and Sorano seem like parents of the year.

But there was one relationship she still had, one relationship that hadn't completely reversed or rusted away just yet. Steeling herself, she began to count backwards from 3, resolving to pick up the phone and call once she hit 0. "I...desire to do right by my son, and if that means cutting ties, then so be it. But I can't allow myself to jump into such a decision without careful careful consideration of all the angles." The woman sniffled a bit. Even her calm words couldn't hide the deep sadness that affected her. "I-I just don't know what to do. " The phone began to ring. "I pray he can at least point me in the right direction."

.......................................................................................................................................

"Could you tell me a bit more about what it's like running an inn? Sorry about all a these questions." Yukiko simply waved the concern off. "Not at all. I'm just glad you're so interested. You'll be a good student council president with how inquisitive you are!" The other girl blushed and smiled at that. "That's very kind of you." After a brief pause, the girl hopped right back in. "What's it like interacting with so many people from around the world? Like what do they talk about?"

Putting a finger to her budding double chin, Yukiko gave it some serious thought. All of the president's questions were kind of like this, not really asking for the process behind things but more like asking for the more intricate human details that you couldn't just get from reading a dictionary or a website and she'd hang on to every word you had to say. It was for that reason Yukiko quite enjoyed talking to the girl even though she really had to think about her answers. From the black haired girl's perspective, it was easy to see how she won the election.

"Well we get a lot of foreign guests, but most of them are from the places you'd expect..." from the gymnasium all the way to the main building of the school, Yukiko happily answered any question Ms. President had.

"Can you tell me what it's like seeing the Sakura trees bloom in the morning? I-I've never seen em before."

It really made Yukiko feel great how easy this girl found asking her questions and talking to her. With Ms. President's childlike curiosity, it was obvious to her why she enjoyed it so much. "What's it like wearin a kimono?"

"Well it's different for different people. I've been in a kimono since I could walk! I feel right at home in one but my friend Chie says they make her feel weird. They're made of silk so they feel pleasant on your skin, much more comfortable than a school uniform."

"Oh that sounds sweet. I'd definitely like to try one out sometime. Hey you mentioned this 'Chie' before..."
So Yukiko continued to answer whatever questions Ms. President had for her. It was quite slow going due to a combination of Yukiko's pace and of course, the invisible walls, but that was okay in Yukiko's mind. It would make it easier for Yu to find them and maybe she could help the shorter girl jog her memories.

Unlike the others who had ran face first into those invisible walls, this wasn't a problem for Yukiko. Her belly stuck out too far, and with her leisurely waddle it merely pressed up against it gently like it did to the kitchen counter when she was cooking. "What's the matter Yukiko? You practicing your mime act?" The girl giggled to herself but quickly realized her new friend seemed to be serious. "There seems to be some kind of barrier here. And right in front of the courtyard too," she said with a pout.

To her complete shock, Ms. President was able to step through just fine. She turned to Yukiko with her hands on her hips. "This ain't some kinda prank, is it? Cuz I'm really not in the mood." Despite her words, she had a jovial grin on her face. Yukiko scrunched up her face before she had an idea. Slowly, she lifted up the hem of her shirt so it exposed more than just the squeezable handful of fat hanging over her skirt. She lifted it up until she had quite the sizable paunch on display.

"H-hey hang on Yukiko! You can't be doing that on school property even if it's fake!"

But Yukiko ignored the other girl's protests. Slowly she mushed her belly against the artificial wall. The soft coating of adipose squashed noticeably against it as if she was pressing it against glass, flattening the skin around her navel making it look even more pokable than it already was. She stepped back, leaving a clearly visible print on the wall hanging in midair. A bright blush covered Yukiko's cheeks but she was happy all the same as Ms. President stood there awestruck. She could have kissed it, but that would have required bending over quite a bit.

"O-okay, I believe you," Ms. President said while looking away embarrassed. Yukiko put her shirt back down, not even bothering to try covering up her whole belly and gave a little hum as she continued her walk. Ms. President would have told her not to do that again but truthfully she kind of wanted her to. She hadn't realized until seeing the full extent of her friend's warm round belly but it was really inviting looking. And probably really soft. Personally, Ms. President wanted to lay on it while listening to Yukiko tell her stories about her life, maybe Yukiko could even run her fingers through her hair while she did it.

That last thought made her brighten up even further and she returned to Yukiko's side in a jiffy. Just being next to the happy mama was enough to calm her panic. It seemed like she didn't have a bad word about anyone or anything so full of joy about the world and what the gods had given her. It was only exemplified when Yukiko gently bumped belly first into another invisible wall. She let out another little "oh" of surprise and gently rubbed the impact point if you could even call it that. Yukiko doubted the baby could even feel it with the soft layer of padding on her belly.

The mother began to redden herself. That's right. Her new layer of pudge she had been so perturbed about earlier provided a nice little cushion for the little boy growing inside of her. "No wonder Yu doesn't mind it. Even if I ran into a sharp corner, I bet this one wouldn't feel a thing. He'd stay nice and safe and comfy..."

She realized Ms. President had been starring at her and blushed a little more. There were far more important things to handle right now. But if those classrooms were blocked off and the courtyard was blocked off, and the way back was a dead end, then that meant the only way forward was...

She let out a little whimper as she turned towards the stairs, they stretched forward and up to an uncomfortable degree.

"Stairs," Yukiko whispered to herself. "The ultimate enemy of a happy pregnancy." Ms. President gave her a tap on the shoulder to get her attention. "You know, I could just run up there for you. In fact, why don't you just sit tight and I'll search the whole upstairs for you!" She made to run but was held back by a hand on the neck of her shirt. "Absolutely not! There might be shadows up there! Or the person who threw you in here. I appreciate you trying to help but it's much too dangerous."

"B-but your husband might be up there and-"

"Your being safe is more pressing to me right now than finding my husband! I think it's quite admirable how you want to help but don't forget you're important too, Ms. President."

The girl stepped back in shock. She was...important? For some reason that made a warm fuzzy feeling tingle throughout her body. She was left utterly speechless and could only stand there, mouth gaping. "Yukiko...you really mean that? You barely even know me..." A slight sadness crept onto the girl's face but it was gone when Yukiko cocked her head. "Why would that matter at all? Your life is just as valuable as anyone else's and my husband can protect himself."

Her face gained an embarrassed flush. "I do need your help up these stairs if you don't mind. They've become so treacherous recently." Ms. President wiped her eyes. "Yukiko...of course I'll help you out!" Yukiko cupped herself under her belly to help her retain her balance, then grabbed on to the railing and took the first step. "Just stay behind me and make sure I don't fall, okay?"

Yukiko didn't even have to think about the movement anymore. It all just came so naturally to her, slow and easy like she was carrying up the most valuable vase in the world. She let out little puffs of breath after every step and took each stair one leg at a time. Her slow pace to everything certainly didn't help her waistline detonating with flab but it kept the baby safe and comfortable and that's what was most important.

But these steps were slightly higher than they were in the normal school and right as she reached the midpoint, an unpleasant sound reached her ears.

*Riiiiiiip*

Yukiko's face paled as soon as she heard that. "Oh no." She inspected herself for any sign of tearing and found the culprit. There was a big tear right on her side right near where her ribs used to be. Her body had torn through both sweater and under shirt and you could easily stick two fingers into it. Once Yukiko realized that it had come from her laughably undersized uniform being inadequate for the growing demands of her mammaries and belly, her expression softened. "There's no way mommy can fit in her school girl uniform anymore! Not with you getting so big and making your mama eat so well."

"Um Yukiko that rip has been there the whole time." Yukiko stopped her cooing to her stomach. "Huh?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to say nothin but yeah, that rip just now was something else. You really do need to upsize your uniform..."

Yukiko began to inspect her body for the source of the rip. "Well I did upsize but...*oof* it hasn't *mmf* arrived in the mail." Trying to twist around and see over her big butt was proving to be quite difficult. "I-I could check if you-"

"No! Absolutely not! I don't want anyone seeing my-my underwear!" She said this despite the face her belly was hanging out in the open. Ms. President didn't have the heart to tell her when she would take a wide step up, a peak of panty was clearly visible. "L-let's just forget about it, my skirt covers everything important anyway!" Yukiko leaned against the wall, bending over slightly as she took in air from her shouting and exercise. Ms. President also didn't have the heart to tell her when she bent over like the ending of a big tear was visible right on her butt giving the other girl even the color of Yukiko's panties. White with red trim. Unknown to both girls, that tear had been there too.

The actual tear was a long sizable one on the inside of her thigh, where her legs had already considerably weakened the fabric from chub rub. Nestled comfortably between warm squishy fat, no one except Yu would ever see them. Putting aside her shame for the time being, Yukiko collected herself and began to ascend the second half of the steps. She replayed Yu's words about her ill fitting school girl uniform in her head and that began to calm her down. This was why maternity clothes existed.

When Yukiko finally made it to her destination, she placed one hand on the center of her belly and one hand on her back. She took deep heaving breaths like she had ran 100 yards. She hadn't had a chance to get off of her feet since the gym and she'd walked all the way there to the front of the school. Then she had to ascend two flights of stairs. And she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Small beads of sweat had begun to appear on her forehead which she quickly wiped off.

Ms. President opened a nearby classroom door. "Why don't we take a break? You look wicked tired!" The woman bobbed her head in agreement, completely out of breath. Luckily for her, there was no invisible wall. If she wasn't able to sit on her nice padded bottom she might have cried! "Well not really," she thought to herself. "I bet I could even be comfortable on the floor." She chuckled to herself and waddled over to her seat. Miss President winced in preparation for the desk creaking in agony when Yukiko flopped down, but surprisingly that didn't happen. Even in her tired state, Yukiko made sure to slowly lower herself by first grabbing the back of the chair and planting her butt on the seat. It still creaked a bit, but at least it didn't shatter. Even though she was as gentle as possible, her butt blubber still jostled from the contact. It was getting really close to the edges, touching the metal of the legs. Her belly came close to brushing against the desk, even pressing against the chair-back.

Her skirt clung tightly to the curves of her backside creating an enticing looking canyon that would make someone want to stick a finger between the cleft just to see what would happen; all the meat spilling out all over the chair and out its back made it seem almost scandalous. Yukiko was fanning herself quite urgently in a desperate effort to cool herself down, the cozy sweater she was wearing certainly not helping. She let out little puffs of air on occasion, gently breathing in and out contrasting with her rapid fanning. “You okay there, Yukiko? Want me to get you some water?” The president asked out of genuine concern. She didn’t think you could be this winded from a pair of staircases.

“I-I’ll *phew* be fine. But the *puff* the little one keeps his mama n-nice and *puff* warm. It’s like I’m wearing two sweaters!” Ms. President thought that had more to the insulating layer of blubber that coated the other girl’s body, but she kept that thought to herself. Yukiko proceeded to kick off her shoes and rub the soles of her sore dainty little feet against the arch of the other foot. She’d rub them with her hands but that would be quite troublesome at this point. “Oooh that’s *wew* so much better! Mama needs a f-foot rub and a nice bath so bad!” Ms. President crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping Yukiko wouldn’t ask but although the knocked-up heiress continued to let out periodic puffs and sighs of relief, she seemed to have things in hand. “Hey Ms. President, could you bring me my lunch? I want to see what hubby packed for me.”

“O-oh sure. Coming right up!” It made sense to her, the porky baby filled mama must have clearly worked up an appetite and she needed to catch her breath anyway. Might as well make sure the pair was nice and fed before they moved on. Yukiko’s chubby legs kicked in excitement and she rubbed her hands together.

She’d been curious since last night what Yu’s little “surprise” was.

“Sheesh, no wonder she’s so tubby.” The president immediately reprimanded herself. This was the nicest girl she had ever met and here she was being catty. “I-it doesn’t even look bad on her. And that hug felt so nice. M-maybe she knows what she’s doing after all.” Yukiko was too engrossed in her box to notice the blushing president, however. Popping the lid off, she let out a little coo. Inside were an assortment of club sandwiches arranged in the shape of a heart all laid out on a heating pad. They were a little on the small side, even two would barely count as more than a snack between a meal but there was at least a dozen of them. There appeared to be three of each kind, as they were crafted with a variety of meats and cheeses and each one was kept juicy and warm even the president kind of wanted to sink her teeth into one.

In the middle of it was a large burger, just as big as the one that had caused Yukiko to milk in joy and still keep eating. But this one seemed bigger somehow, juicier like there was more to it than a regular burger. What attracted Yukiko’s attention however, was a simple note on the lid of the box. That’s the thing she went right for. “To the love of my life…” Yukiko reflexively put her hand to her bosom in response.

“How are you? Breathtaking as ever I imagine? I know the baby’s doing just fine with the mom of the year looking after him. I bet he doesn’t even know we’re in the TV World right now! I wrote this note in case you needed to stay behind while I went on ahead for whatever reason. If you eat your lunch when I’m here, you can throw it out. Or I could read it to you anyway. I don’t mind repeating myself when it comes to how much I love you. I also wanted to practice writing letters some more. You gave me such a wonderful gift on my birthday that I want to make the absolute most of it. Expect more of these in the future. Hope you don’t mind.”

“I packed the sandwiches to help you give our little man exactly what he wants; they’re all different kinds and packed full of protein, carbs and dairy just how you two like it! But the burger is the special treat for my special lady. It looks good doesn’t it? Captivating to look at and beautifully put together? It really reminded me of you. Of course, you’ll see it’s even more like you once you take a bite. Hope you two enjoy every morsel and keep up the great work, darling. If you like it, I’ll have an even better one for you in the future.”

“Much love, Yu Amagi. P.S. The burger is more filling than you might think. Only eat it if you’re in the mood for a belly rub and cuddling for the next two hours.”

The mom to be hugged the letter to her chest in both hands and twisted back and forth letting out a happy “mmm” with each twist of her body. Her buttons creaked dangerously but she didn’t care one bit. She then lifted the letter up to her face and utterly covered it in kisses; it made quite the good substitute. She’d show it to Yu later and then before he had time to fully realize what she’d done, Yukiko would cover him in kisses! “Oh, he even drew a little diagram telling me which wich is which! How thoughtful! Well we can't let his hard work go to waste! We''ll have to properly judge each and every tasty morsel! And then you just tell mommy and daddy exactly what you want, okay sweetie?"

"Um, Yukiko?"

The president wasn't really disturbed by Yukiko talking lovingly to her belly, in fact she really really enjoyed how much Yukiko doted on her baby even though it hadn't even been born yet but she was beginning to feel like a third wheel and she had a feeling it would go on as long as she let it. Yukiko's response shocked her however. "Oh, Ms. President! I almost forgot to ask, did you want any?"

"D-do I want any?"

"Yeah! You've been in here longer than me and you had to climb up all those stairs too!

The president was completely dumbstruck. "I appreciate the offer but I thought you'd want to eat all that grub, since you're you know..." Yukiko didn't seem to understand her point. "Pregnant? It's true my appetite has increased a bit but that's only because the baby is hungry too. And he's not very hungry right now so I don't really need to eat." The council member couldn't believe her ears. Here was this porker, unable to even waddle up stairs without huffing and puffing due to being weighed down by both fat and baby, easily turning down food. "I'm okay. But don't you think it's a bit wacko to start dieting right now? I know you just split your clothes but I think you look fine. It's not healthy to cut yourself short you know?"

Yukiko gained a small blush. "It's not about me. If the baby tells me to eat, then I eat no matter what. I don't want to deprive him of a single calorie because I'm too busy worrying about my appearance. I'll eat it later when he's feeling more up to it. He's the most important part of the taste test after all!" Suddenly Yukiko gained a sly smile and pulled out one sandwich. "Well maybe just a little nibble. Mama could use a treat. Oh please don't tell my husband, I can be so naughty sometimes!" She joked to herself and guilty chose the black forest ham unaware that this was exactly the reason Yu packed a little extra.

She moaned sinfully into the sandwich at both the naughtiness and the taste as she giggled like a guilty kid caught in the cookie jar. "Sorry sweetie but mama just can't resist a tiny taste. It smells so good!" But after her decadent little treat she didn't take any more and calmly closed the lid. A perfectly reasonable snack for even a girl half her size. The president began to truly marvel at the girl in front of her. If what she was saying was true, then when her baby got hungry, it would cause her tummy to rumble until all twelve sandwiches and that whole burger were safely nestled inside that gut.

And yet, Yukiko didn't seem to mind one bit. If it's what the baby wanted, it's what she would do. Perhaps this portly princess didn't have an eating problem after all and in fact had far greater willpower than the president had given her credit for. Even as she patiently stared at the president for a response, the snowy haired girl heard no sound of complaint from her bulging tummy, no grumbling or whining in the slightest. "Your husband is a lucky guy," she found herself mumbling aloud.

"When you meet him, you'll see that I'm the lucky one! Although I know we make him very happy." The president felt compelled to follow this line of questioning further. "Why'd you marry so early? Was it arranged and you just got lucky and fell in love or something?" Yukiko nodded. "Yep it was arranged alright." To the president's surprise, Yukiko's face gained a blush across her face and her eyes squinted in sheer joy. "But it wasn't arranged by our parents, it was arranged by heaven itself." Such a cheesy line might have produced a groan from many people, but Ms. President felt her heart skip a beat.

"W-when did you know when you were in love? Like how did it feel when you realized you loved him? What was it like?" Realizing she had been shouting, the girl took a step back. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to go all crazy on you I just-"

"Want to feel the same way someday?"

"Y-yeah. How did you know?" Yukiko looked off a bit wistfully. "Before I met Yu, I always wanted to know what it was like to be in love. Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted a truly splendid romance. I would read and reread so many stories and fables just dreaming that I was the one on the pages." Of course, that story had a darker side but Yukiko didn't wish to bring down the happy mood. "When did I know when I was in love? Well I didn't realize until later that's what it was but I think the first moment I truly started to see him as someone special was the first time I cooked for him alone."

"It's a silly little thing, he probably doesn't even remember it. I made this terrible bento for him. You should have seen the look on his face when he first ate it! At the time I was devastated, but looking back it is kind of funny." Just remembering Yu's astonishment at how someone could simultaneously burn and undercook a dish at the same time sent her into a laughing fit. "-Snrk- hahahaha, h-he...he looked like he'd just swallowed a bug hahaha" the president looking at her like she was a crazy person calmed her down a bit but she still snickered to herself quietly as she wiped her eyes. "Hahaha sorry. I guess you had to be there."

"Y-yeah probably." The sudden burst of laughter had certainly freaked her out, but she found herself smiling anyway after her initial surprise was over. She couldn't imagine taking such pure extreme joy in such a simple thing but maybe that was more a problem with herself than with Yukiko.

"Anyway, I was so embarrassed I was even having trouble looking him in the eye. I actually thought he'd be angry for some silly reason that I don't even remember. Do you know what he said?" Ms. President shook her head. "He just smiled at me and said I'd do better next time."

The other girl blinked. "That's it?" This made Yukiko laugh a little. "I told you it was silly, but it really made me happy when he did that. Afterwards whenever I was around him, I could feel little flutters in my chest, I'd look for openings to brush my hands against him and they'd be shaking all the while! And I'd try to find any reason to spend more time with him! I tried to tell myself it's because I wanted to impress him but that was really only part of it. What I really wanted was that warm smile to be with me for as long as possible."

"That's what love always felt like to me. It's like a joy you take from your closeness to someone else. Just knowing you have the chance to get even closer sends little tingles all over your body. Sorry if that's too vague."

