Thanks to AT-Y, Skarrow, Starguy, deathswonderland, La la land, Person-na and Ritsuka Justice for reviewing Chapter 3!!
I apologize for the late update. I just make a final decision of changing scene for the OC. Anyway, enjoy my fic. And I do hope there will be more reviews after this.
NOTE: Beware! Storyline might change. And guess what? It does.
"This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?" Junpei sound like he was freaking out over something atrocious. Well frankly yes it was.
Twitch. Akihiko turn to Junpei and giving him a can-you-shut glare before turning his attention toward the school building. "Just wait a few minutes... It's almost midnight."
"Is it?" Junpei looked at his watch, well if he did have one. Suddenly, the usual bored-to-death school building change into a hideous and impossibly constructed tower arises from the school grounds and stretches up towards the sky. Junpei just had his first jaw dropped for today. Mina and Yukari just stared toward the tower with disbelief.
"This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that revealed itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru explained with her usual calm expression.
"Labyrinth? What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?!" said Junpei. "Plus it's hideous! Horrible! Nasty! And everything dreadful!" Mina and Yukari agreed with Junpei's word for the first time in their life.
"Are you talking about Powerpuff Girls?" Akihiko raised his eyebrow while eyeing at Junpei.
"No I'm freaking not!"
"You just sound like you just said it." Yukari let out snickers.
Junpei turn to face Yukari, "damn no!" he then heard a giggle from Mina as she hides it behind her palm. "Not you too…" Junpei make a gloomy expression.
Mitsuru cleared her throat which caught everyone attentions to stay quiet. "Please don't worry about it, Iori. Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."
"Why?" Junpei fall on his hands and knees before turn his gaze to his male senior. "This is the 'nest' you were talking about?! But why?! Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?!" Now he just sounded like a fake pathetic Shakespeare.
Everyone sweat drops after watching Junpei act number I. Mina asked Mitsuru, "do you know why, Mitsuru-senpai?"
"Actually no." a simple replied.
Yukari sighed, "I'm sure it's complicated. Who cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."
"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Akihiko interrupted. "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it?" he held a confidence looks. "There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..."
"Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today." Mitsuru reminded him with a satisfied smile on her lips.
"Tch." Akihiko gave a glare to the redhead female, "I know that."
Arisato Mina
Junpei sat at the corner lobby of Tartarus after his seniors had ditched him over Mina as the person in charge of this mission. He then drew a few invisible doodles on the checkers pattern floor. "They ignore me… I'm not important… they wanna left me here… they don't care about me…" Junpei mumbled.
Twitch. "Oh for god and goddess's of Olympian sake Junpei can you please get over with it?!" Yukari shouted from afar.
Akihiko, Mina and Mitsuru could only sweat drops. Mina just recently had a brief talk about her nature power to summon multiple Personas a moment ago. Even though she still did not understand it but she just know she can do it well when she experience it. "Right! I can do it!" Mina raised her fisted hands to her chest with a determined look expressed on her face.
Akihiko looked Mina with amuse, "Got fired up, Arisato?" he asked the blue-haired girl.
Mina startled at Akihiko's words and quickly turn her gaze to his, "Um-er… yeah. I am!" she gave a smile to her senior.
"Aren't you scared?"
"A little bit but I manage to calm down."
"Good. Don't let us down, Arisato." Akihiko nodded to her, which Mina replied it with a thin smile.
"We're counting on you." Mitsuru added.
Yukari and a bruised face Junpei suddenly appears in front of Mina, "Are you ready Mina?" asked Yukari.
"What happen to your face, Iori?" Mitsuru cut off Yukari's words.
"Yuka-tan just being mean to me." Junpei replied which Yukari just make a whistle sound, pretending to be innocent, which everyone knew she was not but ignore for the mean times.
Arisato Mina
"Yukari watch out!" Mina shouted at the brown-haired girl as she dodged one of the three Cowardly Maya's attack.
Junpei charged toward the shadows that attack Yukari and slash it into two. Whereas Mina make a swift sword attack to the other one and then she heard Yukari yelled, "Mina! I got this one!" Yukari release her arrow and it hit bull-eyes to the shadow.
"Only one left." Mitsuru said in transceiver.
