Persona Chaos Butterfly

by Sea of Soul

Co-written with Ohta-Suzuke. P3FES/P3P and P4/P4G x-over. After a personal tragedy, Souji's life is turned upside down when he meets up with two long lost friends and the Dark Hour returns. Now, together with the other Wild Cards, SEES and the Investigation Team, they must get to the bottom of this mystery. Feedback is appreciatted. It's tough work, ya know.

15. Chapter 15: King's Game! Again!

Hi! It's Sea of Soul time! owo How is everybody? I'm great! I GOT MY JOB! I start working in March, but don't worry. Ohta-chan and I will keep working on this in a steady pace as we can.

Since it's summer where I live it's time for a tropical chapter! This is gonna be really funny! XD

First, it's that time again: time to answer some questions/comments!

KO: Yeah. It is kinda obvious. It may take a while for Magatsu to appear, but some hints of it will be mentioned along the plot.

Guest: He'll be a supporting character acting in the shadows. All I can say is that.

Zimudra: Sorry, but as I mentioned in every chapter none of my pairings involves Aigis. There'll be friendships scenes though.

13TheAce: Thank you. We'll keep working on it the best we can.

LoneTaku: Yeah, baby! This is gonna be fun! XD

A few warnings: (Yes, I put those before every chapter to avoid issues)

-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings(in later chapters): JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are after all the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)

Have fun ya guys. On with the show!

---

Chapter 15: King's game! Again?!

The Velvet Room…

"Welcome," Igor greeted with his usual enigmatic smile. "It is delightful to see the three of you unharmed after facing the most difficult ordeal so far."

The three Wild Cards decided to pay a visit to the Velvet Room after the latest events, hoping that Igor would have some answers for them.

The three Velvet siblings, beneath their calm and sophisticated façade, seemed happy and relieved to see they were safe and sound.

"I see you already know what we went through, huh?" Minato said, not really surprised. "Well, might as well go straight to the point then. What can you tell us about that?"

"As you know, one's Shadow self comes out of the darkness of one's heart, be it guilt, regret, despair, or any other assorted negative emotions related to their past in order to deceive and confuse them," Elizabeth started. "However, your Shadows were different."

"Different? How so?" Minako asked.

"Instead of leading you to reach any kind of resolution, their intention was to kill you both, even if you have accepted them," Theodore replied.

"Hmm… That explains why they transformed before Aniki and Aneki fully rejected them," Souji stated.

"Correct. Their loss of control over their suppressed feelings caused their original Personas to revert to their primitive state as Shadows," Margaret said. "Such unnatural origin caused them to be more unstable and violent than regular Shadows."

Minato closed his eyes in thought. "That happened because we ran into the chairman, but before that our Personas already showed changes in their behavior because of the nightmares."

"Which in turn started after we were turned into a bunch of toddlers," Souji concluded. "Come to think of it, why would our enemy change us into 4-6 year-old kids to begin with?"

"It is said that the ages between 1 to 7 years are the most influential in the lives of humans and the development of their personalities," Theodore theorized. "Yet the human brain cannot store that much information, so it ends up forgetting a very huge portion of it."

"The most influential period…" Minako suddenly remembered. "Aniki, the car accident!"

"Of course! That incident and its consequences were the start of all...the defining moment of our lives…" He finally understood. "Changing us back to that age forced us to recall the memories, opening old emotional wounds and caused those disturbances in our Personas, leading to the nightmares. The chairman's return was just icing on the cake." He looked at Souji. "But what about you? I mean, that incident also affected you, but not in the same intensity…"

"I see your point, Aniki. I really can't recall any childhood incident that affected me with a similar impact." Souji closed his eyes, trying to recollect the memories, but nothing so far. "Then again… It could have something to do with that chairman character we ran into."

"I'm afraid that we cannot be of much help on that matter, but we can provide you with our encouragement and support," Elizabeth consoled.

"Never forget that your Persona's strength lies within your emotions," Margaret said. "Should Master Souji or any of you two lose control over them, your Personas could revert back into Shadows and may kill you next time"

Minako nodded. "We now understand that. Thanks to the bonds we've made, we'll never again drown in despair even if our darkness is made to manifest." She smiled at her brothers. "We'll grow from the lessons our Shadows taught us, bonding us closer instead of shattering us."

Minato and Souji smiled back at her and nodded. The strength in their resolve could be sensed by the residents and Igor. The strange long-nosed man smiled, pleased that his guests had found one of their answers.

"Well done, my strong resolve to find answers will be a most valuable asset in your journey." He clasped his hands. "Now, I also have something to aid a wave of a hand, two cards materialized on his table. "I am sure you recognize these."

"The Justice and Aeon arcanas?" Souji wondered.

"Correct. As you bond with different people with similar arcana, your Social Links expands and grow stronger, thus new possibilities have been revealed to you."

"So, now we can create new Personas?" Minato questioned.

"Indeed young man," Igor chuckled. "The possibilities will show before you and even if they may seem difficult to grasp, I'm positive, you'll understand them."

Minako smiled. "Alright! This will certainly come in handy!"

"Remember: the stronger your bonds become, new paths will be open to you. Where they shall take you, is entirely up to you."

"Now that sounds familiar," Souji chuckled nervously. "Alright, let's see who we can fuse so far."

The Wild Cards walked up to their respective assistants to check on their Compendiums. Sure enough, there were more empty pages waiting to be filled. When the Justice Arcana chapter came up, one page caught their attention, showing the glowing silhouette of a winged female.

Minato studied it. "Hm… this one looks interesting. And I think we got all the Personas necessary for it."

His sister had an idea. "Hey, guys, why don't we all use different Personas to fuse her? Since there are several possible combinations, we can give her different skills."

"That could be useful when facing a difficult situation," Souji said.

"Agreed," Minato decided.

They approached Igor with their Compendiums in hand. The long-nosed man then extracted the Personae needed in the form of cards and laid them on the table in a circular pattern of three different sets. Souji had chosen Angel, Virtue, Hariti, Gabriel, Michael and Isis while the twins chose Angel, Virtue, Hariti, Raphael, Uriel and Cybele.

Each Wild Card then shuffled the deck until they were satisfied with the skills that the new Persona would inherit. With a wave of Igor's hand, the cards began to levitate as a glowing blue symbol in the shape of a six-pointed star appeared.

Igor then combined the cards. The Velvet Room was blinded by a brilliant white light before a figure sporting a pair of black wings and a mourning hat materialized before the trio. Her body was fully covered by a black mantle, her face adorning an ever-smiling mask. "I am Lailah the Divine. All life is born, laid to rest, and frozen. Hello, young ones," she said in a gentle voice before vanishing into three different cards and merged into the sea of their souls.

