Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 3 or anything related to the Megami Tensei Series.

Each thing belongs to its original creator, who is not me, unfortunately.

A/N: No reason for this Author's Note than to let you all know this is my first story in this universe, so I don't have a single clue if I'm doing things right or if I'm making a fool of myself. *coughs* Please, bear with me.

No Regrets

"Because we were all sure that following Junpei's plan would be the last thing we'd do in our lives."

Tatsumi Port Island…

Iwatodai Dorms…

November the 21st…

Saturday, 23:10…

The stillness of the night was reaching its peak with each passing second, getting closer and closer to the end that brings forth a new set of twenty-four hours for the world, for the people living in it.

With only adults and young adults walking the streets at this time of the day, it was not weird to find a group of teenagers inside closed doors, dilly-dallying with either school work or something from their hobbies to pass the minutes faster.

Seriously, with such boredom, it wasn't weird for them to sometimes wonder why a game room was not built in one of the dorm's many floors.

So that prompted the people inside, specifically the guys, and from them, Junpei Iori, to be creative in how to attack these tedious moments of theirs with rather terrible results. The incident back in Kyoto was living proof of this.

Taking seats by the rectangular table close to the kitchen in the main floor of the building, with one of them apart from the rest in one of the sofas close to the entrance, the male population of the Iwatodai's dorm was busy trying to pretend some kind of feeling of entertainment while they waited for the clock to mark midnight.

They knew pretty well that, for days like this one, their last hope to the kill the boredom was the task they've taken upon themselves since the start of the school year.

But damn was the clock moving slow tonight.

One would ask oneself, why are they moping around like this instead of doing their usual activities?

Like training, playing games, watching Featherman R's many reruns, lounging around Paulownia Mall or the shrine up the street.

The answer was pretty simple.

Lack of will to actually do anything inside the normal routines they had.

Even people like them needed to get out of their zone of comfort every once in a while.

Give a spark of emotion to their lives.

"Hrmm…"

Sighing profusely after hearing the cap-wearing teen groan for the umpteenth time that hour, the silver-haired Captain of the school's Boxing Team, Akihiko Sanada, closed the magazine in his hands and laid it upon the table, calling the attention of his other male companions.

He gave Iori a tired look and shook his head at the pleading look in his eyes.

"Junpei," They knew what he wanted to do, but they all decided, except for the young man in question, that it was better to be alive another day than to risk it all in this endeavor of his. "Forget about it… remember the incident back in Kyoto."

"K-Kyoto…" At the mention of such terrible incident, which still gave him nightmares to this day, the member of the school's Kendo Club and the Field Leader of SEES's team inside Tartarus, Minato Arisato, could only cringe and sink in his seat. There were frostbites left unhealed in him and he was sure he didn't want to add any others before these were gone.

By the sofas, even Koromaru, the small Shiba Inu adopted by the group, made a sound of being afraid of what might happen to them. He knew the girls were sweet to him and had nothing but good things when it concerned him, but if he were to join the guys in this thing… let's just say that his animal instincts screamed at him to sit this one out.

"B-But c'mon, senpai! We've got nothing left to do!" The energetic and perverted member of the team stood up and left the manga he was reading over the table, clearly exasperated by how his fellow men cowered in fear at this chance they had. They were high-school students! They were supposed to do things like this! How can they say later that they enjoyed their youths to the fullest if they hide whenever a chance to prove themselves appears? "And if we don't do this, we will regret it for the rest of our lives!"

"If what Akihiko-san said about Kyoto is true, why do you want to try this again?" Ken Amada, the only kid in the whole building, questioned a bit curious. He was in the process of turning into a man so hearing of things like this might be good to his development, even though he had a perfect idea of what the taller youngster of the room wanted to do.

A groan, a sigh and a wolfish cry were heard because of his question and Junpei hastily jumped onto the table to extend his arms to the sides and begin with his explanation. "Why? I'll tell you why!"

"Here we go again." Akihiko muttered tiredly to himself, getting off his chair to go and serve himself something to drink while he waited for the whole charade to be over. He looked over his shoulder to the blue-haired teen and brought up a question. "Hey, you want something?"

