Long time no see, guys! QAQ I'm sorry I took so long. First I got distracted by work hardcore, then I got lost in a bunch of random stuff that came up - not to mention I went on a trip for about a week to go visit my bf. I meant to update sooner, but then when I finally sat down to write, everyone else needed me to do something irl. =A=;;
Akihiko: Well, at least you didn't forget about everyone completely.
Yeah, but I still feel bad for not posting for so long. Of course, I somewhat assumed I'd be gone for a while - which was why I left such a cliffhanger, but still.
Akihiko: Chapters may come a bit slower, but they'll still come - hopefully at least once a month.
Right! I'll be doing my best to keep on track, so please don't worry. Also, I would like to put a new rule; I will not even start the next chapter until I get at least 5 reviews per new chapter. So until I get 5 reviews for this chapter, I wont start writing chapter 12, and same when chapter 12 comes out and so on. I need to know how I'm doing, what you like and don't like, and if you all have any suggestions or ideas you would like to see. I'm writing it for you all, after all.
Akihiko: So without further procrastinations, please enjoy the next chapter you've all been waiting for.
Minako backed up towards the small stair by the Mahjong place and took those few steps up. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. What was she going to do? This was a bad situation. Who would have thought they'd show up again during the daylight hours? It was just to go retrieve a ball, she wasn't really doing anything bad this time. "Look, I don't want any trouble – I was seriously just about to leave."
"And I'm telling you that we got business with you, so you're not going anywhere," the punk retorted. His movements mirrored hers, staying just in place to keep her from getting that opening to spring past him and out of the alley. If she got out of the alley, then there was no catching her. The security guards would get in the way, the cops could show up – things would get messy. He took the first step up a grin on his face, his mind reeling with ideas of what he could do to her to 'make up' for the bullshit that had gone down before.
Though Minako didn't like the idea of fighting anything aside from Shadows, she was really left with no choice. Even if it was just enough to get past the punks and out to where there was a crowd, it would be worth it. She couldn't expect anyone to come saving her this time. The second the punk with the slicked back hair took that first step up she swung her bag at him as hard as she could, smashing it into his face and catching him off guard. As he grabbed the hand rail to keep from falling, the brunette brought the side of her bag down on his hand, making him let go. Lifting her leg she kicked him, shoving him back to fall on his friends behind him.
Turning on her heel, Minako turned to jump off the loading dock. As soon as her feet touched the ground though, one of the three punks who'd fallen grabbed her ankle. Minako shrieked as she fell, scraping her knee and the palms of her hands in the process. She rolled to her side and kicked at the hand, but the guy wouldn't let go. So as he started to get up on his hands and knees, Minako instead shoved her foot right in his face.
Yeah, then he let go.
Jumping to her feet, Minako didn't care if she left her school bag behind. They could have her cell phone, her wallet, and all her school crap – she just wanted to get the fuck out of there. Unfortunately the time it took to get her ankle free of the third guy's grip was too long. Just as she got up, the first punk was in her way…and his fist was in her stomach. Minako felt the air leave her lungs and she was left gasping and coughing as she fell to her knees, her arms instinctively crossing over her stomach.
"Fuckin' bitch," the Punk spat. "You really thought you could get away with some cheep shit like that?"
Minako was hoping they'd just beat the crap out of her, take what money was in her wallet and go – it would be so much better than the horrible thoughts that were haunting the back of her mind. That 'worse case scenario' would be more like 'reason for suicide' if it were to really happen.
The brunette yelped as one of the three punks grabbed her by the hair and dragged her up to her feet. "Get the fuck up, dumbass," he laughed. "You've got a lot to make up for, ya hear?"
"Yeah, that stunt you pulled just now wasn't very nice," the brunet punk contributed.
Rather than listening to their threats, Minako was looking at the entrance to the alleyway, hoping that someone would pass by and see what was going on and get some help…. Or maybe she'd just see her chance to call for help.
Hell, she was hoping that maybe those kids had run off to go get help. It was a long shot, but right now she needed the hopeful ray of light.
And then there it came in a beanie and burgundy coat.
He'd stopped at the alleyway, looking like he was about to turn and leave at the sight of the three punks about to start some shit with someone – but then he seemed to actually see Minako in the middle of it all. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled as he approached.
"Ah, shit," the brunette grumbled, "It's Shinjiro."
The punk with the slicked back hair stiffened a moment before turning to look at said male. He grit his teeth, probably weighing his chances of winning in a fight, before turning back to his two friends. "Fuck it," he growled, "You got lucky this time, bitch. Let's get out of here." Trying to make his retreat look cool, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the alley through the other end, his two lackeys following behind him.
Minako had never been so relieved in her life. "S-Senpai… thank—"
"Are you some kind of idiot?" Shinjiro interrupted, a scowl on his face, "I thought I told you not to come here again."
"I-I was…" Minako began, brushing a few strands of her fallen brown tresses out of her face, "I was just trying to get the ball back for some kids who had been playing…I thought it'd be okay since it was still daylight out…"
Shinjiro sighed, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter what time it is – just don't come here, ya hear me? This is a bad place. What do you think would have happened if I hadn't shown up?"
The brunette shuddered, hugging herself. "I'm sorry…but… thank you, so much.."
"What happened to your knee?"
Minako looked at Shinjiro rather confused, "Huh?" Glancing down, it appeared she'd scraped her knee worse than she'd thought. In the panic of the situation she must not have noticed. It wasn't too terrible bad, but the blood was starting to stain her socks. It would be best for her to hurry home, clean it up, and bandage it. "Oh… I fell while… trying to get away…"
He was suddenly grabbing her by the forearm, towing her over to the ledge of the loading dock, and had her sit. Without a single word, he pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and folded it into something like a makeshift bandage, and tied it around her knee. "When you get home, make sure to clean it and dress it." Pushing her bag into her scrapped hands, he stepped away. "Now get out of here," he ordered before turning his back to her and walking out in the same direction the punks had.
The brunette watched Shinjiro walk off…that was…until he looked back to make sure she was actually leaving the alley. Then Minako was jumping up to her feet and hurrying out towards Port Island Station. On the monorail towards Iwatodai station, Minako stared blankly out the window, watching as the images of the outside scenery pass with a slight blur. If what had just happened hadnt shaken her, she wouldn't consider herself human. That Senpai had really saved her hide back there, Minako was amazed why he even felt the need to help her, but she was thankful.
