Guiding Light
A Persona 3 AU Fanfiction
By Chris D Henry
Summary: In the year 1999 the sealing of Death within Arisato Minato was the last option left in order to stop the coming of Nyx. However this action had unexpected side effects that wouldn't be realised until two years later, when the soul of Death separates into a separate mortal body. In the Year 2009 Minato once again returns to Iwatodai where the events of that night 10 years ago once again start to affect his life. The real question however is; who is the white haired child who calls himself Pharos and why does he keep warning Minato about the difference between fate and destiny.
Author's Notes: Well you know, I've follow the theory that you can pick out a lot about your audience just by browsing through the reviews they leave behind. Let's just say that the focal points for chapter three seem to be, characterisation, expensive prototype technology, speculation that Ryoji has an army armed with anti-Shadow weapons preparing to descend upon Iwatodai and to quote something that's already been mangled out of context, 'passionate monkey sex'.
Also to answer a worry about the speed of the main pairing in this. It's going to take a while, Mitsuru has family caused issues that would stop her from pursuing such a relationship and Minato have to get over the fact that she seems to be well out of his league. Plus I'm going to be a bit busy figuring out how the hell I'm going to twist all the other romantic social links to something more plutonic without losing any of the stories behind them.
Disclaimer: The plot, characters and location of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 is copyright of Atlus Co. This piece of fan-fiction has been written for entertainment purposes and no infringement is intended. The alteration to the original Persona 3 contract was suggested by Darkforce222 (and as it was so much more elegant than mine I decided to stick with it).
Chapter 4:
Monday, 20th of April 2009. 12:47
Fortunately the morning lesson had been history with Ono-sensei; as such he didn't have to worry too much about what was actually said during the lecture. After all, everyone usually had to rely on their textbooks anyway.
It allowed him to contemplate Tartarus.
Not that he actually knew much about it in the first place. All he knew was it was somewhere that Ryoji needed him to go, and that meant that somehow trouble wouldn't be that far behind... Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. After all he didn't even know what sort of place Tartarus was, its location or what was inside. Maybe his paranoia was getting the best of him...
Yeah right.
He'd taken a quick trip down to the sports section to see if he could use Akihiko's advice about using a school club to train. As it turned out three teams were about to open their doors to new recruits: the swimming team, the track team and the kendo team. After having a quick chat with the instructors, which led to a bitter argument between the track and swimming coaches, he excused himself and headed back to the homeroom.
He pretty much ruled out swimming team, although the sport would help improve his stamina. He had lived with the Dark Hour for years and this had caused him to become efficient with his actions. There was a chance that, because his stamina would be increasing as the result of extra effort, he would start to unconsciously use a greater effort elsewhere and in the end what he gained would just equal what he had lost. In the end he decided that building up his stamina should be done gradually during the Dark Hour. The killing blow however was the fact that swimming wouldn't help him in his search for ways to shore up holes in his combat technique.
The track team ended up coming a close second. The activities would help him develop the ability to make rapid movements... It's a shame that it wasn't really the right form of rapid that he required. Track team would teach him to sprint fast and jump high or long, but it wouldn't cover the lightning reflexes he'd need for close range evasion.
That left kendo, which to be honest was probably the best choice as it would teach the teen an actual sword fighting style. Granted it would be completely different from the one that he was using to face the Shadows, but he was sure there were aspects that he would be able to learn and apply with a one-handed blade. There was also the fact that there could be times where he could use a two handed sword in combat against Shadows. Also, sparring would help him develop the reflexes that the track team wouldn't.
In a way he was glad that the kyudo team wasn't taking new members. Although kyudo would have been useful, there was a chance that it would have given Yukari ideas, which weren't really true.
Once he'd got back into the homeroom it didn't take long for Junpei to come over and start telling his latest dirty joke or for Yukari to come over and start berating 'Stupei', a nickname he found amusing and sadly quite apt, for wasting the blue-haired teen's time.
The gentle roar of chatting students suddenly fell silent as the sliding door opened and Kirijo Mitsuru entered the homeroom. The redhead barely glanced around; locking onto the trio she had been searching for, before she walked up to Minato's desk.
"Can I have a minute?" She seemed to only wait for the blue-haired teen to give, what was becoming a usual, nod of affirmation before continuing. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone."
