Author's Notes: A bit late today because I had some travelling to do... Speaking of transportation... I don't really like driving... I'm a good driver and all, but either I think too much or not at all and that may lead to mishaps... Like a flat tire... Um... Yeah... But that's beside the point, we're not focused on cars today. Instead, our team is dealing with the monorail system. First operation commence!

~2 MAY 2009~

After an easy day at school, Hamuko smiled at her brother as they returned from Bookworms. "I like them. They remind me of Gram."

"They also very dote on us like Grandmother used to," Minato softly smiled. He frowned as he considered the news they got that day. "I feel bad about the persimmon tree though. Maybe I can bring this up to Kirijo-senpai when she's not busy."

"Sounds like a plan," Hamuko nodded as she opened the front door.

Junpei greeted them as they entered. "S'up, dude? Three-day weekend starting tomorrow! I asked some peeps if they wanted to hang out, but the only ones interested were guys… Man, I don't want no sausage fest…"

Mitsuru frowned as she looked up from her book. "I don't mean to interrupt, but need I remind you that midterms are quickly approaching? You had best use your time wisely."

Yukari sighed. "You HAD to remind me."

Hamuko elbowed her brother. "You've been studying, right? I don't want this year to be a repeat of last year."

"Relax. Why do you think we stopped by Bookworms?" He held up the bag of study materials. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get started."

Proud that he was taking his grades seriously, Hamuko smirked as he went upstairs. Through the bag though, she frowned when she noticed a technical book on public transport systems. When did he get an interest in…? The girl immediately shrugged it off. Well, nii-san does have his quirks.

Hamuko retired to her room and studied alone before she could no longer keep her eyes open. That night, she dreamed of her brother, sitting in his bed, reading his new book. It was an odd dream, but somehow, Hamuko sensed that it wasn't quite a dream. A boy suddenly appeared on her brother's bed and smiled.

"Hi, how've you been?" the young boy asked cheerfully.

"You again?" Minato asked without looking up from his book.

"It's been a while," the boy chuckled. "Are you well?"

"How did you get in?"

The boy tilted his head to the side and frowned. "What kind of welcome is that? Besides, I'm always with you." He placed a hand over his heart.

"You've said that before," Minato pointed out, setting his book aside after placing a bookmark in it.

"Well, it's true," the boy said, his smile returning. "One week from now, there will be a full moon… Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you…"

The blue-haired boy stared at his bed sheets blankly. "A full moon, huh…?" Hamuko rolled her eyes at what her brother was hung up on.

"Yes, on such days you will face your greatest challenges."

Minato looked up to the boy at that. "What kind of ordeal?"

"You will encounter one of THEM." The boy's voice became serious. "You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence… I'm sure you're aware of that, of course." He stood up and Hamuko couldn't tell if he was staring at her, but she felt like he was. Soon, he faded away. "I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now."

The next morning, Hamuko went down to the second floor to check on her brother, before realizing it was a Sunday. She paused before turning back to let him sleep in for the day. As she came downstairs, she noticed her brother was going through his new book as he sipped from a mug of coffee.

"Morning," he nodded to her as he seemed intently fixated on his book.

"Morning," she responded, wondering whether or not to bring up the discussion of her odd dream. "Nii-san?"

"Hm?" He turned a page but didn't look up.

"Last night…. Did you…?" Sensing something was bothering her, the boy set his book down and directed his blue eyes towards the younger twin. Hamuko shook her head. "Never mind."

Minato frowned as he marked where he left off. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I should get back to studying," Hamuko said, pouring herself a glass of juice before returning upstairs. She closed the door behind her and took out her books. I shouldn't worry him anymore than necessary, she thought while flipping through her notebook. And I definitely shouldn't start doubting him now. I trust nii-san. She paused and frowned to herself. I wish I could do more to help him though...

~8 MAY 2009~

Hamuko continued with her school life, but she never let herself forget about her odd dream. She constantly worried over her brother after all and it didn't help that Minato began to request more frequent visits to Tartarus. More often than not, at least one member was either tired or sick but Minato forced himself to make do with everyone's scheduling conflicts. This only made the younger twin all the more concerned because no matter how fatigued he was, she noticed her brother was adamant of getting in some extra training. He was exerting himself way more than he had to.

It got to the point where the blue-haired boy was extremely irate in the mornings, even with her. Their classmates noticed too, but said nothing as he continued to extend his reach towards them. "These are the responsibilities I chose to put myself through," Minato had told her the day before when she asked why he was trying so hard. He laughed it off before teasing her. "Normally, it'd be the other way around, wouldn't it? Me telling you to take it easy?"