Looking down at her knee and the handkerchief that covered the bad scrape, Minako's gaze softened. She'd have to find a way to make it up to him, to thank him…that kind Senpai.
"…S'up dude?" Junpei called automatically as Minako walked in through the front door of the dorm. He hadn't even looked up from the game in his hands, "They're getting Fuuka's room ready on the third floor. But, no guys allowed… It's cool though… I'm just glad she's coming. She'll be here tomorrow, ya know." He then seemed to look up from the game then, and saw Minako for the first time as she stood in the doorway, listening to what Junpei had been saying. "Holy shi—Minako, what happened?"
Akihiko looked up then from his seat, glancing over his shoulder to take a look from Junpei's reaction. Both boy's were suddenly on their feet and rushing over.
Minako obviously knew that she didn't look the best… especially with what had just happened. One of her socks were bloody, her shirt was dirty and un-tucked, and her bow was coming undone because if she tightened it, she'd get blood on it from her scraped palms. "Oh… um…I'm okay, just… a little mishap is all, it's fine, really," she insisted, waving her hands to dismiss the subject…though that might not have been the best decision.
"What happened to your hands?" Akihiko asked, gently grabbing her wrist to look at the scrapes. They didn't seem too bad, just some minor skin loss.
"And your knee," Junpei pointed out.
"I just need to disinfect them and bandage them is all," Minako replied, "It's nothing worse than what happens at Tartrus, guys."
Junpei made a face, "Yeah, but we're able to – you know – heal ourselves from the damage we get from Shadows. People are totally different."
"I'll go get the first aid kit," Akihiko interrupted, "Minako, go upstairs and take a shower, get cleaned off. When you're done, come back down and we'll bandage those up."
Minako nodded her head, "Okay, Akihiko-senpai…" It was better to just go along with it and do as she was told than to refuse and only worry them more.
The shower was nice, the hot water releasing the tension in her muscles as she cleaned herself off. Of course, she'd brought the handkerchief with her so that she could make sure to clean the blood off of that before it stained. When she was done she changed into a pair shorts and a t-shirt; normally what she'd wear on laundry day, and headed downstairs.
Not even a second after she was down on the first floor, Akihiko had her seated and was applying disinfectant on her knee. "So what happened?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'd like to know how you go scraped up too," Junpei voiced from behind Akihiko. He was seated at the table, sitting backwards in the chair with is arms crossed over the back of it.
"On my way home there were some kids playing by Port Island Station," Minako explained, wincing a bit at the sting of the disinfectant against the raw skin of her knee. "Their ball got knocked into the back alley, so since it wasn't dark, I thought it'd be fine if I just ran in really quick, grab the ball, and then run back out…"
Junpei groaned, slouching in his seat, "Minakoooo."
"That was a pretty good idea, but it's better to think that it's never safe back there," Akihiko replied.
Minako sighed, "Yeah, I found that out the hard way…I ended up running into three of the guys from before. I would have done better with my Naginata with me… but thankfully Shinjiro-senpai showed up and saved me in time…not that it was intentional of course…"
Even Akihiko paused then, looking up to catch Minako's gaze. "Shinji?" He asked, as if checking to see if he'd heard Minako correctly.
The brunette looked confused for a second, "Hm? Yeah, Shinjiro-senpai… he was walking past and saw what was going on and came to help me. Oh, that reminds me, I need to return his handkerchief once it's dried." Minako had it hanging over the back of the chair in her room, "Do you think you could help me get it to him, Senpai?"
Akihiko chuckled, "Yeah, I'll help you get it back to him," he answered. He finished putting the bandage over her scrapped knee and then asked for one of her hands so he could disinfect the scrapes there.
Minako frowned a bit, "Y-You know I can do this myself, right?"
"I'm sure you could, but this gave us the opportunity to ask you what happened," the boxer answered. "It's not like it's that big of a deal anyway. We're part of the same team, so we've got to look out for each other. Things like this are normal."
"You'd do the same for us, right?" Junpei laughed.
Minako giggled a bit, "All right, fair enough."
Since the scrapes on her hands weren't as bad, Akihiko just put a simple band-aid over each patch of raw skin after disinfecting them. Once clean up was finished and the first-said kit put away, Minako thanked the two and headed up to her room. She worked on some homework, careful with her hands so as to not irritate the scrapes under the band-aids. She studied for a few hours before deciding to crawl into bed and go to sleep.
Somewhere in the middle of the night – just as the Dark Hour began, Minako awakened from her half-asleep state to the feeling of someone else in her room. Rubbing her eyes a bit, Minako sat up and looked over to see none other than that adorable little boy standing beside her bed.
"You've prevailed yet again," the boy said, a soft smile on his face. "Do you remember what I said before? About everything coming to an end?"
Minako nodded her head slowly, "Yes, I remember that."
"Well," the boy blinked those bright blue eyes of his, "I recalled something else…I'm fairly sure that the end is inevitable. But, it's funny… It doesn't seem so certain, considering the vast potential within you."
"Within me?" Minako echoed, looking rather puzzled.
The boy nodded his head, "As a matter of fact, your powers seems to have changed quite a bit." He was silent a moment before taking a few steps closet. Placing his hands on the bed, the boy leaned closer, curious blue eyes looking up at her, "Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your friend? I'm very curious about you… Is that okay?"
The brunette laughed a bit, giving him a small smile as she reached out a hand to ruffle his hair, "Aren't we friends already?" she asked.
A laugh came from the boy then, a smile sprouting on his lips once more, "you're right, I really didn't need to bring it up, did I? After all, I've been with you from the beginning…"
"Well then, what am I supposed to call you?" Minako asked, "You've yet to tell me your name."
He blinked a few times in silence, a look of surprise on his face. "My name is…Pharos," his lips curled into a slight smile, "You may call me that if you wish."
Minako smiled back at him, "Okay, then, Pharos. I'm Minako."
Pharos giggled, "I already know your name."
"Oh, well I guess that's true," Minako laughed. He'd probably known it since that first day when she'd signed the contract.
"It's getting late, so I'll go now," Pharos said, "I'm already looking forward to our next meeting."
"Come back any time, Pharos," Minako replied.
Pharos smiled at that, "Bye-bye."
"Bye-bye."
And then he was gone…
(6/13) SATURDAY
"Good morning, Arisato," Mitsuru called, catching Minako before she could enter through the front doors of the school.