The amnesiac had been gently hugging herself without even realizing while Yukiko had been giving her account. She hurriedly brought her arms back down to her sides. "No, I got exactly what you mean. Closeness huh? I can dig that." Her casual speech was an attempt to belie the deep longing in her heart for such a thing. "Um I didn't think it was silly at all by the way. If someone treated me like that, I'd probably fall for em too." Her voice trailed off with a touch of wistfulness that Yukiko easily caught. Ms. President was too lost in her own thoughts to notice Yukiko slowly turning herself sideways in order to stand up. Too heavy to be able to scoot the chair back on the hardwood floor. She didn't notice Yukiko supporting herself up with a hand on the desk and slowly rising, and she certainly didn't notice the girl waddling over to her with a warm smile until she felt the mother's hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think you'll have to wait long at all. You're such a kind big hearted young lady, I think you could have any boy you wanted. My friend Rise would probably call you a 'catch'" The usually composed president was trying her best to suppress a smile. "Ah, you're just saying that."

"No, not at all! You just need to relax a bit is all. Once you do that and stop worrying about being the perfect student, I think you'll find a guy who you really like. One who likes the real you beyond just your image. One who'll make you really happy." Ms. President was wide eyed. "You really mean that?" Yukiko let out a low laugh that sounded like it came from a woman much older than she was. She clapped both hands on her belly and leaned it out for emphasis ignoring the creaking of buttons and threads. They only served to emphasize her point. She rubbed all along its surface area and made sure the other girl's eyes were fully on the beautiful fertile mound that was the perfect representation of her bond with Yu. "It worked for me. And I've never been happier!"

"W-what if people don't like my real self?" She wasn't sure where that thought had come from, but it had suddenly come to the surface of her mind. "Like what if they can't see past certain things."

"Then you find people who can. They're the ones worth spending your life with."

All Ms. President could do was stand there in amazement. This girl flipped back and forth between being a total goofball and a truly maternal pillar of support. In the young girl's opinion, this only added to the president's growing fondness for her. As if to emphasize the earlier point, Yukiko suddenly let out a gasp and grasped a thin strand of her white hair. "That reminds me! I'm so so sorry I said your hair made you look like a delinquent, I think it makes you look very pretty! I was only trying to find an example."

The president could only laugh. Did Yukiko really think she had been holding that against her this whole time? What a silly girl. "Water under the bridge!" But she began to blush again as one thing Yukiko said played over and over again in her head. "Y-you think I'm pretty?"

"Yes, very much! I don't know much about fashion or makeup but I bet you'd look great if you dressed up." This surprised the president. Despite her plumpness and her pregnancy popping out of her uniform, it still accentuated her beauty quite well. Yukiko saw her look of surprise and giggled. "My two friends, Ai and Chie, are great at picking things that look great on people. I'm sure they'd love to help you out sometime. Chie was the one who told me I looked good in red actually. I think you'd look good in red too."

"C-can I try it?"

"Huh?"

"Can I try...your style? I think you're very pretty too, Yukiko. A-and I'd really like to try sprucing up a bit." Yukiko didn't even need a moment before she nodded. She removed her headband and placed it on the other girl's head. "Now let your hair down. There you go! I think you look stunning!"

"Do a little spin!" The other girl proceeded to do so followed by a happy clap from Yukiko making Ms. President smile. She twirled around again and again and began laughing almost as much as Yukiko did during one of her laughing fits. This was the happiest Yukiko had seen her in their entire time here and for that reason, she slowly began to undo the buttons on her sweater. Ms. President saw what she was trying to do and tried to dissuade her despite her desire to try it out. "Ah you don't have to go to all that trouble. 'Sides you'd be all exposed and I couldn't do that to ya."

"Nonsense. It's just us girls here and I'm already a bit 'exposed' as it is. As long as you can't see too much of my underwear, it's fine." Her motivation was only 95% altruistic because as soon as she undid the buttons on her jacket, she let out a little puff of relief and rubbed up and down on the area, letting out a little "mmph" of comfort in the process. She was still being constricted by her undershirt, but at least it wasn't quite as bad with only one article of clothing assaulting her poor tender flesh.

A thin red line was visible just underneath her navel where her cardigan had been. If someone had walked in at that moment, they would have probably thought it was a result of tight yoga pants, but Yukiko had outgrown her sweater just that much. She crossed her arms over her bosom to hide her nearly exposed bra cups. It was only for a minute or so, she could undergo a little embarrassment if it meant Ms. President could laugh her precious little heart out. Yukiko giggled to herself. It sounded like she was talking about Nanako there for a second but everyone deserved a chance to be a little kid now and again. Especially ones who helped her up stairs. She shivered a little from the cool air on her exposed skin. Over half of her tummy was hanging out for anyone to see, wobbly, fat, full, and just begging to be pet and rubbed which is exactly what Ms. President did.

"It's really is warm." Realizing what she'd done, she pulled back her hand in shock, cardigan dropping to the floor. "I-I...-uh- sorry. I swear I'm not some kinda freak ahahaha." Her awkward laugh only served to increase her nervousness. A girl who looked as endowed with life as Yukiko probably got people coming up to pat her belly all the time. Oh god, she probably just made the girl think she was a rude punk after all. Yukiko was surprised, but she didn't shout or scowl or anything like that.

"If you wanted to touch it...all you had to do was ask." Yukiko's mother had warned her about this and as of recently it had been happening a lot more frequently. Staff at the inn, a rare classmate, and on one occasion a particularly rude customer had all been magnetized towards her baby bump. "I know you mean well, everyone just wants to show me they wish me a happy healthy pregnancy. And they want to admire something beautiful. But sometimes it's just hard to find the words." It was almost like she wasn't quite speaking to Ms. President but everyone who had ever touched her belly without permission. "And I think if you want to do that, you're probably a good person at heart. Mother disagrees and maybe it's a bit naive, but it's never really bothered me."

Yukiko gained a happy blush and moved her hands from her chest back to her belly. There was no need for modesty right now. "Go ahead and say hello to my beautiful baby boy if you really want to." Ms. President didn't need to be told twice. Immediately her hands settled around Yukiko's navel and began to rub in slow circles. Once again the heiress found herself reminded of Nanako. Yukiko's flushed cheeks were not just due to embarrassment but a sense of pride in both herself and her son. Together they created a soft inviting figure that even strangers were drawn to. "How will we seem when he's nestled in my arms I wonder?" That thought made her smile even wider.

At some point, the baby let out a small kick. Ms. President drew her hands back in shock and looked at them, astonished. Yukiko just giggled. "Don't worry, that means he likes you. I guess that means I have to let your rub now, -heehee-" The president began to smile again. "He's a friendly little fella ain't he? You said he kicked near 300 times yesterday? He's going to be a big ball of energy when he's born!" She gave Yukiko a firm pat that made the young mother mew a bit in delight. "Don't give your mama too much trouble now, she's working her tail off to make sure you have everything a baby needs!" The president felt a little silly talking to the baby at first, but as she got into it and she saw how happy it was making her friend it became more and more natural until she wasn't pretending at all.

"Are you sure you didn't talk to my husband? You both know just what to say to make me blush." Ms. President gained a smirk, she knew just what to say next. "Probably because those things are plain as day. I just met you and already those qualities pop out at me like a neon sign! I'd bet those same thoughts pop into most people's heads when they take one good look at 'cha." She felt herself brought into another hug although she'd been expecting this one so her surprised blush was instead a content smile.

"You're such a sweetheart. Oh, the team is going to love you! You're going to go over great!" Yukiko's hand unconsciously drifted down Ms. President's back in a gentle stroking motion and she realized the girl still had her hair loose. "Oops. We never finished your make-over. Let's fix that." Ms. President let go of Yukiko and her baby bump almost reluctantly but as soon as she put on the cardigan, her tune changed. She had an almost ethereal beauty about her in such bright colors. Almost like a princess from another world. "You look like you came right out of a story book. Oh I wish I'd brought my camera."

Ms. President waved her hand. "Oh cut it out would ya," but the smile stayed glued to her face. Eventually it came to an end and Yukiko got her cardigan back. "Thanks for doing that for me, Yukiko. I never knew I could look like that. Hey, when we get outta here-oh you need some help?" The chubby child bearer was struggling desperately to refasten the buttons on her sweater. She'd gotten her flabby mama arms through the sleeves and had hoisted it down over her meaty milky chest after a tug that only caused the tear on the side to widen. But her fingers just could not fasten the button into the hole; last time, hubby had been there to button her in nice and snug but now she was on her own. "*Mmmf* T-this is *ooooo* I *mmph* I w-wish *uuurrrrggh!*" Once again, beads of sweat collected on her forehead and across her body and once again she brought out her fan. She looked the picture of a spoiled royal princess, to pampered to even button herself into her clothes, big tummy bulging out as if to mock her. Eventually after she was done puffing up her cheeks with tired breaths and cooling herself, she sighed. "I should have brought a rubber band. Ai kept telling me this would happen and I didn't listen."

Ms. President jumped at the opportunity. "Here let me help you out!" But once again she underestimated her own strength and tugged the button out of the hole. Now Yukiko's navel was on full display as her undershirt was still covered by the two buttons she was able to do up. Her flabby lower belly and love handles hung openly out and over her skirt which covered yet more exposed softness. Her firmer fecundity was encased in her clothing for the most part although her lack of any upper arm strength meant the buttons were far less stable than when Yu had fastened them.

Yukiko sighed at the sheepish council president. "That's fine. Today was the last day I was going to wear this uniform."

She meant to add "for the rest of the pregnancy" but something stopped her. She gave a pat to her paunch and watched the jiggle. It was only her second trimester and already she felt like a stuffed sausage in this thing. "I might never fit into this uniform again. I might be a size large mama for the rest of my life." The thought went over surprisingly well in her mind. If the baby wanted her to be this way and the doctor and her husband...even her mother had been more "handsy" recently...

Before Yukiko could continue that train of thought, a monitor descended from the ceiling. "Sorry for the delay my princess of thorns. I hope you haven't been missing your husband too much! We are still in a school after all!" The General knew he'd get a rise out of Yukiko but it wasn't the one he was expecting. "-Snrk- hahahahahahaha that outfit hahahahaha and that hat! W-where ahaha where do they even sell hats that big ahahaha Teddie you look so silly hahaha"

"Hey! If you don't stop laughing, you'll never find out where your most precious thing is, so I suggest you knock it off!"

"You're the one who needs to knock it off! Are you the wackadoo responsible for all of this!? Oh you're going to be in such big trouble!" The General gained a much crueler visage. "I hope you enjoyed your little game of pretend, but I'm afraid that has to end now. Just sit down and watch like the worthless trash you are." Ms. President was completely shut down by that and the monitor promptly turned towards Yukiko as thought the president was completely beneath notice. He wasn't in the mood for jovial commentary. "Head downstairs, I've prepared your first match. Don't be late."

"Teddie, what in the world ha-" but the monitor leaving cut her off. She put a hand on Ms. President's shoulder. She suddenly seemed very pale.

"Hey. He's not usually like that. He must not be in his right mind. I need to get to the bottom of this but I don't feel safe going down the stairs without help."

She gave the other girl a small smile. "You think you could help the baby and I? We'd really appreciate it." Her ploy was obvious, but that's what made Ms. President appreciate it all the more. "Of course. It's my job to help students in any way I can. No matter what anyone says, they won't stop me from doing my job." She tickled her new friend's belly and made Yukiko giggle. "I learned that from this classmate of mine. She's the best. And she does her job better than anyone I know. Now come on, I promised I'd help you find your husband, and that's what we're going to do!"

.......................................................................................................................................

Everything was coming together in Naoto's head. The hijacking of the plane containing Mitsuru Kirijo hadn't been after the heiress, it had been after her cargo. And somehow, the true culprit had the ability to go inside of TVs and apparently control the minds of others. Teddie lay at her feet begging to be allowed another chance to nuzzle her melons, back to his old self, but before he had been saying quite hurtful things about her. Things like her work was just an excuse to be a coward and hide, and then he had attacked her. Rise had called him "The General" over the intercom but after the battle Teddie revealed to her that he had been framed and there was an impersonator who had organized this ridiculous tournament. 2000 IQ Killjoy indeed. Despite his attempted groping, she trusted his word completely. Rise and Teddie would never put there friends in harms way like this. Either of them could have easily died in that battle just now. But for the moment, she just needed to put a stop to this tournament before someone got hurt.

"It's odd that they'd let me find the real Teddie so easily. Something must have happened to disrupt their normal plans." And there was still no sign of any of the three Shadow Operatives who had entered the TV. It seemed that the only solution was to fight on, as inelegant as that might be.

.......................................................................................................................................

*PING*
“Oh, oh no. My poor uniform,” Yukiko whimpered to herself. The tightness of her jacket had created a kind of sealing effect on the buttons of her undershirt. Now with her button popped off, the buttons had nothing to press them against the swell of her tummy. Even going down the stairs as slowly and methodically as she could, the slight tilt to catch her breath halfway was enough to blow one of her buttons on the straining white shirt. And the next button up on her sweater was looking awfully tight. It was like a constant cycle of popped buttons and split seams for the unfortunate mother. While the button around her chest did squeeze a bit, at least it seemed like it would stay on. Seeing as she left her undershirt wide open, she’d be giving the TV World a view of her ample udders, but if things continued as they were, it would be like she was wearing nothing but an especially red and wooly bra! Oh, she could hardly bear it!

Her usually gentle rubbing hand pressed firmly onto her big belly as she descended the stairs taking even daintier steps than usual. “I’m sorry. I learned my lesson. I promise I’ll wear clothes appropriate for my size, just please let me get through this without embarrassing myself too much!” Yukiko’s wardrobe crisis did however spark a reminder in Ms. President of what she was going to say earlier. “Hey, Yukiko! After this was over…I was thinking you and I could go clothes shopping together. How’s that sound?” The corpulent cutie slowly waddled to face the other girl with a big beaming smile. “That sounds wonderful. After we get you to safety of course.” She stuck out her pinky finger to the other girl who looked at it with confusion. “It’s a promise,” Yukiko nodded firmly. Ms. President raised her own finger with uncertainty and at Yukiko’s urging slowly hooked it around her friend’s. The look of amazement on Ms. President's face made Yukiko laugh happily once again and with that, they continued on.

Eventually they stopped where they had climbed up the stairs in the first place. The locker rooms at the front of the building, dark excepting an eerie blue glow from the windows. It was a little odd he would make them climb up only to climb back down but he had said something about "preparing" her match so maybe that was why. Yukiko would make sure whoever was behind this payed for that too.

"Geez took you long enough! Were you looking for a thread and needle Yuki-chan? That would be a beary bad idea! You look like you're about to pop!" Yukiko gave a worried gasp. "Don't even joke about that Teddie! What's on earth has gotten into you?"

"Well we certainly know what's been getting into you! Isn't that right, my wonderful bea-utiful assistant?"

"Hilarious as ever General! You always bring a smile to my face!" Yukiko was too shocked by Rise's sudden appearance to incinerate the screen for such a remark but by the time she recovered, Teddie had already moved on. "Bring out the next challenger!" A thick cloud of smoke settled over the area with a high pitched ringing noise accompanying it. When the fog cleared, Yukiko was relieved to see it was Chie.

"Oh Yukiko, I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried about you. Hey, who's that girl with you?" The black haired girl stepped forward as if to introduce the other girl but the expression on her face made her look like she was about to cry. "Yukiko?"

"Chie, I'm so glad you're here. I was so lost and helpless and afraid. I couldn't do anything at all except sit here. But now that you're here, I feel so safe and secure. That's just how I am, you know? I can't do anything without you, Chie."

"Y-yukiko?" Despite her sad face, the heiress's voice was filled with a scathing mocking tone that made Chie step back instinctively. Sure enough, Yukiko gained a cruel sneer that made the martial artists's skin crawl. "That's what you wanted to hear right? Oh Chie, you're so predictable."

"Yukiko..." Chie grit her fists in determination and faced her friend. "I may have thought that way in the past but it's not true anymore!" She shouted more at herself than at Yukiko but that just made the pregnant princess laugh disdainfully. "Only because it's not your choice anymore. Someone much much better came along." She started to walk in a circle with her hands on her big belly, lumbering like some kind of barnyard animal to emphasize how unwieldy she was without taking things deliberate and slow. She would have barreled right into anything standing in front of her and if someone had been at her side she would have swung her hips right into them, knocking them to the ground. She started gasping for breath like she had just ran a marathon, hands on her knees and clutching her belly in her arms. Eventually she recovered with a large *phew* of exertion.

"With the baby, I'm even more helpless and delicate than I've ever been before. I can't touch my toes and soon I won't even be able to see them at all! You weren't even enough before the pregnancy, you would crumble and fall apart immediately." Chie shook her head. This wasn't Yukiko, it couldn't be. This must be some kind of trick or something. But it's like she knew just what to say to really twist the knife deep into her heart.

"But Yu doesn't. He's my prince you know? I can just leave everything to him, he's far more reliable than you ever were. 'You guys are so busy with the baby and everything that I just didn't want to bother you!' Please," she scoffed. "That's just an excuse to avoid the painful reminder that you've been replaced. And why not? Unlike you, he's a real hero and doesn't need to pretend to be one just to feel special. Isn't that right officer?"

"T...that's not why I want to become a cop! I'm doing it to protect people! To protect you! Maybe I can't make you as happy as Yu does but I can at least do my best at what I'm good at." Once again, it sounded to Chie as if she was trying to convince herself.

"You mean getting people to rely on you so you can feel strong?" Chie choked back tears after that remark. "Please tell me this is some kind of trick." She looked at Yukiko's cruel smirk, the way she impatiently drummed her fingers on her tummy as if waiting for Chie to get out of the way, and that strange white haired girl behind her. This wasn't Yukiko. The real Yukiko would never ever say such things or even think them, especially nowadays. Yukiko was without a doubt the kindest person she knew and she felt like scum for ever doubting her for a second.

"What are you two saying? Neither of you are making any sense," Ms. President mumbled to herself. Suddenly, Chie's finger pointed right at her. "You better tell me what you did to my friend, or I'll make you sorry!" To Chie's surprise, Yukiko waddled in front of the other girl protectively. "I need her to help me find hubby! Just like I thought, you really just want to feel powerful picking on someone so helpless..."

"N-no I..." why was she wasting time arguing. "Yukiko, you're being controlled. Please stand aside. I really don't want to hurt you," her voice choking at the end as she said it. Ms. President seemed to be strangely quiet and stepped back, letting the two go at each other. Yukiko let out a pitiful whine and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. Out of nowhere, she shuddered and big dark stains began to cover her sweater. It slowly began to leak through the fabric and run down across her belly, the new shininess making it look even larger, droplets fell to the floor as Yukiko bit her fingernail. "You'd even attack me Chie? You know I'm too helpless to fight...I'm just a soft fat mama." Chie almost lowered her guard and only just managed to dodge a fireball at the last second. "And yet you still can't beat me. You can play hero later, now get out of the way and let the adults handle things." Chie took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Yukiko. I promise to be gentle. Come, Haraedo-no-Okami!"

.......................................................................................................................................

When Yukiko had first seen her best friend emerge from the fog, she had forgotten herself and had rushed forward to hug her friend but something about Chie's troubled expression stopped her. "Chie, what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?" Chie gained a small sympathetic smile and stared right at her friend. "Of course I'm happy to see you, but I wonder if you're happy to see me?" Yukiko cocked her head innocently. "What do you mean? Of course I'm happy to see you! Chie, did something happen?"

"Don't play dumb!" The green clad girl's sudden outburst and the look of anger that flashed across her face made Yukiko step back and cradle her bump protectively. "You didn't want me! You wanted your 'hubby!' Don't even pretend otherwise!" Chie was seriously frightening her, with her fists clenched and her teeth tight, she looked like she was about to lunge at the pregnant mother. "You have people wrapped around your little finger tending to your every whim and then as soon as you find someone better, you toss the old one aside."

"That's not true!" Yukiko was trying her best to hold back tears. Had she truly done something to make Chie feel this way? She made sure to calm herself. She couldn't fire back with insults of her own. Teenagers could be quite difficult but the best way to help them was to find out how they were feeling about things. "What did I do to make you feel so angry, Chie? You know I would never try to hurt you."