"I'm being serious here," Hamuko tried to say, but her brother gave her a knowing smile before returning to that damn book on trains. Every once in a while he opened a textbook, but what was so important about his new book that made him refuse to put it down?

The red-eyed girl sat in morning classes, watching as Toriumi was lecturing on the various uses of commas. Her eyes soon wandered to her sleeping brother. At least, he should have been sleeping. Instead, it looks like he was actually paying attention in class. Hamuko noticed the bags under his eyes as he lifted his head to get a better look at the board.

She turned back to face the board too and jotted a few more notes down in her notebook. Her eyes lazily passed over the day's date before widening in surprise. Tomorrow's the full moon, she realized. How could she have forgotten when she made sure to mark down every full moon that was going to occur for the rest of the year? That's it, she told herself as she looked back to her brother. I'll talk to him about it today during Lunch.

The period ended and she was about to call out to the blue-haired boy when Toriumi got her attention. "Hamuko, a moment please?"

Minato turned as he heard her sister get called over. He shook his head to turn down Kenji and Kaz's invitation to lunch and Hamuko couldn't help but gratefully smile at how much of a worrywart her brother was.

Hamuko went up to the teacher's podium and waited as Toriumi flipped through her notes. When the teacher finally looked up, the lady gave her a relieved smile. "Ah, there you are. I'd like a word with you. You haven't joined any committees yet, have you? I know this is sudden, but there's some positions that just became vacant that I'd like you to take on. I mean, students are obligated to join a school committee. I'll let you choose which one you'd like to join. Which of these would you rather join? The school health committee or the library committee?"

Hamuko thought about it before deciding she'd rather not spend more time in the infirmary than was necessary. Edogawa was kind of a creep and visiting him almost every day with her brother to drink his medicine was beginning to get on her last nerves. "Library Committee."

"All right," Toriumi nodded. "Thank you. Well, go on over to the library after school today."

"Got it," Hamuko nodded before heading over to her brother.

Minato tilted his head to the side. "For a second, I thought you were in trouble." He knit his eyebrows together. "I'd expected you to choose the Student Health Committee. Didn't you want to be a nurse?"

Hamuko scrunched up her face in distaste. "Mr. Edogawa isn't quite the nurse I want to be."

"True," the boy smiled as he pulled out two bento boxes from his bag. "It was my turn to make lunch today. Besides, we haven't eaten together in a while between all our clubs and friends getting in the way." He sheepishly looked away as he handed his younger sister a pair of chopsticks. "Of course, that might just be my fault for prioritizing studying over other things too."

"No, it's cool," Hamuko reassured him as she began picking at her food. "I was busy too. It wasn't just your fault."

"Good," Minato sighed in relief. "I thought you were avoiding me."

"No, I'd never do that, nii-san," the girl looked up at him with sad red eyes. "You're my big brother."

"That's right. And I'll always have your back, so I'm entrusting you with mine," he smirked. He cleared his desk before finally eating. "Speaking of which, I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Hamuko watched him curiously.

"Tomorrow is a full moon," he plainly stated.

"And?" The girl tried to mimic his deadpan expression.

"Something's going to happen," he replied back in the same way.

Deciding it would be best to come clean to her brother, Hamuko shoveled some rice into her mouth. "Yeah, I know. I had a dream about you talking to that weird boy."

"Really?" Minato was more surprised than angry, much to Hamuko's relief. He actually seemed like a weight was taken off his shoulders. "I guess we really are twins after all." He seemed embarrassed all of a sudden. "And I was spending all this time trying to figure out how I'd explain it to you… I thought you'd think I was crazy for trusting a boy we've only met a few times."

Hamuko shrugged. "That boy reminds me of you."

"Huh?" The blue-eyed boy looked at her with confusion. "Really?"

"Well, he has some of your habits," she thoughtfully pointed out. "I can't really explain it either but I feel like I can trust him too."

"I'm glad we agree on this then," Minato smiled. "If he says we have an ordeal coming up," he seriously nodded, "I'll take his word for it and prepare."

"Is that why you've been reading up on trains?" Hamuko asked.

"Huh?" Again, the girl caught him off guard. "No, actually. Well, not quite. I kinda am, but kinda not. That's a different story altogether. It has to do with that fortune teller we met at Pawlonia Mall that one time."

"Snrk." The girl stifled her laughter and smirked at her brother. "Really? They actually let you into Club Escapade?"

"Hey, Mama has her connections with the owner."

"Is that her name? Mama?"

"Sh-shut up," Minato lowered his head but smiled back at his sister. He stopped as he stared at his bento. "Hey… Thanks, sis. I needed this."

