Wednesday, October 21st, 2009, Early Morning

Minato was glad to find himself bumping into Fuuka for a change, coming off the monorail on the way to school. Not that he precisely objected to how often he'd been encountering his Senpai lately, but that was stirring up enough confused emotions for him that a little space seemed to be in order.

Besides, he was still a bit concerned about the previous day's events. He hadn't seen much of Natsuki Moriyama since the girl had gotten entangled in the Dark Hour, but he knew she'd become quite close with Fuuka; he wasn't at all sure the sensitive was taking her friend's departure as well as she claimed.

The bright smile Fuuka sent his way when she spotted him did put Minato somewhat more at ease. "Good morning, Minato-kun!" she said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Well enough," he said, inwardly impressed that she continued to worry so much more about others when she had reason to be depressed herself. "It's been a fairly calm month, really, since… Well, you know. Actually, I was wondering how you were doing."

"Because of Natsuki-chan leaving?" Fuuka guessed, falling into step with him. "I did tell you guys yesterday that I was doing just fine."

"And if someone asked me that, you of all people know that what I said wouldn't necessarily be the whole truth," he pointed out. "Given that you were also looking just a bit distracted at the time, I thought asking you after you'd had a chance to think about things might be a good idea."

"Fair enough," she granted, nodding her concession. She was silent for a few moments, other than a vaguely unhappy sound at the sight of yet another victim of Apathy Syndrome sprawled by the mouth of an alley. "Well," Fuuka said after a block or so, "I can't say I'm happy about it… but like Natsuki-chan reminded me, it's not like we're completely cut off from each other. Like you and your sister, right? Even when you're apart, you're calling each other pretty often."

"True. Though I think Naoto really would prefer it if I moved back home… Yeah, I see your point."

There were some social circles Minato knew of where it wouldn't have been that simple—the kind of "high society" where if you stumbled for a moment, let alone left the area, you were persona non grata—but he couldn't imagine any of the SEES girls, least of all Fuuka, being that shallow.

"Although, there was one thing yesterday," Fuuka went on thoughtfully. "Um, Minato-kun, how much do you know about Persona in general?"

He had to think about that for a moment, pausing to nod a greeting at one of his fellow kendouka. "Not quite as much as I probably should," he admitted. "Though I've been trying to learn more lately, after what Takaya pulled on me early last month. Why?"

"Well, you're the one who has multiple Personas, so I was wondering… Have any of yours ever changed into another form?"

These days, there were enough of them lurking in the back of his mind, some of them more talkative than others, to make it hard for Minato keep track sometimes. Even so… "No, I can't say that I've ever had that. Not that I can recall. So far, they've just awakened independently, not evolved. That's not to say they don't ever, though; I admit I've been focusing on studying my own abilities, which we know aren't exactly normal."

That he'd been studying with the aid of a strange old man who alternately appeared in his dreams and in a physical location nobody else could even see, he decided was something best left unsaid for now. The Velvet Room was something he just wasn't prepared to even try to explain to anyone else just yet.

"Hm." When Minato looked askance at her, Fuuka flushed slightly, and explained, "The thing is, after I came to really understand Natsuki-chan's point yesterday, I felt Lucia change, calling herself Juno now. I haven't yet figured out everything that's changed, but I have noticed I've got better control now over my senses. I'm planning to experiment a bit the next time we go to Tartarus, but I thought if you had any information, well…"

"I wish I did, but honestly, I don't know anything at all about sensory-type Personas. Although," he realized, "Kirijo-san might know more. Penthesilea's weaker in that area, but she does have some skill there. And she might know something about Persona transformation, too."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I'll ask her, then. Thank you, Minato-kun." Closing in on Gekkoukan's outer gates now, Fuuka caught sight of another of the Lost lying again a building, and sighed. "I hope my new power will help us finish this. We're almost done, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Our last battle…" Minato looked up at the building looming ahead of them, mentally superimposing its Dark Hour form. "It'll only have been seven months, but it feels so much longer."

"Really? I was just thinking that it all seemed to go by so fast." Fuuka smiled softly; from the look in her eyes, while she wasn't quite seeing the school either, it wasn't as grim a mental image as his. "Honestly, though… as rough as it's been sometimes, as much as we've lost, I'm glad to have been a part of it. The friends I've made in the last few months…" She turned a questioning gaze to him. "What about you, Minato-kun? I know you've had trouble really getting close to everyone, but you've seemed a lot better about lately. Um… we are friends, right?"

Another time, Minato might've felt awkward at being put on the spot like that. His first few months with SEES, he really hadn't thought of any of them as friends; not really. Partly from how much friction there'd been among them, partly from his own baggage. Gradually, though, things had finally started to change, just a little. There weren't so many secrets now, for one thing.

"Of course we are," he said firmly. "We've all been through so much together, now. It's either be friends, or kill each other."

Fuuka giggled at that, unable to conceal a relieved smile under her mirth. "Well, better the first, of course! Otherwise, Junpei-kun wouldn't last five minutes!"

"Mm… maybe six," Minato allowed, as they neared the school's front doors. "He's been getting better lately… although I doubt he appreciates the bruises much…"

Saturday, October 24, 2009, After School

Mitsuru was used to being the first person to arrive for Student Council meetings on any given day. Odagiri had, for a time, managed to turn up so much earlier that she'd sometimes wondered when he found the time to actually attend class, but he'd mellowed much in the last month or two. As for her hand-picked troubleshooter, as conscientious as he was, was more apt to arrive right on time than early, although that might have been due to his surprisingly busy social life.

She'd actually asked him, once, only for him to reply, "A detective is never late, Kirijo-san, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Unlike many of Arisato's other pop culture jokes, Mitsuru had recognized that one well enough to give him a very speaking look. Not that it had done much good; she could keep him in line on serious matters, but nothing seemed to put a dent in Arisato's sense of humor.

Even if he did have such a habit, though, or if Odagiri hadn't eased up, Mitsuru wouldn't have expected to see Takeba in the Student Council Room, absorbed in writing some kind of report. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen the other girl here, save when they were planning Yamagishi's rescue.

She was about to say as much when Takeba looked up, twitching slightly when she noticed the senior. "Oh, sorry, Senpai," she said, straightening. "Nobody was here, and I needed a little quiet to work on things, so…"

"It's fine," Mitsuru assured her, walking up to the table herself. "I'm just not used to seeing you here. A report for the Archery Club, I take it?"

"Yeah, the club advisor wanted a details written up." Takeba shrugged. "Nothing that serious, but it's hard to concentrate in 2-F sometimes, you know?"

"I can imagine." Mitsuru had only dropped in on the class occasionally and for a few moments at a time, but given how… eccentric… the members of the class she personally knew could be, put together with the odd stories she'd heard here and there, she doubted it was the calmest—or quietest—place in the school. "It looks like you're keeping busy, at least."

"Not that much," Takeba demurred, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I mean, I'm not part of the Student Council or anything…" She trailed off, biting her lip. "Um, Senpai? Can I ask you something?"

Mitsuru raised a curious eyebrow. She wasn't surprised by the junior's discomfort; the girl's animosity had faded in recent months, but they had gotten off on poor footing, given when happened to Takeba's father. And, if Mitsuru were completely honest, her own habit of keeping secrets, however well-intentioned she might've been, hadn't helped at all.

This didn't seem to be related to that, though. When the silence had dragged on, she prompted, "What is it, Takeba?"

Takeba took a deep breath. "…I was just wondering, Senpai… Why did you decide to fight in the first place?"

Not the kind of question Mitsuru had been expecting at all, and it was one that took her aback. Why did I decide to fight? Well, I… Actually, she wasn't sure she'd ever put it into words. Like the process of learning to walk, it was something she'd always known, but hadn't quite thought to express. Well, there had been one time before, months earlier, when the point had been raised, but Akihiko had headed off the point before she could really address it.

Sighing softly, she moved to lean against the table, and idly tossed her hair back with one hand. "To be honest, Takeba, I'm not sure there ever was a moment I 'decided' to fight. I think I mentioned, once, that I've had my power longer than most of you. For almost as long as I can remember, I've been focused on using that power; I don't remember a particular moment of 'decision'."

"But there must be a reason, even if you don't remember when you thought of it, right?" Takeba pressed.

Mitsuru nodded slowly. "I grew up knowing what my grandfather had done, Takeba. Ever since my power awoke, I've been trying to undo what he did. I… suppose you could say that I'm trying to atone for my family's sins, really."

"I see…" Takeba looked pensive at that. "…I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that, actually." Before Mitsuru could ask her what she meant, she sighed. "Sorry, I guess that was kind of personal. It's just… I don't really have a reason myself, now. I mean, I know we're protecting people, but Minato was right, back when we first ran into Strega. 'Justice' really isn't enough of a reason, deep down."

