Chapter 7: Reunion

"We're back!" Ken said as he, Fuuka and Koromaru entered the dorm while Koromaru barked.

"Welcome back." Yukari said softly as she sat on the couch reading a book while the Jack Frost doll slept soundly beside her. "You guys took a while." She continued as she set the book down. "He fell asleep already." She continued as she looked at Minato with a smile.

"That's our field leader." Fuuka said with a giggle.

"I'll just put the ice in the freezer then." Ken said as he headed for the kitchen.

"I didn't realize we were out so late." Fuuka said as she looked at her watch.

"Yeah, I was kind of worried because you were taking so long." Yukari said as she turned to the girl who was now sitting across her.

"No, it's nothing like that. I guess we just had fun talking." Fuuka said, making up an excuse.

"Really?" Yukari asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course!" Fuuka said loudly. Ken returned after a while and sat on another chair while Koromaru was starting to dose off on the floor.

"Well…" The boy started then the two girls looked at him. "What are we going to do now? I mean, aren't we going to tell the others about him?" He asked.

Fuuka and Yukari thought for quite some time as Ken waited for any suggestions from the two girls.

"Well, Mitsuru-senpai is busy, we've bothered Akihiko-senpai too much already and Shinjiro-senpai probably doesn't care so I don't really know what we should do." The blue haired girl replied.

"Yeah and Aigis is probably busy too. As for Junpei…" Yukari sighed as she mentioned the last name. "You get my point." She continued.

"But I think they deserve to know. I mean at least either Mitsuru-san or Sanada-san and I'm sure Aragaki-san cares. He's just pretending that he doesn't." Ken stated his opinion.

"Maybe we should give it some time." The taller girl suggested then the three fell silent. After a while, Yukari's phone started ringing and she picked it up.

"Hello senpai?" She greeted.

"Hey Yukari, how are you guys doing?" the famous boxer of Gekkoukan High asked.

"We're doing great senpai and Ken's back." Yukari replied.

"That's good news. Well I just called to let you guys know that I'll be heading there tomorrow. I'll arrive in the afternoon." Akihiko said.

"You're going back here tomorrow?" Yukari asked to be sure she heard him correctly.

"Yeah." Akihiko said.

"Don't get me wrong senpai, it's not that I don't want you around but why are you going back all of a sudden?" Yukari asked, curious.

"Well, I'll tell you guys tomorrow." Akihiko said.

"Okay, if you say so." Yukari said as she hung up. Fuuka and Ken looked at her as she put her phone in her pocket.

"Was that Sanada-san?" Ken asked and the brown haired girl nodded.

"He's gonna be here tomorrow afternoon." Yukari explained.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to tell him about Minato-kun when he gets here." Fuuka said as she yawned.

"It's been a long day. We should rest." Yukari suggested as she gently picked up the Jack Frost doll and stood up with the two other human occupants of the dorm following her. When they reached the second floor they said good night to each other with Fuuka being the first to go upstairs while Yukari stopped as she noticed Ken staring at her.

"Is something wrong Ken?" She asked the younger boy who was staring at the sleeping Jack Frost doll in her arms.

"Oh…" Yukari said with a blush as she realized why the boy was staring at him. "I guess he still is a boy even though he's in a Jack Frost doll." Yukari said after a while then hesitantly handed the doll to Ken.

"Please look after him Ken." Yukari said with a smile and the younger boy nodded holding the Jack Frost doll then Yukari went to her room while Ken went to his own.


"I know you said not worry Mitsuru but I really have an unsettling feeling towards that man." A sophisticated female voice said deep within Mitsuru's subconscious.

"If you really think there is something to worry about, perhaps you should tell me what that something is." Mitsuru answered in an equally sophisticated tone.

"I'm not quite sure. I can't put my finger on it. I just know something is wrong with that man." The Persona said. "Haven't you wondered why you still haven't met the man you were supposed to meet until now? We've been here for a few days now." She continued.

"I understand your point however, as Max have stated Mr. Lockheart is busy with work at the moment." The redhead told her Persona.

"If he was busy with work, he wouldn't have invited you here." Artemisia said which seemed to make sense to the redhead now as she remained quiet. "Perhaps we should head back to Japan now." The Persona suggested after a while.

"No. I can't risk losing their business proposal to a rival company. It would be a great loss for the Kirijo Group if I did." Mitsuru said, flatly turning down her Persona's suggestion. Artemisia finally sighed in defeat as Mitsuru stood firm to her decision of staying in England until the deal was closed.

"Very well. However, please be careful with that man. I still do not trust him." The Persona told her master.

"Of course." Mitsuru simply said.

"And another thing, if you must, stay away from him." Artemisia said once more before finally disappearing into the depths of the redhead's mind. Mitsuru sighed then looked at her phone, dialing a number.

"Akihiko?" Then the redhead heard a groggy voice on the other end. "Forgive me for waking you up. Did something bad happen in the dorm?" The redhead asked and heard the boxer clear his throat.

"N-no. Why would you think that?" Akihiko asked.

"I've been trying to call them since yesterday to check on them but nobody's been answering. So I'm worried that something may be wrong with the three." Mitsuru explained.

"I'm sure it's nothing like that." She heard Akihiko say but it didn't sound convincing to her. She felt that the younger boy was keeping something from her.

"Are you hiding something from me Akihiko?" She asked.

"Of course not." Akihiko immediately answered. "So how's the business deal going?" he asked out of nowhere to change the topic of their conversation.

"Well, I still haven't met the person I'm supposed to meet. His assistant said that he's been busy and couldn't meet me." Mitsuru replied.

"Huh? If he's busy he shouldn't have invited you there." Akihiko pointed out. "You have your own business to run." He continued.

"I know but I have to be patient. I cannot rush things like this." Mitsuru explained and heard Akihiko sigh on the other end.

"Mitsuru, it's kind of late here. If you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep." Akihiko said uncomfortably. Mitsuru apologized again for waking the boxer up and said goodbye. Mitsuru sighed as she put the phone down and looked at her watch once more, still no sign of John Lockheart or even his assistant, Max.


Akihiko sighed as he placed his phone back on the bedside table. Then he looked at the rabbit doll sitting inside a box on the table with a paper on its hand.

"I really don't think it's a good idea keeping this from Mitsuru." He told the doll that started writing. He looked at the paper it was holding up and sighed again.

"I know, but she might execute me again if she finds out that I kept this from her." Akihiko reasoned out while Ryoji shook his rabbit head and raised another piece of paper.

"I guess." The boxer said. "But if Mitsuru finds out and decides to execute me, I will rip your head off." He continued while Ryoji shook his head as he raised another note.

"Stop using Minako as a threat." Akihiko told the rabbit doll which quickly raised a new paper.

"Don't push your luck, Ryoji. In case you forgot, I'm a boxer." Akihiko said in a threatening tone while the rabbit wrote another note.

"W-what? No! I can and I will beat you if you challenge me in a boxing match." Akihiko said while the rabbit raised another note which made the boxer speechless and blush. After a while, Ryoji raised another note and silently giggled.

"Give me that!" Akihiko said taking the paper from the doll and throwing it in the trash bin which was already full of used paper then he sighed and shook his head.

"That's it. We're going to get you a whiteboard and a marker tomorrow." He said. "Let's go back to bed. We have to be early tomorrow." The boxer continued as the rabbit doll nodded and lied down on the box which served as his bed.


Minako tossed and turned on the bed while looking at the man lying on the floor, sleeping soundly. She felt bad sleeping on the man's bed while he slept on the floor, especially with the knowledge that this was the first time the man had some sleep after being up for a little over 28 hours. Minako knew that the man deserved to get proper sleep but he insisted that his "Minako-sama" should be the one sleeping in the bed instead.

This indeed bothered her a lot. However, something else bothered her more.

It was her encounter with Takaya Sakaki. She really thought that the man died near the top of Tartarus the night of January 31st. Minako prayed that he did not remember anything about Tartarus, the Dark Hour or the Persona but most importantly, Junpei.

Minako and Minato were field leaders while Mitsuru was the leader of S.E.E.S. but they knew well that Junpei played a big part in foiling Strega's plans. Had he given up on Chidori, Strega's plans may have succeeded.

Minako sighed as she sat up from the huge bed. She wanted to wake Theodore up so he could bring her back to the dorm and warn the others about Takaya.

"Theodore…" She called out softly but the man just turned while sleeping on the floor. "Theodore…" She repeated but the man still did not wake up. She called out the man a few more times but finally gave up when she realized that the man wasn't responding.

Slowly, Minako started to cry softly. The last time she felt this helpless was when she found out about death being inside her and her brother.

"Minato-ni…. what am I gonna do?" Minako cried softly, wishing she had her brother with her. The Pyro Jack doll continued to cry softly for about half an hour when Theodore woke up.

"Minako-sama… what's the matter?" The man asked with a frown.