Hamuko could see the fatigue in his eyes so sighed. "We both needed this, nii-san."

He looked back up towards her and just noticed her fatigue too. "Yeah, you're right. Let's not go to Tartarus tonight. The two of us need to rest for tomorrow."

"Agreed," his sister nodded. She cast her gaze over at his lunch. "Can I have your last octopus sausage?"

"No," the older brother turned his lunch away from her and tried to use his body as a shield. "I already put in two extras into your bento!"

"Aw… Come on, don't be so stingy, nii-san."

"Cut it out! We're not little kids anymore!"

Hamuko laughed as she tried to grab his last piece of sausage only to have him steal an omelet from her box. "Hey! That's not fair!" Still, she couldn't help but break out into light-hearted laughter. As they continued eating, Hamuko smiled to herself while looking up at her dear brother. Yeah, I was worried over nothing. Nii-san is still nii-san no matter what happens.

~9 MAY 2009~

Minato sat on his bed as he waited for the Dark Hour to arrive. Hamuko was staring out his window as he continued to absently flip through his book. Hopefully we're prepared for tonight, he thought to himself as he stared at a diagram of a light rail console. His eyes were getting tired so he closed the book and leaned back against his bed's headboard, pushing away his bangs as he did so. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep a little?" he asked his sister before closing his eyes.

"You know how I get, nii-san," Hamuko looked at him with a frown. "If I sleep now, there's no knowing when I'd wake up." She smiled when she saw him resting his eyes. "Done reading up on trains?"

"For the most part," he replied. "Did you now the Shinkansen was opened to coincide with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics? Besides being a massive tourist trap for foreigners, the speed of the bullet train must have been a physical marvel."

"Well, can you give me the formula used to calculate acceleration?" She quizzed him.

"Velocity is equal to initial velocity plus acceleration times time. Therefore, acceleration is equal to velocity minus its initial divided by time. 'A' equals 'v' minus 'u' all over 't'. Now if you're asking for acceleration due to gravity—"

"No, I'm good on that front," Hamuko teased her brother.

"Oh, come on. I need the practice if I want to do well during Midterms."

"Let's take this one step at a time. The ordeal first, Midterms next." Hamuko frowned as the Dark Hour finally arrived. "I wonder how long we'll have to wait."

"Who knows? It would be even better if nothing happens, but I doubt it," Minato kept his eyes closed as he tried to recall the image of the light rail console.

Mitsuru sighed as the radio frequencies buzzed in silence. Akihiko looked up at her from fixing his boxing gloves. "You're still at it?" the white-haired boy asked worriedly.

"Yeah. You never know when the enemy might appear."

"But, I thought you couldn't scan outside of Tartarus?"

Mitsuru closed her eyes to dissuade her slight migraine. "To be honest, I lack the power… Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering. Although, the power of Persona seems to be much broader than I thought. We've even got two people who can switch Personas in the middle of battle. There's something special about their abilities. It hasn't been that long since their awakenings, either."

Akihiko nodded in understanding. "I have to admit, I was surprised too. But in the end, it's up to them whether or not they can reach their full potentials."

Mitsuru silently agreed but paused when the radio frequency slightly altered. "Huh…? It's a Shadow!"

The boxer was immediately on his feet. "What!? You actually found one!?"

"Wait, something's not right. The reading is too big. We've never encountered anything like—"

"You mean, it's one of those!?" Akihiko's eyes widened in surprise.

"It must be," Mitsuru solemnly replied.

"Well then, this is gonna be fun. I'll wake up the others." The senior triggered the alarm and it didn't take long before the four juniors were up.

"We're here!" Yukari said as she came into the command room.

"Where is it!?" Junpei looked around, still groggy from waking up so suddenly. "I'll rip it a new one!"

Hamuko and Minato were the last to come in but they said nothing. Mitsuru noticed the two were rather calm about the situation, as if they already sensed something was amiss. She ignored this feeling though as she informed the four of the current situation. "We've detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus. We don't know for sure, but we think it's another big one. We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible. Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists. But, if half the city is destroyed, there will be panic. That must be avoided at all costs."

Junpei nodded with a smirk growing on his face. "In other words, we need to kick some ass, right? Well, count me in!"

Yukari sighed at his simplicity. "Junpei…"

"Akihiko," Mitsuru turned to the other senior, "you stay here and wait for the Chairman."

"Wha—!?" He quickly got over his shock before glaring at the redhead. "Are you kidding!? I'm going!"

"You still need to recover," she pointed out. "You'll just be a hindrance."