"Ideals are hard to fight for," Mitsuru agreed softly. "…What was your reason before, then?" She had a feeling she knew, but…

"I was trying to prove my father wasn't what everyone always said he was," Takeba admitted, confirming her suspicions. "Now I know he really did do it… And yeah, Minato's probably right that in the end Dad did the only thing he could to try and fix things, but it wasn't enough. So I started thinking that I could maybe erase it myself." Mitsuru nodded at that, understanding that motive perfectly well. "But now… I don't know, Senpai. After what happened to Shinjiro-senpai, I'm starting to think I didn't really think things through."

That didn't especially surprise Mitsuru, either. Aragaki's death had hit Akihiko and Amada the hardest, but it had shaken all of them to some degree. Iori's decision to join Kendo Team was perhaps the most dramatic change; it was far from the only one.

The way the Detective's evidently overcome his reluctance to use lethal force on Strega, for one, she thought, recalling some of the more unnerving comments he'd made lately. Something I should probably talk with him about… But later.

"Events like that can put things in a new perspective," Mitsuru said aloud. "It's not surprising you'd see things differently now, Takeba."

"I guess… But it feels like everyone else has a reason, even now. Even Junpei's shaping up, now that he's got… whatever it is he's got going with Chidori." Takeba shrugged uneasily. "I guess it doesn't really matter at this point. I mean, so long as we defeat the Shadows, that's all that matters, right? Just a couple more weeks, and all this will be over." She glanced away. "I'll probably still be trying to figure everything out, though."

You're not the only one, Takeba. "You'll have time, then. With the Shadows gone, we'll all have a normal school life, and be able to take time to think things through." Mitsuru remembered, then, why she was there in the first place, and quickly looked at her watch. "The rest of the Student Council should be here shortly, but we can talk later, if you'd like. You're not the only one who still needs to find answers, Takeba."

To her surprise, Takeba managed a weak smile. "…I'll think about it, Senpai. Thanks for listening… even if I didn't make much sense." She gathered up the report she'd been working on, bowed respectfully, and moved to leave the room.

I really should talk to her more, Mitsuru thought as her junior left. All of them, really… I've called out the Detective on not trusting the others enough, but I haven't exactly been any better, have I?

She was still thinking about that when, just as Takeba was going into the hall, the younger girl's phone chimed with a text message. Mitsuru didn't think much of it, but she did start slightly at Takeba's abrupt, "Huh?!"

Evening

Jin Shirato had had to deal with many a difficult problem in his short life, starting right from trying to survive after he was tossed back onto the streets after the Kirijo Group's little project folded. Between the need for drugs just to avoid being killed by his own powers and the total lack of purpose to make him want to live, that alone had been a stumbling block.

Takaya had given him that purpose, and taught him just what a gift his power and the world it opened to him were. The two of them, and Chidori, had clawed their way up from their street rat beginnings on the strength of that gift to become shadowy lords of Port Island's underworld and masters of the Hidden Hour. They could act with impunity, and struck fear in the hearts of the usual back alley rats.

Now, slouched in front of his computer in the abandoned warehouse that served as the closest thing Strega had to a home, Jin was forced to contemplate the greatest challenge he'd faced since Takaya first showed him a future. Ever since Shinjiro Aragaki told them what SEES was really trying to accomplish, this threat had been looming, but now it was right in his face, and time was running out.

It's not hopeless yet, he told himself, fingers flying across his keyboard as he launched another attack on the Kirijo Group servers. We've still got a couple of weeks until the last Full Moon, and we have hurt them. We just have to get a little more information, find just the right way to approach… Hell, he thought, if we can find the right people to talk to, maybe we could just blow their dorm up. Kinda flashy, but it might work.

For now, Jin was still trying the subtle approach. So far that had worked out fairly well for them; they'd gained valuable intelligence without showing themselves for months, gotten away cleanly the first they had, and nearly killed members of SEES on two separate occasions. Had killed one of them, this last time.

Even as his crack successfully bypassed the first layer of the firewall he was assaulting, Jin tried not to contemplate the fact that for most of those, they'd still enjoyed Chidori's protection.

Several meters away, a table cluttered with an untidy mess of grenades and ammunition, Takaya was silently cleaning his heavy revolver. The pale youth had grown quieter of late, which was another reason for Jin's urgency in his search for information; he wasn't sure exactly what Takaya might do, if pressed to the wall. He was a visionary, the most enlightened person Jin had ever met, but he was given to fits of temper when things went awry.

Jin was, therefore, somewhat surprised when Takaya did speak. "How long is it, Jin, until the Full Moon?" he asked quietly, running a cleaning rod down the revolver's barrel.

"Ten days," Jin answered cautiously. "Still enough time to do something, if we hurry."

"Hm. Perhaps. Though hurrying would seem… unwise, without Chidori's power to mask our presence." Takaya's motions were smooth and methodical; given that it had been almost three weeks since he'd used the weapon to kill Aragaki, the cleaning seemed to be mostly an aid to contemplation just then. "It may have been an error, relying as much as we did on her. Now we have little time to learn to move without that protection."

"It's not exactly hopeless, Takaya," Jin pointed out. "You did manage to get Aragaki without her help."

"A fluke. Their sensitive was busy elsewhere; not the boy at all, I suspect now, but still tied up providing support. And I only stumbled across that little piece of theater by pure chance." Takaya set down the rod and lifted the revolver's barrel to the light, carefully peering down it. "As it was, I underestimated Aragaki, and took too much time. Had I acted more swiftly, the boy, too, would be dead."

"It's still a major blow to them," Jin insisted, turning away from his computer and adjusting his glasses. "It's not quite what we were trying for, but it's close to what we wanted when you beat the hell out of Arisato. They've got to be feeling it, now that they know they're as mortal as anyone else."

"Perhaps. We can't know that for certain, however—and I am sure that's not the effect it had on the Silver."

He rolled his eyes, projecting a derision he didn't entirely feel. "So he threw a sword at you. He still missed, Takaya. How's that any different from last time, when he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger?"

Takaya lowered the revolver, apparently satisfied, and picked up an oiled cloth which he began rubbing on the barrel. "His aim was off, but he did make the attempt this time, Jin. And I saw his eyes when he did it. It seems I may have woken his killer instinct again. You know what that might mean."

Jin grimaced, unable to dispute that. He'd read the files carefully, both those from his hack of the Kirijo Group archives and police reports of the crime scene, not to mention the rather interesting details another contact had slipped them. Details were a little sketchy, but it was clear the demon hadn't been responsible for all the dead bodies.

Not to mention family history. Damn good thing the old man's too busy to come here himself.

Shaking off the shiver the thought inspired, Jin refused to give in to Takaya's dark mood. "Okay. Fine. So maybe the crazy hypocrite's willing to pull the trigger now. He's still only one guy. None of those other morons have his history, and strong as they may be they don't seem really good at subtle. Just look at what Chidori managed to do."

He carefully didn't add that she'd been captured at the end of that particular escapade. Besides, that was the problem we had when we almost got Arisato. All we need to do is just get to the point, and not try anything fancy. Next time, we go right for the kill, and we're fine.

"They won't be so careless again," Takaya said tonelessly, switching to a dry cloth to continue polishing his weapon. "They've already taken steps to avoid being caught alone. It took the fools longer than I dared hope, but they finally seem to have learned their lesson."

"After we knocked 'em around three times, yeah. Takaya, it took one of them getting killed for them to finally learn something. You think they're going to get that competent that fast?"

"It's been three weeks," the pale youth pointed out. "And a killing is quite a wake-up call, even for them."

"Three weeks we haven't done anything in," Jin retorted. "I say there's a good chance they've started to relax again by now. We don't have Chidori, and you stumbled on them last time by pure luck. They have to know that."

Takaya turned to face him now, raising one eyebrow. "Which is exactly what I just said, is it not?"

"And it's exactly why if we do things right, we can still take them by surprise. They'll figure we won't do anything until we absolutely have to. If we hit 'em soon…" Jin frowned at the concrete floor, mind racing to come up with anything remotely resembling a viable plan.

While he was still thinking, Takaya turned back to the table, shaking his head. "As long as they have a sensitive, all we can do is act while they are otherwise occupied, and that is not likely to occur until the Full Moon. Which leaves us with very, very few options."

He's right, dammit. How the hell do you sneak around someone like that? Damn, we did rely on Chidori too much… Unless…

Jin looked up again, remembering his own earlier thoughts. "What if we don't do it while they're even around? It seems like they only detect Shadows and living things, like Chidori. If we drop by their dorm during the day, and leave a little 'surprise'…"

Takaya paused, looking suddenly thoughtful. "…Not terribly satisfying," he allowed after a moment, "but I suppose we're beyond the point where we can take such liberties. What about security, however? The Kirijo Group is not stupid enough to leave such a place unguarded. And while it is not exactly my area, I don't believe we have the kind of explosives needed for such a task."

