Disclaimer: I don't own Persona.

A/N: Can't let the prologue sit for too long. Time to move the story along. For those interested in seeing what's in store, I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 1: Awakening

Hamuko pointed at the gun in Yukari's hand as she stared at it. The girl made a small yelping sound and quickly hid the weapon behind her back as the red haired girl stepped forward. She cleared her throat with a loud "ahem" and Hamuko and Minato turned their attention from Yukari to the other girl.

"I wasn't expecting you two to arrive this late." The girl said, giving the two a welcoming smile. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

Minato's eyes narrowed as she introduced herself. So she was just going to brush everything that just happened under the rug? Well, Minato didn't want to be difficult on his first day so he decided to let the matter slide for the moment so as not to provoke her. At least things couldn't get any worse than dorm mates pointing guns at him, right?

Hamuko didn't seem to have a problem accepting the situation for what it was either. She gave a bright smile and bowed politely at Mitsuru.

"Pleased to meet you, Kirijo-san. My name is Hamuko Runako." The girl smiled.

"Aha… it's a pleasure. I don't mind the formality, but there's no need for it. Kirijo-san is my father. I'm fine with just Mitsuru." Mitsuru smiled.

"Well, then… Mitsuru-senpai?"

"That's fine."

"…What about him?" The other girl asked suddenly, pointing at the blue haired boy.

"Minato Arisato." The boy introduced himself bluntly. His gaze shifted towards the girl who spoke up. "It's nice to meet you."

"Y-Yeah…" Yukari mumbled. She didn't have to wonder why he was glaring at her…

"Both of them are transfer students. They both ended up here, but they may move to the other dorms once things settle down." Mitsuru went on, gesturing to the two newcomers.

"Huh? I thought this was a girls' dorm…" Hamuko said with a puzzled tone. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before her expression turned sly. She held her hand up to her lips as a mischievous grin stretched over her face. "Hu hu hu… I see. It's one of those types of dorms, is it…?"

"Er… what?" Mitsuru's calm expression changed into one that was much more confused. "I'm not sure what you mean by that but… this is just a normal dorm building."

"Y-Yeah! There's nothing weird going on here!" Yukari added, though her voice sounded several octaves higher than normal.

"She who denies it…" Hamuko giggled, wagging her finger teasingly.

"Geez, what are you getting at?" Yukari sighed, her annoyance with the girl's insulations helping her regain her calm.

Minato just shook his head at the ridiculous direction the conversation had gone in.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm Yukari Takeba. It's… nice to meet you guys."

"She's a second year, just like you two." Mitsuru added. "And as for your question earlier, Runako, this dorm is different from the others. This is a dorm for people with… certain needs, I guess you could say."

"Like what?" Hamuko asked.

"I'll tell you about it later if we have time." Mitsuru said, refusing to give any more detail than that. "It's late and you two must've had a long train ride. You both should get some rest." Mitsuru turned toward Yukari. "Why don't you show these two to their rooms?"

"…Alright. Yeah, I can do that." Yukari nodded, finally giving a small smile. She turned towards Hamuko and Minato. "You two probably want get some sleep by now, right?"

"Oh, that actually sounds good!" Hamuko beamed. "Yeah, I almost missed the train too! I'm lucky that there were some issues that caused a delay or I would've missed it! But then I fell asleep on the train. I woke up and barely made it out as the doors were closing! Then I got lost for a while because I forgot that I had directions to the dorms so…!"

Minato put his other earphone back in its proper position and turned the volume up again to mute Hamuko's excited ramblings.

The two of them followed Yukari upstairs to the second floor. She tapped Minato's shoulder to get his attention and he responded by turning down the volume of his music so he could hear what she had to say.

"The guys' rooms are on the second floor here." Yukari explained. "Your room is all the way at the end to the right side. I think all your things should be there already…"

"Guys as in plural?" Hamuko suddenly asked. "So this really is a co-ed dorm?"

"Er, sorta… I guess." Yukari shrugged. "There's only one other guy living here. I don't really talk to him that much, but I'm sure you'll run into him eventually."

"…Alright then." Minato nodded, hefting his bag up and headed in the direction of his room.

"W-Wait!"

Minato stopped and turned towards Yukari when she called out to him. She had an uncomfortable look on her face as she shuffled around.

"Look, about what happened earlier… I'm sorry." The girl muttered, bowing slightly in apology.

"It's fine." Minato said dismissively. "I'll remember to knock next time."

"Um… hey, can I ask you something? This goes for you too, Hamuko-san."

"What's up?" Hamuko asked while Minato arched an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well… did anything seem strange to the two of you when you were coming over here?" Yukari asked with an uncertain tone. "W-What I mean is, were you two okay getting to the dorm?"

"Hm…? Yeah, everything was fine." Hamuko nodded.

Minato paused and stared at Yukari for a few moments. Well, if she was talking about something strange there was definitely one thing that came to mind. That eerie atmosphere… and come to think of it she had been moving in it…

…No. Minato decided not to make trouble by talking about that. He did, however, have his own question to ask.

"Does that kid live here too?" Minato asked.

"Huh? What kid…?" Yukari asked, confused by the question.

"…Never mind. It's nothing." Minato muttered, smiling ruefully. Figures she wouldn't know what he was talking about. The whole thing was strange as it was, and certainly different than what he was used to. "Good night."

With that, Minato bid the two girls good night and stepped into his room, shutting the door behind him.

Hamuko followed Yukari up to the third floor where the girls' rooms were. Yukari led her down the hall and gestured to the last door.