"Oh, are we having that talk?" the larger of the two male juniors's asked.
The redhead seemed to regard the black-haired junior before turning her attention back to Minato and Yukari. "I'll save the details for later. See you there." What a slight nod she left.
"Wow..." Junpei muttered as he turned to the blue-haired teen. "She didn't waste any time leaving."
"She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us." The brunette replied, watching the redhead leave with a look of discontent.
"Whoa, Yuka-Tan!" The black-haired teen replied. "Do I sense some hostility?"
You'd have to be dumb, deaf and blind to miss it, and even then you'd still pick up the negativity.
"Well, it's not that I don't like her... She's just..." Yukari tried to explain.
"It's probably the fact she's the heiress to a large, rich, family run company." A silver eye locked on the door she'd left by as its owner waded into the speculation. "I'd suspect that there are a few issues there, which would cause her to keep her guard up."
"Heh, I bet that the politics would be enough to make normal people like us run for the hills" The other male added.
They had no bloody idea.
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. 18:14
He'd walked home with both Yukari and Junpei; after all they were all to attend this meeting so there was no real point of heading back separately. Once they reached the command room they noted that the Chairman, Mitsuru and Akihiko were already there, waiting for them.
The chairman stood up in greeting before ushering them to take a seat. "Okay, everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention."
If he started off with a bad pun, he'd get an undivided sword placed somewhere unpleasant.
"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had." the chairman explained, unwittingly saving himself from an uncomfortable end. "But, that number recently jumped to five. Therefore... Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."
"Sorry..." Junpei interrupted before asking a question that had been on Minato's mind as well. "I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?"
"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" The brunette asked with a look of surprise on her face.
"It's no surprise really," the Chairman stated at the look of confusion on Junpei's face. "Since it only appears during the Dark Hour."
Okay a place that only appeared during the Dark Hour... This could be the trouble he'd been expecting.
"Just like the Shadows... Interesting, huh?" Akihiko added. "And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."
"Whoa... Their nest, huh...?" the black-haired teen replied a look of excitement on his face.
A Shadow Nest... Change that speculation of trouble to what seemed to be a full guarantee.
"But, Senpai... what about your injury?" the brunette asked with a touch of concern.
"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance," the redhead replied before the boxer could say anything, the glare she shot his way stating that there would be no argument.
The boxer simply let out a sigh before commenting. "...Yeah, I know." His expression told everyone that he had wanted to finish that last sentence with: 'This sucks.'
"Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in," the Chairman assured. "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."
He watched as Junpei rose from his seat, a confident smirk on his face. "Relax; I've got your backs."
Obviously it was supposed to sound cool and invoke some confidence in the teen.
Yukari's "I'm not so sure about this..." Pretty much summed it up.
There was silence as everyone let the newest rookie sweat before Mitsuru finally showed pity by moving the subject on.
"What about you, Mr. Chairman?" the redhead asked.
"I'll stay here." The Chairman replied. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."
Why wasn't Minato surprised?
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. 23:59
When the group approached the closed gates of Gekkoukan High School, Minato was surprised to say the least, although it didn't really show through his mask of indifference. That wasn't the case with someone like Junpei who wore his emotions on his sleeve.
"This is-is? THIS is the place?" The teen gestured wildly towards the school building. "Why HERE?"
That was a very good question.
"Just wait a few minutes... It's almost midnight," Akihiko stated as he pulled out his cell phone, watching for the time to hit midnight.
Once it did as expected, a green tint lit everything up, water turned to the colour of blood and Akihiko's cell phone went dead.
What he wasn't expecting, however was for the school to start growing, twisting itself together, in ways that the teen would have considered impossible, into a form completely unrecognisable as it rose towards the moonlight. As he watched, his unobscured eyebrow rose at the spectacle and he was pretty confident his mask wouldn't be able to cover the surprise this time.
"This is Tartarus," Mitsuru stated the obvious. "The labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."
Junpei aptly summed it up. "Labyrinth...? What are you talking about!?" He started to gesture wildly towards the newly appeared structure. "What the fuck happened to our school!?"
"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal," Mitsuru assured as she reached into her pocket, obviously searching for the key to the school gate.
Hum, maybe this explained why half the faculty seemed to be... eccentric at the best of times.