"…I'll burn my dread~!" The answer came from the teen's headphones instead of his mouth.

"Whatever you say." Noticing that the leader was smarter and used his headphones to shut all noises from outside, the silver-haired teen shrugged and returned his attention to the fridge. For how he got to know the hyperactive second-year student, poor Ken was in for a long, boring talk about manhood and the do's and don'ts of teenage guys. "Didn't I leave a protein bar around here?"

10 minutes later…

"And so! It is with these solemn words that I tell you all – no! I implore you all to join my cause and raid the second floor belonging to the girls! Together, I'm sure we'll be victorious!" Junpei finalized with a very dramatic bow before his companions, who were now all seated around the rectangular table with different expressions on their faces.

A small droplet of sweat fell slowly from his brow as he waited for their answers.

Minato let go of the music once he realized that Junpei's yelling voice together with the song he was listening to were making a bad remix of his favorite hit, so he was forced to pay attention in the end.

Akihiko returned from the fridge with his precious protein bar and returned to the reading of his sports magazine. He still listened, not with the attention the cap-wearing teen wanted him to, but he did, unfortunately.

Koromaru got tired of listening and left the building, probably heading to the shrine where he used to pass his days before joining the gang.

And Ken… the kid had the lecture of his life, one that he hoped never to live through again.

Ever again.

"S-so… what do you guys say?" The preacher asked, slightly unnerved by the silence in the room.

"Junpei…" First one to talk was their fearless leader, who was now experiencing fear unlike any he had experienced in Tartarus during the Dark Hour. Whoever said memories are not something to be afraid of, that person never met this set of girls with whom they were living. Or was frozen in place, quite literally, for pushing things too far. "Your speech is good and all, but do we need to be more clear about who we're dealing with here?"

"N-no… but-!"

"This is no run by the park, Junpei." Second was their Boxing champ, with crossed arms and frowning features. "If we get caught again, there's a pretty good chance we'll end in the hospital for weeks."

"If you guys could let me talk, I'd-!"

Ken, now recovered from the speech, looked at the calendar by the wall and brought up something important. "Uh… didn't Mitsuru-san say that there were no-"

"Shut up and let me say what I wanna say, dammit!" Junpei roared loudly, tired of all the interruptions. He glared half-heartedly at the assembly of guys and waited a minute for them to try and say something else. Of course, none of them wanted to say something, and the young kid in the room was terrified of opening his mouth after that outburst. "Good… now, I know you are right, totally right in fact! But I, for once, have a plan!"

Eyebrows rose at the mention of a plan.

Junpei Iori…

Had a plan?

Looks of disbelief and skepticism were exchanged before the attention returned to the preacher.

"Look… if you had listened to my speech just now, you'd have heard the part of learning from mistakes and all that jazz…" He made a pause, looked at them all in the eyes, and then continued. "What does that tell you?"

The guys traded blank looks among each other and then returned to the cap-wearing teen, with Minato opening his mouth to answer. "That you have a learning deficit?"

If it weren't because the table was expensive and there were more chances of him breaking his nose than splitting the furniture in two, Junpei would've smashed his face against the wooden surface. So he contained himself and limited his actions to sighing with a hand taking his cap off. "I'm not the brightest dude from the school, I know, very funny… but!"

"From the school alone?" Minato smirked in amusement together with the others, suddenly coming up with something to liven up the atmosphere.

"Okay, not the brightest from the city… as I was-"

"From the city alone?" Akihiko jabbed as the team leader, now letting out a small laugh.

"OKAY! From the whole country!"

"From the country-?" Minato was going to continue with the ridicule but, after seeing the guy sighing tiredly at their interruptions, he shook his head and saved it for later. "Okay, sorry, go on."

"Thanks, man… really." Coughing on his fist to regain his previous passion, Junpei looked up with a flame in his eyes and raised a fist before the group. "Listen to me, brothers! I know the last time was a complete failure that none of us wants to ever remember!"

'You can say that again.' A collective thought instead of another interruption sounded better at the moment.