"I should be able to work around the first problem," Jin said, turning back to his computer and bringing up another window. "I think they may have figured out who we are, but they may not realize yet just how deep I got in their computers. As for the second…" He grimaced. "That, might be tricky. I know where to get it, but to get it in time… But it's possible, Takaya. Really."

To his relief, his pale friend slowly nodded. "It is, at any rate, worth investigating. But if that fails, we're left with having to confront them directly on the night of the Full Moon, which puts us at a severe disadvantage. Especially since, without Chidori, we cannot simply arrive at the Shadow's location ahead of them."

Jin winced, but was forced to concede the point. He started to say as much, only to be interrupted by an alert from the window he still had running his hack.

Quickly looking over the files he'd broken into, he almost missed it. A second, closer look brought it to his attention, though, and his wince turned to a small smile. "Well, isn't that interesting… Hey, Takaya? We forgot about the weak link in SEES' chain…"

Yukari was more relieved than she cared to admit when she came down to the lounge, and found it mostly empty. She'd been feeling conflicted about things as it was lately, as she'd admitted to Mitsuru. The text message she'd gotten just after their conversation, and the phone call it had led to a bit later…

She'd been hoping to find something sugary to eat to try and cheer herself up, yet at the same time she really didn't feel like dealing with most of the others right now. The only one in sight when she came down the stairs, though, was Minato, who seemed intent on some papers he had spread on the dining table.

Minato, Yukari could handle. She could trust him not to push if she asked him not to.

He did notice her approach, though, despite how quiet she'd been. "Evening, Yukari," he said, glancing up from his papers. "Need a snack?"

"Something like that," she admitted, drifting over to the table herself. "What about you? Student Council business?" She'd have thought he'd take care of that sort of thing at school, but now that she thought about it, given his job as Mitsuru's personal troubleshooter, she wasn't actually sure how he handled the job.

Either way, Minato shook his head. "Files my family sent. Naoto wanted my opinion on something she's working on, and my grandfather is up to… something. Not quite sure what; his files are cryptic enough that I'm not sure if this is some kind of test, or if he's deliberately messing with me. He does things like that sometimes. Keeps us from getting bored or something, I guess."

Perversely, Yukari felt better hearing that. Maybe it was how much Minato liked trolling SEES sometimes; maybe it was just satisfying to know that someone drove him as nuts as he did them. Must be nice, though, she thought, amusement running headlong into bitterness. What's left of his family is so nice…

He must've noticed a change in her demeanor. "Something wrong, Yukari?"

She sighed, moving to drop gracelessly into a chair, letting her elbows rest on the table. "I was just thinking… Family's a complicated thing, isn't it?"

Minato stood abruptly, and headed for the kitchen area. "It is," he agreed, opening a cupboard and rifling through its contents. "Friends you can choose, even walk away from if you really have to. Family… is a little harder. I was lucky." He glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yukari's instinctive reaction was an immediate no, but she bit her lip before she could actually say it. Lucky or not, Minato had lost both his parents the same night her father died; he knew what it was like. A kindly grandfather wasn't the same as having both parents around. And, come to think of it, she couldn't remember him ever mentioning his grandmother—or, for that matter, either of his other grandparents.

And he's always been a good listener, she reminded herself, thinking back to a night of despair at Yakushima's beach. Oh, why not?

"…I had a call from my mom earlier," Yukari said finally. "First time in a long time… I told you about what happened to my dad, but I don't think I've talked about my mom much, have I?"

The sound of rummaging continued, followed by the sound of the microwave door. "Not really. I did wonder, a little, but I figured it wasn't my business."

She chuckled, just a bit. "Some detective you are. Aren't private eyes supposed to be nosy…? Anyway." Her brief humor disappeared. "The truth is, I haven't talked to my mom much in a long time. I went off to a boarding school as soon as I could, after Dad died, and I've been bouncing around those ever since. It's been years since I actually met Mom face to face."

Minato was quiet, other than whatever cooking it was he was doing. Yukari appreciated that. He always did seem to know how to let her talk at her own pace.

"Honestly, it wasn't just the bullying that made me leave," she continued, looking down at the tabletop. "What I really wanted to get away from was my mom's behavior. When Dad died, it's like she broke. After maybe six months of just going through the motions, she started going out with other guys, and I just… I couldn't take it. I mean, I know she's got every right to move on, I'm not saying she should just grieve for Dad for the rest of her life, but… that's not what she was doing."

"Escapism?" Minato suggested quietly. The sound of the microwave had stopped, and it sounded like he was stirring something now. "Rebounds?"

"Something like that, yeah. Maybe I was too young to really understand, but I never thought much of the guys she was hanging out with… The big thing was, it was never the same one for very long. She kept throwing herself from one guy to another. I couldn't stand that, not thinking about how disrespectful that was to Dad." Her hands clenched into fists, remembering the revolving door of strange men that had driven her to go out on her own far too young. "It's one thing to move on, and start over. This…"

Yukari started when Minato suddenly slid a mug under her nose. Hot cocoa, from the smell of it, with just a hint of cinnamon. "Everybody deals with tragedy differently," he said, slipping back into the chair across from her again. "Some people face it head on. Some people shut down. And some people run away. Sometimes for a long time."

"Experience talking, Minato?" she asked, and took a cautious sip of the cocoa. Not half bad, she decided, taking some comfort from the warmth it brought.

"Let's say I fell into the 'shut down' category," he confirmed. "For about a year." The swordsman smiled ruefully. "I know you don't really like her, Yukari, but I think you'd agree that nobody could stay like that long with Tsu-chan around."

"…No, I guess not," she agreed, remembering with mixed feelings the green-haired bundle of shameless energy. "At least she wasn't a 'fling', I'll give her that… My mom didn't have anybody to tell her she was being stupid, though. Even if she'd have listened to me, I… ran away, too."

"Not much you can do at that age," Minato pointed out sensibly. "Parents are supposed to look after their kids. Not the other way around."

"I guess you're right." Yukari took a longer sip of the hot chocolate, then sighed. "I'm not sure my mom sees it that way, though. That call I got earlier? …She says she's getting remarried. And she wants me to forgive her." She let a harsh, humorless laugh. "Ten years, Minato, and she wants me to forgive her. When she's barely done anything as a mother in those years. Yeah, maybe I ran away—but it's not like she tried to stop me."

Ten years of running, and her mother being so wrapped up in her own twisted so-called coping mechanism that they barely even spoke on the phone in all that time. Yukari had had only the vaguest idea where her mother even was for much of that time, and she suspected her mother hadn't exactly read carefully over the various bits of paperwork she'd had to deal with for Yukari's schooling, either.

Now, after all that, she just expects me to pretend the last ten years never even happened? Seriously?

She wasn't sure how long she'd been silent, lost in her own thoughts, but it was apparently long enough for Minato to have gotten up, made a cup of cocoa for himself, and returned to the table again without her noticing. "So," he said quietly. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

Yukari sighed, buying herself another moment with a long sip of cocoa. "…I'm not sure," she admitted. "I… I'm not handling this well, I know. I kind of told her not to call me again, and hung up on her… But dammit, Minato, what am I supposed to do? How can she ask me that after all this time?"

The question was rhetorical, but he seemed to take it seriously anyway, gazing thoughtfully down into his own mug. "I'm honestly not sure what to tell you, Yukari," he said at length. "Closest experience I've got with 'parental' figures, at least in the last ten years, were widowers not looking to remarry." He paused for a sip, then ventured, "How long has it been since you even talked to your mother? For more than just a quick, 'How's it going'?"

"Five years, probably," she replied gloomily. "I think she tried to talk to me about my decision to move back here, but… Well, I wasn't really interested in discussing it, even before I found out about the Dark Hour. She didn't push it too much, either."

"Mm." Minato visibly hesitated. "…It is possible she's started to turn around, you know. I'm not saying that gives her the right to expect instant forgiveness," he added quickly, seeing the look on her face. "I'm just saying she might've made a start. From what you said, it sounds like this idea of 'remarrying' is more commitment than she's shown in ten years." Another, longer pause. "Do you actually know anything about her would-be fiance?"

Yukari grimaced. Trust Minato to think of the questions she most didn't want to answer; no wonder Akihiko always called him Detective. Although his qualifier about forgiveness softened the blow a little bit; she wasn't sure if he meant it or not, but… No. He'll be noncommittal, but Minato doesn't lie to make people feel better.

Which is probably why he does make me feel better. I know he always means what he says.

"No," she finally admitted. "I didn't even catch his name. I guess that's probably something I should find out, huh?" She looked away. "But… it's not that easy, Minato. Not after ten years of… everything. And," she added, fingers tightening around her mug, "the timing couldn't possibly be worse. I mean, this close to the last Full Moon? I really don't want to have to be worrying about this right now."

"That is a problem," Minato agreed, nodding ruefully. "We've got enough on our plates right now as it is. Exams were bad enough." He leaned back in his chair, taking another long sip and looking pensive. "…Do you want me to look into it? I don't think it would be too hard to at least find out the guy's name."