"Minato-ni…" Minako cried as Theodore sat on the bed quietly. "I want Minato-ni…" she cried out and the man in blue uniform held the Pyro Jack doll in his arms gently, cooing to soothe her.


Minato woke up from his sleep. He was now lying on a small bed made of pillows. For some reason, he felt as if someone was calling him. That and it was hot. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He didn't recognize the room immediately as he looked around then saw the youngest member of S.E.E.S. sleeping on the bed next to him.

"Ken!" the Jack Frost doll shouted but the boy didn't even turn.

"KEN!" Minato shouted again and this time the boy groaned but still didn't sit up. Then, Minato looked at one of the pillows beside him and threw it to the boy who immediately sat up.

"Featherman! Go go go!" The boy shouted as he shot up while Minato just looked at him, amused.

"W-what?" Ken asked after realizing that he was now awake.

"It's hot, hee-ho." Minato said while sitting on the floor. Ken shook his head as he looked at the Jack Frost doll sitting cutely on floor. In some way, the knowledge that this same doll was Minato was creeping the boy out.

"Minato-san, the aircon's already turned up high. If it was any colder, I might freeze to death." Ken reasoned out. The Jack Frost doll pouted.

"But it's really hot, hee-ho." The doll said so cutely it made Ken want to run out of the dorm.

"What do you want me to do?" Ken asked.

"Well if you can't turn the aircon higher, maybe you can put me inside the freezer." Minato suggested.

"What? No way! Yukari-san will kill me if I left you in there." Ken cried.

"I will die of the heat if I stay here, hee-ho." Minato said, giving emphasis on "will".

"But—" Ken said.

"PUHHLLLEEAAASEEEEE…." The Jack Frost doll asked so sweetly with the cutest possible expression anybody or even anything could ever pull out. Ken finally sighed after this and took the doll with him downstairs. After a while, the two were in front of the fridge.

"A-are you sure about this Minato-san?" Ken asked the doll he was holding. Minato just nodded and Ken sighed. "Wait right here." Ken said as he put the doll on the table.

Ken opened the fridge then the freezer and moved all the meat and fish down, beside the vegetables, leftovers and such. Then, the young boy sighed as he turned to the Jack Frost doll.

"Yukari-san will get mad if she finds out I put you there." He said while Minato shook his head.

"I'll take responsibility for it, hee-ho." The older boy said as he giggled, clearly excited. Ken once again sighed as he placed the doll inside the freezer.

"Well, I guess I'm going back to bed." The brown haired boy said as he closed the freezer and the fridge.


Ken groaned as he heard someone knock on his door. He looked at the wall clock, it was 7 am so the boy wondered who would knock on his door so early. As he stood up, he tripped on a bed of pillows on the floor and suddenly gasped. He realized that Yukari was the person knocking on his door and it was definitely because Minato was supposed to be here.

"Ken? Are you okay in there?" he heard Yukari ask as Ken started to panic. "Ken, open the door!" Yukari said in a commanding tone and Ken immediately opened the door. "Are you okay?" Yukari asked, worried.

"I'm fine." Ken answered and immediately closed the door of his room.

"How's Minato?" Yukari asked.

"W-well…" Ken said while Yukari gave him a questioning look. "H-he's not here. He's downstairs." Ken said.

"Okay." Yukari said as she started to walk downstairs with Ken following her closely behind.

"Minato!" Yukari called out as soon as they were in the first floor of the dorm but there was no answer. Yukari looked back at Ken who was looking away nervously. Then Yukari heard a scratching sound from the kitchen. She quickly headed there with Ken still following quietly.

"Koro-chan! Why are you scratching on the fridge? Didn't I tell you not to do something like that again?" Yukari told the dog. Koromaru stopped scratching on the fridge then stared at the fridge and barked.

"Ken?" Yukari asked the boy with a raised eyebrow.

"B-but… Minato-san said he'd die of the heat outside." Ken explained, scared. Yukari opened the fridge then the freezer compartment to find a snoring Jack Frost doll inside.

"Minato…" Yukari called out softly. Minato slowly opened his eyes and stared at Yukari for a while.

"Good morning hee-ho!" He said energetically as he tried to get out of the freezer. Yukari helped him out and placed him on the table.

"Are you okay Minato? I mean, you were in the freezer." Yukari asked as she sat down while Ken sat in front of Yukari.

"Of course! I slept very well hee-ho!" Minato said energetically. "Thanks Ken!" he said turning to the boy behind him while Ken nodded, his nervousness disappearing. Yukari on the other hand, shook her head. She was starting to get a headache with all of this.

After a while, they hear Fuuka enter the kitchen. "Good morning everyone." She said with smile.

"Good morning, Fuuka-san." Ken said while Koromaru barked.

"Morning…" Yukari quickly followed as she rubbed the temples of her forehead.

"Good morning!" the Jack Frost doll said. This startled Fuuka as she temporarily forgot about all that has happened the previous evening.

"A-are you alright Fuuka-san?" Ken asked as he stood up from his chair as the blue-haired girl nodded.

"I want ice." Minato suddenly brought up which made Yukari sigh.

"This is going to be a loooong day." She said softly, rubbing her temples more.


Akihiko yawned as he sat on a bench at the bus stop. He couldn't sleep very well last night because he was very excited to see his beloved Minako once again.

"I can't wait to see Minako. Do you think she's excited to see me too?" Akihiko asked the doll, barely able to contain his excitement while the rabbit doll nodded. Akihiko's smile grew even wider upon seeing the doll nod.

"Maybe I should buy her a gift before we leave." Akihiko said as he turned around to leave when the rabbit doll in his bag slapped his hand. Akihiko looked at Ryoji and saw him pointing to the direction of the clock across the street. Akihiko sighed after seeing the time. It was 7:55 and the bus arrives at 8. Akihiko, although new to the place, knew very well that if he missed the said bus the next one would arrive at 10 so he sat back down on the bench, waiting for the bus to arrive.

"Don't slap my hand with your ears again." Akihiko told the rabbit doll as two school girls looked at him giggling. Akihiko turned red out of embarrassment and almost fell off the bench when he heard someone call out his name.

"Sanada-senpai?" The female voice called out again. Akihiko turned around to face the girl. Akihiko thought she looked familiar.

"I knew it! It is you Sanada-senpai." The brunette said.

"Uhh y-yeahh…" Akihiko answered uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if she was one of his fangirls, a former classmate or something. All he knew was that she was familiar.

"So what are you doing here Sanada-senpai?" The brunette asked once again. Somehow, the way that the girl approached him was different from how his insane fangirls would approach him. He was sure now. She wasn't one of them.

"Well, I'm staying here now. The university I'm going to attend to is somewhere around here." The boxer said comfortably.

"I see." The girl said as she fixed her eyeglasses.

"How about you?" Akihiko asked while slapping the rabbit doll back from his bag after it slapped his hand.

"I'm visiting my cousins." The girl said.

"I see. Well I guess I'll see you around." Akihiko said as he stood up after spotting the bus from a distance.

"Well not really. I'm leaving this afternoon for Kamikawa." The brunette said as she fixed her eyeglasses once more.

"When are you coming back to Port Island?" Akihiko asked, sure that he's seen the girl from around there.

"Sadly, I won't be going back there anymore. I'm staying with my grandparents in Kamikawa and I'll continue my studies there." She explained, ruefully.

"Oh, I see." Akihiko said.

"Well, it's for the best." The girl said with a smile. "Well looks like the bus is here. Goodbye Sanada-senpai. Please say hi to Mitsuru-senpai for me." The girl said as she walked away.

Akihiko sighed as he entered the bus and sat at the back. He slowly pulled out his hand from the bag and saw how red it was. Looking around, he carefully pulled the rabbit doll out from his bag.

"I told you to stop hitting me." Akihiko said weakly while the rabbit doll had its arms folded.

"Is this about me talking to that girl?" The boxer asked and Ryoji nodded.

"I am not flirting with her. I don't even know how to flirt." The gray haired boxer reasoned out but the rabbit doll just shook its head with its arms still folded.

"Stop it. I swear I am going to rip your head off." He said. Ryoji shook his head again his arms firmly folded.

"You're extremely hardheaded." Akihiko said weakly while the doll simply nodded. Then Ryoji took out a piece of paper and a pen from the bag.

"What? Do you really think Minako would believe you? She knows how bad I am at social situations." Akihiko said defensively, still making sure he kept his voice down. Ryoji looked around quietly as he slowly wrote something on a new paper.

"W-well! She was familiar! And she isn't one of those crazy girls who followed me around." Akihiko explained. Ryoji was starting to write something down again but Akihiko immediately took the paper and the pen from him.

"No more writing until we get back to Port Island" he said as he placed the paper on the pocket of his bag and the pen on his pants pocket.


"What if they don't believe that it's me?" Minako asked as she ran around Theodore's room, panicking.

"I don't see any reason why they won't believe it's you Minako-sama." Theodore answered as he tidied his bed then the panicking Pyro Jack doll stopped running and looked at the tall man.