"Well, this is it. You guys shouldn't have any problems remembering since you both got rooms at the end of the halls." Yukari smiled.

"Thanks for the room!" Hamuko beamed as she opened the door. She turned and smiled at Yukari. "You'll show me around later on, right?"

"I-If you want me to. Though I should tell you there's really not much else in this dorm…" Yukari trailed off.

"Say, you never answered my question downstairs." Hamuko said, raising a finger up as if she had just remembered something important. "Why did you have that gun before?"

"O-Oh! W-Well, you know, it's… kinda like a… hobby…? Er, um, not really, but…" Yukari stuttered over her words. "It's for… it's for self defense!"

"Self defense?" Hamuko questioned as she tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Y-Yeah! You know how it is these days. It's dangerous out there in the streets." Yukari said with an uneasy smile. "It's not a real gun, of course. But if there's ever someone who's giving me trouble I know how to use it!"

"Okay…" Hamuko gave a slow nod.

"A-Anyway, are you sure you didn't see anything strange coming over here?" Yukari asked again.

"You're the paranoid type, huh?" Hamuko giggled. "Other than nearly missing the ride over here there was no trouble. And even though I don't look like it, I'm pretty tough! I can take care of myself!"

"Hm…"

"Should there have been anything strange when I came here?"

"No… no, it's fine." Yukari sighed. She gave Hamuko a tired smile as she turned away. "Just forget about what I said. There's really nothing to worry about."

"Then don't make such a fuss about it. Geez." Hamuko huffed with pouting lips.

"Ha. I guess so…" Yukari gave a small laugh. She paused for a moment and turned back again. "Look, I'm sure you still have questions, but just hold off for now. Good night."

Hamuko watched her until Yukari's form disappeared downstairs again. Hamuko went over everything she had seen and heard since arriving at the dorm in her mind before giving a careless shrug and entering her room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"Weird." Hamuko said to herself as she took a quick glance around the room.

She could see two boxes next to the bed that contained the items she couldn't carry in her bag. Hamuko wasn't a particularly materialistic girl so the boxes only had clothes and a few personal possessions and not much else. Hamuko looked at the digital clock that was set on a shelf over the bed. She thought about unpacking her things, but decided that she would rather sleep than do something she could put off until later. She made a mental note to text her parents tomorrow and let them know she had arrived safely. She threw off her sweater, removed her boots and leggings and climbed into bed, nuzzling her pillow and wrapping the covers tightly around her body.

It was much more comfortable than sleeping on the train.

As she drifted off to sleep, Hamuko couldn't help but think back to what Yukari said. Something strange when she was coming here…

"Wonder if she was talking about…" Hamuko mumbled to herself before trailing off. She smiled and shook her head as her eyes slowly closed.

Nah… there was no way anyone else knew about that…

Minato yawned as he slowly got out of bed. He hadn't bothered changing out of his clothes the other night, only discarding his dark jacket before falling into bed. He glanced at the digital clock on the stand next to his bed. His eyes moved over to his school uniform he had set out last night just before he had gone to bed.

"Another new school…" Minato mumbled as he began to change.

Just as he finished tying the black bow tie around the collar of his white shirt and moved his headphones to his ears, he heard a couple knocks from the door.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

"And Hamuko! Open up!"

Minato sighed as he listened to the voices outside his door. He moved over and undid the lock, opening the door for the two girls as they stepped inside.

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" Yukari smiled as she greeted him. Hamuko leaned against the doorway and as she waved at him with a smile of her own.

"Is there something you two wanted?" Minato asked.

"Not really. Mitsuru-senpai just asked me to take you guys to school." Yukari replied nonchalantly. "It's your first day, so you shouldn't be late. You ready to go?"

"…I can find it myself."

"Huh? But I…"

"Hey, what's with that attitude?" Hamuko demanded, stepping forward and leaning close to Minato's face. "You've got two cute girls offering to walk to school with you. That's not something you can just pass up!"

"I said I'm fine." Minato replied, leaning back and away from the girl blatantly invading his personal space.

"Don't be so shy. C'mon!"

Minato's eyes widened when Hamuko suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him forward and out the door. Hamuko's grip was tight as she pulled him down the hall.

"Grab his bag, Yukari!" Hamuko called back as she flashed a stunned Minato a cheeky smile. "I don't want to be late on my first day!"

Yukari stared after the two of them for a few moments, watching Hamuko tug Minato's arm as he stumbled along. The girl giggled before grabbing Minato's bag and jogging down the hall after them.

Maybe getting along with these two wouldn't be so hard after all.

Minato stood between Hamuko and Yukari as they rode the monorail to Tatsumi Port Island where they would be attending Gekkoukan High School. Yukari had told the two of them that they'd stop at Port Island Station and they'd walk to school from there. Yukari turned towards the two transfer students and smiled at them.

"Bet you guys didn't have to ride a monorail like this at your old schools, huh?" Yukari asked teasingly. She sighed as looked out the windows. "I love it. It feels like you're gliding over the ocean…"

"I see what you mean." Hamuko said, giving her own smile. "It feels like I'm flying above the water!"

"I heard Tatsumi Port Island is a man-made island. Is that true?" Minato asked, turning to Yukari for an answer. He had been wondering that for a while and Hamuko had forced him to keep one of his earphones off so he could join in the conversation.

"Yep. It's an artificial island that was made by the Kirijo Group years ago. They built our school right in the middle." Yukari answered.

"Kirijo…?" Hamuko wondered aloud. "Doesn't that mean Mitsuru-senpai's…?"

