Alright, since I don't know how to do it any other way, I'm going to say it right off the bat.

There may not be any updates for a while. And this time, I'm serious!

This has many reasons. First, our computer is busted. I've been telling my parents for years to get a new one, but they won't, so ours is a 6 year old model that crashes every 5 minutes. I'm lucky I even get to write this. Second, it's summer vacation. Since I don't have school and don't need to learn (Pff, as if I ever needed to learn for school) my parents urge me to get outside and don't become a vampire that's in her room all day.(This was not a twillight reference. I'm not even sure if it is considered one) Anyway, sorry to say this, but no chapters. August 18th, at the earliest, since school is starting then (It's also my birthday!) I still hope you enjoy this chapter.

This is the place where Tatsuya enters! Hurray!

Edit: Here's the Beta-ed version! Thanks to Girly 411 again!

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"Minato?"

There were many things that the bluenette would have expected when he headed for Paulownia Mall. He had expected to meet up with Theo and look around Port Island some more, meet his sister to be dragged off to do girls' stuff. He had not expected to bump into a very familiar red-head on his way into the police station. He squinted his eyes at the taller boy.

"Tatsuya? What are you doing here?" he asked as he watched the older dust his chest off. He had not really grown since the last time they saw each other but he definitely looked older. Wiser, even.

"Well, I was just in town. No big deal, really." Tatsuya looked off into the distant for a little while as if waiting for someone to come and then back at the police station. After a few moments, the 19-year-old turned back to his old friend. "You want to hang out for a bit? I've got some time."

The shorter thought for a few seconds before giving a quick nod.

"Right, could you show me the way to the next restaurant? I don't know my way around yet."

The Summoner couldn't help but chuckle at the words. Ignoring the other's protests, he led them to Chagall Cafe. It was not a restaurant, but it would do. The two of them ordered their drinks and stared at each other.

"Well, how is life going?" Minato asked and Tatsuya awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"Well, what can I say? College is a bitch and so is my dad. Always saying that I should try better and stuff. Mom's pretty mad at me, herself. Is disappointed that my grades are not top-rate, you know." One look and he knew, indeed, Minato didn't. "Alright, but there's got to be someone nagging at you about something, right?"

The boy tilted his head to the side. "There is Kirijou-Senpai, who says I should eat more food so I won't get tired as fast." on the mission to climb a gigantic tower, he almost added but he resisted the urge.

The red-head groaned and ruffled the hair on the back of his head. "Not exactly what I mean but close enough, I guess, since I know that you are an ace in school." He stared off into the distant once again and then snapped his head back. "Oh, right. I've found some friends after you left, so you can stop worrying about that." He had no intention to stop the smile that was crawling onto his face.

"I'm glad to hear that. So, how are they?"

"One is a blue-haired punk with a soft core, the other is a hot blond chick with a crush on me, and the last one is a feminine dude with an inferiority complex and talks to flowers. Enough information?" A small chuckle.

"Well, kinda. I found some friends, too, by the way."

"And?"

"They're pretty nice. Well, at least most of them. One or two are scaring me to death." Their orders were served and the shorter took a little sip of his hot chocolate. "So, why are you in Port Island? Aren't you supposed to be back home in Sumaru and hang out with your new friends?" An unreadable look flashed over Tatsuya's face but it was gone before he could figure out what it meant.

"Aniki's job. You know the deal." The bitterness in his voice did not go unnoticed. "Anyway, I will stay here for the break. Maybe we could hang out together and you could show me the town?"

Minato smiled again and gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yep! I would be glad to!" He heard a crash again and the world turned gray again.

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

Thou hast established a new bond...

Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"

A card with a tower being hit by lightning fell into his hand. Something was odd about it. He took a closer look and noticed that the lines at the bottom of the card, which showed the progress of their friendship, were already three. Was it because they already knew each other? He did not have much time to think about it, since the world was set in motion again.

"Is it just me or are you way more energetic than you were back then?"

They sat there for several hours just talking to each other.

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8/2/2009 Sunday – Evening Dorm Lounge

"...and then he just beat that guy up with his sword! That was totally amazing!" Akihiko told the others in a childish joy.

