A/N: This chapter has two idiots who like each other but are too unsure to even be physical about anything beyond a hug. Slow burns are a bit maddening, but so far, it's in character…well, hopefully. Shinjiro's a hard character to write for, he's grumpy and stand-offish, but he has a heart of gold. He's strangely optimistic but can come across as a pessimist due to his inability to move forward from his past. We aren't given a lot of character development outside of the Femc route in P3P, and most of that is seen in a romantic light. If it weren't hard it wouldn't be a good challenge, yeah? I've started rewriting the earlier chapters, so if they seem any different that's the reason why. They flow a bit better now. I say that even though I've only rewritten chapter one. Some things are viable to change, I might extend the romantic moments a bit more or remove some because I think they are written in a place that is far too early. All the main characters are in the 40's for their leveling while Akihiko is 50 and Rosemary is 59 due to her fighting for a few hours in Tartarus. I had to think of where they would be and decided that was a pretty good estimate.

23

18 July 2009

Rosemary stared at the bathing suit in her hand. Of all the places they could go for summer vacation, the beach was the one she didn't want to go to. At least Ken was able to go with them. Mitsuru had vouched for him so he wouldn't be left behind at the dorm. She even asked one of the maids to look after Mochi. It was nice of the redhead to do, and it made Rosemary wonder if it was a precaution in case she had a panic attack due to the close proximity of the water. She sighed at that and put the bathing suit back on the clothing rack it had come from. She wasn't going to wear white. She was already pale enough. Yukari was happily humming to herself at a different rack while Fuuka looked at a pink suit before shaking her head and returning it.

At least she wasn't the only one having issues with finding something to wear. She felt she was better off getting a pair of trunks and a female top. She turned towards the wet suits. If they weren't so expensive, she would've done one of those. It would completely hide all of her skin. She didn't want to scare anyone with her scars. She was brought out of her thoughts as Mitsuru came around the rack with a slight frown on her face.

"Have you found anything?" Mitsuru asked her, it was said in a slightly stiff tone.

"Not really," She sighed, "a lot of the colors don't look too good on me for various reasons."

She didn't really want a two-piece either. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Mitsuru watched the bluenette with a raised brow. That was the first time she'd ever seen her truly frustrated. She typically didn't show it. Rosemary deflated a bit and continued to search the racks. She didn't want anything that would show too much skin.

Rosemary grabbed a two-piece that covered more than a one-piece and looked at the color. Black. It had ruffles on it and tied with strings on both the bottoms and top. She wasn't going in the water so it should be fine. Yukari came up to her and gave her a slight grin. Her thoughts made her cheeks turn light pink. No, she didn't want to send Shinjiro a picture of herself in her bathing suit. That would be inappropriate.

"He'd like it," Yukari teased, "at least, he seemed the type that would."

Yukari watched as that made her friends blush get even worse. If she kept it up, then she was going to see her curled up in a ball to hide her face. Fuuka came over and noticed the redness of Rosemary's face. Rosemary quickly walked away and paid for her swimsuit and a pair of sandals she had picked up on the way. She could wear her hoodie over it if she got too self-conscious. Yukari felt a bit bad for teasing her so much but was happy to see that Rosemary was able to get embarrassed over such things. She couldn't help but think she made a good decision in liking Shinjiro. She needed someone that was kind. He fit the bill, even with how grumpy and stand-offish he could be.

"I'm going to head out," Rosemary softly told them, "see you three later."

Yukari and Fuuka gave her a smile while Mitsuru nodded. They all went shopping together, but they never said they had to remain together. Rosemary didn't mind the teasing, but the idea of a boy ogling her made her a bit uncomfortable. It was the same if another girl did it. She pushed her hand through the shopping bag handles and crossed her arms across her chest. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable. She could identify the cause. The damn scars all over her body. If she didn't have those, she'd have no problem with wearing a swimsuit around other people. She tilted her head when she heard Shinjiro's thoughts, well more like his plans. That's right he was moving around the back alleys again. She felt a bit better upon seeing him, but the discomfort was still there.

He walked up to her and dryly informed her, "You'll walk into a wall if you keep spacing out."