"Theo, have you seen how I look like lately?" The doll asked with her hands on her hips.

"Well, you still look as cute as you were before." Theodore confidently said.

"IT'S NOT THE SAME! I LOOK LIKE A DOLL WITH A HUMONGOUS PUMPKIN HEAD AND POINTED HAT!" Minako said, shouting at the tall man. "IN CASE YOU FORGOT, I'M HUMAN!" She continued as she started to flare up while Theodore covered his ears.

"Now, now Minako-sama. There's no need for you to shout. I'm not deaf. I'm sure we'll figure out a way to make them believe that it is indeed you." Theodore said calmly. After a while, Minako finally calmed down, the flame forming around her body dissipating along with her anger.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go see master before we leave." Theodore said after seeing the Pyro Jack doll calm down. He then left the room and went to his master's office. He was about to knock on the door when his master greeted him from behind.

"You're early Theodore." The long-nosed man said.

"Good morning master." Theodore said as he bowed. "Do you have any errands for me today?" he asked.

"Well, you have an important task at hand don't you? The errands can wait." Igor said as he slowly unlocked the door to his office.

"Then I'll be going ahead. Excuse me master." Theodore said as he started to walk away.

"By the way, say hello to the Arisato twins for me." Igor said as his signature, eerie grin appeared on his face. Theodore flinched a little at this but continued to walk back to his room.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting Minako-sama." Theodore said as he entered the room where he found the Pyro Jack doll scanning through his most precious book.

"M-minako-sama! Please don't touch that." Theodore said as he tried to take the book from the girl.

"Tell me what this is for first." Minako said not letting go of the book.

"It's what I use to summon Personas and skills. Don't you remember? It's what I used during our battle to test your strength." Theodore explained.

"Oh." Minako sounded disappointed as she let go of the book. "I thought it was your diary. I was hoping to find something interesting." She continued.

"W-well…" Theodore said, starting to blush. "We should bring you to the dorm now so I can resume my search for your brother." He said, changing the subject as he grabbed the doll then the book and left the room in a hurry.


"Can somebody please get the door?" Yukari shouted from the kitchen. "Not you Minato! You might freak out whoever's at the door!" She immediately continued just about the same time that the Jack Frost doll stood up to open the door.

"I'll get it!" Ken shouted running from the second floor.

"You smell so nice hee-ho." Minato complemented which earned him a shiver from the younger boy.

Meanwhile, Yukari stuck her head out from the kitchen. "Okay, the dishes are done, Minato, come here, I'm gonna give you a bath." She said which made Ken shiver again. The Jack Frost doll gladly complied as he ran towards the kitchen just right before Ken opened the door.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Ken said respectfully then looked up at the taller man. "You're Fuuka-san's uhmmm…" Ken looked away as he started to blush after remembering the scene a few days ago.

"May I step in?" The tall man in blue uniform asked as he looked around. Ken simply nodded and stepped aside to give the man enough space to enter.

"Ken, who was—Theo!" Fuuka said as she came in from the hallway. "What brings you here?" Fuuka asked shyly. Theodore sighed heavily as he placed the bag he had in his hand on the table and opened it.

"It's safe now, you can come out." He said to the bag while the two looked at him curiously. Koromaru then enters the room wagging his tail, seemingly excited then he started barking at the bag. After a while, the bag started to wiggle by itself. Fuuka and Ken didn't know how to react about this while Koromaru started running around in circles excitedly.

"THEO! YOUR BAG SMELLS BAD!" Minako shouted as she came out of the bag, gasping for air.

"I-I'm sorry Minako-sama. It's the only bag I can find in my room." Theodore apologized.

"M-Minako-chan?" Fuuka gasped in surprise while Ken's jaw dropped. Koromaru on the other hand barked happily and jumped on the Pyro Jack doll.

"What is going on in here?" Yukari asked as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Can't you guys keep it-" She tried to continue but stopped halfway upon seeing the Pyro Jack doll patting the white dog's head. "Don't tell me that's…." she started.

"Minako-san/Minako-chan" Ken and Fuuka said in unison.

"Hey Yukari!" Minako said waving at the taller girl with her gloved hand.

"Scrub, scrub, scrub everywhere, hee-ho!" Minako smiled ear to ear after hearing the familiar voice. She immediately ran to the kitchen followed by Theodore who was equally excited. When they got to the kitchen, they saw the Jack Frost doll taking a bath in the sink.

"Minato-ni!" Minako cried out and the Jack Frost doll turned around to look at the Pyro Jack doll.

"Hee-ho?" He looked at the Pyro Jack doll curiously.

"Minato-ni!" The Pyro Jack doll repeated.

"Minako!" Minato said and jumped from the sink to the Pyro Jack doll. The Jack brothers, or twins, in this case, started to perform some kind of dance raising their hands, waving them, shaking their feet left then right and saying hee-ho alternately. The three human occupants of the dorm looked at the dolls, speechless, while Koromaru gladly joined the two, jumping and barking.


Junpei sighed as he sat on the chair of their room. Chidori looked at him seriously. "Why do you look annoyed Junpei?" The redhead Lolita girl asked.

"I just can't take it anymore. I'm bored in here. There's not much to do and it's hard to talk to people!" Junpei said in a frustrated tone.

"Well we haven't been to the museums yet and the bazaars." Chidori pointed out. Junpei sighed once again, leaning on his chair more.

"I want to visit my best friends." He said flatly.

"Oh. Okay. Let's go back to Port Island." Chidori said but her boyfriend shook his head.

"Mitsuru-senpai wouldn't let us." He said seriously while looking at the redhead.

"Who is she to say if we can or can't go back home?" Chidori asked, clearly annoyed.

"It's not like that. I mean, she won't let us go back just yet but for the right reasons." The black haired boy said.

"What do you mean?" Chidori asked.

"Well, she wants to keep us safe. Remember the insane dude who came to your hospital room almost 2 months ago? She wants to keep us away from him." Junpei explained while the girl frowned.

"Hey, look at me." Junpei said as he approached his girlfriend, putting his calloused hands on the girl's cheek. Chidori placed her hand over Junpei's and looked back at him.

"I admit that I am complaining but I won't insist that we go back to Port Island. Your safety is important to me more than anything else in the world." He paused for a while. "If we have to stay here for the rest of our lives, I'll be okay with it as long as I'm sure that you're safe." He said looking straight into the younger girl's eyes sincerely. The Lolita stared at him.

"I know I will be safe as long as I'm with Junpei." She said as she placed her lips over his which earned a blush from the boy with the goatee.

"W-well…" Junpei started as their lips parted, red as a tomato.

"Well what?" Chidori asked looking at the boy.

"Which museum do you want to visit today?" he asked, still blushing and the girl smiled at him.


"Theodore, are we really sure these two are the twins?" Yukari whispered to the taller man as they continued to watch the two dolls performing some kind of ritual.

"Well they sound the same as the real ones." Theodore whispered back.

"Yeah, their voices are the same but their actions... Well, I mean Minako-san is pretty much the same but the other one. It really doesn't seem like Minato-san." Ken whispered also staring at the twins.

"I'm positive it is them. I think their personalities are just affected in some way by the Jack Brothers." Theodore whispered bending over a little to hear the smaller boy more clearly.

"What do you mean? They're inside dolls." Ken whispered back.

"I honestly have no idea. All I know is that their personalities are affected by the Jack Brothers." Theodore replied.

"Well I don't see any difference in Minako-chan. She's still the energetic, cheerful girl we know and love." Fuuka whispered.

"Well, Pyro Jack is full of energy but his patience is terrible so Minako-sama's patience is now as long as a nail compared to before." Theodore said, going closer to the girl. "And you haven't seen her throw a fit yet." He continued. Hearing this, the three felt somewhat uneasy. After a while, the hee-hos and dancing finally died down.

"Minato, you're not done taking a bath yet." Yukari said as she picked up the doll and placed him back on the sink while Theodore picked up the Pyro Jack doll and placed her on the table where the others sat down.

"So, can anybody tell us what exactly is going on here?" Yukari asked as she watched the Jack Frost doll scrubbing itself on the sink.

"Well, it's quite a complicated story." Theodore said.

"I don't think any of us have plans for the day so we're all ears." Ken answered looking at the girls who nodded. Theodore scrunched his eyebrows, not really sure how to start.

"We're here for a mission." Minako finally said after a while.

"Mission?" Fuuka asked and the Pyro Jack doll nodded.

"We're here to gather something very important." She continued.

"Important? What could possibly be that important that you both came back here? Not to mention, in those dolls." Yukari asked. Minako looked at Minato then Minato looked at Theodore.

"It can bring Minako-sama and Minato-sama back. If we succeed in the mission, they'll be able to coexist with you once more." The man explained while three pairs of eyes widened at this.

"What can we do to help?" Fuuka asked, eager to have her friends back.