"This is the "nest" you were talking about!?" the baseball-capped teen asked the boxer. "But, why!? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?"
Although the question was valid, the silence was palpable.
The taller junior took this silence as an admission of not knowing. "You don't know, either?"
The blue-haired teen had learned to look more into things, and the way the usually headstrong heiress couldn't bring herself to look at anyone, on top of the boxer's discomfort, clued him into the fact that they knew more than they were letting on...
Oh sod, here we go again. Minato wasn't sure he'd let himself be put through this if he didn't find the redhead attractive... Oh hell, the idiot had put ideas in his head.
"I'm sure it's complicated," the brunette stepped in. "Who cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."
There was that.
'We're more attuned. There is something behind it, something terrible that I can't remember. We're like this because we'll be involved in how this will end'
"Well, maybe now we'll find out," the boxer concluded. "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," the redhead mercilessly derailed the silver-haired senior. "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."
"I know..." The boxer could only sigh. "You don't have to remind me."
"Sorry to interrupt," the blue-haired teen intervened. "But I really don't want to know what happens to someone if they don't leave before the Dark hour ends."
A shiver ran through the group before they headed towards the entrance.
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. DH:03
To say the former Appriser was furious would be an understatement. The heir stormed into the secret Shadow research facility that stood in a small settlement about twenty miles from the edge of Iwatodai. Humanity's ingenuity was one of things he adored about them. That being said he wished they would stop trying to play god.
He couldn't stop the slight smile, which ruined his look of discontent, when he saw his advisor waiting for him with a similar look of annoyance on his face. "Hiroshi-San."
"Mochizuki-Sama," the advisor replied as he was picked up in the teen's wake. "I'm sorry. I sent you a message as soon as I..."
"This isn't your fault," the heir calmed his advisor. "This is mine. I should have known that they wouldn't listen."
"That doesn't excuse them," the advisor replied. "Your grandfather's stance on this was very clear. He expressly forbade any of the family companies from replicating anymore of the anti-Shadow technology after they created two time pieces you needed."
Two members of security stopped the approaching men, the scowl that appeared on the heir face causing them to take a step back. "If you value your jobs you will get out of our way."
"Mochizuki-Sama!" a voice called out behind them.
The heir turned to see a female attendant rushing towards them carrying his scythe and his black belt, which held his Evoker. Allowing his features to relax he shot the attendant a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"Mochizuki-Sama," the advisor looked at the weapons wearily. "Why do you need those?"
"Because if she goes berserk after awakening, I'm the only one within twenty five to thirty miles who has a chance of stopping her," the teen snapped causing the advisor to take a step back. "... I'm sorry."
"Mochizuki-Sama...?" The old man place a comforting should on his charge's shoulder.
"Nii-San will be in Tartarus by now," the blue-eyed teen admitted.
There was silence after that.
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. DH:07
The five teenagers entered through the doorway and into the first floor of the tower, the two seniors leading the way before they stopped the group in front of the staircase leading to the next floor.
"Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside..." Junpei whistled as he adjusted the belt that kept his imitation katana swung across his back.
"But, it sure is creepy..." Yukari added as she slipped a three-fingered glove on her drawing hand before checking the state of her practice bow.
"This is only the entrance," Mitsuru explained as she moved over to a motorcycle, checking a few pieces of equipment. "The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."
"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place," Akihiko explained. "Why don't you go have a look around?"
"What!? By ourselves!?" the brunette exclaimed.
"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here," the redhead stated from her motorcycle.
"So, you two didn't plan on coming in the first place?" the taller of the two male juniors asked suddenly feeling nervous.
"That's right," the boxer confirmed. "We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."
"For real? ...One of us?" It took a second to sink in before the baseball-capped started to bounce on his heels like an over-excited kid. "Oh! Oh! Me, me, me! Pick me!"
The blue-haired teen held back a groan, sensing that his friend's antics wouldn't help his case. By all rights superiority should be given to Yukari. After all she'd been a member longer than the other two explorers.
The boxer watched the teen's antics for a second, an unreadable look on his face before turning to look at Minato. "...You're in charge."
Err... Repeat that again.
"W-Wait! Why him!? He doesn't look like a leader!" Junpei protested.
Oh... Thanks for that.
"But, he HAS fought them before..." the brunette spoke up.