Mina quickly attacks the remaining shadow and successfully thrown it off balance, "commanding All-Out Attack!" she shouted loudly.
"Got'cha!" Junpei cried.
"Let me have 'em!" Yukari replied. The three of them were taking their sweet time of beating the poor shadow until it disappeared.
"Whoa! That was fun!" Junpei make an octopus dance by waving his hand as if he does not have any bone.
"It pissed me off." Yukari complain as she set her bow down and as the three of were having a light chats, a shadow quietly crept behind Yukari.
Mina suddenly felt a sudden change of air and realized that there was a shadow creeping behind Yukari. The shadow then moved forward when it saw Mina's gaze and quickly launched itself toward Yukari. Mina ran up to Yukari and pushed her down, "get down!"
The shadow failed to hit Yukari and almost crashed with Junpei but he managed to evade it, "whoa!" Junpei self-reflex had made him attack the shadow as it land on the ground and defeated it. He then moved to Mina and Yukari to see if they were injured, "you girls okay?"
Mina was the first to get up first and then Yukari, "yeah… we're fine." Yukari said. "Thanks Mina and-…!" Yukari suddenly gasped in front of Mina. "Oh my god Mina! Is it hurt?! Did it cut badly?!" said Yukari as she inspect Mina's right arm that had been injured.
Blood came out and dripped to the ground from Mina's right arm, "I think I'm okay. It doesn't look bad." Mina said as she trying to calm down.
"H-hey! If we don't treat you the wound will get infected!" Junpei freak out.
"What's the matter?" Mitsuru interrupted in transceiver. "Did anyone injured?"
"Heck yes! Mina injured here! Can't you send help, senior?"
Mitsuru sighed. "Sadly, I can't send any help but-…"
Yukari bowed her head, "I'm sorry." She said to Mina who just stared at the girl before her. A sudden green light swirled around Mina injured arm. The feeling was quite warm and much to Mina surprise, the wound had disappear! "I'm sorry… this is the only thing I can do." Yukari apologized again.
Mina sighed and moved to hold Yukari's hand, "Thank you, Yukari." She held a smile on her face. Yukari tilted her head up, showing a guilt expression. "You had saved me." Mina gave a reassure looks that calmed down Yukari.
Yukari nodded, "umm."
Arisato Mina
When the three of them went back to the lobby, Junpei immediately fall flat on the ground with smokes came out from his mouth. Apparently, it was his soul. "Whoa… I am exhausted!" said Yukari while trying to catch her breath.
"The mission is quite tiring." Added Mina and she were also trying to catch her breath.
Mitsuru chuckled happily. "That is the effect of the Dark Hour; you will become fatigued more easily. Do not worry, though, you will adapt. However, I am surprised... You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they will catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."
"Heh, we'll see about that." Akihiko said as he crossed his arms. Mina and Yukari just can only smile hearing Mitsuru statements.
Arisato Mina
-The Next Morning at Gekkoukan High; recess-
"Man! Mitsuru-senpai speech was freaking amazing! I even could not make up a speech like that! Dang… even though we live in the same dorm but she is like a total from different planet than any of us." Junpei whined to Mina as she placed her head on her forearms. She was about to take a short nap before Junpei came to her desk and blabbering about the previous speech from Mitsuru this morning. "Oh hey! I saw you with Kenji in front school gate this morning, Mina. What is up with that? Don't tell me he was hitting on you."
Yukari abruptly stomped beside Junpei, "hey! Will you be quite for a moment? Mina was trying to get some sleep and you're disturbing her!"
"Oh hi Yuka-tan!" Junpei greeted. "Mina seem don't mind about it."
The brown-haired girl sighed. "Of course she doesn't mind because she was already fallen asleep, Stupei!" Yukari pointed her thumb to Mina who was sleeping at her desk.
Arisato Mina
"Sorry Mina. I can't walk home with you today." Yukari apologized as she placed all her books inside her school bag. "My friends wanted me to tag along and I just can't refuse them."
"Yeah! Cause when it comes shopping, you just can't refuse them. Am I right Yuka-tan?" Junpei interrupted from Yukari's back.
