When Kato raced past, Sachiko's expression went from an instant smile to a baffled gasp in a matter of seconds. [b]"Hey!"[/b] She called out after him, even if it was an ineffectual gesture. What was it with today and running? People running from her, her running while dragging Kami around, Kami running while dragging her and Kato....so much coincidence in such a short span of time. This day had long since worn out it's welcome. Sachiko would be right glad when all this nonsense was over. But there was no guarantee it would end. Maybe they were stuck in this bizarre world. No questions could be answered standing around, as it seemed Kami understood. Taking the lead again, he told them all to carry on after Kato, and Sachiko could do nothing less than agree. They at least needed to know he was alright, and perhaps he was going to lead them to one of those weird people they had all encountered. Sachiko followed along with everyone else.

For all her musings on what was going on here, she sure never would've guessed that they would come face to face with....themselves? A copy of each person present, standing in a group, much like their own. But all of them looked just different enough that anyone could tell their was something wrong about them. Then, Rui's doppleganger stepped forward and made some claim about them all being "shadows". The shadows approached the group, each one advancing on their respective original. Sachiko's shadow could only be described as....hateful. It seemed to exude a natural air of hostility, and was glaring at Sachiko quite intensely. 

[b]"You're supposed to be me?"[/b] Sachiko asked, quite incredulously. She might resemble her, but the ever present hate on her face was most unfamiliar.

[b]"You're damn fucking right I am."[/b] It seemed to be even angrier for what Sachiko had said. [b]"Oh, you tried so hard to forget yourself. Thought you could lock it all away in a book and smile. What a joke! A desperate little girl that wanted people to like her, so she started acting all happy in hopes they would start giving a shit. You appealed to those apes because you couldn't stand the thought of being a recluse with a handful of idiots to call friends. But you used to be better than them....WE used to be better than them! All those feckless milquetoasts should be licking our boots, not the other way around!"[/b]

Sachiko had yet to say a word. Right now, she had her eyes downcast, at her feet. The shadow laughed hideously. [b]"Aww, what's the matter? Come on, think positive! Don't let the world get you down! Just smile, and everything will be okay! Or do you finally realise how much you HATE that garbage!?"[/b]

[b]"...you're right."[/b]

That statement produced a moment of silence between the two. Perhaps even the shadow did not quite expect to hear that. Sachiko began to explain herself.

[b]"When my mum told me I should just smile, I took it to heart. A little too much, I guess. I thought that, perhaps people were only interested in someone that acted happy. They didn't want to hear the complaints of a sad little girl. They wanted me to "just smile". So I did. At first, I hated it. I hated myself for doing it, and I hated the people that bought into it so easily. But the more I did it, the easier it became to forget I ever thought differently. The real me was always in there, somewhere, wishing it could change things, I guess..."[/b]

[b]"So you admit it then?[/b] The shadow asked, sounding triumphant. [b]"You realise how much we hate them? You'll let our anger flow freely?"[/b]

[b]"I admit that I need to let go of my silly ideas, yes..."[/b] She said. [b]"But perhaps more to the point...."[/b] She reached out and took her shadow by the hand, and drew it into a firm hug. [b]"We need to mature."[/b]

The shadow grinned while caught in Sachiko's embrace. [b]"Heh...very well."[/b] The shadow then began to change. It turned into a strange mass of blueish matter, and then seemed to lose it's original shape. Between Sachiko's now free hands, there was a card. Sachiko brought her palms together, splintering the card, and then seemingly summoning a strange new creature. Much like the shadow, it had the shape of a person, but it was coloured from head to toe in a multi-coloured pattern. 

[center]Thou art I...
And I art thou.

I am Dionysus, the liberator of mortal's own mental prisons.[/center]

Sachiko unconsciously thought of the word "Persona". Why? She had no idea. But it felt right. Exhausted, she found herself dropping to her knees. Perhaps she would just take a moment, before taking in what had happened with the rest....