"Unfortunately, I'm uncertain about that." Theodore said, frowning.

"There's no specific order for the mission. I mean, anybody can go first or last." Minako said. "In my case, Ken went first." She continued.

"Huh?" Ken looked at her confused.

"Remember the big shadow? The one Ryoji said is a mirror of your pain and anger?" Minako asked and Ken gasped.

"So it was real!" He said and the Pyro Jack doll nodded.

"I'm still confused." Yukari said.

"Like Theo said, it's hard to explain." Minako said while the three sighed and the room fell silent with only the running water hitting the Jack Frost doll can be heard.

"Is Junpei okay?" Minako suddenly asked and the others looked at her.

"He's not here." Ken managed to say in a sad tone.

"Did something bad happen to him?" Minako asked, very worried.

"I-it's not like that!" Yukari quickly said. "Why are you suddenly asking about him?" she asked.

"Well…" Minako frowned and considering she had a pumpkin for a head, it was a scary expression. "I saw Takaya…" She said weakly, nobody really heard her.

"What?" Yukari asked staring at the doll.

"I saw Takaya." She managed to say, audible enough for everybody in the room to hear.

Minato, who was happily scrubbing earlier, stopped at the mention of the name. The occupants, including Koromaru, of the dorm were quiet while Theodore just looked at everyone, confused. He clearly didn't know how Takaya was involved with the teens.

"He's the reason why Junpei isn't here." Fuuka finally managed to say after silence that seemed to last for years.

"What did he do to Junpei?" Minato managed to ask, in his cold, serious voice. For reasons unknown, Minato's real personality came out after hearing Takaya's name.

"He hasn't done anything to him or to Chidori-san and hopefully he wouldn't be able to do anything to them at all." Ken spoke up this time. Minako sighed in relief after this.

"Where are they then?" Minato asked, still in his cold, serious voice.

"India. Mitsuru-san sent them there to keep them away from Takaya." Ken immediately answered.

"Is anybody doing anything about it?" Minako asked to which the three nodded.

"The police are looking for him. There were times when they almost caught him but he got away." Yukari explained.

"I see." Minako frowned.

"Good luck Minako." Minato said, his cheery, Jack Frost tone returning, as Minako pinched her pumpkin cheeks.

"Why?" Yukari asked, confused.

"He's part of my mission." Minako flatly said.

"Maybe we can convince Mitsuru-senpai to let them go back for now." Yukari said but the Pyro Jack doll shook its head.

"I don't want to risk Junpei or Chidori's lives. I'm sure I'll find a way to get what I need from him." Minako said with a grin.


"Tch." Shinjiro's phone had been ringing and beeping the entire morning. He was so close to throwing his phone away. He wanted to but something kept holding him back. It was his persona.

"It's the boy. Answer the phone." Castor said.

"Tch. Shaddup." The man in red pea coat told his persona softly as he walked on the streets. He decided that today, he'd look for a job, one that wasn't too bothersome and definitely a job that he could handle. After a while, the phone finally stopped ringing but this silence didn't take long. The phone started ringing again. This time, his childhood friend's calling him. Shinjiro sighed as he answered the phone, in a pissed off manner.

"Shinji?" The boxer asked.

"What the hell do you need Aki?" The man in red pea coat asked.

"I need you to go back to the dorm today. There's something we need to talk about." Akihiko replied.

"Let's talk about it now." The older boy said flatly.

"It's hard to explain if you're not in front of me." The gray haired boy told the brunette.

"Tough luck then." The brunette said and immediately hung up.

"You really are stubborn." Said Castor and Shinjiro just ignored him. "Going back there won't be so bad." The persona said again.

"I told you, I ain't comin' back there." The boy replied in his usual tone.

"You'd be able to continue your studies, look after the boy and relive all the memories you have with the girl." Castor said once more. "Especially that long time you spent with her in your dorm room." The persona continued while Shinjiro started to blush. "Yeah, that was one of the greatest nights. Definitely. It's a shame that it means your betraying your best friend." Castor said, mocking the blushing boy.

"Shaddup. You know that ain't true. She wasn't Aki's girl back then." The brunette said as he tried to calm himself down. "'sides. You know nothin' happened that night. We just talked and slept on the bed." He continued defensively.

"Acting all defensive aren't we?" Castor said and Shinjiro knew the persona was grinning and Shinjiro just ignored him. As Shinjiro kept walking and trying to ignore his mocking persona, his phone rang again.

"Damn! Can't these guys leave me alone?" Shinjiro said more annoyed than ever as he looked at the phone to see who was calling. It was an unknown number so Shinjiro hesitated for a moment but answered it anyway.

"Who the hell is this?" He asked then his eyes widened as he heard the familiar voice.

"Shinjiro-senpai!" the familiar female voice said. "

W-who the hell is this?" Shinjiro stuttered still wide-eyed.

"It's me, Minako!" The girl said cheerfully.

"What the hell?" Shinjiro said freaking out.

"Yeah, it is me!" Minako insisted on the other end. Shinjiro tried to calm himself down and after a while, spoke up.

"Listen, whoever the hell you are. Don't you dare use the brat's name to prank call me ever again or I'm gonna hunt 'ya down and cut 'ya up to pieces. Got it?" He said and before Minako could say anything more Shinjiro hung up and threw his phone in the garbage out of annoyance then continued to walk around the small town.

"What if that was really her?" Castor suddenly asked.

"'Ya know she's dead and she ain't comin' back. Her body's probably rotting now." The brunette said, really annoyed.

"Anything is possible." Castor said simply and Shinjiro was about to answer when he saw the inn in front of him. After a while, he entered the inn.


Minako pouted as she returned Theodore's phone back to him. "He didn't believe it was me. He even threatened me." She said.

"Of course he won't believe you. If we didn't see you guys and Theodore didn't explain how this happened, we might do just the same." Yukari explained and Fuuka and Ken agreed with her.

"I guess so. But I really need him for my mission." Minako pouted while Theodore comforted her.

"Don't worry Minako-sama, I'm sure we'll find a way to get to him." The man said.

"Yeah, cheer up." Ken said with a bright smile. After a while the smile on the Pyro Jack doll returned and it looked at the Jack Frost doll sitting quietly next to Yukari. They both stared at each other for a while.

"We're hungry." They said in unison.

"Will you please feed me?" Minato asked Yukari so cutely, Yukari had to fight the urge to pinch his cheeks.

"Okay. What do you want to eat?" Yukari asked as she grabbed the doll and carried him to the kitchen with her.

"Anything you make and some ice please." The Jack Frost doll said sweetly.

"Huuunnnnggrrryyy!" The Pyro Jack doll repeated impatiently.

"What do you want to eat, Minako-san?" Ken asked.

"HUNGRY!" She shouted again and started rolling around the floor repeating the word loudly.

"Okay. Okay, we'll get you something to eat if you could just tell us what you want." Fuuka said, trying to calm the Pyro Jack doll down.

"HHHHUUUUNNNGGGRRRYYY" Minako said, her body flaring up which made Ken and Fuuka jump back. "FEED ME I'M HUNGRY" She repeated loudly, her body flaming even harder. All the while, Theodore held a small bag he brought with him earlier and opened it.

"Here you go Minako-sama. We'll get you more in a while, for now this has to do." He said calmly as he offered the bag of charcoal to the girl. Minako cooled down and grinned widely as she took a charcoal from the bag and started eating it.

"Please have more patience with Minako-sama. As you can see, her patience is terrible at the moment but I am certain it will be better." Theodore told Ken and Fuuka who both nodded.

"Now, do you have any peppers?" Theodore asked and Fuuka immediately answered.

"Yeah, but not much. Why?"

"Well, aside from charcoal, the only thing she eats is spicy food." Theodore explained.

"Well we do have some peppers. I'll prepare something spicy for her then." Fuuka said.

"Please make it a quick meal though." Theodore said as he watched the Pyro Jack doll munching on the bag of charcoal. "She might throw a fit again if we make her wait." He continued and Fuuka nodded as she went to the kitchen.

"Uhm, Theodore-san?" Ken called out softly as they both watched Minako eat hungrily. "How did you know she only eats charcoal and spicy stuff?" Ken asked.

"Well…" Theodore started awkwardly. "Last night, when I returned with food, I caught her by my fireplace, eating the charcoal. I didn't know what she wanted to eat so I got her all kinds. She ignored all the food except for the spicy ones." He continued.

"Oh…" Ken said. After a while, Minako finished the entire bag of charcoal and pulled on Theodore's uniform, rendering it dirty. Theodore looked at the Pyro Jack doll whose face and hands were covered in black. Theodore smiled a little as he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and took the doll and started wiping her face and hands.

"I wanna try to call Shinji-senpai again." Minako said.

"Here you go." Theodore said as he gave his phone to Minako who shook her head.

"Maybe I can try using Ken's phone." She said looking at the younger boy.

"We've been trying to call him using my phone since this morning but he still won't answer." Ken explained.