"Oh, look! You can see it now!"

Minato and Hamuko both turned to look as Yukari pointed out the windows. Both pairs of eyes looked down at a large island with a big white building in the middle. The complex that surrounded it was the school grounds, and even far away the place looked massive.

Hamuko was the first to give voice to her awe and wonder.

"Wow!" The girl gushed as she leaned forward towards the window to get a better look. Her hands pressed against the glass as she stared at the island and their school. "It looks so pretty! And the campus looks huge! THAT'S our school?!"

"Well, given who runs and sponsors the place it's got a lot going for it." Yukari said. "We've got a few bad teachers, but the staff is capable and just about every club and sport you can think of can be signed up for. Gekkoukan is really a one of a kind high school."

"Yeah…" Minato nodded, also taken in by the sight. "An artificial island and they built a school on it…"

Yukari smiled at the admiring duo.

"Trust me, you two are gonna love it there."

"I think I already do." Hamuko beamed.

Minato only nodded mutely in response.

Yukari led Minato and Hamuko through the school entrance, with Minato bobbing his head slightly as he listened to his music while Hamuko tried to take in everything around her, focusing particularly on the cherry blossoms and flower beds that led up to the entrance of the school's main building. The trio stepped past the shoe lockers and into the main lobby where a crowd of students were gathered around the bulletin boards and a small vendor was placed by the stairs. Books, other student supplies and lunches could be bought there.

"You guys are fine from here, right?" Yukari said, turning to address the two of them. "You should find out what rooms you're in and report to your homeroom teachers. The Faculty Office is down the hall on the left. Do you guys have anything you want to ask me before I go?"

"What class are you in?" Hamuko asked.

"I don't know. I haven't looked at the class assignments yet." Yukari replied. She looked around a few times before she gave both of them a serious look. "Hey, about last night…"

Hamuko and Minato both blinked at her.

"Don't tell anyone what you guys saw, okay? Later."

With that last request, Yukari disappeared down the hall to the right. Minato and Hamuko stood next to each in silence as they looked around. Hamuko stepped forward and smiled at her blue haired fellow transfer student.

"Well? Wanna see what class we're in?"

"Sure."

He followed Hamuko over to the crowd of students congested around the bulletin board that had the list of where the students were assigned. Hamuko stood on her tip toes to look over the many head that blocked her vision.

"I can't see from here. Can you see anything?" Hamuko asked the taller boy.

"No." Minato shook his head. "Doesn't matter. They might not even have our names posted since we just transferred in."

"You might be right…" Hamuko nodded thoughtfully. "I guess we should head to the Faculty Office if we want to know what our homerooms are."

This time Minato led the way as Hamuko trailed after him at her own pace. She noticed a few students that caught her eye, like a girl with dark skin arguing with some guy in a P.E. uniform, plus another pair of students near the bulletin board where a smart looking girl seemed to talking heatedly to another student who seemed to pay her no attention. As they walked down the hall Yukari had pointed them to, Minato and Hamuko were slightly perplexed to find a teacher wearing a… samurai hat talking with an exotic looking student with his blonde hair in a bowl cup. The two of them quickly moved past the shouting duo and nearly bumped into a tall girl who apologized to them before moving on her way.

"So… which one of these doors leads to the Faculty Office?" Hamuko wondered out loud.

"Don't know." Minato replied even if he hadn't needed to. From the corner of his eye he spotted a student with long brown hair wander around a few feet away from them with a lost look on her face. Minato tapped Hamuko's shoulder and gestured to the girl. "Why don't you ask her?"

"Good idea." Hamuko smiled. She waved towards the girl as she called out to her. "Hey you!"

The girl jumped nearly three feet in the air at the sound of Hamuko's voice before she slowly turned around to face them. Her head darted back and forth before she looked back at them and slowly pointed at herself with an uncertain look on her face.

"Yeah, you." Hamuko smiled. "Do you know which one of these doors is the Faculty Office?"

The girl stood unmoving for a few moments, like a deer caught in headlights before she slowly pointed to the door they were standing in front of.

"Okay, thanks!"

The girl nodded and hurried past them and out into the lobby where the other students gathered. Minato silently marveled at how skittish the girl was while Hamuko opened the door and let herself in. Minato followed shortly behind her. There was only one teacher in the office and she turned towards the two students when she heard them enter.

"Oh, are you two the new students?" The woman asked as she picked up a clipboard.

Minato and Hamuko both nodded in confirmation. The teacher glanced down at her clipboard and scanned it until she found two names.

"Let's see… Minato Arisato and Hamuko Runako. Both second year students. Juniors, correct?"

"That's us!" Hamuko smiled.

"Alright, let's see about Arisato first…" The teacher murmured to herself. "You've lived in a lot of places. Hm… it says here in 1999 ten years ago your parents…!"

The teacher gasped and held a hand up to her mouth. Minato grimaced at her reaction. Hamuko looked between the teacher and Minato in confusion. What was that about Minato's parents ten years ago…?

"I'm sorry. I've been so busy I didn't have time read your information beforehand." The teacher said empathically. "Before we move any further, let me introduce myself. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School."

"…Thanks." Minato replied curtly.

"Pleased to meet you, Toriumi-sensei." Hamuko smiled, bowing politely to the teacher.

"My, so polite! Girls like you should be an example for others." The woman smiled at Hamuko approvingly. Hamuko flushed a bit at the praise. Minato rolled his eyes.