Yukari blinked, not having thought of that. "Do I even want to know what makes you think you could dig something like that up? No, don't answer that." She shook her head. "Sometimes you really do sound like you're from some family of great detectives or something." For some reason, he looked like she'd just said something highly amusing, but she was too preoccupied to care about his strange sense of humor just then. "No," she said at last, "I think this is is something I should probably handle myself, at least for now. But… thanks for offering, Minato."

"I'm field leader, Yukari, I'm supposed to worry about these things." He offered a small smile, half-hidden by his mug. "And friends are really supposed to, aren't they?"

That felt at least as warm as the cocoa did, and Yukari felt herself smiling in return. And this is why I talk to him about these things, she reminded herself. He can't fix everything, but he'll try. And he listens.

That last, especially, was something she'd missed since her father died. Sometimes, even with problems she could only really deal with herself, just having a sympathetic ear made a big difference.

Now, even though nothing had really changed, Yukari felt just a bit more confident about dealing with whatever insanity her mother had flung herself into this time. She didn't know what, exactly, she was going to—she certainly wasn't ready to just forgive her mother out of hand—but she knew she'd be able to do it when she did figure it out.

She was about to say so, but the sudden mournful tune coming from Minato's pocket, accompanied by the strange look on his face, reduced her to wordless chuckling instead as her friend went from quietly supporting to almost comically uneasy.

"Something wrong, Minato?" she managed, as he pulled out his phone.

"Probably," he said with a sigh, checking the text message that had just arrived. "Gah… and I thought Tsu-chan could make my life complicated…"

Minato trailed off into incoherent mumbling, leaving Yukari to wonder just which of the oddballs he knew could inspire that kind of reaction.

Sunday, October 25th, 2009, Evening

Takeharu Kirijo tried to remember if there was a time when he'd spent more time worrying about the normal business—legal or illegal—of the Kirijo Group than about a darkness most of his own employees never really knew the half of. Perhaps, he reflected as he skimmed the latest reports on his desk, there had been such a time. Once.

If so, it had been long before his father nearly destroyed the world. He vaguely recalled that he'd been quite focused on normal corporate matters before he began to have dark suspicions about the Port Island lab, but that had been a decade and many traumas ago.

Despite Takeharu's near-monomania on the subject since that horrible night, though, the affairs of the mundane world still demanded much of his attention. For all the resources he poured into anti-Shadow operations, legitimate business and the under-the-table dealings of ninkyo-dantai actually did still take up the bulk of the Group's time and money.

Especially accounting, he thought, taking a drag from the cigarette in one hand while perusing the document held in the other. Accounting, and lawyers. Hm… Just what we need, leading up to such an important operation: another audit. He shook his head wearily. Either the tax collectors have nothing better to do, or we need to cover our tracks better in Osaka…

Tossing it aside with a mental note to look into the situation later, Takeharu picked up the next file, and grimaced. There was, after all, something worse than overzealous auditors and attorneys: board members with an agenda, at least that specific agenda.

Not that I disagree that acquiring additional assets would help stabilize the Group, but the methods… It seems I'll have to be having another "talk" with them soon. Such convenient timing. He stifled the urge to introduce the paper to his lighter, settling—with difficulty—for a mere scowl. Perhaps a direct alliance would be the ideal route, but that is not a decision I'm willing to have made by the board.

It was possible for such a thing to work out. It had for himself and his own wife, twenty years before, after all—but it hadn't started out that way, and Takeharu considered it a minor miracle that things had turned out as well as they had. After everything Mitsuru had been through at the hands of the Kirijo Group, he was hardly inclined to take such risks with her.

It should be her choice. She might, indeed, choose to follow the board's advice, but that should be up to her own judgment. It's one of the few things I can still do for her.

Well. With any luck, if he could just hold off the rest of the board of directors a little longer, it wouldn't really matter. If Takeharu still knew his daughter at all, he could see quite clearly where she was leaning, and if he was any judge Arisato was at least considering the idea on some level.

I'd like to see the old guard challenge that combination. Not that I expect they would, publicly. He grimaced again, reluctantly contemplating the purely practical aspects. Certainly having that kind of detective skill and legal knowledge working for the Group would be useful.

Takeharu was shaken out of his dour contemplation when the intercom on his desk beeped. "Detective Kuzunoha is here, Kirijo-sama," his secretary announced. "He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."

His eyebrow rose. "Is that so? Please, send him in."

One thing that never seemed to change down the generations was the Shirogane flair for the dramatic. Arisato's father, in pictures Takeharu had seen, favored the longcoat popularized in heroic bloodshed movies, with a fighting style Johei had once described simply as "efficient"; Arisato himself seemed to have inherited the fashion sense, but with a taste for flamboyant swordplay and copious use of fire.

Raidou Kuzunoha XIV still wore the same style of cape and military-styled suit he had his entire career, as he strode into Takeharu's office, and Takeharu was quite sure a katana and revolver lurked out of sight, his right to carry them protected by permits older than most bureaucrats and long service to Japan's interests.

He was also accompanied by a black cat, which had always given Takeharu an unnerving impression of intelligence on the few times he'd encountered the animal before.

"Good evening, Takeharu," Johei said, coming to a halt in front of Takeharu's desk. "Apologies for my abrupt appearance, but…"

The younger man waved his cigarette dismissively, and turned the gesture into a motion for the detective to sit. "That's quite all right, Johei. I'm certain you have an excellent reason. Besides," he added, grimacing, "I could honestly use the distraction."

Johei lowered himself into the indicated chair with a grace that belied his age, not even twitching when the cat promptly leapt into his lap. "Paperwork?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"Accountants, lawyers, and government auditors," Takeharu confirmed, dropping the last offending document on the desk. Leaning back in his chair, he added, "And board members with a bit too much of an eye toward the future. They grow louder every year."

"Ah. Yes, the perils of succession… I know it well. On the bright side, it's something my family doesn't usually have to deal with more than once or twice a century. Usually." The aged detective sighed. "But I suppose that's neither here nor there. I trust you're managing to hold them off well enough?"

"For now. I expect reminding them that acting on it before Mitsuru reaches her majority risks giving the other party too much leverage will keep them quiet for now, but it gets less effective every year." Takeharu took a drag of his cigarette and shrugged. "If we're lucky, it won't matter much longer anyway. In any case, as you say that's neither here nor there. What's so important that you turned up personally, Johei?"

With the hand not petting the cat, Johei reached under his cape, withdrew a file folder, and tossed it onto the desk. "The last dregs of recoverable data I was able to have siphoned off one of the computers we recovered last month. It's not much, but there may be more on the final hard drive; for now, I thought you ought to see this quickly. And without it going through anyone else's hands."

Feeling a mixture of curiosity and concern, Takeharu began to sift through the files. The header on the first page was enough to send both of his eyebrows up, and his mouth tightened as he continued through the main body of the report. He'd learned to be wary of Greek mythology over the past fifteen years; a file that was headed with "ASW" and contained names such as Rhea, Tethys, and Labrys…

By the end of it, he was almost wishing he'd gone right back to reading about Osakan accounting slip-ups. "This was the only recoverable file on the subject?" he asked quietly, setting the folder down with the care another man might've given to a landmine. "There's no further information?"

Johei shook his head. "Not that I've been able to find thus far," he said gravely. "A computer expert I trust is digging through the remaining hard drive, but there likely won't be any results for days yet. I do intend to look into the few leads we have uncovered, however."

Takeharu sighed, closing his remaining eye. "That was one problem I thought was safely dealt with, however foul the end of it may have been. So there's no confirmation either way as to their current status?"

"There will be soon," the detective promised. "The odds are they're either far away, completely inactive, or both. I'll find out for myself." He tilted his head. "Are you going to inform your daughter's team?"

"Not until we know more," Takeharu decided after only a moment's thought. "Even in the event this is a problem, I expect we'll have warning before it gets anywhere near Port Island. In the meantime, with the final Full Moon approaching, I don't wish to give them even more to worry about any sooner than I have to."

"Probably wise," Johei agreed. "Especially when they're still recovering from Aragaki's death. Even my granddaughter is feeling it, if only because she's worried about her brother." He moved to stand, the cat obligingly jumping down to let him. "Hopefully, this particular affair can be settled before it requires SEES' involvement at all. This situation has persisted for far too long as it is."

Takeharu stared at the pile of paperwork on his desk with his remaining eye, in his mind seeing again the wreckage that had been his father's mad dream. "Yes, Johei. It most certainly has."

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, After School

Minato felt somewhat bad about bending—he wasn't quite breaking it, technically speaking—Mitsuru's edict about not traveling alone. Given their rapprochement and explanation of their respective dark pasts, finally clearing the air between them, he wasn't comfortable going behind her back like this.

As he made his way from Gekkoukan toward a certain back alley at Paulownia Mall, however, Minato kept firmly in mind that the alternative would be worse. If there was one person he did not want to explain to the rest of SEES, Mitsuru in particular, it was Elizabeth; the Velvet Room was one secret he was still clinging to, and she was a large part of why.