"Oh, good morning, Mitsuru-senpai," Minako greeted back, pausing to open the door for her.
Mitsuru smiled a bit at that before stepping inside, Minako following after her. "Yamagishi will be living in the dorm with us. And starting tonight, she'll be providing us with support during battle. So, now I can rejoin the front line."
Minako smiled brightly, "That's good! You're reliable – it'll be great to have you with us up there."
"Yes," Mitsuru agreed, nodding her head, "you can count on me. Even though I'm a bit out of practice, I will soon return to my prior form."
Parting ways there, Mitsuru headed off to the Faculty Office for some business she had to attend to. Minako on the other hand headed up to her class for a long day of a boring lesson. When classes were over, Minako decided she'd pay the old couple a visit for lack of anything better to do.
When she entered the store, the atmosphere seemed rather heavy, which made her worry. Bunkichi was standing in the back by the register, his wife beside him. He'd looked over for a moment before returning his gaze to the old woman, "…Dear, Minako-chan is here. So, would you please cheer up…?" he asked.
Mitsuko looked as if she had been crying, drying her eyes with a handkerchief, "I understand their reasoning…" she murmured, "but…But if… if that tree is gone…" She shook her head, biting back tears, "If that tree is removed, I feel like the memory of my son will vanish with it…"
"You're worrying too much," Minako said softly as she approached the counter they were behind. "I'm sure things will be fine."
The old woman only shook her head, "…You'll understand once you've been a parent, Minako-chan. All parents think about their children. For me, that tree represents my son, it's something to remember him by…"
Bunkichi sighed, looking to Minako then as he spoke, "…Apparently, the rumor was true… They really are going to cut down the Persimmon tree…So, we went to the school to say goodbye. But, that just reminded Mitsuko of our son's death…"
"It'll be okay," Minako replied.
"See, dear," Bunkichi insisted, turning back to his wife, "That's exactly what I said! If you keep crying all the time, then what will your admirers think? Right, Minako-chan?" He winked at the brunette, a smile on his wrinkled face.
"Right!" Minako answered, a smile on her own lips.
Slowly, a small smile returned to Mitsuko's face, "Thank you."
Minako looked through their selection for a while, speaking with the two about what was a good read and where certain genres were. The brunette managed to find another good book that caught her interest and ended up buying it. Eventually it got dark, and Minako frowned, "Looks like I should head back to the dorm…" she mused.
"Stop by any time," Bunkichi said, patting her on the shoulder before she headed out the door. "My wife feels like she's back in her days in a girls' high school whenever you're around. And of course, I'm always happy to see a looker." He chucked a bit, "Here, take this for when you get hungry." He pressed a fried bread into her hand.
"Thank you," Minako answered.
Just as she entered the dorm's lounge, Minako's phone went off. Flipping the old model open, the girl raised the receiver to her ear, "Hello?"
"Hello?" the familiar silky smooth voice called back, "This is Theodore. I sense intense power deep within Tartrus. It seems a path that was blocked is now open…Please be careful…Have a nice day."
As soon as the call came, it was over. Minako looked at the screen of her cellphone. It displayed the time of the call, but no number from where the call had come from. Well, she supposed it was just one of those oddities of the Velvet Room.
"…Hi, how was your day?"
Minako looked over to see Fuuka's smiling face looking over the back of the couch closest to the door. "Oh, hi, Fuuka-chan," Minako answered.
"Um, since I'll be substituting for Mitsuru-senpai from now on…" she began, "…Just tell me if you want to go to Tartrus. I'll do my best."
"All right, thank you," Minako answered.
Since Minako had received the call from Theodore just a moment ago, Minako figured it would be a good idea to head to Tartrus that night. "Hey, guys, do you all feel up for Tartrus tonight?" She asked as she walked over to the group. They were all rather enthusiastic at the idea of going, many mentioning the need to train and get stronger.
Though Minako knew the 'training' part was just Akihiko's influence on Junpei really.
So off they each went to prepare for a night of training in Tartrus. They all met up in the lobby around eleven-thirty before heading off to the school to watch it turn into the massive frightening tower they all saw every night after joining S.E.E.S. Upon entering the bottom floor, Mitsuru turned to Minako.
"From now on, Yamagishi will support us," she reminded the brunette leader, "and I'll take part in the exploration. I've also decided that I'll allow you to select the members of your battle party."
"Battle party?" Minako asked. She had to choose the people who came with her? So then not everyone could come along like before? Well, she supposed that would be best, after all, Fuuka wouldn't be able to fight on her own if Shadows were to show up like Mitsuru would be able to.
"I realize that this is a big responsibility, but I believe you can handle it," Mitsuru answered with a nod.
Minako nodded her head slowly, "All right, I think I can handle it." Taking a look at the five there with her, "Okay, tonight I'll take Mitsuru-senpai, Akihiko-senpai, and Junpei with me. Yukari, you stay here and keep Fuuka company, all right?"
"Me?" Yukari asked, giving her a look that screamed, 'Are you sure you're not just saying that just so you can leave me behind?'
"Well…. I wouldn't really want to leave Junpei alone with her… if you know what I mean…" Minako whispered to Yukari so the Magician Arcana wouldn't overhear.
Yukari's face faltered a bit, "Right, I see what you mean. Good choice."
It seemed that bringing Mitsuru was the right choice. In fact, it was almost eerie with how perfect it seemed to be, having brought her along on those specific floors after the barrier. Every other Shadow they encountered there seemed to be weak against either Bufu or Zio. It was also amazing how the Student Body President seemed to have a skill that attacked all opponents at once.
"Mitsuru-senpai," Minako called after the recent battle had finished with another one of Mitsuru's multiple attacks. "What's that skill you're Persona is using that's attacking all the Shadows we face at once?"
"Yeah, Senpai," Junpei grinned, "That's really cool!"
The redheaded senior raised a brow, "I believe it's called 'Mabufu'," she answered.
"Mabufu…" Minako muttered, mulling it over in her head. "Ah, I see, 'ma' kinda like 'multiple' and 'bufu' for the ice spell."
"Do you think our Personas will get a skill like that eventually?" Akihiko mused aloud.
"I'd think so," Minako answered, "Maybe the more we use our Persona in battle, the stronger they get along with us, and in turn, the stronger abilities they can learn and use."
The others nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that sounds about right," Akihiko agreed.