"Now, Runako …" Ms. Toriumi went on, looked back down at her clipboard and turning a page over. "Let's see… your guardians have already taken care of most of the paperwork so there's not much left to do. You were adopted ten years ago by the Runako family and…"

She paused again as she looked from Hamuko to Minato and back again. She shook her head and tucked the clipboard under her arm and gave the two new students a welcoming smile.

"Well, I can look over your papers later. Have you had a chance to look over the classroom assignments yet?"

Both students shook their heads in the negative.

"Alright then. Runako, you're in class 2-F. That's my class." Ms. Toriumi smiled. "As for Arisato, you're in class 2-E with Mr. Ekoda. But before you go to your classes, you'll both need to attend the opening ceremony. Follow me to the auditorium. Arisato, I'll show you where your class is sitting when we get there."

Both of them followed the teacher out the door.

Hamuko yawned as she sat in her seat in the classroom. The ceremony itself had been short, but the way the principal's speech made it seem like the whole affair had gone on for hours. Hamuko was the kind of person who could say she liked school and mean it, but there were certain things she disliked. Other than mean teachers and one or two subjects, she couldn't stand how the principal had gone on and on while getting so far off topic he had to be brought back on track several times by the vice principal standing at his side. Well, she had stopped listening halfway through. She was glad she had remembered to bring her mp3 player with her. She felt listening to Shoji Meguro's new album was far more productive than listening to the principal drone on about things everyone already knew.

Regardless, she had enjoyed her first homeroom class and right now they were on break until the next lesson. As Hamuko began to write a few notes in her notebook, she heard someone's voice from behind her.

"'Sup, dude?"

Hamuko blinked and turned towards who had addressed her. A student with a goatee sporting a blue hat sat at the desk behind her, smiling at her as he leaned forward with his elbows on his desk. He gave her a carefree smile.

"So you're the new girl, huh?" The boy grinned.

"I guess I am." Hamuko smiled back. It was always good to make friends with classmates. "Who are you?"

"Me? The name's Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." The young man, Junpei, smiled at her as he got up from his seat and stood by her desk. "I transferred here back in eighth grade."

"Really? You were a transfer too?"

"Yep!" Junpei's smile widened. "I know it can be tough bein' the new kid, so I thought I'd introduce myself and make sure you're not freaking out on your first day."

Any response Hamuko had to that was cut of when a familiar voice broke into their conversation.

"At it again, huh?"

Hamuko turned and smiled at Yukari who was approaching them.

"Hi Yukari."

"Hey, Hamuko. Junpei." Yukari said, looking at the male student with an exasperated expression. "Already decided to try hitting on her? Honestly, did you ever think that you might be bothering her?"

"What? B-But I was just bein' friendly…"

"Don't worry. I haven't heard anything that sounds like a pick-up line yet." Hamuko grinned.

"There. Ya see?"

"If you say so…" Yukari said, still sounding skeptical. She smiled and turned back to Hamuko. "Still, I was surprised that we we're in the same class. Funny coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah. It's a shame Minato-kun couldn't join us." Hamuko replied. "Still, I'm glad to at least have one friend to share homeroom with."

Yukari looked surprised for a few moments before her face melted into a warm smile.

"Yeah… me too!"

"Er, hello? I'm still here too y'know." Junpei frowned. He glanced between the two girls. "So do you guys know each other? I heard you guys walked to school together. Two cuties like you caught a lot of people's attention."

"What? Well, we only met yesterday." Yukari said, sounding uncomfortable. "We live in the same dorm so I was just helping her get to school. Is that really such a big deal?"

"No, not really." Junpei shrugged before giving her a mischievous smirk. "But that's not the only buzz going around. Was there a guy walking with you two on the way here…?"

"Y-Yeah. So what?"

"Oh really?" Junpei grinned. "So, what's his story then? He your boyfriend?"

"W-What!?" Yukari gasped. She glared at Junpei as her face flushed. "O-Of course not! He's just another transfer student and he's in the same dorm and I was just showing him around like I was with Hamuko! That's it!"

"Okay, okay, geez. Don't need to get so worked up about it…" Junpei grimaced. His smile came back as he turned to Hamuko. "So is he yours then?"

"Nope. I'm still single but happy." Hamuko said.

"Huh. Guess all the fuss was for nothing then." Junpei sighed, sounding a little disappointed.

"Is that really what people are talking about? Stupid rumors and gossip…" Yukari grumbled. She gave Hamuko an apologetic look. "Sorry. It's only your first day and you have to deal with this…"

"It's fine. High schools run on gossip. Students wouldn't be able to distract themselves from tests and homework properly without it." Hamuko said jokingly. "You just gotta deal with it."

"Heh. See, Yuka-tan? This girl knows what's up!"

"Ugh… you're both unbelievable." Yukari said, shaking her head at the two of them. "Anyway, I'm going to go take care of some stuff in the Archery Club. Don't try anything funny, Junpei."

"Hey!"

"Calm down, I was only kidding." Yukari smiled but was still giving him a stern look. "But be nice to her, alright?"

Yukari flashed the two them a quick smile before turning and walking out of the classroom. As soon as she was gone, Junpei sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Man, what is she my mom…?" Junpei lamented. "Seriously though, I didn't come to hit on you or anything."

"I believe you."

"Good." Junpei smiled. "Hey, if you've ever got any problems, let me know and I'll help you out, 'kay?"

Hamuko smiled at him. Junpei was a bit over familiar and aloof, but he seemed like a good guy.

"I'll remember that."

"Heh, cool. Well, I'll see ya around."

