Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3—or any version of the Persona series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

Other Notes: Avatar NIX: I don't believe it's ever mentioned how the Kirijo Group learned of the existence of Shadows exactly, enough to know how to find and capture them. There's some lore in-game that the Group was once part of another corporation, the Nanjo Group, which is a reference of the first game (one of the party members then was the heir to the business, much like Mitsuru herself). However, the first two Persona games are quite different from the more recent additions to the series (the enemies, for instance, are not Shadows but rather "demons" as per Shin Megami Tensei tradition), so it's hard to say exactly how interconnected they all are.

Still, sorry that I couldn't help! I have a few theories and headcanons that I could share based on what I know from the games, but other than that I don't know of any concrete reasons given by Atlus of what happened with the Kirijo Group prior to the game's beginning.

Also, tiny note for the studying session in this chapter, Japanese onomatopoeia for correct answers, often in quiz shows and the like, is "pinpon!" while the incorrect is actually less like a buzzer and more like… "bu bu". It's hard to describe. My Japanese language teacher back in high school used a little noise-maker whenever we had pop quizzes and it always made the class laugh, so when I thought of a study session going competitive, I thought of that. And Jeopardy. Classes always got excited over Jeopardy for some reason.

Symbiosis

Chapter Twenty-One

Minato found himself suspicious when Tamamo appeared to make a miraculous recovery overnight. He accused her of hiding it, but she insisted that she was feeling much better and told him to see her if he wanted. He did so in the middle of class, feigning falling asleep behind his textbook, and found that, while she admitted to being a bit sore (and her hair was quite a bit longer), she had spoken true. Even the skin on the back of her hand had returned to normal, the black fissures gone.

His surprise and question of how must have been obvious on his face, for Tamamo told him that Pharos had given her a boost somehow the night before. She didn't know how, but he had. Much of her body still ached, but it wasn't so painful anymore and she claimed she could feel her body adjusting to it all better.

Which was why, that night, when he was pulled from slumber straight into his mindscape, this time perched on a wooden fence in a grassy field beneath the stars, the first thing Minato did was thank Pharos for his help.

"I only did what I thought a friend would do," Pharos said in return. He giggled. "It's strange. It doesn't seem that long ago that I first met you both, and yet time has passed so quickly." He peered up at them. "Actually, I remembered something recently. About the coming of the end. It all goes back to an occurrence that took place many years ago… Ten years ago, if I remember correctly."

Minato snorted. "It seems like everything took place ten years ago." He yawned in the middle of rolling his eyes. "What a coincidence…"

"As if you actually believe that," Tamamo said mildly. When he only shrugged, she glanced over at the kid seated beside her. "Say, Pharos, I remember you saying something before, about how you can only make limited appearances or something. Why's that?"

Pharos kicked his feet out, the image striking Minato for its utter normality. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I only know that there are times when I can't leave and times when I can. But I always get called back eventually."

Tamamo hummed, and Minato stole a peek at her face to find her contemplative. Then, she lifted a hand and ruffled the boy's hair—her customary sign of affection. "Okay. So! Do you guys want to hear another story?"

Pharos happily agreed and, curious as to what she would tell them, Minato did as well. He was tired and would probably fall asleep in the middle, but he didn't mind listening in for a while. And he was already in his head, anyway. The worst that would happen would be him just fading away from the mindscape.

Pleased, his Other went on, starting the tale of a little boy with a peculiar scar on his forehead, who lived in a cupboard under the stairs…

Things were still tense between SEES when they found themselves gathered around the dining table. Minato, who had been so preoccupied with Tamamo's sudden illness, nearly forgot why when he saw Yukari looking pointedly away from Mitsuru, who had her head down for once. The others were similarly uncomfortable, each one looking to the other in a silent plea to salvage the situation.

Eventually, Fuuka cracked first under the pressure. "Um… Y—You know, it's almost summer break! Do you guys have any plans?"

Junpei leaned his chin on his palm. "I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze…" A perverted grin made its way onto his face, eyebrows lifting suggestively. "Babes in bikinis… Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear!"