"Lailah is the Jewish angel of conception, the angel that brings souls and the seed together and then sees to it that the seed is planted in the womb. While the infants grow in the womb, Lailah places a lighted candle at the head of the unborn infant, so he or she can see from one end of the world to the other. She also teaches the unborn child the entire Torah, as well the history of her soul," Minako read the new Compendium entry aloud for her brothers to hear. "Then, when the time comes for the child to be born, the angel extinguishes the light in the womb and brings the child into the world. And the instant the child emerges, the angel lightly strikes its finger on the child's lip, as if to say 'Shh' and this causes the child to forget everything learned in the womb. It's implied that the knowledge is still there, but merely forgotten."

"Fascinating…she'll be really helpful," Minato said.

Souji turned to the long-nosed man. "By the way, there's something else I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead, my dear guest."

"A man wearing a butterfly-shaped mask approached Aniki and Aneki after we fought their Shadows, leaving a cryptic message. He appeared and disappeared as a bunch of blue butterflies. You wouldn't happen to know who he is, would you?"

Upon Souji's question, the three assistants wore looks of surprise. Nameless and Belladonna paused their music act and the Demon Artist stopped working on his canvas, all staring at the three Wild Cards incredulously. For a split second, they could've sworn even Igor seemed taken aback, but he quickly regained his creepy smile.

"Hmm…? This strange visitor… Who is he? Is he a friend? Or someone whom you already know? Perhaps someone that watched over you in the past? Or is he just a mere observer?" he said while tapping his fingers in a strange rhythm. "All of these are true and yet they're not…"

The Wild Cards groaned. "Why did I have a feeling you'd give us a vague answer again?" Minako sighed. "Oh well, he's not a threat. That much I'm sure of."

"Guess we'll just have to figure it out on our own." Minato turned to his siblings. "C'mon, guys. We should be going. We still need to pick up Kanji, Ken and Nanako-chan at Madam Shiroku's." After bidding good bye to all residents, the three left.

"That was an unexpected turn of events…" Nameless said once he was sure their guests were gone.

"It seems the past has come back to haunt us," Belladonna sang.

The Demon Artist nodded, a deep frown etched on his face. "Or rather, look for new targets."

Igor drummed his thin fingers on the table. "Indeed. The last time this happened…" His brows arched upward, the balls of his eyes almost fell out of its sockets. "Unless…No, that couldn't be. He would have told me…"

"Master, what's really going on here?" Margaret questioned, clearly worried. For someone like Igor to be out of the loop, something disturbing is about to happen.

"Nothing to concern yourselves for the time being," Igor said. "Elizabeth, I need you and your brother to head back to the Great Seal. Margaret, continue your research. I need some time to reminisce…" He looked at the other three, and closed his eyes. "But for now, we can only wait and see what happens."

Belladonna continued singing to Nameless' melody. The scratching of paintbrush on canvas accompanied the aria.

---

The LED signboard above the ticket counter showed the arrival of the next train, which would be another half an hour. A large group of teenagers, a middle school student, a little girl and a white dog were giddy with anticipation (except for a scowling, beanie-wearing young man). They couldn't wait to board that train and head off to their destination – Yakushima Island.

From what they heard from SEES, they would be lodging in the grand mansion of Mitsuru Kirijo herself, who made the arrangements a day before. It's been a long time any of them had gone to the beach. More importantly, they could finally fulfill their promise to Nanako that they'd be eating this year's summer watermelons the proper way. All they had to bring were some clothes, toiletries and swimwear as everything else will be provided at the mansion.

Kanji on the other hand, carried an extra bag stuffed with snacks, mainly animal crackers. "What?!" he asked, wary that the others were giving him weird looks. "I get hungry okay…"

"This is so awesome!" Yosuke exclaimed. He looked like he was about to leap off the platform. "A fully-paid vacation at a beautiful island…surrounded by beautiful women. It's good to be alive!"

Teddie was already daydreaming about the girls, but caught himself in time when he remembered that Nanako was with them, and the scary glare Souji shot him as warning to behave.

"You said it, dude." Junpei was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Now we have twice the amount of cuties to look at." He yelped loudly when Yukari stomped on his foot.

"Don't get any ideas, Stupei," she growled. "Do something perverted and I'll tell Chidori on you."

"It has been such a long time," Minako interjected, not wanting an argument to occur between her friends. "We also met Aigis for the first time there too."

Akihiko, Junpei and Minato groaned at that, particularly the memory which involved a dare and attempts at picking up random women.

Nanako was holding Minako's hand, looking particularly cute in a pink summer dress. "I've never been to the beach before," she admitted. "Dad wanted to go on a picnic last year, but he was called away to work. Big Bro and his friends made it up to me though. Too bad there weren't any packed lunches."

Souji ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about that. I'll make you as much as you want when we get there, then we'll have a real picnic." His smiled widened when she cheered with delight.

The train had arrived. The Persona-users hurriedly rushed into the train, couldn't wait to get to Yakushima Island.

Minato on the other hand, was keeping an eye on his little brother. He was concerned, mainly after how Ikutsuki seemed to recognize him before their True Shadow incident two days ago.

…Flashback…

Junpei jumped out of his chair at the mention of the island paradise. "Yakushima, baby! Oh man, that brings back memories…"

"I read about that island in a travel pamphlet once," Yukiko said. "It's supposed to have some of the best beaches in Japan, and the natural beauty is like nothing else."

"I thought the rest of us could use a little vacation after yesterday's incident. I've arranged a three days stay," Mitsuru said before turning to the leaders. "The three of you must still be exhausted, and the school session is starting soon. We should take this opportunity to recuperate while we still can."

Excited chatters soon broke out.

"Hey, didn't we promise Nanako-chan last year that we'd break a watermelon by the beach?" Chie wondered, but then doubled back when she caught Mitsuru looking at her. "Uhh…I mean if it's okay with you, of course!"

The red-head smiled. "Why wouldn't it be? If her father gives his permission, then I will allow it. The more the merrier, right?"

"So, when do we leave?" Ken asked eagerly. He had never been to a beach outside of Port Island before.

"The day after tomorrow," Mitsuru answered, smiling at the positive reaction she got from everyone.

When it was time to leave, Teddie sprinted out of the Inn, excited to tell Nanako the good news. Souji was chasing after him, since he intended to tell his cousin about the trip after talking with his uncle. The rest laughed at that and a playful chase ensued.

The twins approached Mitsuru when Yukiko left for her room. "Senpai, there's another reason for this trip isn't it?" Minato asked in a serious tone, loud enough to catch the attention from the rest of SEES.