Minato and him went to the Kendo Regionals today and while the younger was only mildly interested, the Senior was totally amazed about the passion of the competitors. The others did not seem to listen to him either with the exception of Ken, who was hanging onto the young man's every word. It was kinda creepy when he thought about it, but it was better having an idol like the silverette instead of those Hip-Hop stars that were in nowadays. Plus, the day had not been completely for nothing. He had had the chance to have a nice day with his Senpai, so it was not all bad. He heard the door behind him opening and closing and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, welcome back, Aneki."

Hamuko gave him a small nod and walked over to the rest of the team.

Junpei gave her a bright smile. "Hey! So, how did the training camp go? Did they have many cute girls there?"

The red-head smirked. "Yeah, a lot, even."

The baseball-player gasped. "What?" He slumped onto his knees. "Man, I should have gone with you..." That earned him a swift hit on his skull.

"How can you joke around like that? The moon is almost full!"

Ken tilted his head to the side. "Why? What happens when the moon is full?"

All of them snapped their heads to the boy, remembering that they were not supposed to talk about their mission when he was around.

Mitsuru was the first to regain her composure. "It is nothing you have to worry about, Amada. You will learn of it soon enough."

The brunette did not look pleased but he accepted it nonetheless.

"S-So, what did you and the others talk about? If it is some juicy rumor, I don't want to be the last one to hear about it," Yukari quickly changed the topic.

Their leader thought for a moment before answering. "Well, boys, ghost stories. You know, the usual stuff." She threw a side-way glace to her younger twin but he paid no mind to it. She was doing that a lot lately.

After about half an hour, the chatter of the team had not ceased and the bluenette rose from his seat. "Well, I got somewhere to go. See you later." The others just gave him a bunch of nods as he walked away. He was rather startled when his sister came up to him.

"Hey, Blueberry... You don't plan to join any sport clubs, do you?" That question really surprised him. Why would she worry about something like that?

He shook his head. "No, I'm not really into stuff like that."

She seemed to relax a little. "That's good to hear," she said and walked away again.

The boy briefly wondered why she wanted to know but then just hurried off to the station.

He soon arrived in the back alley where Shinjiro was waiting for him. Although it was summer vacation, not surprisingly, few teens were there. He quickly spotted the older male in the corner and was about to call out to him but he stopped in his tracks when he saw what he was doing. There were pills in his hand. They did not look store bought and sure as hell did not look like medication. He did not know why, but there was something about those pills that seemed dark. That reminded him of something he had met before and something he should never let others wish for. Anger started to swell up in him as he ran up to the elder and slapped the pills out of his hand.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he shouted from the top of his lungs. He did not care if the other people were staring at him. He was too mad to care. "Seriously? Drugs? I know that every member of the team is fucked up, but I never thought any of us would take drugs! Are you a friggin' moron? If you want to die so badly, just join again and get it over with! Do you know how angry Akihiko-Senpai would be once he finds out? And believe me, he will one way or another!" It was not often when he actually swore but he thought it was the adequate thing to do.

Despite his evident anger, the older just clicked his tongue and looked off to the side. "Get off my hide, kid. This got nothing to do with you."

That only made the younger even more mad. "Nothing to do with- Look, I know we're not all buddy-buddy, but I thought after all that time we spent together, you might have a little more faith in me. Trust me, damn it!"

The brunette still would not look him into the eyes and his face grew darker.

"Besides, you're important to the others. Don't you think it's selfish to do something as stupid as this?" He turned away and started to walk away from him. Before he exited the alley, he turned back one more time. "I'm disappointed in you, Senpai. I don't know what drove you into this, but I expected you to be strong enough to get over your problems and face them. Who would have thought you would be so weak?" And then he finally walked away.

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"...and then he caught the thief! All by himself!" a gossiping woman in her late twenties shouted through the streets.

Her taller friend snickered. "Yes, I also heard that he is fairly young. Maybe I should try to get a date with him."

The other laughed. "Good luck with that! I heard that all the females in his department like him, but he doesn't respond! Word is that he has a girlfriend back home. She's supposed to be, like, three years younger than him and a reporter!"