Yukari swung her bag and it hit Junpei's jaw as she turned her body around. "Quiet Junpei! Nobody asking you!" she glare at the body slumped on floor in front of her. Yukari turn her gaze to Mina, "sorry again Mina. I am sorry. However, I will buy you something later, 'kay?" she smiled sweetly.
Mina waved her hands, "not necessary. I do not mind it Yukari. Just have fun and be careful."
"Don't worry about me Mina. If I can take Junpei down then I can take any guys down." Yukari grinned and left the class.
"Aww…" Junpei grunted in pain.
Mina kneeled beside him, "are you okay, Junpei? Does it hurt?" she asked.
Junpei turn his head around before setting his gaze to Mina, "are you an angel? Am I in heaven?"
Mina sweats drop. "I think I will go back first. See you at the dorm Junpei." She stood up and took her bag away. Mina took her leave and walk toward the classroom door. As she open the door, a lump of body suddenly fall in front of Mina and she manage to step aside. Surprisingly it was a girl.
"Owieee…" the girl cried in pain as she stood up and held her bleeding nose.
"Ah! Are you okay?!" Mina went toward the girl side and handing her a handkerchief that she took out from her pocket.
The girl suddenly stomped away from Mina, "I-I-I-I'm okay! Really! I'm!" she stutters as she waved her hand few times.
Mina sweat drop, "but your nose! It's bleeding!"
A sigh sound came from the girl, "are you Mina? Arisato Mina?" the girl asked.
"Eh?" Mina dumbfounded, "how did you know my name?"
The girl lips form a huge grin, "a little bird told me…"
"Huh?" Mina tilt her head aside, she seems does not get what the girl was saying. "A little bird?"
Twitch. A vein popped on the girl head, "it means that if someone doesn't want to say where they got some information from, they can say that a little bird told them."
Mina fisted her right hand and hit her left palm, "O! I get it!" she said with delight.
The girl smiled, "You're interesting." She said. "It seems that thing does make a good prediction after all."
Her words caught Mina's attention, "prediction? What prediction?" she asked the girl.
"Er… well, if I told you will not going to believe me and you might think I'm crazy or what." The girl said nervously, "I even think I'm somewhat crazy when I heard 'it' after that incident."
Mina stares at the girl. She is quite a beauty. Her brown hair seems to go with her amethyst orbs… now that you mention it, it is quite rare for an ordinary Japanese girl to have a purple eyes. Her Japanese accent seems good but sometimes tongue-tied. Mina thought that girl's mother or father must be a foreign and the other one is Japanese. "I don't mind to hear your story." Mina said.
"Eh?" The girl backed away, "no! No no no no no! NO!"
"Then at least tell me your name."
"My name? You can call me Aster and I'm half Japanese." Aster smiles, "I think I have to go now. The more I talk to you the nervous I might get in this situation. So bye!" the girl left.
Arisato Mina
"Oww Mina… let's go somewhere today." Junpei said as he dances around Mina with some animated flowers around him. Both of them had just walked out from the school building. "How bout we grab some bites, huh?"
"I'm sorry Junpei but I really wanted to go home right now." Mina replied.
"Oh come on! We're still young!!" Junpei suddenly stood on a stage with a spotlight shine above him. "We should enjoy our youth! No matter what is it we must-…"
"Akihiko-senpai!" Junpei and Mina quickly turn their gaze toward a group of girl, squealing and surround the poor male senior.
"Would you like to go watch movies with us, senior?"
"Or how about we go to the mall?"
"Have you noticed how popular Akihiko is with the ladies?" Junpei glower with envy. "Man, take a look at that...I did not use to talk to him much, but now I have a good excuse. I know he is the captain of the boxing team, but... Who would think he would be such a chick magnet? I mean, come on! You do not even see girls flock like that on TV! I wonder where they are going...," said Junpei.
Mina stared at the group and turned her gaze to Junpei. "Junpei, I change my mind. Do you want to go out? Somewhere that doesn't cost any penny."
"Whu-what?" Junpei seemed confuse at first then his lips form a smile, "yea! This is what I'm talking about!" he screeched loudly which caught Akihiko attention. "Let see… what did you have in mind?"
"I don't know." Mina shook her head, "I'm still new here."
"Oh okay, okay… hm… let me thought something-… how about we go to the shrine?"