"But! And I put all of my heart when saying this…!"

His ashen eyes met the curious ones of his peers with a sentiment that somehow managed to reach them.

"This plan will work, guys!"

A moment of silence for the soon to be departed.

The guys looked at each with different expressions on their faces; whereas Minato looked as emotionless as always, Ken had doubt written all over and Akihiko, by the slight trembling of his joined hands, was probably in reminiscence of why they shouldn't bother the girls, especially when Mitsuru is around.

'This is gonna end badly.' Thought the senior without hesitation.

'I'm too young for this… what do I gain in joining them?' The young brunet had some reason.

'…whatever the outcome, it's worth a shot.' Sighing profusely, surely because he knew that the last and more important vote was his, Minato closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing forehead. 'We're so done for if they catch us… especially since this'll be the second time.'

His eyelids moving up, grey met brown and silver. 'But… what if we pull it off?'

'…oh, no… don't tell me you'll agree!?'

'Minato-senpai…!?'

Noticing the distressed looks of his partners, the Field Leader of SEES had nothing better to do than give a sheepish, almost calculative smile, which somehow managed to put them a little at ease. He knew what their worries were and, remembering how the Kyoto incident went, he also knew how to make it work this time.

Hey, it was all for the sake of the memories.

It's not like he wanted to have something other than just a recording from the dorm's bewitching senpai as a memory of his high-school years.

Dammit, he still wondered what was hidden beneath the towel back at that time.

"Okay, Junpei, we're in." Minato made sure to stop the cheering cap-wearing teen with a fixing glare, one that spoke of total control over the situation and whichever other thing it may happen afterwards. Something that made Akihiko and Ken sigh in relief; who knows how things would go if they were to strike with just Junpei's plan on their sleeves? "But… I'll be making a few changes to your plan. Understood?"

"…sure, dude, no problem with that." Seeing as that was the only condition asked of him, and that he truly wanted to have some payback for what happened in Kyoto, Junpei nodded wholeheartedly. A mischievous grin forming on his lips as he huddled closer to the others to conjure the happenings of the next hour or so. "I'm all ears!"

Only a few minutes of planning was all Minato needed.

With Junpei's plan being almost complete, and only requiring a few adjustments here and there.

It wasn't long before the guys moved out.

Setting their plan into motion.

Third Floor…

First room to the left…

Saturday, 23:36…

The tranquility of the night was something that could be call weird the people of the dorm, with them venturing into the darkest of the night to slay monsters not even seen in nightmares, a quiet night with nothing to do but relax sure was hard to find. And not only due to those dangers they have to face at night but from the responsibilities they have to respond to during the day.

School is important, kids, be sure not to drop it.

Not even if you have to save the world from dangers no one knows about.

Back on track, the night was special for the residents of the dorm because, not only the raiding of the twisted tower of Tartarus was stopped for today, all school assignments and activities were completed. Not even one survived the hands of these laborious heroes.

And that left them with a full weekend to themselves.

Well, the girls were good at dealing with the boredom, easily coming up with hundreds upon hundreds of solutions to be rid of any kind of ill feeling, unlike the boys who could only count how many dots the walls of the building had.

But tonight both sides coincided in one thing.

Unite to end the boredom.

"Does anyone else want some tea?" A blond maiden of light blue eyes, composed of many mechanical parts underneath her nightgown, asked to her fellow roommates. She was standing to attention to any kind of request since she had yet to discover what a sleepover truly was and how one were to behave in such thing. This was a good chance as any to get some firsthand experience.

"No, Aigis… thank you." Fuuka Yamagishi, the shortest girl in the room, whose hair was of a pale green as well as her eyes, responded kindly. She was more into the idea of the robotic girl of the bunch to leave the duties of host for another time and instead to join them in relaxing after the long week they had. It was no easy feat to get this free weekend to themselves, well, perhaps not so difficult for either Minato or Mitsuru who both had outstanding grades in their tests, but then, the others… "Please, sit down and join us… I'm sure you can learn more by talking with us instead of just listening."

