A/N: As a plan to exorcise the Shadow Spirit begins to unfold, our hero takes a moment to relax and collect his thoughts. Little does he know that he will soon awaken to yet another power.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona.

Chapter XXXI: Takuya and Fuyumi

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Evening

A few hours after their sit-down with the Harbingers, Takuya and Ryuta were now heading back to Yousha Academy with Ikumi and James in tow. While Gabe lived off campus, the other four Reapers needed to get back to their dorms before anyone realized that they had broken the campus-wide curfew. While they walked back to campus, Takuya and Ryuta talked about various things with Ikumi while James lagged behind in silence.

"So what's it like being an author anyway?" Ryuta asked Ikumi.

"The pay's pretty good, but deadlines can be a nightmare if you don't stay on top of them. And then of course there's the constant pressure to make sure that your novels are actually good and people will buy them. I've been ranked in the top ten sales ranking for three years straight and I don't intend to lose my spot. So all in all…it's stressful. Very stressful," Ikumi replied.

"It's still pretty amazing considering you're our age though," Takuya replied.

"Not really. I knew I wanted to be an author since I was five. I've always written a lot of short stories. It was only a few years ago though that I actually tried to get something published. It was mainly just luck that the publishers liked the first manuscript I submitted," Ikumi replied, waving off the praise like it was no big deal. Though she was blushing slightly. "How about you guys though? Any jobs or hobbies?"

"I work part-time at a day care center in Shibuya," Ryuta replied.

"Oh really? Any aspirations of being a teacher?" Ikumi replied.

"Hmm, not at the moment," Ryuta replied, considering it. "I've just always really liked kids. I feel like sometimes I can communicate with them better than most people my own age."

"Understandable, talking with strangers is pretty hard even if they are your own age. I still can't go to book signings without dressing head to toe in a disguise just to make sure nobody recognizes me. And even then, I'm usually sweating bullets," Ikumi replied in a panicked tone. Then she turned to Takuya. "How about you, Takuya-kun?"

"I just moved back to Tokyo last Saturday, so I don't really have anything going on here yet. Back home, I mainly just watched TV or played video games. No jobs or extracurriculars. I'm actually a pretty average guy," Takuya replied.

Ikumi's eyes sparkled. "Well I'm always looking for beta readers to proof read my manuscripts before I send them to my publisher. I usually ask Gabe-kun but he's been complaining about it a lot lately. Maybe you'd be interested in doing it instead. I'd even be willing to pay you for your time."

"Huh. What would I be doing exactly? Just reading the things you write and critiquing them? You'd pay me for that?" Takuya replied.

"Essentially yes. You'd just give me some feedback and pinpoint any typos you find. I'd kind of prefer if you do it in person though, so that would mean we would spend a lot of time together, going through everything," Ikumi replied, nervously tapping her fingers together.

Ryuta inwardly sighed. 'Oh brother.'

"Sounds like fun. Sure, why not? I'll try and come by when I have free time," Takuya replied.

"Really?!" Ikumi exclaimed. Then she looked away. "Cool, umm, thanks for the help."

"…?" Takuya looked confused.

James cleared his throat. "If you idiots are done. We're here already."

The other three Reapers realized that they had just arrived at the academy campus. Unfortunately, they couldn't just go inside as the front gate was still being guarded by campus security. "Great, what do we do now? We're all supposed to be in our dorm rooms right now. If we get caught now, we're definitely going to get it."

"Relax, I've got this," James simply replied as he walked past the group and up to the security guards.

"Hey! What are you kids doing out here?! All students who live on campus are supposed to be in their dorms!" one of the security guards exclaimed.

"Stay right there! We're going to have to report this to the headmaster!" another security guard exclaimed. The security guard picked up his radio transmitter and prepared to speak into it.

"Put that down," James simply said.

"What?! What was that you little punk?!" the security guard replied.