I owe her and Igor too much to refuse when Elizabeth asks for a favor, uncomfortable as it may be, he thought, walking past the stairs leading up to the local karaoke parlor into the alley practically no one else ever used. And it's not like this a big risk physically. I may not know what the "residents" of the Velvet Room are, but I've got a distinct feeling Elizabeth could wipe the floor with Takaya if she really wanted to.

That did, he admit, beg the question of why Elizabeth and Igor were so hands-off in their approach, when they were clearly capable of so much more, but he didn't concern himself too much with it. They were undoubtedly under constraints imposed on them by whatever higher power backed them.

Which, come to think of it, probably explained why Elizabeth always called him in for this kind of thing. Maybe my being a "guest" gives her a loophole to look around the human world if it's with me?

Shrugging to himself, Minato approached the glowing blue door that hung just above the alley's pavement, invisible to most onlookers. With the aplomb of months of practice, he fished out the Velvet Key that had appeared in his pocket as proof of the veracity of his dreams back when he was first caught up the Dark Hour's mystery, unlocked the door, and stepped into the strangest elevator in the multiverse.

As he'd expected, Igor himself was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea where the long-nosed man went when he wasn't in the Velvet Room, but wherever it was it apparently was far enough away that Elizabeth didn't expect him to return at an inconvenient moment. She herself was present, as promised in the text message she'd sent a couple of days before, waiting for him with her usual enigmatic smile.

"Good afternoon, Minato," Elizabeth said. "You're as punctual as ever."

"I try," Minato said dryly. "You said in your message you wanted to go sightseeing again?"

"Yes, indeed," she confirmed, stepping away from her usual position by the wall. "My master has been called away on other business, so I'm afraid I have little to do here in the Velvet Room until he returns." She chuckled, a sound Minato always found somewhere between endearing and disturbing. "Of course, far be it from me to 'take advantage' of his absence for my own purposes, but… It's much easier to assist someone when you understand their circumstances, is it not?"

"True enough," he agreed, motioning for her to precede him back out the door. "And varied experiences keep the mind sharp, as my grandfather would probably point out." And standing around an elevator bored out of your skull dulls the mind. "Where did you have in mind today?"

Bestowing another smile on him as he opened the door for her, Elizabeth replied, "Well, there's one particular aspect of human culture that's been on my mind lately, especially with the interesting trend of forms your Personas have taken…"

Of all the places Minato might've expected Elizabeth to be interested in, he wouldn't have pegged Naganaki Shrine as one of them. On the other hand, this is a girl who thinks that up-escalators are a deliberate challenge and open manholes with warning signs are traps employing reverse psychology, so I probably shouldn't be surprised by anything from her.

Just so long as she does not insist on dinner afterwards, Valkyrie grumbled. I do not even have a stomach, and that gave me an ache.

Minato shivered, a reflex that thankfully seemed to go unnoticed by his companion, at that remembered feeling. He'd thought at the time he might never have an appetite again after Elizabeth's idea of a full meal.

Fortunately for his sanity and his stomach lining, food seemed to be the last thing on her mind today. As they ascended the steps that led them from Iwatodai's modernity to a pocket of traditional architecture, Elizabeth watched everything with wide-eyed fascination. "So this is a shrine," she said, noticeably intrigued. "A place of tribute to the gods… I'm impressed that even today, humanity still remembers."

More out of tradition than faith, a lot of the time, Minato mused, following her down the center path of the Shrine. But yeah, we're still a very traditional people, for good or ill.

"It's interesting," Elizabeth remarked, glancing about. "Now that I'm actually here, I sense that we are not alone here. Something beyond the mundane, yet markedly different from Shadows… Strange presences, indeed."

He twitched at that. There's something here? I've never noticed anything… but then I've never thought to look. Could there be apparitions here? But why? Tsu-chan described them as being close to the popular conception of ghosts, and I can't think of anything that's happened here that could reasonably attract restless echoes…

Minato felt a slight chill. Except, maybe, what happened ten years ago…?

He'd have been more worried, but Elizabeth herself seemed completely unconcerned by what she'd perceived. "Well," she continued blithely, "if tradition still holds here, then it would be most disrespectful of me to fail to follow it myself. Shall we begin with paying our own tribute, Minato?"

Shaking off his unease, Minato followed, having learned from previous excursions it was usually best to simply let her lead, humor her, and correct her only when the alternative was fatal and/or excessively humiliating. So far, things hadn't been too bad, after all; about the only thing that had gotten them more than a couple of odd looks was—

Uh-oh.

Elizabeth reached the Shrine's offertory box. Pulling out a coin purse from a pocket in her blue velvet dress, she casually upended it over the box, releasing a cascade of coins. The sheer amount that poured out only failed to shock him by virtue of having seen it before; as it was, he was still baffled by the fact that the coinage far exceeded the evident capacity of the purse.

Bigger question, Master: where the heck does she get all that yen? That's gotta be more than your allowance for a month. Maybe two.

I think, Pixie, that that falls under the heading of "things man was not meant to know".

Minato debated trying to stop her, but before he could come close to an argument that might make sense to Elizabeth's odd viewpoint, she apparently satisfied herself with the size of her offering. At least, he thought as she put away her purse, there weren't any witnesses this time. And I guess the Shrine won't have any trouble with maintenance expenses for awhile.

Though he did still question her idea of "paying tribute". Not, he reflected, that he should've been surprised by her literal-minded interpretation.

"I have finally finished with my offering," she said, turning back to him with a satisfied look. "Hm… Though I spend most of my time on another plane, I wonder if I, too might be granted 'divine grace'? It does seem similar in operation to the 'wishing fountain'…"

And that goes right into theological and existential questions I don't consider myself remotely qualified to answer. Hm… maybe Mutatsu-san would have some insight?

Minato thought very briefly of the idea of introducing Mutatsu and Elizabeth, blanched, and quickly pushed the horrible thought out of his mind.

"I wouldn't say it's outside the realm of possibility," he said at last, deciding on tactful vagueness.

That seemed enough to satisfy her, at least. "Then I shall wait and see what blessing I might be granted," Elizabeth said cheerfully, turning her gaze about the Shrine again. "…Oh, my." Her eyes locked on something off to the right of the offertory box. "Those tied paper strips… Could they be?"

"Paper fortunes," Minato confirmed, following her gaze. Nothing out of the ordinary for a shrine… but I'm sure she'll come up with some kind of off the wall idea about them.

Leading him over to them, Elizabeth seemed almost giddy. "I've heard of these," she said. "Such a fascinating idea… Entrusting one's destiny to strips of paper, and reveling in the risk. Humanity at large may not recognize the deeper mysteries of the world, but they find their own ways to explore the universe."

Uh… sure. Let's go with that. Whatever that means.

Examining the strips of paper with great interest, her eyebrows went up. "I see… There is indeed a great variety of fortunes written here. Man truly never ceases to intrigue…" Elizabeth nodded to herself. "Well, then, I believe I'd like to experiment with this myself. Could you wait here, Minato, while I set about obtaining them all?"

"…Sure," Minato replied, after only a brief hesitation. I'm pretty sure that's really not how paper fortunes are supposed to work, but… who am I to get in the way? She's enjoying herself, at least.

Whatever else might be said of Elizabeth's excursions into the human world, he decided as she engrossed herself in her task, they were certainly a change from the humdrum world of school, or the adrenaline-pumping action of battling Shadows. Or, come to think of it, the occasional drama of SEES' internal dynamics.

By human standards she may be a bit flaky, Minato thought, leaning against a convenient piece of shrine. But really, who do I know that isn't a few degrees off-kilter by normal standards? Normal is boring. If I wanted normal, I'd have stayed in Hinamizawa. Nothing crazy ever happens there.

In the end, Minato wasn't entirely certain what Elizabeth got out of her quest for paper fortunes, but she seemed satisfied. All in all, that was good enough for him; and better yet, no one had come by to see her strange actions. He'd gotten through the whole trip without her making a scene.

As they were making their way back to the Shrine's entrance, though, something else seemed to catch Elizabeth's attention. "Pardon me, Minato," she said, stopping to look off to one side, "but I've been wondering, ever since we arrived: what might those structures be?"

Eh? …Oh. This could be interesting, presupposing my luck holds and nobody else shows up.

"It's a playground," he said, tucking his hands in his pockets as he followed her over. "Mostly for kids, but you'd be surprised how good they can be for exercising."

"Indeed? Hm…" Elizabeth peered intently at the collection. "Let me see… If I recall correctly, those would be a slide, a jungle gym, and… totter-teeters…?"

"Teeter-totter," Minato corrected, nodding. "They're kind of hard to use once you're more than half-grown, though." Barring, of course, insane experiments with adult-sized, super-powered versions… Yeah, let's not mention that idea to her. I don't want to know where that might lead.