"You want to go check out the labs there, right? I mean, the chairman is back, so he might try to access any data from the Kirijo Group," Minako deduced. "But that doesn't explain how he knew Souji-kun and his parents…"

Mitsuru sighed lethargically. "Yes, you're both right. I wanted to see if anything has been tampered with over there. Seeing that he was dead, I didn't take the precautions to block any of his access and influence. Now that you mentioned it, I don't think that it was a coincidence when he suggested we go to Yakushima three years ago." She rubbed her temples, trying to rid of her frustration.

"I see where this is going. He must have orchestrated me meeting with Minato-san and Minako-san back then," Aigis concluded. "And also the meeting with your late father. He had it all planned out, using Yukari-san's late father as the scapegoat."

"Please don't mention any of this to Seta and his friends. We should just enjoy what we can before we officially move here. I have a feeling that things will get worse after the semester starts, and we need to be prepared."

…End flashback…

The train ride was filled with happy chatter and laughter. Everybody was excited as they got closer to their destination.

Souji smiled. Seeing everybody in such high spirits after everything they had gone through helped him relax.

However, that didn't put his mind completely at ease. There was Ikutsuki and his alleged knowledge of his parents' disappearance, the mysterious butterfly-masked man, and to top it off, Izanagi's behavior still puzzled him. After the twins' Shadows were defeated, he resumed talking to him, but there were moments when the Original God remained silent, refusing to speak at all.

An image flashed through his mind, bits and pieces of hazy memories being played on an ancient film reel; he was a toddler holding hands with his parents, there were men dressed in white, surrounded by weird machines. One of them stepped closer to him. For some reason, that image made his heart beat faster and his head heavy. Izanagi was getting agitated, pounding his head like crazy, as if he wanted to escape his skull.

The silverette pressed the heel of his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, letting out a small groan.

"Souji-kun, you okay?" Yukiko asked, drawing some attention towards him.

"I'm fine, Yukiko. Just got a minor headache..." he assured her. As soon as he started, Izanagi finally quieted down.

Minato and Minako frowned and exchanged glances, but said nothing as to not worry the others…and because they knew Souji wouldn't say what's wrong until he felt the time was right.

Sensing the others were getting concerned, Souji looked out the window and grinned. "Hey, guys, we're almost there! Look at that view!"

That turned the mood happy again and they resumed talking about the trip. Souji smiled and joined in the conversation, trying not to think about what just happened.

---

Kirijo Mansion…

The Investigation Team, including Nanako, Ken and Metis, walked along the halls with their mouths hanging open, staring at the immense wealth the magnificent mansion possessed. They were even more flabbergasted when a group of maids came to greet their mistress. Even the younger members of SEES haven't gotten used to it, but their reactions were slightly toned down.

"Welcome back, Kirijo-sama. We have the rooms prepared for you and your guests as per your orders."

"Thank you. Please show our guests to their rooms," Mitsuru said curtly. The maids bowed and left.

Yosuke gaped like a fish out of water. "Real life maids…Dudes, I don't think we're on the same planet anymore…"

The others nodded in agreement, still speechless. Kanji had a small nose bleed, earning disgusted comments from his female teammates.

"Damn it…all this fancy stuff and formal shit is giving me allergies…" Shinjiro grumbled, walking off in the directions of their assigned rooms. Souji frowned at his crude words, especially with Nanako in hearing distance.

Akihiko sighed. "I better go with him and keep him out of trouble," he told Mitsuru, and went after his best friend. "Shinji, wait up!"

"Aneki, do you want to share a room with me?" Nanako shyly asked her new 'sister', blushing a little.

Minako smiled. "Sure, let's go! If we hurry, we can go for a walk at the beach and collect seashells before dinner." Nanako squealed and raced with her to their room.

"If we're choosing roommates then I'm staying with Yukiko," Chie said, already picking up her bag. Yukiko nodded and they both headed off.

"Naoto-kun is mine!" Rise cheered. Nobody missed the mischievous glint in her eye. The Detective Prince shivered. Before she could plead for help, Rise was already dragging her away.

"I'm sharing with Fuuka then," Yukari said, stretching her stiff muscles. "I'm pretty sure Metis is gonna want to be with Aigis anyway."

Fuuka nodded. "If you two ever need any help, you can come to me anytime," she said before leaving with Yukari. The two androids followed before separating to their own room.

"Then I'll be leaving for my own quarters as well," Mitsuru announced. "I still have some work to finish before dinner."

That left the other seven guys and dog in the hallway. Yosuke made a hopeless face and sighed. "Looks like I'll be bunking with Ted again. I'm sure you and Minato-san are gonna want to catch up more, partner."

"But I wanted to share a room with Sensei!" Teddie protested. "You never let me have any fun, Yosuke. You meanie!"

A thin vein appeared on Yosuke's forehead, throbbing dangerously. "And if you don't stop annoying me, I swear I'm going to shave off all the fur from your bear suit when you're asleep."

Teddie paled. "No! Anything but that!" He picked up his bag and scurried to their room.

"That's what I thought," Yosuke grumbled, and headed off.

The others sweatdropped. "Junpei-san, why don't you and Kanji…" Souji stopped midway of his sentence and reassessed the situation. "Nah, Kanji should take care of Koromaru. The little guy seems to like him a lot for some reason." As if agreeing with the silverette, Koromaru licked Kanji's hand.

He kneeled down to scratch his ears. "Heh, I don't mind. We're gonna have some fun…right, boy?"

Koromaru wagged his tail and trotted after Kanji to their shared space.

"Looks like it's just you and me, little dude," Junpei grinned at Ken.

Ken didn't seem to mind sharing a room with Junpei. After they left, Souji gave Minato a questioning look. "Aniki, what's going on? You've been staring at me all day. Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Minato lied. Until Mitsuru found something definitive, he wasn't going to worry Souji. He patted his brother's shoulder. "Let's get settled in, shall we?"

Souji narrowed his eyes, but followed anyway. As they headed for their room, the images resurfaced again. Izanagi grew agitated as well, giving his master another headache. 'Damnit, not again!' He yelled in his mind, holding his head. 'Calm down, Izanagi!'

Minato sensed the tension and turned around. "You okay?"

"My headache came back…" Souji said, not yet ready to tell anyone the real reason for it. The images finally faded and Izanagi fell silent once again.

Minato crossed his arms. While knowing something was up, he decided it to let it slide for now. "You can ask Mitsuru-senpai's maids for some aspirin if you need it, but if those don't stop, you'd better tell me what's going on," he warned before resuming his walking.

Souji sighed and followed him. 'Looks like I'm not the only one holding things back…'

---

After the group unpacked and had dinner, they gathered at the karaoke lounge.