Moving on and away from the topic, the four headed further into Tartrus, though they had to be mindful of Mitsuru. Though she seemed to be in great condition, it had been a while since she'd been in battle, not to mention the last time she'd been in battle was when she had been attacked along side Yukari on the last full moon. Minako didn't want to push her too hard on her first night back on the front lines. They made it up to the next floor when Fuuka alerted them that there was a guardian on the next floor up. Same as before, the group made their way up to the next floor after exploring and clearing out whatever Shadows were in their way.
Up on the next floor, the group found the elevator-type device and activated it before taking a peek around the corner to see what the guardians for the floor looked like. Minako glanced back at her team, "Do you guys thing you're up for it or do you want to head back?" she asked.
"I'm pretty beat, actually…" Junpei groaned, "I didn't think we'd go through all those floors that quickly."
A slight laugh slipped past Minako's lips then, "I suppose that's true, we are rushing a bit."
"We'll come back and deal with this next time," Mitsuru agreed, "We should head back and rest, the Dark Hour should be over soon, we wouldn't want to get stuck in here by staying too long."
"Right," Minako agreed with a nod. "Let's head back."
(6/14) SUNDAY
That morning, Minako awoke lazily. It was still early this time as her eyes opened, awakened by the songs and chatter of the many birds perched in the trees outside the dorm. Figuring she'd spend enough lazy Sundays, the brunette decided to take a shower and get an early start on the day.
The shower had been quick, since halfway through rinsing the shampoo from her hair Yukari was knocking on the door asking if Minako minded hurrying up a bit so she could take a shower that morning as well. It was no problem, and Minako was out shortly after that, only taking the time to use the conditioner.
Back in her room as she dressed and dried her hair Minako's phone went off. Leaving the towel over her head, she took a seat on her bed and picked the cellphone off her night stand. Flipping it open, she pulled the receiver to her ear. "Hello, Minako speaking," she answered.
"Hello, this is Saori," the familiar kind voice called through the speaker, "I'm not bothering you, am I?"
"It's okay," Minako answered with a smile, "What's up?"
"If you're free, do you want to go somewhere?"
"I'd love to!" Minako replied enthusiastically.
"Oh, that makes my day," Saori laughed, "I'll see you later then. I'll wait for you outside the Iwatodai Strip Mall."
"All right, I'll hurry over there as soon as I can," the brunette replied.
After hanging up with Saori, Minako bounced around the room to gather her needed things. She pulled on her stockings and grabbed her boots on the way down after slinging her bag's strap over her shoulder. She used the couch in the first floor lounge to pull her shoes on before bounding out the door with a farewell to her teammates who were still lingering in the dorm on such a lovely Sunday.
"Saori!" Minako called, waving when she spotted her mature friend outside the strip mall. "I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"
Saori smiled, "No, not at all," she answered. "What shall we do today?"
"Anything's fine with me, Saori," Minako laughed.
The older of the two paused to think for a bit. "Have you eaten yet?"
Minako shook her head, "Have you?"
"No, not yet," Saori answered, "Why don't we stop by Wuck's for some food before doing some shopping or something?"
"Sure, sounds great!" Minako replied.
Heading into Wild-Duck Burger behind Saori, the two stepped into line, talking about what they should or shouldn't get for whatever reason. Saori ended up getting something Minako recommended, and Minako decided to try out something new that she'd been curious about since the time she came to Wuck with Junpei.
After getting their food, the two took their trays to an empty table and had a seat.
"I'm sorry to ask you out so sudden. I really wanted to try coming here," Saori confessed, fidgeting a bit in her seat and looking a bit embarrassed. "I snuck out," she admitted further, giggling a bit, "It was rather exciting. I came to places like these fairly often until about middle school. I'd study with my friends there before exams."
"Ah, that sounds fun," Minako commented as she pulled out a couple of fries from her bag before eating them one by one.
"Oh… Sorry, I didn't inconvenience you today, I hope?" Saori laughed a bit.
"Nope, not at all," Minako answered with a smile of her own.
"…Really?" Saori covered her mouth from another giggle. "Thanks. You're always so nice, Minako-chan. I'm glad we could talk like this."
"I'm glad, too," Minako replied, "Feel free to talk to me about anything, Saori. We're friends after all." Suddenly, the light bulb turned on in Minako's head. "Oh, that reminds me." She pulled her bag up on her lap and opened it up. Looking around for a second, the brunette found what she was looking for. Pulling out the knit rabbit she'd made in the fashion club with Bebe. It was in a little gift bag, tied closed with a bright red ribbon, Minako offered it to Saori. "Here, I want you to have this."
"Hm? For me?" Saori asked, looking rather surprised. "Can I open it?" At Minako's nod of approval, the older girl opened the present, soon pulling the little knit rabbit from it's place. "Wow… This is fantastic!" Saori complimented with a smile, "You made this, no? It's so cute… I adore this kind of thing. Thank you… I'll cherish it forever."
Her words brought a smile to Minako's face as a warm feeling spread inside her. "I'm glad you like it, Saori."
They took the time to finish their food before browsing about the Strip Mall. They stopped by the book store, tried some Takoyaki, and even got some sweets at the shop on the third floor. Sadly, their fun had to end eventually.
"I should get home before my parents find out I was gone for so long," Saori pointed out. "We should do this again some time, though."
"Yeah, today was a lot of fun," the brunette replied. "See you tomorrow at school."
"See you tomorrow," Saori called as she parted ways with Minako.
With little to nothing else to do, Minako leisurely made her way back to the dorm. Yukari was passing by towards the dining room when Minako returned. The other brunette smiled and waved at the leader of their group, "…Oh, hey," she greeted.
"Hey," Minako greeted back. Walking over to the group, she saw Ikutsuki seated in the armchair. "Oh, Hello Mr. Chairman."
The adult smiled at her, "Hello, Minako-chan. How are things with Fuuka on the team now?"
"So far so good," Minako answered, "She's a lot of help, I'm glad she decided to join us."
"Fuuka is surprisingly adept at using technological devices," Ikutsuki pointed out, "And she is a very nice girl, always considering the feelings of those around her. Her name suits her perfectly. 'Fuu' means wind, and 'ka' means flower." He sighed, a pleased look on his face, "She's like a flower gently blowing in the-"
He seemed to notice the completely creeped-out look on Minako's face and stopped his monologue. Minako was about ready to smack him over the head with her purse, outright call him a pedophile, and kick him out of the dorm and tell him to not come back.