"I'll keep my spacing to a minimum then," She quietly teased, "is your day going well?"

"Yeah, it is." He nodded.

The slight smile on his face made her give one as well. He fell in step with her as she wandered about the station. The monorail wouldn't be there for another thirty minutes, so she had some time to kill. He was thinking about something and she didn't want to interrupt him. She stopped to look at the flowers at the flower shop.

"Tell me how schools going." He requested.

She gave him an owlish look at his request. He hadn't thought it was that strange. She turned a small potted plant as she thought. He tried to remember the name of it. It was one that she had named for him. Gardenia, at least it looked like it. She gave him a small nod and he shook his head. He had got that right? It was a guess.

"Schools been its usual self," She quietly informed him, "I don't know what I could really talk to you about when it comes to that."

He had heard the rumors. They had made their way to the back alleys. A few of the adult men had been making rude comments about how she needed a real man to show her a good time. It left him with a glare on his face and a bad mood. No one deserved that. She didn't seem too bothered by it. She'd been through it before, hadn't she? Her old school expelled her for tipping the police off that there was something illegal going on at the school. She stood up and a frown appeared on her face. She really didn't know where to begin. She stared at the flowers for a few seconds before it dawned on her what she could tell him about.

Shinjiro soon found himself listening about the ongoings of the gardening club. From flowers being overwatered to the amount, they needed to plant for next year's graduation ceremony. The club was busier than he thought they would be, but they seemed to have a handle on it. His expression was fond at the smile on her face as she told him about a few daisies she had been able to plant. They had been close to wilting due to the summer heat. He realized something when she stopped talking to think of a new topic.

He really liked her. He had agreed to sign a marriage contract with her. He'd never even took her out on a real date, and he probably never would be able to. Shit, they really did things backwards. He looked down at their conjoined hands. He couldn't remember grabbing onto her hand. It fit inside his own nicely. He inwardly grimaced at that thought. When did he get so corny? He looked down at Rosemary and noted that she had a deer in headlights look about her. Oh, right. His face felt like he had been standing next to a heater for too long. Her own cheeks turned a bright red that put a traffic light to shame. He gently tugged the two of them into an alley way. They needed privacy. They walked for a while until he was completely sure no one was going to bother them.

"If I did something wrong, I'm sorry." She apologized without thinking.

"You didn't do anything wrong," He sighed as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his head.

He did the only thing that blocked his thoughts from her. He went deep into thought. How the hell was he supposed to tell her that he wanted to accept her feelings? The ones she had informed him about when she came back from her Golden week Tokyo trip. His feelings were now out in the open, just as hers had been. He could maneuver around Ken, taking the problem out of her hands. He gently tightened his grip on her hand as he tried to think of a way to tell her.

"…Are you going to be okay?" Her voice asked him.

"…Yeah…" He trailed off, he was a little distracted, "What brought you to the paulownia mall?"

"The members of SEES decided on a group trip," She sighed, and he watched as her shoulders slumped, "it was a unanimous vote to go to Yakushima."

She couldn't swim, right? No wonder she had seemed so lost in thought. He had an answer as to why she needed to go to the mall. He cleared his throat in slight discomfort. He was feeling too hot for once. It was a strange sensation.

"Be safe," He said, and she gave him a small nod.

She seemed uncomfortable thinking about going to the beach. She wasn't going to have a good time. He felt bad for her. Then again, she should've spoken up and said she had a fear of the ocean due to a bad experience when she was small. She looked to the side. Ah, so she let her push over side win once again.

"Idiot…" He muttered, it seemed that was his nickname for her.

"That's why you like me though," She pointed out, her tone completely teasing.

"Yeah," He agreed with a light laugh.

She looked at him for a few seconds and he looked back. He wasn't going to back down from that. Once she had faced Castor all bets were on the table. She went and stood her ground, and wanted to keep him safe. Even though he knew the situation would've been different if she hadn't been there. He still wasn't too pleased about the whole situation. She wasn't a physically affectionate person and seemed unsure of how to respond. He took the initiative and gently hugged her. She was tense, her body stiff like a board. He was just as awkward, but his hug was normal. His arms are around her back, and his chin rested on her shoulder. She slowly relaxed into it. She went to bring her arms up to hug him back but hesitated. She was unsure that it's what he wanted. She finally did it and he could feel her small hands on his shoulder blades. They stayed like that for a while, eventually, they had to part. He still retained hold of one of her hands.