This caused the black-haired teen to stop his mini tantrum. "Seriously?"
"That's true, but there's another reason. You two..." The boxer drew his Evoker and pointed it at his head. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?"
Well to be fair the time he had evoked his Persona he'd fallen unconscious as a result.
"Y-Yeah, of course I can!" Junpei replied, his stutter not being much help in convincing anyone.
Yukari was a bit more honest. "I think so."
The silver-haired teen lowered the Evoker to his side. "These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed," he clarified his point.
"I'm aware of that," the brunette replied, a touch of worry still in her voice. Minato had stopped paying attention however.
The velvet-coloured door to his left distracted him.
'Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord.'
"Arisato?" the redhead addressed the blue-haired teen as he moved towards the door.
The teen didn't really pick up Mitsuru's call as he put his hand on the handle of the door, feeling the velvet key in his pocket start to hum as he opened the door with a flash of bright light.
This was the first time he had actually entered the room and not woken up already in his seat. As such he noticed some things about the room he hadn't before. First of which was the fact that this wasn't really a room but an elevator. He also noted that to each side of the table were a couple pieces of furniture covered with drapes. The final thing he's noticed was the golden lever behind Elizabeth, obviously the controls to the place.
"I've been waiting for you," Igor greeted as the visitor made his way over to the vacant seat. "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?"
The teen took the seat before noting in his head that if he knew the answers to what the old man was asking, he wouldn't be here.
"Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions." No Shit Sherlock. "That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."
"About that door..." the visitor inquired.
"It will bring you here, although no one but you can see it," the old man replied before continuing on. "Your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed."
"So I can adapt to situations as needed," the cobalt haired teen extrapolated.
"Indeed. You will also find that when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Be sure to keep that in mind." The old man let out an eerie smile before he started to wrap things up. "My spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role... the manner in which I can best assist you. Until then... Farewell."
There was another flash of light and Minato found himself once again facing a velvet door.
"Arisato?" A hand rested on his shoulder, giving him a light shake. "Are you alright?"
Quite frankly he was a bit put out to find that the hand belonged to Junpei.
"Yeah, what's up? You look like a zombie," said junior checked.
"I'm alright." The blue-haired teen watched as both of the female members breathed sighs of relief. Realising that he couldn't really think of a valid reason to be staring at a bit of wall, he gave a pretty generic response. "I guess I just zoned out there."
"Dude, you're supposed to be our leader," the other male junior stated with a sigh. "Get your head in the game!"
A silver eye lit up as a smirk came to his face. "You just want me to send you out there to hit some home runs."
"Hell yeah, dude!" The trademark silly grin came out in full glory.
"Well, try to not get run out at first base." Tapping the figure on the shoulder he moved slightly towards the steps. He wasn't sure what sort of leader he would be, but there was only one way to find out. "Okay, let's get this over with."
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. DH:14
"Who's in charge here?!" Mochizuki Ryoji shouted as he slammed his way through the doorway into the main lab.
A small group of scientists turned from what they were walking on to regard the incoming nuisance. "Well whoever you think you are you can..." One of the scientists responded before he realised just who he was talking to. "Mochizuki-Sama!"
The other two scientists backed away at the look of fury the heir's face.
"I just want to know one thing," the former Appriser started to ask. "How did you think that you were going to get away with following this line of research when Ojii-Sama expressly forbade it?"
The lead scientist, seemingly oblivious to the vibes his companions had picked up, replied to the heir with a smug bravado. "Well we have special permission from the board to..."
"The board don't have the right to override Ojii-Sama's decision!" Ryoji yelled. "This isn't our technology; we have no right be even doing this."
"But..."
"This ends now." Blue eyes locked on, just begging for the idiot in front of him to argue back.
At times like this he wished Nii-San was here. Nii-San wouldn't have blown a top. He would have calmly grilled these morons, all the while psyching them out with that certain flair only he could do, before moving in for a killer move that would leave none left in his path.
"But we just finished testing operations during the Dark Hour!" one of the other scientists joined the fray. "With this success all we have to do is install the Papillion Heart and..."
Silence filled the room.
Suddenly the fury left the heir, leaving an incredibly tired teen behind. "When did you get the chance to make a Papillion Heart?"
"Err... We didn't," the lead scientist admitted.