"U-Um, never mind… I-I'll stop talking now."
"Um… Mitsuru-senpai, I'm gonna go head out to the mall. I don't think we should go to Tartrus tonight," Minako voiced as she backed away towards the door.
"All right, that's fine," Mitsuru answered.
Bolting out the door, Minako headed for Paulownia Mall. The stupid con man didn't seem to be in the area like he claimed he was when he took breaks, so Minako headed into Escapade to see if the Monk Mutatsu was there. She had to weave through a few people to get to the stairs, apparently it was a busy night, before she could even make her way up. Lucky for her, the old man was there, seated in the back corner of the upstairs lounge like he usually was. "Good evening, Mutatsu-san," she greeted as she hopped over to the couches.
The old man sneered, "I thought your face looked familiar… You here again, kid? Even Buddah's not that forgiving. All right, that's it. I'm gonna hand you over to the bouncer and…"
"What?" Minako complained, "I'm not even doing anything though."
Mutatsu sighed, "…Well, there's no Buddha in this world, so… All right, kid. Stop lookin' at me like that and sit down."
Minako smiled then, "Thank you!" She took a seat in the same spot she'd sat in the last time she'd been there.
"…So tell me, is it fun pesterin' an old monk like me whose own wife and kid left him?" Mutatsu shot before he took a swig of whatever that night's alcoholic beverage was. "…How come you're always along when I see ya? Don'tcha got any friends, kid?"
The brunette shrugged, "It's not like I don't," she answered. It was just that most of them liked to be home before dark, that was all.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Mutatsu lectured, "Either ya do or ya don't. Can't ya gimme a straight answer?" He took a drag of his cigar, irritated by Minako's vague answer to his question. "What's a 'friend' to you anyway?" he asked, smoke slipping out from between his lips as he spoke. "Where do you draw the line between 'friend' and 'not friend'?" He took a moment to blow the remaining smoke in him out of his lungs, watching it drift up towards the ceiling before dissipating. "Let's define a 'friend' as… someone you hold dear. True friendship is seen through the heart, kid, not the eyes… People always want somethin' in a relationship. They only really love themselves. You don't call someone who doesn't like you your friend, do ya? No, you don't…'cuz you know you wont get nothin' from 'em, right? Which means, in this world, there's no one you can hold dear." He paused to take a long drink from his glass, emptying it completely of everything except for the ice. "At the end of the lonely road of love, kid, you're the only one left standin' there."
Minako frowned at that. Some of what the Monk said was true, but she didn't think that such things should be said about love. Some people were like that, and only used others for their own gain, but there were others who truly cared for one another and supported one another because of it.
"But, you see those dames over there," Mutatsu continued, not even bothering to comment on the look on Minako's face, "The ones on the dance floor?"
The brunette took a moment to look over to where Mutatsu was indicating. There were three of them, two brunettes and one with bleached blonde hair. They were dressed in skimpy outfits and were centered in the middle of the dance floor. They were bumping and grinding with one another, taunting the surrounding men with their exposed skin, flashy make up, and alluring eyes.
Just a bunk of cheep skanks who would sell themselves at the right price.
"If you can bring one of 'em over here, I'll be your friend in retunr. Eh? Whaddya think?" He grinned, a chuckled to his voice.
Minako frowned, "I think it's about time for me to head home…. And you too." Clearly he was drinking too much if he thought he was going to get one of them to leave with him without coughing up some sort of payment.
"…Your eyelids're startin' ta droop," the monk pointed out. "Go home for now, kid. You're gonna come back again anyway even if I tell you not to, right?"
Minako laughed a bit, "Y-Yeah… okay, I'll see you next time then."
(6/15) MONDAY
"Mornin'!"
Minako turned around in front of the school gates to see Yukari jogging up. The brunette smiled, "Good morning, Yukari," she answered.
The two of them started walking towards the front doors of the school then. "So I guess it's true that fewer cases of Apathy Syndrome occurred after each of our missions. But then, that changes again as we get closer to the next full moon…By the way, what do you think of Mitsuru-senpai..?"
"Uh…" Minako paused, unsure how she was supposed to answer that question.
"Don't you think she sort of pushed Fuuka into joining?" Yukari interjected before Minako to say anything more. "I know it's nice to have her around, especially in battle, but…. It just feels wrong…"
"I'm sure it's fine, Yukari," Minako insisted. "I mean, I'm sure Fuuka would confide in one of us if there really was a problem like that."
"Yeah… I know what you mean…" Yukari answered.
Sadly, Minako got the feeling that Yukari wouldn't let it go. She didn't seem to like Mitsuru much at all though the girl wouldn't admit to it. With a sigh, Minako changed the subject to the homework that was due that morning in their first class.
Classes seemed to pass quickly, Minako took notes well up till lunch. She ran into Hidetoshi during lunch, but the only thing he seemed to want to talk about was any leads on catching the person who'd been smoking in the boy's bathroom. Only the afternoon class seemed to really stick in her head. Ms. Toriumi was always a good teacher, Minako liked her lectures.
"Our language can be very complex…" the teacher lectured, looking about the room at all the students as she spoke. "Now then…Junpei's looking shifty, so how about you, Minako?"
Minako jumped a bit at her name suddenly being called before she stood, "Yes, Ms. Toriumi?"
"Fill in the blank with the appropriate conjunction: 'It rained all last week, blank, it'll rain again today'." Ms. Toriumi read the line aloud as she wrote it on the board for Minako to see just in case it was a bit confusing just from the verbal alone."
Minako read the board once to make sure she had heard the teacher correctly in her verbal statement. "And…" she answered, "It rained all last week, and it'll rain again today."
"That's absolutely correct!" Ms. Toriumi praised, "You'd make a great composition teacher someday, Minako. You wouldn't use 'but' to compare two situations that are identical, and 'probably' isnt a conjunction. So 'and' is the way to go."
Minako approached Junpei after class, he was more boasting to himself when Minako arrived, musing aloud about the team. "With the new addition to the team, there are more girls now. Yukari, Fuuka, Minako, and Mitsuru-senpai… It's paradise!" he chirped happily, a big grin across his face.
The brunette recoiled dramatically, "Th-that face…"
Junpei laughed, "It's just the face of a healthy, red-blooded teenager!" he insisted.
"It's the face of a pervert," Minako teased.
"Aw, come on, Minako, don't be like that," Junpei retorted, his grin faltering a bit, "You're starting to sound like Yukari."
