A/N: I'm so sorry this is so late! I been extremely busy these last few weeks. But, I'd like to thank everyone that read and commented on the last chapter! I really hope you like this one as well. So far, this story has 15 alerts and 13 faves, but only 8 reviews? So please you guys, if you read this story leave a review! I don't care if it's just "cool story" or "good job", just please tell me what you think! Thanks~! :D

Early Morning

Monday

April 20, 2010

The next morning, Minako and Minato headed to school together again. They felt a lot better, and were ready to start the day.

By the gates, they heard someone calling out to them. Looking around, they see Yukari walking up to them.

"Morning! You guys seem to be doing pretty well." She says with a smile.

"Yup! I'm feeling good as new!" Minako says as she gives the girl a thumbs-up. "Right, Minato-kun?" She looks over at the boy, who nods.

"That's good!" Yukari cheers, before her expression turns serious. "Hey, sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you two today. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget!" She explains, before the bell rings. They all head into the school together.

Morning

Mr. Ono – History

"That's enough about mammoths... I don't see the big deal. They're just huge elephants!" Mr. Ono, the history teacher, says with a sigh.

"And that wraps it up for the Stone Age. I'm tired of lessons about stones... I'd rather talk about the Sengoku era! Japanese history's not that exciting until then! Though I'm paid to do this, so I've gotta... It's tough being an adult."

He looks down at his notes, "Next is, the Jomon period? When do the samurai get their day in the sun! Fine, I'll just ask a question at random and call it a day." He takes a look around the class, and his eyes land on a student, "Hmm... hey, Junpei! What was the style of houses in the Jomon period called?"

"Uhh... how am I supposed to know about something way back then? Quick Minato, Minako! What the heck is he talking about! Someone give me the answer quick!"

"Um, mud huts?" Minako says, turning to Minato for confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the answer." He says with a nod.

"Okay then! Mud huts!" Junpei answers, and Mr. Ono nods.

"That's correct. Mud huts were built by digging a hole in the ground and supporting the roof." He sighs, "It's no use! I can't get interested. Ugh, I wanna get to the age of katanas. Everything else is so dull..."

"Hey...! I answered right, and I don't get any credit?" Junpei frowns, "Tch. Oh well. Thanks, you guys."

The class begins to whisper among themselves, "They told Junpei the answer. They're really smart!"

Minato and Minako could hear them, despite them whispering. It seemed they had become slightly more popular...

After school

"Guys, thanks for earlier." Junpei tells the two transfers students after class was over. "By the way, why were you two absent for so long? Did ya guys take a vacation together or something?" He says with a smirk.

Minako blushes, "No! We were both sick, and had to stay in bed!" She crosses her arms.

"In bed... together?" The capped boy laughs when the girl's blush deepens.

"Agh! Why do I even try!" She turns to the blue-haired boy. "Hey, Minato-kun. We should go home early today. It seems we'll be discussing something important at the dorms." Minako states, whispering the last bit so Junpei couldn't hear.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

"See ya later, Junpei. And you better not start any rumors, ya hear!" The ruby-eyed girl warns him as she and Minato make their way out of the class.

Evening

When the two teens return to the dorm, they notice that no one is in the lounge.

"They must all be on the 4th floor already." Minato says as he heads for the stairs. "We better not keep them waiting..."

"Yeah." Minako says as she follows the boy. They make their way up to the designated floor, and they spot Yukari waiting for them.

"Oh! You guys made it on time. Come on," She opens a door, and leads them inside.

Inside, the teens see Mitsuru, the Chairman, and another boy sitting around a table, which has a silver suitcase on it.

"Ah, you're both here. I'm glad that you two are okay." Ikutsuki says with a smile. "The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you both. Please, have a seat."

The two transfer students do as they're told, and take a seat next to one another on the couch.

"Oh, before that. I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko." Ikutsuki says, as he motions to the silver-head seated next to him.