Minako was constructing a few bracelets from the seashells she and Nanako had gathered at the beach. Metis watched her with great curiosity, fascinated by the variety of different shapes and colors.

Nanako and Ken entertained themselves by playing a board game. Whenever Minako completed a bracelet, she would show it to Nanako; the little girl's squeals were signs of approval. Minako caught on that Ken would smile whenever Nanako did, which she almost melted at the cuteness.

Rise was singing on the karaoke machine and dancing, both Junpei and Teddie loving her show and cheering her on. Even though the teen idol had taken a break from her career during summer vacation, she's still talented as ever.

Minato was chilling on the couch sharing a tall glass of orange juice with Yukari, who snuggled up next to him. Both were enjoying Rise's performance.

Aigis and Naoto were having a chess match, android and detective equally matched in the game of wits.

Meanwhile, Akihiko and Kanji were locked in a battle of fists, or rather, an arm wrestling competition. Chie and Yosuke watched them, noisily making bets on who was going to win. Shinjiro rolled his eyes at their antics, scratching Koromaru behind his ears as the pooch took a nap on his lap.

Yukiko and Mitsuru were engaged in a conversation about what activities the group could do during their stay in Yakushima.

Fuuka sat next to them with her laptop. She was chatting online with Natsuki, giggling and blushing whenever her friend brought up the topic of her soon-to-be doctor boyfriend Keisuke.

Souji was quietly reading a book, becoming increasingly engrossed in it. It was a sci-fi thriller he had bought at the start of summer but didn't get a chance to read it until now. The plot was fascinating and helped distract him from his concerns and troubling thoughts.

"I win!" Nanako exclaimed triumphantly before yawning.

Souji smiled at his cousin before he checked his watch. "Whoa, look at the time." He put his book aside. "Nanako, bed."

She made a cute pout, but obeyed and stood up. The shuffling of her feet woke Koromaru, who got off his spot and walked up to her. "Big Bro, can Koro-chan sleep with me?" Nanako asked, petting the Shiba Inu.

Souji looked at the others, who nodded their approval. "Of course he can." He took her hand. "Let's get you ready for bed."

Ken stood up and stretched himself. "I think I'll hit the sack too…" he yawned. "The trip was really long anyway…"

The others wished the two kids and pooch goodnight before Souji led them back to their rooms. As soon as the silverette was out of sight, Teddie's eyes gleamed, a ghost of a devilish grin appeared on his face. Without a word, he dashed out of the lounge, surprising everybody.

"What's up with that dude?" Junpei asked.

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

A while later, Souji returned. "They're sleeping like angels…" He looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Teddie?"

"Dashed out of the room right after you left," Yukari replied.

Suddenly, a blonde blur crashed into Souji, sending him face first into the ground. "Agh! Teddie!" he groaned as the blonde fell on top of him, in a rather compromising position.

"Oopsie! Sorry Sensei," Teddie said with a sheepish grin as he got off. He was cradling something with the utmost care.

"Just…try to be more careful, okay?" Souji sighed, narrowing his eyes at the thing Teddiewas holding on to. "What's that anyway?"

Teddie grinned wildly as he held it out for everyone to see: a cylinder container filled with chopsticks, labeled with numbers all except one with a red mark. "Ladies and gentleman, the time has come!" he announced dramatically. "Port Island trip was fun and so is this one. Of course, no trip would be complete without a game of skill and courage! It's time to play…THE KING'S GAME!"

From the looks of the Investigation Team's faces, one might think they had just seen the scariest thing in their lives. SEES eyed them with curiosity rather than confusion.

"W-WH-WHAT?!" Chie shouted.

"Are you crazy?! No way I'm going through that crap again!" Yosuke protested, crossing his arms in a huge 'X'.

"Umm… Have you guys played that game before?" Fuuka asked timidly. No one heard her.

Rise and Yukiko lowered their heads. Recently, they were told about what had happened in Escapade and needless to say were rather embarrassed about it.

"I refuse to take part in that nonsense again!" Naoto frowned, trying not to lose her calm.

"Damn right!" Kanji agreed. He clearly looked uncomfortable about that idea for some reason – his red cheeks were a dead giveaway.

Souji sighed again. "Sorry Teddie, but I don't think anyone is willing to try that game again…"

Teddie's blue eyes became all teary. "No fair! Nobody wants to play with me..." he whined, shedding crocodile tears. "I never get to have any fun…"

Metis and Minako felt sorry for him. "Aw, c'mon guys, let's give it a try," Minako encouraged. "I mean, it can't be that bad."

"I want to learn more about that game too. It sounds challenging." Metis added, looking excited.

There were some murmurs of agreement from the others, but definitely not coming from the Investigation Team. Souji sighed in defeat. How could they say no after being so kindly treated with this trip? "Fine, we'll play..." he begrudgingly agreed.

"YAY!" Teddie squealed, jumping up and down. "We just need some music and drinks!"

"I'll arrange those," Mitsuru said, getting up from her seat. "I'll ask the maids to bring us more juice."

Before she could leave, Kanji shyly tapped her shoulder. "Umm… Senpai…? There will be only fruit juice, right?"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at that. "Why of course, Tatsumi. Why do you ask?"

"N-No reason…" Kanji went back to his seat. He looked relieved, like the rest of his team.

"Dude, what's with the paranoia?" Junpei whispered to Minato.

He could only shrug. "Dunno..."

"So, how do we play this game anyway?" Shinjiro asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"See those chopsticks? If you draw one with the red mark, that means you're the King, while the other chopsticks have numbers on them. The King then chooses a number and says a dare that person has to do," Yosuke explained. "No one knows who has which number until the King gives the order and no take-backs are allowed. You can't refuse doing a challenge either."

"Heh, I ain't the type of guy to back off from a challenge anyway," Akihiko grinned, interested. "Let's do this!"

"Before we start…" Souji gave Teddie a serious glare. "I'm setting some extra rules for this game."

His team members sighed in relief, knowing Souji would ensure that things wouldn't go crazy like last year.

"Why of course, Sensei," Teddie nodded in agreement, not wanting to anger his beloved leader.

"If the King chooses a dare that involves more than one person, the person who has to do the dare must do it with either their lover or a very close friend in order to avoid jealousy or any awkwardness," Souji decreed.

The rest glanced at each other. The couples blushed at that, but agreed it was fair. In no time everything was set. Each person was seated comfortably on the couches, drinking juice and listening to music. It was time; Teddie passed around the chopsticks. Everyone looked at their respective number, anticipating for the order.

"So…" Rise started. "Who's the King?"

Yukari stood up. "That would be me." She looked around, thinking. "I choose number 6!"