Flashing her one last smile, Junpei left the classroom. Hamuko went back to her notes as her thoughts began to drift.

"I wonder how Minato's doing in his class…" Hamuko wondered to herself.

Minato gave a relieved sigh as he exited his classroom. Figures he'd be stuck with a teacher like that. It had only been ten minutes into his first lecture and he could already tell why the majority of the class had been whispering complaints about having homeroom with the worst teacher in school. Now that class was over, Minato found that he shared his classmates' opinion on Mr. Ekoda. It was nice to know he had one thing in common with the rest of his class. Not that mutual hatred of one man would help him make friends or anything like that…

Once he got downstairs to the shoe lockers, Minato was surprised to see Hamuko standing by the entrance talking to some guy wearing a hat. She smiled and waved at him when she noticed him.

"Minato-kun! We've been waiting for you!"

"Waiting for… why?" Mainto asked incredulously as he approached him.

"So we could walk back together, of course." Hamuko smiled. She gestured to the guy next to her. "And he's offered to help escort us there."

"Junpei Iori." The boy grinned as he introduced himself. "So… you're Minato? I've heard about you. Lots of people are already talking about you, y'know."

"…Why's that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Junpei gave an excited grin. "It's because you're the guy that was seen walking with the popular Yuka-tan and the cute transfer student Hamu-tan! You da man!"

Hamuko giggled a little at how Junpei had begun to refer to her.

"Is that so…?" Minato said, scratching the back of his head with a slightly puzzled look. "Is it really that interesting for me to be seen walking with them?"

"It's only because Yuka-tan's popular and everyone was excited about the transfer students. Don't worry too much about it." Junpei assured them as they all headed out the door. "It's just gossip. If there's really nothing going on you shouldn't worry about it."

"Right…" Minato muttered as he put on his headphones and turned the volume up.

"Hey, check out the jocks on their run." Junpei pointed to the group of students in tracks suits that ran past them.

"That reminds me, what kind of clubs does Gekkoukan have?" Hamuko asked.

"Already interested in joining one?" Junpei grinned. "I don't remember them all, but I'm sure if you look you'll find one you like. We've got all kinds. I hear some of the sports clubs are accepting new members soon, so there's that…"

Minato remained silent as he listened to his music while Hamuko and Junpei chatted amicably the rest of the way to the dorm.

Hamuko decided that she liked the dorm. It was spacious, she had a television in her room, and there were living rooms on each floor that were a least a quarter of the size of the lobby on the first floor. There were even vending machines. The place was top notch.

As Hamuko ascended the stairs to the second floor on her way to her room, she noticed a head of blue hair leaning back on one of the couches in the living area. Hamuko grinned mischievously as she quietly approached Minato. Even if she was tired and ready for bed, she couldn't let the opportunity pass. Leaning close to his ear, Hamuko shouted.

"HEY MINATO-KUN!"

Of course, since Minato had his back turned and most of his figure was obscured by the couch, Hamuko hadn't noticed the Cielo Mist he'd been drinking or the sketchbook on his lap. Hamuko's voice blared through the song Minato had been listening to, crashing through his thought process and making him drop his drink right onto his lap in surprise.

Hamuko's hands flew to her mouth in panic as Minato stood up and cursed as his soda spilled onto his sketchbook. As he frantically looked around for something to wipe up the spill, Hamuko ran around and pulled out a handkerchief and began trying her best to clean the drink off of his book. But it was already too late. With a guilty expression, Hamuko gingerly picked up the ruined sketchbook, its pages wet and sticky and the drawings all but washed away and smeared.

"Ah… ehehehe… oops?" Hamuko giggled uneasily. She glanced at the sketchbook. "So… you… draw much…?"

Minato gave her a piercing glare for a few moments before snatching his ruined book and tossing it in a nearby trashcan. Hamuko stood in place as she listened to Minato stomp down the hallway towards his room, wincing when she heard his door shut loudly. Hamuko sighed miserably to herself as she resumed her trek upstairs. In hindsight, that might not have been the best thing to do. Minato didn't really seem the type that would appreciate a prank like that anyway. She'd have to make it up to him later.

Unbeknownst to the two transfer students, another resident of the dorm had caught the tail end of their antics on his way downstairs. Akihiko Sanada glanced down the hallway and up the stairs before shrugging and making his way down to the lounge, tugging on some boxing gloves as he went. He didn't look at Mitsuru who was quietly sitting on the couch reading a book as he told her his plans for the night.

"I'm going out for a bit."

"Hm?"

Akihiko stopped halfway to the door and turned towards her when he heard her curious tone.

"Haven't you seen the newspapers lately?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know…" Mitsuru nodded in understanding as she closed her book with a difficult expression on her face. "People who have had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome. Some say it's due to stress, but…"

"Yeah, right," Akihiko chuckled. "It's definitely THEM. Wouldn't be worth my time, otherwise."

Mitsuru only shook her head at that. How could he just laugh off something like this…?

"Will you be okay on your own?" Mitsuru asked.

"Relax. I'm just going out for a little practice."

As he left, the young woman sighed, glancing down at her watch as she spoke to herself.

"This isn't a game, Akihiko…"

The clock struck midnight.

Minato collapsed onto his bed as he went over his encounter with the Chairman in his head. After an uneventful second day of school he had been greeted by Shuji Ikutsuki upon arriving back at the dorm. They had exchanged introductions quickly, with Ikutsuki apologizing for the problems in his dorm assignment and offering to answer any questions Minato might have. He had refrained from asking why the man had walked all the way to the dorm when this could have been taken care of at school, instead opting to simply ask why he was here. Ikutsuki had insisted that he only wanted to meet the new transfer students. Again, Minato didn't see why he had gone through the trouble when they could have met and discussed whatever issues he may or may not have had at school.

