"Papa… please don't leave." My small fingers grabbed his hand as he went to leave. He turned his head to look down at me. He was so much taller than me back then - but what struck me most was his face. He looked young. Strong, responsible, wise, but also happy with his place in the world. It was a face that always reassured me in moments when I was afraid.

He glanced briefly at the watch around his wrist before his gaze returned to me, and he slowly smiled at me. "Alright, I've got a little while before my next meeting. What do you want to do, Mitsuru?"

I grinned at him with childish glee as I tugged him back into my room, deciding to show him my toys. It didn't matter that he'd bought me most of them; I wanted him to see what I saw. I walked him over to a few model buildings, around which I'd assembled various dolls and figurines. I pointed proudly to a large castle. "This is where I work!"

He feigned surprise. "You work in a castle? What do you do there?"

I struck a heroic pose in response. "I rescue princes and princesses from dragons that try to capture them!"

He laughed. "You're quite the hero, then!"

"I am!" I declared, beaming proudly at him.

He gestured to a mansion next to the castle. "This one's pretty close by. What do you do here?"

I giggled as I tapped the roof of the model with one finger. "This is where I live, with all the princes and princesses I've rescued!"

He scratched his chin, looking contemplative. "All of them? You must have a lot of friends."

I nodded excitedly as I thought of all the imaginary friends I'd come up with as I played. "So many! And I'm always making more."

He seemed about to say something when there was a knock at the door. "Yes?" He called.

The door opened slightly, and a suited man I often saw my father with in those days leaned in through the opening. "Mr. Kirijo, sir. We need you. Something's… happened." He glanced my way for a moment before looking at my father again.

My father's smile suddenly faded as he stared at the man, who was watching us expectantly. "Papa…?" I asked quietly.

He looked at me and smiled again, though it was smaller than before. "It's okay, Mitsuru. I'll be back again soon, and you can tell me about the rest then."

"Promise?"

He chuckled softly. "I promise." He said as he rose and moved to follow the man at the door. I watched him go, wondering to myself what adult things he had to do today, before going back to my playing.

I blinked as the memory faded. I leaned against the bars that circled the roof of the school, staring out at the bay that separated Tatsumi Port Island and the bustling city of Iwatodai. My eyes barely registered the beautiful scenery as my brooding thoughts consumed my attention.

That day in 1999 was the day we discovered what my grandfather had been doing with the family resources. The dark hour would descend upon the world soon after, and take away the future we'd anticipated. I became a persona-user, and my father became the head of a family in turmoil, surrounded by a world changing quickly under the influences of malicious forces we didn't fully understand - forces our own predecessors had unleashed. Whether it was through hubris or ill will, it didn't matter. We were responsible, and from that day forward much innocence was lost from both our lives.

I remembered the younger, happier Takeharu, his face not worn with stress. The proud smiles he always wore as he watched me maturing. His encouragement any time I felt down, even for silly reasons.

That was the man, and the life, that I'd been fighting to bring back for ten years.

Now he was dead.

The dark hour was still plaguing the world. We'd done nothing to stop it, and now knew less than ever what we could do about it. If the Chairman's ravings had any truth to them, we might even have made things worse.

What was the point of it all? What was I fighting for?

The last week and a half had gone by in a blur. Arranging his funeral. Talking to what seemed like an endless procession of Kirijo and family representatives about the future of the company. About my future. They wanted me to take over as president after the school year was over.

When that had all been sorted, I'd come back to school and immediately been swamped with a mountain of missed homework. The student council was in disarray without my guiding hand, planning for the junior-and-senior class trip to Kyoto. I'd helped for awhile, but eventually I'd been pulled away by something I hadn't felt in a long while.

Apathy. I didn't care anymore. What was I doing it all for? I'd run out of tears to shed last week, but in their place came a void where my motivation once dwelled. The dark hour was never going away, and my old life was never coming back. I gritted my teeth as I dwelled on these dark thoughts, staring out at the lovely view behind the bars again. It offered me no comfort.

All I could see was the cage.

I don't know how long I stood there, lost in my head, but I was eventually roused from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps on the stairs behind me. I turned my head to see Yukari exit the stairwell. She seemed pleased for a moment as she saw me. "I'm guessing you were looking for me?" I asked her quietly. I didn't want company.

Yukari looked apologetic as she replied. My mood was obvious to her, like it had been to everyone since I got back. "The student council is concerned. You haven't missed a meeting all year until now…"

I shrugged. "They'll be fine without me. I helped them out enough last meeting that they should have no trouble finishing their preparations for the class trip."

