Persona 3: Another Story Chapter 26: The Truth about The Incident, a persona series fanfic

Here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long but... Erm, I have no excuse for that. Just had a hard time and school and all. Anyway, got a long weekend now, so I will probably sit in front of the pc most of the time. I will try to keep on writing.

Thanks to Girly 411 again for beta-ing!

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After they had arrived at the island, they were instantly led the way to their beach house. But Minato thought 'beach house' had been the understatement of the year. The house was a gigantic mansion with gigantic hallways and more doors than they probably actually needed. The bluenette was looking around in awe and the others seemed to be amazed in a similar way.

"Wow... It's like we're in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous..." Junpei whispered under his breath. The rest of the team just nodded in agreement. Out of nowhere, two maids walked up to them and bowed.

"Welcome back, milady," they said in unison and turned to the remaining teens in the room, "And you must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijou vacation home."

Yukari's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, are we even in the right place...?"

"Real-life maids...? Well, that's something," Hamuko said with a small smirk on her face and folded her hands in front of her mouth. Whatever was going through her head, her brother really did not want to know.

"I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it..." Fuuka mumbled. Just in that moment, a tall, dark man walked out of the room from the end of the hall with a stern expression on his face. He grimly walked up to them and stopped when Mitsuru greeted him. He waited for a few seconds before resuming to walking away from them. The team was silent again until the greenette finally spoke up again. "Was that... her father...?"

Junpei took the opportunity to start shouting again. "Dude, talk about scary! He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

Akihiko sighed in frustration. "Don't be stupid."

"We won't be here for long but make yourself at home," their fencer stated with a low chuckle.

Their Magician wasted no time getting started as he grabbed his stuff and walked up to the window which had a great view of the beach. "Sweet! This is gonna rock! Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there!" He childishly pointed at it through the glass and then walked back to the group to take Minato by the hand. "Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

"What, already? I mean sure, but let us get changed first!" Yukari said for all the girls.

Junpei just shrugged and took hold of Akihiko, whose eyes widened. "Alright, see you there. We'll be waiting! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!" And then he dragged his two teammates away.

Despite all their attempts to free themselves from the base-ball player's grip, they eventually ended up on the beach, all of them in their swimsuits. Junpei had already taken his shirt off and looked ready to dip in while the others wore t-shirts. To be honest, Minato had been shocked at first when he saw the eldest's Speedo, but he just shrugged it off. They were all guys, so it should not bother him. The Magician of the group took a deep breath of the salty sea-air and let out a content sigh.

"Ah... Got my sandals on... Giving my feet a chance to breath... Yup! Summer's here!" he cheered, a water-ball under his arm.

The silverette looked mildly disappointed as he looked at the horizon. "Darn... there's nothing out there I can use as a marker... Too bad. I was hoping for a good swim," he complained and that just earned him a shocked look from the middle oldest of them.

"You must be joking... We come all the way to the beach and you're gonna train?"

"What's wrong with that? You got a better idea?"

The junior's grin widened and he stuck his thumb at his chest. "Damn right I do! It's summertime at the beach! I've got the perfect activity!"

As if on cue, Yukari and Hamuko came up behind them, their eyes fixed on Akihiko. The Lover was wearing a pink bikini top and a pair of what looked like jeans shorts. His sister was wearing a light pink bikini with ruffles on her neck.

The young man smiled and turned his face to them. "Hey, about damn time you got here."

They just kept on staring.

"Uhm, is something wrong?"

The archer seemed to snap out of her daze and pointed to his lower body parts. "Er, that's a pretty small swimsuit, Senpai..."

The upperclassman seemed almost happy that she mentioned it. "What, you don't know? Swimsuits like that reduce water resistance and-"

"No, no. It doesn't need to be justified," she cut him off, a bright blush on her face. She looked away from him when she heard a whistle from the side. She narrowed her eyes on her black-haired classmate. "Hey, Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual."

"Maaaaan, talk about a feast for the eyes..." He let out a little creepy laugh but then he straightened up. "Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined! Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?" he said like he was an announcer in some kind of sport event.

Minato resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. The girl let out an outraged yelp as he turned to the red-head beside her.

"And check out our leader! She's one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are looking good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

Unlike her best friend, she gave a small giggle.

He smiled even more and the youngest boy didn't even want to know what he was thinking right now. "Maaan, this beach is so great! I love this place!"

They heard footsteps coming up to them and turned their heads to see Fuuka walking up to them, a blue-green tankini that was, although it was more decent than Yukari's, showing all of her curves. Not that she had something to be ashamed of. "Is this umbrella taken?"

Junpei smiled even more. "Ooooh! And here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi!" He stared at her for a moment before blushing. "...Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so... I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

The girl did not seem to get him at first but when she did, she let out a high shriek and hid behind the other girls.

Junpei just turned into creeper mode again. "Oh, come on! There's nothing to be embarrassed about!" He started to give that creepy laugh again and the bluenette gave him a firm smack on the back of his head.