"Explain." Maybe it would be best to harvest these souls now.
"Specimen X5-11W-42 was discovered in storage at the underground military facility under Iwatodai." The scientist who had leaked the information admitted. "All accounts lead us to believe that the body was destroyed or it malfunctioned before it could be installed."
"You stole a Papillion Heart from the Kirijo Group." It was a statement. "Do you even know if it is stable?"
"All tests we have conducted show it should be stable," the lead scientist proudly stated.
"Right. From now on nothing happens without the express say so from either Ojii-Sama or me. If you've been stupid enough to put any markings on the body, I want them removed," the heir demanded. "Take me to the heart."
He was eventually led to an isolated area, through two levels of sterilisation before coming up to what he had been afraid of seeing. In a specially isolated case in front of him was one of the most amazing devices that the Kirijo Group had ever made... and one of the most terrifying.
"I'm so sorry," the heir muttered as he read the designation plague below the device.
METIS
--
Monday, 20th of April 2009. DH:18
When they had entered the door at the top of the stairs there had been a flash of light, and when their senses returned the trio had found themselves at the end of a corridor.
"So, this is it, huh...?" Junpei asked, as if either of the other two knew the answer.
"I hope I don't get lost..." Yukari muttered as she slipped an arrow out of her quiver.
"Can you all hear me?" They heard a voice broadcast into the transceivers they had attached to their wrists.
"Whoa!" Junpei jumped. "Is that you Sempai?"
"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out," the redhead announced.
"Wait... Ya mean... You can see inside here?" the teen wielding the katana asked.
"It's my Persona's ability," she explained. "I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."
"Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better..." Yukari muttered.
"So I take it that's what all that equipment is for?" the cobalt haired teen asked as he quickly scanned the surroundings.
"Indeed. Penthesilea is more battle-orientated than what would be ideal for analysis," the teen admitted. "However since she is all that we have, we need to compensate for her inadequacies."
"Alright," the leader replied.
"Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute," the redhead informed the trio.
"Left branch of the next junction, a bit away from us," the leader muttered without realising it.
"What? ..." the redhead asked as she checked her equipment to validate the mutterings. "That's pretty accurate. How are you...?"
"I'm not sure," the teen admitted. "I've always sensed an uneasiness about the Dark Hour; it seems to be more defined here."
"Give me a moment, I want to try something," the redhead disconnected as she started to fiddle with her equipment.
"What are you thinking?" the silver haired boxer asked as he took a seat on the lower stairs.
"If I'm right, Arisato is detecting the Shadows," the redhead explained. "If that is the case then he may have latent psychic abilities."
"Heh, he's a wild card that one," the teen replied with a look of respect.
Not realising that he'd unwittingly spoken the truth.
"Sorry for the wait," the redhead told the explorers as she re-established the connection. "I'm going to audio only; however the info on the screen should be useful."
Akihiko turned on his transceiver to see a floor layout with a red dot on it. "How did you...?"
"I can use Arisato as a focal point," the redhead explained. "He's like a beacon; it will take a lot less effort for me to lock onto his position so I focus more on what is surrounding them. In fact it may even allow us to reach higher than I anticipated."
"I don't get it," the voice of Junpei stated, cluing them in on the fact they'd left the connection open.
"Think of it this way," the voice belonging to the topic of conversation cut in. "Imagine that there are a group of people who have lost out at sea. Normally if you were out searching for them in a rescue helicopter, you'd have to scan the entire patch of ocean in order to locate them and once you had you may not be able to provide much assistance before you had to return to refuel. Well I think that is how Mitsuru-Sempai's ability would work normally."
"Alright I'm following you," the brunette nodded for the teen to continue.
"Now imagine if one of those people had an emergency beacon that the helicopter could lock onto. It would take the helicopter less time to find them and as such could provide a greater level of support before it had to leave." A thought suddenly came to the teen's head. "I take it that this means that support will start to diminish once we get higher?"
"I'm afraid so," the redhead admitted. "Although now that I have something to work with, I can see if there is a way to extend what limited capabilities Penthesilea has."
"Don't push her too hard," Minato gave a quick warning. "They are a part of our souls after all. So pushing her could have an impact on you."
"Anyway..." the black-haired member interrupted propping himself against his katana, "can we stop the lesson and kill something."