Chie scoffed. "Listen to you talk like you actually care. Have you offered to help me study for my entrance exams? Even once?" Yukiko hesitated. "W-well no but-"

"Let me guess. You were too 'busy?' How convenient that you always have time to do things that make you feel like a princess! Can't have Yukiko not feel special for even a moment! If you're not the center of attention why would you even care? That's all this child really is, it's just a way for you to soak up more praise!"

"That boxed lunch you brought is the perfect example. You just made it so every one could tell you how good of a cook you are and how you'll make an amazing mom yadda yadda yadda."

"I-I made that so everyone could enjoy it." Her heart felt like it was about to break in two. Even though she knew it wasn't true, the anger with which Chie said it shook her certainty.

"Is that why your dressed like that? So everyone can 'enjoy' how pregnant you are too? Could you be any more obvious? I guess the kind of attention doesn't matter as long as you get it!" Yukiko blushed a deep crimson and tried to cover herself with her arms, succeeding only in emphasizing her heft. She had just been feeling so confident lately, she had gotten a little carried away with clinging onto her pre-pregnancy clothes, but now she wished she could just curl up into a ball somewhere in a nice roomy maternity dress. The momentary silence allowed her time to collect her thoughts and she realized just how off this whole situation was. Chie had never spoken a mean word to her in her life. Even if Chie was upset, she'd never lash out at her best friend.

"Of course I care about being a good mom but you're all important to me too. And I don't appreciate you suggesting otherwise. That fake Teddie said something about a fight and I think he's flaring up your emotions. So let's just calm down a-"

"Oh as soon as someone isn't singing your praises, there the one at fault!"

"What are you two saying? Neither of you are making any sense," Ms. President mumbled to herself. Yukiko was about to ask her what she meant but suddenly she saw Chie glare threateningly at the girl. "Is this my replacement? Did you find someone else to cater to your every little whim? Well maybe I don't feel like being replaced." Chie got herself into a fighting stance before Yukiko stepped between the two. "Chie, please calm down. If you don't back down I-I'll have to stop you!"

Suddenly Chie called forth her Persona and pointed it's weapon threateningly at Yukiko. Specifically her vulnerable, exposed belly. Yukiko acted on instinct and sent a ball of fire straight at her best friend who only managed to dodge at the last second. After she realized what she'd just done, she clasped her hands in apology. "I-I-I didn't mean to... Chie I'm sorry I-I didn't- I would never-"

"Save it," Chie growled brandishing her dual bladed saber. Yukiko choked back a sob and assumed a combat stance. She couldn't let any harm come to her baby, no matter what. Even if Chie ended up unconscious...or worse. The cowering Ms. President strengthened her resolve. Chie was a danger to herself and others right now, subduing her would be the best thing for everyone right now as cruel as it may seem. "You're more than just a tool for me Chie, and I'll prove that by bringing you back!"

"It's the catfight of the century! The Deflowered Princess of Thorns vs. The Carnivore Who's Discarded Womanhood. Claws bared and nothing held back! Begin." As soon as Rise's monitor lifted, Chie charged forward. She needed to end this quickly in one quick strike. She knew she wouldn't be able to win in a war of attrition. And she wanted to avoid as much harm to her friend and the baby as she could. Immediately, her fighter's instincts screamed at her to duck sideways into one of the rows of lockers and she did so just narrowly dodging a stream of fire that burst forth in front of Yukiko. All she had to do was toss her hair back with a hand behind her head thrusting her fan forward to produce such power. Her fighting style had always been graceful and easy, Chie suddenly felt foolish for thinking this would be simple. Sure her movement options were limited but she'd been a stationary fighter anyway! She was suddenly reminded of why Yu kept Yukiko on the proverbial "A-Team." So an assault from the front was out of the question, she'd have to win through subterfuge.

At any other time, Yukiko would have enjoyed the scenario. Slowly going row by row stalking her prey like the main character in a monster movie, it would have been exhilarating. But doing it to take down her now rabid best friend was no fun whatsoever. Her slow steps echoed throughout the empty hall, cautious and on edge, ears primed to hear even the slightest noise. This allowed her to pick up on a clattering from behind the stairwell turning her head in the direction of the sound. She had to chuckle to herself. Did Chie honestly think that million-year old trick would actually work on her? Yukiko was honestly a bit insulted, but at the same time she was glad Chie had been paying at least some attention through the hands over her eyes when they watched scary movies together. Sure enough, there Chie was primed and ready to ambush Yukiko when she’d have her back to her inspecting the clattering noise. Ready until she saw Yukiko peak her head around the corner with her slender fingers curled around the edge of the lockers.

She jumped like a startled a startled animal and let out a shriek as Yukiko smirked at her. If this was a few months ago, she would have been toast. As it was, the over-encumbered mother to be was unable to quickly turn the corner and whip her fan forward. Instead, she was forced to slowly plant her wide body back on flat feet and slowly toddle over to the opening of the row of lockers. By the time she got there, Chie was long gone. Yukiko let out a puff of exertion and relief. She was hoping to avoid attacking Chie if she could help it desiring to “wait out the clock” if at all possible. But where was Chie?

That had been close. Chie hung by her fingers from the rafters up above. She had used her Persona to jump up before Yukiko had turned the corner. Her bare foot wiggled in the air, having used her shoe for her failed ploy earlier. If this was anyone else, she could just use Dragon Hustle and blitz them.

“Aaaargh. Why couldn’t I have gone up against Yosuke!?” She groused to herself. It was really quite a predicament; she had to hit hard enough to win in a single strike but soft enough so she didn’t cause any serious damage to the delicate mother and child. But Yukiko certainly wouldn’t be showing any mercy as proven by her lactation maneuver earlier. If she showed any hesitation, any mercy at all, she’d be burnt to a crisp. She knew that, yet still she couldn’t bring herself to go all out. An idea popped into her head. With only one shoe, she’d be as unbalanced and wobbly as her heavily pregnant friend so perhaps she could use her high ground position to her advantage in more ways than one. Slowly, she began to remove her other shoe. It clattered to the ground in front of the fiery beauty who looked around perplexed. In the instant afterwards, she heard an impact behind her.

Chie had dropped in behind her friend, ready to begin her assault. Hopefully the baby wouldn’t be too jostled from a hit to the back. But though she moved as quick as a viper, Yukiko was faster still. Moving on pure adrenaline, she pivoted on her heel faster than and with more grace than her size would suggest. Her hand was held to her bosom and her fan was extended outwards and downwards as her hair whirled up around her. Her skirt fluttered gently and as one leg landed perfectly behind the other. It was as if she had put the finishing touch on a beautiful and graceful dance routine as Chie was sent careening backwards from a blast of fire. She was then struck in the head by several hard yet small objects causing her to rub it in discomfort. She rose to her feet unsteadily, legs shaking a bit from the sheer power of the impact

Embers flowed around her friend like beautiful petals in the spring time. Her hand cradled her fully displayed bump as always but now she looked less like a fat jolly baker and more like a bird of prety just waiting to strike.

Such a swift fluid motion had caused Yukiko's worst fears to come to pass and the last of the buttons covering her belly had snapped off hitting Chie square in the face, leaving her even more dazed. It was like she'd turned the top part of her uniform into makeshift battle panties with the way the fabric opened. Yet the fierce fire burning in her eyes and the way they had so seamlessly popped off, made it seem almost a finishing flourish on her elegant dance instead of an accidental embarrassment. Her protectiveness of her child made it so she didn't even notice. Chie had no idea what to do. As graceful as Yukiko could be when she focused, she knew she could get the tubby girl to tucker herself out eventually but after taking that blast point blank she was feeling pretty exhausted too. One more of those and she'd be a goner. And worst of all, now she was out in the open. An attempt to boost her speed would be met with a fire blast right to her face. What could she do?

She was saved by the last thing she expected. Yukiko's expression suddenly softened and she shifted from her battle stance to a more natural less poised standing position. Chie looked at her cautiously. Was this another ploy again? Was she trying to get her to take her off guard? "I surrender." Well if she was trying to, she certainly succeeded with that.

Yukiko threw her fan to the side with a dramatic flourish and stood there. Chie, on the off chance Yukiko was serious, absolutely refused to attack which made Yukiko smile. This smile wasn't a cruel sneer though, but a genuine happy one. The monitor descended and General Teddie looked so disheveled, his hat was almost falling out of his head. It was quite literally the last thing he had expected so he hadn't bothered to have his illusionary powers active.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say you surrendered? My ears are so small, I might have misheard you."

"Nope. Chie wins. She's clearly the better fighter."

"Grrr...what are you trying to pull here. You better pick up that little fan of yours right now or you won't get to see your husband again!"

Yukiko scoffed and glared right back. "Unless you want this tournament of yours to come to a screeching halt, I suggest you do what I say! I'll get to see my husband after he annihilates you anyway." Yukiko said this last line with a little smirk, this wasn't the real Teddie so why should she care if Yu cut loose a bit? The General huffed and puffed and made a big show but eventually he conceded. "Grrrrrr fine! You'd just slow down the tournament anyway you cow! Why don't you just sit there and get fatter?" Yukiko said nothing and continued to glare, it was just like with that TV crew. A pathetic attempt to get one last dig in after they'd been beaten. Before the monitor went up though, the General gained a more serious expression and a familiar female voice came out of him. "I guess people really can't understand us after all, huh?" Before Yukiko could ask what he meant, he was gone. But there were far more important things to take care of.

Chie didn't know what to expect seeing her friend delicately step towards her. Her legs were still shaking and she was in no condition to suddenly break into a sprint. She found herself being pulled into a slow hug, quite different from Rise's excited surprise ones. This one brought Chie right to the other girl's soft chest in a slow gentle manner. Her weary body against such a warm gentleness made her inadvertently let out a sigh. She felt Yukiko begin to slowly stroke down her head and the length of her back, it was very odd but after both the verbal and physical beatdowns she had received, it was exactly what Chie was in the mood for.

"I'm so so sorry that I made you feel that way Chie. You'll always be close to my heart no matter what happens. If you need any help with your exam or anything else at all...please ask. I'd love nothing more than to help my best friend."

Chie tried to protest that she had no idea what the other woman was talking about, but all that came out was a "mmph mmph mmm mmm mmm!" She literally had to lay her body on top of her friend's pendulous round belly in order to meet her for a hug. It occurred to her then she could actually feel her athletic body sinking in a bit to the soft heated and decadent fecundity that was her friend's baby belly. She wanted to come up for air but at the same time, it was just so comfortable. She sunk in a bit deeper, hands mushing into the sides of the fatter girl. "Maybe just a few more seconds," she thought to herself. Chie suddenly felt a big squeeze pushing her even closer. "I love you too, Chie." Yukiko's voice was tinged with the hint of a sob but it seemed to be of the happy kind. Just as Chie felt like she might fall asleep in such a position, Yukiko let go.

Chie gasped for breath with a big smile on her face and the remnants of tears in her eyes. "G-glad to *huff* s-see your *buh*-back to normal *hah* Y-yukiko." She gave a thumbs up which only made Yukiko giggle. "You too, Chie."

"What do you mean 'you too?' You were the one who was acting weird saying all that stuff about 'playing hero.'"

"Um actually," a small voice piped up. "You were both acting pretty crazy." Chie had completely forgotten about the strange white haired girl and found her stepping out from the doorway of one of the classrooms. Chie felt her shoulders tense up but a delicate hand on her shoulder was enough to calm her down. "It was like...you were having two different conversations...like neither one of ya was listening to what the other was actually saying."

The two fighters looked at the girl in astonishment. So they weren't being controlled but instead seeing and hearing things that weren't really happening. Chie looked over to her friend and while her tummy hung out in full display, her chest was surprisingly dry.

"*Um* about that...Yukiko, before we fought...I *uh*" she was hesitant to bring it up but then she remembered who she was talking to. "I saw you lactate." Yukiko brought her hands to her chest and looked down, rubbing the undersides to feel any moisture she might have missed making the other two girls blush heavily. "That's impossible. It already happened earlier this week." Yukiko sighed lovingly as she remembered launching into an explanation despite no one asking. "Some girls thought it would be really funny if they played the sound of a baby crying when I was at my locker." Although she didn't seem upset about it at all, Chie growled.

"Tell me their names! I'll make sure they don't pull something like that again!" But Yukiko just giggled. "That's okay, because the joke's on them anyway. It just helps me hone my skills as a mother." Chie was tempted to point out leaking like a dairy cow whenever she heard her trigger wasn't much of a "skill" but it was clear her friend was on cloud nine just remembering it. It did explain why she had missed lunch that day and Yu's big smirk when he'd read his phone at least.

"I figured it out when you were holding back so much during our fight. You were so angry before and yet you were so gentle. Comparatively, I mean. I *um* I'm sorry for...hitting you so hard. Let me fix that!" Chie felt strength return to her body and the soothing breeze of a Diarahan wash over her. "Wahoo! Thanks Yukiko, I feel great!" She began to stretch herself out in joy at having all her strength back while Yukiko clapped her hands together. It would have been easy for Chie to hit her hard and fast, but even though Yukiko's illusion no doubt said terrible things to her, the martial artist couldn't bring herself to injure her best friend. "She's already looking after you so well. Almost as good as your own mama. Hey, how would you feel about Chie being your god parent?" Yukiko "thought" to her baby.

She realized for the first time that her hands sunk into bare belly flab. Well that wasn't quite true, there wasn't quite as much give in the upper belly. That's where her baby was after all. She began to pat along its surface experimentally. Her whole tummy was exposed and yet she didn't really care. Chie had seen her naked plenty of times and she'd already given Ms. President an eyeful of both her breasts and butt. She would be covering her belly much more properly after this, so maybe letting her gut bulge out on full display would be like one last hurrah so to speak. Just as long as no one else saw her, she'd be fine. Plus it just felt really really nice to not have anything pressing against it. Before she could get too distracted rubbing and bouncing her own fat, Chie spoke up.

"So who is this girl, Yukiko? If you trust her, I'll trust her too but what is she doing here?" The girl scowled in annoyance. "Don't you even recognize your own student council president? Sheesh do all of ya just fall asleep during announcements!" This made Chie tense up again and the suspicious look returned to her face.

"Don't worry, Chie. Ms. President is just a little shy. She doesn't mean to be rude and she's going to apologize right now." Yukiko smiled when she said it but she fixed the other girl with a stern gaze that made Ms. President look at her shoes sheepishly. "No it's not that. It's just...our council president is a guy."

"What?!" The other two girls both asked at once. "Yukiko, I'd expect Yosuke not to know that but not you too," Chie said with a sigh. "I bet you were too busy flirting right?" Yukiko blushed a bit. With how depressed Kashiwagi looked whenever she'd watch them, Yu felt bad about being too lovey dovey before class. Although she could still get lost just staring at him and thinking about the future. It certainly wasn't impossible she missed the announcement...

"W-well I just never thought it was very important. But if that's true..."

All eyes turned to Ms. President who took a step back and held her arms, not even meeting their eyes. "I...I am the council president, I know I am," but her voice wavered a bit. Chie looked to say something to Yukiko but her friend was already gone. She had moved to put a reassuring hand on the other girl's shoulder. "She was thrown into the TV so her head is all over the place right now. That's why we're helping each other to the exit." The girl immediately felt better, Yukiko's extreme faith in her helped her have faith in herself. "I'm not smart enough to be a mastermind," she said to Chie with a small grin. Chie was struck by just how genuine the smile was and reflected. She'd never been thrown into the TV but she had been exhausted after getting her Persona, so she'd defer to Yukiko on that. And if she'd been close to Yukiko this whole time, she most likely would have tried something by now.

"Maybe it's not her who's behind everything, but her shadow?" Yukiko's mouth opened in shock. "That's right! If she's been thrown in then that would mean her shadow would appear. But are you saying that fake Teddie is her shadow?" Chie shrugged. "I'm just spitballing but it's not that crazy. I mean Rise's shadow had that weird ability. And we know something is causing illusions, so maybe it's her shadow."

"Excuse me, MY shadow?" A lengthy explanation ensued with the president giving skeptical looks throughout but with everything that had happened today she was inclined to believe it. "Maybe her shadow is the hat and cape and it's possessing Teddie!" Yukiko said while pounding her hand into her open palm. Chie gave her an exasperated look. "No, I don't think that's it. But if it is her shadow, it doesn't seem to care about her at all, and that's really weird."

The president gained a depressed look once again. "That organizer fellow really seems to want to make people fight. And you're saying shadows are someone's true feelings."

She looked towards Chie and Yukiko with tears down her face. "Making friends fight like this is horrible! I would never want something like this!" Chie and Yukiko looked between each other. They had said reacted similarly to their own shadows when they'd been confronted with them. She walked to the bottom of the stairs and placed a foot on the bottom step. "If my hunch is right, she's in the announcement room. I'm gonna go up there and prove my innocence! I'm not a monster!" She began to charge up the stairs but a shout from Yukiko calmed her down.

"Please wait!" Ms. President stopped her ascent and turned around to meet Yukiko's pleading eyes. "I know you're upset and confused right now, but please don't get yourself hurt. Please. It would break my heart if something were to happen to you." She'd actually clasped her hands together in order to plead. "If she's willing to remove her hands from her belly my safety must be important." It was a silly thought, but one that warmed her heart immensely. What a strange girl this Yukiko was.

"It would be crummy of me to make you worry yourself sick. Especially with the little one you have in there. C'mon we'll take it slow and safe, just how you like it." But Yukiko shook her head. "Oh no. I can't." Proving her point, she waddled forward slowly until her belly bounced against another invisible wall. "Only the winner can move on and that winner is Chie."

Chie was only now realizing the gravity of Yukiko willingly surrendering to her. If she knew that was the truth after all, then that would mean she was willingly allowing to lose not just to stop the fight but so her friend could move on. "M-me?! B-but Yukiko, why? You could have beaten me easily a-and what about Yu? Don't you want to see him?" Ms. President wanted to ask the exact same questions. The two gave her such an intense glare that she felt compelled to explain. Oh if only they were a bit shorter and she could take a knee! This would have to do for now.

She gave Chie a pat on the head and put a hand on her shoulder. "You held back, Chie. I don't think the mastermind will be quite so generous. Plus, let's be honest, I can't move quite like I used to; you'll be a much better bodyguard than me." Yukiko sighed. "Yu's stronger than any of us, and even though I'd like to know for sure he's okay, I know he'd want me to stay out of danger. He'd be much happier finding me here than fighting the mastermind. I'll put my faith in him...and in you Chie."

"Wh...You-you really mean that?" In response, Yukiko merely pulled her into another hug. "Of course. You're brave and capable and plus you can think of this as good training for being a cop. For your exam I mean." She heard Chie speak into your ear. "I don't think that's quite right," it was a joke but Yukiko could tell she was holding back emotion. Yukiko broke the hug and fixed her friend in her gaze. "Chie...you're going to do great." And Chie knew she was talking about more than just protecting Ms. President. Her face began to contort into a big smile and tears started streaming down her face. This time it was her who pulled Yukiko into a hug. "Oh." It took her by surprise but all she could do was smile. Eventually, Chie calmed down. "Alright, I won't let you down! C'mon Prez, I'll keep you safe. To the announcement room," she pointed proudly forward. But Ms. President hung back. "So...I guess this is goodbye."

Yukiko shook her head. "Not unless you want it to be. I'll be waiting right here for when you get back. We still have to go out together remember?"

"Thanks Yukiko. But what are you going to do? This might take a while." Yukiko cocked her head with a finger to her chin. "I don't really know, I wish I'd brought a book..." Her stomach loud out a loud grumble of hunger and she felt a pleasant little kick. All the action must have woken him and he was certainly a hungry little fellow when he woke up!