"Stop laughing like that. It's creepy," he said with a small blush on his cheeks.

The taller did not seem fazed and just continued his little show. "And here comes our final contestant!" he shouted.

Right on time, Mitsuru walked up to them. She wore a pure white bikini with a flower and a piece of fabric wrapped around her hips. The girls gasped in awe and the boys just stared.

"Wow... Kirijou-Senpai... You're beautiful," Fuuka whispered and Yukari tuned right in.

"Yeah... Your skin is flawless! Have you already put on sunscreen?" she asked and the older blushed.

"Uhm, not yet..."

And then the females started to chat among themselves.

Junpei took the chance to grab the other males and gave them a hard glare. "Alright, guys. Level with me? Which one's your type?"

That certainly took the youngest aback. "Wah! Why would you ask something like that?" he hissed under his breath. He could not believe this was happening to him.

"Aw, come on! We've got the four hottest girls with us in just swimsuits and you want to tell me not one of them is your type? You're a guy! As if I would believe something like that!" the middle one whined and Minato turned red from anger.

"One of them is my sister, Kirijou-Senpai scares the shit out of me, Fuuka-san is more like a guy friend to me and Yukari-san sometimes gets so close to me that she creeps me out!" It was embarrassing to admit it, but it was how he really felt. He just hoped that none of their other teammates would find out.

"Alright, point taken. How about you, Sanada-Senpai? Which one's your type?"

The oldest just groaned at first but then leaned in closer to the Juniors as his face got redder and redder. "Arisato."

The others' eyes widened.

"Seriously? No joke?" the baseball player shouted from the top of his lungs which earned him a few odd looks from the rest of the team.

"Hey! Keep your voice down!" Their archer gave them an annoyed stare.

"What are you guys smirking about?"

Junpei smirked even more at that. "Nooothing..."

"Ooookay..."

"Man, this is great! I'm in heaven! How 'bout a swim? Tereteteeee! Charge!" And then he just ran into the sea.

Akihiko still had his own smirk on his face as he took off his shirt. "Hey, I won't let you win that easily!" And he, too, was inside the water.

The girls soon followed and the bluenette could not help but smile. Considering their situation, it was good to see them happy once in a while. His expression grew grim as he remembered the vision he had had when they fought the Hierophant. That being on the tower with the full moon... He was sure that it was not just a projection of his fears. It had to be a vision. There was no other explanation.

His head started to hurt and he grabbed it with both of his hands. Images were flashing through his mind and before he knew it, he was crouching on his knees.

Moon light bridge.

A gigantic monster.

A blond girl.

Death.

He felt someone staring at his back and he slowly turned around to see who it was. He had only been able to catch a glimpse of blue before he collapsed.

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"Hey, kid. You alright?"

The boy slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them again when he felt the sun blinding him. He shielded them with his hand and turned his head to the source of the voice. Two bright silver orbs greeted him and a soft smile played on Akihiko's lips. Minato quickly sat up but he regretted it as soon as his head started to spin. The older slowly lowered him back onto the beach stool.

"Be careful, you've passed out just now. You shouldn't move too much."

"What happened? Well, other than me passing out."

"You must have been out in the sun for too long. Just stay here, we'll probably go back soon, anyway. You need anything?"

The shorter shook his head and the Senior walked back into the water to join the happy group. The bluenette watched him go for a few seconds before turning his head to the forest that was just down the beach. That blue spot he had seen before was gone now and so was the feeling. He contemplated going inside but then decided against it. As far as he knew, he could get lost and die inside there. So he just stayed there and read the comic Souji had lent him. It was surprisingly entertaining for him, although the art style was a little too male-oriented for him.

As the older had said, they had returned back to the house. The team had eaten dinner and they all went their ways to their room. The Summoner was still reading when he heard a knock on his door.

"It's open," he called out and the door opened.

To his surprise, Hamuko was standing there with her short white skirt and her orange t-shirt. "Kirijou-Senpai wants us to come to the lounge. You coming?"

He gave a curt nod and walked down the halls with his sister. Although their relationship had gotten better since the beginning, she was still refusing to talk to him more than necessary. The younger Arisato gave a mental sigh and thought it over once again. Why would she be ignoring him? He had never done anything to irritate her... right? He was not very good at getting hints. It was very possible that he had done something without noticing. He gulped and shook his head. He should not have to worry about stuff like that! His sister was only ten minutes older than him and was acting as if she knew everything! He was the boy and taller than her, so he was superior! ...Alright, he thinks most men are stupid monkeys and he was only three centimeters taller, but still! It was not fair of her to act that way.

"-you listening to me, Blueberry?"

He snapped out of his daze to see the annoyed face of his twin. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, spaced out for a moment."

She snorted and opened the big doors, which the younger had not even noticed they were standing in front of. Without another word, they slipped inside and sat down on the couch, where all of their teammates were assembled. Mitsuru's father was sitting on the middle sofa and he had a grim expression, which was not really a surprise, since that was the only expression they had seen of him up until then.