"I said put that down," James replied. His eyes started to glow a dark blood red. He looked directly into the security guard's eyes and all of a sudden the security guard went limp and dropped his radio transmitter. The security guard's eyes turned red as well, and his face became completely blank.

"What the…?!" the other security guard seemed really surprised.

James looked him in the eyes as well. "Shut up and open the gate."

"…" the security guard went silent. Then he turned around and walked up to the gate kiosk, and a few moments later he unlocked the gate and made it open. The security guards then motioned for James and the group to enter the campus.

"When we leave, close the gate. Then erase all the security footage that shows us and forget that you ever saw us here," James ordered.

"…" the security guards silently nodded.

"Come on, it's safe to go in now," James said to the others before walking through the gate.

"How did he…?" Ryuta was cut off by Takuya.

"His eyes. That's his ability, right?" Takuya asked Ikumi.

Ikumi nodded. "James-kun's Eyes of the Overlord. He can use them to turn people into zombies that obey his every command."

"No way. That is seriously overpowered," Ryuta replied.

"You'd think so. But there's drawbacks to its use. Using it takes a serious toll on his energy so he can pretty much only use it once a day. Plus, he can't use it on other Reapers or Shadows," Ikumi replied.

Takuya shook his head. "That's still way too much power for a guy like him to have."

"I understand your worries, but rest assured, Prospero has forbidden him from using it unscrupulously. And he wouldn't dare cross Prospero," Ikumi replied.

Takuya sighed. "If you say so." He scowled. 'Just one more reason why we should be wary of that guy.'

James did seem a little weaker though. "Come on already! You keep standing around there, you're just going to attract more attention!" he shouted from beyond the gate. He appeared to be having a hard time standing up right.

"…" the Reapers followed after James without another word.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Evening

After re-entering the campus, the boys parted ways with Ikumi and headed back to the boys' dorm. Though James didn't say a single word to either Takuya or Ryuta during the walk there. James lived on the same floor as them, but his room was near the front of the hall. After parting ways with James, Takuya and Ryuta went down the hall to their rooms. Takuya yawned. "I'm so tired. I think I might just skip dinner and head straight to bed."

"I know what you mean. Thank God tomorrow's Saturday, we can get as much sleep as we want."

"Don't forget we have a mission for tomorrow. We can't afford to sleep in," Takuya replied.

Ryuta sighed. "Right, right. Nearly forgot."

"How could you? We just talked about it a few hours ago?" Takuya replied.

"Oh, in that case, I assume you didn't forget about our plans for dinner?" another person asked. Takuya and Ryuta turned around to see Takuya's cousin, Fuyumi Miyazaki. "Funny, considering you haven't replied to any of the dozens of texts I sent you." She crossed her arms and gave Takuya a disapproving look.

"Oh, hey Fuyu," Takuya replied in a nervous tone. "Umm, sorry I don't think I got any texts."

"Check your phone," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya did as instructed and pulled out his phone. He then saw that there were indeed dozens of unread texts sent from Fuyumi throughout the day. "Oh…so I did get your texts." Takuya looked up at Fuyumi. "Sorry, I had my phone on silent so I didn't notice."

Fuyumi sighed in frustration. "And just what were you busy doing all day? And don't say that you were sleeping in your room. I stopped by here earlier and it was clear that no one was inside."

"Umm, well…the thing is…" Takuya replied.

"Takuya and I were hanging out together all day," Ryuta cut in. "Around noon, we both got bored of hanging around at the dorm so we thought we'd roam the campus."

"…Umm, yeah, that's right!" Takuya exclaimed going along with Ryuta's story.

"Knowing full well that we were supposed to stay in our dorms?" Fuyumi replied.

"Well we got hungry so we decided to raid some of the campus vending machines," Ryuta replied.

"And you didn't think to use the vending machines in your dorm because…?" Fuyumi replied.

"Needed the fresh air," Takuya replied quickly.

"And why have you just now gotten back?" Fuyumi replied.