Aigis looked at the other girls in the room and, seeing their nods of approval, conceded. She took the spot next to the soft spoken girl who asked her to join and waited for the conversation to continue. "I am listening."

"Good," Mitsuru Kirijo, who was heir and current leader of the Kirijo Group after some… rather unfortunate happenings, moved some strands of her crimson hair behind her ear and regarded the mechanical girl with a soft smile. She as well wanted for the blond to be less like a machine designed to fight shadows and more like a normal girl. "Do not take it upon yourself to do everything during this gathering, that is not the reason why are all here."

"But then, I don't understand why Yukari-san is keeping watch." Said girl jumped a little at being mentioned, most importantly, the mention of what she was doing, and in such a blunt manner. "Didn't we agree with the rest of the team that we are to be left alone for tonight?"

"Haha, that's funny, Aigis." Yukari Takeba, the school's idol and member of the Archery Club, responded with a rather sarcastic laugh, knowing better than the girl who was still adapting to living a normal life. In fact, she could as well use this chance to teach her something very important. "Listen, when it comes to boys and girls in the same building, anything can happen."

"…elaborate, please." Aigis requested with interest, noticing how both Mitsuru and Fuuka indulged themselves with their cups of tea while they left the auburn-haired girl do all the explanations.

"For now, how do I put it? We'll keep it to the current situation, okay?" Seeing the blond girl nod to her question, Yukari left her watch on the door and cleared her throat with a soft cough on her fist. She steeled her gaze and pointed to the floor, more specifically to the lower levels of the building. "Tell me, what do you think the guys are doing now?"

Blinking a couple of times while processing an answer that could satisfy Yukari, Aigis only had answer in mind, the most innocent one. "They are enjoying their time together as we are."

To the answer, Mitsuru let out a small smile of amusement while Fuuka chuckled at the innocence of it.

Meanwhile, Yukari shook her head in disapproval and tried again, only that, knowing from previous experience that if she continued to push for an answer from the mechanical girl, she would be talking about the same thing the whole night. "No, they aren't… don't you remember the incident back in Kyoto?"

"I was told it was a mistake; the boys confused the schedules and entered the hot springs when it was the girls' turn." Another innocent answer met with the same reactions and Aigis was now confused.

"No, you see, that's what they wanted you to believe." The Archer explained with her tone punctuating the parts that her friend had to take notice of. "You know how Junpei is, don't you?"

At the mention of the guy, a frown appeared on Aigis's features. He was a bad influence for Minato in whichever thing he did, together with that other boy, Ryoji Mochizuki. "Yes, I do."

"Well, he was there… what does that tell you?"

"That it was all a plan to involve Minato-san and Akihiko-san into activities they wouldn't join otherwise." The answer came out perfectly and with not a single tint of doubt. Thing that almost made the girls doubt about the punishment they delivered to the other two.

That is, almost.

Instead of starting a discussion on why they deserved it too, Yukari pressed forward and finished it all with one thing that the blond could not retort to. Logic. "True, but then, they were there too, which means they had as much fault as Junpei."

Aigis blinked again and nodded; if being present alone merited them punishment despite not been willing members of such plan, then it was understandable. "I see."

"And currently, Junpei-kun is alone with them again." Fuuka added from her spot by the couch, her eyes narrowing when noticing something strange in the environment.

Things were lively downstairs a few minutes ago.

Why was it all quiet now?

"Oh God…" Yukari sighed at what she knew that was going to happen.

They couldn't be so stupid to try it again, could they?

"I trust Arisato and Akihiko to not attempt something like what happened back in Kyoto again," Even Mitsuru had a bad feeling from all the silence in the air. She left the cup of tea on the small table in the middle of the room and stood up, crossing her arms in thinking. "But Iori can be persuasive when he wishes to be."

"What about Amada-san?" Aigis asked with her never ending curiosity, receiving sighs of regret from the girls as an answer.

"Amada is still a kid," The crimson-haired heiress sighed profusely at the question. If one thing she wished for that young boy was for him to grow into a proper man. It seemed like that was going to be a bit difficult while living under the same roof as someone like Junpei. "I would not be surprised to see him joining their ranks."