"Of course," the redhead responded as they returned to the task at hand. "The Shadows in that group shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."
"Got it," Yukari replied. She waited for the audio connection to drop before carrying on. "Why is she always like that...?"
"Heh. That's what you get with academics." Junpei shrugged. "What can you do?"
A lone silver eye glared at him. "Careful what you're saying. I'm considered an academic."
"That's the problem." A grin appeared on the black-haired teen's face. "Seriously dude, if you're gonna flirt at least do it like a normal person."
The look on their leader's face was priceless. "I wasn't flirting," he finally answered before his unobstructed eye narrowed. "In fact I helping you out you ungrateful idiot."
"Anyway, our glorious leader," Junpei ignored the counterattack, taking a quick peek around the corner. "How'd you want to sort out this guy?"
"Hum..." Minato quickly assessed the foe before giving a reply. "Ok, we wait for it to head the other way. I'll move in first and draw its attention, Yukari will launch an attack once its back is turned and then you're up Junpei."
"Heh, leading the charge are you?" the other male replied with a bitter tone.
"He's giving you the kill Stupei!" Yukari defended.
"Oh right," Junpei replied, looking appropriately mollified. "You really think it'll take all three of us to kill it?"
"Do you want to see the results if we gamble on two of us being able to take it out and fail?" the leader asked.
"I see your point," the other teen admitted as he prepared his katana.
"Okay, it's turned," Yukari pointed out.
After a moment to prepare, the leader rushed the Shadow, with sword in hand.
The Shadow didn't notice the attack until the last moment, and by then it was too late to fully dodge the swift strike the blue-haired teen had launched. The end result was the one of its hands had been severed; Minato didn't take time to enjoy his success as he made a quick evasion to the left slightly further down the corridor. With the Shadow now turned to face its attacker, Yukari released an arrow, which lodged itself in the Shadow's back causing it to howl in pain. Junpei moved in to give the final blow, ending the howl with a swing that looked to be more at home on a baseball field.
The cobalt haired teen let a small smile light his face as he gave his short sword a quick flick to get rid of the Shadow gunk, even though it vaporised off his blade.
That went well.
"What do ya know?" Junpei started as the trio regrouped. "It did take all three of us."
"Well at least we know that we can kill these things without summoning our Personas," Yukari stated.
"True," Minato noted. "We'd best move on."
"Tres bien," Mitsuru congratulated over the transceiver. "Now, we should work towards eliminating all the Shadows wandering around on this floor before calling it a night."
"We've got that Sempai," Yukari responded as the group started moving forward again.
The second batch of Shadows numbered two and had just turned towards the group as they came around the corner. This was a more standard fight.
"Arisato, I want to try something," Mitsuru stated as the teen avoided a strike. "I want you to concentrate on one of the Shadows. If this works I'll be able to do a detailed scan and give you some useful information."
"Alright," Minato replied as he watched Junpei swing at the other Shadow, which had moved to engage the teen and Yukari.
It took a few moments but Mitsuru came through. "It's weak against fire. Use agi skills."
No sooner than she had said this than the short sword was in a reverse grip in his off hand and the Evoker had been drawn and fired. Orpheus followed his master's bidding, pulling out his harp, playing a small tune that gathered the magic needed before finally releasing it in a burst of flames. The Shadow slumped, giving the teen enough him to casually move over and deliver a coup de grace.
By the time he was finished Junpei and Yukari were done.
"You okay?" he addressed the two.
"Ah I'm fine." Junpei stated rubbing his arm. "It was just a scratch."
"Just a scratch?" Yukari remarked as she moved over to him. "Yeah right." After realising that the Stupei was actually injured, she drew her Evoker, held it in both hands and, while it was pointed at her forehead, fired.
Minato saw Io for the first time as the Persona cured Junpei's wounds.
"Thanks Yuka-tan," The black-haired fighter smiled before they started moving again.
"There should be a staircase nearby. Do you see it?" Mitsuru came over the transceivers. "A staircase is the only way to proceed to the next floor. I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it next time."
"We've got that Sempai," Yukari replied as they took another turn.
Minato stopped them as they now noticed a group of three Shadows patrolling this corridor.
"Heh. It's like they're multiplying," Junpei remarked.
As the turned away Minato moved into the middle of the corridor and used his Evoker.