"Well maybe we can try again. Please." Minako asked nicely.

"But—" Ken said.

"GIVE ME YOUR PHONE!" Minako said as she flared up again scaring the boy. Ken immediately took his phone out and gave it to the Pyro Jack doll. Minako's flames died down as soon as she got the phone and gave Ken a big smile that would have been beautiful and non-scary to Ken had she not been a Pyro Jack doll. Ken and Theodore looked at Minako as they waited anxiously.

"Shinji!" Minako shouted cheerfully and the two boys lit up.

"Hello. How are you?" The boy on the other end simply said.

"I'm doing okay. How are y-?" Minako suddenly stopped halfway. "Are you really Shinji-senpai?" Minako asked.

"Uh-huh." Shinji said.

"Why do you sound different?" Minako asked again.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with me." Shinji answered. "Who is this?" He suddenly asked.

"It's Minako!" Minako said loudly.

"Oh. Hello." Shinji said.

"Where are you?" Minako asked.

"Near the inn." Shinji said.

"Hmmm…" Minako thought for a while then looked at both Theodore and Ken and covered the phone for a while. "Do you know where the inn is here in Port Island?" Minako asked but both boys shook their head.

"I'll go ask Yukari-san and Fuuka-san." Ken said and went to the kitchen after a few minutes, he came back. "They don't know either." The boy said.

"What inn are you talking about?" Minako asked Shinji.

"There's only one inn here Minako-chan so you shouldn't have any trouble looking for it." The boy said.

"But—" Minako started but was cut off. She looked at the phone and the call was already finished. She tried to call again.

"I think he ran out of battery." She finally said and the two boys just sighed.

"At least we now have an idea where he could possibly be." Ken said just as Fuuka entered the lounge with a plate of hot food.

"Here you go Minako-chan. I hope you like it." She said as she handed the plate to the Pyro Jack doll and Minako gave her a smile.

"Did he say anything else Minako-san?" Ken asked while Minako shook her head as she ate her food.

"But he sounded weird though. He sounds different." Minako said.

"Who are you talking about?" Fuuka asked as she sat next to Ken.

"Aragaki-san." Ken said. "Are you sure it was him?" he asked.

"Well he said he was Shinji-senpai." Minako said as she continued to eat. After a while, Yukari and Minato came back from the kitchen and sat down on the couch with the others.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Yukari asked.


Akihiko sighed as he stared at his phone when he heard his Persona speak from deep within his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" The Persona asked.

"How are we supposed to get Shinji's help if he won't come at all and he won't tell us where he is either?" Akihiko asked weakly.

"It's Shinji we're talking about." Caesar answered.

"Good point." Akihiko said weakly.

"I'm sure it will work out somehow. For now, perhaps you should open your bag. The rabbit doll may have already ran out of oxygen and died after being in there for hours." Caesar said.

"Ryoji? Dead? He is death." Akihiko said softly as he made sure nobody heard him.

"Good point but we can't be too sure." His persona said.

"True." Akihiko said shortly as he took his bag and slowly opened it. After a while, the rabbit doll's head popped out of the bag and started slapping Akihiko's hand with its ears.

"Hey. I told you not to do that." Akihiko told the rabbit doll weakly and the doll was vigorously waving its hands and ears in the air. Akihiko didn't need Ryoji to write down what he was trying to say.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't think you needed to breathe. I mean, you're death." Akihiko pointed out a bit too loudly and the man sitting next to him looked at him weirdly.

"Uh… S-sorry. I'm practicing a line for a play." Akihiko said as he turned his back on the man and faced the window.

"Practicing a line for a play? I didn't know you're an actor now." Caesar teased.

"H-hey!" Akihiko protested weakly as he turned a bit red as he heard Caesar chuckle and noticed Ryoji soundlessly chuckling from the bag. "Stop it." Akihiko said his blush increasing. After a while, Akihiko looked at the doll again.

"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I mean, I really didn't think you needed to breathe." Akihiko said seriously and Ryoji nodded.

"Now, if we could just act normal and not fight until we get to Tatsumi in about 2 hours we won't be having any problems. So stop hitting me. Got it?" Akihiko told Ryoji weakly and Ryoji simply nodded.

"Good. And I won't close my bag so you can breathe but stay inside." Akihiko said and Ryoji raised his paws wanting to give a thumbs up to the boxer and went back inside the bag. Akihiko sighed in relief as he leaned back on his seat but immediately felt uncomfortable as he felt the man sitting next to him staring at him weirdly.


"Dammit! Where the hell is it?" Shinjiro wondered as he looked through the garbage.

"Somebody probably has it already." Castor said.

"Who the hell would want an old phone? It's just here. I'm sure of it." Shinjiro told his Persona as he continued to rummage through the garbage.

"It's your fault for throwing it away earlier." Castor said, blaming the brunette.

"You're not helping so just shut up." Shinjiro said in his usual, annoyed tone. "Who the heck would want that piece of shit?" he shouted and scared the people walking by but he just ignored them like he usually did as he continued to look for his phone. He was so busy that he didn't notice a short black haired girl approaching him.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you with whatever business you have here but if you could just keep it down. You're scaring some of our visitors." She said. Shinjiro stopped for a while and turned to face the girl. He stood straight as he observed the smaller girl.

"Quit disturbing me brat." Shinjiro told the girl off.

"Okay. Listen, I don't really care whatever problem you have with the pile of garbage right there but you're disturbing and scaring our customers so keep it down." The black haired girl snapped back.

"Tch." Shinjiro just ignored him as he turned around and continued to search through the garbage.

"Thank you." The black haired girl said as she turned around and returned to the inn across the street.

"Brat" Shinjiro said under his breath.

"Suddenly missing your own brat?" Castor mockingly asked.

"She ain't my headache." Shinjiro brushed off his persona.

"You wish she were." Castor said.

"Shaddup." Shinjiro simply said and tried to drown out his Persona's voice in his head.

"Argh…" Shinjiro felt a migraine settle in so he pulled out a bottle from his coat pocket and took a pill.

"Aki and the brat won't be happy to know you're taking that pill again." Castor suddenly said, fighting the effects of the pill.

"If you learn to stop when I tell you to, we won't have to settle to this." Shinji said as he felt the pill taking effect and Castor drifting away from the very back of his mind.


Mitsuru stared at the ceiling as she was quietly lying down on her bed, it was only 6 am but she had been awake since 4 am. She couldn't get her mind at ease since she couldn't contact the dorm and Akihiko's opinion regarding the business deal she was supposed to be working on didn't help at all either. She was starting to think that her Persona and Akihiko may right. Maybe this was some sort of setup but at the same time, she felt like she was overanalyzing things. Then she suddenly remembered the Arisato twins. They were equally good leaders, so she was wondering how they handled and analyzed situations that were similar to this. The twins always seemed calm no matter what the situation was when it comes to their S.E.E.S. activities and they always knew what they were supposed to do when it comes down to it.

Somehow, along the lines of thinking about the business deal, it lead to thoughts as to why Max didn't contact her the previous day which lead to her calling her kohai in India that then on went to her trying to contact her kohais in Tatsumi. Then, this lead to her calling Akihiko then back to thinking about Max and the business deal then to Akihiko and Artemesia's opinion about the business deal and Max which has ended up in memories of the Arisato twins that has ultimately lead to her memories of the kohai she fell in love with.

To put it simple, she was now thinking of the older Arisato.

"Minato…" She said under her breath. She knew it was very wrong as he already had a girlfriend and much more, it was Yukari, a close friend of the Kirijo head. She remembered all the times she spent with Minato whether in Tartarus or in school or other various places. Soon, these memories ended up in the longest time they've spent together. Her wide smile slowly grew smaller…


"Minato… I want to be with you a little bit longer tonight… C-can you please stay with me?" the redhead asked the day she invited Minato into her room. She was nervous and she hoped that Minato would say yes.

"Okay." Minato said as he sat comfortably on the luxurious couch. Honestly speaking, it wasn't everyday that Minato gets to sit in couches like this and he wanted to take advantage of it.

"Uhm. W-would you like something to drink or eat?" Mitsuru asked uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about me Mitsuru. I'm fine. So is there anything you want to talk about?" Minato asked. Although Minato was comfortable around girls unlike Akihiko was he was just as dense as the older guy. He couldn't tell if a girl liked him even if they slapped the hints on his face. Unless, like Akihiko again, the girl said her feelings flat out.

"A-anything I guess." Mitsuru answered uncomfortably.

Minato didn't really understand why the redhead seemed very uncomfortable. He cared about her and he knew she cares about him but in a sisterly-brotherly manner, in Minato's understanding of course. The room fell silent for a while as the two teenagers sat quietly.

"So…" Minato started. He wasn't really one to start conversations with others but he chose that over falling asleep in Mitsuru's room because of the very comfortable atmosphere. Plus she might execute him if he did.

"What are your plans now?" Minato asked.