"Exams," Minato reminded him.

His friend's head dropped with a small thunk onto the table. "Dude. Why."

Fuuka smiled, amused. "Now, now. You'll be fine, I'm sure!" she comforted as the dorm's entrance clicked open. "But that sounds really nice, Junpei-kun. I would love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, too. Like… Like Okinawa!"

Shuji Ikutsuki strode in. "Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"

They looked up simultaneously, but Mitsuru was the one to acknowledge him, breaking her silence. "Mr. Chairman… I didn't realize you were coming."

"I happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for the next week," Ikutsuki said with an easygoing shrug. "Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

The redhead blinked in honest surprise. "He will…?"

The chairman nodded before addressing the entire group, "You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

Junpei all but hopped up from his seat in excitement. "Seriously!? We're gonna go on a trip!?" He pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! Beach babes, here I come!"

This drew Yukari out of her silence. She rolled her eyes. "Men."

"How about it, Mitsuru?" Ikutsuki asked, reminding them all that it was really her say.

Mitsuru stilled, unsure. "But… my father is a busy man. I don't want to ruin his vacation."

Ikutsuki chuckled. "Don't worry. No father would be upset with a daughter who came all that way to see him. You've all done a great job; you deserve to relax for a while. We already know when the next operation will be, so it should be fine."

There's that 'should' again, Minato noted. Should, could, would. Is it right for me to be paranoid right now?

"Mm… I don't think so? Unless time and space decide to bump up the full moon night randomly, but even then the Shadow would be here in Port Island. Not Yakushima."

Please don't say a jinx like that.

Tamamo snickered.

In that time, Mitsuru agreed. "I guess everyone needs a break now and then." She nodded. "Let's do it."

This time, Junpei really did jump out of his seat, arms thrown up victoriously in the air. "Woohoo!"

As everyone chatted excitedly about the trip to come, Minato heard his Other give a wistful sigh. Tamamo?

"Hm?"

Something wrong?

Minato heard Fuuka comment that she had to go buy a swimsuit, reminding him that he would have to go out and get one for himself as well. Tamamo laughed. "No. It's nothing much. I wish I could visit the beach, too. Really visit it, I mean. Not just see it."

And it was moments like those that Minato truly understood what she'd revealed about herself. That she had been alive, once, with her own body in a reality that existed outside of his. …Did you visit the beach often?

She hummed. "I lived in a place called the 'Bay Area' for pretty much all my life. The ocean was never too far away for a visit."

Faintly, Minato remembered the days before his parents died and when his Other was still asleep in her little corner of his head. He remembered reaching out to her some days and being drawn into her inner world. Her dream world. Where there was a sunny beach with an endless sea stretched out before him, where a single tree stood on a small cliff with its many branches spread out, as if reaching for something across the water.

Then, Tamamo nudged at him and the memory vanished. Nearby, Junpei and Fuuka were talking with Akihiko now as he laid out his plans to train on the beach, trying to get him to relent a little and just have fun. "Hey, enough of that. Go plan with your friends so you have something to really look forward to after exams."

Minato didn't try to pull back her attention, though he wanted to. He felt the words trying to form in his thoughts, trying to string themselves together in a way that she could understand without being offended. He wanted to tell her that he wished she was real sometimes, too, to stand beside him like the rest of SEES did. To continue the life she had inexplicably lost, even if it wasn't exactly the same for her in this reality.

Maybe if she had her own body, he wouldn't have to fear her disappearing on him. She would be tangible then, after all. He wouldn't have to go through feeling scared like he had been the day before or when he was a child, terrified that she would slip through his fingers when he least expected it and he would be left alone.

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei's voice dragged him out of his musing. "What d'ya think you're gonna do?"

What?

Minato stared. What was he going to do? What could he do? How did Junpei even know what he was thinking—oh. He was talking about Yakushima. "…Swim, maybe? But maybe we should worry about exams first. Didn't you want to reschedule the study group?"

"Oh hey, that's right! Hey, Fuuka, wanna join in? Might get more stuff covered if there's more of us. And Yuka-tan—huh? Where'd she go?"