"Tch!" Akihiko looked down at his arm. It was better for the most part, but even he was uncertain if he could last long in a fight. He didn't want to admit that to her though.

"They'll fare better than you, in your current state. Have faith in them, Akihiko… They're ready. You'll get your chance. But for now, wait for the Chairman."

"Dammit…" Akihiko reluctantly sat at the control console.

Junpei flashed him a big smile. "Relax! I've got it covered!"

Akihiko turned towards Hamuko. "I guess I've got no choice… You're in charge."

"Her again…?" Junpei's face fell.

"It'll be just like in Tartarus," Mitsuru looked to the twins. "We're counting on you."

"Leave it to me!" Hamuko gave them a determined expression. Behind her, Minato gave a curt nod.

Akihiko smirked at the twins. "I know you can do this."

Junpei grumbled as he looked over to Hamuko. "Guess it's pretty much decided that you're out leader, huh…? Even when I'm the only guy in the group…"

"Excuse you?" Hamuko glared at Junpei.

Minato meanwhile gave him a frown. "Really, man? Not cool."

Mitsuru's eyes flashed as she glared at Junpei, sending a chill down his spine. "Whether one is a man or a woman doesn't factor into it. The responsibility falls to those who have the gift." Minato shifted a bit at her words. "And let me add, if you ever say or do anything to condescend her because she's a woman…" She left the threat hang, but Akihiko and Minato shared a look of sympathy.

"Oh, no, no no no!" Junpei quickly tried to pull himself out of the grave he dug for himself. "It's not like I look down on her or anything…"

Akihiko shook his head as he dismissed them. "You four should hurry and go on ahead. Mitsuru, you need to get ready, right?"

"Indeed." Mitsuru pulled up a map on the console and pointed to where they would meet. "Let's rendezvous in front of the station."

Yukari nodded. "Got it. Alright, let's go!"

Minato's scowl deepened into a frown as he stared up at the station. As I thought. Good thing I prepared for this, sort of. It depends if we'll have to fight on the tracks or in the light rail itself.

Behind him, Yukari let out an impatient sigh. "Where is she?"

"She'll be here soon," Junpei shrugged.

"There's a full moon tonight," Yukari noted. "But, it looks even creepier during the Dark Hour…"

Hamuko glanced up at the moon and agreed. She turned back to her brother, but watched as he never took his eyes off the monorail. Nii-san…

The only thing that made him turn was the roar of an engine coming towards them. "Hm?"

Junpei quickly got up, startled by the sound. "Huh? What the!?"

Mitsuru dismounted her motorcycle and took off her helmet. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"A motorcycle…?" Yukari asked as she examined the vehicle.

Mitsuru ignored her. "Listen carefully. Tonight, I'll be providing support from here. Everything else is the same." She looked over towards the twins who gave her a nod. "The Shadow is currently located inside a monorail, not far from the station." She watched as Minato narrowed his eyes. "To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

Junpei grew wide-eyed. "Are you serious!? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't worry," Mitsuru reassured them. "No electronic equipment is operable during the Dark Hour, including the monorails."

"But, your bike," Junpei stared at it.

"It's special," Mitsuru smirked. "Now, if circumstances change, I'll notify you immediately. Let's get started."

Hamuko lifted her naginata and pointed to the monorail. "Everyone, let's roll out!"

Yukari jumped at her friend's enthusiasm. "Huh!? O-okay!"

Junpei frowned. "Is this how we're gonna do this?"

Minato remained silent as he followed the three towards the monorail. Hamuko looked back at him and he tapped his sword against the bottom of his left shoe. Most probable scenario: A fight inside a monorail so keep everyone together and focused, he signaled.

His sister nodded as she led them up the tracks. Once they got up, Mitsuru spoke to them through the transceiver. "There's a monorail about 200 meters ahead. You have to stop the Shadows before they harm the passengers. Hurry!"

It didn't take too long to reach the monorail. Minato kept his eyes peeled for danger, but noticed the monorail was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Tch, he scowled. Most probable worst case scenario: The monorail starts with us on it. Dark Hour or not. He kept the thought to himself as Yukari examined the car's exterior.

The girl placed a hand on a ladder rung. "This is it… right?"

"Can you all hear me?"

"Yes," Yukari replied as she brought the transceiver up to her mouth. "I can hear you clearly. We just got here, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary…"

Well, everything is out of the ordinary, Minato wryly thought as he tried to search for the Shadow.

"The readings are definitely coming from that monorail. Proceed with caution, and stay together."

"Got it," Yukari said as she put the transceiver away.