Junpei jumped out of his seat. "What the hell?!"

"Hehe, this will be good…" Yukari grinned evilly. "Junpei, your challenge will be… Put an ice cube in your pants, and keep it there until it completely melts!"

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"The King's word is the law!" Yukari smirked. "Minato-kun, can you help him out?"

He felt bad for Junpei, but now wasn't a time for sympathy. "Sorry, man, but the King's word is absolute." He handed Junpei the ice bucket. "Go ahead."

"Just my luck…" Junpei whimpered. He pulled the waistband of his pants and dropped the ice cube in. At first it didn't feel that bad, but soon enough the freezing sensation got to him and started pulling all sorts of weird faces. "C-C-Cold!" Everyone just laughed at him.

"This ain't bad at all," Kanji grinned, seeing it was just a normal prank and began to relax.

"Looks like I'm next," Minato smirked. "I choose…Number 11! I dare you to moonwalk across this room."

Yosuke stood up. "Piece of cake," he smirked.

"Pffftt…I bet you can't even get across half," Chie teased.

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" He walked to one end of the lounge and pulled off the moonwalk magnificently. He faced the others and smirked at his girlfriend. "A dancer with my sort of talent should be able to bust that move."

Chie was speechless. Yosuke looked…cool…and totally irresistible! She went to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush.

"Alright, next!" Teddie shouted.

"I'm next!" Yukiko giggled. Souji and Chie tensed, wondering if she's drunk already. "Number 15 must imitate someone in this room, and the rest must guess who that person is." They were relieved when that wasn't the case.

Rise got up and struck a masculine pose. "Watch where you're going, dumbass. I'm walking here!" She was scowling, her voice deep and rough. "Get the hell out of my way before you regret it!" She shook a fist in front of her. And then she acted bashful for some reason, rubbing the back of her head. "Th-This ain't nothin'. It's not like I'm thanking you or anything…"

"That's totally Shinjiro/Shinjiro-senpai/Shinji!" SEES shouted.

"That's totally Kanji/Kanji-kun!" the Investigation Team shouted at the same time.

Suffice to say those two weren't pleased. "Why are you comparing me with this moron?!" they roared in unison, then glared at each other. "Quit copying me, dumbass! What the -? Quit copying me!"

Their friends laughed until their stomachs were sore. Rise grinned. "Actually, I was imitating Kanji, but I guess you two are rather similar in the trash-talking and tsundere department."

Before the two could start a fight, Mitsuru intervened. "That's enough! Onto the next round."

Akihiko didn't waste any time when he got chosen. "Number 4 must do a handstand and last for one minute."

"What?!" Chie shrieked.

"You heard me," he smirked. "Or are you chicken, Satonaka?"

Chie growled. "Fine! You're lucky I can't Galactic Punt you right now. Thank goodness I'm wearing shorts," she mumbled the last part. She had to use the wall for support, but managed to last more than a minute. "Beat that!" she exclaimed in victory.

was Shinjiro's turn as King. "Let's see…" he pondered. "Number 9, I want you to get off your ass and cartwheel across the room."

"Are you insane?!" Akihiko shot up, scowling at his best friend. "The floor is slippery in here. How do you expect me to pull it off?"

"Hey, I don't make the rules here. The King's word is law," Shinjiro grinned sadistically. The others watched in anticipation.

It was Akihiko's turn to growl. Karma can be a bitch, but he had no choice. Taking off his shoes and socks, he attempted the dare on the smooth floor. At the last turn, his hand slipped. Shinjiro laughed at his misery.

"Shinji-kun, that's not nice!" Minako scolded. "Senpai, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Akihiko groaned in pain. "I almost twisted my kneecap. Damn it, Shinji, you owe me some beef ramen."

"Okie-dokie, it's time to choose the next King!" Rise said, shaking the chopsticks in its container. No one noticed that her cheeks were getting a little red.

Mitsuru pulled the red chopstick. "Umm…I've never played anything like this before," she said nervously. "Number 3 must be moved from one end of the lounge to the other by their most worthy adversary, by any means necessary." She said it in such a formal manner that the others had to sweatdrop.

"A worthy adversary, huh?" Naoto mused, holding her chin. "Well, I would say Souji-senpai, but that would be breaking the rules. However, I had a fun chess match with Aigis-san just now…so I guess she'll be doing the honors."

"The pleasure is mine, Naoto-san." Aigis said.

It wasn't difficult for a robot to carry a human of Naoto's size. However, she carried the detective like a sack of potatoes over her shoulder made it funny to watch.

The next King was Minako. She looked around the room at her friends before choosing her target. "Number 5 must tell us where they are most ticklish, and their best friend will do the tickling!"

Fuuka began to panic. "Minako-chan!"

Minato remembered the secret video he and his sister watched at the dorm. 'Fuuka, huh? Judging from that video, her reaction will be hilarious!' he chuckled in his mind.

"Umm…I'm q-quite t-t-ticklish at my m-mid s-s-section," Fuuka stuttered, wondering if Minako planned this beforehand, because it didn't seem like a coincidence.

Yukari flexed her fingers. "Don't hate me, Fuuka. King's orders!" she smiled, and began tickling. The scanner was convulsing so hard after Yukari was done that the others wondered if she needed medical attention. "I-I'm…I'm okay…" she heaved, trying to get her heart rate under control.

The game picked up after that. Seeing how most of the challenges were rather harmless, the Investigation Team let their guard down. The next King was Kanji, who told number 16 to rest their head on their lover's lap. Number 16 happened to be Metis, since she didn't have a lover, placed her head on Aigis' lap. She looked quite content, feeling much closer to her sister as she stroked her hair.

Souji was next. He ordered number 13 (Yosuke) to give a piggyback ride for anyone they wanted. No surprise, he chose Chie. She was embarrassed enough, but looked like she enjoyed herself.

Chie smirked when she was next. She commanded number 7 to give her a shoulder massage, which happened to be Kanji. "Heh, someone big and strong. I picked a good one for once. What are you waiting for? These shoulders aren't gonna rub themselves, ya know!"

Kanji was hesitant to touch her, since Yosuke was giving him dirty looks. But the command in Chie's voice snapped them out of it. Feeling that Yosuke was easier to deal with than Chie, he started his massage. Later when he went back to his seat, he gave his class-clown senpai an apologetic look. "Sorry man. I know she's your girlfriend and all, but I didn't want to get kicked."

"It's okay Kanji. I wouldn't want to deal with that myself," the brunette sighed.

Metis came next, who challenged number 2 (Souji) to rub noses with their beloved, which Yukiko was more than happy to do. The challenge was innocent enough to say the least.