"How ya' doing?" Akihiko asks with a smile.

"Good, thanks." Minako answers for the both of them.

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?" The chairman asks.

The ruby-eyed girl blinks, "Um... no." She replies.

"Do you remember the night you came here?" Mitsuru speaks up, "You had to have noticed the signs... The streetlights went out, nothing was working, and there were coffins everywhere. Didn't it feel like you were in a different time? That's the Dark Hour – a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Hidden?" Minato asks.

"I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of. But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every night to come." Ikutsuki explains.

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins." Akihiko starts off, "But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You saw those creatures... we call them Shadows. They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. Sounds exciting, huh?"

Mitsuru frowns, "Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just go hurt the other day!" The two Seniors glare at each other.

Ikutsuki intervenes, "Now, now. He does his work well." Mitsuru and Akihiko sigh and look away.

"Long story short," The chairman continues, "We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru's the leader, and I'm the club advisor."

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse." Mitsuru tells them. "They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

Minako tilts her head, "So, how do you fight them?"

Ikutsuki adjusts his glasses, "Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's 'Persona' - the power you both used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

"I see..." Minako nods.

"I'm glad you're quick to understand."

Mitsuru gets up, reaches for the silver suit case, and opens it. Two guns and two red arm bands are inside.

"What he's trying to say is, we want the both of you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for each of you." She points to the guns. "We'd like you to lend us your strength."

The two teens turn to each other, and silently make their decision. They turn to Mitsuru and nod, "Alright." They say simultaneously.

Yukari lets out the breath she was holding, "I was afraid you guys would say no..." She smiles, "Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad." Ikutsuki says with a small bow.

Minato and Minako smile at their new teammates, before a mysterious voice rings in both of their heads.

'Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana...'

The mysterious voice fades away, and the two teens turn to look at each other. They feel their inner strength growing. This must be what Igor meant by Social Links...

Minato and Minako's thoughts are interrupted when Mitsuru hands them their evokers and arm bands.

"Keep these items close by, especially when we're conducting missions during the Dark Hour. Don't worry, we won't start with missions right now. You both need time to absorb all this new information, and you must be tired from your hospital stay, so why don't you two head to bed?" She suggests, and they do as they're told.

Dark Hour

Minato was sound asleep when he heard his door being opened. Opening his eyes, he spots Minako, who rubs the back of her head.

"Um, Minato-kun? Sorry to barge in, but there's someone who wants to talk to us..." The girls says, before she moves aside, revealing a little boy in black and white striped clothes.

"Hi, how are you?" The mysterious boys asks with a smile.

Minato turns to the girl, "Who is this?" He asks.

Minako shrugs, "I don't know. He woke me up and told me to come here to your room because he had something to tell us."

The boy takes a seat on Minato's bed, "We've all met before." He says, and the two teens realize that he's the boy they met on their first night in the dorm.

"Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell the both of you." He reveals to them.

"The end?" Minato asks, sitting up in bed.

"The end of everything." The boy frowns, "But to be honest, I don't really know what it is." He gets up from his sitting position.

"Oh, looks like you've both awakened to your powers... and such unusual powers indeed. Powers that take many forms, yet are bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up." The boys disappears, only to materialize at the foot of Minato's bed.

"Do you remember when we first met? I expect both of you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching you both, even if you forget about me... Okay then, I'll see you two later." The boy disappears again.

Minako shakes her head, "Okay... That was definitely creepy..." She comments. "I going to head to bed now, that is, if I can get some sleep after seeing this." She smiles, "Good night, Minato-kun!" She exits his room, and returns to her own.

The blue-haired boy goes back to sleep, his thoughts still on the mysterious boy.

April 21, 2009

Tuesday

Early Morning

Minako exits her room and shuts her door. She smooths out her black skirt, before she places her hand on her mouth, stifling a yawn.

"Tired?" A voice calls out, startling her. She opens her eyes, and sees Minato standing next to the stairs, a small smile on his face.