The first two were down before they even knew what was happening, the third one suffered from a three man tag team as once again the trio concentrated their attacks on the last one standing. With two left Junpei pulled out his Evoker and used it to summon Hermes, the Persona simply made a gesture and one of the Shadows left erupted in a ball of fire and Shadow mist. An arrow from the brunette killed off the last of the Shadows before it could recover.
"Whew." Yukari drew in a deep breath and adjusted her glove. "How do you make this look so easy?" she asked Minato, only to receive a shrug.
"Hey guys, look at this," Junpei beckoned them over. In the place they had defeated the last batch of Shadows hovered a tarot card. "I tried touching it but... nothing," the teen demonstrated.
"Weird," Yukari commented as she tried as well.
When Minato approached they split into three different cards.
"Heh, it needed your special touch again, eh?" Junpei joked as he went to have a look at the face side. "What the...? These are double backed!"
They weren't. Minato could see the faces since the cards had split, there was a sword, a coin and a picture of what he could only guess was a Persona. He watched as the cards turned to show their backs and then started to shuffle around.
'When you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you.'
He kept his eyes on the picture card the whole time and once they had settled he touched it.
To the others it looked like the card turned into an orb of light and hit the teen in the chest, Minato however felt the Persona Apsaras settle itself into a place within his soul.
"Minato-Kun!" Yukari exclaimed as the leader staggered for a second.
"I'm alright," the leader reassured. "I think I know what happened back at the first floor though."
After being forced to take a quick breather by the other two they continued onwards.
"Be careful, the next group seems bigger," Mitsuru announced. "It would be wise to make sure you're healed up before proceeding."
"Yukari, if you'd please."
"Hai, hai," the brunette responded as she summoned Io to cure up the entire party this time.
"This could be trouble," Junpei stated as he poked his head around the corner. As the blue-haired teen looked he understood why.
There were four of them.
"Alright here's the plan," their leader started. "Junpei and I will knock them down with fire spells. Yukari, you're on healing duty."
"Got ya," the brunette replied as she prepared.
As the group of four Shadows was at the other end of the corridor, the trio struck immediately. Minato and Junpei wasted no time in summon their Personas, Orpheus and Hermes causing two of the four to burst with flames, keeping them occupied. The other two, having seen the threat, started to charge. Yukari notched an arrow preparing to try and cause one of the last two to falter and hence lower the amount of healing required. It wasn't necessary however, for as soon as the Personas had vanished the trigger was pushed again causing the charges to fail as the Shadows were engulfed in flame.
"Hey Minato! This looks like time for an all out attack!" the katana wielding teen suggested. After seeing the nod from the leader, a grin appeared on his face as he charged in. "Get back here you son of a bitch!"
It was a complete waste of energy but even Minato had to agree that the three of them rushing the prone Shadows and starting an all out brawl was great fun. Even Yukari had rushed in to join the fray, although he would never figure out just how a bow could do some of the melee damage she'd inflicted.
After a few seconds watching the Shadows vaporise before she let out a laugh. "Ha, ha, ha, I didn't think that would have worked."
The baseball-capped teen let out a chuckle. "I surprise myself sometimes."
"Good job everyone," the redhead's voice came over the transceiver. "...That's odd. Usually, there are more Shadows on the prowl. ...Well, at least you gained some experience in battle."
"Hold on sempai," the brunette interrupted as their leader once again touched the hovering card that had been left behind by defeated Shadows. "Minato-kun!"
"I'm alright," the teen replied as he watched the cards shuffle before choosing one again. As expected the same thing happened again.
Minato welcomed Pixie into his soul.
"Arisato, Takeba. What's going on?" the redhead demanded.
"Some of the defeated Shadows are leaving behind cards," the brunette explained. "They don't react to Junpei or me, but whenever Minato-kun touches them something happens."
"It's okay, I know what these things do," the cobalt haired teen interrupted before the redhead could start. "Anyone here injured?"
"Err, not really," Yukari answered looking a bit weary.
"I think I took an elbow to the chest, apart from that I'm fine," Junpei stated.
"That'll do…" He concentrated on Pixie, as he did so a blue tarot card made of energy forming in his left hand. Once formed he brought it up to his face, feeling the shift as orpheus moved into a waiting place within the depths of his soul and Pixie became the Persona he could summon. Having done that he swapped his sword into his off hand once again and used his Evoker. "Pixie!"