"It's not just about work. They're worried about you." Yukari frowned. "Speaking of the trip… you are coming, right?" I didn't respond. She could guess my answer. "Senpai, please don't skip it… isolating yourself is the worst thing you can do after losing someone close to you."

I suddenly felt a little guilty. Yukari had lost her father too, of course, and even earlier than I had. It was my family's fault, too. I turned to face her. "I assume you're speaking from experience…"

Yukari looked down at the floor. "Yes, I am. That's the other reason I was looking for you." She looked back up at me, taking a few hesitant steps closer. "You're not alone in this. I know we haven't always gotten along, but… I'm not so callous that I can ignore how much you must be hurting right now. You can talk to me."

I didn't know what to say. One of the people my family had probably hurt the most was offering me a shoulder to cry on. I didn't deserve her support. "Thank you, Takeba…" I managed after a moment.

She smiled at me, but before she could say anything, both of us turned towards the stairwell as we heard another set of footsteps approaching. Moments later, a handsome-looking young man wearing a bright yellow scarf emerged onto the roof. I narrowed my eyes as I recognized him. Ryoji Mochizuki, a transfer student who'd joined the second-year class a few days ago. He'd quickly built up a reputation as an incorrigible flirt.

His face lit up as he saw us. "Hey there, ladies." He quickly strode over to me, his eyes roving down my figure on the way. "I've been looking for you."

Yukari sighed. "I'm guessing someone from the student council asked you to find her, too…?"

Ryoji snapped his fingers as he grinned at her. "Bingo." He turned to me. "But, now that I've found you, I can feel my priorities changing. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Mitsuru-senpai?"

I gave him a flat look. He wasn't discouraged. "C'mon, give me a chance to win you over. I know just the place to cheer you up. There's this great place in downtown Iwatodai…"

I ignored him as I turned to Yukari with a small smile. "Thanks again for the talk, Takeba. I'll have to give your offer consideration. For now, I should probably get back to the student council…" I gave Ryoji a pointed look before walking past him to the stairwell.

"Well, at least I did one of the things I came up here to do, right?" I heard him joke to Yukari as I walked down the stairs, out of earshot.

I resisted the urge to go straight to my room when I got to the dorm that night. I'd done too much of that lately. I was the leader of SEES; I needed to put on a strong face for the rest, especially when we were as directionless as we were now. I needed to be ready to go to Tartarus again.

So, despite not feeling up to it, I stayed in the lounge on the first floor as the rest of the group gradually filed in after finishing whatever each of them had chosen to do after school. I got a few smiles or sympathetic frowns, but for the most part, nobody talked to me. For once, I was glad for that. Yukari gave me a meaningful look as she came in and sat down on the couch opposite me. "Hey…" She said quietly.

"Hello, Takeba." I responded curtly. I was still considering her offer to talk things out, but I certainly wasn't going to take her up on it here, where everyone else could listen.

Junpei entered soon after with Ryoji in tow, and I let out a weary sigh as he immediately approached me. "Hey, Mitsuru-senpai! Still considering my offer?" That, at least, was one offer I definitely wasn't considering.

I glared at him. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my irritation evident in my tone.

Junpei quickly pulled Ryoji away. "He's just here to hang out with me, that's all." To my surprise, he gave Ryoji a disapproving look as he chided him. "Please just leave Mitsuru-senpai alone right now, okay?"

Ryoji raised his palms in defeat. "Alright, alright. I can see I was in the wrong. Sorry, Senpai." he said seriously before walking away with Junpei. My eyes followed them for a moment before I shrugged and turned back to Yukari, who was looking at me with an apologetic frown. I sighed and settled in.

Fuuka arrived a few minutes later and sat next to me, working on something on her laptop. "It's good to see you here again, Senpai…" she said quietly. I nodded at her. As I looked around, it seemed like everyone was here but our squad leader.

As soon as I considered that, the front door opened to admit Minato. He strolled in nonchalantly as ever, and as he passed by the couch, Fuuka turned to look at him. "Minato… are we going to Tartarus tonight?"

"Not tonight, I don't think. I need to figure some things out before we can go again." I frowned and turned to look at him as well, and our eyes briefly met as I caught him looking back at me. He quickly turned his gaze away as he headed for the stairs to the bedrooms. I frowned as I wondered what he was thinking. I couldn't guess. I never could, with him.

I shook my head in confusion as I rose and stretched. "Well, if we're not going to Tartarus tonight, I'm going to catch up on my sleep…"

Fuuka gave me a small smile as I passed her by. "Goodnight, Senpai."