"Oh, Minato-kun!" She smiles sheepishly as she makes her way over to him. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. This is kinda embarrassing to say but," She starts off, a dust of red on her cheeks. "I-I couldn't go back to sleep last night, after our meeting with that boy..." She admits.

The blue-haired boy lets out a soft chuckle. "Hey! Don't laugh...!" The girl exclaims, crossing her arms as a pout made its way onto her face.

Minato's smile grows, 'She's cute when she's mad...' He thinks to himself before a blush spreads onto his cheeks when realization strikes him. 'Why did I just think that? That's not like me...' He shakes his head to clear his mind.

"Just... try not to fall asleep in class again." He tells hers quietly as he quickly descends the stairs, trying to hide his blush from her.

Minako raises an eyebrow at his odd behavior before her eyes widen, "W-wait for me!" She quickly runs after him.

Front Gates

Once they arrived at school, Minato and Minako were greeted by Yukari. She waves, "Morning! Hey, I wanted to thank you two for yesterday. Akihiko-senpai's injured, and I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai."

"Leave it to us." Minato says with a nod of his head.

The girl brightens up, "Yeah! Let's do our best together!" Her expression then changes and she frowns. "But, I wonder when Senpai's injury is going to heal..."

"Was Senpai hurt badly?" Minako asks, worried about the older male. He didn't seem to be in any discomfort when they met last night.

Yukari shakes her head, "He said that it wasn't a major injury." The ruby-eyed girl nods, before the bell rings and they head into the building.

After School

After class was over, Yukari turned around in her seat to face the two transfer students. She lets out a sigh as she rubs her eyes, "Ugh, I thought I was going to fall asleep..."

"You're telling me..." Minako mumbles, her head buried in her arms. Fatigue was catching up to her because of her lack of sleep. Her eyes were just beginning to close when she heard the door open. Lazily, she lifts up her head, and spots Mitsuru making her way towards them.

"Can I have a minute?" The red-head asks, and the three teens nod. "Come to the command room when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone. I'll save the details for later. See you there." She turns, and exits the room as quickly as she came.

"That was fast..." Minako mutters as she lays her head back down.

Yukari frowns, "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us."

"Whoa, Yuka-tan!" Junpei exclaims as he make his way to their seats, "Do I sense some hostility?" He asks, his eyebrow raised.

The girl lets out a sigh, "Well, it's not that I don't like her... She's just..." She trails off with a shrug. She then gets up and grabs her things, "I better head to practice, I'll see you two at the dorm." She leaves.

"I guess it's time for Junpei to hit the old dusty trail too." The capped boy says. "I've got some stuff to take care of... See you two soon!" He smiles and leaves as well.

Minato shakes his head, "Guess it's just you and me..." He says as he turns to the girl next to him. He flinches when he hears her snoring softly. "Ugh... I told you not to fall asleep!" He mutters as he begins the tedious task of trying to wake her up.

Evening

Minato held the door open for Minako, who was slowly making her way in.

"I hope this meeting doesn't take too long. I just want to get to bed!" The girl whines as she heads for the stairs. "And why do we have to meet at the command room, and not here in the lounge. It's too many steps to climb, and I'm SO tired!"

"Hey, you guys made it on time!" A voice comes from the dining room. Yukari walks into the lounge, a cup in her hand. "Here, Minako. Maybe this will give you some energy. You'll need it because I have a feeling this meeting is going to take a while." She hands the girl the cup.

"Thanks, Yukari!" Minako swirls the brown liquid, before sipping some. She instantly brightens, "Hey, I'm feeling better!"

Minato smiles, "Now you can walk up to the 4th floor, right?" He asks, and the girl gives him a thumbs up.

The trio makes their way to the command room, and when they enter they notice Akihiko and Mitsuru are already there.

"Welcome back." The red-head greets them.

"We were waiting for you. There's someone I wanna introduce." Akihiko says as he makes his way to the door.