Minako was the one to laugh then, "I'm just teasing you, Junpei."
Then the grin was back full force, and the ball-capped student was slinging an arm over Minako's shoulders. "If you're really just teasing then you wont mind hanging out with me today. We can go to the manga café."
"As much as I'd love to, Junpei, I have to go to Student Council today," Minako replied, "I ran into Hidetoshi-kun in the hall during lunch and kind of promised I'd attend today."
Junpei groaned then, "awwww man… Just my luck."
"Next time for sure, Junpei," Minako promised as she ducked away from his arm over her shoulders. Waving bye to him, she snatched her bag up from her desk and headed out of the classroom and across the hall to the Student Council room.
The time seemed to fly by in the student council room as they discussed various topics for upcoming events and problems in the school. Minako didn't seem to notice there was someone missing, but Mitsuru sure seemed to. "Is Odagiri absent today?" the student body president questioned.
"Um…no…" Chihiro answered shyly, fidgeting behind her papers, "I think he's busy…"
"Busy doing what?" Mitsuru pressed.
"…Busy playing private DICK," one of the other student council members retorted rather rudely.
"Oh… you mean what Fushimi was telling me about earlier," Mitsuru mused, "I see…" She sighed, looking off towards the empty seat he was normally in. "Well, his intentions are good, so you cant blame him. But, I understand how you feel…" She turned her attention to Minako then with an apologetic look, "You can go if you'd like, I don't mind. Sorry for the drama."
With a nod, Minako excused herself from the room, leaving before a few of the others. She'd been on her way out, passing through the first floor hallway when she overhead a commotion. Someone was yelling, and there was a slight crowd gathered in the middle of the hall.
"So where's your EVIDENCE smart guy!" an angered student was yelling.
"There's no need for evidence, I know all about you." Hidetoshi's voice could be easily picked out from the group, and the boy's face came into view as Minako squeezed her way through the group of bystanders to the front. "You were arrested for beating up a guy in the park who snitched on you, right?"
Hidetoshi approached the student, looking rather confident as he accused the student.
"Whoa! He's at it AGAIN!" one of the female students sighed, "That's the third person today he's accused…"
The girl next to her laughed, covering her mouth with a hand, "My boyfriend was so pissed he was accused, too. This guy's asking for it."
The other bystanders just stood there, watching it all go down. No one was backing either student up, or trying to get them to break it up.
Hidetoshi didn't seem to mind, in fact, he seemed to ignore the fact that anyone else was there all together. "Keeping quiet will do you no good," he pointed out smugly, "…If it's not you, then give me some names. Don't worry. I wont tell anyone. You have my word as a member of the Disciplinary Committee."
"Shut up, asshole…" the punk spat. He clenched his fist, his face contorted in a glare that dared Hidetoshi to take another step forward to give him the cue to rip that smug look off Hidetoshi's face.
"Wait a second –" Minako began, stepping forward to try and stop the whole mess before things got worse. Unfortunately, Minako was a second too late. The punk decided not to wait, and all Minako managed to do was distract Hidetoshi for that split second before he was slugged hard across the face. He lost his balance and fell back, landing on his butt.
Scoffing, the punk turned and stalked off, grumbling a line of curses under his breath about Hidetoshi. With all the commotion over, the crowd of onlookers then dispersed, each leaving to their own activities.
Minako took those few steps over to crouch next to Hidetoshi, who was rubbing the cheek that had been punched, the skin there turning red from the abuse. "Hidetoshi-kun, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
Hidetoshi was glaring at the retreating figure of the punk's back at the end of the hall, "Tch…! Don't think I'll just let that go!" he called after. It seemed only then that he noticed that it was Minako who was there. "Minako-kun…" the surprised slowly slipped away form his face, "You look like you want to say something…"
Minako wanted to say he was over doing things, and at that rate, all he would succeed in doing is pissing everybody off and getting the shit beat out of him in return. But she didn't want to upset him – he was probably already upset about getting slugged like that. "Working hard, huh?" she said with a half-hearted laugh.
"…Of course," Hidetoshi answered with a grin. He seemed satisfied with her words, which made Minako happy that she hadnt said the first thing that had come to mind. "If we let people get away with breaking the rules, things will only get worse. One day, it'll spiral out of control, and there will be nothing we can do. So, we should deal with the problem now, while we still can."
"I see…" Minako murmured, nodding her head slowly. It made sense, yes, but that didn't change the fact that she felt he was taking things a little too far.
"…I know what people think of me," Hidetoshi began again, catching her eye when Minako looked up from her thoughts. "But those who carry out justice have always clashed with others. History has proven this to me. So, let this serve as a warning to other offenders. Minako-kun, you're a sensible person… you understand, right?"
Minako nodded her head yet again, " Yeah, I understand, Hidetoshi-kun."
Hidetoshi rubbed his sore cheek once more before shaking it off, "I'm gonna get back to business. You should go home before it gets dark."
"All right, be careful," Minako agreed, "And let me know if you need help with anything, okay?"
The head of the disciplinary committee grinned at that, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good to know I can count on someone. Be safe on your way home, Minako-kun."
"I will," the brunette smiled, "I'll see you next time."
When Minako returned to the dorm that night, she ran into Akihiko, just returning from a jog it seemed. "Oh, hi, Senpai," Minako greeted with a smile as she reached for the doorknob to the front doors of the dorm. "Out for a run?"
"Yeah, just thought I'd get a bit more exercise tonight," he replied. He took a moment to wipe his face with the towel hanging around his neck before following Minako inside. "Let's go to Tartrus tonight," he suggested as the front door shut behind him. "I know the next full moon is still a ways away, but the Shadows are getting stronger. Besides, I need to train Polydeuces. So, whaddya say?"
"Sure, that sounds good," Minako answered, "I'll let Fuuka and the others know."
"Great," Akihiko replied with a smile. He turned to walk off towards the stairs then, most likely headed up to take a shower before they had to get ready to go to Tartrus.
Minako took a few steps after him, "Um, Senpai?" she called hesitantly.
Akihiko paused, turning a bit to look back at her over his shoulder, "Hm?"
"Um… Do you think tomorrow you can help me return the handkerchief to Shinjiro-senpai?"
A chuckle left Akihiko at that, seeing how Minako squirmed a bit when asking. "Sure, tomorrow after school," he agreed.
Minako was smiling then, "Thank you, Akihiko-senpai."