"Time got away from us," Ryuta replied quickly.

"Why exactly?" Fuyumi asked.

"Umm…" Ryuta had run out of excuses.

'Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. We can't let Fuyu find out that we snuck off campus, and we certainly can't let her find out about our reasons why. Think. Think. Need an excuse. Someone. Anyone. A person Fuyu won't want to ask any more questions about,' Takuya thought as his mind raced a million miles a minute. Then suddenly a single person came to his mind. A person that utterly exhausted Fuyumi. 'Why did she suddenly pop into my head? Oh well, she's as good an excuse as any. I doubt Fuyu will go out of her way to confirm our story if she has to talk to her one-on-one. Please work!'

Fuyumi tapped her foot impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"Uh, you see…uh…" Ryuta was now mumbling.

"We met up with Umeko Isobe," Takuya blurted out.

"Who?" Ryuta blurted out. "Umm, I mean…yeah Isobe-san. They're the reason we took so long getting back."

"Umeko Isobe?" Fuyumi replied in confusion. Then she turned to Takuya. "Is this about her club? Did you decide to sign up after all?"

Takuya scratched his cheek. "Well I've been thinking about it for a while and I haven't seen any other clubs that peek my interest so far. Then when we ran into her, I just thought why not, and asked her if her offer to join was still good."

Then Fuyumi thought things over. "Hmm, Isobe-san is usually one to wander around aimlessly. She mainly uses her dorm room for sleeping. Until curfew, there's no real telling where she'll pop up." Then she looked at Ryuta. "So I take it Yanasai-san is going to join her club too. He would be the third member she needs to officially start her club after all."

Ryuta didn't know where this train of thought was going but he hopped on regardless. "Yep, you betcha. Isobe-san's club sounds like it could be really fun."

"Huh, I didn't know you had a fascination with the occult, Yanasai-san," Fuyumi replied.

"The occult?!" Ryuta exclaimed in surprise. "I mean, umm, yeah, yeah. You wouldn't know it by looking at me but I really get a kick out of all that creepy stuff. The weirder the better, I always say."

'Is she buying it? Please, please let her buy it!' Takuya exclaimed to himself.

"…" Fuyumi silently stared at Takuya and Ryuta. Her gaze going back and forth between the two boys. She had a clear look of skepticism written all over her face. Then finally she sighed and uncrossed her arms. "It's good that you're helping Isobe-san out, but please don't get caught up in her pace. She has a tendency to lose sight of everything else around her when it comes to her hobby." It appeared that Fuyumi had chosen to believe their lie. Then she looked at Takuya. "And please keep your phone's off silent outside of class. You worry people when they can't get ahold of you."

"Right, sorry about that. I promise it won't happen again," Takuya replied.

Then Fuyumi stroked her chin and began to think. "Still though, I never really expected you to join Isobe-san's club. But it's your school life, spend it however you want. I'll expect either you or Isobe-san to drop off the club requisition form to me in the next few days." Fuyumi frowned. "Normally, the Student Council President has final say on clubs forming or disbanding, but I guess for now that power rests with me."

"…" Takuya and Ryuta frowned as well.

There was a few moments of silence in the hall before Takuya reached out to Fuyumi and grabbed ahold of her hand. "…!" Fuyumi gasped at the sudden contact, and looked up at Takuya in confusion.

Takuya simply smiled at her. "You came here to pick me up for our dinner with Grandpa, right? Well come on, let's go eat, have some fun, and try to put this awful day behind us."

"…" Fuyumi lightly smiled and then she silently nodded.

"See you tomorrow, Ryuta," said Takuya.

"See ya, have fun you two. And tell the headmaster I said hi," Ryuta replied, waving them off.

"Oh, Yanasai-san. The curfew ended about an hour ago, so the dining hall is open again. If you haven't eaten anything decent all day, you should probably go and get some dinner," Fuyumi replied.