She walked over to her lunch box and went over to a nearby wall. Doing a lunge to properly sit down, the tear in her stocking only widened allowing her buttery thighs to seep out a little bit, but she was so entranced by the contents of the box that she didn't notice. Slowly swinging her legs around to her side and under herself, her bottom then created a comfortable padded seat even on the floor. "I guess I'll just do what Teddie said. Sit here and get fatter." There was no bitterness in her voice when she said it. There was no need for it. "If that's what my little boy wants of course." A loud grumble from her gut both brought her hand to it for a soothing rub and answered her question. "Okay then!" As much as it was about feeding the baby, Yukiko couldn't hide how much she'd been looking forward to these sandwiches.

"Gwud wuck," she spoke to the two girls before the flavor hit her and she closed her eyes in delight. "Mmmmm." She certainly had her work cut out for her but it was much better than climbing those blasted stairs again! Ms. President watched the girl hungrily grab a second sandwich immediately after finishing the first. She finally understood how this graceful girl had fattened herself right out of her uniform. It truly was because of the baby. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Chie sigh. "Welp, she's out of it. C'mon. Let's see if we can find the others." Ms. President gave one last wave goodbye which Yukiko managed to return between sandwiches. She took a sip of water after each one, wanting to get a clean palette for her hubby's review.

When the other two girls were gone, Yukiko swallowed another bite. Pulled pork the diagram called it. It was so juicy and fat and delicious, she couldn't help but roll her head back and moan. She looked around the room making sure no one was around and gained a naughty smirk. "Don't tell anyone but your mama just realized something." She let out a small burp and giggled.

"Your mommy loves to eat. Especially delicious food like this. And she doesn't mind getting a bit fat if it means getting to eat like this all the time." She grabbed an entire handful of pudge on the bottom of her belly. She shifted her rump around to get her panties out of her rear a bit feeling just how much her bottom pressed against the wall and floor as well as the rippling across its surface. The same bottom Yu had been crazy about this morning. So crazy he had been driven into a lustful frenzy just from watching it. She wasn't about to start fingering herself again, not when she had him to warm her bed now, but it did make her eat a bit faster, especially with her tummy begging to be fed.

"No, mama doesn't mind. And of course I'd do anything you asked. So...if you've been holding back for mommy's sake, you don't need to worry about that, okay?" He didn't answer, but she did manage to finish all twelve sandwiches. Eventually it came time to eat the burger. Yukiko could just smell the calories which made her mouth water. Even half of this would cancel out any of the exercise she did today. It was just as big as the ones she'd been devouring as a lunch the past two weeks but Yu had said this one was special and even put a warning. She'd eat it and be so full and bloated, she'd be nine months pregnant. She wouldn't be able to get up on her own and she'd probably doze off on her stuffed belly again. "My legs haven't thickened up enough to support that load!" She fretted. Plus, she wanted to use it to surprise Yu later. The pair both deserved a nice belly rub after all this.

But the baby was still hungy, luckily Yukiko knew what she was doing. "It's not as good as a burger, but mama always keeps some emergency snacks in her umbrella! But don't tell grandma oh or especially not great grandma!" They'd have heart attacks if they saw that she thought to herself while she had her bare belly on display and a hole in her leggings.

.......................................................................................................................................

Chie and Ms. President made there way up to the second floor and then the third with no invisible walls in sight. Chie was impressed at the other girl's ability to keep up with her, especially without a Persona. She must be in amazing shape! But geez this sure was fast going, not just because Yukiko was gone but there were still no invisible walls even as they began to sprint down the halls. It was like whoever was behind this wanted to get this tournament over as soon as possible. Like something had thrown a wrench into their plans. "Hey, Chie? What kind of food does Yukiko like? I wanted to-" Suddenly they found what the wrench in the plan was. Although in his case it was more like a sledgehammer.

If the two girls had taken even one more step, they probably would have been blasted out of the window. There, standing before them was an absolute beast of a man dressed in a completely ridiculous getup, shattered debris of the wall he punched through to get there strewn about the floor. Both girls were far too stunned to move and could only stand there gawking. The man slowly turned to them which made Chie jump a bit and stand up straighter as if on instinct. He barely even glanced her way, he seemed far more interested in her companion who had taken to hiding behind Chie for protection.

Yes. That otherworldly white hair, those piercing almost unhuman looking red eyes, far different from the flecks of red that resided in his friends, there could be no mistake. "You must be Labrys. My name is Akihiko Sanada, and I've come to take you in."

Chie looked between the two in absolute confusion but Ms. President suddenly started mumbling to herself. "Lab...rys? Labrys? Labrys? *Ngh*" She clutched her head painfully before returning to normal. "I don't know what you're talking about!" But her voice betrayed her uncertainty. "Maybe this will help jog your memory. Does the name 'Kirijo' do anything for you?"

"Kirijo? *Ngaaah*"

The girl let out a scream of pain and grabbed her head, falling to her knees from the apparent strain. Chie stepped in protectively between the two. "Now hold on! Just what are your intentions with Ms. President!?" The Kirijo group certainly did something for her, that vast multibillion dollar conglomerate, who hadn't heard of it? This "Akihiko" gave her an intense glare that made her want to run and hide, but she stiffened up and stood her ground. "Are you the one that stole her?"

"What!? No?" Akihiko chuckled dismissively. "Yeah, you look a bit too scrawny to pull off a job like that," which made her blood boil but what made it boil even more was what he said next. "Anyways little girl this really doesn't concern you, so why don't you stand aside and let the adults handle things."

"Not until you tell me what you're relationship is! I'm her protector. For all I know, you could be a lunatic. Just look at what you're wearing?" If it was anybody else: Mitsuru, Aigis, even Junpei or Yukari, they would have sighed and explained patiently what was going on, but unfortunately Chie had encountered Akihiko. "Aggh. I don't have time to explain myself to some schoolgirl! Now stand aside!" Chie stood firm until she felt a small tugging on her shoulder. Ms. President in that moment looked so small and vulnerable that Chie just wanted to give her a great big hug and never let go. "Please don't let him take me. He's going to put me back in the box again. Please Chie. Please." Well that certainly settled Chie's stance on this matter. "I'm not letting you lay one finger on Ms. President, it's my job to protect the weak and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Akihiko scoffed. "This isn't some cartoon. You are weak and you're going to get hurt if you don't run on out of here." Even if the General hadn't shown himself on the monitor, it was unlikely this would have ended peacefully.

He didn't even bother to put on his fake Teddie voice. "Oh thank god you two are fighting. Well *ahem* let the match begin!" Chie turned to Ms. President and clasped her on the shoulder. "On my signal, I want you to make a run for it! I'll keep him distracted." The president still looked incredibly nervous, making Chie sigh. "I need you to trust me, okay? It'll all be alright!" Her assurances weren't quite as comforting as Yukiko's soft hugs but they did fill her with a lot of resolve. Nodding her head, she stood up straight making Chie grin. "Thatta girl! Remember, 'don't think, feel!"

"Go!"

Ms. President made a surprisingly speedy dash, so fast that a normal person would have been left blinking in her dust as she turned a corner. Akihiko was not normal. "Oh no you don't!" But just as he was about to reach out to grab her, a spinning kick came directly at his head which he barely managed to block. "Hwataah!" It wasn't meant to hurt, but it was meant to distract. When Akihiko realized that, it was already too late. "Dammit, no!" He tried to run after her but ran face first into an invisible wall. He turned around angrily to face Chie as if blaming her for his impact just now, but in his angry glaring eyes was a hint of interest, a passion that hadn't been there before. "That was a fine spin kick indeed. Guess I don't have to worry about going easy on you."

"Ha! You're talking like you have a choice! Against me, you go all out or you go home!" For the first time since they met, Akihiko gave off a beaming grin returned equally as brightly by Chie. They couldn't move forward until the other was beaten, so there was nothing wrong with enjoying the situation a bit. After fighting Yukiko, the martial artist was itching to let her fists go all out. No more strategy! The big guy could obviously take a pounding! Unfortunately, she found a direct full frontal assault didn't work for the exact opposite reason it didn't work on Yukiko.

First off, they were fighting in a hallway so she didn't really have much room to maneuver. Secondly, he could take everything she threw at him and then some. God Hand after God Hand was flung at him which he knocked back with ease slowly advancing closer and closer. He threw his first punch which Chie blocked with a kick, making him grin again. Chie could only wince, her whole leg felt numb and tingly! Again and again they came together, Chie even landing a blow right on his neck that didn't even phase him. Her high mobility was her advantage leaping around all over the narrow hallway over his fists and above his head but since she was doing no damage, it wasn't long until her foot was caught in his hand. He dangled her like a fish he had caught and wore the same proud smirk of a fisherman after a conquest. "You're quite good miss. What's your name?"

"C-chie!" She spluttered out. The girl could feel the blood rushing to her head. "You self taught?" The captive nodded as best as an upside down girl could nod. "I thought so. You have the passion, but you don't have the disciplined edge of someone who's received proper training. Why don't you come back in five years and we'll do this again sometime? Akihiko Sanada." He made to throw her against the invisible wall on her side of the arena, and she knew she'd be out if that happened. She didn't have enough space to use God Hand and Agneyastra had proven to be quite ineffective. A good fighter used all the tools at their disposal so maybe it was worth a shot.

At the last second, Akihiko was hit in the face by an icy chill that made him recoil in pain. He let out a cry as Chie tumbled along the floor, hurt but not out of the game. "Aggggh my training!" Akihiko was furious. He'd dunked himself in a tub of ice water every single day to remove his weakness and yet still it had done nothing. All that time and energy wasted!

He saw Chie rise to her feet and his annoyance was quickly replaced with admiration. This girl was certainly a fighter. He'd always thought he'd hated "bubbly" girls in the past, but maybe that wasn't it. Maybe he just hated vapid girls. Chie had to blush a bit, while not quite as extreme, the way he was looking at her...kind of reminded her of the way Yu looked at Yukiko when she'd polish off a meat bun and let out a small little burp. Maybe she was just seeing things that weren't there though, that was always a possibility.

"What are you fighting so hard for anyway? You barely know that girl." His tone had changed from the patronizing one from earlier to a genuine curiosity. Chie flicked her thumb over her nose and got into a fighting stance. "Because she needs my help and I promised a friend I'd look after her. It's not the best reason, but it's my reason." To her utter shock, Akihiko began to chuckle and then broke into a full on laugh. "W-what's so funny!? Are you making fun of me again?"

"Ahahaha not at all! I think that's a fine reason to fight. Me? I fight to get stronger. So I can protect what's important to me sure, but also to be the best! I'm here on an important mission to save the lives of everyone in this town, but a bet a true martial artist like you figured that out huh?" Chie blushed. It was true. "Y-yeah. I felt, in your fists, your good heart. B-but hey! Don't try to pin this on me! You're the one who came crashing through the wall without a shirt on!" To her surprise, Akihiko sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I have a bit of a temper sometimes. Those invisible walls were really getting on my nerves. Let's say we both take half of the responsibility for this? Deal?"

"Deal!" And Chie felt fully comfortable clasping the hand of the man who just seconds ago was fully prepared to fling her against a wall. "I don't have time for small talk, but you do deserve a conclusion to our battle. Just so you know where you stand."

"Know where I stand?" Akihiko chuckled. "Yeah. So you can see how you stack up against the best." Chie crossed her arms and gave off an arrogant sort of laugh. "Oh ho ho big talk considering I know your weakness. I think it's time to put you on ice."

"Don't forget, I haven't even showed you what my Persona can do yet. I think you'll be quite shocked." Chie laughed at the joke but as soon as she opened her eyes, she found a fist whizzing towards her that she was barely able to dodge. "H-hey! That's not fair!"

"First rule of the battlefield! It's not a boxing ring! Your opponent could care less about it being 'fair'" He continued to give her little pointers and tips as the fight progressed. It actually made her a little angry, she wasn't some beginner! She knew all this stuff already! The rage made her slip and kick more out of anger than with any regard for form leaving her wide open for a punch that almost floored her. "Oh and keep your temper under control. You need to remain cool and-" he was hit by another blast of ice as she staggered to her feet again. "You first." It was honestly the best she could come up with.

After many many traded punches and ice blasts, the two stood on opposite sides of the hallway panting and covered in battle damage. Even her weak little kicks had begun to bruise and sting after awhile but Chie could barely stand. He had only allowed her the one kick to the neck earlier. Everything else was blocked except her ice and she was almost out of juice. "I'll finish this in one strike!" They both yelled out. Thunder against frost clashed in the middle of the arena but it was Akihiko who prevailed as his bolt struck Chie in the center of her chest and sent her careening backwards. Akihiko took a knee, exhausted and waited for the smoke to clear. Chie had crawled up into a sitting position and was wiping tears from her eyes.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing?! A true man never cries, unless he loses his wallet!"

"B-but I'm not a man," Chie sniffled. Akihikio shook his head. "The spirit of a true man surpasses gender!" He slowly walked over and held up a hand and as Chie looked up to him, she thought to herself he shone as brightly as the sun. Of course the effect was immediately ruined when he started lecturing about proper protein consumption and how her lack of proper muscle mass was what led to her defeat. "It's kind of odd that the 'Carnivore Who's Discarded Womanhood would be so averse to bulking up." She leaned up to punch him but it was merely a weak *bap* on the chest. "S-shut up. I don't *sniff* care about that. It's just that I-I couldn't protect Ms. President. I got hot headed again and now she's who knows where! How am I ever gonna be a cop if I care more about fighting than doing my job?"

Ah geez now Akihiko felt bad. He knelt down to her level and looked her square in the eyes. "Stop crying! *Sigh* Look, sometimes you have to make the best decision with what you got. A few years back, a group I was a part of did something we probably shouldn't have done and made everything worse. All because we didn't now the full story." He wished literally anyone else was here right now to do this but she seemed to be looking up at him enraptured. "Yeah sometimes you mess up when it's not your fault but do you cry about it? No. You do better next time, alright?" She giggled a bit and Akihiko was struck by just how adorable the sight was. But he shook those thoughts out of his head. "Well, we would have had to fight anyway, so it only makes sense that the strongest person goes forward. Just...please try to be more gentle with that girl. Don't go knocking her into walls, okay Master? Ahahaha!" And with that, Chie slumped over, exhausted and began to softly snooze. Akihiko wished he could join her. He may have won but he was incredibly drained from their battle.

"I bet even Ken could take me in a fight right now." He mused to himself. But he had a job to do.

"Master, huh? That's going to be annoying but I can't say I mind the idea of having a disciple...especially not one so strong."

"Hey! You! Yeah you! The tough looking guy! You part of the world's strongest man competition?!" Akihiko turned to see a rather violent looking kid pointing towards him. He looked like a picture perfect punk as contradictory as that statement sounded. Akihiko flexed, wincing in pain from the motion. "What competition? I am the world's strongest man, period." His mouth had fired off before his brain again but Akihiko would never back down from a challenge no matter how close to collapsing he was. Kanji's eyes flicked over to the unconscious form of Chie. This must be his mind providing an image for scale! To show just how powerful this dream warrior really was! "I see you took out Chie! You must be pretty tough! Well I'm pretty tough too!" A monitor descended and that grinning bear creature returned. "Yes you are Kanji and this burly bear of a man is just one more stepping stone on your way to the throne so let's get right to it! Go go go!"

"Get ready! Cause I'm coming right at ya and I don't let up!" Akihiko sighed and put up his fists. He almost regretted coming on this assignment. Almost.

...

Kanji stood victorious over the other man. That was the easiest fight of his life! He'd defeated Chie and Kanji had just torn through this guy like wet tissue paper! Man this dream was awesome! "What'd you think of that Ted? Ted?" But there was nothing. Just silence. "Huh? Well no big deal. It's not like I can get lost with these freaking invisible walls all over the place!"

Chie and Yosuke had been eliminated and he was hoping to avoid Yukiko. Since this was his dream, that would be no problem. She was scary, and pregnant. Besides, he'd feel bad even dreaming about beating on Yu-senpai's wife. All that were left was Senpai and Naoto. His heart pounded a bit at the prospect. He was both excited and terrified of facing either of them.

But how else was he ever going to become a man? If he couldn't even face them in a dream? If he trembled at the mere thought of confronting them head on like real men! Well woman in Naoto's case but...he was distracting himself. What he needed to do now was go forward to the one throne waiting at the end as Teddie had said.

.......................................................................................................................................

Yu had finally finally made into onto the second floor of the main building. He had been given a completely convoluted path that had gone around the entirety of the school building before finally being allowed inside the Practice Building where he then had to climb to the second floor. It was clearly a stalling effort but at least he was finally here. Maybe Mitsuru's other companions had been causing the fake Teddie trouble and he'd needed Yu to come in and clean up?

"...pai. Senpai! Can you hear me?!"

"Rise? Are you alright?" Rise tried her best to hold back the tears and mostly succeeded but some of the panic still bled into her voice. "Oh I'm so glad it's you! I-I'm fine, that fake Teddie left the room for some reason so I wanted to contact you. I've been so afraid..." Yu realized that the best way to ease her mind would be to give her something to do. "Am I the closest one? Where are the others?"

Rise sighed, back to a semblance of her usual bubbly self. "You're the closest one I can rely. Chie got knocked out, don't worry she's fine, and Kanji *ugh* I mean stupid Moronji thinks he's in a dream! Can you believe that!" Yu was relieved that everyone was alright but he couldn't imagine what sort of hijinks they had gotten up to with all the illusions. "Oh Naoto's here too! She told me she found the real Teddie but she and Kanji are on a course to fight each other. I think the General's going to make you fight the winner." Yu bit his thumb a bit. He was still trapped by these invisible walls and could only move forward at a slow pace, lest he risk a broken nose.

"How's...how's my wife?" He knew they probably didn't have much time, but he really needed to know. His guilt at asking such a question tickled Rise's ears and made her giggle. "Wow senpai. You're really selfish, wanting to know about the safety of your wife and child! I can't believe you!" Which did make Yu feel a bit better. "Let's see, let's see. Oh she's on the floor below you, stuffing her face as usual. And she really needs a change of clothes." The audible sigh of relief Yu gave off caused Rise to giggle again. "Good. Ok. That's all I need to know. I hope she likes her burger." Yu strained his ears a bit and he could just barely make out the smacking of lips and the occasional delighted purr after a particularly tasty bite of whatever she was eating. He would have been disappointed to learn it was Junes brand snack cakes but Yukiko had meant what she said. She simply loved to eat and was enjoying all the new flavors to her hearts content.

"I thought for sure you'd be bothered about how big she's starting to get, but you're just full of surprises. I think you guys are so cute together, when you hold her hand and dote on her as that big big belly gets more and more dominant. It's so adorable!" She let out a little squeal and a light dusting of a blush hit Yu's cheeks. Quickly she regained focus when Yu said nothing, she could tease him about it later.

"The General is indeed a shadow, although I'm not sure who he belongs to." Yu thought for a moment. "Rise, is there anyone else in here? Besides us and the Kirijo group."

"Let's see, there's two with incredibly odd energy signatures. One's on the roof but the other, the other's with the shadow! And they're coming right for this room! Sorry senpai I have to go! Please get here soon!" Yu couldn't have been more curious if he had tried. The only way to solve this mystery would be to press forward. He reflected for a moment. When he defeated the mastermind, the invisible walls would most likely disappear.

He removed his jacket and gave it a gentle kiss and placed it down at the top of the stairs. He couldn't have his Yuki waddling around all exposed after all. Not every declaration of his love had to be completely awe inspiring and he guessed she'd probably appreciate this one quite a bit regardless. If only there was a railing to look down on the floor below as in the normal school. Unfortunately, all he could do was press forward.

.......................................................................................................................................