In the end, the study group was made as the exam week began. Junpei mourned the lost first day, but eagerly joined the others, intent on milking their knowledge for all it was worth to boost his own grades. As it turned out, even he had something to contribute to their sessions, remembering answers from class almost at random. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to which ones he remembered, but it was a fun study game to see which ones he knew and which ones he didn't.

"What's the difference between Paleolithic and the Neolithic eras of the Stone Age?" Minato questioned.

Junpei scratched his head. "Uh… something about tools?"

"Pinpon."

"Is soap acidic, basic, or neutral?" Fuuka asked, lips twitching.

"Neutral?"

"Bzzt."

"Nope. Sorry, Junpei-kun. It's basic."

"What's one plus one?" Minato inquired.

Fuuka gave a polite cough to cover up her giggle as Junpei spluttered. "What's one plus… man, are you taking this seriously?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Two!"

"Pinpon."

And with that dry delivery, Fuuka dissolved into laughter, earning a warning shush from the student currently minding the library's counter. She did her best to stifle it, but it escaped more and more as the boys continued their quiz session. By the time Yukari arrived, finished with whatever small errand she had to do for her club over the exam week, she found Fuuka giggling helplessly as Minato continued asking questions, making the appropriate quiz show sounds whenever Junpei answered right or wrong. The archer sighed, smacked them both over their heads and pulled out her own notebooks to join them.

They were eventually kicked out when Yukari and Junpei inevitably started bickering, the sounds from their group cited as disruptive to the other students' learning environment. Resigned, they returned to their dorm, Junpei grumbling the entire way about "not being that loud", where they chose to continue their studying in the dorm lounge.

With no need to silence themselves there, Tamamo suggested they set things up like an actual quiz show. Junpei, desperate to try anything to improve his grade, agreed when Minato brought it up. Fuuka was similarly open to the idea, Yukari reluctantly following. In the end, it was their most useful studying method, though it quickly devolved into a competition between the more boisterous two while Fuuka and Minato watched them shout answers and explanations at one another.

When Akihiko returned to the dorm, he was bewildered enough to stick around and watch for himself. He later asked for an explanation on the rules. It wasn't the material of his year, but he eventually joined in, too, his competitive nature getting the better of him.

The next day, after class, they all returned for another round, with Fuuka and Minato pulling the questions out from their class textbooks. They included items from Akihiko's own class curriculum for bonus rounds.

Mitsuru, when she saw them, was utterly perplexed at their behavior. But, as it kept them studying, if a bit loudly, she saw no reason to complain. She never joined them, however, likely to keep a respectful distance from Yukari. Minato thought it was slightly disappointing, but was also secretly glad. She probably would have kicked all of their asses without batting a lash.

Thus, the exam week passed by quickly, the dorm livelier (and more educational) than it had ever been before.

(Sometime after, Tamamo would playfully complain to him about his Social Links hurting her eyes. Curious, he would go in to see them and find the ones belonging to SEES—both the group as a whole and each individual member—appearing less like strings and more like thick ribbons. The SEES Social Link, in particular, glowed especially bright.)

The day exams ended, Junpei celebrated like none other. "I'm done, baby!" he boasted in his usual dramatic tones. "The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shining bright!"

Yukari turned in her seat, raising a thin brow. "So how'd you do?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. But I know I aced P.E.!"

"Seriously!?" she cried. Minato surreptitiously leaned away from the aisle that separated him and Junpei, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire if she threw her pencil like she had when she got really frustrated during the game. "We beat all those answers into your thick head and that's all you have to say for yourself!?"

Junpei shook his head. "Oh, Yuka-tan. A real man doesn't dwell on the past! I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!"

"Huh?" Yukari stopped short of grabbing her weapon—pencil. Minato gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it? I haven't even started getting ready yet…" She looked over Minato's way. "Have you?"

He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" Then, tapping her chin, she said, "I guess I should be more enthusiastic, huh? Well, I don't have practice today, so do you guys wanna do something?"