Ryuta's stomach suddenly started to growl. He blushed and replied, "Thanks for the heads up. I think I might just go do that. I'll probably be too hungry to sleep otherwise."

Takuya's stomach started to growl too. "Speaking of dinner. Looks like I'm getting hungry too. Come on, let's go Fuyu." Then Takuya dragged Fuyumi by her hand off to their grandfather's place.

As Ryuta waved them off, a sudden thought occurred to him. 'Oh yeah, come to think of it my phone's been on silent too.' Ryuta pulled out his phone and saw that he three unread messages. Two were from the school, one establishing the curfew and one lifting it, and the third was from an unexpected individual. 'Natsu?!' Ryuta inwardly exclaimed. It appeared that sometime in the afternoon, Ryuta's younger sister, Natsu, had sent him a message.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Night

Takuya and Fuyumi's grandfather lived on the top floor of the faculty dormitory, which was where most of the teachers and faculty of Yousha called home. Though Hiroshi Miyazaki was quite wealthy, almost all of his money was invested in the academy so his living accommodations were quite modest compared to how you would you expect a millionaire to live. It was a small two bedroom apartment (one of which was used for guests or storage space) that was lightly furnished with a small kitchen, living room, and balcony. When Takuya and Fuyumi arrived at Hiroshi's dorm room, they were greeted with a great big bear hug from their grandfather and were enticed by the mouth-watering smell of one of the greatest Chinese food chains in all of Japan, Aiya's. True to his word, Hiroshi had ordered take out for dinner. Takuya fondly remembered enjoying Aiya's food a lot when he was younger. They started out as a small diner in a rural town in the Yamanashi Prefecture and had in decades since grown to become a food staple in Japan. Needless to say, Takuya enjoyed his dinner very much.

As the blended family ate their dinner, they talked about their weeks and reminisced about years past. Takuya told his cousin and his grandfather all about his life in America and they told him what they had been up to since his absence. It was the first time that Takuya had really started to think of Yousha as his own home. Soon an hour had passed and the Miyazakis had finished their meals. "That was so good!" Takuya exclaimed in delight as he rubbed his stomach.

"You're being melodramatic. It was delicious but it's just Chinese food. You can get it America too, can't you?" Fuyumi replied.

"Don't you dare compare Chinese food in America to Aiya's! Do you know how hard it is to find a half decent beef bowl there?!" Takuya exclaimed. "And to think, I had almost forgotten that sweet perfection!"

Fuyumi sweatdropped. "I've never seen someone act this way over takeout."

Hiroshi chuckled. "It's certainly refreshing. I can't remember the last time we've had a dinner this lively. Can you, Fuyumi?"

Fuyumi shook her head. "Actually, no I can't." She smiled. "This is nice. The three of us hanging out and talking. I like it a lot."

Takuya smiled too. "Same here. I've missed you guys so much. I'm glad that we have this time together."

"Well then, why don't we make this a weekly thing? The three of us will have dinner together every Friday from now on," Hiroshi replied. "Does that sound good?"

"I like that idea a lot, Grandfather," Fuyumi replied.

"That sounds awesome. Ooh, can we do pizza next Friday?" Takuya added.

Fuyumi sweatdropped again. "You're already thinking about dinner for next week? You're such a glutton."

"Oh sorry, Fuyu. Did you want to have some of Grandpa's home cooking instead?" Takuya replied.

"…" Fuyumi began to sweat bullets and her face turned a sickly shade of green. "On second thought, pizza sounds great."

Hiroshi looked hurt. "Okay, that's enough. You two are seriously starting to hurt my feelings."

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Night

After the Miyazaki's finished there dinner, Takuya and Fuyumi settled down in their grandfather's living room and started watching television while Hiroshi got to work cleaning up after dinner. "Are you sure you don't need any help, Grandfather?"

"No, don't worry about it. I just have to clean up the table anyway. The dishes will take care of themselves," Hiroshi replied.