Kanji on the other hand was having the time of his life. He was riding high and even if Naoto or senpai did show up, he'd just prove to them how much he'd grown as a man over the last year! At least that's what he thought until he opened the classroom door. "Ah Kanji. How nice to see you again. Rise told me you'd be coming." Rise had contacted Naoto first as she had been closer so Naoto didn't know about Kanji's delusions. "Ah, Naoto. Just who I wanted to see. The detective. Naoto. Shirooogane." He was stalling and he knew it. To prove he was the manliest of all men, he had to do more than just defeat Naoto. He'd have to confess. Yes it made perfect sense to Kanji. Senpai was the pinnacle of manliness, even that beast from earlier was chump change compared to him. So in order to claim his throne, he'd not only need to defeat Yu-senpai in battle, he'd have to finally get over this knot in his chest whenever he talked romantically with the bluenette. When he stood proudly at the top of the school with his crush clinging to his arm like Yukiko clung to Yu, with his defeated senpai behind him, only then could he say he'd truly taken the throne.

"Hmm what's the matter Kanji? You seem awfully pale." Naoto took a step closer to observe Kanji's face. "Ah ah ah. You're too close. Too close Naoto." She sighed. "This is a perfectly normal distance between two people. Are you okay? I'm worried you might be under the effects of the enemy's illusions."

Illusion? Well it was hard to pay attention to that sort of stuff when Naoto was looking up at him with those big blue eyes of hers. She was talking about something but he was having a bit of trouble focusing. "So that's why I think you should surrender." That certainly caught his attention. "Huh? Surrender? Why would I do that when I'm so close to winning?" Naoto raised her gun suspiciously. She didn't have time to deal with illusion nonsense, if Kanji still didn't want to surrender after she explained the myriad of reasons why, and only wanted to "win" he must be under the control of the enemy just like Teddie. Kanji took a deep breath, This was clearly a trick by the dream to break his resolve! Only a true loser would surrender just because a girl batted her incredibly pretty doe eyes at him! "Sorry Naoto, but I won't be doing that! You should only get to move on if you win fair and square! I'm not going easy on you!"

...

Naoto coughed as Kanji helped her to her feet. He still seemed pale and feverish with a heavy blush on his face, yet he still helped her up. "You certainly didn't hold back, I do hope you've finally come to your senses." It was the arena that had done her in. She was primarily a long range fighter and she'd been forced to fight the strongest short range fighter on the team in an enclosed classroom. All the genius in the world didn't do much when you have over six feet and 180 pounds of muscle barreling down on you. "Me? You're the one who was acting weird. Don't you know that only the winner can move on? If I let you get by for free, you would have just gotten punked by someone stronger. The real Naoto would never say something that stupid."

Naoto gasped but eventually her face settled into a smirk. At the end of the day, it didn't really matter how much more knowledgeable she was about the case and how much she wanted to solve it herself if she couldn't produce results.

And as simple as it was, Kanji was absolutely right. The one who was most capable of defeating the mastermind should be the one who goes on. Holding back truly would do no good. "I suppose you're right. I must commend you on your ability to set your personal feelings aside. That's quite mature of you."

"Ah well you know just ah being a man. That's what we men do!"

"Really? Men beat on their friends only to satisfy their lust for battle? That seems quite UN-manly if you ask this fellow." A flamboyant voice rang throughout the room. Standing right in front of Kanji was his own shadow. Seeing their shocked expressions he smirked. Hi-no-Kagutsuchi was at the end of his rope. Chie and Yukiko had ended their fight early solely out of friendship, the most insecure members of the team, Yosuke and Naoto were proven to not be the strongest and thus not ideal candidates and Yu was just as unflappable as ever. Then you had Akihiko breaking through walls and Aigis had just burst into the control room to do battle with their pawn. It was all very very frustrating. But if he could at least salvage this by making Kanji despair, this whole thing would be well worth it. "Don't tell me you forgot about a hunk like me? You think just because you rough housed with me a little I'd be gone forever? I'll always be a part of you baby." Naoto rolled her eyes at this extremely obvious ploy. Kanji had just used his Persona not two minutes ago and now here was the enemy using another illusion. But then again, Kanji might actually fall for it. She should probably say something. Before she could speak up, Kanji raised his fist making the fake Shadow Kanji smirk. "What are you going to deny me again? Beat me down so you can pretend I'm not there? Well go ahead!"

But to everyone's surprise, Kanji punched himself in the face. "What the hell are you doing!?" His shadow cried. This was the third time today the god had been caught off guard.

Naoto was in a similar state of shock but as Kanji slowly lowered his fist and stood up straight, it was abundantly clear he was in his right mind. "Sorry, just had to knock those insecurities and doubts right outta me so I can do the right thing." He had a big goofy easy smile on his face. "Yeah you're still a part of me. Even I knew that! But I can still beat you down until you don't even matter anymore. Not cuz I'm ignoring you, but because...that's what you do with your weakness."

"How...how are you so calm?!" Kanji crossed his arms and let out a booming laugh. "Why would I not be calm asshole? Beating you down is easier than ever cause this time I've got senpai and everyone else helping me out. And that's why...it doesn't matter if I'm weak. Everyone is weak. But they can always get stronger 'specially if they're together. Now get outta here you loser." This time he really did sock his shadow right in the jaw making him fly across the room into the opposite wall. The shadow got up and adjusted said jaw, a sinister booming voice emitting from it. "Is it really impossible to turn a Persona back into a shadow? No, his faith in his friends is just too strong, and it's probably the same with the others too. I'll have to think of a new strategy." And with that, he disappeared, slinking back into the darkness. Was that a sequel hook for his next dream? Oh well it didn't matter now. A hatched chicken was worth two eggs in the bush, or however that saying went. He needed to finish up things in this dream. Fortunately Naoto was making things quite easy. "That was...well that's one way to defeat a shadow I suppose. Your way of thinking is certainly unique but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't admirable." She let out a chuckle. Sometimes even she forgot, but in some ways Kanji was probably the smartest of them all. He was certainly inspiring if nothing else. It kind of made her want to deck her own shadow.

But Kanji was doing something a little odd right now. It looked as though he was psyching himself up. Perhaps for the battle ahead? It was a little ridiculous looking but Naoto had just lost and Kanji had made it this far so maybe she shouldn't be so judgmental. "Kanji are you quite alright? I'm worried you're going to give yourself an aneurysm." Kanji didn't hear her as he was quite lost in his own thoughts. "Alright, senpai could do it. It's the easiest thing in the world for him. So just be smooth like senpai." But just thinking about the way he'd dip Yukiko down and kiss her full on the lips almost made him pass out. Well there's no way Yu did that when he first confessed. But maybe he did?

"Kanji!"

He whipped around to see a concerned looking Naoto staring at him. "If you have a lot on your mind, feel free to unload your concerns on to me. If it will help you remain focused in the coming battle, I don't mind listening." That's when Kanji had two epiphanies. One, this was a dream. After all, Naoto was here when was miles away in the real world. Therefore, even if she did reject him, it didn't matter and two Naoto wasn't like other girls. She was absolutely extraordinary which is why he liked her so much. If he tried to woo her like he would hypothetically try to woo Yukiko he'd probably get Megidoloaned.

He slicked his hair back and turned around. "Well actually there is...one thing on my mind." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "It's you Naoto." Naoto gave him an assuring smile. "That's very kind of you Kanji, but I can assure you I'm relatively unharmed." It would be pretty hypocritical of her to chastise him considering the harm she inflicted on Teddie earlier. Oh she should probably tell him about the whole Teddie situation. Just as she prepared to speak, Kanji rubbed the back of his head and spoke first. "That's great! Fantastic! But I was kinda talking about something else."

"Oh?" Oh right. It must be about what she was doing here! That deserved explanation. "I see. Well-"

"I think you're one dynamite gal!" The longer this went on, the more flustered he would get. And he needed to find senpai and win the tournament before he woke up. Naoto took a step back just like he expected she would. "D...dynamite? Kanji, wha...?" He gave her a big thumbs up, though his entire body was shaking like he was in a blizzard. She was just as thick when it came to romance as he was, so maybe the best way to approach this was not with subtlety but with a wrecking ball. "I've always felt that way, ever since you joined the team! And I just can't keep it bottled up anymore, it's freaking killing me!"

Naoto's voice had completely shifted over into it's feminine pitch at this point. If she wasn't mistaken, her friend Kanji was confessing his love to her. But it was best if she knew for sure before leaping to any conclusions. "D...do you mean to say that you love...me?" The way she said it, even Naoto couldn't hide the fact that she wasn't completely opposed to the idea which spurred Kanji on further. He may not get to live like Yukiko and Yu did, but he could at least dream about it! Although he wasn't so sure about being called "hubby."

"D-don't act so surprised, dammit! You're freaking amazing Naoto!" Kanji was blushing heavily but Naoto's entire face was a bright red. Her hands crept to the sides of her face and she looked away. This must be how Yukiko felt when Yu would shower her with praise about her abilities as a mother. She...didn't mind it. "Th...tha...that's quite k-kind of you to say b-but..." she had been about to turn him down when a thought entered her head. She had only turned down all those previous suitors because they had only approached her based on outward appearance. Kanji knew everything about her including all her flaws and yet he'd just described her as "amazing."

"I...I just don't think I'm the right woman for you Kanji." It was true that Kanji could be a bit hot headed at times, but on that same token he was passionate and she was so cold and withdrawn even now. "Surely there are better choices..." Kanji drummed his fingers on a nearby desk and looked her square in the eye. This suddenly became a lot easier now that he'd laid it out there and the problem was she seemed unsure of herself. "Hey, if you don't like me that way, it's cool, but don't give me that crap about you not being good enough. You're smart, you're driven, you're kind," he saw her move to speak, "shut up, you are! And you're someone worth supporting. Also you're...very very pretty b-but I swear that's only a small part of it!"

Naoto was at a complete loss for words, but she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. She and Kanji had spent a lot of time together anyway, granted Rise had usually been there too but Naoto had always been much more comfortable around Kanji than the handsy idol anyway. If anything, Kanji seemed to be uncomfortable around her and she was finally beginning to understand why. "I-if we were to date, I would be gone for long periods of time. You'd be alone..." Kanji snorted. Thank god this was a dream, this would not be so easy in real life, here all of her objections were stupid and easy to answer probably because his subconscious was making it that way. "Pffft I don't care about that. You kidding? You think just because all of the team isn't there when you leave we're suddenly not your friends? It's the same concept." Naoto was rubbing her other arm and still not meeting his eyes. "W-well relationships require *um* they need in-inti-intima-ma-intimacy!" She eventually managed to squeak it out and this actually did get a bright blush out of Kanji. "Y...yeah so? Just cuz you're gone sometimes doesn't mean it c-can't still happen. A-and we're not like our senpai. So we don't need to be...that intimate. We can...take things slow. Just try things out, you know? We can't be stuttering and stumbling about romance forever."

He took a deep breath and thought of his senpai. Both of them and just how happy a baby made them. They had been close before but they seemed to get even closer every time there was a milestone. "I...I want kids and a family someday too! And that might not be with you but it'll be with somebody I think is great! And right now I think you're great so why not give it a try?!" His voice had gotten a lot more frantic, the opposite from his earlier calmness. Telling Naoto she was awesome was easy, but talking about potentially having a baby with her someday was very difficult. But he had done it. Naoto was staring at him with wide eyes but eventually after what felt like an eternity, she slowly nodded her head.

"I...I suppose...it couldn't hurt...t-to try things out. I...I think you're pretty... I think you're pretty i-incredible yourself Kanji and-andI'dliketogettoknowyoubetter." But now what should she do? Should she kiss him on the cheek? Should she hold his hand? Kanji made the decision for her however. He let out a big sigh and made towards the door. "If only it was that easy in real life...but I can never just work up the nerve. Oh well, at least I know I'll be able to someday, and that's good enough for me! Time to win me a tournament!" And with that, he was out the door before Naoto could ask him what he was talking about. "D-did he truly believe this was all a dream. Ugh that idiot!" The high pitched pout was audible even to her own ears and she quickly switched back to her more normal voice. "But I don't...hate that about him. It's kind of endearing in a way." She didn't say it aloud, but one thought rang throughout her mind. "I hope he really meant what he said." She'd just have to muster up the courage and ask him later, but first things first she'd have to get her rapidly beating heart under control. Honestly, she was acting like some lovesick school girl. But maybe that's because that's was just what she was. It wasn't so bad.

.......................................................................................................................................

Aigis was overwhelmed. She'd expected the one in the control room to be a pasty scientist or at worst an exceptionally strong shadow. She could have handled those with ease, but what she hadn't expected was her own sister. Actually that wasn't quite right, there were two of them but one was dressed as a normal school girl and the other had been in the visage of a strange mascot but as soon as Aigis made to approach the school girl, the mascot had reverted back and suddenly stepped between them. Aigis had tried to calm her down but she was having none of it and the school girl started to clutch her head and fall to her knees. In addition, there had been another girl there cowering behind the computer chair. As such she was forced to hold back.

She also didn't want to destroy her sister if she could help it.

She had a sister! She could barely contain her joy when Mitsuru had first told her and now she finally had a chance to meet her! But unfortunately that had made her hold back even more. Labrys had gotten a glancing blow on her side that was enough to knock her through the door of the room and into the nearby hallway. She had a nasty gash in her side and electricity crackled from it. It wasn't fair that she had a battle axe while Aigis had to make do with hand to hand! To make matters worse, another innocent had just arrived on the scene.

"Stay back. It is too dangerous to proceed forward. I will-I will handle things here. Please do not get involved."

Kanji could only stand there with his mouth agape. Was this...a robot? No, not just a robot but a robot girl. Out of the debris and smoke stepped someone else. "Woah another one?" This one had eerie yellow eyes and a gigantic axe slung over her shoulder. She too turned towards Kanji. "I have no quarrel with you. Turn tail and run and I promise no harm will come to you." This dream was getting freaking weird.

"Ah I get it, so there's a good robot and an evil robot. So all I have to do is destroy the evil robot and then I get to fight Yu-senpai. 's simple enough."

Aigis attempted to stand, but collapsed onto a knee. "Please, I can't fight my sister and protect you at the same time." Oh so they were sisters too. "You shouldn't talk so big when you can't even stand up. So I'm going to be the one who's protecting you AND I'll kick this tin can to the curve while doing it!" Shadow Labrys chortled. "I'm modeled after a fifth generation anti shadow suppression weapon. My body is built to be a weapon. What could some punk kid possi-" her speech was interrupted by Kanji blasting her back into the room with a Sheer Force. "Please. In this dream, Naoto Shirogane said yes! That means in this dream, I can do freaking anything!"

Aigis watched in awe as a mere schoolboy, albeit a persona user, made an absolute joke out of one of the Kirijo group's ultimate weapons that they had dumped probably millions into. With nothing more than a chair "Chairs have untapped potential beyond what my parameters have predicted. I comprehend." Kanji kicked her around so badly they actually ended up back inside the control room after he got done tossing her up and down the hall. The shadow lay there motionless making absolutely no sound at all. All it could do was wait for its target to accept it while it recharged its energy.

"K...kanji. You...did it?" Rise stood there with her mouth agape. She hadn't expected Kanji would be the hero of the day, but she let out a breath of relief regardless. She ran forward quickly when she saw the damaged Aigis stumble through the door and nearly collapse. "Urrgh heavy. Kanji! Give me a hand here!" Together, they slowly slumped the robot against the wall. "Thank you. I must apologize for my directness earlier 'Kan-ji' it seems that it was I who was the one in your way." When she smiled like that, it made it hard to remember she was robotic.

"Ah don't even mention it." Suddenly, Rise let out a squeal and clapped her hands together. That could only mean one thing.

"Senpai!"

All heads turned to the entrance where Yu Narukami, well Amagi, now stood. The light from the hole really made him look like a "final boss" in Kanji's opinion. Behind him, they heard grunting and groaning and a spunky girl's voice. "One foot in front of the other master! We're almost there!"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

The chump he'd beaten and Chie were hobbling forward using each others shoulders to move their tired bodies. They entered and plopped themselves into some nearby desk chairs. Looking around, there was no way this could be the announcement room. It looked like something out of a sci-fi with monitors everywhere and the eerie yellow light of the old TV world leaking into the room, the "studio" aesthetic clearly visible from the window. Aigis explained to everyone what had just occurred which made Akihiko slowly rise to his feet.

"Well you did beat me, so it's not too surprising you'd be the one to resolve things. You're pretty strong, and I'm pretty strong too. Let's say you and me travel the world together and take it on!" Kanji rubbed the back of his head. "That sounds pretty sweet but I shouldn't make deals I won't get to keep." Akihiko was incredibly confused. "What do you mean?" But Kanji just ignored him. It was time to put the finishing touches on this dream. He walked right up to his senpai who just smiled and waved. "You beating that shadow must have deactivated the barriers," Yu explained. "I found these two on my way here. I wanted to make sure everything was alright before I went to get everyone else but it looks like you had things covered. Great job, Kanji." He received a firm clasp on his shoulder but Kanji was a tad confused as to why the barrier had deactivated. Didn't Teddie say the loser had to stay put? It must be so they could watch him and senpai's awesome match!

Immediately, Kanji jumped back and assumed a combat stance. Yu chuckled. "Kanji don't worry. The fighting's over, we can go home." If Kanji won, Yu couldn't even imagine how many illusions he would have had to deal with. Yu honestly couldn't blame him for being a little on edge. "Senpai! Before I wake up, we have to have our battle! Just you and me, one on one, right here, right now!"

"What?" Kanji seemed more excited than Yu had seen him in a long time. "Sure, we can fight if you really want to, but why?"

"Because this is the tournament to decide the manliest of all men! And you're the champion!" Yu was still confused. "But Kanji, today, you're the champion. So why don't you enjoy yourself and relax? You don't need to prove anything to me. I've always thought you were manly." Kanji blushed heavily. Even his own subconscious thought senpai was way too good of a guy to punch. But he had to do it. For the sake of his pride as a man. "Don't try to talk me out of it now senpai, I've made up my mind. You're the manliest guy I know and fighting you would be the best way to cap off my dream!" The faintest hint of a blush that would only be visible to Yukiko appeared on Yu's cheeks. "You really think I'm the manliest guy you know? Well...thank you. But wait-"

Before Yu could correct Kanji's misconceptions, Kanji felt a small little punch on his arm. He turned to see Rise glaring at him, hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me Moronji? You still think you're in a dream even after all this? How long do you intend on stumbling around half asleep!?" The faces of everyone in the room turned from admiration to incredulity. No one could possibly be that dense. Right? "Hey! Don't call me that! A-and this is a dream I mean Naoto was here and all those crazy robots a-and..."

"Kanji, calm down. Think, does this really feel like any dream you've ever had?" Kanji scratched the side of his head and his jaw dropped as he slowly realized that this was in fact, not a dream.

"Then...if this isn't a dream...I didn't hold back at all! Yosuke's going to be pissed...then Naoto...oh goood." He was past the point of shouting, he simply slumped into a pile on the floor. "You really need to pay more attention to what's going on around you Kanji," Chie piped up somewhat hypocritically. "Well, we can deal with that later. Rise, right now I need you to get in contact with everyone else including Ms. Kirijo and tell them the walls are gone and the one behind everything has been subdued." He gave tapped Kanji on the shoulder. "You said you won this tournament. Who did you 'defeat' on the way up here?" The tone he said it with was casual but the look in his eye told Kanji if he said Yukiko, he'd probably be dead.

"J-just Yosuke and Akihiko. P-people who can take it. No need to look so scary senpai." Yu was immediately back to his normal demeanor. But it wouldn't last for long. Chie spoke up. "Oh Yu, I ran into Yukiko on the way up here. She's fine but she's-"

"Right here!" Standing in the doorway was Teddie with Yukiko leaning on his bear body for support. He only had one scorch mark on him suggesting he had been very disciplined with his groping this time by Teddie standards. "I couldn't stand sitting still so I tried to brrreak down the wall, again and again so I was out of there the moment it came down! I ran into this cutie on the way up and-"

"ThankyouTeddie," Yu managed to get out as he lunged towards his wife and kissed her passionately. Their hands ran all over each other and it was clear they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Rise and Teddie were the only ones who didn't avert their eyes from the spectacle. When they finally broke apart, Yu ran his hands down onto her squishy sides. She was clad in his jacket and while it fit, it hung off her belly like a table cloth still unable to really be tucked in. A thin strip of flesh was still visible on her hips and if one were to look underneath, they'd see a protruding paunch.