The day of the class trip came quickly, and that morning most of the junior and senior student body found themselves awaiting the train to Kyoto at Iwatodai station. The students had been separated into groups by class and grade, and I stood off to one side, away from the bustle of my classmates. I was lost in thought again. It seemed like that was my only escape, lately.

I was going over more memories of my childhood when a familiar voice caught my attention. "Hey, Mitsuru." I turned my head to see Akihiko approaching me.

I forced myself to smile as he neared. "Good morning, Akihiko."

He smiled back at me as he nodded, looking around the station at the assembled students. "It is a good morning, isn't it?" he mused, before looking back at me. "I'm glad you decided to come. Yukari said you were thinking of skipping out on the trip."

I frowned and stared down at the tracks. "You shouldn't be. I'm probably going to bring everyone's mood down."

He shook his head. "Or maybe everyone else will bring your mood up."

I gave him a sidelong glance. I wasn't convinced. "Maybe."

He heaved a sigh. "Look, Mitsuru… I know you're still thinking about your father. I know I can't imagine what you're going through right now, and I definitely know I can't wave my hands and make this all better." I turned to face him, wondering what he had to say.

He looked uncomfortable. I sympathized; he was good with his fists, not his words. Despite that, he continued. "But I guess I wanted to remind you that you're one of the most impressive people I've ever known. I admire you. You're strong, intelligent, and you stay composed in situations that would make the rest of us crack."

I looked down again. "My father taught me to be all of those things…"

I felt him set his hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at him again to see that the smile had returned to his face. "I know. I only met him a few times, but it always struck me how alike you two were. You really are your father's daughter." He looked serious as he met my eyes. "And as long as you live, a part of him will live on, too."

I blinked in surprise for a moment before I felt myself smile again, this time sincerely. "...Thank you, Aki. Hearing that does help."

His smile remained as he let his hand fall from my shoulder. A moment later, an announcement rang out through the station. "The train to Kyoto is arriving. Passengers, please prepare to board."

Akihiko glanced over his shoulder at the approaching train. "Guess that's our ride. I better go rejoin my class group. I'll see you there, Mitsuru." He said as he turned to leave.

"Yeah. I'll see you there…" I replied thoughtfully as I watched him go.

The ride passed uneventfully, and when we arrived in Kyoto we were quickly whisked away to the hotel the group would be staying at. The interior was done in classical style; paper walls, tatami floors, low tables, and even an open-air hot spring. The students oohed and awed as they passed through the lobby, a teacher waving us along to our rooms. "Boys on the second floor, girls on the third floor. Keep it moving, guys. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I felt someone tap my shoulder as I headed for the stairs, and turned to see Yukari following me. "Senpai! Share a room with me?"

I sighed, and smiled a little at her persistence. "Very well, Takeba. Let's go." We climbed the stairs together, and took one of the unoccupied rooms that had been reserved ahead of time by the school. We looked around the room as we stepped inside. It was traditional, much like the rest of the hotel. Futon beds lined one wall. The only modern amenities were the lights and the TV in one corner off the room.

"This is a really nice place…" Yukari said as she sat down on one of the beds.

I sat on the one next to her. "It reminds me of some of the family homes."

She gave me a look. I sighed again. "I guess I'll take you up on your offer…"

She smiled and nodded, turning to face me. "Wonderful!"

I turned to face her as well, and an awkward silence settled over us. "What do I do, exactly…?" I asked her, frowning both with confusion and embarrassment.

Yukari looked a little perplexed. "I mean… it's up to you. Do you feel like you need to get anything off your chest? Anything you need to talk through?"

I looked away. "Definitely, but… I don't know where to start."

She looked thoughtful. "Why don't you start by telling me about your dad? I didn't really know him. I'm sure you have lots of stories to tell."

A small part of me protested at the idea, but I nodded. "Alright…" I hesitated for a long moment before closing my eyes and focusing on my memories. "The thing I miss most about him is how supportive he was. I was his only daughter, and he did everything he could to make sure I'd grow up happy and strong."

I smiled wistfully. "He's the reason I am who I am. He taught me how to study, why I should learn. When the shadows came and turned our lives upside-down, he taught me how to fight, and protected me however he could…" I opened my eyes to look at Yukari as I realized what it was that I wanted to say. "I feel like everything I've done up to this point was to make him proud… I don't know what I'm doing now that he's gone."