"What, really? How long have they been together?"

"About a year. You remember those murders that happened in Sumaru? About that time."

"Sumaru... Yeah, I think I remember. Something about a curse and a mobile phone..."

"Yeah, the Joker curse! He was part of the investigation and supposedly, he met her there."

"Who would have thought? How does she look?"

"My cousin works at the same magazine and told me she was quite the looker."

The taller sighed. "There goes my chance. Well, the best guys are either taken or gay, anyway."

"What chance? You never had one from the beginning!"

"Say that again, you...!" The rest of the conversation was lost in the chatter of the crowd.

Minato looked up to Tatsuya, who was pulling his face into a grimace. The bluenette frowned and waved his hand in front of the other's face, trying to get his attention. They had decided to go to the Strip Mall that day and ate a few burgers at Wild Duck's when they heard the women talking in a booth right behind them. The older had immediately tensed when he heard the object of their talk. The red-head snapped back to reality and shook his head.

The younger frowned even more. "Are you alright?"

A small nod was all he got in return.

He watched the women from afar and then asked his question. "They were talking about Katsuya-san, right?"

Another stiff nod.

Noticing that it was not a topic the older would like to talk about, he decided to not pry. "So, who was that girlfriend they were talking about?"

That fully got him the other's attention as Tatsuya blinked a few times before answering. "I don't know about any girlfriend but I think they talked about Maya."

The Summoner tilted his head to the side. "Maya?"

"Yeah, she's a good friend with Aniki." His face darkened yet again.

"W-Well, how is she?" Minato tried his best to keep his voice cheery and not as nervous as he actually felt. It seemed with everything he did, he would trigger Tatsuya to be down.

The college student thought for a moment.

"She's a little shorter than me, has black hair, and always runs around with a big smile on her face. She likes to "think positive", I guess." He looked up to the ceiling, trying the best way to describe her. "She's a very happy and bright person. As in, her smile is enough to make you smile and when she's sad, there has to be something seriously wrong. She's supportive of pretty much everyone as long as they have a good core, so even if you, I dunno, killed fifteen people but had a good reason for it, she will still like you. She's pretty hot, if that's what you're wondering about, but more like the cool big sister type." His face darkened once again. "I don't know if Aniki and she are dating but they do seem to have a... very close relationship."

There were a few moments of silence between the two teens before he continued. "But that's just me talking. I don't know if it's true or not." There was another flash of emotions on his face before he gave a tired smile. "And here I am, babbling about my live again. I hope I'm not boring you."

His friend shook his head. "It's alright. That's what friends are for, right?"

The smile on the other's face seemed genuine this time. "Right."

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

Thou shalt be blessed when fighting the Tower Arcana!"

"Enough of me. How is your sister and your friends?"

They kept on chatting for a little while until the sun set.

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"Well, it's a full moon once again," Ikutsuki said as he sat down in his arm chair in the command room.

Like he said, it was another full moon and time for another encounter with a strong Shadow. The team had gathered once again to discuss their plans for the night. Fuuka had already found their foe and confirmed that it was not an ordinary one this time. Akihiko was obviously pleased while the greenette looked a little uncertain.

"But there's one thing strange about it... It seems like it's underground... almost 10 meters."

Hamuko frowned and tapped her chin. "Could it be in some kind of basement...?" she mumbled under her breath.

A bunch of numbers flashed over Aigis' eyes before she spoke up. "According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria. However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military."

Yukari looked quite surprised. "Military? Are you serious?"

"Well, the architectural and geographic data for the area were uploaded into her memory bank. Then again, the information hasn't been updated in a decade," Ikutsuki answered.

Junpei looked a little annoyed. "Well, then I think it's time for an update on that..."

The others paid no mind to it and just moved on with the conversation.

"So, what do we do?" Yukari asked in the round.

"There's no way of knowing without actually going there..." Fuuka informed them.

The team all looked at their field leader, who was mulling over something. After a few moments of silence, she looked and gave a determined look. "Since the situation is still unknown, let's go there before we decide the formation. Everybody agree?"