He covered her belly in kisses despite its covering causing her to giggle happily. She even moved her hands to the upper part to give him more room to cover. She'd missed her hubby and she was sure he'd missed her and the baby. It was completely fine in Yukiko's mind. Actually, why not raise the jacket? Just for a little bit so he could kiss it directly.

"Aww look at them go! I always love a happy ending."

"Is that girl...really pregnant?" He then noticed the ring. "And married? To that guy?" Chie glared at her new master. "Yeah, so what? Got a problem with that?" He held his hands up. "Hey, it's fine with me. But she could stand to exercise a little more, I can see his lips sink in with every kiss." Chie raised her finger as if to argue before giving in. "Yeah, yeah, she probably does."

Yu stood up and ran his fingers along the sides of her face. "Are you two alright?"

"Mm hmm. Although we didn't really get to do much. But that's probably for the best." She covered a small burp with her fist which reminded her of what she had promised to do. She wanted to show him the note covered with kisses but she just couldn't wait to cover his entire face. Aigis watched them with interest. It was clear that this tall one, this Yu Amagi was the leader or "alpha male" here judging by the reverence all the others treated him with. The chemicals in the two teenagers bodies that denoted extreme attraction were almost off the charts and the female was clearly quite pregnant. She had also had a large meal and her feast was rapidly being converted to both milk and fat. Aigis looked between them again. The well muscled, confident, and authoritative male pressed firmly against his gentle milky fertile heifer who had grown fat and slow with child and as far as she could tell, it was a match made in heaven.

"Human mating habits are similar to those of bovines. I comprehend."

“So…I heard you beat your opponent in a single attack, hubby. You’re so…efficient.” She said it with a breathiness that made the others in the room somewhat uncomfortable, like they were the ones who were being rude somehow. “I had to make sure you were alright.” The matter of fact manner he said that made Yukiko giggle happily and kiss him again. But she pulled back and looked as if she had come to a realization. “What’s wrong?”

“I just remembered! Chie! Where’s Ms. President?” Chie scratched her chin awkwardly. “Well…the General forced me and my master to fight and she got away from me. She went running in this direction, so she can’t have gone far…”

“I’m right here.”

Out from the corner of the room stepped Ms. President. She had a look on her face that suggested she was trying her hardest to keep it together. “Hey Yukiko. Crazy day at school today huh? A-all these loonies running around. Hahahaha. Being a student council president sure is hard but hey, someone has to do it.”

“Sister!” Aigis attempted to stand up but slid down to the floor. On her second attempt, she found a cooling pleasant breeze like sensation help her to her feet. The others found all their wounds healed as well and their confused glances all turned towards Yukiko who was giving Aigis a thumbs-up. “You can’t give a proper hug unless you can squeeze with all your might!”

“Hello? Is this the room where we’re all meeting?” A little blue hat peaked its way around the nearby wall. All eyes turned to the detective prince who slowly crept her way in. “Huh? Naoto? What are you doing here?” Chie was the only one who didn’t know she was here, but no one besides Teddie knew the why. “I can explain that. You see our Nao-doll was on a super-secret undercover-“

“I’ll take it from here Teddie.” Naoto began to explain how she had been hired on by the Kirijo group to oversee the transportation of an important piece of cargo.

She caught sight of Akihiko and hesitated for a moment. "I followed you to Inaba and the TV World because I was hired by the government to keep tabs on you." To her surprise, Akihiko just laughed. "You're Shirogane right? Yeah Mitsuru figured you out from the beginning." Naoto's mouth hung agape. She had been so subtle! "Mitsuru says we shouldn't mind being investigated since we have nothing to hide. Especially if it's by someone with character like she thought you were. I wasn't so sure, but you did pursue us into an unknown environment just to find the truth so you've earned my respect." He swung his arm around and gave her a big thumbs up. "You got balls kid."

"I most certainly do not!" Her high pitched voice made Akihiko instantly realize his mistake and he looked away awkwardly trying to find some way, any way, to change the subject. "Hey where is Mitsuru anyway?"

"She's back at the entrance. I'm sorry to say but I was forced to fight her in the first round. But don't worry, she's unharmed." Both Aigis and Akihiko turned towards Yu for the first time with a sense of awe. "Y-you b-b-beat M-mitsuru?"

"My scanners indicate a distinct lack of catecholamines in his blood stream. Considering the reverence this Kanji holds him in, I do not believe he is lying."

"Beat Mitsuru." The usually spirited man slumped back in his chair completely stunned. Now the eyes were on Yu and Yukiko by extension. They stood as if they were posing for a painting with Yukiko wrapped around his side with her head in his chest, her hands resting on top of his own as it lay firmly on her belly. Rise, Chie, Teddie, and probably everyone else were just about to go into another round of singing his praises when he felt something under his hand.

"Oh, he's a lively one today isn't he? That's the second time since I've been here."

"Yep. I think his appetite is getting bigger too. He made me ate all those sandwiches in one sitting! Oh, here's some notes..."

Yu had to chuckle. It was just as he suspected, the fattier and more calorie filled the meat and cheese used, the more glowing the review. She even asked for extra mayo on some of them. "What's so funny?"

 "Nothing. I'm just happy you're so helpful. These reviews tell me exactly what I need to know." She pressed her belly more against him. "Well, two heads are better than one." The room could only look on in stunned silence. It's like he didn't really even care about what he had done to get back to his wife, only that he was with her now. "Still dropping jaws even on complete strangers huh partner?" Yosuke stepped through the door. He placed a piece of paper in his pocket and stepped through the door. "Although that's probably because they aren't used to all the PDA. Hell, even I'm not." Yu was glad to see he was back to his usual carefree self, he'd been kind of sullen lately but whenever Yu would try to talk to him about it, he'd get brushed off.


"You're pretty happy for someone who got knocked out in the first round, senpai!"

"Yeah maybe. But it was the best thing that could've happened to me. At least I wasn't a damsel in distress though."

"Ugh! That is so not fair!" In the middle of their bickering, Kanji offered out a hand of apology. "Hey man. Sorry about you know...not holding back...and maybe almost breaking your jaw. I thought it was a dream." Yosuke stared at him with contempt for a few moments. "Consider the friend discount off the table for the next two months."

"Aw come on you big baby! I didn't hit you that hard!"

"Three months." Kanji quickly closed his mouth. He turned to see a very awkward detective slowly shuffling towards him.

"Um...hello Kanji." She was covering her face with her hat, refusing to look up at all. "H...h-hey Naoto. What's up?" Naoto took a deep breath and decided to get right to the point. She whispered to him in a small voice, "did you really mean what you said, about dating?" She looked around the room to see all of her friends leaning in to hear. "S-stop it." Yukiko and Yu smirked to themselves. It wasn't so funny when the shoe was on the other foot.

"Huh? W...well I don't recall that...I think you must have just... misheard me. Yeah hahaha. Sorry about that." Naoto looked at the floor dejected. She knew that's not how the illusions worked but she wasn't about to call him out on that. "Oh...that's reasonable. Of course you wouldn't be...excuse me." She turned on her heel and went to the opposite side of the room, pretending for Kanji's sake like there was nothing wrong. Of course he would change his mind. After having some time to think it over, he must have realized just how frustrating it would be to have her as a girlfriend despite all her positive qualities. It was probably for the best he realized that now as much as it might sting. He was really just doing her a favor.

Kanji felt the ire of the room turn on him. Everyone was glaring at him except for Naoto. Even Yu was regarding him with annoyance. Aigis was the first one to speak up. She'd been enjoying the liveliness and closeness of the room and how much this group got along until the awkwardness had set in. "I see, you are one who my friend would refer to as a 'blockhead.' Do not worry, I too have trouble expressing my emotions, it is perfectly natural for a growing boy." This made Kanji feel even worse. He was getting lectured by a robot now about his tactlessness. He wanted to say something, but for some reason just couldn't. It's like when he tried to open his mouth, it would just close on its own.

"Do not worry. I will show you how to express your feelings to someone. Sister, please come in for a hug. It is so nice to finally meet you." But to everyone's shock, Ms. President stepped back frightened. "Y-you're crazy! How could I be your sister! You're a robot and I-I'm a normal school girl! I think you have a wire crossed or somethin you psycho tin can!" She snarled the last part as if the very idea they were related disgusted her to her core.

"Wait, you're really a robot?" Yukiko was incredulous. This "Aigis" was actually a fully functional artificial life form. Yosuke turned to her incredulous. "You're only figuring that out now?"

"Yes, and so are you, my big sister. Labrys. I believe the one who captured you has altered your mind." Ms. President clutched her head again but she managed to recover this time. "If I'm really a robot, how come I don't look like one huh?" Suddenly, Yu heard a voice in his ear. "Amagi. Amagi. Can you hear me. It's Mitsuru Kirijo. The invisible walls have returned! I thought you said you took care of the problem!" A sinister laughter echoed throughout the room. "Ah, thanks for all the denial of your true nature. It helped me patch up faster. That punk really did a number on me but you're so delusional it didn't even matter!" It had been easy to forget about the shadow despite it laying there eerily. They'd just gotten so used to only having to beat it once, they hadn't given it a second thought.

"You! General guy! You b-better quit taking my shape or you're going to be sorry! We already know all about your power to use illusions so a cheap trick like that ain't gonna work." The two girls looked quite similar except for the tell tale yellow eyes of a shadow but the Shadow president looked like a robot with a completely human face, much like her supposed sister. "Ahahaha my power? Don't you mean 'our' power?" And with a snap of the shadow's fingers the president's shape began to shift and change.

Aside from the eyes, the two girls now looked exactly the same right down to the mechanical joints and oddly shaped legs. "N-no this is...I'm not...I'm a human." The shadow shook her head. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? Just forget about all those painful memories and live your life as a normal teenage girl." She turned right towards Yukiko and tutted. "That's why she was so taken with you. You gave her the perfect opportunity to play pretend and forget about all her worries. You were just a tool she used to make herself feel better! That's why she made you fight your little friend in green over there you know? She put you and your child's life at risk just so a normal girl would know what it's like to go through what she went through." The heartbroken expression on Yukiko's face as she turned towards Labrys was enough to make her finally snap. "Commencing shadow elimination procedure. 5th generation Anti Shadow Weapon 'Labrys' is now online. Shadow detected. Elimination required."

"Tch," her shadow clicked her tongue in annoyance. "You'd even deactivate your own ego just so you don't have to hear the truth. You truly are pathetic." She blasted a hole in a nearby wall and escaped with the real Labrys in hot pursuit. She had been so desperate to close her ears that she had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the validity of the shadow's claims.

"Mitsuru, the situation has worsened. Labrys has gone in pursuit of her shadow and has shut down her consciousness. Retrieval may be difficult." Aigis held onto Rise's shoulder as she spoke. With Rise's help, they could have a whole communication network open, making it possible to see her bite her lip. "If we can't retrieve her then we'll be left with no other choice."

"No..."

"I'm sorry Aigis, but we can't risk Labrys falling into the wrong hands in such a vulnerable state of mind. The results could be catastrophic." Aigis grit her fists and stared right into the monitor. "I refuse to let my only family be destroyed! Not unless I absolutely have to"

Mitsuru looked down sadly. She could understand Aigis' feelings quite well and she too had even once put her personal feelings over her better judgment in that cursed coliseum. "I'm afraid...it's not up to you anymore Aigis. The tournament rules are once again in affect and you were defeated by Shadow Labrys. That means the only one's who can decide the fate of your sister are..." Everyone turned to see the only two who hadn't been eliminated from the tournament. "Those two. I'll leave it up to their discretion and will support whatever they decide to do. Amagi, Tatsumi, it's in your hands. I'm truly sorry you have to clean up our mess. But I must ask that you decide now."

Yu found himself beset by pleading eyes from nearly the whole time but Aigis was the one who spoke.

"She is not just a machine, like me she too has a heart. She must have been so alone for so long but now she doesn't have to be anymore. If you can show her that, I think she can be saved. There are many kind people in this world who will accept her for who she is just like they accepted me. If your life is in danger, if you absolutely must, you should take her life but I beg you to only do so as a last resort. Please, save my sister." Aigis slowly trying to bend herself into a bowing position despite the extreme difficulty caused by her anatomy, was perhaps the saddest thing Yu had seen all day. He knew what his decision would be even before she spoke up but he was curious as to what the others thought. His eyes turned towards Yukiko and just as he suspected she did not have the pleading eyes the others held. Instead she smiled at him gently. She already knew his choice, maybe even before he himself did.

"If she has a heart, then she's no different from anyone else in this room. It may have only been a short time we spent together, but Labrys is my friend. And I made a promise to that friend. I'll support her however I can."

The inspirational speech everyone had expected to come from Yu had instead come from the mouth of his wife. She had said what they were all feeling more or less. All Yu had to do was nod in agreement. "Don't worry Ms. Aigis. I'll save your sister." He helped her to her feet despite her weight, made easier of course by her assistance. She looked up with him with eyes that seemed more bright and full of life than most people he knew. "And we'll show her she's not alone. All of us, together. It's what we're good at, right guys?" A genuine cheer went up throughout the room making Aigis look around with joy. It was like Nanako when they'd taken her to see the fireworks. "Thank you so much, you all have very heavy hearts!" Naoto wanted to correct her, but Aigis just looked so happy she just didn't have it in her.

Yu walked right up to Yukiko and cupped her cheek in his hand. The other went to her back and squeezed tightly. "I'll be right back."

"I know. Here, this might help a bit." To Yu's surprise, Yukiko removed her headband and gently closed his fingers around it one by one just like she'd handed him his charm so long ago. "It might be audacious of me, but I think if you put that on her head and say in a soft voice that she looks like she came out of a story book, she might turn back to normal. She was so happy when I did that to her that it has to be worth a try."

"Mmph." She was kissed right on the lips and as usual she showed surprise but almost immediately pressed into it and closed her eyes. "What was that one for?" Yu placed the headband in his pocket and smirked. "I'm just thanking you for making my job easy. How could anybody feel alone when they know they have you to support them?" He hugged her tightly enough to make her hum and rocked back and forth. "With you just waiting to embrace them. How could anyone ever be unhappy with you around Yukiko? It's just not possible and all I need to do is remind Labrys of that."

"S-save the kind words for Labrys right now. I have the rest of my life to hear them." She teasingly pushed him away but sighed and pulled him in for one last kiss before he left and pulled up her jacket for the baby of course. She didn't even need to say anything, her absolute faith in him was more than enough. "Come on Kanji. We have an innocent girl to save."

"Huh me? Why?" He'd just slow senpai down, hell any of them would just slow him down. "Because I want someone to watch my back and besides, do you really want to stay here right now?" Kanji looked around the room to the rest of the team glaring at him for his earlier ineptness all except Naoto who covered her eyes with her hat and turned away; that was even worse. "L-let's go save Labrys!"

.......................................................................................................................................


Following the trail of destruction left by Labrys and her shadow, it wasn't long until they were trapped by an invisible barrier. "Well that's just freaking great. Now what're we supposed to do!"

"We fight of course. If she really wanted to stop us, she would have placed the barrier earlier." Kanji looked at Yu suspiciously; even he had a suspicion that they were going to have to fight if they went forward together, and yet when he'd brought it up when they left the room, Yu had said it wasn't a problem. If he had thought of it, no way would senpai not have. "Look senpai, I appreciate you trying to give me what I asked for but there's no need. This isn't a dream so you'd just clobber me. There's no point in doing it since you're just going to win."

"Just like there's no point in dating Naoto because she's just going to reject you." Kanji's jaw would have hit the floor if it could. That was quite literally the last thing he expected Yu to say. "W-w-well I mean...yeah, that's certainly a possibility. D-do we really have time for this right now! The shadow's getting away!" Yu shook his head. "Right now, Labrys turned off her psyche. The shadow needs one of us to turn it back on for her to reach full power."

Oh yeah, that was true wasn't it? Man senpai was amazing but unfortunately for Kanji, that meant now he had no excuses to get out of this lecture. "Besides, I always have time to help out one of my closest friends." Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, Kanji thought to himself with a smile. "Naoto's freaking amazing senpai, she has the whole world in front of her. If she dated me, she'd just get bored and move on. And I wouldn't blame her, you know? She's a world class detective, and I'm just...me. Sure I got some good points but at the end of the day, would they even make a difference?"

Yu cleared his throat. "I was walking by your store the other day and do you know what I noticed? I didn't see a single stuffed animal lined up for display." Kanji looked to the side ashamed. He'd made a promise but he'd kept putting it off and putting it off for reasons he couldn't quite fully put into words. "Ah well, nobody would buy them anyway, ya know?" He looked over to see Yu glaring at him. No not glaring, more like analyzing him. Eventually, Yu gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I see. You're still afraid of being rejected."

Kanji tried to stutter out an excuse, but quickly gave it up. Senpai was right on the money as usual. "Yeah. Yeah I am. I could dress it up in all sorts of flowery bullshit but when you get right down to it, that's all it is. I'm just scared shitless of putting my all into something and still having that not be good enough for people. I'm not talented like you or Naoto." Yu was about to say that was a bullshit excuse but Kanji opened his mouth first. "Nah that's a bullshit excuse too. I just don't have your courage is all it is. To put myself out there despite what other people say."

"And that's why we have to fight." Kanji's jaw dropped again. "B-b-wha-senpai! What is with you today!? You and I both know you'd just wipe the floor with me."

"How would you know? You haven't even tried. You were pretty gung ho earlier but now you shrink up?"

"Well y-yeah but that was when I thought it was a dream. Back when-"

"There were no consequences for losing. Which is why you confessed. I know Kanji. But if you're content with always dreaming of what you could be, never improving, never moving forward, I won't stop you." Kanji had to laugh at the smirk on his senpai's face like he already knew what Kanji's answer would be. "Nah, that sounds lame as hell! 'sides, we owe it to Labrys to send the strongest person to beat her shadow again, and hey, if that happens to be me, better to find out now right?"

Yu would feel bad about doing this if it was anyone else, but Kanji was a man of action. Unlike the others, he learned best by example. This would be the last time Kanji ever faltered on this issue, at least to this extent. "You better not hold back on me senpai! I want to see just how far I have to climb!" Well he'd have to hold back a little bit but Kanji didn't need to know that. Besides, he had the perfect Persona to help show Kanji just how far he had come. "Very well, but remember that you asked for it. Come, Odin!"

Kanji had still been quite cautious at first. Tentative even or as tentative as Kanji could be anyway, preferring to play it safe and lob thunder from a distance but he quickly realized Yu wasn't giving him that option. He had to get in close where Yu was allowed to pummel him with a flurry of blows that Kanji returned his enthusiasm growing as the fight went on no matter who currently held the advantage. It was true that Yu had been growing stronger but Kanji was still the king of close quarters he easily had the advantage until Yu pulled out a Garudyne. To his shock, Kanji managed to withstand that and barrel him over, a repeat of his fight with Yosuke. But Yu had one thing Yosuke didn't have.

"Panta Rhei."

Kanji coughed as his vision stopped blurring. He had been waiting for the hammer to drop and it finally had. But it had been great while it lasted.

A hand extended out to him and he gladly took it. "Well you lost, so I guess there was no point in even trying. Right Kanji?" Kanji flexed his arm. "Hell no! I needed something like that to knock all that crap outta me! Did I lose? Hell yeah I got my ass kicked but I can at least look at myself in the mirror and said I tried my best. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I just shrank away."