"Plans about what?" Mitsuru asked, a bit more comfortably as she moved a little closer to the younger boy.

"You said you're not going to college. So what are you planning to do then?" Minato asked.

"I would continue running the Kirijo Group, of course. Perhaps expand in other countries." She said confidently.

"How about your engagement?" Minato asked again.

"I'm calling it off. I can handle and expand the Kirijo Group on my own." Mitsuru answered, more confident than ever.

"So no plans of marriage and children?" Minato asked casually not noticing the redhead blush.

"O-of course I'd like to get married and have my own family someday, when I'm a bit older of course." Mitsuru replied still blushing.

"Well just make sure I don't get married before you do." Minato said jokingly, even though it was in a serious tone.

"W-why? Are you in love with someone?" Mitsuru asked nervously, partially regretting the question.

"Well there is someone very special to me. I mean someone besides my sister of course." Minato said looking across the room and Mitsuru felt a glint of hope. At this time, of course, nobody knew who he was talking about with the exception of his sister who was happy for him and his best friend whom he threatened to "accidentally" lose in Tartarus for at least a week if he told anyone.

"What is she like?" Mitsuru asked again, her blush getting harder. Minato started to talk about the mystery girl and Mitsuru noticed something that she didn't normally see in the younger boy's face. His eyes were sparkling as he spoke of the mystery girl and his smile at that moment was different from what he normally gave them. Mitsuru was positive that the Arisato boy was indeed, in love with someone. The two talked more about Minato's mystery girl, his plans and Mitsuru's plans for the future.


Mitsuru closed her eyes tight as she held her tears back while she continued to lie down on her bed. She suddenly recalled the evening a month after that night when Yukari came to her room, bringing Mitsuru news.


"Mitsuru-senpai, I have great news!" Yukari said cheerfully as she sat on Mitsuru's bed while the older girl brushed her hair. Mitsuru then looked at the younger girl waiting for the news.

"Minato confessed his feelings for me. He said he loves me." Yukari said excitedly. Of course, being a friend, Mitsuru congratulated her but at the same time the happiness Mitsuru showed was masking the terrible heartache she felt.

"I'm so happy for you both." She said as she tried to keep her composure.

"Well I have to go tell Fuuka and Minako!" The brown haired girl said excitedly. "Do you want to go with me?" Yukari asked but Mitsuru shook her head.

"I have other plans for tonight." The redhead immediately said.

"Okay. I guess we can go out some other time." Yukari said as she left the room.

Mitsuru looked at the door and slumped on the floor. She felt broken and held her tears back. She wished Yukari didn't tell her but she couldn't blame the girl. Mitsuru did her best to hide her feelings from other people. Her tears started to fall as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the phonebook.

"Minato…" She said then shook her head. Then she looked at Yukari's number then Minako's number. Then Aigis and Fuuka's number but again, shook her head. She looked at one last number and finally dialed it.

"Akihiko?" Mitsuru started in a weak, trembling voice.

"M-mitsuru? A-are you crying?" Akihiko asked, clearly worried.

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I'm in my room. What's wrong?" Akihiko asked now that he was sure she was crying.

"I… I…" Mitsuru started as she finally broke down.

"Mitsuru? Mitsuru?" Akihiko called out worried as he heard the redhead crying. After a while, Mitsuru heard a knock on her door.

"It's Akihiko. Open the door." Akihiko said. Mitsuru opened the door, her eyes red as she was starting to calm down. Akihiko entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" Akihiko asked, worried.

"Minato and Yukari… They're… They're…" Mitsuru said and suddenly threw her arms around the taller boy as she started to cry harder than before. Akihiko flinched at the sudden contact but immediately returned the hug.

"It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." The boxer told his friend as he soothed her.


Mitsuru couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she recalled these events. She was happy for the two but it still killed her inside and even more now that Minato was gone both for Yukari and herself. She was silently crying when she heard her phone ringing. Mitsuru sat up and looked at the ID. It was Akihiko. She tried her best to regain her composure as she wiped her tears.

"Yes Akihiko?" She said in the best normal voice she could muster.

"Are you sick Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked as Mitsuru's voice sounded different.

"No." Mitsuru said flatly.

"Are you sure?" Akihiko asked again, worried.

"Yes. Positive. So what's the matter Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked as she finally felt herself calming down.

"Well…" Akihiko started. Mitsuru noticed that he was hesitant to speak.

"What is it Akihiko?" The redhead asked.

"Is there any way you can track Shinji's location? I mean, he won't tell me where he is." Akihiko asked and Mitsuru raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms.

"Well, unless there's a chip implanted on his brain, I doubt there is any way I can locate him. I could hire a professional investigator for you though." Mitsuru said.

"T-that's not necessary." Akihiko said uncomfortably. "I mean I thought of that too but I just really thought you might have another way of locating him." He continued.

"Is there any special reason why you suddenly want to look for him?" Mitsuru asked.

"N-not really. I just thought I'd visit him and check how he's doing." Akihiko bluffed and he heard Mitsuru sigh.

"I'll see what I can do." Mitsuru said.

"Thanks." he said.

"Is there anything else Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked.

"No. Thanks again Mitsuru." Akihiko answered.

"Akihiko?" Mitsuru started as she bit her lower lip.

"Yeah?" The boxer asked.

"Nothing." Mitsuru said and quickly hung up.


"What's bothering you?" Caesar asked Akihiko as the gray haired boy walked around Paulownia Mall.

"I don't know." Akihiko frowned. "It just feels like something is wrong with Mitsuru." He continued.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious." The persona said.

"I hope." Akihiko said.

"So why did we drop by here again?" Caesar asked.

"I promised Minako that I'd bring her a gift when I come back to see her and I plan on keeping that promise." Akihiko explained with a smile as he entered a jewelry shop.

"Welcome sir. How may I help you?" The female attendant asked while Akihiko looked around the shop.

"I'm looking for a gift." Akihiko started.

"Is it for your girlfriend?" The woman asked and Akihiko started blushing.

"I'm looking for a gift for her, something nice but not that expensive." He explained, clearly embarrassed. The female attendant merely smiled as she didn't find this unusual. Akihiko wasn't the first person who came in here looking for something special for his girlfriend. There were many before him ranging from high school, to college, to working.

"Do you have any idea what kind of jewelry she likes?" the attendant asked.

"Well…" Akihiko frowned and the attendant took the hint.

"Perhaps she'd like this one." She suggested pointing to a necklace with a heart pendant. Akihiko looked at it for a while. He thought it looked nice and it was the least expensive among the less expensive jewelries the store had but then, his attention turned to the necklace next to it. He looked at the price and it was a bit more expensive than the one the attendant suggested.

"I'll take this one." Akihiko told the attendant with a smile as he pointed to the second necklace.

"Are you sure? Your girlfriend might like this one more than the silver." The attendant asked and Akihiko looked at her with a smile as he shook his head.

"That necklace is perfect." He said and as if understanding what he meant, the attendant nodded her head and smiled as she took the necklace and placed it inside a small box.

"Would you like me to wrap it for you?" The attendant asked and Akihiko shook his head as he waited patiently.


"What time did Akihiko-senpai say he'd arrive again?" Yukari asked.

"He said he'd be here by 4 pm." Ken replied as Yukari looked at her watch.

"Well it's quarter to 5. Where is he?" Yukari asked again.

"Relax Yukari-chan. I'm sure he's almost here." Fuuka said.

"Whose turn is it now?" the blue haired girl asked.

"Theodore" The others replied in unison.

"Oh. Sorry. So I just throw the die and wait for it to land and move this round thing. Right?" Theodore asked as he looked at the die Fuuka gave him.

"Yeah. You just throw it then when it lands you move your token." Minako said.

The group decided to play some games while waiting for Akihiko to arrive. They first played scrabble which surprisingly Theodore easily one with a seven-letter complicated word that everybody failed to pronounce. Then they played Jenga and were doing fine until Koromaru knocked over the tower. The third game they played was Twister which ended badly considering Minato and Minako's current stature and Ken falling over them. Now, they were on their fourth game which was Snakes and Ladders. Theodore threw the die and when it landed, he moved his token once.

"Theo, you're supposed to move your token twice. Look at the die, it says two not one." Minako said.

"So I have to move this round thing according to the number the die shows?" Theodore asked.

"Yeah." Minato replied so Theodore moved his token once more and landed on a ladder. Minako moved his token up to the other end of the ladder.

"Hey, why did you touch my round thing?" Theodore asked.

"You landed on a ladder so you go up." Minako explained.

"I see. So if I land on a ladder or a snake I go up." Theodore nodded.

"No, no." Minako shook her head.

"If you land on a ladder, you go up. If you land on snake, you go down." Ken explained this time.

"I see. I understand the mechanics of the game now." Theodore nodded and they proceeded with the game quietly.

After a while, they heard a knock on the door.

"Aki!" Minako shouted cheerfully but Yukari pulled her back by the cape and placed her beside Minato and Theodore.