Yukari gave me a serious look. "I know what that's like. I was absolutely a daddy's girl for as long as he was alive, and when he died, well… I thought it was the end of my life, too." Her expression was sad, but I could see the steel in her eyes as she continued. "It took me awhile to realize that by moping, I wasn't living the life he wanted me to. Just because he was gone didn't mean his wishes were, too."

I gave her a weak smile. "I'm sure your dad would be proud of who you've become, Takeba."

She frowned at that. "And you don't think yours would be proud of you?"

"I'm not sure, I-..." I trailed off as I remembered the night he died.

"You've done well, Mitsuru. I'm proud of you." He'd said that to me when he pulled me aside to speak privately. It wasn't the only time he'd said that, either.

Of course he was proud of me. He'd always been. I was my father's daughter, as Akihiko had said.

I realized I was staring into space, and turned to look at Yukari again. "So… you think I should carry on as I was, even though he's gone?" It still felt like a bit of a bitter resolution.

Yukari shook her head. "No. I think you should be Mitsuru."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

She smiled encouragingly at me. "Do what you think is right. Do what makes you happy. Be the best you that you can be." she leaned forward as she spoke. "I think what would make your father happiest of all is for you to be happy, no matter how it is you get there."

I was quiet for several long moments. I hadn't thought of it that way before. I'd spent so much of the last ten years feeling guilty for my family's crimes, feeling like I'd had to measure up to my father's legacy, that I'd never really given a second thought to it all. I was my father's daughter… regardless of how I might grow or change.

"It still hurts… knowing that he's gone…" I said softly, and I saw her smile falter. I shook my head at her as I slowly smiled. "But what you say is true. I think I can find my direction again. I think I can carry on."

Yukari sighed, looking relieved. "That's the first step."

I nodded seriously at her. "Thank you, Takeba. I'm glad you reached out to me."

She gave me a sheepish smile. "You can call me Yukari, you know. Everyone else does."

I tensed a little. Formality was ingrained in my behavior. The thought of calling her by her first name was a little alien to me. It had taken me two years to be able to call Akihiko by his. I forced myself to relax as I nodded again. "Okay then… Yukari it is. Thank you, Yukari."

We passed the rest of the evening in comfortable conversation, and for the first time in two weeks, I started to feel alive again.

I spent most of the Kyoto trip together with Yukari, Fuuka and Aigis, who frequently seemed like she was going to overheat with the sheer number of questions she had to ask about the storied city. For once, I let my work get away from me and spent my time having fun. By the last day of the trip, I could feel a bond with Yukari that I knew I could depend on in the future.

I sat on my bed in our hotel room, reading the single book I'd brought with me for the trip. It was the last evening we'd be in Kyoto, and things had quieted down now that many of the students were getting ready to return home. I glanced up at my bag, my clothes folded beside it but not yet packed away. It wasn't like me to procrastinate, but experimenting with myself would have to start small.

I looked up as the door opened and Yukari stepped inside. "Hey, Mitsuru!" She greeted me cheerfully. She seemed excited.

I smiled at her as I set my book aside. "Good evening, Yukari. What's new?"

She grinned at me. "Want to join me and the other girls in the hot spring? It's our last chance. It shouldn't be too crowded now, since it's evening."

I pondered for a moment. "Is it the girls' shift now?" I said as I stood up. The hot spring here seemed to rotate its time evenly between girls-only and boys-only, a fact which had irked some as it effectively set a schedule of when anyone could actually use the spring.

Yukari nodded, and I felt my cheeks heat just a little. "I've never been in a hot spring before."

She winked at me. "Now's a perfect chance to try it."

I smiled again as I relented, walking over to my piled clothes. "Very well… let me get changed, and I'll join you."

A few minutes later, Fuuka, Yukari, Aigis and I stepped into the hot spring. The evening chill that had hit us as we opened the door quickly dissipated as we settled into the steam and warm water.

The experience seemed to be a new one to Fuuka as well, and she gasped and shook a little as she adjusted to the water. "I-it's even hotter than I'd expected!" she squirmed and splashed, looking uncomfortable both with the heat and with her state of dress.

Yukari laughed, taking the girl's hand and guiding her over to the collection of boulders set in the middle of the spring. Around it the floor was elevated enough for people to sit comfortably without drowning themselves, and as Fuuka settled down she seemed to relax. "Okay… this is better." Yukari sat down next to her, and I approached and sat beside Yukari a moment later.

Aigis was fascinated by our steamy surroundings. "This water is heated geothermally rather than mechanically. Is that why it is proposed to have healing qualities?"