"And there you go." Yu stuck out his hand for a firm handshake. "I better see those stuffed animals in the windowsill tomorrow, because I know I'd like to buy one." Kanji firmly clasped his senpai's outstretched hand. It was just like he said earlier, whenever his weakness started bubbling back up, he had his friends to help him beat it back down. "And you better confess to the girl you like too." Kanji just laughed. "Thanks dad." Kanji immediately stumbled back when he realized what he had said. He had wanted to say "thanks dude" but that had come out instead. His senpai was staring at him in shock but not the bad kind. It was like Kanji had just placed a bar of solid gold in his hand. "I-I what I meant was...h-hey quit smiling dammit!" Yu realized that he had started smiling. "Hahahaha don't worry, I know what you meant. Thanks for helping me practice though." Kanji just decided to let it go, Yu-senpai looked so happy that maybe a little slip of the tongue wasn't so bad.

"Well...thanks. For knocking some sense into a knucklehead like me. It...really means a lot that you care so much still even with everything going on in your own life. Hey, you can come over to my house and eat my crackers anytime." That almost made Yu blush. That was the highest honor Kanji could give to someone. "Now go work your magic on Labrys. I'll just wait here I guess and...think about how I'm going to apologize to Naoto."

.......................................................................................................................................

The path eventually led Yu to where everything began. The courtyard. Where he found a motionless Labrys awaiting him.

The shadow was nowhere to be found obviously waiting for him to fix the problem before it made its move. A faint flicker of recognition registered on the robots face but it was quickly suppressed under cold processing and routines. Slowly, Yu approached the android and did just as Yukiko said. He added a tight hug for good measure since he figured that would probably bring Yukiko to mind more effectively. "You look just like you stepped out of a story book." Quickly, he thought of something else to add. "When Yukiko and I have a daughter, she'd want her to be just as beautiful and kind as you. And to be honest, I would too." He could feel the girl begin to come to life in his arms. "Yu...ki...ko." Her fear was abated enough by the warm memories to draw her "self" to the surface. In that instant, reality had seemed far more preferable to the cold coffin of her own mind.

"No. I'm here to help you." Labrys allowed herself a faint glimmer of hope before it was quashed by the cackling of her shadow. "As if. He only wants to help because he doesn't know what we are! If he knew, he'd want to tear us to pieces or seal us up again like defective garbage should be!" The landscape slowly began to shift and morph. The sky turned a hellish red and the gate of the school morphed into an enormous furnace. Broken dolls fell from the sky on chains in an endless stream onto a conveyor belt were they were fed directly into the fire. The outside had changed from a school to the inside of a demented factory.

"I want others to suffer like I did. I want them to understand what it's like to have to fight and kill their friends. Anyone would break under the pressure I'm not a monster for killing them all." Her shadow cackled. "That's what you thought right? But no, it turns out none of these people are like you. You're just weak."

"N-no. That's not...I didn't want this. You're wrong." Her shadow raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You sure clammed up fast when Yukiko and her little friend were about to fight. You could have stepped between them, but you didn't. Because you felt that little twinge of excitement. 'Finally, I can make someone understand. No matter how gentle or nice you seem, anyone's capable of being a monster.' But no. It's just us. And that's why we can never be normal! No one can understand us and we don't belong anywhere except for that furnace over there of course. Ahahahaha." Labrys could only shake her head over and over again.

"Labrys..." But the shadow interrupted Yu. "Save your self righteous pity Mr. Hero. You don't know anything about me so what could you possibly understand!? That's what we think, so shove it. Besides, you shouldn't forgive us so easily. We were willing to put your wife and child in grave danger just to feel better! Ain't that right, me? We don't care who gets hurt just as long as we don't have to be alone anymore!"

"No that's not...I'm not like that! You're not me!"

"Ahahahaha you said it! You finally said it! Now I can finally be myself!" The shadow began to pulse with energy and the furnace started to fire up. A giant mechanical bull began to form from the flames and rose up, towering over Yu. "Hahahaha the power!" A manic grin plastered itself to her face. Sure her normal form had lost to some sidekick, but now she was overflowing with energy. She'd crush this boy and-

Behind him was a gigantic snake like demon almost as big as the bull she'd just called forth. He had a strange glow about him and she quickly realized what it was. While she'd been getting high off her new found power, he'd been charging up. "Black Viper." Instantly, the shadow felt herself being vaporized into little bits. "Noooooo! It's not fair!" But at least she could take solace in the fact the one who captured her would suffer this same fate. That thought comforted her.

The shadow returned to its vacant state, waiting once again for her true self to either accept or deny her. The real Labyrs sat with her legs together slumped on the ground completely in shock. "I didn't mean for anybody to get hurt. I didn't...I didn't." She turned to Yu with tear filled eyes. How could anyone think she was just a machine, Yu reflected to himself. "Why? Why did you save me?" Yu took a seat down next to her. "Because you're a victim in all of this too."

"How can you say that?! You don't-" She was about to say he didn't know the first thing about her but cut herself off. There was no reason to lash out at the man who had just saved her life. "Sorry."

"No. You're absolutely right, I don't know the first thing about you. But I can learn, if you want me to." This surprised her beyond measure. She looked up at him with big starry eyes that reminded him a lot of his little cousin. "Is it alright...for me to ask." She nodded.

"It's just that...no one's ever asked me about myself before. I guess...it can't make things any worse." So Labrys told him about her long bloody history, forced to kill her siblings just to survive only to be labeled defective and sealed away. When she got to the more sordid details about her growing resentment towards humans after she was forced to murder her closest friend, she began to look towards Yu, expecting him to back away in fear or look at her with scorn. But he didn't. He just kept meeting her eyes with that same warm expression and listening.

"You're right. I couldn't imagine going through what you went through Labrys. But what I can do right now is tell you that you're not alone anymore." The girl began to quietly sob and Yu waited as long as he needed for her to calm down. When she opened her eyes, she seemed shocked that he was still there, like she fully expected reality to rip him away from her after he said that.

But he was still sitting right beside her, ready to hear whatever she had to say. "Why are you being so nice to me? I put your family, your friends, in danger and you too...so why?"

"I did it for all the others, so why not you too?"

"The...the others?" Yu chuckled. "Yep, every one of my friends had a shadow that we risked our lives trying to beat. Everybody had their insecurities and weaknesses and eventually, everybody got over them with some help of course. None of their pain can compare to yours but I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter where you start, it's where you end."

She looked as if he had just told her the secret of eternal life. "What happened in the past doesn't define who you are forever, and you don't have to get better all at once. All it takes is constant progress, little by little. The same can be said for me or for anybody. And of course, it's easier with people by your side who are willing to help you every step of the way." Yu stood up and held out a hand for Labrys. Her hand moved to grab his, shaky at first but eventually she was able to firmly grasp it and rise to her feet.

"I guess nothing I say will dissuade ya huh? You're intending on being my friend no matter what?" She was speaking in a joking manner but her voice was clearly brimming with emotion. "Well in that case...I'd really like to take you up on that. My first friend." She seemed almost giddy at the prospect but it was tempered by genuine relief she was really being allowed to live.

"That's not very kind of you. You don't return my wife's feelings? She seemed like she really wanted to be your friend. That's too bad..." Labrys winced remembering the heartbreak that had been on Yukiko's face when the truth had come out. "I don't think she'd want to be my friend anymore after all this." She felt a very light slap on the back of her head and glared at Yu. "The hell was that for!?"

"Why do you think you're wearing her headband right now?" Labrys moved her hands to the top of her head and noticed for the first time the red headband resting there. "She gave it to me to give to you. Because she cares about you. You might find that hard to believe, but it's the truth. And the others will feel the same way, just mark my words." She couldn't believe what she was hearing, were they really just going to forgive her that easily? Seeing her apprehension, Yu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Even if they don't, I do and I'm sure your sister does too. We shouldn't keep her waiting at least. She really wants to see you too."

"Sister." Labrys mouthed the word to herself several times. She had been so mean to that poor blonde haired robot who probably felt just as alone as she did. Well she certainly didn't feel alone anymore so maybe it was time to help her sister out too. "Can you guys hear me? We're all meeting on the roof, I detect an exit there." Yu gave his affirmation to the idol girl. "Understood Rise. Well Labrys, are you coming?" The white haired girl nodded firmly. "You betcha. I've at least got to apologize to everyone if nothing else." This made Yu remember Kanji, and he wondered how his friend's apology was going. But there was still one more thing to do. Yu nodded to Labrys and then her shadow and she knew immediately what he meant.

Slowly, she approached her shadow and using Yukiko's technique, pulled it slowly to her bosom. "I'm sorry, you must have been so alone for so long. But now you don't have to be anymore. You're a part of me for better or for worse and nothing will ever change that." A blinding light enveloped the rooftop as her shadow slowly began to change. "This is...my Persona." She felt a surge of power slowly creep into her before exploding in a surge of energy and before she knew it the figure behind her was gone. She took a deep breath of air and met Yu's proud gaze, giving her that last bit of courage she needed. "I'm...I'm ready to meet the others."

.......................................................................................................................................

Kanji was the first one up on the roof. He had spent a few seconds outside of the door pumping himself up. If he couldn't work up the courage to say his true feelings, he'd throw himself down these steps as a punishment! As soon as he opened the door to the roof, he noticed Yukiko standing right by the door tapping her foot and drumming her fingers along her belly. "Kanji!"

"Yes?"

"Could you get out of the way so that when Yu and Labrys come up, I can hug them as soon as they enter?"

Kanji put his hands in his pockets and walked off mumbling about how he didn't want a dumb hug anyway. "Hey you don't have to push me you know I would come forward anyway." Rise had started pushing Naoto to the front of the crowd.

"So..."

"So..."

The two awkwardly stared at each other before Kanji let out a scream. "Ah to hell with it! Naoto, I think you're the most amazing girl I ever met and I'm sorry for that stupid crap I pulled earlier!" He thought about begging but no, he didn't need to beg. Why would he? It didn't matter if she said no? He'd look her straight in the eye and ask her, and if she rejected him, would he cry? It was a possibility! Would he do it in front of everyone? Hell no! "I'd like to spend as much time with you as I can and I want to be romantically involved with you! If you don't want to could you at least forgive me cuz I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He stood there calmly waiting for her answer although his heart was pounding.

"Are you asking me out on a date? Yes or no?"

"Yes!"

Naoto gave off a smirk at that. "I accept your proposal, however if you ever play with my emotions like that again, I'll break this off immediately. Is that understood?" Kanji nodded dumbly. "Wait hold on, you're forgiving me that easily? A-and you said yes?" Naoto looked away with a bit of a blush. "There was visual and audio equipment throughout the whole school so...we all saw your whole conversation with Yu-senpai. *Um*...I don't think the gap between us is as big as you think, I had no idea you felt that way." Naoto rubbed her fingers together and gave an embarrassed smile. "And it was cathartic watching senpai fling you around the room. It dispersed any ill will I had towards you."

"Kanji, can I have a stuffed animal? I need one to hug after this beary traumatic adventure!"

"Yeah I better see those in your window every day from now on or else I'll tell on you to Mr. Amagi!" Kanji shook his head and smiled. Everyone had already seen something more embarrassing with his shadow. This was nothing. "You better count on it! I'm not backing down anymore! You're looking at a new Kanji!"

As if to prove his point he moved in to kiss Naoto right on the lips but her face instantly turning tomato red as well as his own made him reconsider. He tried to go in for a hug but they both went different ways and it just didn't feel right. Finally, Kanji held out his hand which Naoto gladly took. They gave each other a firm handshake and smiled. They had agreed to take it slow after all. A loud clacking of heels signaled the arrival of the second person who hadn't yet joined up with the group. Mitsuru Kirijo stepped through the door and those who hadn't seen her full frame had their jaws drop in awe. Both at her beauty, and her ridiculous costume. "Hmm, it seems the person of interest has not yet arrived." She turned to see the heavily pregnant Yukiko waiting patiently by the door. She strutted over, her heels helping her stand over even the relatively tall Yukiko. "You must be Mrs. Amagi." She stared for a good long while and eventually took in a deep breath. "Your husband did not exaggerate. You are quite breathtaking."

"Oh stop!" Yukiko made a mental note to give Yu an extra big kiss when he walked in. She noticed Mitsuru had a bit of a blush on her face, the usually unflappable woman seemed a bit bothered by something. "I-if it's not too much to ask, could I possibly...rub your belly?" It only took a moment for Yukiko to say yes. Akihiko's jaw hit the floor as he saw Mitsuru slowly reach out and pat the girl's swell. "Quite an impressive size! Oh I felt a kick! Why hello there little fellow it's very nice to meet you" Yukiko looked on fondly. "He's very friendly and just loves to meet new people. Just like his daddy. Would you like to rub it?"

"Oh no, that won't be necessary."

"...but could I?"

Aigis spoke up loudly. "I too would like to give my greetings to the little one." Yukiko shivered feeling the cold metal even through the jacket but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Two pairs of hands were rubbing away happily.

For some reason though, they just weren't doing it for her. It just wasn't the same, but it did serve as a nice whetting of her belly rub appetite for when Yu got back. A third pair of hands soon joined in, even her wide belly was starting to get a little crowded. "You're soooo much bigger than last time Yukiko senpai! Yu's certainly been keeping you two well fed!"

"W-well yes, I suppose so."

"Yes, your body mass index has reached the classification of 'overwei-'" Mitsuru elbowed her in the side before she could continue which made Aigis confused. She just wanted to congratulate the fattening calf on what a great job she was doing. But she, Mitsuru, and Rise all found themselves flung to the side with surprising strength once the door opened. "Hubby! Labrys!"

"*Hrk* good to see you too Yuki, you're really *urgh* squeezing me tight."

"How could I not? Oh I saw everything! You were so amazing," He found himself kissed so hard he was almost toppled over, but he held the both of them steady despite her increasing weight. One day when she did that, she'd knock him right to the floor if she kept growing the way she was. But by then she'd have plenty of padding so it might be okay. She put her lips right up to his ear. "I love you so much, and I'm so glad you're the father of this child. I have to go talk to Labrys now but I just wanted to tell you that I never doubted you for a second...and that marrying you was the best choice I ever made in my life. Okay? I'll be sure to give a proper thank you later." She returned onto her flat feet and waddled over to Labrys leaving Yu stunned. That's what she thought a quick thank you was? His heart had skipped several beats throughout that whole speech and he had wanted to just squeeze the air right out of her for saying that stuff to him. The shamed way Labrys looked to the side and the big smile on Yukiko's face created an amusing contrast.

"That hairband looks good on you," Yukiko began.

"O-oh this. You can have this back if you want." She moved to remove the headband but Yukiko just shook her head. "Keep it. I have more at home anyway and I think it would suit you if you ever decided to let your hair down." Yukiko had seen the whole thing on the security feed and one issue had been eating at her. "When your shadow said that you felt like no one could understand you, that really broke my heart. It made me imagine what kind of suffering you went through that made you feel that way and how I couldn't do anything to help you. But my husband made me remember that if I stand by your side and tell you that you have a pillar in me, that is in fact something I can do." The tears were brimming in Labrys' eyes again. Yukiko was the first one who had really made her felt like she wasn't a machine and that feeling was only being amplified now. "Y-you really forgive me? Just like that?"

"Labrys, there's nothing to forgive. Now come here so I can give you a big hug." Labrys happily complied and the two girls hugged it out right in the middle of the crowd. Enough that Aigis began to get a tad jealous. "Sister! It is so wonderful to finally meet you." Labrys reluctantly parted from Yukiko, not because she wanted to avoid Aigis, but because Yukiko and her baby were just so soft and warm.

"Hey *uh* sis. I'm sorry about the way I lashed out at you like that. That must have really hurt you." But Aigis just wrapped her arms around Labrys. "I do not care about that. Now we can be not only sisters, but friends. I have been very much looking forward to this for so long."

"You only found out yesterday..." but even Akihiko couldn't keep a warm smile off his face.

Now everyone's eyes were on her.

"H-hello everyone. My name is Labrys. I'm a combat android and I-"

"Woah an android and a Persona user? That's so cool!" Yosuke had been the first one to speak up and immediately most of Labrys' trepidation disappeared. "Y-you think I'm cool? And not weird o-or scary?"

"Pfft. You? Scary? Scarily cute is what you are! Besides, you're hardly the weirdest thing I've ever seen. This one over here, get this, is actually a shadow."

"It's true! I was just an ordinary shadow until sensei and the others made a beautiful boy pop right out." Yosuke mockingly rolled his eyes. "See what I mean? Total freak show. Yeah a shadow fighting android's not too out there honestly." To her left was Naoto tentatively approaching. "*Um* if the information isn't classified, I would quite like to get to know your specs. Robotics has always been a hobby of mine." Seeing Labrys' frightened expression she explained. "O-oh not to take you apart or anything, I just wanted to maybe take a peek under the hood if possible."

"No way. She'll be too busy going on tour with me. Anyone ever told you you are i-d-o-l material? Cuz you've got the stuff!"

"I can't believe this. I made so much trouble for you all and you're all treating me so nicely." Yosuke made a *pfft* sound. "Oh please, every one of us causes trouble for each other all the time. Ain't that right Kanji?"

"I said I was sorry already! God! What more do you want!"

Labrys began to feel less and less stiff as time went on. Yukiko leaned against Yu and watched. "Look at her, already making friends. I'm so proud." Mitsuru cleared her throat to regain everyone's attention. Labrys shrunk back while Mitsuru approached her. "So we finally meet. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, head of the Shadow Operatives and your sister's immediate superior." Labrys eyed her suspiciously but eventually gave a look of resignation. "You're here to lock me back up again aren't you? Well it's no surprise considering-"

"That is incorrect. I have no attention of sealing you away, in fact, if I had know you had a heart I would have released you immediately." She gave a slight bow of apology. "Please forgive me for the sins of my forebearers. In fact, not only am I not sealing you up? But I'd like to offer you a job. How would you like to come on as a test member for the Shadow Operatives? We would help stop and prevent future incidents such as this, should they ever occur."

Labrys looked like she could just explode in joy. "I'm not getting locked up? This is the happiest day of my lifuuuurrrrrr." Suddenly, all the color drained from her eyes and she slumped over. She stood back up but her eyes were still empty. "Hmmm. It seems you were able to handle my pawn better than expected. I must congratulate you for getting the better of me this time."

"This must be the creep who threw Labrys into the TV! Give her back you bastard!" A kick from Chie and a punch from Akihiko were easily blocked. "Careful. Wouldn't want to hurt your new friend. This is still her body. I just wanted to tell you that my plans are nowhere close to being over although this one has been a disaster."

"He's using the same communication software the Kirijo group uses!"

"Yes. You may have this pawn, I only needed her to run amok for this little experiment as I cannot enter the TV on account of not having a Persona. Now, you lot will entertain-"

A loud sigh brought the possessed Labrys' attention over to the expectant parents. It was Yu in particular. "Oh I'm sorry. Am I boring you?" Yu looked a bit embarrassed that his sigh had gotten picked up by the mastermind but he couldn't deny it. "A little bit, yeah," he said rubbing the back of his head. "Look...could you just tell us your evil plan so we can stop it and go home? It's been a really long day."

"Yu! You can't just interrupt the monologue like that! It builds dramatic tension."

"Sorry Chie. I'm just tired. And I don't have time to deal with nonsense anymore. I'm a family man you know." She could understand that, her dad always seemed pretty annoyed when she got too dramatic with the kung fu. But that might just be because she was so loud. The possessed Labrys slammed her "foot" on the ground. "It's not nonsense!" Yu made a wincing sound and spoke again. "This is just my opinion of course, but honestly you seem a little...childish I guess? I mean, calling people pawns? An evil plan? Don't you think that's kind of lame?" A slight snickering rose throughout the surrounding Persona users. For a mastermind, he was sure loosing his composure quite easily.

"Ah attempting to calm your allies through flustering your enemies. A basic trick but one that clearly my partner has never heard of."