"Indeed," she said again, wide-eyed. "The inner self is exposed to any true god… The magnanimity of spirit excuses all! And that being the case…"

Uh. What?

Don't try to understand it, Master. There are things man was not meant to know.

Watching Elizabeth practically skip her way to the slide, Minato had to concede the point to his inner Faerie. Normally he could at least find some odd logic in the girl's words, but on the occasions she did say something completely off the wall, it seemed better for his sanity not to try and interpret it.

He was only briefly surprised when Elizabeth chose to ascend the slide the hard way, determinedly scaling the slide itself rather than the perfectly serviceable ladder behind it. She slipped a couple of times, almost ending up sprawled in the dirt, but she persevered, much as she had when descending the wrong side of an escalator.

When she did reach the summit, she turned around, poised herself like a surfer, and with remarkable balance skated back down the slide.

Well. I suppose that is one way to use a slide.

Keeps it fresh, Master?

Yeah. Something like that.

At the bottom, Elizabeth turned back to the slide with an expression of sudden understanding. "How very interesting," she remarked. "One must first struggle to the top, before enjoying the luxurious fruits of one's labor. I never would've expected a so-called 'toy' to teach such profound lessons on the reality of life." Her thoughtful look gave way to a wide, bright smile. "That was a lot of fun."

Over the course another ten or twenty minutes showing Elizabeth the ropes of ordinary playground equipment—or trying to, anyway—Minato had to admit that the whole thing was a welcome distraction from his usual day-to-day worries. From watching her manage to get "stuck" in a jungle gym to learning with her the difficulties of balancing on a horizontal bar, it was hard to even remember, for awhile, the trials ahead and around him.

I really should work on that balance issue, he mused, when they'd dropped onto a bench to rest. I wonder. Would my paired blades make for easier balance, or would it be more awkward without a free hand to catch myself? Considering how crazy the Full Moon battles have been, that's something I should probably figure out.

"Today's excursion was even more enjoyable than our previous tours," Elizabeth mused, for once actually looking worn out herself. "Indeed, I believe I'll begin negotiations with my master to bring a horizontal bar into the Velvet Room. It would seem, after all, that a balanced body aids in having a balanced mind."

Minato hesitated before replying, trying to decide if the pun was deliberate, before giving up. With her, he could never quite be sure. "Body and mind are linked," he said at last. "At least with humans, keeping one sharp helps the other."

"I believe I rather agree…" She turned to look at him more directly. "I must admit, I've been wondering about something lately. As fascinating as I find the human world, do I enjoy it simply for the wealth of fresh stimuli? Or… is it that, in truth, I enjoy our excursions because we are together?"

There were a couple of different ways Minato could've taken that, and he was sure he knew which one Pixie—and possibly the Leanansidhe, though that one was harder to predict—would've chosen. Given the tangled web that his connection to Mitsuru seemed to have become as it was, though, he had no intention of going anywhere near that.

Besides, there was another interpretation that worked just as well, as far as he was concerned, and fit well with conclusions he'd been coming to of late.

"I don't know exactly how it might be for residents of the Velvet Room," Minato said finally. "But for humans, at least—unless they're sociopaths—there's a lot to be said for sharing an experience with a friend. Someone else having fun can reinforce your own."

"Hm." Elizabeth looked thoughtful at that. "I admit to being somewhat unfamiliar with the concept of 'friends'; we residents are few, and our guests seldom as interesting as you, Minato. I'll have to think about that." She chuckled. "Pity I doubt my master would have much input of use on the subject, but… we will see. Perhaps my sister might know something." Before Minato could even think of questioning that last, she continued, "At any rate, I would hope I might accompany you like this again?"

"Of course," he agreed, inwardly praying that next time would go as smoothly. Hopefully, she would again choose a relatively deserted location, and spare him any awkwardness.

Especially awkwardness with the rest of the team. I really don't want to introduce her to Junpei. Or worse, Kirijo-san. Eep.

As they headed back to the Velvet Room, Minato found himself thinking on that last exchange. Friends, huh… It's been a long time since I really thought about that much, but I guess… that is how things are now, isn't it?

It feels… nice.

Saturday, October 31st, 2009, Evening

In some Western countries, Ken had heard, kids his age would be cosplaying this time of night, this night of the year, seeking out ever more effective ways of destroying their own teeth. Maybe even some places in Japan that had picked up the tradition, and adapted it to their own sensibilities.

He kind of wondered if he'd have been one of them, if things had been different. If his mother were still alive; if he'd never heard of the Dark Hour, or Shadows. If his life had been… normal.

As it was, instead of dressing up in costume and wandering the streets, Ken was carrying his spear up to the roof of the SEES dorm, intending to get in some practice for the coming battle. It was only a few days, now, from what was expected to be the very last Full Moon Operation, and he wanted to be as ready as he possibly could be.

Especially after what had happened during the most recent Full Moon.

He expected to be alone when he got to the roof, but somewhat to his surprise the first thing he saw when he opened the door was a figure wearing a billowing coat, perched precariously on the roof's railing.

Ken paused, staring, then closed the door very quietly behind him, not wanting to startle Minato. He didn't have the least idea what the swordsman was doing, but distracting him when he was obviously having trouble balancing as it was didn't seem like a good idea. The fact that Minato also had one sword drawn from the scabbards crossed on his back only added point to it.

"Hang on a sec, Ken," Minato said, apparently having noticed him anyway. "Be right with you…" With utmost caution, he crept along the railing, seeming to use his sword to help balance. He made it to the end of that edge of the roof, started to turn the corner—and barely managed to turn a fall into a controlled hop back onto the roof itself.

"Isn't that a little dangerous, Minato-senpai?" Ken couldn't help but ask. "I thought Mitsuru-senpai didn't like it when you tried things like that."

Minato sheathed his blade, looking a little sheepish. "Kirijo-san likes it even less when I do things like that without practicing first," he pointed out. "And I did take some precautions." Reaching down, he unhooked the piton cable Ken hadn't noticed from the railing, did something complicated with his belt and the piton gun itself, and holstered the device. "I had an ugly thought the other day about railings, so I figured I should test it."

"You really think you'll need to be able to balance on the edge of a roof during a fight?"

"It wouldn't be the craziest thing I've had to do when fighting Shadows, Ken."

That point, Ken had to concede. He hadn't personally witnessed Minato fighting at his best as of yet, but the rest of the team didn't seem likely to let their leader live down some of his more extreme tactics anytime soon. Like fighting on top of a moving train, or blowing himself up.

"That said, it's going to take some more work, I think," Minato admitted, dropping to sit on the roof, resting against the railing he'd just almost fallen off of. "I may have finally found something my coat doesn't help with; that kind of air resistance while I'm trying to balance… Well, I'll work it out." He shrugged, and quirked an eyebrow at Ken. "So. What brings you up here this late, Ken?"

"I thought I'd get in some practice, too," Ken admitted, settling down himself and laying his spear to one side. "We're coming up on the last battle, after all, and I don't want to be caught unprepared. By anything."

Back when he'd first joined SEES, he hadn't worried too much if he lived or died. He'd wanted to last long enough to get revenge, but even that had, he'd finally been forced to acknowledge, been a hollow thing, and hadn't done much for his self-preservation instincts. He'd gotten a very rude awakening in that regard less than a month ago, now.

"It'll probably be a rough one," Minato admitted frankly, turning his gaze skyward. "This past month's battle wasn't too bad, but I suspect that was just a calm before the storm. This is reality, not some RPG, but I still think the last Shadow will be a strong one." His expression hardened. "And I doubt Strega will just let things pass without trying to do anything. They may be outnumbered, they may not be able to overpower us, but that doesn't mean they can't do some damage before they're done."

"Yeah. I know." The two scariest moments of Ken's life had been watching his mother die in what should have been a rescue, and staring down Takaya's enormous revolver and rediscovering the fear of death. Even if Takaya and Jin were badly outnumbered, they only had to get lucky once to hurt someone.

To kill someone.

Ken wasn't going to let fear of that stop him. He refused to let Shinjiro's sacrifice be in vain. But that didn't make the prospect any less frightening.

"Minato-senpai," he said at length, "can I ask you something?" Minato nodded, and he continued, "What first got you into this? I know about most of the others, but I haven't heard how you got into the fight."

For most of the others, it had been either deeply tied to the origin of the Dark Hour itself or obvious family problems, but Ken hadn't heard much of anything about their field leader's reasons for getting involved. As far as he was aware, Minato had a fairly stable home life despite being orphaned, and there didn't seem to be any obvious preexisting connection; yet he fought at least as hard as any of them, and with the fewest complaints besides Fuuka, Aigis, or Koromaru.

Minato brought his eyes back down, looking at Ken thoughtfully for a few moments. Then he shrugged. "I more or less stumbled into it," he admitted. "The night I arrived in Iwatodai was the first time I experienced the Dark Hour, and a couple of days later the first Full Moon Shadow attacked the dorm, making it kind of hard for me to just ignore the situation."