Yukari gave her a quizzical look. "Uhm…"

Aigis didn't seem perturbed. "My persona cannot heal. Perhaps if I was geothermally powered…"

I shook my head and smiled, simply enjoying the warm water and the company.

Suddenly, something like a voice rang out over the waters.

Fuuka froze. "Is someone else in here?"

Yukari also seemed a little tense. "I didn't see anyone else come in here… Who else would be here this late?"

I looked around. "Maybe a ghost?" I joked.

Yukari looked mortified, and for a moment I wondered if she seriously believed a ghost was haunting the hot springs. "Perhaps we should have a look around." I suggested after they spent another moment in silence.

That seemed to rouse them. Fuuka and Yukari nodded and rose to their feet, starting to slowly explore around the springs. It wasn't a large area, so it likely wouldn't take them long to find anything. I watched the door, making sure nobody else entered or left.

Off to my side, Aigis had a serious look on her face. "I will keep watch for this ghost. If it is dangerous, I will not allow it to harm you three." She took a position to my right, scanning back and forth around the steamy pools. She seemed a bit agitated. "The steam appears to be limiting my perception…"

For a moment, the only sound was the splashing of people walking through the water. Suddenly, Aigis spoke up. "There! A shadow!" She cried as she raised her hands and pointed her fingers at an indistinct form in the mist. Her fingertips fell back to expose her guns as she prepared to fire.

"W-wait, don't shoot!" A male voice cried. Aigis stopped, and lowered her hands with a confused look on her face.

"Shadows do not speak." She said simply.

I growled as I realized what was happening, getting to my feet and moving over to stand beside her. "Goddamnit. Akihiko?!"

From the mist emerged four figures - Junpei, Akihiko, Ryoji and Minato. The first three were looking sheepish and embarrassed. Minato looked almost as annoyed as I was, and he kept glancing at the other three in an almost accusatory fashion. "Fuuka, Yukari, get over here. We found the 'ghost'."

I could hear splashing again as they returned, and Yukari looked indignant as she caught sight of the boys. "What the hell?"

Fuuka seemed like she wanted to curl up into a ball, and she covered her face as her cheeks turned bright red. "Oh, oh no…"

I glared at the assembled peepers. "You better have a great explanation for this."

"I… I… we…" Junpei stammered. Ryoji and Akihiko didn't even try.

Minato, however, seemed to have no trouble finding his voice as he stared me down. "We got in here when it was the boys' turn. I guess we must've overstayed, and they switched it to girls while we were still here. It's not our fault they don't check if anyone's inside…"

I was unconvinced. "How very convenient for you all." I narrowed my eyes at him as I spoke.

Minato wasn't fazed. "I'm telling the truth. We're not perverts." He paused as he looked back and forth between me and the other three boys. "Or, at least, I'm not."

I raised an eyebrow at him, before shaking my head and pointing stiffly at the door back into the hotel. "Get out of here now, before I have you all executed. And I don't want to hear any stories floating around a week from now about what you saw when you snuck into the hot springs…"

The boys were all too eager for a chance to leave, and they were gone quickly. Fuuka seemed to be calming down a bit, and Yukari turned to me as she shook her head. "Honestly, I think I would have executed them if I'd caught them by myself. Merciful Mitsuru saves the day."

My cheeks heated a little at her teasing. "Let's just enjoy the springs…"

The rest of the night passed peacefully, and soon it was morning again and time for us to depart. Students gathered in the lobby, talking to each other about their trip while they waited for the teachers to arrive. I walked down the stairs alongside the rest of the girls. "This was a good trip." Yukari reflected as we stepped into the lobby.

"Agreed." I responded. Fuuka and Yukari smiled, while Aigis seemed to be deep in thought as usual.

The mood of the group fell as we passed by the boys of SEES, who all seemed to be sitting together, brooding on the events of the night before. Yukari and Fuuka pointedly avoided looking at them as we passed them by, but I couldn't help sneaking a glance at them as we headed across the room.

Junpei and Ryoji were looking away, clearly uncomfortable. Akihiko had his head in his hands, his shame and upset evident. I felt a little bad for him, despite myself. Minato was…

Minato was staring at me again. When he realized I was looking at him he quickly looked away, like he'd done at the dorm before. I stopped walking for a moment, and Yukari glanced at me. "Is something wrong, Mitsuru?"

I shook my head and gave her a smile. "No, I'm fine. Let's grab a seat in the gift shop while we wait for the teachers." She nodded and we started moving again, but my thoughts were elsewhere.

What was up with Arisato?