"We can't be too sure. I'll open the door. You guys pretend to be dolls." She said. Fuuka and Ken pretended to continue playing the game while Koromaru just sat still beside Minato. Yukari inhaled as she prepared to open the door, somewhat nervous.

"What took you so long?" the visitor asked the smaller girl.


"Senpai!" Yukari said as she sighed in relief and stepped aside to let Akihiko in. Akihiko went in and put his bag by the door as Yukari closed the door.

Akihiko looked around his surroundings. He first noticed Fuuka and Ken playing Snakes and Ladders oddly with six tokens. The next thing that caught Akihiko's attention was Koromaru who was seated in attention not moving at all beside a Jack Frost doll that was placed next to a Pyro Jack doll that was placed next to a man in blue uniform, motionless just like Koromaru. Akihiko shook his head at the weird sight at the lounge.

"So where's Minako?" he asked turning to Yukari.

"She's right over—" Yukari said as she turned to the attention grabbing quartet sitting near Fuuka and Ken.

"When I said to pretend like dolls, I meant Minato and Minako. I didn't mean you and Koro-chan too, Theodore." She said as she slapped her forehead. Akihiko looked at her confused while the Pyro Jack doll couldn't contain herself any longer.

"AKI!" She finally shouted as she ran towards the gray haired boxer. Akihiko gasped as he saw the Pyro Jack doll running towards him. The doll stopped right in front of him and started jumping up and down.

"W-wait. Don't tell me—" Akihiko started then went down on his knees to get a closer look at the Pyro Jack doll.

"M-minako?" he asked and the doll nodded.

"Aki…" Minako smiled. She was ecstatic to be standing in front of Akihiko right now.

"A-are you really Minako?" Akihiko asked awkwardly. Minako pouted and her cheeks puffed resembling buns.

"I-I'm sorry." Akihiko frowned. "It's just that I didn't expect you to look like that." He continued and Minako was about to cry.

"Hey! You're making my sister cry. That's not nice! Hee-ho!" Minato finally spoke up, puffing up his own cheeks.

"M-minato?" He asked and Ken, Yukari and Fuuka all nodded while Minako started to cry. Akihiko looked at her and suddenly grabbed her.

"I'm sorry Minako." He said holding the Pyro Jack doll tightly. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I love you." He said holding the doll tighter.

"Aki…" Minako said and if her face wasn't orange, they would surely see her blush. "A-aki... Tight… Too tight… Your hugging me too tight." She managed to say and Akihiko quickly let go of her almost dropping her.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just…. I just missed you so much Minako." Akihiko said looking into the Pyro Jack's eyes with a smile albeit still feeling uncomfortable.

"I missed you too Aki." Minako said with a wide smile. The others in the dorm smiled in awe as they watched the two.

"Oh yeah. I have something for you." Akihiko said as he pulled out the small box from earlier from his pocket. "Here." He said and opened the box.

The necklace's chain was pretty much the same in size with the other one earlier except this one was silver in color and had a key pendant with a heart shaped handle. It didn't have an inscription like the other too. Minako gasped as she saw the necklace.

"It's beautiful!" She said as she smiled at the boxing champion. Yukari and Fuuka rushed towards them as soon as they saw Akihiko pull out a small box from his pocket and they shrieked in excitement when they saw the necklace. When they finally settled down, Yukari looked at Akihiko.

"Senpai, please don't get the wrong idea but I'm just wondering. Why a key? Why not a heart or something with the inscription that says I love you?" she asked.

"I don't know." Akihiko said, clearly confused. "I just know it's perfect." He continued with a smile.

"Well maybe a ring would have been better." Fuuka said giggling.

"Fuuka!" Yukari giggled as well.

"Hey!" The three other guys complained while Akihiko started to blush really hard as he stuttered gibberish. Minako just stared at the necklace with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Aki." She said as she looked at the blushing boy before him. Akihiko smiled at her as he finally stopped stuttering and took the necklace from the box and put it around the Pyro Jack doll's neck. After making sure it was clasped properly, Akihiko smiled at Minako again.

"I love you Minako." He whispered, with a blush as he kissed Minako's forehead.

"I love you too Aki." Minako whispered back. Yukari and Fuuka were both shrieking in glee as they watched the two while Minato and Koromaru were oddly enough, cheering on, Ken was blushing and Theodore was simply nodding at his observation.

After a while, things had finally settled down in the dorm everything was back to the way it was before the shrieking.

"You must be Theodore." Akihiko said as he looked at Theodore who was sitting across him.

"Yes, I am. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Theodore said politely.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too." Akihiko said.

"So, what were you going to tell us senpai?" Yukari asked.

"Oh yeah!" Akihiko gasped and suddenly grabbed his smaller bag from the floor and put it on the table. "Well. It's probably easier to show you than to tell you." He said as he finally opened the bag. The others looked on, anticipating what will come out. After a while, Minako's rabbit doll popped out of the bag.

"Dolly?" Minako's eyes widened and she grinned.

"Minako wait tha—" Akihiko started but before he could finish, Minako had already grabbed and smothered the rabbit doll.

"Dolly!" She said as she kept smothering the doll.

"M-minako." Akihiko called out with a blush as he lightly tapped her head. Minako looked at him. "T-that's Ryoji." He said, still blushing.

"R-ryoji?" Minako looked at him confused then looked at the rabbit doll.

"RYOJI?" Everybody in the dorm exclaimed, sans Akihiko and Koromaru who didn't react and Theodore who simply gasped. The rabbit doll nodded and Minako gave him back to Akihiko. As soon as Ryoji was back in Akihiko's hand, he started slapping the boxer's hand with his ears.

"Hey, I told you to stop doing that." Akihiko said as he placed Ryoji on the table. Then he took out a small whiteboard and marker from his bag. Ryoji grabbed the marker and started writing something down. After a while, everybody read it and found that it was directed to Theodore.

"Theodore, you screwed up. I'm a mute female rabbit doll called Dolly. –Ryoji" It said and Yukari, Ken and Fuuka tried their best to hold in their laughter.

"What?" Theodore gasped. "You're the one who made a mistake." He said defensively. "You were the one who performed the ritual. I merely prepared the containers for Minako-sama and Minato-sama's spirits. I did not even expect you to be joining them." He continued and the rabbit doll wrote something again. Ken read it loudly.

"I did the ritual as the instructions said so don't point your finger at me."

"I'm not pointing my finger at you." Theodore said, taking the metaphor literally.

"Now you two. Maybe somewhere along the way, something got messed up but it's already done now." Fuuka said.

"So Ryoji, tell us about this mission." Yukari said. Ryoji sighed and felt his eyes twitch as he started to write long sentences on the board but before he could finish it he erased everything and put something very simple.

"The twins can come back if they complete the Arcana Sword on or before the deadline which is 2 months from now. Each piece is hidden within a social link." Fuuka read.

"Social link?" She asked confused and Theodore smiled confidently.

"The social links are the bonds, the relationships that the masters have forged with specific people." He explained.

"How are we sure that this would be strong enough to bring them back?" Ken asked this time.

"The bonds they formed with these various people are very strong. This bond is actually the force that gave them the power to seal the Nyx." Fuuka read Ryoji's writing loudly.

"If it's the same force that gave them power to seal the Nyx, wouldn't that mean that they would end up sacrificing themselves again?" Ken asked and everybody was silent for a while. Theodore and the twins didn't know the answer to this so they couldn't explain what would be the difference. Ryoji tapped Minako to get her attention. Minako looked at the rabbit doll which was pointing to the small whiteboard and she started reading what was written.

"It is the same force but there is a great difference. The Great Seal they have created using their social links and their life forces were formed through these relationships and nothing more." After reading it, Ryoji erased the words and started writing as everyone else waited patiently.

"The Arcana Sword is formed not only through the relationships they have established with others but through the relationships these people have established with others as well." It said then Ryoji erased again and continued to write. He mentally cursed as this was very tedious and tiring albeit the only way to communicate with everyone.

"More importantly, the Arcana Sword is also powered by the hopes and dreams of these people and the twins. It's also powered by a part of their hearts and a part of their life forces and strength." Minako continued to read as Ryoji erased and wrote something again.

"In other words, the Arcana Sword is powered not only by the twins but also by the people they have established strong bonds with and others connected to these people who have not given up on their lives and continue to dream and work for a better life." Minako read as Ryoji panted after finishing everything he was trying to tell everyone.

"What?" Yukari asked, her eyebrows scrunched, she was confused. Minato thought for a while then spoke up.

"It's like this, hee-ho. I formed a social link with you. So the bond I have with you powers the sword. Then you have strong bonds with others who have not given up on hoping and working for a better present and future. Your bond with these people powers the sword too." He said while looking at Ryoji who nodded.

"I see. So how are we gonna get the pieces then?" asked Yukari.

"Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a specific order to the pieces and we can't just choose who would go first." Minako said and this made everyone think.