"Then we can spare him from punishment even if he's with them, right?" Fuuka asked cautiously, knowing fully well that the call on who would get executed and who would not, was not in her to make but in the other two girls. She looked at the two with her best pleading eyes and attempted to at least spare one soul from the bloodbath that was about to occur. "R-right? I mean! H-he's still a kid, right?"

Yukari looked at Mitsuru.

Mitsuru looked back.

Both nodded in unison and went to prepare themselves.

"We'll see."

To all of this, Aigis continued to try and understand what was going on.

Or was going to happen in the following hour.

Fourth Floor…

Communications Room…

Saturday, 23:43…

Groaning tiredly for the fourteenth time in the last twenty minutes, Minato checked the cameras again with dull eyes and tapped one of the many buttons of the console inside the communications room, first meeting the sound of static before a voice whispered a response. "Akihiko-senpai? Everything alright?"

"A chill went down my spine a minute ago… something bad's gonna happen."

Well, it was comforting to know he wasn't alone in that. "Just… bear with this a little longer, senpai."

"I just know something's going to happen… we're talking of peeping on the girls here."

"Yeah… I get you." Thinking of it slowly, now that he didn't have Junpei screaming at him to forget about the doubts and just do it, Minato was able to notice the many flaws in their plan. First, Mitsuru and Fuuka, those two were good at noticing presences what with their Personas being able to do just that. Second, Aigis, she was half-machine, which meant she didn't even need her Persona to detect their approach. And third, Yukari, she didn't need to have Persona abilities or fancy technology to notice when something's wrong. Hell, he was even willing to bet she was standing guard close to Mitsuru's door.

"Hey… and how are the others?"

"Let me see." Tapping some other buttons on the console and moving a camera or two, the blue-haired leader was able to spot the rest of the team, standing ready and prepared for whenever he were to give them the signal. According to Junpei's plan: Minato was to monitor everything from the Command Room, Akihiko was to secure the main route of escape, namely the stairs, Ken was to secure the secondary route, namely the fire staircase at the back of the building. And Junpei himself would be the one to try and peep on the girls, camera in hand to take some souvenirs. "They're where they're supposed to be."

"Good… now… do we strike?"

"Yeah, you can sta- wait." The sight of some static from one of the cameras outside, namely where Ken was, made Minato stop the command to start their assault. He quirked an eyebrow at the strange working of the electronic device and tapped the button that would connect him to the boy. They couldn't start with this whole thing if one of their ends was failing. "Ken? What's-?"

"R-run, Minato-san! Run now!"

Eyes widened at the sound of that pained scream. The youngest of the team was caught by the enemy before they even got a chance to start. This was completely ridiculous, even if he took the thoughts he was having about the girls not two minutes ago into consideration.

"D-dude! They got me! Heeeeeeeeeeeelp~!"

Another pain-filled scream and he stared at the screens lifelessly.

Impossible.

Complete defeat in the blink of an eye.

This was beyond his expectations but, and if that weren't enough, he finally managed to get a good look of what was obstructing his vision of the situation. What was messing with the camera's feed was not some kind of electronic malfunction. It was something smoother, more delicate than plain static. This thing didn't make any sound either, unlike the buzzing sound he should've heard otherwise as when he opened communications with Akihiko a while ago.

What he was looking at, and that made him ignore the slow opening of the room's window, was nothing more than ice.

Pure, crystalline, blue ice.

That brought another thought to his mind, one that made the blue-haired teen's face lose all colors but the plain white.

There was only one person able to use ice in the team aside him and that person ambushed Ken in the fire staircase.

Which meant that said person was now heading towards…!?

"By the look on your face and the sudden stiffness of your shoulders, am I correct to say you just noticed my presence?"

That voice.

That stupidly sensual voice.

He couldn't be more sad about being right this time around.

"Also, and seeing as you're the only one here and not Iori," Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. "Would it be correct to assume you're the head of this operation, Arisato?"

A small droplet of sweat fell, or tried to fall from his brow.