"From what I understand, Mitsuru already gave you the short version. Well, it's true that we adults are to blame. If I could have atoned with it for my life, I would have done so... Now I have no choice but to rely on you." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "What my father wanted to create with the Shadow's power... was a time machine."

The eyes of SEES widened.

"That's what he was trying to do?" Seems like even Mitsuru was surprised by that.

"Imagine if you could control the flow of time... eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

Hamuko shook her head in disbelief. "Would someone really try to control Shadows just to get power...?" she mumbled, although her brother doubted that anyone beside him had heard it.

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal. In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that..." Again he paused. "It's only natural that you want to know the truth, and it's my duty to tell you."

All of the sudden, the lights were turned off and a TV screen was coming out of the ceiling.

"What...?"

"This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist that was participating." The screen flickered on to reveal licking flames with one lone figure standing in front of the camera.

"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands..."

Yukari's eyes widened even more. "That voice...?"

The image got clearer to show a middle-aged brown-haired man. He seemed out of breath and there were burns all over his arms.

"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived... I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster, but if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price."

Fuuka gasped. "The entire world? What could he mean with that?"

"Please, listen carefully...the Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you have to eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success, and so I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault." There was another explosion in the background and the image faded again.

The archer jumped from her seat, shock obvious on her face. "...Dad..."

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba. He was the head researcher at the time and a very talented man," Mr. Kirijou explained. His expression got even grimmer if that was even possible. "But we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijou Group is to be blamed for his death."

"I... I can't believe it..." Akihiko murmured. Seems like that info had not been told to the Seniors.

Yukari stared at the floor, her hands tightening to fists. "So that means... my dad caused it all...? The Dark Hour, Tartarus... the people who died in that incident... It was all his fault...?"

Minato could hear her teeth grit against each other. He, too, got to his feet and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Yukari-san, I know this is a lot to take in, but please calm down..."

"So that's why you were hiding this...?" She swatted off his hand, turned to Mitsuru and started to shout, "Because you felt sorry for me? Listen to this! I don't want your pity!" Without waiting for an answer, she ran out of the room, leaving the others in a heavy silence.

The red-haired senior got up and walked over to Hamuko. "Could you go after her? She needs someone to listen."

Their leader nodded and walked out. There was nothing for them to do anymore, so they left for their rooms once again.

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Minato woke up to the sound of the door opening. He had not thought much of it at first but when he felt his bed shift he stiffened. He was about to turn around when he heard a voice.

"Don't move, you moron. The bed is small and I don't want to fall off."

He relaxed at the angry voice of his sister. He moved closer to the wall so she had more space to lie on. At least it was not Pharos. "Welcome back, Aneki," he yawned. "How was the talk with Yukari-san...?"

The girl shifted again. "It was... good. Well, I got her to calm down a bit and stay with SEES. She has to figure out the rest herself."

"Oh." Silence again. The younger did not object, since he was so tired but he could feel the way his twin was barely moving.

"Aneki, is something bothering you?"

She stiffened even more. "What makes you think that?"

"I can feel your muscles being all tense and your breathing is too controlled. You can talk to me if you want to. I'll listen."

Hamuko kept silent again for a few minutes. "It was Yukari. She said I always acted as if I knew all the answers."

"So? What's so bad about it?"

"It's not really what she said that concerns me... It's what's hidden behind it. If she says I always act like I knew everything and every solution to every problem, then she means that I'm perfect." She started to curl together. "And I am as far away from perfect as can be. I can't cook, am not very good in school and can't draw. The only thing I'm good with are sports. I can't even lead a team of teenagers without someone getting hurt. I'm useless."

This time her brother did turn around and looked her directly in the eye.

"So? So what if there's stuff you can't do? It's not as if you would ever need that kind of stuff, right?" He yawned again. "You're strong, confident and you can fight. But most of all, you are good with people. The people around you are being drawn in and you help them with their problems. I saw how you interact with your teammates in the tennis team. I saw how you tried to hook up Iwasaki-san and Tomochika-kun. In my opinion, being able to help so many people like you do is much more useful than cooking." He yawned again and closed his eyes again. "You're great, Hamuko-nee-san. You are everything I am not..." As he fell asleep, he heard the faint murmur of the universe.

"I am Thou...And Thou art I...

Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Sun Arcana!"

Done! I hope you liked reading this one as much as I liked writing it!

By the way, I recently finished Persona 2: Innocent Sin. It's such a great game, you should play it! Most of you live in America, right? This fall, the upgraded PSP version will be released, so please buy it! It's a great game, as I said, although it's very different from P3 and 4. Anyway, I started playing Eternal punishment and am pretty disappointed. They took the multiple options per character during demon contact! Whatever, I'll just stop ranting here.

Review or Metis will jump out of your screen and will go all Kuudere on you!

Your Shadow!