When he heard Hamuko enter the dorm Minato had quickly excused himself and turned in for the day. After what happened last night he had avoided Hamuko as best he could. He didn't appreciate what she had done, and now because of her he had to find out where he could buy a new sketchbook. It wasn't like he drew very often or was very good at it, but it was a hobby and he had been angry when she had destroyed his work, even if she hadn't meant to.

Minato glanced towards his clock. It was almost midnight now. The boy sighed and closed his eyes.

"The early bird catches the bookworm!"

Minato groaned when he remembered Ikutsuki's parting comment. Was that really the person in charge of the school…?

In the command room on the fourth floor of the dorm, three figures were crowded around the monitor's screen. The computer's screen was split, showing the dorm's two newest residents sleeping soundly in their rooms. The three people watching Minato and Hamuko sleep were Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki.

"Hm… it seems neither of them have transmogrified into coffins." Ikutsuki noted as he leaned away from the screen and took a seat on a chair nearby. "They've both retained their human forms, even though it's the Dark Hour."

"So this means…" Yukari paused and bit her lip.

"That's right." Ikutsuki nodded to the girl's unspoken question. "It is quite possible that both of them have the potential. Otherwise, the Shadows would've preyed on them by now."

"It's unbelievable." Mitsuru said with some amazement in her tone. "Two people with the potential suddenly appearing like this…"

"Yes, well, it's possible but not for certain." Ikutsuki cut in. "We'll monitor them for a few more days and see if anything changes, then make a decision."

Mitsuru nodded at that. "Yes, sir."

"But… is it really okay? To be spying on them like this?" Yukari asked, clearly uncomfortable with watching two people while they slept.

"It's only a precaution, Yukari-san." Ikutsuki assured her. "Please have patience."

"Alright…"

And so, within the murky green atmosphere, SEES continued their surveillance in silence.

Nothing extravagant or out of the ordinary happened at school the following day. Minato headed back to the dorm as soon as class was out while Yukari had taken Hamuko to Paulownia Mall to show her around. The girl had been impressed, bouncing around after visiting all the shops and stores, even convincing Yukari to spend some time at the arcade with her until it got late. After arriving back at the dorms Hamuko had bid Yukari good night and headed upstairs to her room. Yukari had stayed awake and read a couple magazines until the world shifted and the Dark Hour started when the clock struck midnight. Yukari made her way up to the command room and took a seat next to Mitsuru who had already been in the room. Mitsuru didn't turn away from the computer's screen as she greeted Yukari.

"Takeba."

"Hey." Yukari replied, taking a seat just as the Chairman entered the room.

"How are they?" Ikutsuki asked as he approached.

"Still asleep." Mitsuru replied.

"I see. Interesting…" Ikutsuki muttered thoughtfully. "Those with the potential tend to be unstable at first, but surprisingly, neither of them has shown any signs of discomfort when experiencing the Dark Hour."

"I still feel bad about watching them like this though." Yukari said.

"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members." Ikutsuki said sternly. "While you, Mitsuru and Akihiko are very capable, wouldn't you be more comfortable with two more people helping us?"

"I know, but still…" Yukari trailed off before perking up. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask, where did Akihiko-senpai run off to?"

As if on cue, the computer sounded off as they received an emergency call from outside. Mitsuru quickly pressed the button on the monitor to answer.

"Command Room." Mitsuru answered. "Is that you Akihiko?"

There was a burst of static from the speaker before they heard an out of breath voice answer.

"You're not gonna believe this…! This thing is huge!"

"Akihiko!"

"I don't have time to talk! This thing's chasing me… but I wanted to let you guys know I'm almost there!"

Mitsuru, Yukari and Ikutsuki all stood up in a panic as the communication was cut off. Yukari was the first one to respond to the situation.

"Wait, so he's bringing whatever's chasing him here?!"

"It must be quite something if it has Akihiko on the run…" Ikutsuki said with some surprise in his voice.

"We'll suspend our observation for now!" Mitsuru said as she picked up a rapier that was set on the table. "Mr. Chairman, you stay here and let us know if you pick up anything on the monitors!"

"R-Right!"

"Takeba, you're with me! We must prepare for battle!"

"Y-Yeah…!"

Mitsuru and Yukari rushed out the door and downstairs to the lounge, arriving just as Akihiko burst through the front door and slammed it closed behind him. He sank to his feet and leaned against the doorframe as Mitsuru and Yukari rushed over to him. Both girls grimaced when they noticed his torn sleeve and the way he was holding his left arm.

"Akihiko, are you-"

"I'm fine." Akihiko insisted, brushing off Mitsuru's worry as Yukari checked him over. Despite the situation, he was smiling. "Get ready to be surprised, this thing will be here any second!"

"You're… honestly!" Mitsuru huffed as she drew her Evoker. "So it's a Shadow?"

"I think so, but it's not an ordinary one!"

Yukari's eyes widened at that. "What do you mean by-!"

The girl screamed when the entire building suddenly shook. Mitsuru tensed while Akihiko slowly got to his feet.

"Takeba, go wake up the other two and get some place safe." Mitsuru commanded. "We'll stop it here."

Yukari looked worriedly between her two senpai before swallowing her fright and turning back towards the stairs. As she ran off, she called back to the two of them.

"Be careful!"