Junpei bounced giddily and chuckled. "My Persona's just beggin' to be used!"

"Well then, let's head on in!" Yukari was the first to jump onto the ladder. She paused before glaring at the two boys. "Don't look up."

Minato turned around as Junpei rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. But don't blame me if I happen to catch a glimpse…" He smirked at both girls.

Yukari and Hamuko exchanged a glance before the archer smiled at a thought of her own. "Say… What do you say we bury Junpei here and leave him behind?"

Getting impatient, Minato let out an audible sigh. "Just hurry up. We don't have all night," he reminded them. As it was finally his turn to climb up, he carefully kept an eye on the team. I don't have a good feeling about this, he signaled to his sister by pulling on his bangs.

Junpei stared at a coffin standing off to the side of the car. "This poor stiff must be a passenger… He's been Transmogged, huh… Creepy. So… guys like him don't remember a thing, right? It's probably better that way."

Yukari looked around. "Huh…? Wait a minute. We're not at a station, but the doors are wide—" The door they entered from suddenly closed before Minato could act.

Junpei ran to the next door to try and hold it open but it shut on him. "Damn, it won't open! Ow, my fingers! Will ya look at them! They're all jacked up!"

"What's wrong? What happened!?"

"It looks like we're trapped inside," Yukari said.

Minato started moving towards the front of the car as he nodded to his sister to take their rear. We're switching positions.

"It must be the Shadow… It knows you're there. Be ready for anything! Proceed with extreme caution!"

"R-roger!" Yukari followed after Minato into the next car.

"What the heck?" Junpei looked around as Hamuko followed behind him. "I don't see any Shadows…"

Minato said nothing as he continued forward. The longer we stay here, the more danger we're in. Have to keep moving.

Yukari did her best to keep up to the blue-haired boy's pace. "It's so quiet it's creepy…"

Minato opened the door to the next car and looked around before entering. A Shadow escaped his notice as it dropped down from above surprising Yukari. The girl gasped as Junpei jumped at the chance to quickly get rid of it.

"There it is!" The Shadow ran away from the capped boy as he gave chase.

Minato reached for the boy's jacket. "Junpei, no! Get back here!" He sharply pulled the boy back to stop him from leaving the car.

"Wait! Something's not right… The enemy is acting strangely."

"But, if we don't go after it, we're gonna lose it!" Junpei frowned.

"Yuki, Arisato, you're in command there. What do you two think?"

Minato didn't even need to signal to his sister what he thought. The red-eyed girl had already pieced it together herself and replied for the both of them. "We need to be cautious," she sternly glared at Junpei.

"I agree. It would be foolish to blindly chase after it."

Minato finally said what had already been on his mind this entire time. "It's obviously a trap. Everyone, stick together and don't do anything reckless." He directed it mainly towards Junpei who knocked Minato's hand off his jacket.

"Who needs your advice!? We can beat that thing no problem! Hell, I'll do it myself! You guys just stay back and watch me!" Without another word, he ran into the next car.

Yukari called out to him. "Junpei! Wait!"

"Idiot, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Minato cried out before he saw a Reaper flash before his eyes. He turned immediately and grabbed Hamuko's arm. He roughly pulled his sister towards him as two Shadows fell from the ceiling.

"Watch out! Behind you!"

Yukari finally noticed the enemy behind them, but Minato and Hamuko quickly took care of them. She sighed as the boy wordlessly finished off the Shadows. "This is just what the enemy wanted…"

"You think?" Minato scowled as he started for the next car.

"We have no choice. You have to go after him, or you'll be picked off one by one."

"Dammit, Stupei!" Yukari called out. "What are you thinking!?"

"From what I can tell, he's only a few cars ahead."

"Okay, we'll catch up to—" Yukari was interrupted as more Shadows appeared to impede them. "Get out of our way!" She quickly fired her bow and Hamuko took care of the Shadows behind them.

Minato skillfully slipped his sword into a Shadow and neatly sliced it as he continued to make his way forward. This isn't good. The longer it takes for us to find Junpei, the more likely the Shadow will separate the cars. He ran a few different scenarios in his head before angrily summoning Nekomata. "Maragi!" The remaining Shadows caught on fire and the three quickly finished them off.

Yukari checked the next car but shook her head. "Junpei's not in this car, either." She sighed. "He should know it's too dangerous to go alone. Don't you think he's acting weird?" She looked to the twins in confusion. "Did you say anything to upset him?"

Minato didn't answer as he was preoccupied with his own thoughts but Hamuko shrugged. "I don't think so," she shook her head.