"Ah, Aiya's still has that weird policy, huh?" Takuya replied without looking away from the TV.

"Yes, indeed. Just leave the bowls wherever, and they'll find them," Hiroshi replied. "Makes cleaning up easier though."

"Okay, if you say so," Fuyumi replied. Then she walked over to the living room sofa where Takuya was already sitting. "Scoot over," she said to Takuya. Takuya did as he was told and then got a reply of, "Thanks," from Fuyumi. "So what are you watching?"

"Mainly just channel surfing," Takuya replied as he mindlessly flipped through the channels. Right now, it appeared that all the other channels besides the news networks were on commercial. Takuya had already flipped through several commercials advertising several things such as idol concerts, new movies, Okumura-brand coffee, the superstore Junes, and the new fast food chain BQ (Burger Quest). After a few more minutes of mindless channel surfing, Takuya finally stopped on a channel when the commercial break had ended. It appeared to be some kind of quiz show.

"Welcome back to, Quiz Kingdom Chaos!" the announcer exclaimed. "Now once again, here's your host. His Majesty, the Quiz King!" A spotlight landed on a man dressed in a flashy outfit consisting of a black tuxedo suit with a white bow tie that was decorated with question marks, a red cape with fuzzy lining that was also decorated with question marks, a white eye mask, and a crown that was decorated with, you guessed it, question marks. The Quiz King was also holding a very flashy gold scepter with two prongs on it that were shaped like a Q and an A.

"My loyal subjects, as you'll recall before our last commercial break we welcomed a new challenger threatening to take over our beloved Quiz Kingdom! The challenger, Takeshi-kun, has made it to the third round of our game and as such has earned the right to take on myself, your mighty king, in a solo battle of wits! I will participate in a round against Takeshi-kun, with the announcer giving out the questions instead of myself as per usual! So let us begin! I shall show young Takeshi-kun the folly in challenging me!" The Quiz King threw off his cape and then made his way to a podium next to the quiz show challenger.

"The topic for this round is…world trivia! The questions provided could be about anything from history, to science, to popular culture! Buzzers will be provided for the challenger and the Quiz King! When you think you know the answer, hit the buzzer and shout it out! The person with the most correct answers at the end of the round shall be crowned the new Quiz King!" the announcer exclaimed.

"I've never seen this game show before," Takuya replied.

"It's relatively new. It just started a few months ago, I think," Fuyumi replied. "Some of the older ones are still on the air though."

"So what's the gimmick with this one?" Takuya replied.

"Well in addition to their being cash prizes, apparently if you manage to beat the Quiz King you can take his crown and become the new Quiz King. It's not just in name only either. You become the new host of the show and take on challenges from future contestants. There's no age restriction either. Even a little kid can become the Quiz King if they're smart enough to beat the current one," Fuyumi replied.

"Sounds interesting, let's watch a little bit," Takuya replied.

"Question No. 1: What is the atomic mass of mercury?"

The Quiz King slammed his buzzer down almost immediately. "200.59 u!"

"Correct! Question No. 2: Who is believed to have coined the famous phrase: "Let them eat cake", shortly before their death?"

The Quiz King gave another lightning fast answer. "Marie Antoinette!"

"Correct! Question No. 3…"

Five minutes later, the score had become completely one-sided at 25-4. The Quiz King was indeed very smart. "I think we can stop here. It's pretty obvious who's going to win," said Fuyumi.

"Yeah, you're right. What else is on?" Takuya replied as he began flipping channels again.

"Actually do you mind turning the TV to channel 280 for a second? I need to confirm something and this is the time they said it would be on," said Hiroshi, walking up to the sofa to join his grandchildren.

"Sure thing," Takuya replied. Then he turned to channel 280 as requested. The channel in question was one of Tokyo's local news networks.