The three younger teens glance at each other in confusion.

"Hey, hurry up." The silver-head teen calls out into the hallway.

The sound of wheels on the floor is heard, as well as a voice. "Hold your horses... This is freakin' heavy." Akihiko returns into the room, with none other than Junpei behind him.

The capped boy places his bags down and chuckles, "Wazzup?" He grins at the shocked expressions on the teens' faces.

"J-JUNPEI! Why are YOU here?" Yukari exclaims with a frown.

"Oh, so you all know each other already, huh?" Akihiko asks.

Yukari scoffs, "Barely. But, why is he here?"

"Junpei will be staying here as of today." The older male explains, and Yukari's eyes widen more.

"What! He's staying HERE? You've gotta be kidding me!"

The silver-head shakes his head, "I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yukari is shocked, "You have the potential! For real?"

Junpei nods, "He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but... man, that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal... in the beginning. Like being confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

"Uh huh." Minako answers. It never happened to her or Minato, but she was going to tell that to Junpei.

"Oh... that's good. You should, since you're a persona-user." He smiles, "But man, was I shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea! I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know. I bet you're stoked too, right? Havin' me join..."

Yukari winces slightly, "Uh y-yeah..." She answers with a weak smile.

"Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready..." Akihiko says, just as the Chairman walks in.

"Okay," The older man starts off, "Everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to six. Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"Tartarus?" Junpei scratches his head, "What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari asks him, and the boy shakes his head.

Ikutsuki folds his hand on his lap, "It's no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour."

The capped boy tilts his head, "The Dark Hour?"

"Just like the Shadows. Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest." The silver-head Senior explains.

"Whoa..." Junpei drawls out in awe. "Their nest, huh?"

Yukari looks over at her Senpai in concern, "But, Senpai... what about your injury?"

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance." Mitsuru answers.

Akihiko sighs, "Yeah, I know."

The brown-eyed girl is still uneasy, "I'm not so sure about this..."

Junpei punches the air with his fist, "Relax! I've got your backs!" He says with a confident smile.

Mitsuru turns to Ikutsuki, "What about you, Mr. Chairman?"

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."

"Okay then. Does everyone have their evokers and equipment?" The members nod, "Then, let's head to Tartarus."

Late Night

Gekkoukan High School – Front Gate

Junpei looks around at his surroundings, "This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?" He asks, seeing nothing of interest.

Akihiko pulls out his cell, "Just wait a few minutes... It's almost midnight." He counted down and when the clock striked twelve, the night of the transfer students' arrival replayed.

Dark Hour

The sky turned a dark green, and the clouds parted to reveal and eerie, yellow moon. The streetlights went out, and a screeching sound made the newest members of SEES turn to look at their school.

It was as if the school was completely torn apart, and placed together again with buildings sticking out here and there. The school was now a giant tower, intimidating those below.

"This is Tartarus." Mitsuru speaks up, while the three newbies gaze at the tower with amazement. "It's the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

Junpei shook his head, obviously not believing this. "Labyrinth...? What are you talking about? What happened to our school?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal." The red-head explains.

"This is the 'nest' you were talking about? But, why? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?"

Mitsuru stays quiet. "You don't know, either?"

The Senior finally lets out a quiet, "No."

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari adds.

Akihiko looks up at the tower, "Well, maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..."

"Akihiko," Mitsuru turns to her classmate, "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today.

The Senior frowns, "I know... you don't have to remind me."

Tartarus

The SEES members enter the tower.

"Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside..." Junpei exclaims as he runs around like a child.

"But, it sure is creepy..." Yukari says as she looks at her surroundings.

"This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs." Mitsuru explains.

Akihiko turns to them, "First, we'll have you four get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?"

Yukari gasps, "What! By ourselves?"

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here with these." Mitsuru hands each of them an ear-piece.

"We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? One of us?" Junpei's eyes light up, "Oh! Oh! ME! ME! ME! Pick me!"