Mitsuru made sure Yukari had left before she opened the door. Her eyes narrowed when she saw those… things moving near the bottoms of the steps. She turned her head a fraction to address Akihiko.

"Don't relax just yet. I'm afraid you'll still have to fight."

Akihiko scoffed as he pulled out his own Evoker and held it to his head.

"Like I had a choice!"

Hamuko mumbled in her sleep when she heard loud banging noises from outside her door. Who could be calling her at this time of night? And what had been that shaking she felt earlier…?

"Hamuko, wake up!"

The girl sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes blearily. "Yukari…?"

"Sorry, I'm coming in!"

Yukari practically kicked her door in during her rush to get inside. Hamuko blinked when she saw the girl's panicked face.

"There's no time to explain! We've got to get out of here!" Yukari shouted, thrusting something into a bewildered Hamuko's arms. "Here, take this just in case!"

The girl felt her drowsiness drain away when she saw what Yukari had given her. Hamuko's eyes were wide as she stared down at the naginata she'd been given.

"W-Wha…?"

"C'mon!"

Clad in her pajamas and tightly holding onto the weapon she had suddenly been gifted with, Hamuko was dragged out of her room by a frantic Yukari. Her eyes widened when she noticed someone else standing outside her room.

"Minato-kun?!"

The boy, still clad in his school uniform, looked just as confused and bewildered as she did. Hamuko's eyes widened even more when she noticed the sword he held in his hand. Hamuko opened her mouth to speak when the whole building shook as if something had slammed into it. Hamuko clutched onto her spear in fright as she looked around.

"W-What was THAT?!"

"That's what I'd like to know…" Minato muttered. "Yukari-san, what was-"

Minato was cut off by the sound of glass breaking on the floor below them.

"No time!" Yukari shouted as she took off down the hall. "Come on!"

Minato and Hamuko both glanced at each other before following Yukari upstairs. They made their way to the fourth floor, practically jumping out onto the rooftop in their rush. Yukari quickly closed and locked the door behind them before giving a relieved sigh.

The full moon glowed in the green world, its light reflecting off the puddles of liquid that seemed too much like blood…

"Our senpai are fighting downstairs, so we should be safe up here." Yukari said as she turned towards the two of them.

"You still haven't told us what this is all about." Minato pointed out, his expression serious. "I want answers. What is going-!"

"Yukari…!" Hamuko suddenly gasped as she took in their surroundings. "And Minato-kun too! You guys can…!"

The building shook again, this time more violently and with enough force to almost send the three of them to the ground. All of their eyes widened when they heard something move behind them. They turned towards the noise and were shocked at what they found themselves staring at.

A blue mask was peering at them from over the edge of the roof, held up by a large black hand. More hands rose up and grasped the edge of the rooftop before pulling a large, shadowy form up and onto the roof. The creature looked like a black mass of arms and appendages all tied and fused together. Not only that, but a good majority of the hands held up large daggers that gleamed in the moonlight.

"Yukari-san… what is that…?" Minato whispered as his whole body tensed.

"No way… it climbed up?!" Yukari gasped, not registering Minato's question. "Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai should've…!"

"It's coming!" Hamuko shouted as the monster began to crawl towards them.

With her mind in a panic, Yukari barely registered pulling out her Evoker until she felt the muzzle of the gun against her forehead. Her frantic breath came in short gasps as she screwed her eyes shut and fought to keep her emotions under control, to focus on pulling the trigger.

She could do it… she'd be fine… she had to save Minato and Hamuko… she just had to keep calm… keep calm… and just pull the trigger…!

"Yukari, look out!"

Yukari's eyes snapped open just as something slammed into her. Her body recoiled with her Evoker flying out of her hands as she collapsed to the ground.

"YUKARI!"

Hamuko rushed over to the downed girl and propped her up, trying to shake the girl awake. Hamuko looked between Yukari and the black creature. The blue mask was getting closer…!

Minato, however, seemed to ignore all of this.

All he noticed was the gun that suddenly clattered to the ground by his feet.

"There!"

From inside the command room Mitsuru, Akihiko and Ikutsuki were watching the events on the rooftop unfold. When they saw Yukari go down, Mitsuru and Akihiko immediately headed for the door.

"Wait."

Both seniors stopped and turned back towards the Chairman with furious looks on their faces.

"Mr. Chairman, you can't expect us to just leave-!"

"Look." Ikutsuki said, pointing at the screen.

Mitsuru and Akihiko's eyes widened when they saw Minato bend down to pick up Yukari's Evoker…

His whole body was numb. He couldn't find it in himself to string together a coherent thought. All of this was too unreal. Even so, Minato found himself leaning down to pick up the gun. His fingers wrapped themselves around it, the feel of cool steel somehow calming his nerves. Minato turned his head to Hamuko and Yukari, watching the former tend to the latter. When he turned back he noticed that blue mask was facing in his direction…

"Go on."

Minato didn't react at all when he suddenly found himself staring at that kid he had met in the lobby when he first arrived at the dorm. What was he doing here? And what was he saying…?

"You know what to do." The boy smiled as he held up two fingers to the side of his head.

Minato found himself mimicking him. He felt the gun's muzzle rest against his temple. Minato's finger tensed on the trigger as the boy's voice echoed in his head.

"Just pull the trigger…"

Minato felt the words come naturally. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Per…"

He could hear it. He could hear the voice…

"…So…

Minato felt a smile stretch across his face. He could feel the power coursing throughout his body, welling up inside him…

"…Na!"

Minato pulled the trigger.