Akihiko turned and walked off then, headed for that shower he probably wanted. As soon as he'd dissappeared upstairs, Minako turned and trotted over to where the others were seated on the couches, approaching Fuuka from behind. The brunette leaned over the back of the couch, glancing briefly at what her teammate was doing on her computer. "Hey, Fuuka, Akihiko-senpai and I want to go to Tartrus tonight, is that okay with everyone else?"
Fuuka jumped a bit at Minako's sudden appearance, "Oh, Minako-san. Yes, that's fine, everyone's okay to go tonight."
"All right, great!" Minako grinned, "Sorry if I startled you."
"That's all right," Fuuka giggled, "You didn't scare me that badly."
Later that night the group gathered in Tartrus, all prepared to journey further into the strange tower. Of course, before Minako took the same team from the other night up to deal with the guardian, she decided to stop by the Velvet room for a moment to pay Theodore a visit.
Oh, and Igor, too.
Theodore was delightful to see her as always, and Minako was more than happy to see him. She registered her persona in the compendium as well as looked over his list of requests. There were a few new ones, so Minako was more than happy to promise a few of them within the next few days.
"Protein not for pros…?" she muttered.
"I believe your best chance to obtain it would be tomorrow," Theodore explained.
Minako smiled, "Oh, all right, I can get that then. I know just who to ask."
"Wonderful," Theodore said with a slight smile curling his lips. "I look forward to seeing it."
The brunette nodded, "Well, in the mean time, I need to get going. We've got some more exploring to do in Tartrus tonight, and only an hour to spend."
"I look forward to your next visit."
Aside from the pesky guardian fight, the rest of Tartrus seemed fairly easy like always. Of course, the Shadows were getting tougher the higher up they went, but that was only to be expected. The guardians were always the most challenging though. They were persistent, strong, and were a lot more trouble than the other challenges that Tartrus posed to S.E.E.S. Quite a few times they had to go on the defensive, or have one person designated to just healing. Not even Fuuka's helpful analysis seemed to work on the Guardians. Thankfully, Minako seemed to have good luck when it came to guessing what worked best on the guardians.
By the end of the night, the group was tired and more than ready to crawl into bed and get some sleep. They all regrouped at the bottom floor of Tartrus, gathered their things left below and what all they found that night in the strange suitcases that lay about the floors at random, and made their way back to the dorm. On the way back, Junpei was begging Yukari to help him with his homework before class later that day. The only reason he refrained from saying 'copy' was because Mitsuru was right there, and would have gladly lopped his head off in punishment for doing something like that.
Well, figuratively speaking, that was.
(6/16) TUESDAY
The next morning, Minako was greeted by Mitsuru as she approached the front doors of the school. "Oh, Arisato," the student body president called out to her, walking over while the brunette was paused. "I have something to tell you…"
"Oh, okay," Minako replied, her eyes on her senpai, "What is it?"
"From now on, you'll be able to go to Tartarus without me."
"Why is that?" Minako asked.
"Because Yamagishi can provide support," Mitsuru explained, "If she is present, you can go to Tartrus."
The brunette nodded her head then, "All right, I got it."
"But," Mitsuru began again, "if neither Akihiko nor myself is present, I told her to not let you go. I'm worried something may happen… So, please keep that in mind."
"All right, understood," Minako replied.
The rest of the day passed rather slowly, Minako found herself spacing out. Her mind drifted over various subjects as her hand moved the pencil across her paper, drawing numerous unnecessary drawings all over her notes. She chatted with Junpei during lunch, and said hello to Saori and Hidetoshi when she ran into them while on her way to get some food.
"Senpai!" Minako called as she spotted the silver-haired boxer on his way past the shoe lockers after school.
Said male paused at his shoe locker, glancing over his shoulder. When he saw it was Minako he turned, facing her fully. "What do you need, Minako?" Akihiko asked as the brunette slowed to a stop in front of him.
Minako took a moment to catch her breath before clearing her throat. "You said you'd help me find Shinjiro-senpai today so I could return his handkerchief," Minako reminded, "You didn't forget, did you?"
Akihiko looked surprised for a split second. A light tint came to his own cheeks and he coughed. "No, of course not. I was going to wait for you by the gate anyway." He opened his shoe locker, ignoring what love letters and gifts were laying inside as he pulled out his shoes.
As Akihiko put on his shoes, Minako headed over to her own shoe locker to do the same. "Do you have any idea where he might be, Akihiko-senpai?" she asked as she traded out her shoes.
"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea," he replied.
Twenty minuets later they were crossing the street over to the Iwatodai strip mall. Minako gave Akihiko a curious look before the boxer lead the way up the stairs to the third floor. It was just as they were approaching Hagakure that their target immerged from within. He looked a tad surprised to see the two there, their eyes on him when he noticed their presence. "Aki? What are you doing here?"
"We came here to find you," Akihiko replied. He inclined his head towards Minako, who was pulling the folded handkerchief out of her school bag. "She wanted to thank you for before."
Before Shinjiro could open his mouth to utter any words of protest or commentary, Minako was only a step or two away from him, holding out his handkerchief to him. It was cleaned, ironed, and folded, like it had never been used before.
"I wanted to return this. Thank you very much for helping me before, I really appreciate it," Minako said, a smile on her lips.
Her senpai seemed a bit speechless, which only seemed to amuse Akihiko. Shooting a glare at his childhood friend, Shinjiro took the handkerchief from her and stuffed it in his coat pocket, all the while saying, "You didnt have to return it to me, and you dont have to thank me."
"I still have to think of a way to repay you," Minako chirped cheerfully.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Shinjiro groweld.
Minako shook her head, "It's not that I didnt hear you, Senpai, but if I dont repay you for saving me, then what kind of person would that make me? It wouldnt feel right to not thank you in some way."
A cell phone chimed to life and Minako jumped. She was suddenly scrambling through her bag to pull out the little device. Flipping it up she pulled it to her ear, the little charms hanging from it bumping against the back of her hand as they swung back and forth. "Hello?" there was silence a moment as she listened to the person on the other end. Suddenly her eyes grew wide, "Oh shoot! I forgot! I'm sorry, I'll head back right away. Sorry, Saori-chan. All right, yeah, bye."
After stuffing the cellphone back in her bag she gave a brief bow to both her Senpai in apology, "Sorry! I forgot I'm supposed to help out at the library today, I've gotta run!" Without waiting a second more, Minako ran down the stairs, across the street, and to the station.