"Sounds good to me!" Junpei said. "Where're we going? If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!" He waggled his eyebrows for good measure.

Yukari threw her pencil and it hit the brim of his baseball cap. "As if. Anyways, just give me a sec. I need to grab my stuff from the locker room… and get Fuuka from her class while I'm at it."

She stood and left after retrieving her writing utensil, leaving the two boys to clean up their supplies after her. After a short debate, they decided they would just meet the girls at the shoe lockers, Junpei shooting her a text message so she didn't bite their heads off for not warning her.

On the way down the stairs, Junpei patted Minato's shoulder. "Hey, seriously speaking, thanks for the help in studying, man. I dunno what my score is, but I think I did pretty well this time." He grinned. "Can you believe that? For once, I actually feel pretty good about it!"

"You knew more than you let on," Minato replied. And, for the hell of it, he briefly clasped Junpei's own shoulder. "Don't put yourself down so much. Dude."

Junpei trailed after him. As they waited for the girls to show, he made an understanding sound. "I get it now."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head, allowing an impish grin to take over his face. "So, Minato, out of the lovely ladies living in our dorm, which one's your type?"

He sighed. Junpei and his one-track mind. "Never thought about it."

"Whaaa? Bullshit, there's no way!" The other boy gaped. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." It was kind of hard to, when he had a girl living in his head to hear all his embarrassing thoughts.

"Puberty was a very interesting phase for you," Tamamo agreed.

He rested his case.

"Aw, come on, man! You can tell me! I won't breathe a word!" Junpei wheedled. Never mind the fact that they were standing out in the open where any one of their classmates could overhear. "Duuuuuude!"

"Junpei, we can hear your whining from the second floor," Yukari called from by the staircase, laughing. Fuuka walked along beside her, a smile on her face. "What're you boys talking about now?"

Sulking, Junpei shifted his grip on his bag. "Nothing…"

Amused, Yukari shook her head as they neared. "So? You guys ready to go?"

"Yep, just waiting for you two," Junpei said while Minato simply nodded. "Should we head to the mall first or…?"

"I dunno," Yukari replied as they switched out their shoes and headed out the doors. "I don't think I need to buy anything, really, and…" She blinked when they stepped out, looking to the side. "Akihiko-senpai?"

The other juniors followed her gaze to find the boxer standing off to the side at the foot of the stairs. His head lifted when he heard his name. He waved over his shoulder.

"What're you doing here, Akihiko-san?" Junpei asked as they walked over.

"Ikutsuki-san called me," was Akihiko's answer. He had a pensive expression on his face. "I think he wants to talk about a new candidate."

At that, they all straightened. After a moment in which they all just looked at one another, Yukari ventured, "Does that mean another person is going to join?"

"Maybe…" the senior murmured.

Just then, the door to the school burst open. A familiar head of burnt-orange hair came dashing out. "Fuuka!"

Surprised, Fuuka turned. "What's wrong, Natsuki-chan?"

Natsuki approached, giving courteous nods in greeting to everyone before explaining something about mandatory study sessions. Behind Fuuka, the other members of SEES exchanged a round of curious expressions. The last they had really seen of the girl, outside of brief glimpses in the halls or with Fuuka during breaks, she had been blubbering and still half out of her mind with fear of what she'd seen during the Dark Hour. Of course, those memories were gone now, but it was still a shock to fully see her and not the paranoid mess she had become due to the Shadows' whispers.

When Fuuka apologized to them in order to keep her new friend company, they waved her off.

Junpei whistled. "Wow. Surprised how much she's changed."

"Both of them," Minato agreed.

"Ah, friendship…" Ikutsuki's voice sounded from behind them, full of admiration. They could hear his footsteps approaching, along with another, somewhat lighter pair. "How beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!"

"Mr. Chairman!" Yukari greeted, though she snuck numerous glances at his guest.

Minato didn't blame her. Ikutsuki allegedly called Akihiko to meet a new candidate for the squad… and it was a kid.

A kid.

"Hello. I just stopped by to pick someone up. Allow me to introduce you," Ikutsuki said, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder nearest him.