The reporter on the screen appeared to be in front of a large band shell in a local park. "This is Mina Kushida reporting on site at local Ryugamine Park where in just a few short days, famed Yousha Academy's orchestra club was set to perform at a special music venue in order to raise funds for several notable charities. The venue has been advertised since the start of the new year and tickets for the show have been sold out for quite some time. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, involving the untimely passing of two young students in the orchestra club, the show has been cancelled and tickets are in the process of being refunded."

Fuyumi's eyes widened and then she turned to face Hiroshi. "You cancelled the music venue?! But Endou-senpai and the others worked so hard preparing for it!"

Hiroshi sighed. "Considering the current circumstances, I thought it was for the best. But just listen, there's more to the story."

"Instead, in two weeks Yousha Academy will be holding a special memorial music venue in honor of the two young students whose lives were tragically cut short. The music venue will be held at the Yousha Academy main campus at 18:00 on Saturday, May 3rd. The Headmaster of Yousha Academy, Hiroshi Miyazaki, has informed us that admission to this event will be free of charge and everyone who wishes to celebrate the lives of their recently departed loved ones come and enjoy a night of fun and entertainment. As a Yousha Academy alum myself, I will certainly be there giving my support to the school that gave me so much. This is Mina Kushida, signing off. Now back to Seiji Ishimaru." The reporter was cut off and the news broadcast shifted back to the people in the news studio.

"I thought the best way to honor Endou-san and Iwasaki-san was by organizing a new venue in their honor. I talked it over with some of the upperclassmen in the orchestra club earlier today and they agreed. But what do you think, Fuyumi? Do you think they would have liked it?" Hiroshi asked his granddaughter.

Tears swelled up in Fuyumi's eyes. "…" She silently nodded while doing her best to keep calm. "Senpai…Senpai would have loved it."

"…" Takuya silently watched his cousin try her best to hold back her tears.

Friday, 4/18 20XX, Night

About half an hour later, it had gotten really dark outside so Hiroshi urged his grandchildren to hurry back to their dorms. Takuya and Fuyumi said goodbye to their grandfather and headed back to their dorms, heading to Fuyumi's dorm first.

"You don't have to walk me back to my dorm," Fuyumi replied. "It would actually be faster if we went our own ways."

"I don't mind. It's not that far out of my way. Plus, we didn't really get to talk that much, just the two of us, you know?"

"What else did you want to talk about?" Fuyumi replied out of curiosity."

"Well there was something I wanted to ask you," Takuya replied.

"Oh?" Fuyumi replied. "What is it?"

Takuya sighed. He didn't know the best way to phrase the question, so he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "What exactly was your relationship with Endou-senpai?"

"…?" Fuyumi looked confused.

"I mean, you say you don't really have any friends here. But you seem friendly with a lot of people, Akagawa-senpai, Ayuka, Owari-senpai, but even then you said they're not really your friends. I get that, I guess. Even if you talk to someone a lot, it doesn't necessarily mean you're friends. But, I don't know. You and Endou-senpai, you seemed different with her. It could just be because you were both of the Student Council together, but I just sort of got this feeling that your relationship with her was special," Takuya replied. "Even now, when you talk about her. I just can't help but notice, that you seem particularly sad. I'm sad too, of course. But you knew her longer, it's only right you would be so upset. You don't have to put on a brave face in front of me though. Even if our relationship is different now, you were my first friend. And to me you always will be one of the most special people in my life."

"…" Fuyumi lightly smiled. "That means a lot to me. More than you'll ever know." She sighed. "How to put it." She thought to herself. After a few moments, she suddenly said, " I was in love with her."

"…" Takuya went silent.

"…" as did Fuyumi.

"Oh," Takuya finally replied after a few moments of silence. Then his eyes widened. "Oh!" This was extremely awkward. He did not expect his cousin to say that. "Well, umm, in that case. I'm really, really sorry. You never even got the chance to confess your feelings. That must make you feel horrible. I can only…"

"Psych!" Fuyumi suddenly exclaimed. Then she stuck her tongue out. "Dream on, dummy. Did you really believe that?"