He heard something break in his mind as the power was unleashed. Blue mist surrounded him as fragments of whatever was released from his mind gathered together and began to take shape above him. Minato heard a voice resound inside his head.

"Thou art I… and I art thou…"

Hamuko watched the spectacle unfold in front of her with awe. Yukari groaned and shifted in her arms as she slowly came to. Her eyes widened when she saw the figure forming above Minato. A figure with a blue torso and platinum limbs, along with red scarf around its neck and a large harp strapped to its back…

"From the sea of thine soul I cometh…" The figure's voice echoed. "I am Orpheus, master of strin-?!"

Orpheus stopped and roared at the same moment Minato dropped the Evoker and clutched his head in pain. It felt like something was trying to rip its way out of his head…!

For Orpheus, something was quite literally doing just that.

Orpheus' form convulsed and spasmed as an arm suddenly burst out of its neck, followed by another that completely tore apart its form, giving birth to something far more intimidating and far, FAR more powerful.

Thanatos reared its head back and roared, a ring of coffins spreading out around it like wings before the black creature dove forward and slammed its fists into the approaching Shadow. The monster tried to fight back. It tried to throw its attacker off of its body. But it couldn't even hope to stand against the beast that tore into its limbs and crushed its body under its hands. Thanatos kept hammering its fists into the Shadow before drawing the long sword attached to its belt and swinging it forward, cutting through the blue mask within the center of those flailing arms and hands.

Thanatos stood atop the crushed body of its prey as the Shadow began to dissolve and fade away. Hamuko and Yukari merely stared in mute wonder as Thanatos threw its head back again to deliver a triumphant roar that echoed through the air. It hadn't been a battle they had witnessed. It had been an execution. Thanatos' body flickered for a moment before it was suddenly Orpheus standing atop the remains of the Shadow instead of the one that had killed it. Orpheus faded away as Minato fell to his knees and collapsed on the ground.

"Minato-kun!"

"Eh…? Hamuko, wait!"

Hamuko left Yukari on the ground as she rushed over to Minato's unconscious form. She checked the boy over for injuries before she heard something moving in front of her.

From her position on the ground a few feet away, Yukari's eyes widened when she noticed some of the Shadow's remains had taken form and were slithering towards Hamuko and Minato. Yukari's hands flew towards the holster on her thigh, reaching for the Evoker that she had forgotten wasn't there. Yukari gasped when she suddenly noticed it in Hamuko's hands.

Hamuko quickly stood to her feet, holding the gun to her temple as she watched the dark forms approach. She glanced down towards Minato before her expression steeled. If he could do it, then so could she! All she had to do was remember… remember that word…!

"Per…"

Remember that word, the same word Minato had said…

"…So…"

She smiled when she heard a voice in her head, almost whispering the word to her…

"…Na!"

Hamuko pulled the trigger.

The same words Minato had heard echoed in her mind.

"Thou art I… and I art thou…!"

Yukari's eyes widened when she saw Orpheus appear once again, this time rising up behind Hamuko. No… there was something different about him this time, or rather, something different about HER. This Orpheus had long flowing hair and a golden torso as opposed to a blue one. Its limbs were silver, and were of a lighter shade when compared to the other Orpheus. And while it kept the red scarf, its harp was in the shape of a large heart this time.

"From the sea of thine soul I cometh…!" The female Orpheus echoed. "I am Orpheus, master of strings!"

"But that's…" Yukari whispered. "They summoned the same Persona…?!"

Yukari watched as Hamuko cried out and rushed towards the two Shadows that were crawling towards her and Minato with her Orpheus trailing behind her. Her Persona took its harp and swung it down like a hammer on top of one of the Shadows, smashing its mask to pieces. Hamuko simply rushed at the other Shadow, swinging her naginata and cutting furiously into the Shadow's body. The Shadows had no chance to put up any resistance and both dissolved into nothingness just as Orpheus disappeared.

Hamuko simply stood there under the moon, her form quivering in exhaustion as she too sank to her knees. She turned her head in Yukari's direction as sweat ran down her forehead.

"Yukari… are you okay…?"

Yukari blinked guilelessly before answering. "Y-Yeah. I'm okay…"

"And Minato-kun… is he…?"

"He's fine, Hamuko." Yukari assured her as she stood up and approached the girl. "Are… are you okay…?"

Hamuko gave the girl a bright smile as the dark atmosphere began to fade away.

"I'm fine." Hamuko smiled as her body fell forward. "Just… fine…"

"Hamuko!"

Yukari's voice sounded like she was underwater to Hamuko before she joined Minato in blissful unconsciousness.

A/N: Prologue and Chapter 1 up. Wonder if this has been enough of a draw for those reading. Almost forgot, thanks to the Infamous Man for betaing this and giving it his stamp of approval.

I debated splitting this chapter in two, but decided that it would be better to get to the point where Personas show up now. Hope I did the scene justice since the summoning of Orpheus and Thanatos' slaughter of the Magician Shadow is probably one of the most awesome parts of the game. I thought about giving Minato and Hamuko different initial Personas, but figured it was better to stick them with their respective Orpheus given that they're both Wild Cards and they both share a contract and will go on the Journey together, etc. It's better than coming up with something completely new, I think.

So, aftermath of the awakening comes next as Minato and Hamuko are made aware of what's going on. Hope those reading choose to stick around and I hope they enjoy what's depicted so far. Any feedback is appreciated, especially this early on as it let's me know if this is off to a good start or not. I wish you all happy days and sunshine until next time.

Kiiam