Oh. That made sense. But… "You could've left after that, right? Not that I think you'd chicken out or something," Ken added hastily. "But I remember you saying that people usually don't fight just for 'justice', so…"

"Justice is a fine ideal, but generally not that great at inspiring you when monsters from under the bed are trying to eat your face," Minato agreed, nodding. "Well… If I'm to be perfectly honest, I'd say what first got me into the fight was sheer curiosity. Both Akihiko-senpai and Kirijo-san call me 'Detective', and, well, that's not exactly a bad description. And what great detective is complete without a great case?"

Ken blinked. "You started fighting Shadows because you were curious?"

Minato shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable now. "I suppose 'bored' might be a good way of putting it, too. Tsu-chan seems to think I've got some kind of psychological need or something to be where the action is. But I say it was the need of a detective for a case, and I'm sticking with that story."

Not for the first time, Ken found himself wondering what was really behind the swordsman's affable snark. He hadn't thought about it at all when he first joined SEES—he'd been so utterly focused on his vendetta against Shinjiro that he'd only really paid attention to the others insofar as their potential threat—but since he'd started really thinking clearly, he'd realized that for all Minato was probably the most easy-going of the team on the surface, he very seldom actually said anything about himself.

That seemed to be easing up lately, especially since October Fourth, but Ken was still in the dark about some things. Like why Minato worked so hard to downplay any injuries he received—or, for that matter, why Mitsuru-senpai always seemed to go along with it.

He didn't have much of a chance to try and figure out Minato's latest comments, though, before the swordsman spoke up again. "Anyway. That's really it in a nutshell; by now things are kind of personal for me, for reasons you know as well as I do, I think. What about you? Now that you've given up on revenge, what's your reason to fight, Ken? I know what you said about Shinji, when you came back, but that's not all of it, is it?"

Ken started, unprepared to have his own question turned back on him. "W-well," he said hesitantly, "I guess… I know it sounds a little silly, but I kind of am fighting for justice. I mean, my mom died because of the Shadows, and lots of other people are suffering because of them. And so's everybody in SEES. I just…" It was his turn to shrug uncomfortably. "I don't want something like what happened to Shinjiro-senpai happen again. And… it just doesn't seem right, not to see all this through to the end."

Minato gazed at him silently for a moment, then nodded. "Good answer," he said quietly. "A better one than I could give, probably. Because I can't honestly say it's 'justice' I'm looking for in the next battle. Not this time."

Ken could guess well enough what the junior meant this time, and he felt a small shiver, both at the look in Minato's eyes and implications of his intentions. "Strega will be back soon, won't they," he said, not really asking a question.

"My bet is that they'll try something on the night of the Full Moon," Minato agreed. "It's predictable, but the same goes for us; and without Chidori, they almost have to rely on when they know what we'll be up to. That's their best option—but it doesn't mean it's a good one. And it won't be, this time."

Because we'll be waiting for them. This time, we'll be waiting, and we'll all be armed. Ken shivered again. Even leaving aside Minato's obvious intentions, he understood there was only one likely outcome to Strega being backed against the wall. He didn't like what that meant; he'd learned the hard way what it really meant to fight to the death, and he was frightened of being on either end of it.

Minato stretched, and climbed back to his feet. "It'll be okay, Ken," he said. "One way or another. We'll finish this, and come back alive. And however bad this last battle will be, it will be the last."

"It won't be for you, though," Ken blurted. "Will it?" He hadn't understood, at the time, what Tsuruya had meant about Minato being drawn to conflict; now, after seeing how Minato reacted to Shinjiro's death, he was starting to get an idea.

The blunette paused only for a moment, before simply shrugging. "For me? Maybe not. But I'm… not exactly normal, Ken. For a lot of reasons. There's no reason you need to take my path as inspiration." He tossed his head, as if shaking off the subject. "That's for the future, anyway. Feel up for a spar, Ken? We should all make sure we're in top form for next week."

Ken hesitated only briefly. "Yeah," he said, standing up and picking up his spear again. "That sounds like a good idea, Minato-senpai."

Monday, November 2nd, 2009, Early Morning

There was a tension in the air, as Fuuka stepped off the monorail at Port Island Station. It was subtle, but real; even the ordinary passengers who had no idea what was really happening seemed to sense something. Maybe, she thought, because of the increase in Apathy Syndrome victims, who added their own air of the macabre to otherwise mundane places.

They might not know what it is, but deep down, even people without the potential feel it. They've seen that there's a pattern, even if they haven't connected it with the phases of the Moon; and they know Apathy Syndrome has been more widespread this month than ever before.

It's coming to a head…

Walking past a moaning, incoherent sufferer of Apathy Syndrome on her way out to the street, Fuuka glanced at her companion of the morning. Minato was, as usual, wearing headphones, blocking out the world; he'd said barely anything since they met up to head for school, seeming to be caught up in his own thoughts. Under the circumstances, she wasn't entirely surprised.

Catching her glance, though, he now paused his music, lifting one eyebrow in her direction. "Worried, Fuuka?" he asked quietly.

"A little," she admitted. "Tomorrow's the Full Moon, after all. I don't think this month is going to break the pattern, and I'm sure the last Shadow won't be an easy fight."

"Probably not," Minato agreed, shifting the bag that held both his shinai and Eurydice over one shoulder. "But we'll be ready for it. It may be a cornered fox, but it is cornered. It can't run, it can't hide, and it's out of comrades."

As usual, her friend's quiet confidence made her feel better. Intellectually, of course, she knew that his idea of sound tactics involved things like nearly blowing himself to pieces, but as he'd pointed out more than once, so far he had managed to stay just on the near side of disaster.

She wasn't honestly sure if he really did calculate such risks as finely as he claimed, or if he was just the luckiest person alive, but either way…

"Strega will probably try something tomorrow, too," she noted, deflating a little at the memory of Shinjiro Aragaki. "This is their last chance."

Something in Minato's expression hardened, his eyes seeming to lose some of their luster. "From their point of view, they probably don't have a choice," he said. "Like Shinji, they're living on borrowed time regardless; losing the Dark Hour is, to them, losing what meaning they still have."

"It's sad. That this is all they have." Fuuka bit her lip. "But I guess… there isn't anything we can do for them, is there? Not at this late date."

"No." Some of the harshness left his face, although there still remained an unsettling chill in his eyes. "It's ten years too late for them, Fuuka, if there was ever a chance at all. Regardless—they made their own choices. This isn't the only path they could've chosen, even with their circumstances. Using the Dark Hour as a toy for murder was their decision, and one they'll have to live with the consequences of."

The words were cold, and Fuuka didn't want to acknowledge them. She wanted to believe that there was something that could've been done, even for the likes of Takaya and Jin, something that could've turned them away from the nihilistic path they were on now.

In the end, though, it didn't really change what they had to do now. Whatever "good" could've been done for Strega, the time for that had passed before SEES ever became aware of their existence. And, as she suspected Minato would point out if asked, there was only so much one could do for people who didn't want to be helped.

Fuuka twitched when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she glanced up to see Minato giving her a reassuring look. "It's not going to be a good night, Fuuka," he said quietly. "It's going to be pretty ugly, probably. But after that, this will all be over. One last battle, that's it."

She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded. "You're right. I don't know that I'll ever feel good about it, but you're right. All we can do now is end this."

Fuuka looked over the crowd of students filing through Gekkoukan's gates ahead of them, and the scattered Lost sprawled listlessly in odd corners, and nodded firmly. It's time to bring this to an end. For us, for Natsuki-chan, for all the people suffering from Apathy Syndrome…

For everyone. This is a battle only we can fight. Even if nobody ever knows what we've done.

Evening

Junpei wasn't surprised when Mitsuru called for a meeting in the lounge that night. It was the last one before the Full Moon, after all, and they wouldn't have time to chat before they went out the next night. This was their last chance to talk things over before the final battle.

Sprawled inelegantly in one of the couches, he had to admit he was actually feeling pretty good about things. A lot had changed over the past few months, and he'd had some major reality checks, but on the whole Junpei thought he was better off than he was when he first stumbled into the Dark Hour.

"It's hard to believe it's only been six months," Yukari said pensively, when they'd all gathered. "So much has happened in such a short time, don't ya think? I feel like it's been years."

Minato, sitting across from Junpei, nodded. "I know what you mean. As crazy as my life has sometimes been, this has probably been the busiest year of my life." His mouth twitched in a wry smirk. "Certainly I've gotten beaten up more frequently than ever."

"Says the guy with a ghost story for every occasion," Junpei shot back, rolling his eyes. "But hey, it ain't all been bad, right? We've had our share of fun. Lots more than we would just with school, anyway… And we've all made new friends. Any of you guys really gonna tell me you don't feel better now than you did six months ago?"