"Maybe there's some sort of pattern." Fuuka said.

"Well we've only got one shard, hee-ho, and I don't think it's enough to predict a pattern." Minato said.

"Maybe there's a way to predict who's going to be next." Akihiko suggested and they looked at each other.

"Maybe it's possible if we use my cards to predict which Arcana would go next." Theodore said.

"I didn't know you knew how to predict things." Fuuka said, rather impressed with the older boy.

"I-I don't but I'm quite sure I will figure it out in no time if I had enough information about predicting things." Theodore said, blushing.

"Well I can help you find information about it on the Internet." Fuuka said confidently.

"Good idea." Akihiko said.

"Well we'll be in the fourth floor then." Fuuka said as she went upstairs followed by Theodore.


"Now what are we gonna do while waiting for them?" Yukari asked as they heard the Arisato twins' stomachs grumbling. "That answers the question." She said. "I'll prepare our dinner." She continued while the others nodded.

"Okay. I guess the rest of us can make a list of the people we need for the mission." Akihiko said as he finished returning the board game inside the box and into the cupboard.

"Sure." Yukari said as she went to the kitchen.

Ken opened a drawer and took a piece of paper and a pen then gave it to Akihiko who was now sitting on the couch.

"Thanks." Akihiko said with a smile as the younger boy sat next to him and they leaned closer to the table. Akihiko then wrote Minako and Minato's names in separate columns.

"There so now we need the names." Akihiko said looking at the twins and Ryoji who were all sitting on the table, around the paper.

"We need to put the arcanas too." Ryoji wrote on his whiteboard and the twins nodded.

"Okay." Akihiko said as he listed down Emperor, Chariot, Justice, Death, Priestess and Fortune then looked at the others. "Unfortunately, these are the only ones I recall." He frowned.

"There's Empress and Magician." Ken said and Akihiko wrote it down then Yukari came out from the kitchen.

"We're out of peppers and ice. We're out of charcoal too." She said.

"W-wait, charcoal? What do you need charcoal for? We have a stove." Akihiko said and Yukari and Ken looked at Minako which made Akihiko look at her as she was about to cry.

"It's my favorite treat." Minako said.

"But—" Akihiko started.

"Don't ask senpai, somebody just go buy the ice, pepper and charcoal." Yukari said cutting Akihiko off.

"O-okay. I'll go." Akihiko said still a bit confused. "I wanna go too!" Minako said raising her hand as she stood up on the table.

"Minako, you can't come." Akihiko said.

"I WANNA GO" Minako said flaring up which made Akihiko move back a little.

"Just let her go with you senpai but make sure you take care of her." Yukari said as she returned to the kitchen and Akihiko just sighed.

"Alright, let's go." He said as he grabbed the Pyro Jack doll and headed for the door. "You guys continue making the list." The gray haired boxer said before leaving the dorm.


Ken looked at the Jack Frost doll and the rabbit doll as he took the pen from the table and waited for one of them to speak. When he felt that neither of them would speak first, he decided to start.

"So what arcanas do you remember?" He asked. "I can't recall anymore other than the one Sanada-san and I mentioned." He continued, looking at the pair. Minato just stared at him while the rabbit doll had his arms cross, clearly thinking. The trio just thought for a while when Ryoji took the pen from Ken and wrote on the paper.

Hierophant, Lovers, Hermit, Strength, Hanged Man, he wrote.

"I see. Are we still missing something?" Ken asked as Ryoji returned the pen to him. Ryoji motioned that he didn't know and Ken sighed and both looked at Minato who was almost asleep.

"Minato-san…" Ken called out while tapping his shoulder lightly.

"Fool Moon Devil! Hee-ho!" Minato shouted as he opened his eyes immediately. Ken stared at him while Minato rubbed his eyes.

"Full moon devil?" Ken asked, his eyebrows scrunching.

"Yeah." Minato replied and Ken wrote it how he understood it. "No, no, no. That's not it, hee-ho. They're all different. Fool. Moon. Devil." Minato said and Ken looked even more confused. Minato decided to take the pen from him and wrote the correct words.

"Oh…" Ken said feeling a bit embarrassed while Minato continued to write Temperance, Tower, Star, Sun and Judgement on the paper.

"Is that all?" Ken asked looking at the 20 arcanas listed on the paper while Minato and Ryoji looked at each other then back at Ken then nodded.

"Okay. So now we need to write down the names of the people for these arcanas." Ken said.

"Both me and my sister's Emperor social link is Hidetoshi Odagiri, hee-ho." Minato said and Ken wrote this down. Ryoji tapped Ken's finger and took the pen from him after he finished writing Hidetoshi's name. Ken watched as Ryoji wrote his name, Ryoji Mochizuki, beside the Fortune Arcana under Minako's column.

"Chariot social link is with Kazushi Miyamoto, hee-ho." Minato said and Ken started to write the name down under Minato's column then proceeded under Minako but was stopped by Minato.

"No, hee-ho. Minako has a different person for Chariot. I don't remember who it is though, hee-ho." Minato explained.

"I see." Ken said.

"I'll just say the ones we have the same person first before proceeding to the ones exclusive to me." Minato said and Ken nodded as he held the pen, ready to write.

"Death – Pharos. Priestess – Fuuka Yamagishi. Empress is Mitsuru Kirijo. Hierophant – Bunkichi and Mitsuko then the Lovers arcana is with Yukari Takeba." Minato paused as he noticed Ken having trouble keeping up. As Minato waited for Ken to finish writing, he started to feel drowsy again and slowly closed his eyes. After Ken finished writing, he sighed as he saw Minato and Ryoji already asleep.

"I guess it takes double the effort to live like we do when you're a doll." Ken said as he placed the pen down then Koromaru barked at him to show his agreement. "We can just continue this later." He said as he patted the dog's head then turned the TV on to watch some news.


"Ahhh! I'm so tired." Junpei exclaimed as he sat down on the couch beside his girlfriend.

"Me too. We've visited a lot of places today." Chidori said as Junpei moved closer to her.

"Junpei, please stay away from me and take a shower, you smell so sweaty." Chidori said as she moved away from Junpei.

"W-what? Hey!" Junpei protested then smelled himself and sighed.

"Fine." he said as he stood up and headed for the bathroom while Chidori smirked and took out an Indian language book.


Minato slowly opened his eyes to find himself in the lounge alone.

"Huh?" He wondered where everyone was and sat up from where he was sleeping, the couch. He looked around and the next thing he noticed was the Jack Frost doll lying on the table.

"What the-" Minato said as he looked at his arms. He was in his own body again. He rushed to the restroom to see his reflection. He was human again. This made him smile a bit.

"Finally. No more uncontrollable giggling and verbal tics and definitely no more vomit inducing sweetness." He thought as he stepped out of the restroom.

"Better let everyone know." He said as he went to the kitchen but it was empty. Minato looked at the wall clock, 10 am. He looked outside the window, it was sunny. He went upstairs and knocked on the doors but nobody answered.

"Where the hell are the others?" Minato asked himself. He went into his room, found his phone and opened it. Minato frowned when the phone didn't turn on. He sighed and slumped on his bed. He was slowly drifting off when looked at his old alarm clock, it said 8 am.

"What the hell?" Minato sat up and looked at the clock closer.

"Is this thing still working?" He asked and shook the clock. It moved but instead of forward, the hand moved backward.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked again as he quickly stepped out of his room and as soon as he did, he looked at the wall clock outside. It now said 2 pm so he looked outside. It was still sunny but it was clearly afternoon.

Minato was getting confused with the clocks he didn't immediately notice another important factor in the current situation. He suddenly remembered Theodore and Fuuka being on the fourth floor to do some research. He hoped, strongly hoped, they were up there.

Minato hurriedly went into the command room but he found it empty. He looked at the wall clock in the room, it now said 9 pm. Minato scrunched his eyebrows and looked outside the window.

It was dark.

Then he suddenly heard a loud screech from a distance.

"That sound!" He exclaimed as he sprinted down and outside the dorm to find the source of the loud, familiar sound. He immediately stopped though when he realized it was broad daylight again as soon as he stepped outside but the streets were empty.

He seemed to be alone and...

Wait.

He looked at his arms then his feet.

"Aren't these-?" He thought when the screeching sound came roaring again from a distance and he started running towards the source.


I am really, really, really, really, really, really and so on, sorry for taking so long before updating the story I had to take care of a lot of stuff so I didn't have the time to write.

So like my other chapters, this is a lengthy on, yet again. So I apologize for that.

Thanks so much for those who read this chapter and the previous ones. Hope I keep your interest in my fanfiction.

Quick Preview of Chapter 8 - "It requires great courage to look oneself honestly, and forge one's own path..." Junpei returns to Tatsumi Port Island and somebody gets hurt badly.

I promise I'll update as soon as I can.

Thanks again so much. Hohoho.

And a very important reminder to everyone, always watch your step. ^^