Not wanting to be left behind, Fuuka told number 1 (Kanji, again) to hug someone. Kanji being his awkward self, decided he should man up by hugging his girlfriend, and silently congratulated himself when he didn't get a nosebleed. Naoto was slightly uncomfortable at the public display, but didn't pull away either, blushing like mad.

Aigis took it up a notch by daring number 10 (Yukari) to sit on his/her lover's lap. Yukari was embarrassed at first, but Minato didn't mind. In fact, he enjoyed it as he snaked his arms around her, causing her to squeak.

When it was Naoto's turn as King, her eyes had a mischievous glint. "As revenge for spying on me and Kanji-kun kissing before the Summer Festival, I dare number 8 to kiss their very special person in front of everyone!"

Silence.

Much to her dismay, she knew her plan had quickly backfired when Teddie jumped out of his seat and declared, "But everyone is my bear-y special person. It's your lucky day, Nao-chan, because I choose you!" He closed his eyes and puckered his lips, making his way towards her.

"Like hell you are!" Kanji roared. Using his quick reflexes, he pulled Naoto onto his lap. Teddietripped on his own foot and landed on Rise.

Rise's eyes bugged to the fullest when Teddie's lips fell on hers. Her brain disconnected for a while, wondering what on earth was going on. When the blonde boy started to wrap his arms around her, she snapped. With all her might, she punched him in the gut, earning a loud wail as the human Shadow fell on the floor.

Kanji laughed out loud at Teddie's predicament, before Rise changed targets and kicked him in the right shin, hard. He howled in pain and stood up, forcing Naoto off his lap. "Whoa!" she cried, and landed on the floor.

"What was that for?!" Kanji hollered.

"For letting that perverted bear kiss me!" Rise glowered, and gave him another did a good job of holding back his cries of pain this time, but panicked when she began to cry."Hey, what's wrong with you!?"He was making weird gestures with his hands, unsure of what to do. He did notice that her face was rather red though.

Rise abruptly pushed him aside and went to hug Naoto, who just got up. "Naoto-kun, I'm so proud of you~" she slurred, swaying back and forth, pulling the young detective with her in an awkward waltz. "You remembered *hic* the rule…about how the…next *hic* dare should be more daring than the last. I never thought that you'd come up with *hic* something like that!"

This was the perfect time for one of Yosuke's 'Oh shit!' moments. "Nobody was supposed to know about that!" He waved his arms in denial as SEES looked at him strangely.

The looks on Naoto and Chie's faces were akin to that of quickly jumped over the couch to hide behind Chie's seat when Teddie, who was still on the floor, let out a giddy belly laugh.

"Wait a minute…is she drunkagain?!" It was Souji's turn to panic. He turned to his girlfriend and sure enough, Yukiko started to hiccup and giggle uncontrollably, her cheeks a rosy red."Damn it, I shouldn't have let my guard down!"

The bizarre turn of events had SEES even more confused and slightly frightened.

"What the hell?" Shinjiro snatched a glass off the coffee table and sniffed its content. "Doesn't smell anything like alcohol…Oi Mitsuru, are you sure this is juice?"

Mitsuru frowned. "I personally made sure. What's going on here?" she demanded.

"Was this room used to entertain and serve alcohol at some point?" Souji had to ask, dreading the answer.

Taken aback by the question, Mitsuru answered him anyway. "My late father used it to entertain his favorite clients in the past. But that was a long time ago. Why?" She was surprised when Souji, Yosuke, Kanji, Chie and Naoto face-palmed themselves.

Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "Has this happened before?" Before anyone could answer his inquiry, Teddie shot up from the floor and laughed like a hyper child on sweets.

"Let's get on with the game!" he cried, snatching everyone's chopsticks out of their hands and jumbled them up it the container. Just like that, the situation went from harmless fun to awkward. Everyone hesitantly took a chopstick as Teddie passed it around, where SEES were still confused at what was happening.

Yosuke was the next King. He was sweating profusely when Rise and Yukiko glared at him with scorching intensity, promising him pain if he screwed the game up or broke the rules. In his state of distress, he blurted the first thing that crossed his mind. "Number 14, you are to take off your partner's shirt!" he gushed, and crossed his arms in front of his head in a defensive stance.

Everyone except the drunkards and Metis blushed.

"Yay! I'm the lucky one again!" Yukiko cheered, waving her chopstick. "Not that it's something I haven't seen." She winked sultrily at Souji.

Rise fell asleep in an upright position on her seat, snoring lightly. Souji was relieved. 'One less person to see me topless,' he thought. With a last sigh, he faced Yukiko. "Ready when you are."

It was agonizing torture for him as Yukiko slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The heat between them was growing uncomfortable that he had to grit his teeth. Yukiko didn't notice any of this, as she was still tipsy. When she finally unhooked the last button, she pushed to fabric off his body to reveal a well-toned chest and muscled arms. If possible, the sober girls blushed even harder. Even Metis had a pink tinge on her cheeks.

The sexual tension was getting unbearable and Yosuke had to scream "LET'S CHOOSE THE NEXT KING!" to get everybody's attention, including Rise who woke up with a start. Souji quickly put his shirt back on before Yukiko could do anything else.

"I thought I would never get chosen!" Junpei smiled widely, showing of teeth as he showed off the King's chopstick. His grin twisted into that of a pervert's as he gave the order. "Number 3 must transfer all of the juice in this glass…" he said, refilling an empty glass goblet, "and have their partner drink it…" pausing for effect, "…without the use of any utensils."

Rise and Teddie clapped for the unfortunate victim, which happened to be Shinjiro. "How the heck am I supposed to do that?!" he questioned irritably.

"I dunno, Senpai. Figure it out yourself." Junpei grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "King's orders."

Shinjiro was tempted to punch him in the face, because he knew what that idiot was implying. "I'm not doing anything like that!" The second those words left his mouth, he was subjugated to the same scathing stare that Yosuke got, along with Teddie's whines of disappointment, which in his opinion, was a lot more annoying.

"Just do it, Shinji," Akihiko grunted, covering his ears. "I'm pretty sure he's not gonna stop until you do."

Minako was looking at the floor, her entire face strawberry red with embarrassment. 'Junpei-kun is so gonna get it later!' She glared at him for good measure.

"Minako," Shinjiro's voice cut through her thoughts. He pulled her up from her seat so that she was standing in front of him, the glass of juice in one hand. "Let's get this over with. That bear is starting to annoy the hell outta me," he told her, rubbing the back of his neck.