'I'd have no problems in taking credits if the plan had succeeded… but now? Nope, the less frostbites added to my collection, the better.' He could feel the small bead of water being frozen almost instantly against his skin. "I-In my defense… it was his idea."

Silence, but he knew and saw through one of the many reflections of the monitors before him that she was shaking her head in disapproval at his poor answer. "I should've known better than to leave Akihiko and you alone with Iori, but do not worry."

The temperature dropped a little more and he was barely able to hear the sound of her rapier slashing the air.

"I will make sure to teach you four about the consequences of trying to spy into the private moments of a group of young women."

'Calm down, Minato.' Spinning the chair slowly to meet his executioner, mostly out of fear not just because the sudden drop of temperature made it near impossible, Minato Arisato had two thoughts as he watched his life flash before his eyes. Something that, even though it wasn't terribly poetic or romantic, was something he didn't regret thinking in this last moment of consciousness. 'You had a short but pretty good life, didn't you? There're no regrets.''

"I will take it easier on you, as appreciation for accompanying me to the ramen parlor earlier today." Mitsuru spoke with small traces of a smile, giving just two steps forward with her rapier raising to point at Minato's throat. Her eyes narrowed then, suddenly and without warning, foreboding the frozen nightmare the field leader was about to suffer. "But my mercy can only help you so much."

'Yup… no regrets at all.' Thought the young man as he waited patiently for the punishment to be delivered. Okay, maybe he should try and alert Akihiko about the plan going down, so at least one of them could be spared. But then… no, no 'but then', he owed it to his senpai. 'He followed us because I dragged him into this…! I need to warn him and set the contingency plan into action!'

Easier said than done.

What with his crimson-haired senpai pointing a sharp rapier at his throat with threatening eyes that seemed to have already frozen his soul… he had little strength in him to spin around, tap a button and warn his boxing senpai about the imminent danger.

Still, he had to try, despite some facts.

First one, Mitsuru-senpai did have a certain charm to her whenever she was angry.

Second one, it was better when she was angry at something other than him.

And third, if he manages to survive this, this was going to be the last time he helps/joins Junpei in any of his shenanigans.

That, he swears.

Second Floor…

Meeting Hall…

Saturday, 23:50…

"A-abort the mission! I repeat! Abort the mission! S-save yourself, Akihiko-senpai!"

"It is too late for that, Arisato!"

"Shit, shit, shit!" Hearing the pained screams of his two companions through the intercom, and his leader's order to save himself, Akihiko could only clench both fists and teeth at having to retreat with his tail between his legs, without a single chance to stand against the enemy to save the others from their dooms.

He knew he shouldn't have joined this charade.

He knew that chill down his spine was a bad omen.

Why didn't he call it off while he still could!?

He jumped the last three steps from the stairs and the main floor of the dorms was ahead of him, with the exit of this nightmare just a dozen steps away, the salvation to the Hell his fellows were suffering behind him.

His leader made it so. Junpei thought it was better for him to be the one taking the pictures of the girls in their sleepover but Minato disagreed saying it'd be better for someone with more experience to complete that task. So, Akihiko was spared.

Now, his leader was frozen solid -he knew that without checking- and the others were suffering different kinds of hell.

All that was left, was for him to reach the main entrance and it was over.

But Aigis was standing there.

With Ken tied behind her, sitting on his butt.

He pulled to a stop.

'…end of the line.'

To be continued?

A/N: And... that's it... I seriously don't know if I should continue this one or what. Well, okay, I have a second part already on the works but I wanted to know what you, the readers, thought of it first. As I said, I've got no idea if I'm writing this correctly or if there's something wrong (even though I played Persona 3 for the last two years... both in FES and Portable versions... but that's beside the point). A writer is not just guided by his own imagination and thoughts but by the opinions he hears around him... right?

Anywho, I really hope y'all enjoyed the first part of this one-shot! Persona is one of my favorites in the world of gaming so I thought 'why the hell no?' and wrote a story to pay some homage to it. If everything goes alright, I'll keep on writing! Nyx knows I need to distract myself somehow!

Hehehehe~! Saludos!