SEES nodded before going their way.

Minato had stayed silent all the while, thinking about what Pharos had said when they last met. To say he was worried would be an understatement. He didn't know what the child meant when he talked about 'denial being the fatal flaw of the human heart', but it was definitely nothing good. He looked around the group of teens, all of them with a look of determination on their faces. What would happen tonight? He honestly didn't know but his senses were telling him to look out for the others.

They soon arrived at the military bunker, several types of weapons scattered around them. But that was not what he first noticed. It was the heavy, familiar smell that lingered around them. It was like a force pushing him down. There was only one word that came to mind. Death. The others looked around for a moment, trying their best to not jump at the scenery.

All of a sudden, a voice called out to them from behind. "Well done..."

The team swirled around, all eyes searching for the source of the voice. Out of the darkness behind the doors, two figures walked up to them. One of them was a shirtless man with long white hair that was growing past his shoulders and a gun strapped on his belt. The other was a teen with odd-shaped, blue hair, glasses, a green bomber jacket, and a suitcase in his hand. Minato immediately recognized them as parts of the trio he saw shooting at someone in the back alley.

The man chuckled. "My, this is the first time we meet face-to-face, isn't it?"

The team took on their battle stances.

Fuuka quickly hid behind the bluenette, shock evident on her face. "What's going on...? Lucia didn't sense a thing until just now..." she mumbled and the Summoner tightened his fists and his hold on his only Demon card that seemed to work, Hua Po. He had not felt them either until they entered the room.

The man chuckled again. "My name is Takaya and this is Jin." He pointed at the boy beside him. "To some, we are known as Strega."

Minato wasn't sure why he would mention that to him, but he quickly dismissed that thought. Information was power and they need all the power they had to fight what may come. "We've been keeping an eye on you... From what we hear, you've undertaken a "righteous" battle to save the world. But we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream." He took a quick look at each member of the group before continuing. "You have gained new allies, yet this land still crawls in sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always..."

Junpei gritted his teeth loud enough for everyone to hear. "But why the hell would you wanna stop us?" he shouted in his rage.

The boy named Jin shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Simple..." he said with a small wave of his hand, "If the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen, now can we?"

Minato's eyes narrowed. "Power...?" A look of understanding crossed his face. He tightened his fists. "Could it be... Persona-users?"

The white-haired man chuckled again. "Aren't you smart? Well, think a little more. Only a select few wield the power of a Persona... And the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours only to explore... and so is the Tower of Demise..."

Tower of Demise... Does he mean Tartarus?, the bluenette calmly thought.

Yukari, in contrast, was furious. "THAT'S your reason? Are you crazy? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

Takaya let out a small laugh. "What difference does it make...? There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, anyway. But that is all beside the point..." A dark grin creeped its way onto his face. "Surely, you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

Hamuko raised her naginata a bit more. "What are you talking about? You think we like to fight everyday?"

The man's grin grew even wider. "Is it not so? How about the rest of you...? Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

The Summoner took a look around the group.

Jin snorted at them. "You would lose your purpose if you did that, wouldn't you?" The glasses-wearing boy inspected each of them closely before pointing his finger at Yukari and Junpei. Both of them flinched. "You two, don't you ever hesitate? There are moments when you ask yourself if it is really okay, aren't there?"

Neither of them answered at first but then the brunette shook her head and reached for her Evoker. "I never think about anything like that, you bastard!" she shouted as she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

Takaya laughed out loud this time. "If you are hesitant, then it's no use to use that Evoker." He crossed his arms and smiled. "What are you afraid of?"

Something shattered and a figure appeared behind him. It looked like a naked man with blood red veins snaking around his body that formed into gigantic wings on his lower back. While the others felt shock about the fact that the long-haired man could summon his Persona without any help, Minato felt sick in his stomach. It felt as if something deep inside him struggled to get out and reach out for it. Before he could finish that thought, Akihiko charged forward, ignoring everything they had said about being cautious.

Takaya grinned even more and raised his hand. "You've each got your own reason for fighting. "Justice" is only an excuse." He made a slashing move that his Persona imitated. "And that makes you all hypocrites!"