"What the…?!" the other male gasped as a smaller Persona that looked like a fairy came into existence. It blew him a kiss, which activated a healing spell on the 'injured' party member.
"How could you…?" the brunette started to ask before she figured out what the blue-haired teen was getting at. "No way!"
"Arisato… If you're right then this is amazing," the redhead added. "The chairman has been researching Personas for years and we've never seen anything like this."
"As much as sitting around in the middle of a Shadow lair sounds inviting, perhaps we'd best get out of here," Junpei interrupted, desperately trying to avoid another five to ten minute theoretical discussion.
"He has a point," the leader agreed. "We can't have much time left."
"Alright. Let's go back to the dorm for today," Mitsuru concurred. "There should be an access point somewhere on that floor. You can use it to return to the entrance. Since there aren't any enemies to worry about, why don't you split up and search individually?"
"Junpei you go right, Yukari you go left. Once you find the access point give us a call over the transceiver." the leader ordered.
"What about you?" the brunette asked.
To this the leader sheathed his sword, put his hands in his pockets and leaned on the wall. "I'll cover our backs."
He smirked as the other two started their searches, positive that he could hear Junpei mutter about 'lazy wannabe leaders'.
"Arisato." He looked down at the transceiver to see that Mitsuru had opened up a link between Akihiko, herself and him.
"Well what do you think?" the boxer asked. "Exciting, huh?"
"Well that's one way to look at it," the cobalt haired teen replied. "They did well, considering that it's the first time they evoked their Personas."
"Well I'm impressed by your performance," the redhead praised. "You've shown good leadership qualities, which eases my worries about sending you all in there without Akihiko or myself."
"Well we still have a way to go," the teen admitted. "We've just covered one floor. If we're going to go higher we need to come here a few times a week to train and improve our stamina."
"Well don't rush it; we'll have plenty of time," the redhead assured.
"Hey guys, I've located the access point," Yukari interrupted. "Want me to use it."
"Go ahead Yukari," the field leader confirmed.
The next moment they were back on the first floor.
"Welcome back. So, how was it?" Mitsuru asked as the two seniors made their way over to the green device.
"Exhausting," the blue-haired teen replied.
The redhead let out a slight chuckle. "It must've hit you all at once. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
"Man, I never knew I had that kind of power!" Junpei stated as he placed his katana into the sheath on his back. "We kicked some ass! But damn, I'm beat…"
Minato let out a smile of sympathy for his male friend.
Yukari used it as a chance to snipe. "That's 'cause you were bouncing up and down like a little kid."
The teen turned towards the brunette, about to launch a counter strike before he noticed how shattered she looked. "You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."
"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually..." she admitted as she sat down on the bottom step.
"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily," the redhead clarified. "Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised... You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."
"Heh, we'll see about that," the senior replied, liking the idea of a challenge.
As they started to move towards the entryway to the tower Minato felt a surge of power.
Thou art I... And I am thou...
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana...
Something inside him had changed.
He turned once again too look at the staircase leading into the tower, knowing that he'd be back to explore this place again.
He briefly wondered what the idiot was doing.
--
Tuesday, 21st of April 2009. 00:35
"I must say," the advisor turned away from the window of the moving vehicle to look at his charge, "I was surprised you let them continue."
"If they didn't have the heart I would have destroyed it myself," the heir admitted. "But since they have that heart, I have no choice."
"You've never explained why the Papillion Heart is so important," the old man stated.
"When a Papillion Heart is created, a mortal soul is pulled out of the cycle and trapped inside," the heir explained. "There isn't a worse fate for a mortal soul to face. Trapped in a body which cannot be destroyed, with a limited knowledge of what it means to be mortal. The type of people it would be around doesn't help matters either."
"You are passionate about this," the advisor pointed out.
"I have a debt to these souls. After all it was one of these anti-Shadow devices that brought me to Nii-san," the ex-Appriser explained. "And Nii-san was the one who saved me from my fate."
End of Chapter 4
Version Changes:
1.00 – Completed with self-checking for errors.
1.01 – Completed with editing from Vocarin
1.02 – Little change in the text for the Persona swap. Don't blame me, blame Persona 4 for the cool image,