As soon as the monorail had stopped at Port Island Station, Minako bolted out and away from the station. She dodged past people, and later, other students as she approached the school. By the time she stopped, she was in front of the library. Saori opened the door at that moment, as if knowing Minako was there.
Saori looked surprised a moment, but soon smiled, "Well, I didn't think you'd get here that fast, Minako-chan. "Why don't you go put your things down and I'll get you some water? I was just headed to get myself something to drink too, you can watch the counter while I'm gone, yes?"
"Sounds like a plan," Minako panted, stepping aside so Saori could pass as she tried to catch her breath. After Saori had gone off to get the drinks, Minako headed inside and dropped her bag off behind the counter by Saori's. While waiting for her friend to return, the brunette took care of checking out and returning books at the counter. There wasn't all that much to do, thankfully, the library seemed pretty dead that day.
A while later, Saori returned with the drinks, and they began chatting quietly as they worked their duties. "That reminds me," Saori began, " I heard that the library committee wants to put together a school newsletter."
"A newsletter? Really?" Minako questioned curiously.
Saori nodded her head, "It'll be about things like how to take care of your books, and reminders to return them before they're overdue…At least that's what I heard is going to go in it."
Minako frowned. If the newsletter was going to just have that, it wouldn't get very popular. Students would be less likely to read it if there wasn't anything in there that interested them. "We should make it fun to read," Minako suggested.
"Yeah, I agree," Saori replied with a smile. "That's why Ms. Ounishi said she was going to look into other things that students would be interested in. But it's far more likely that the ones who have to do the actual writing will be…"
Before Saori could finish her sentence, the door to the library opened. Some girl in too much make up came running in, not even bothering to look around the room before opening her mouth. "Saori, you here!"
"Huh…?" Saori turned away from Minako then, looking over towards the girl who had called for her. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Suddenly it became obvious just how pissed off the gaudy female student was, "You can help me kick your ass!" She stormed over, a glare set on her face as she approached where Minako and Saori stood. "Who the hell do you think you are! Keep your hands off my boyfriend!"
Saori suddenly looked confused, "Boyfriend?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" the girl snapped back, "You left school together, and even went out to karaoke! He told me all about it!"
Minako didn't like where this was going. Karaoke, now why did that sound familiar…?
"Karaoke…?" Saori echoed, "Oh, you mean Takaoka-kun?"
"…You skank!" the girl shreiked, "You're the one who asked him out!"
The brunette clenched her fists from where she stood beside Saori. Yeah, Minako had thought the guy was acting funny when he'd asked Saori out. She didn't like this one bit – that guy was seriously going to get a piece of her mind if she ever saw him again, that was for sure.
Saori looked like she was at a loss for words, "Huh? But he's the one—"
"Ma-kun told me all about it!" the gaudy girl protested, not even bothering to hear Saori out. She was convinced that Saori would only lie about it – unlike her supposedly honest boyfriend. "He said you seduced him!"
"Me…?" Saori shook her head. She didn't understand where all this was coming from.
Of course, that was because Saori had thought they were just going to Karaoke without any strings attached, right? Well that's what Minako would like to assume, but she could get the details later.
"Don't give me that shit!" Without warning, the gaudy student took those few remaining steps and slapped her hand hard across Saori's face.
"Eek.." Saori cried, surprised. She lifted a hand to her reddening cheek.
"You so much as say hello to my man again… you're goin' down," the other girl threatened.
And that was the point where Minako would stand watching no more. The brunette stepped forward, a glare on her own face. "How dare you hit her! You're going down right now!" she challenged. Minako wasn't the kind of person to just stand by and watch her friend get hurt because of a misunderstanding without taking any kind of action.
"N-No, it's okay!" Saori protested, grabbing Minako's sleeve.
"Seriously…" the Gaudy student spat, "Keep to yourself, bitch."
"You want to make this personal?" Minako retorted, "Because you're doing a damn good job of it right now."
"Tch." Turning away as if she had better things to waste her worthless time on, the girl left the library. The few students in the library who hadn't left during the drama kept their distance from Saori and Minako and looked away.
"Oh…" Saori looked around the room at all the other students, "I'm sorry for the commotion…"
Suddenly, the rest of the students who had been in the library gathered their things and left quickly.
Saori watched them go for a moment before turning to Minako then, who still looked irritated by everything that had just happened. "I'm sorry you had to see that…" Saori apologized.
"What are you apologizing for?" Minako protested, "It's that bastard's fault! He's lying to that bitch so she'll go after you!"
Saori tried to smile, pulling her hand away from her red cheek. "…That girl just believes in Takaoka-kun. It cant be helped…" She shook her head, sighing a bit, "I… did have some ulterior motive of my own, after all. I thought it'd be nice to have a guy friend around my own age…"
Minako was quiet a moment, thinking about the way Saori had phrased what she'd just said. The way she was hearing it, Saori wasn't so much as looking for a boyfriend, as she was looking for a friend of the opposite gender in general. "Did you like Takaoka-kun?" Minako asked hesitantly.
The elder girl shook her head, "…No, unfortunately." Saori smiled weakly, her eyes shining with tears, "…I have someone I like. But it'll never work out, and I cant do anything about it."
Minako blinked, confused, "Why cant it work?"
"Ah-heh…" Saori's eyes softened, her smile growing a bit more in size, "I've never mentioned it to anyone else before…It's nice to be able to talk about it…I could never tell anyone…"
Minako got the feeling that she wasn't going to hear everything about it, so rather than press for more information, she was just glad that Saori was sharing as much as she was with her to begin with. "All right…"
"It's almost time to stop today…" Saori said, changing the subject, "I doubt any more people will come…Let's go home."
"Sure," the brunette answered, a smile on her face.
The two of them worked on closing up the library, making sure the books were put away and scanned into the system. They stacked all the chairs on the tables and then grabbed their things. They walked all the way to Iwatodai station together, talking about guys and what they liked to find in the ones they liked. Giggling and joking, they spent time together. The ride on the monorail passed quickly, and they were soon getting off and going their separate ways.
"But seriously, Saori?" Minako called after her friend, "If that jerk-girl gives you any more trouble, just tell me and I'll help you out!" Whether it be protecting her or just comforting her, Minako wasn't going to stand by if some bitch was going to give her friend grief.
Saori smiled, "Thank you, Minako-chan, I'll remember that."