"Well, we can ask him once we've caught up to him!" Yukari said as Minato once again took the lead. It took a few more cars, but the brunette was relieved when she finally saw the familiar baseball cap Junpei wore. "There he is!" She frowned when she noticed the crowd of Shadows. "Shoot! He's surrounded!? We've gotta help him!" She charged forward. "Junpei!"

Hearing her, the capped boy grit his teeth. "I've got it under control! Take this, you freak of nature!"

Minato said nothing as he jumped in, easily dispatching them in a matter of seconds much to Junpei's chagrin, while Hamuko immediately healed any injuries Junpei might have sustained. When the danger completely passed, Yukari quickly berated Junpei for going off without them. "See! That's what happens when you don't listen! So, are you alright?"

"O-of course I am," Junpei tried to bluff. "I was doin' just fine…" He enviously looked towards Minato who was already moving towards the next car.

"Be careful, you four! I don't detect any movement, but stay alert!"

"Tch," Minato scowled as he reached for the car door. The monorail lurched forward and he grabbed the door to steady himself. "Oh no…" He froze up as three new Reapers began circling around the team. More appeared for every passenger on the train and soon, his vision tunneled.

Junpei's eyes grew wide. "Whoa, what the!? Why're we moving!?"

"It seems the monorail is under the enemy's control…"

"Whaddya mean, 'it seems'!?" Yukari screamed, panic written all over her face.

"Uh… This doesn't look good," Junpei tried to steady himself.

"You think?" Hamuko sarcastically asked as she grabbed onto something. She saw her brother growing pale and she hurried to his side. Oh, no. Please, nii-san. You can't freeze up. Not now!

"If we can't stop that thing, it'll crash into another train!"

"WHAT!?" Yukari's breathing became uneasy. "Oh, God! What are we gonna do!?"

"Calm down and listen." Mitsuru tried her best to keep the panic out of her voice. "I sense a strong presence in the front car. That must be the one we're after. You'll have to defeat it to stop the train!"

"You hear that, nii-san!?" Hamuko tried to get her brother to focus on her. "We just need to defeat that Shadow!"

More Shadows appeared and Junpei let out a frustrated growl. "What kind of messed-up ride is this!?" He swung his sword towards a Shadow. "Could use some help here!"

Yukari assisted him and although she didn't want to leave her brother's side, Hamuko pulled out her Evoker. "Persona!" Orpheus appeared and flames managed to down one of the Shadows.

Minato blinked as he felt the heat glance him. Th-that's right. W-we have to f-fight the Sh-shadows… His shaking hand pulled out his Evoker and he focused. "Nekomata!" The cat spirit cast another fire spell and all of the Shadows wilted.

Junpei kicked the last Shadow aside before Mitsuru's urgent voice spoke up. "You don't have much time! Run!"

Minato felt his heart get caught in his throat as he charged forward. The three Reapers continued to race around him, but he continued onward. His hand tightened around his sword and Hamuko could see his knuckles turn white.

"W-we'll be okay, nii-san!" She tried to reassure him, but she couldn't tell if her words reached him. The car suddenly rumbled, causing her to lurch forward and Junpei grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.

Minato wasn't as lucky as he slammed into the front of the car. Feeling something drip from his face, he reached up with his left hand to touch his searing nose. He stared at the blood blankly as he heard Yukari call out from behind him. "H-hey!? We're gaining speed."

Minato could now hear his rapid heartbeats deep within his ear drums. He threw the door open and although the world spun around him, he only focused on what was awaiting ahead of him. Anything to keep his mind off the many Reapers that swam around them, suffocating him. He stopped when he found what he was looking for. A massive female Shadow sat unsteadily before him, legs spread. He didn't pay any attention to it as he eyed the small control room behind it. His vision blurred even more and he could feel himself teetering. What do I do now? he thought as the Shadow blocked the entrance.

Junpei slowed down as he caught up and stared at the Shadow. "What the hell!? Is this the friggin' boss?"

"We're in the front car; it's gotta be!" Yukari aimed her bow.

"Let's take it out!" Hamuko nodded, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

Minato twitched from the contact as he was partially pulled himself out of the swirling panic in his mind. R-right… "L-let's go!" he cried out shakily, but he didn't care if anyone else noticed. He let out a roar and slashed the large Shadow.

Behind him, Hamuko relayed to Mitsuru that they found the Shadow. "Please scan it for weaknesses!" she called out as she dodged an ice spell.

The Shadow let out a groan as more Shadows came to its aid. Yukari quickly recognized them from Tartarus and quickly pulled out her Evoker. "Io!" When she hit the Muttering Tiara with a wind spell, she expected it to drop to the ground, but she frowned as she called out towards Hamuko. "They're not weak to wind!"