She didn't know if they needed a label for their relationship. She was just glad that her feelings were returned. Even if they weren't, she would've been happy to just be friends. She felt her body warm up, and her stomach was churning. Why was she nervous all of a sudden? It was just Shinjiro. Ah, that was a cold way of talking about him. She ducked her head slightly when her face continued to heat up.

Shinjiro watched her inner battle and confusion with a blank expression. It was a little amusing to watch if he was being honest. She was looking down at the ground with a small frown on her face, her lower lip protruding in a slight pout as she continued to make her embarrassment worse. He shook his head slightly before he brought a hand up and patted her head. That broke her out of her thoughts, and she looked at him. Her eyes were wide in surprise. It was the most expressive he'd ever seen her. He liked it. It was that way for her as well. Shinjiro had a soft smile on his face, it was barely there really, but still noticeable compared to his usual scowl. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, and she stopped herself from going back into her flustered state.

"I won't see you again until after Yakushima?" He asked and she gave him a small nod, "You need to take care of yourself."

"I will," She confirmed, "I plan on staying as far away from the water as I possibly can."

That wasn't what he completely meant, but it was good to hear. He gave her a curt nod and walked her back to the mall. They parted ways at the alleys opening and he waited until he couldn't see her anymore before slinking back into the shadows. He hunched over and put his hands into his pockets, a frown fixated on his face. He may have said that he wasn't going to hold back anymore, but he should. He went and dod a stupid stunt like this after accepting that he might not make it to see the next year. He was an idiot. He ground his teeth together before he let out a sharp breath. What was done is done, he couldn't take back his words without causing serious harm. She may be prepared for his eventual death, as much as it may upset her to think about, but giving her hope like that and then yanking it away was cruel. He couldn't do that to anyone.

Rosemary stared at her desk in thought. The monorail ride had been quick and quiet, something she had quickly grown accustomed to. Her mind was elsewhere. Her situation with Shinjiro was getting serious, it was something neither of them should have allowed to continue but they did. As much as he made her happy, he also made her sad. He believed he was going to die before the year's end, and she honestly didn't want him to. She ran a hand through her hair before turning to face a sleeping Mochi. What was she supposed to do to keep the people she loved safe? Akihiko was easy because he could defend himself with minimal shielding from her. Ken may not want her protection, but he was going to get it, he was her responsibility, and she would be damned if he lost any more of his childhood. Minato was like Akihiko, but he didn't mind the fact that she wanted to keep him safe. Yukari and Fuuka were similar in that they welcomed her protection as it allowed them to do what they could. She paused as she realized that she was thinking of them on the battlefield during the dark hour. Ken was going to be a fighter, and she dreaded the day it happened. She didn't want him to fight. She wanted him to enjoy his remaining childhood. Even if she hadn't become his guardian, she had the feeling that he would've been brought in anyway. That thought created a heavy pit in her stomach. It was off track to her original thought pattern and something she didn't even want to poke with a twelve-foot pole.

She turned her focus back onto her relationship with Shinjiro. What was done was done, she couldn't pull her feelings out of the equation. It would be cruel. She felt a shiver go down her spine. Did…did she think something that was Shinjiro like? Huh, what a strange sensation. She frowned a bit before sighing. She would continue to play it by ear, it had been working for her before she admitted to liking him upon her return to Iwatodai. The first confession was on her, and she hadn't expected him to return her feelings. Castor somehow brought them together. Shinjiro knew she wouldn't leave him alone in a fight, and hated it as much as he respected it. She found a way to hear other personae with a clarity she never had before. It was such a strange sensation. She stretched and cracked her back. She had a suitcase that was packed, and her bathing suit had been quickly cleaned by the Kirijo maids. All she had to do was fight in Tartarus during the dark hour. She'd get some sleep in before then.