He couldn't claim to be completely fine with things himself, of course. He was still conflicted about the consequences of ending the Dark Hour, and he'd be lying if he'd claimed he wasn't at least a little bit scared of the battle they all knew was almost on them. But was that fear anything next to the kind of listless emptiness that used to be his life?

Hell, no.

Crouched by the TV, absently petting Koromaru, Ken nodded pensively. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It hasn't all been easy… but I wouldn't be who I am now if I'd stayed out of things."

Akihiko, leaning against one wall, smacked his right fist into the palm of his left hand. "Got that right," he said firmly. "I've had this power for a good two and a half years. Haven't complained about it once, and you're not gonna hear me start now. Whatever I may have lost, it doesn't compare to what I've gained."

Junpei did kind of wonder about that, given that Shinjiro had apparently been Akihiko's closest friend, once upon a time. But then, I guess he's kind of come to terms with that, hasn't he? Like Shinjiro-senpai said, that how it should've been… I guess.

"Two and a half years is a long time," Fuuka mused from one of the armchairs. "Even just a few months of this has been pretty exhausting for me… Oh, but I suppose for Aigis, it's been a lot longer, hasn't it?"

General attention turned to the android, who shook her head. "While I was first activated around the time of the Incident ten years ago," she said, "I spent most of that time asleep. I actually have somewhat less time in active combat than most of you."

"Like Rip van Winkle," Minato said thoughtfully, paying more attention to Aigis than Junpei thought he normally did outside of battle. The swordsman didn't seem to hold her awkward first few days with the team against her, but he did still seem somewhat uneasy around her. "I admit, I hadn't thought of it that way…"

"Just means she's like the rest of us, that's all." Junpei flashed Aigis a grin, and turned to Mitsuru. "Well, most of us, anyway. How about you, Mitsuru-senpai? You've been at this longer than any of us, right?"

He thought it was a perfectly innocent question. When Minato unexpectedly winced, he realized he might just have stepped into a minefield without realizing it; the way Mitsuru, reclining elegantly in the other armchair, seemed to hesitate made him nervous.

"…Yes," she said finally. "I was the very first Persona user the Kirijo Group became aware of… Although back then SEES didn't exist at all, and this dorm was just for ordinary students, with no connections to the Group's activities." Mitsuru paused, seeming to pick her words with great care. "Unlike the rest of you, I've been aware of the Dark Hour from its inception. I… was not at first able to manifest my power, despite… certain efforts, but it was known that I possessed the potential."

"Kirijo-san," Minato began quietly, "you don't have to…"

"It's all right, Detective." Despite her words, she did direct a small smile in his direction, then resumed with greater confidence. "Most of the details aren't really relevant. In any event, there was a time, early in the research of Tartarus, that my father's research team was attacked by Shadows. I happened to be present, and my power awoke fully to deal with the threat."

Minato nodded at that, seeming to comprehend something Junpei didn't. Oookay. Not sure what's up with that, but… Whatever. If they've got something going on, good for them. Weird, but good.

Yukari's expression, Junpei couldn't begin to figure out. Except, maybe, that she was just as confused by it as he was. "So that's how it started…?"

"…Yes," Mitsuru confirmed, eyes downcast. "I was the first, and if I hadn't awoken, it's possible none of you would ever have had to get involved."

Akihiko snorted, breaking the gathering tension. "Somebody would've been 'the first' one way or another, Mitsuru," he said, gently but firmly. "And it's not like this is something that could be ignored. This is an enemy you can't just hide from."

"He's right," Minato agreed. "Besides. Some of us were involved, one way or another, from day one. Like Yukari. And like…" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "Anyway. And yes, Kirijo-san, I remember what you told me before. Akihiko-senpai's still right: if not you, it would've been someone. The only people truly responsible for this are too long in the grave for us to do anything about now."

There were definitely layers to that that Junpei wasn't getting, especially the way Mitsuru actually seemed to take that as genuine reassurance. "I suppose you're right, Detective," she allowed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "My father's been trying to tell me the same thing for years. I suppose if you agree with him, there must be some truth to it."

…Y'know what? I don't really care what's going on there. It doesn't look like it's bad, so I'll just let it be. Why poke at something that's going just fine? Like they say, if ain't broke, don't fix it.

Smiling to himself, Junpei stretched. "Right! Everything's cool now, yeah? I don't know about you guys, but I think it's about time I got some sleep. We can talk all we want after tomorrow night, after we've knocked that last Shadow into next week!"

Yeah, that sounded right. Right now, what they all needed was some sleep, so they had the energy to tear their last enemy to pieces. Junpei knew he'd probably have some trouble getting to sleep, this last time, but he was feeling pretty confident that if they just didn't screw up, they had things in the bag.

About his only regret, just then, was that he couldn't really talk to Chidori about it. Things had improved greatly between them in the time she'd been in the hospital, but Shadows in general and the final destruction of the Dark Hour in particular were tricky subjects with her. So, all the better to get this over with, and then I can go see her with my head high!

Junpei was just about to follow his own advice when Minato raised a hand. "Could I say something, before we all turn in for the night?" he asked, sounding more hesitant than Junpei could ever remember him being.

Akihiko quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "What's on your mind, Detective?"

Yep, the swordsman was definitely looking less sure of himself than ever, even as he came to his feet. "I just… Well. It's like what Yukari was saying earlier, about how much has happened in such a short time. Six months ago, most of us didn't know each other, hardly knew any of the others existed. But now, here we are, about to fight the battle that will determine the fate of the world, together."

"Yes, we are," Mitsuru agreed, watching him through narrowed eyes. "We've managed to become a strong team, despite our differences."

"Right. But… we're more than that, right?" Minato looked over them all, seeming to struggle for words. "I… I know I don't talk about myself very much. I've always kept back just about everything of any substance, just making jokes about things I might or might not have actually done. But…" He abruptly shook his head. "I'm not making much sense. Sorry. What I mean is… I've had a hard time connecting to people for years now, ever since the incident that made me leave Inaba. But I've learned a lot, gained a lot, from the six months we've fought together. We're… friends now, aren't we?"

For whatever reason, Fuuka's face lit up at the hesitant question. "Of course we are, Minato-kun!" she said at once, smiling. "Haven't I been trying to tell you that?"

"Damn straight," Junpei agreed easily, grinning again. "We may be a ragtag bunch of misfits, but that's how we all get along, right?"

"You're calling me a misfit, Stupei?" Yukari fired back, rolling her eyes. "But what the heck. He's right. And too far away for me to stomp on his foot." The last was a stage-whisper, obviously meant for him to hear, but he decided to be the bigger man and let it slide.

Not to mention he wasn't convinced she couldn't somehow do it anyway if he pushed.

For once it was Minato's turn to scratch the back of his head in obvious embarrassment. "…I guess so, yeah. Anyway… I know some of you—of us—have been bothered by the fact that no one will ever know about our battles. That we're about to save the world, and no one will ever realize there was a danger in the first place."

Some of Junpei's cheer faded. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "That does kinda bug me. Not that I'm gonna let it stop me, but… if I'm gonna be honest, it burns a little."

Minato nodded. "Yeah. So… I just thought I'd point that, even if the rest of the world doesn't know a thing about it, we do. Whatever happens tomorrow, isn't it most important that we know what we all did, together? Honestly, does it matter what other people think, people who could never understand what we really went through, even if they knew the technical details?"

Junpei frowned in sudden thought. Come to think of it… Those two idiot seniors, back at the memorial… They didn't understand a damn thing, did they?

As if mirroring his thoughts, Akihiko slammed his fist into his palm again. "Damn straight," he said, nodding approvingly. "I don't care what the world thinks. I just want to keep my promise to Shinji. As long as we finish the task he left us, who cares about anybody else?"

"That's right," Ken chimed in. "I learned a long time ago that most people don't get it. That used to bother me… but not anymore."

Minato looked satisfied by those responses, but Junpei could tell whose reaction he was really waiting for. And, slowly, Mitsuru began to smile. "Personally," she began, "I take into account my father's opinion… But yes, Detective. You're right. In the end, it's those of us who have fought and bled to end this whose opinions really matter."

Minato's nod was firmer this time. "Even if we're the only ones who know, this is still something worth doing. Worth doing together, even if, to the world at large, this battle does turn out to be an unsung war."

Author's Note:

Well. Not exactly the kind of deep, action-packed—or at least characterization-packed—chapter I'd have liked, after taking this long to write it.

I blame February. February is always a bad month for me, and while this one wasn't as bad as usual, it wasn't great.

The fact that filler-ish chapters never go that well for me doesn't help either. Filler and February? Bad combination. And don't get me started on Daylight Saving Time…

Right. Anyway. For what it's worth, I do have Chapter XXVII plotted out pretty well. Even the battle, which would normally be a major sticking point for me. I should be able to get it written faster than this chapter, and I can at least promise it'll be more exciting than this one. In the meantime… Let me know if it was at least somewhat entertaining. -Solid