The voice was similar to Yu's and yet different. Out of the darkness stepped a shadowy verion of himself with a cruel smirk. Labrys made a derisive "tch" sound. "I could have handled this," which made his partner scoff. Yu grimaced, this thing taking his face had seen right through him. He was just going to have Rise cut the connection as soon as the hacker spilled his plan but now he had a feeling things wouldn't be that simple. But he had to stay calm for everyone's sake. "I'm guessing you're the real mastermind behind all this. There's no way any human or shadow could have this much control over this world."

"We're partners actually," the possessed Labrys mumbled making the Entity sigh. "Yes as much as it pains me to admit, that is the case. But make no mistake, it is only a temporary arrangement until I find the one true vessel." The Entity and the Possessed Labrys glanced at each other and although Labrys' vacant expression was incapable of emoting, it was obvious that the two held each other in equal contempt. Unfortunately, it seemed as though their dislike for each other paled in comparison to their hatred of everyone else there. "One true vessel?" Mitsuru asked aloud.

"Yes, but that was only part of my plan. I also wished to see if it was possible to turn Persona back into shadows but it seems this group is too closely knit for that. I should have tried the more unstable lot," he said fixing the SEES crew with his gaze. "But no matter, I can still gain at least a modicum of entertainment from this." As he turned towards the possessed Labrys and grinned, Yu instantly knew what he meant. "Rise! Cut the connection now!" The idol nodded but quickly found the task to be impossible. "It's no use. I'm getting an extreme interference from that shadow. It's way more than I can handle!" The Entity cackled. "You'll find I'm far more than any of you can handle. So now you have to make a choice," he snapped his fingers and Labrys stepped forward. "Either destroy your friend, or die here."

Kagutsuchi barely managed to dodge out of the way of Yu's sword. "You forgot there's a third option. We beat you and then free Labrys from your control." To his surprise, the Entity went into another round of laughter. "Fool, this is only a temporary form. I can block your little friend and fight you at the same time. That's why I choose your form you know, for the power it possesses. How ironic that the power you used to protect your friends will now be their downfall, come Izanagi!" Yu smirked to himself as he noticed the possessed Labrys turning to face him. Now all the focus was on him and everyone else was safe. "You even copied the wild card?" The slightly nervous expression on the Entity's face was Yu's answer. "I thought not, come Yoshitsune!"

Kagutsuch soon found himself completely overwhelmed. If only he had his realy body he'd grind this boy into dust but as it was he just couldn't keep pace. Just as Yu was about to deal the finishing blow, Labrys jumped in the way. The second of hesitation was all Sho needed to drive the robot's fist into the boy's stomach. He was pushing Labrys to the absolute limits of her parameters, her speed and power were far beyond what they'd been as Kanji. Yu shakily rose to his feet and faced his opponents. Labrys had withdrawn her axe and the Entity was brandising his blade. The next strike would be fatal. "You say there's a third option but that also means there's a fourth option too. You don't save the robot and you don't make it out of here alive." Sho was taking immense satisfaction in this. Who's the lame one now? Yu was finally looking at both of them as a serious threat instead of just Kagutsuchi. Yu couldn't hide the worry on his face. He couldn't fight both Labrys and himself simultaneously. "Bonds make you weak. And that's why you can't win."

The second after Sho said that, Yu felt all the damage being instantly repaired and the strength flowing back into his body. Then, the sound of someone landing next to him. "Is that what you think? For someone who hates bonds you sure were quick to gang up on my partner here. Well let's see how you feel when it's eight on two." A fireball whizzed past Kagutsuchi's that he managed to dodge only to be caught by a hail of bullets and a folding chair, knocking him flat. "I could use a little help here," he barked at his partner. Labyrs reluctantly moved to assist only to have a wall of ice block her path. "Everyone, I have a plan but I'll need you to occupy their attention for at least two minutes. Do you think you can buy me the time I need?"

Yu saw Yosuke and Teddie on his left then turned to see Chie, Kanji, and Naoto on his right. Behind him Yukiko was all puffed up in determination and even Rise had recovered to keep Yuki topped off on spirit.

"Understood Mitsuru-san."

"Hey don't forget about us." Aigis and Akihiko each jumped over his head down in front of him. "We'll handle Labrys. You just worry about that monster." Yu merely gave him a nod of understanding. The two Shadow Operatives had chosen the more difficult task of subduing their opponent without harming them but they knew what they were doing and judging by the starry eyed expression Chie held, she did too.

Kagutsuchi never stood a chance. Any damage he dished out was immediately nullified and then returned. It was almost like a game of pinball the way they batted him around. In fact, it was almost like fighting him became an after thought. "You know senpai, that was pretty brave jumping in by yourself like that."

"Not at all, because I knew you guys had my back and would jump in the second it became too much for me. It's why I can do a lot of the things I do."

"You truly give us too much credit senpai...but thank you."

"Hey, Yu pass him over here! I want to try out this new kick!"

Akihiko and Aigis were having a bit harder of a time. It was clear the hacker had no concern for Labrys' well being causing smoke to billow out of her body from the sheer speed and power he was pushing on her. Not to mention that huge battle axe. "You can't just keep dodging forever, this unit is about to overheat and you know what that means don't you, you glorified toaster?" Aigis grimaced, they had thought dodging and weaving would be enough but it seems this sidekick was smarter than they gave him credit for. "Aigis, I have an idea. It's time for 'the lockdown'." Instantly, Aigis' eyes widened in joy. Yes that would certainly work.

The two charged forward together only for Akihiko to jump over her head. "Oh no you don't!" Sho controlled Labrys to raise her axe only for Aigis to take the opportunity to hold it in place. She could feel her joints bending and creaking as Labrys pressed down but it didn't matter as Akihiko quickly relieved her burden with a full nelson hold. "Do you really think you can hold me for long?"

"Don't have to."

And with that, Labrys slowly slumped forward. "Excellent timing Fuuka as always," Mitsuru exclaimed. Everyone felt the picture of a pretty green haired girl appear in their minds, even more clearly than when Rise did the same. "Is everyone okay? Labrys should be fine but she won't be able to move for awhile." Kagutsuchi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Impossible! She broke my protection from outside the TV world!" He tried to puppeteer Labrys himself only to have his attempt blocked. "I'm sorry but I just can't let that happen. It would be wise for you to give up." Kagutsuch grumbled to himself. No harm done to this puppet body would affect him but it still hurt. "Well no matter. This was only ever for my own entertainment anyway. Next time won't go so well for you." And he left just as quickly as he had appeared.

Sho slammed his fist on the table. "I'm not lame dammit! Next time I see him I'm going to carve him up with my two katanas and-" Suddenly he slumped down as if he had come to a realization. "I have some thinking to do."

"You better because this whole operation has been a disaster. We should have gone with Plan B from the beginning." Kagutsuchi just wanted to go lie down honestly but Sho had other plans. "Hey, why did you make the preggo girl lactate? You know in the illusion? Was that really necessary?" If a god could blush, he would have. "O-of course it was necessary! It was to make the illusion more convincing so they would fight! And it worked didn't it!"

"Yeah but it probably would have worked just fine without it. A liiiittle suspicious is all. Hey it's cool with me, just leave a sign if you're-" Kagutsuchi left the room which just made Sho laugh harder. "I'm going to 'milk' this for all its worth! Ahahaha yes!"

.......................................................................................................................................

"This is now under Kirijo jurisdiction. We ask that you please not get involved any further." Immediately, a wave of protests went up until Mitsuru held up a hand. "I understand your concern, but even still I highly doubt that man who just spoke was alone. He had accomplices who managed to hijack a plane, please don't endanger yourselves any further with this." More protests but this time it was Yu who held up a hand. "She's right. Let's not involve ourselves any further in their investigation." Mitsuru gave him a firm nod, she knew he at least would understand.

"Yeah c'mon guys. Let's go home it's been one very long day! Time to hit the hay!" Yu had to rub his face. Subtle Yosuke. But Mitsuru didn't seem to catch on to his odd behavior. Everyone was exhausted and went their separate ways although they couldn't hide their disappointment. Everyone seemed disappointed except for Yukiko and Yosuke. When everyone had separated, Yukiko whispered to him conspiratorially. "So, we're not going to leave this lying down right?"

Yu scoffed. "Are you kidding? He put everyone here in danger including Labrys. We'll discuss it with everyone tomorrow but rest assured I have no intention of dropping this."

"You're so perfect," Yukiko purred. She had already made up her mind on what she would do tonight earlier, but this only made it so she could hardly wait. Her belly began to rumble suddenly and Yu gave it a teasing tickle. "Hungry? You still haven't eaten your burger you know. It's still good because of the hot pad."

"Oooh I can't wait to try it, you've made it sound really tasty." Her belly rumbled again and Yu smirked. "Oh yeah, it's delicious. You can just taste the smokiness of the meat, and the cheese has a good age too it. It's the crispy kind you like as well" Yukiko had begun to squirm around and rub her tummy as her belly cried out for that burger. "Of course, it's getting late so you'll need a proper dinner first. Maybe a nice juicy rack of ribs for what a good job you did today." Yukiko let out a whine and slapped his arm. "Stoooop itttt. You're taunting the baby and he's making his mama want to eat a horse!" She began to whisper to her belly in an attempt to soothe the roaring hunger inside. "Shhh shh it's okay. Mama will get you nice and fed, don't worry. Just wait a little longer." Yu chuckled, she could be talking to the baby or her building excess fat stores. Probably both.

.......................................................................................................................................

"Yukiko! What on earth happened to your uniform!"

"I've sort of outgrown it mother. I've already ordered another size up. Please stop poking my hip." Yukina pulled her hand back when she realized she had in fact been poking at her daughter's squishy love handle. "Right. I hope you didn't walk around with your belly exposed all day!"

"No mother, Yu was here right by my side. He gave me his jacket." Yukina smirked at Yu. "Today must have been quite an enjoyable little outing for you. Well, I did promise you the week off so I won't bother you about it, but...just be more mindful of your size from now on. It'll only get worse as the months go on."

"That's the understatement of the year," all three thought at once all holding different views on the matter.

Yu began to regret taunting Yukiko as she rocked back and forth on her feet waiting for the food. Ribs took quite a while to make and eventually Yu felt a squishy orb press right against his back. He could feel the rumbles throughout his body. "Yuuuu your child is begging you for food. Can we just go upstairs and eat the burger?"

Yu wanted to ask why they needed to go upstairs but the puppy dog eyes won him over with no explanation needed. "All right. These are going to be another two hours anyway." Slowly they returned to their room, as soon as they entered Yukiko began to disrobe. Her belly hung out on display but she didn't stop there. She wiggled her birthing hips enticingly out of the skirt she was wearing giving Yu a prime view of her tear. Yukiko plopped onto the end of their marriage bed and the way her body jiggled from the slightest impact made Yu stiffen right there.

She tried to remove her panties and leggings in one swift motion but it ended up involving a lot of flailing of her legs with squeaks of exertion following every little kick when they got caught on her upper thighs. Yu tried to help but she batted him away. She hadn't yet taken her top off though. "Oh, I just can't do the rest until I've eaten. Yu could you please let me taste your wonderful cooking?"

Holding the thick burger in her hands, she realized just how thick the patty was. She hadn't noticed it until it was right in front of her face. It was warm to the touch and smelled positively captivating. Yu was looking at her expectantly awaiting her feedback. She took her first bite.

"Mmph. Oh mwah gwoomess." Cheese coming from inside the patty was the last thing she had expected. She swallowed and looked on in astonishment. "You can put cheese INSIDE the burger!?" Yu nodded. "Yes. There's bacon inside of it too." Yukiko swirled her tongue around and did indeed taste it. She immediately took two more bites, as big as they were, she wasn't even a third of the way done. She hastily remembered to unbutton her red sweater and cast it to the side, her enticing plump milkers now clearly visible. Her little strip tease had been ruined by her appetite but that didn't mean she couldn't salvage it. Eventually after at least fifteen minutes and two more articles of clothing strewn to the floor, she finished.

Her heavy pudding filled breasts rested comfortably on her tummy, not because they sagged but because her fertility just swelled in all directions. No one was around so that meant she could-

"URRRRRP *Ah*" She brought her two hands down on her well fed gut with a clap. "Oh Yu, if I married you *BURP* just for your cooking, I don't think anyone could b-*burp*-lame me." Yu couldn't believe his ears, she had burped before but never full force like that. She smiled at him lazily and swirled her hands around her belly reminding him of a very very sexy buddha. "I think my man deserves to know just how satisfied he keeps his wife. Because you keep me very very satisfied." Her voice got breathier and breathier as she continued. She bit her lip starring at him. "You said this burger reminded you of me. Why do you say that?" Her eyes were brimming with anticipation just knowing he'd say something that would push her over the edge.

Yu blushed a bit. It was kind of dorky. "It's amazing at first glance, but when you look inside you see it's holding something even more wonderful." Yukiko leaned her head back and let out a moan and a long sigh. "Ooooh Yu! Please never stop...never stop being yourself! I fall more in love with you by the day."

"It's the same for me. Everyday I'm amazed at how lucky I am." Yukiko gained a glint in her eye. "You've made the baby satisfied to? Want to listen?" Yu approached tentatively and placed both hands on the surface of her belly along with his ear. He could hear the baby's heartbeat happily thumping along as usual. It was a gentle thumping, not marred by the slightest stress or anxiety and it was matched perfectly by his wife's. "Yu, make love to me. I want you to feel as loved as you make me feel." Yu raised an eyebrow but began to remove his clothing. "We'd be going past our limit if we did this. Are you sure?" Yukiko gained a sultry smirk and beckoned him closer pulling his forehead down to hers.

"All this time, you've been telling me to trust my instincts. Over and over and for some reason I didn't listen. But my instincts helped save an innocent girl's life and keep my best friend and my darling baby boy nice and safe." Yukiko leaned back and spread her plump thighs as far as they would go leaving her womanhood on full display. "And right now, my instincts are tell me to spread my legs and take you inside of me. Because you're the love of my life, and I'm so happy you're the father of my child. Just the way you help everyone and how brave and strong you are, you're still like a radiant sun to me!" She traced a finger above her navel roughly approximating where the baby was located. "Yu, I will never get tired of you, no matter what. And I want to make my love known to you in every way possible." She let out a shudder as Yu inserted himself into her. He knelt before Yukiko at the foot of the bed and placed himself right between her spread legs. She had grown far too full and womanly for missionary but it was almost like her bed had been designed with that in mind. This position was just perfect.

"Me? W-what about you? You saved Labrys, not me. Y-you *unf* made her feel comforted and happy. Juuust *aah* like a mother should. How could she n-not? God, just look *guh* at you!" Her body bounced with every thrust, one advantage of her getting nice padding was he could go as hard as he wanted and not worry at all. She was even protecting the baby from the strength of his own parent's love. He would have laughed if he wasn't nearly out of his mind with arousal. "The perfect woman! No, the you're m-more *hah* than just a woman, you're the perfect mother!"

"S-sorry it took so long for me to knock you up. Haha what w-was I *hoo* thinking. I s-should have known from the b-beginning you were meant for *muh*-motherhood!" Things got more fevered and heated until an explosion of their feelings finished them both off. "I love you," they both said at once.

Filled with love in every sense of the word, Yukiko could only lie back in complete contentment with her cute feet dangling off the edge of the bed and Yu's seed dribbling out of her. This is what she got for trusting her instincts. Utter perfection.

"Oh I almost can't stand all this waiting, I just want to get started already and start raising our son."

"You've already started and you're doing a fantastic job Yukiko." She giggled. "Thanks but I meant raising him in this world, with all its people. I-I want to start teaching him and watching him learn and grow. It's frustrating only being able to see his progress every four weeks! Yu we'll get to watch every milestone when he's born! His first steps, oh...when he calls me mama for the first time" her eyes were getting misty just thinking about it. She had always craved it, but today had brought it to the forefront of her mind.

Yu crawled up next to her and got into a spooning position. "Right now is the time to think about what and how we're going to teach him. To make sure we get it right. The wait is so we can be absolutely ready, so don't think of it as a wait, think of it as time to prepare. I know I'm a lot better equipped than I was even three months ago. And...it makes when he's finally ready to come out all the better."

Yukiko looked over her shoulder. "Yeah. You're right!" Her mommy voice returned and she whispered into her bare naked belly. "Don't let mommy selfishly rush you. Take all the time you need. Just as long as you're healthy and happy."

.......................................................................................................................................

That thought crawled back into her head the next day when her and Yu were awoken the next morning by a phone call telling them to meet at the bus station. A ridiculous limo stretched as far as the eye could see drawing the attention of numerous passerby. It was to see off Labrys. "I wanted to say goodbye to the two people who changed my life before I left. I decided to join the Shadow Operatives so maybe I could do the same for someone in the future you know?"

"I'm going to miss you Labrys. Don't forget about your promise or I'll hunt you down myself." Yukiko's smile didn't reach her eyes as she said that letting Labrys know she'd waddle all the way to Iwatodai if she had to. Yukiko had decided not to tempt fate again and was dressed in a much more flattering white and blue maternity dress that flowed around her curves. Accentuating their fullness without making them appear too obvious, like a proper mother getting ready to nurse.

"Thank you for all your help with my sister daddy-o." The surrounding group looked at Aigis strangely. "It is a term of endearment for father figures," she explained but that didn't stop the looks. "I'm going to miss you master! I'll train hard every day until you come back!"

"You sure you don't want to come with? You'll get better training fighting by my side." Chie shook her head. "Thanks but I have to protect this town. There's too many important things here to leave to someone else." Akihiko shook his head and chuckled. "Well this town better be crime free when I get back or else it's 2000 push-ups! Understood!"

"Yes master!"

Yu stepped forward to Labyrs and held out a hand. She made to shake it but he lifted it up. "A handshake is too formal I think, let's try this instead. Clap your palm against my hand lightly. There you go! That's called a high five." Labrys rolled her eyes. "That's stupid, I prefer this way instead." She pulled the two young parents into a tight hug. "Enjoy the rest of your lives together and make that baby as happy as you made me. Though I don't think I have to tell you goofballs that. I'll visit whenever I can!" And with that, the limo was off.

"So you see, I said we wouldn't get involved with their investigation, but that doesn't mean we can't have one of our own." Naoto scoffed. "I didn't expect such weasel logic from you senpai, but I can't see it's altogether unwelcome. I wouldn't feel right sitting idly by."

Yu had called a meeting to the Junes food court to allegedly hang out like they didn't get to yesterday, but it was really to explain the situation to the team. "That's my partner! See I knew all along I could trust you, but these guys wouldn't believe me."

"Only because he winked at you! Don't act so smug." Yu broke up the bickering by placing his hand in the middle of the group. One by one they all placed their hands on top of each other's. "The investigation team..."

"Is back in action!"

"Is back in action!!!!"

Eventually, they all split up to do some shopping. "Do you think Labrys would like a scrunchie? I want to surprise her when she gets back with brand new clothes. Chie?" Chie was just smiling dreamily at her friend. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about how much I love this new you. Just how good of a place you're in now. It makes me happy." Chie found herself be pulled into a hug once again slowly losing her dislike of them bit by bit. "You too Chie. And you found a boyfriend of your own. Oh I can't wait to help you through your pregnancy!"

Chie immediately broke away and started denying having any romantic feelings as Yukiko giggled at how flustered her friend got. She would enjoy the next few days with her friends and then on Sunday evening they'd have a nice dinner with the Dojima's. It would be nice to see them again after so long.

"Hey partner...I just wanted to say thanks."

"Hmm what for?" Yosuke rubbed the back of his head. "Well you really helped me finalize my decision. When you won the tournament and stepped out of the spotlight just to squeeze your wife to death, just the way you do things without expecting praise the way you don't let other people bother you. it really helps me clear my head. So thanks."

"I didn't do anything, it was all you."

"Ugh, I'm so sick of hearing that line. God your son is going to think you're such a dork. And I'll get to be the cool uncle!"

"How about godfather? Yosuke? Hey Yosuke why are you crying?"