Tartarus, Dark Hour

Ken was there. He had awoken his persona the previous night. She looked down at the small Shiba next to him, it was the same one that liked to tackle her. Well, that answered her question. He didn't have a family either, his owner died. She watched as Ken scratched the dog on the top of his head. He got a new owner now, so he should be happy. She wasn't happy to see Ken. She brought a hand up to her neck and rubbed it in agitation. Shit. She was taking a page out of Shinjiro's book. Such a way with words that one.

"We'll finish off this block of Tartarus tonight and get the larger shadows at the midpoints," Minato informed them, "We have quite a few members, so we'll be able to double our search efforts on each floor."

Akihiko already assembled his team of Rosemary, Ken, and the dog. Koromaru, that was the dog's name. The Shiba looked up at him with his tail hanging out of his mouth. He felt bad that the dog could possibly get hurt. He seemed sweet. The Shiba seemed to like Rosemary and Ken, bumping into their hands with his snout for a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. Minato began the expedition and they all moved through the corridors of the new block with a fervor that was admirable. Mitsuru had the hypothesis that if they destroyed all the full moon shadows then the dark hour would stop. It was sound, but Rosemary had her doubts.

If that was all it took to end the dark hour, then why was the velvet room involved? She knew that it was a place that existed and yet didn't exist. Yet, they were observers when things went south. That much she could tell through Elizabeth's torrential thoughts. Her mind was something else and she couldn't wait to be around the woman again. She liked the chaotic insight. She ignored those thoughts as she dodged to the right and avoided an attack by a shadow. Her naginata made quick work of it and she had to wonder if she was stronger than before. She turned to see Ken smacking a shadow down with a spear and then eyed her weapon. Who the hell had the sense of humor to give him a spear? Someone was messing with them. She sighed and let out a short breath that was barely a chuckle, yeah it made sense. Ken wanted to be seen as dependable and not a kid, a spear was perfect for him.

The way up was clearer than it had been in a while, the shadows fell to their attacks with an ease that made them weary. It was suspicious, but they couldn't say why. They could have gotten stronger without realizing it. The data that was there wasn't enough to give a concrete answer. The two strongest, Akihiko and Rosemary were moving through the area in a manner that seemed like it didn't inconvenience them. Ken watched as the two fought like a well-oiled machine. It was amazing to see them on the same wavelength, the slightly competitive feeling he got from them was magnified when their group was the first to find the stairs. He was welcomed to a high five between two boxers.

"This is the first time we've ever been first to the stairs," Rosemary informed him as they waited for the others, "It was starting to worry us that we were cursed."

"We were victorious," Akihiko added, and she let out a snort.

Akihiko wasn't fooling her; he had been growing pessimistic about the whole thing. His thoughts lately were on his deceased sister. She didn't blame him, moving on from a loved one's death was difficult. She would be a wreak if Shinjiro ended up being right. She just hoped that her friends would help her pick up the pieces. No, she needed to be strong to keep them safe. She couldn't just leave them unprotected because her heart was broken. She was already thinking about it as if it had happened. She ignored the discomfort at those thoughts as everyone else arrived and they headed up the stairs.

Junpei was growing a bit flabbergasted at the fact that Akihiko's group beat them to the stairs the entire night. Each floor they found it. He swore that it was Koromaru finding the stairs for them. He would request that the dog be on their group and they'd switch Misturu for him, but Ken would have to be brought into the group as well. He wasn't about to break apart siblings. Plus, Ken was learning from the two he'd be stupid to try and teach him. He used a sword; Rosemary was better suited for teaching Ken how to use his spear. She was their discount samurai. He kept his delight from his face when she shot him the look of complete disbelief that was mixed with amusement.

"There are three large shadows in the middle of the floor," Fuuka warned them, "please be careful."

Minato gave a slight nod and they all moved to the middle of the floor. It was the seventy-second floor. He couldn't help but wonder just how high Tartarus went. They looked at their enemies and Akihiko wondered if someone somewhere had decided that Hulk Hogan was their biggest fear. It was what they looked like to him. It didn't matter, he'd knock 'em down without a problem. Minato gazed at his large group of friends before taking a deep breath. They needed to focus, and not get distracted.