A block of ice flew at the boxer, surprising him enough to stop his movement. Without thinking, the bluenette dashed towards his Senpai, positioning himself between the older and the projectile. He felt power surging through his body and all flowing to his raised fist, forming a bright red flame. When he punched the ice with it, there was a loud hiss and then all that was left was a puddle of water on the floor.

The two members of Strega stared at him for a few moments before grinning again. "What an interesting power you have..." They turned around and walked out of the door, but not without turning around one last time. "Well, have fun in there. You will probably have much time to kill."

A loud screeching echoed in the room before the massive metal doors fell, effectively trapping them inside. Akihiko and Minato tried to stop them in time, but no such luck. They turned around to the rest of the team again.

"So, what now?" the taller Arisato asked, receiving odd looks at the calmness of his voice.

Aigis looked at him with her blank blue eyes. "We will be alright. Rather than wasting our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first."

Mitsuru nodded. "You're right. We cannot allow something to disturb our wills." She looked at the other red-head who was deep in thoughts. "So, how is the formation for tonight?"

The girl thought a little more before looking at her best friend with worry in her eyes. "Yukari, you will you be alright? Can you summon your Persona again?"

The archer smiled and waved with her hands. "Nah, I will be fine! Just a little slip up just now!"

Hamuko nodded and started to explain their strategy. All the while, her brother tried his best to not show his discomfort. He still felt a little sick after his encounter with Strega and the always present smell of death was not helping. After Fuuka warned them that this Shadow was different from the ones they fought before, they were running down the halls of the bunker. They saw many skeletons on their way to the target, some of them with journals or diaries which told stories of war. The feeling only got worse the further they walked in and he started to get dizzy. He tried to shake it off, but it was easier said than done. After a few minutes, they found some tread marks and soon after, the Shadow, which was seated on a tank, and SEES got into position.

"I see! It's using the tank as an armor!" Fuuka stated the obvious again, "Be careful everybody! Its Arcana is Justice! Wait, it's Chariot? What's going on?" She seemed rather panicked about not knowing the Arcana.

The rest of the team paid no mind to it and charged into combat. Akihiko and Aigis mainly used Physical attacks at the front while Yukari and the bluenette stayed at the back and used magic. Hamuko and Mitsuru were in the middle, alternating between the two. After a little while, the tank shot at the Summoner, knocking him down. From the ground, he heard a screeching noise. He heard the others gasp and looked up from his position as best as he could. The Shadow had gotten off the tank, which had raised itself onto its rear wheels, revealing a square, yellow face.

The greenette let out a cry of comprehension. "I see! The vehicle and turret are two different types! One's Chariot, the other is Justice! They are coordinating their attacks, so be careful!"

Minato tried his best not to groan. He slowly rose back to his feet just in time to see the team finishing off one of the Shadows. The other seemed to grin and cast a spell, reviving the fallen one with no injuries.

"What?" Yukari shouted as she shot the arrow.

Just as he was about to summon Orpheus again, something happened that he thought never would. A loud shot echoed through the room as Hamuko fell and it was as if the world was falling apart. The boy heard his heart thumping in his chest as adrenaline was rushing through his body. Ignoring, the others' cries for him, he ran to his sister and carried her onto the sidelines. After checking her pulse, he was relieved to know that she was only unconscious. He quickly took out one if the revival beads that the girl had given him and used it on her.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open again before widening. "Behind you!" she shrieked.

Since he had not been healed from his own shot yet, he had difficulties lifting his sister. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Chariot Arcana rushing at them and made an important decision. He grabbed Hamuko by the arm and threw her out of harm's way, letting himself be hit. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air. The voices of his teammates were dull and then he finally collided with the wall. He saw Akihiko running up to him, shaking his shoulder and shouting at him, which only barely registered. There was only one thought that was rushing through his mind before he slipped into oblivion.

Why do I always have to be a burden?

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Cliffhanger, anyone? Yeah, I like to tease you! Problems with the fighting again, sorry it took so long.

Review or a cat will fall from the sky and eat your hair!

Your Shadow!