"Let's try ice then!" Minato readied his Evoker to summon Apsaras. Before he could pull the trigger however, the larger Shadow kicked at him. Her eyes glowed as it cast a spell and Minato's head began swimming in panic. He dropped to his knees and began to hyperventilate. W-what!? R-r-reapers! E-everywhere! "L-leave me alone!" He let out a tortured scream as he clutched his head.

The bloodcurdling sound caused Hamuko to turn. "N-nii-san!"

"Yuki! You need to move!" Mitsuru warned. It was too late as the large Shadow swept her arm and slam it into the blue-haired boy. "Yuki!"

"He's panicked!" Hamuko desperately turned to Yukari. "Hurry and cast Patra!"

"He's hurt too badly! I need to use Dia first!"

"I've got that covered," Hamuko stubbornly said as she took out her own Evoker. "Junpei, you'd better cover us!"

"On it!" Junpei quickly summoned Hermes to charge into the large Shadow as he took out a smaller one with a swing of his sword.

"All of you be careful. The Priestess Shadow has no weaknesses. Avoid using ice. Someone hurry and get Yuki out of there!"

Minato's head rang as he watched his frantic teammates try to come to his rescue. As Junpei reached for him, the blue-haired boy noticed a Reaper reaching a bony hand out towards the tall swordsman. "Stop!" Minato screamed as he forced himself to jump in between the Reaper and Junpei. "Kgh!"

Junpei's eyes widened as he didn't even notice the Priestess's Bufu spell coming at him, yet Minato had taken it for him. "D-dude!" The swordsman quickly snapped out of it and knelt down at Minato's side, lifting him up. Junpei grit his teeth as he called out to the girls for some assistance. "H-he's in bad shape! We need a healing spell over here!" Junpei saw the large Shadow swing an arm at them so quickly brought his sword up. "C-come on, dude," he tried to get Minato respond. "Get a hold of yourself!"

Minato could barely hear the Magician. His head was throbbing and his body hurt all over. And the Reapers… They wouldn't go away. How was he expected to fight in such a condition? The running train didn't help either. They were going to die here. And it would have been because he failed them as leader. It was going to be his fault they died. My fault!? The memory of a large fire on a bridge flashed through his mind. He heard a young boy scream in his mind and he brought his hands to his ears.

"Nii-san!" Hamuko's shrill scream suddenly reached him.

Uncertain whether it was his sister screaming from his memory or around him, Minato slowly lifted his head. "Hamuko?" He unsteadily stood up and felt Junpei shove him aside as a hand came down on where he had just been standing. Minato quickly scanned the car and saw Hamuko trapped in a corner, helping Yukari up. "Hamuko!?" Minato brought his Evoker up and roared. "Get away from her!" He fired multiple times to ensure the Muttering Tiaras were defeated. It left him drained, but Hamuko quickly caught him.

"It's okay," she whispered reassuringly to him. "The Reapers won't get us."

He nodded as he understood. The two pulled out their Evokers and simultaneously summoned their Personas. "Apsaras!"

"Orpheus!"

The two of them called out together. "Fusion Spell: Cadenza!"

Everyone was refreshed and although Minato could still see the Reapers haunting them. He decided to ignore them as he prepared his sword. Junpei continued hacking at the large Shadow and Yukari supported them from behind with her arrows. Hamuko stood near her and she used Alp to repair Minato's injuries.

"Junpei!" Minato called out. "Use Hermes and give it your best shot!"

"Got it!" The capped boy jumped back and smirked defiantly at the Shadow. "Hermes!"

Hermes charged towards the Shadow. Minato calculated the point in his mind where the Persona would land its attack and smirked when it was at the Shadow's heart. Minato ran forward and thrust his sword forward as his friend's Persona vanished. "Graah!" The Shadow moaned as it disintegrated. It stared at Minato and reached a hand for his face, but the boy stepped back in slight disgust before it could touch him. Sorry, but I can't tolerate such sloppiness. Not from you… Or me…

Junpei gave him a relieved smile. "Did we make it in time?" He looked out the window and straightened up. "Hey! Why're we still moving!?"

The car shook as Minato felt the train accelerate. Yukari screamed. "We're going too fast! We have to put on the brakes or else…!"

"What are you waiting for!?" Mitsuru screamed at them, no longer able to retain her composure. "There's a train up ahead!"

Junpei looked around frantically. "Dammit! I don't know how to stop this thing!"

Hamuko tightly grabbed onto a rail to remain upright. "Nii-san!"