"Hey Yukari, do you think that they might be weak to wind?" Rosemary asked and the other girl gave her a confused frown before they both jumped out of the way of an attack by the shadows, "I'm only asking due to their masks, usually the ones with that coloration are weak to wind."

"Right, let's try," Yukari nodded, the logic was sound.

She used her evoker and called upon Io. She sent a Magarula towards the shadows and knocked them all down. Minato took note of that and quickly switched his persona before giving the okay to attack all at once. That took care of one of the shadows and everyone became a bit more aggressive in their attacks. It was strange to see the shadows put on the defensive for once, but they weren't playing around anymore. They wanted to be done with the dark hour, and with that in mind another wind attack was sent towards the remaining two shadows and they all attacked. It went faster with Ken and Koromaru.

Rosemary would be the first to admit that the added two fighters increased their power significantly. If they all continued to grow stronger then nothing would really stand in their way. It was a scary thought. Minato was a bit distracted as they picked up an item out of a briefcase and headed up the stairs. They continued to quickly move up the floors.

Mitsuru was surprised at the speed at which they were climbing. She knew that they were getting stronger, the duo of Akihiko and Rosemary was enough evidence for that. She knew that they weren't as strong as Shinjiro and Akihiko put together, but they came close. She easily stabbed a shadow as it tried to rush her and sent a Bufula at it. She wasn't going to go easy on the shadows, she'd fight with as much aggression as the rest of her members.

The eighty-fifth floor was where the next boss shadow was at. Three of them once again and they looked like silver heads stacked upon one another to create a horrifying tower. Akihiko cracked his knuckles as Minato made Orpheus his main persona before they battled. Akihiko did heavy damage with his fists while Yukari moved back to be a healer. She was weak to electricity and found herself behind a magical shield. Rosemary had Icarus behind her and was staring at the towers in a calculating manner. Ken looked towards her and she returned the look. She gave a slight nod and both long distant fighters rushed one of the towers. Rosemary knocked it down by stabbing her blade under the shadow and using her momentum to flip it. He jumped and slammed his spear down onto it.

Akihiko blinked at that as they returned to their spots and eyed the other enemies. Well, he wasn't about to be shown up. He called on Polydeuces and used him to punch the shadow. That finished off one of the towers, two more remained. Mitsuru and Junpei attacked in unison, surprising the others. They were able to get their swords between a small crack in the middle of the tower and stopped it from moving. Koromaru let out a bark before charging forward and slicing it with the knife in his mouth. Minato paused for a few seconds. He knew that their group had gotten stronger, but he didn't think they were that strong. It was terrifying. He let out a small sigh at that and added his own slice to that shadow. They didn't finish it off, but it was moving in a sluggish manner. With a few more well-placed attacks, they would defeat the rest of the shadows.

With a few more rounds of attacks, they finished off the remaining two shadows. They hurried up the last few stairs and came to the blockade on the eighty-ninth floor. Minato picked up an old document that was there, it was a request from Elizabeth to bring her all of them. He was starting to get the story behind the tower and the dark hour. The Kirijo company had something to do with it. He trusted the upperclassman but that was because he knew her. He didn't trust her father or the chairman. Something about the chairman bugged him, it also bugged Rosemary. She was cautious around the older man, but not to the point where it was obvious. Akihiko picked up on it with ease simply due to the fact that he knew her so well.

They headed back to the dorms and Ken was the first to head up to bed, he was exhausted. He got a hair ruffle from Rosemary and Akihiko and he quickly retreated up the stairs. Koromaru followed him with a bark and that made a small smile appear on his guardian's face. Rosemary made some coffee for everyone and Junpei was surprised that it had a good flavor. She didn't even drink coffee. She looked to the side as she sipped at her cup, she had gotten some information from the owner of LeBlanc. It was hard not to; he had memorized the steps of making a good cup of coffee to the point where he recited it without thinking.

It was quiet as they all wound down for the night. The next day was just one of relaxation before they went on their trip. Last-minute packing was Junpeis future, but he wasn't too worried. He knew where everything was. It wouldn't be too bad, hopefully.