The boy ducked his head in a pseudo bow. "Hello."

"Hi, Ken-kun," Yukari returned. "What's up?"

"You know him?" Akihiko asked. His voice sounded off and when Minato looked, he saw the upperclassman staring at Ken, his eyebrows furrowed.

"This is Ken Amada," Ikutsuki introduced for the boys' benefit. "He doesn't leave during break because of his… circumstances."

Minato had yet to look away, still observing, and so he didn't miss the way Akihiko grimaced.

"Oh, I heard about that," Yukari said, somber. "Something about his parents…"

The boy, Ken, dipped his head. "It was only me and my mom, but she got in an accident, and she… she died. It happened two years ago."

"Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses," the chairman explained. "But staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age, so I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer."

Yukari jumped. "To our dorm!? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Ikutsuki smiled, amused. "Why, of course. He has the potential."

"Then…" Akihiko began. "Then, he's the new candidate?"

"Yes, but as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So it's merely a possibility for now."

Ken, who had remained quiet as Ikutsuki explained his situation, peered up at Akihiko, dark eyes glinting with curiosity. "Are you… Sanada-senpai?"

Taken aback, Akihiko nodded. "Yeah…"

For the first time since they arrived, Ken smiled. "I've heard a lot about you. You haven't lost a boxing match yet!"

It was clear that the senior had little idea of what to do. With difficulty, he said, "Yeah, well… It's… It's nice to meet you…"

And as the boy got to speak with him, Minato watched Akihiko's reluctance to interact with no little interest. It was the first time he'd seen the older boy at a loss, and the troubled expression that flitted across his face every now and again as Ken spoke was doubly curious. He appeared to know Ken as well, but for a different reason than Yukari, who probably met and heard about the boy through the high school grapevine and her numerous connections with her other friends.

As the trio of juniors departed to hang out, leaving Akihiko to converse with Ikutsuki and Ken, Minato asked Tamamo what that encounter had been about.

His Other was silent for a long while before she finally replied, "Do you remember what I told you about Shinjiro Aragaki?"

And then she left it at that, highly reluctant to spell it out for him, to let him work it out on his own.

He didn't recall everything she'd said until he, Junpei, and Yukari were sitting at the stools of Hagakure. He didn't know why it hit him just then, staring into the broth of his ramen, but he remembered.

"About two years ago, he lost control of his Persona while eliminating a Shadow during a SEES operation…" she had said. "It killed a mother who was with her son in the area."

And Ken Amada… he had just told them his mother was killed in an accident two years back.

Unsettled, Minato lowered his chopsticks. Does he…?

"He knows," Tamamo affirmed. "And he's been planning to avenge his mother all that time. Very shortly, Shinjiro will also be drawn in to rejoining SEES, more or less for Ken's sake."

Because he seeks atonement, Minato thought bleakly.

"Because he doesn't see any other option available."

"Yo, you okay?" Junpei asked, concerned. "You haven't touched your ramen. The noodle are gonna get all soggy if you don't eat it soon."

"Cat's tongue," Minato said absentmindedly. He stirred his bowl, watching its contents swirl after his chopsticks. "I was just waiting for it to cool down a bit."

Slowly, he started eating to keep his friends from getting worried, but his thoughts were elsewhere. What do we do, then?

"I'm honestly not sure. It's a… delicate situation. You can't just slap the kid over the head and tell him 'revenge is bad!' and expect him to throw a tantrum and get over it. He lost his mother—no, worse, he saw his mother get killed and watched the supposed murderer get away with it, ending with the entire thing being written off as an accident by the police. He's bitter, furious, and has very little left to lose." She sighed. "Let me think on it for a while. We've still got time. Enjoy it."

Pretty hard when you spring something like that on me, Minato tried to joke.

She chuckled. "Yeah. I forgot this would happen so soon, but… it's important, so I wanted you to have time to soak it in." She patted his head. "Don't worry. I'll be thinking on it a lot until the time comes that we should really act. This can't be rushed."

Given what she'd told him, it definitely couldn't be.