"…" Takuya was confused. "Wait, time out. So that wasn't true. You weren't in love with her?"

"No, of course not! I don't like girls in that way!" Fuyumi exclaimed.

"But…but…you sounded so serious when you said that. If you just wanted to punk me, why would you go with that bit?" Takuya replied.

"I had to do something. You were bringing so much melodrama into our conversation, if anything I was just trying to defuse the tension by catching you off guard," Fuyumi replied. Then she giggled. "And it worked like a charm."

Takuya growled. "I was trying to have a nice, heartfelt conversation with you, and your first instinct is to mess with me?! Who the hell does that?!"

"It's your own fault for buying it so easily, dummy," Fuyumi replied. "Did I honestly ever give you the impression that I liked her that way? I mean, honestly?"

"Well…no, but…" Takuya tried to reply.

"But nothing. If you fell for my words that easily then it's your own fault for being so gullible," Fuyumi replied. "And who asked you to get so serious with me in the first place? I'm fine, okay. Sure, I was really upset this morning, and I'll still a little down in the dumps but the worst has past. I'm ready to grieve." she lightly frowned. "You don't need to worry about me so much."

Takuya frowned. "But I do worry about you." He took Fuyumi's hands in his own. "Like I said before, you were my first friend. You'll always be my first friend. And on top of that, you're family. And I will never ever stop caring about you. I love you, dummy. Isn't that obvious?" Takuya replied.

Fuyumi's smile returned. Then she giggled again. "You are insufferable sometimes, but I love you too all the same. She let go of Takuya's hands and then walked forward and stopped with her back turned to him. "After my mother and father died, I was lost for a long time. For the first year that I was here in middle school, I didn't even talk to anyone besides Grandfather. Finally, two years ago I met Endou-senpai, and she completely changed my world. At first I thought she was really irritating. She always seemed so happy and perky and she could make friends with anyone after just one conversation. All I wanted to do was be alone, but she just wouldn't have it. For whatever reason she continued to seek me out day after day. She would have lunch with me, take me shopping, go see movies with me; she would even insist on having me with her when she was hanging out with Owari-senpai and her other friends. I didn't really understand why she always wanted me by her side, so one day I asked her out of curiosity, and she told me it was because I reminded her of herself. She was just like me after she was abandoned, sad and alone. She couldn't stand to see another person like that, so she made it her mission to make sure I was never left alone. And after a while, I had begun to enjoy spending time with her. So when she announced that she was running for Student Council President I tagged along behind her and became Vice-President. Since then, our relationship changed a little. She wouldn't seek me out every day and left me to my own devices. But I always knew that if I ever needed her, she would be there in a heartbeat. So you see, I didn't really lie. I don't have real friends here at Yousha. Just some good acquaintances…" Then she turned back to face Takuya and he could see that she had once again begun to cry, "…and a really awesome big sister."

"…" Takuya silently listened.

Fuyumi turned away again. "It hurts. It really hurts, knowing I'm never going to hear my annoying big sister's voice again. Knowing that she's never going to hug me again. Knowing that I'm never, ever going to be the same person without her by my side." She didn't try to stop her tears. She let all her emotions come pouring out. "…!" Her eyes widened at the sudden warm feeling that enveloped her. Takuya had come into hug her while her back was turned.

"Like I said before, I'll never stop caring about you. You may have lost your big sister, but you still have your dopey, jokey brother to cheer you up when you feel down," Takuya said to her.

"Takuya…" Fuyumi smiled while still crying, "Thank you." Then to Takuya's surprise, it happened once again. An image of a tarot card flashed in Takuya's head. The card turned over and revealed itself to be No. Vi, the Lovers. Then a mysterious voice rang out in Takuya's head.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast established a new bond.

It shall guide thee in thy journey to restore balance

to the unseen world and thine own heart.

With the birth of the Lovers Persona, thou hast gained a newfound burning passion

to join together with those who desire the same things.