"Leave it to me!" Minato darted straight for the control, but his eyes widened when the console didn't match the one from his book. Crap!

Yukari let out a scream and Minato instinctively pushed a button. The train jerked and Minato collided into the console before stumbling backwards as everything except his heartbeat violently screeched into a stop.

Junpei was gasping for air. "D-did we stop?"

"I-I think so…" Yukari slowly got up.

"Is everybody alright!?"

"Uh, y-yeah, we're okay." She let out shaky laugh. "My knees are shaking…"

"Dude," Junpei smirked at Minato who was still lying on the floor, trying to get his heart to stop racing. "I'm like drenched in sweat…"

Hamuko took an unsteady step towards her brother but her knees buckled. "N-nii-san…"

Minato heard the relief in her voice and nodded. "Y-yeah…" He tried to get up but ended up falling into his sister's arms. He hugged her tightly as the two tried to support each other. He buried his face into her shoulder so their friends wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. "I-I'm so glad…"

He heard a sigh from the transceiver as Mitsuru sounded just as tense as they were during the whole ordeal. "I'm so glad you're safe. I'm sorry I couldn't do more on my end. I don't detect any more Shadows. You guys did a great job, so come on home."

Minato finally released his sister and wiped his bloody face with his sleeve. Yukari looked at him curiously. "But, how did you know which one was the brake?"

The boy smiled as he looked down at his right hand. "I trusted my instincts," he breathed before he using it to push back his bangs. He let his hand rest over his usually hidden eye for a while though as he took a moment to calm down and recollect his thoughts.

Hamuko smiled when she saw that he was being genuinely honest. So I guess his whole 'be prepared' thing was a wash… At least everything turned out okay.

Yukari smiled at the blue-eyed boy. "You saved me again. Thanks."

"Yeah, it's because of you that we're alive, man!" Junpei agreed, pulling the blue-haired boy up to his feet. "Cheer up! Wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm freakin' hungry!"

Hamuko laughed as the Fool Arcana flashed before her eyes. "Come on. Let's get back before Senpai worries." She grabbed her brother's hand as he lifted her up.

"When the Dark Hour's over, I'll whip us up something back at the dorm," Minato offered. "Any requests? Yukari?"

"Uh… Sure," the girl shrugged before sternly glaring at him. "Wait! You're the one who took the worst beating. I'll be the one cooking!"

"I'm fine! Honest!" Minato took a step forward before his exhaustion hit him like a wave. "N-nothing to w-worry about…" He managed to weakly say before he collapsed to the floor.

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

"So I'm confused," Junpei frowned. "Who's actually in charge?"

"Mitsuru-senpai," Hamuko answered.

"But you're our leader?"

"I'm co-leader actually," the girl shrugged as she slapped Minato's hand away from Junpei's French fries.

"But what about your brother?" Junpei pointed to the boy sitting next to Yukari.

"He's leader," she sipped her drink.

"But I thought Mitsuru-senpai's in charge."

"She is," the red-eyed brunette stole a fry from the capped boy.

"Wait, what? How does that even make sense?"

Yukari sighed as she broke it down for him. "Mitsuru-senpai is the official leader of SEES. Minato is our field leader while Hamuko is co-leader." She reached across the table and picked a fry off Junpei's plate.

"Oh, I get it now," Junpei nodded, taking one of his fries for himself. "Just one more thing." Both girls looked up at him and Minato lifted his head from his burger. "Don't you all have your own fries?"

The three other juniors looked to each other. Minato simply shrugged as he took everyone's fries and dumped them onto Junpei's plate. "Happy?"

Junpei only stared at their leader with disbelief, as did the other two girls. "This guy is our leader!?"

"Oh, my bad." Minato pulled the plate of fries towards him into the center of the table so they'd be easier for him to reach. "There."

The three others groaned as they left the arrangement alone.

Final Notes: And so our team emerges victorious. I'm guessing the brake used on the monorail is mechanical because if electrical devices don't work, they should have all died. I remember the first time playing, the Priestess gave me a huge scare with the whole 8 minutes to find it and defeat thing... Not too bad so long you prioritize the Shadow itself instead of its minions. Junpei, Junpei, Junpei... My first impression of him was that he was the 'joke rival/idiot' character. I only put up with him because he's the best available physical type character for the majority of the game, but I didn't really appreciate him until going through his Social Link script for Hamuko... that added on top of who he actually is as a character... to me, he's pathetic but he knows it. That's why he tries so hard. His intentions are pure and honest, but... the execution of his actions need work... But that's me being biased because I love the cool-type characters... Like Minato... Yup...