Akihiko eyes skim over Junpei and land on Minato. "Minato, you're in charge."

The capped boy frowns, "W-wait! Why him? He doesn't look like a leader!"

"He'll be First in command, meaning you'll take orders from him as long as he's around. If he's not available, then Second in Command will be leader..."

Junpei raises his hand, "Oh! I'll be Second! It's not as great as First, but I'll still get to give orders!"

Akihiko looks at him, "Sorry, but Minako will be Second in Command."

"Seriously? But, she's a girl!"

"So what if she's a girl? Just because she's not a male, doesn't mean she's won't be fit for the job." Mitsuru scolds the boy.

"It makes sense that they're the leaders. After all, they have fought them before." Yukari tells Junpei.

"Really?" He turns to the two transfer students.

"That's true, but there's another reason." Akihiko pulls out his Evoker and places it against his head, "You two. Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties like them?"

"Y-yeah, of course I can!" Junpei says as he crosses his arms.

"I think so..." Yukari says.

The Senior lowers his Evoker. "These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that."

"All right, let's head inside. Are you ready, Minato, Minako?"

"We're ready." The two leaders answer simultaneously.

"That's the spirit."

They make their way towards the entrance, but something catches the eyes of the leaders. A strange door is sitting in the corner of the lobby.

"What's the matter?" Yukari asks when she notices the two teens wondering off.

Minako and Minato look down at their hands, and see the Velvet Keys shining in their hands. The keys come together and fit into the door's keyhole as if it was being sucked in...

Velvet Room

The two teens open their eyes, and are greeted by Igor. "I've been waiting for you. The time has come for you to wield your powers. The tower that you are about to venture into... how did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?"

Minato and Minako turn to each other, sharing a shrug.

"Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your powers."

"The nature of our power?"

"Your powers are unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. You are both able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed. And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibilities before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your powers will grow accordingly. Be sure to keep that in mind."

"My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again on your own accords. I'll tell you then about my true role... the manner in which I can best assist you two. Until then, farewell."

The room begins to fade, and when the teens opened their eyes again, they found themselves back in the lobby of Tartarus.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Yukari asks, as she and Junpei come up from behind them.

"Yeah, what's up? You two look like zombies." Junpei adds.

Minako motions behind them, "We opened this door, and..." She trails off when the two teens give them weird looks.

"Huh? What door?" The brunette looks around.

"Man, are you guys loco?" The capped boy says twirling his finger against his forehead in the "crazy" gesture.

The two transfer students look at one another, before sharing a shrug, for it seems they are unable to see the door.

"Have you guys been nodding off? You both seem kinda out of it." Yukari says, giving them a concerned look.

"Dudes, you're s'posed to be our leaders! Get your heads in the game!" Junpei tells them, shaking them by their shoulders.

Minato sighs, "Fine, forget it. Let's just get going." He heads towards the stairs, the others following at his heels.

"Are you ready?" Mitsuru asks them.

"Yeah." The blue-haired leader says with a nod.

"Okay. Be careful." She offers them some last minute advice, before the group enters the labyrinth, not knowing what was in store for them.

A/N: Sorry if some parts are a bit rushed, I just wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. Next chapter will be the exploration of Tartarus!

~Rewiew Replies~

Grey Soul: Hey, thanks for the input! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I think you're going to have to wait for some of your questions to be answered! :D But, as for their compendiums, they will share one. Both are able to use each others' personas, but they cannot share the one they are currently equipped with. I hope that makes sense, and answers your question. Thanks again, and I hope you like this chapter as well.

codename710: Hi, thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and the summoning part! :D I hope you like this chapter as well. Also, Minako likes Minato as a friend right now, but things will slowly change for the two of them! ^^

Kaizer23: Hey, thanks for the review! Ah, you're going to have to wait a bit longer for those questions to be answered! ;D But, don't worry, it'll all make sense soon! Well, I hope you like this chapter too~! ^^