New power awaits thee in these desires.

Don't be afraid to connect thy hearts and claim them.

Cautious Cousin Soul Link Established.

Arcana: Lovers – Rank 1

New Persona Gained – Cybele

'No way. Fuyu, too? Huh, I guess, I can obtain a Soul Link from anyone I form a bond with. Regardless of power,' Takuya thought to himself. After a few minutes of letting Fuyumi cry, Takuya turned her around and said, "Come on, I'll take you back to your dorm. I won't leave your side until you're back in your own room."

"You don't have to do that," Fuyumi replied.

"I want to," Takuya replied. "As a matter of fact." He turned around and then crouched down to the ground. "Go ahead and get on."

"What are you doing?" Fuyumi replied.

"Come on, I used to carry you on my back all the time when we were little."

"Keyword being little," Fuyumi replied with a giggle. "There's no way you can carry me now."

"I'll have you know that I'm stronger than I look, and I'm pretty sure you're lighter than you look."

"Okay, then how about the embarrassment?"

"Nobody's going to see. It's late, everyone will be in their rooms."

Fuyumi sighed. "Why are you pushing this so hard?"

"This was part of our bet, remember?"

"Bet?" Fuyumi thought back and then remembered Takuya's first night here. "Oh, that bet."

"It was the usual bet from when we were kids. The winner gets to make the loser do one embarrassing thing. The week's up and I have four good friends, including Oikawa. That blows your zero out of the water. So I'm going to give my baby cousin an embarrassing piggyback ride," Takuya replied.

"I'm just two months younger than you, dummy." Fuyumi sighed. "Do I really have to?"

"It's either this, or I can make you walk a lap around your dorm building naked," Takuya replied.

Fuyumi blushed a deep red. "What the hell?! That dare is way out in left field, you perverted idiot!"

"Geez, that was just a suggestion. Like I would really want to make you do that," Takuya replied, rolling his eyes. "The point is. I can make you do something way worse, so I say, just take the piggyback ride."

Fuyumi sighed again. "Oh, fine. But if anybody sees us, I'm going to kill you." Fuyumi slowly climbed up Takuya's back and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Upsy-daisy," said Takuya as he raised his cousin up into the air. "Yep, still as light as a feather."

"Shut up! And another thing. If you even try to cop a feel, I'll strangle with you right where you stand," Fuyumi replied.

"Not gonna happen, but thanks for the warning," Takuya replied. "And we're off." Takuya started to lightly jog while he carried Fuyumi to her dorm.

"Hey, Takuya?" Fuyumi called out to her cousin.

"Yeah?" Takuya replied.

"I was joking about being in love with Endou-senpai, but I think I really am in love with someone else," she replied with an added blush.

"Oh really? Boy or girl?" Takuya replied.

"Boy, idiot! I already told you that I don't like girls like that!" Fuyumi exclaimed.

"Right, sorry. Well if you want my advice, I'd say go for it. Any guy would be lucky to have you as his girlfriend," Takuya replied. "And if he ever breaks your heart or gets you into any trouble, just let me know. I'll make him regret it."

"…" Fuyumi was silent for a few moments. 'Dummy. You're so dumb, Takuya,' Fuyumi thought to herself as she held on tighter to her cousin. 'But, you're also really kind and brave. And I'm so happy that you're back in my life. Please, never leave me alone again. After Endou-senpai, I couldn't bear to lose you too.' After a few moments she worked up the courage to say the words in her heart. "Takuya?" Fuyumi called out quietly.

"Yeah?" Takuya replied quietly.

"I love you," Fuyumi replied.

Takuya smiled. "I love you too, Fuyu."

Fuyumi knew they were talking about two completely different things. "Dummy."

"If you are than what am I?" Takuya replied.

"Such a dummy," Fuyumi simply replied.

A/N: Yet another Soul Link formed. What new power shall our young hero tap into? Stay tuned to find out.