She noticed the slight blush on his cheeks, and giggled a bit.'He's just too cute sometimes…'

Tilting the glass to his mouth, Shinjiro drank about half of its content but didn't swallow. He gently grabbed Minako's head with a free hand and placed his lips on hers. Understanding what he was doing, she parted her own lips and accepted the liquid, letting it flow slowly down her throat as she gulped. In Minako's opinion, the juice that had been warmed from his mouth tasted so much better than drinking it cold from a glass. After three rounds of mouth-to-mouth transfer, the dare was complete.

Both were still in a daze after they parted. Minako gave him a blinding smile, which Shinjiro returned, albeit a small one.

The rest of SEES gaped; they had never seen the beanie-wearing teen act so lovey-dovey in front of them before. Yukiko and Rise giggled with delight. "They lllllooooovvvee each other!" both of them chorused.

Minato and Souji stared dumbly. It wasn't like they haven't seen their sister kissing her boyfriend before; but seeing it this up close was rather mind-boggling.

"How come Mina-chan gets to kiss but I don't?" Teddie griped, crocodile tears starting again.

"Maybe we should stop here…" Souji began. His intention was for the game not to get awkward, but the next dare is sure to go beyond that.

"NO!" The blonde stopped his melodramatic crying and snatched all the chopsticks, furiously mixing them up.

"Stupid bear is getting way too serious," Yosuke muttered, wishing that Teddie would pass out already. Too bad that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Everyone waited with bated breath for the next King to announce his/her identity. Rise gave it away when she started to chuckle rather loudly. "I'm the King…the King~" she sang. She stood up and did a little pirouette. "As King…Queen…whatever…I decree that number 5 must lay on top of their lover!"(A/N: double meaning on 'lay')

Mitsuru spit out her drink, her face the color of her hair. Even Junpei had the decency to look embarrassed. Kanji was pinching his nose, and the others were right there with him.

"I take it that it's you, right, Senpai?" Rise asked, pertaining Mitsuru. "I think that *hic* came out wrong. What I meant was, you have to *hic* sit on top of Akihiko-senpai for say…seven minutes?" She giggled some more and flopped back on her seat like a true drunk.

"Th-that's highly inappropriate behavior!" Mitsuru almost shrieked.

"Noooooo take-backsssss~" Rise slurred before falling asleep once more.

Akihiko got up. "S-so…how d-do you want to do th-this?" he asked his girlfriend. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of his blush.

"Umm…just lie down on the floor, and I'll s-sit on your b-back…" Mitsuru stuttered. "Arisato, p-please take note of the t-t-time." Minato gave her a thumbs-up as Akihiko placed himself on the floor, lying on his stomach. He supported his head with his forearms.

Just like Souji, this was the worst possible torture for Akihiko. He was sweating with anticipation, waiting for Mitsuru to sit on him. When he felt something soft touch his hard back, his body temperature skyrocketed. He thumped his forehead on the cool floor, hoping to gain some control over his traitorous hormones. 'At least the floor is clean…' he thought sarcastically.

Mitsuru was a little hesitant to place her entire weight on Akihiko, but she constantly reminded herself how strong he was and fully placed herself on the middle of his back. 'I hope he's alright…'

If Akihiko thought that his situation was unbearable, the sober ones felt downright frustrating. They scrunched their faces in discomfort as wave after wave of sexual tension slapped them in the face. Minato was silently berating his watch, wishing it would go faster and get them out of this mess. Even Shinjiro felt sorry for his friend and remained quiet. Only Rise's snoring could be heard.

Unsettled about the silence, Mitsuru softly asked Akihiko if he was alright, twisting her torso a little to place both her hands on his shoulders, lightly pressing the tense muscles there. Despite hiding his face in his arms, Akihiko's face grew redder than humanly possible.

Junpei was the first one to break the silence, unperturbed by the scene at all. "Hahaha! Dude, check out Akihiko-senpai's face…it's as red as Mitsuru-senpai's hair!" He nudged Minato in the ribs to get his attention. "No wonder he likes that color so much, eh? Look, he's almost glowing in the dark!"

Metis giggled at Junpei's joke, and the others were slightly amused. The couple on the floor tried to ignore the snickering.

3…2…1!

Minato finally announced that their time was up, earning relieved exhales from the rest. If that went on any longer they would have fled the room!

Rise woke up with an unladylike snort, and realized she didn't get to watch her dare. "Huh, it's over already?" she whined sleepily.

By now Souji saw that things were spiraling downhill, and that was an understatement. 'Shit, this is even worse than last year...'A sudden thought hit him. 'Oh crap… Teddie didn't become King yet… If he does, we're all screwed…'

Quickly scanning around the room, he noticed the other guys were silently watching Teddie like hawks. 'Guess I'm not the only one worried…' Said Shadow/human/bear was watching every round unfold with great anticipation, hoping to finally get his turn. 'Well, he is behaving so far. But Teddie is innocent one minute and devious the next…'

"C'mon! One more! One more!" Teddie laughed, shaking the container while Yukiko and Rise cheered.

The sober ones of the Investigation Team were close to panicking while those from SEES were still confused as hell and uncomfortable at how things were developing. The twins were starting to wonder if they should interrogate Souji about the previous King's Game some other time.

"Draw your chopsticks!" Teddie ordered, passing them around. "Choose your destiny!"

The gang hastily did so, hoping things wouldn't get any worse.

"Who's the *hic* King?"

Silence. The atmosphere was a mix of dread and suspense until…

"Teddie's red! Red!" he cheered, jumping and bouncing around. "I'm the King!"

A wave of groans and protests echoed throughout the room. Souji sighed in defeat. "'Better get this over with already…" he told the others.

Teddie stood up made a regal pose. "I, the King, hereby declare that all commoners present in this room must do everything that I, King Teddie, order them to do for the next entire hour!"

Everybody's jaws dropped and their eyes widened. Even Yukiko and Rise sobered up after hearing that.

"What are you peasants looking at? A King's order cannot be denied!" Teddie pompously huffed. He was being serious and didn't look drunk anymore.

That caught the others off guard. Sure, they expected Teddie to take advantage of the King's game, but not like this.

"Tell me this ain't real…" Kanji groaned.

"How the hell did we let this happen!?" Yosuke almost shouted, attempting to rip his hair out. "You…you planned this all along! You conniving sack of honey!"

"Whoa, smooth move, dude!" Junpei praised, immediately receiving hateful glares. "What? Gotta give him some credit for planning this out."

"Thank you, Junpei!" Teddie puffed out his chest, holding his chopstick as if it was a scepter. "For your loyalty, you shall become my champion knight!"

"Sweet! This is even cooler than those MMORPG's!" Junpei grinned and bowed. "I mean, thank you, Your Majesty."