"Hey, are you two free this afternoon?" Akihiko suddenly appeared behind Mina.
Mina tensed her shoulder and turn behind, "you scared me senpai." She frown her eyebrows slightly.
Before Akihiko could reply, Junpei interrupted, "hell yeah! Whatcha got in mind!?"
"I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall." Akihiko said, "you know where it is, right? I will be at the police station." He then place his right palm on Mina's left shoulder and patted it gently, "see ya there." He bid his goodbye to Junpei and Mina.
"Th-The police station?" Junpei stuttered which make Akihiko turns back, "you mean, we're not hangin' out with your friends...?"
Akihiko raised his eyebrow, "who, these girls? I do not even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache. Anyway, I am going to head out. ...Don't keep me waiting."
Arisato Mina
"Come on Junpei. It's not like senpai were going to throw us into jail." Mina coaxed Junpei as he tries to make himself small by hiding behind the fountain. She then pulled Junpei's arm, dragged him toward the police station and enter inside.
"Where had you been?!" Akihiko shouted as he sees Mina and Junpei's lifeless form. "I was worried if you two were lost or-…"
Junpei suddenly hug Akihiko left leg, "please senpai! Do not throw us inside the jail! I admit that I use the toilet more than two hours just to brush my teeth this morning but please don't hand me to that creepy policeman!" he said as he pointed one and the only officer inside the police station.
"Ek?" Akihiko's eyes widen.
Mina sweat drop and went toward the shocked officer, "please forgive him. He doesn't feel well when Akihiko-senpai told us to go here." She bowed.
"Er… I don't mind." The officer replied.
Twitch. "I'm not going to hand you and can you please get off me?" Akihiko gave a cold death glare to Junpei and he quickly back off. Akihiko went toward Mina, "This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well equipped. Moreover, this is from Ikutsuki-san..." he took Mina's right hand and placed a 5,000 yen on her palm.
Junpei quickly stood up and went beside Mina, "Whoa! Ka-ching!" he said with elation.
"You cannot fight something empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections... However, these things still cost money." Akihiko said.
Officer Kurosawa nodded, "Of course they do. Nothing in life is free."
"I realize that." Akihiko smiled. "Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again." He exited the police station.
After a few seconds, Junpei jump and give a bear hug to Mina. "Hey Mina! How 'bout we go to the arcade? Or the-…"
Boom. A sudden sound of thunder strikes behind the twosomes and when Junpei turn around, he had thought that he just met with his doom. Akihiko who's suddenly appeared out of nowhere pulls Junpei away from Mina and stomped outside the police station with Stu-… I mean Junpei in his clutch.
Mina and Officer Kurosawa just stared with terrified as Akihiko stomped out.
Arisato Mina
"What should I do? This thing is killing me." A brown-haired girl slumped back into her armchair and hugged both of her knees. The inside current room she was dimly lit. Nevertheless, she seems does not mind it. She used to it. The brown-haired girl stared at the lump of body on the patient bed beside her armchair. Her gaze soften as she look at the patient calm expression and she outstretch her hand right arm to gently stroke back some strand hairs that fall on the patient forehead.
"…-save me…"
"Don't worry… I will find a way to-…" the girl voice interrupted by something.
"…-release me and I shall grant thee wish…"
The girl eyes grow widen and hastily turn her head behind, "whose there?!" she shouted on top of her lung." However, there was no answer. She slowly stood up before realize the sound of footsteps outside the room. The door burst open revealing a two nurses and a male doctor.
"Miss Willers, what's going on?" one of the nurses said.
The other one went toward the brunet, "are you alright Miss Willers? You look pale."
"I-I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Miss Willers said.
"Are you sure? Well then-…" the nurse voice suddenly drown with reality and so the others occupant of the room beside her.
Her world suddenly turns mute. She cannot hear anything what was the nurse saying to her and her sight was slightly blurry. A foreign voice began to invade her mind. "…-why thee denying my existence…? Thee must-…" now the foreign voice starts to get hazing.
"…-I must have gone crazy…" before she knew… her world suddenly flicks off its light.
Thank you for reading. Please reviews and I will accept flame. Please don't flames me about my grammar, I know mine is sucks. No need to remind me twice.