The others sweatdropped. "You're actually enjoying this?" Yukari asked in disbelief. "That's Stupei for you…"

"Lighten up, Yuka-tan. It's just a game of roleplay, like those TV dramas you girls like to watch."

Seeing that the gang was hesitant in playing along, Teddie started throwing a tantrum like a crybaby that doesn't get his way, forcing everybody to cover their ears.

Minato rolled his eyes. "Let's just amuse him, okay? The sooner we do what he wants, the faster this is over."

Without another option, the others agreed. Teddie did a one-eighty and squealed for joy. "Yay! This calls for a celebration!" At their confusion, the blonde's grin got wider. "Fear not, my loyal knights and fair maidens for King Teddie has already provided the perfect outfits for you all!"

'This can't be good...' everybody but Junpei thought.

Teddie pulled several bags from behind a couch and handed one to each person in the room. "Wear this! I'm sure you all will love it!"

Mitsuru glanced at the bags. There was something familiar about them. "Now where have I seen these before?"

"Try it out! Try it out!" Teddie was barely containing his excitement.

Having no choice, the girls went to another room to change while the guys did so in the nearby living room. The karaoke lounge's lights were off, to set the mood for the King's Game and Teddie insisted to keep it that way, so the others couldn't see what they were wearing until he was ready.

When they opened the bags and saw what they had to wear, everyone (sans Junpei) thought the same thing: 'I'm going to murder that bear!'

Despite not wanting to, they put the clothes on anyway and headed back to the lounge, where they found that the couches had been moved and formed a heart shape, courtesy of Teddie, donned in his bear suit and sitting on the most comfortable armchair, wearing a paper crown on his head and a red blanket adorned with stars acting as a cape. The only dim light source in the room was a tall lamp he placed behind his chair, giving him a look of faux superiority.

"Welcome to King Teddie's Heart Table, my loyal subjects," the bear greeted with a cheeky grin. "I see that I have chosen the right outfits for all of you." He clapped his hands twice and the lights flickered on.

The girls gasped. The guys' eyebrows twitched. All of them were dressed as butlers and maids. Needless to say, it was plain awkward for most present. Save from Metis and Aigis, the girls were blushing in different intensities while out of the guys, only Junpei seemed comfortable with his outfit, even taking off his top hat and bowed to the girls and Teddie.

"Teddie, where did you find these?" Rise asked, sounding rather annoyed.

"In one of the bedrooms," he chirped. "Found them when I got lost looking for the kitchen to make a snack before dinner."

Yukari looked at Mitsuru. "Senpai, why did you keep these outfits?"

"I… I didn't have the heart to throw them away…"

"What's so bad about these outfits? They are rather comfortable." Metis cutely spun around, causing a few of the guys blush.

The girls exchanged glances. "M-Metis, you see, maid and butler outfits aren't something you can use all the time…" Fuuka tried to explain.

She didn't seem convinced. "Why not? My sister said you wore those outfits several times while exploring Tartarus."

The Inaba girls' eyes widened and the older girls blushed some more. "W-Wait, you guys had to use weird outfits too?!" Naoto flustered.

Yukari sighed. "Those were Minato-kun and Minako-chan's idea." She glared at the twins. "Sometimes I think they misuse their position as leaders to get us to wear these, and a few others which I don't want to mention…"

Chie threw a dirty look at the silverette. "Souji's the same…"

The Wild Cards smiled sheepishly. "Hey, we only found those outfits. You can't blame us for their creation or being effective armors," Minato reasoned.

Kanji ran a hand through the lapels of his suit. "Damn, you're right," he said, sounding impressed. "This is some really good fabric here… It's strong material, good enough to be used as armor and yet light enough not to hinder in battle…" Everybody gave him a weird look. "What?! I live in a textile shop. I gotta know this stuff!"

Minako giggled. "Kanji-kun's right. They work affectively as armors. Besides, when we were short on money, we had to improvise."

"Yeah. We often found unusual outfits during our explorations. Some could be used underneath our uniforms, while some couldn't." Souji rubbed the back of his head. His team would probably kill him if he mentioned that he bought some of the costumes at Croco Fur, so he kept mum about that particular info.

"Enough idle chatter!" Teddie's sharp command caught their attention. "Your King has orders!"

"And what do you want, your M-ass-jesty?" Yosuke hissed with a hint of sarcasm that his foster brother failed to notice.

"The King is hungry and thirsty!" He shot a look at Minato, Souji and Shinjiro. "I order you three to make me a tasty snack and a delicious drink!"

"How 'bout a big knuckle sandwich, ya little…" Shinjiro stepped forward menacingly, but was stopped by Souji who grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. The older teen was disgruntled to say the least. "Tch, whatever, 'King'."

The trio left for the kitchen to make the King's meal, Shinjiro muttering several expletives along the way. Teddie then turned to Rise and Yukari. "Oh fair maidens with beautiful voices, entertain the King with some singing." He then turned sharply to Yosuke and Kanji. "As for the two of you, I order you to dance lead by Sir Junpei!"

"Dance?! So much for my pride…"Kanji hung his head in shame.

"Or what's left of it after last year…" Yosuke snickered.

"Shut the hell up before I punch that mug of yours!"

Luckily for Yosuke, Junpei came to his rescue. "Guys, cut it out! We're here to have fun, not punch our buddies! Even the toughest of men gotta know when to get their groove on every now and then."

The tall teen cocked his head in thought. "I…guess…?"

Junpei grinned and turned to Yosuke. "C'mon dude, you said you were good at dancing, didn't ya? You can nail this just fine!"

"Fine…just try and keep up with me." A smirk of pride lit his voice, despite not wanting to do the order.

Rise and Yukari sweatdropped as Yosuke taught the other two some dance steps. "What a bunch of idiots…" she face-palmed.

"It's a guy thing… No point in trying to understand them, Senpai." Rise shrugged.

Teddie tapped his foot impatiently. "Ahem! The King said he wanted some singing!"

Both girls glared at the bear, sighed and made their way to the karaoke machine. Once it was up and running, they started off with one of Rise's hit singles while Yosuke, Junpei and Kanji acted as backup dancers, making it quite a sight to behold.

"Ugh… how did it come to this?" Chie rolled her eyes.

"Now this is some high-quality entertainment!" Teddie clapped his hands in delight before he laid eyes on Fuuka. "Oh, Fuuka-chan ~ can you give me a shoulder rub, please? Being a king can be so tiresome..."

"Uhh um… O-Okay…" Fuuka said shyly. She walked over and stood behind Teddie. In his bear suit, he was the only one she could loom over, and was a bit pleased by that. "Ah...where are your shoulders, Teddie-kun?" When he didn't answer, she continued, "Hm… Where does it hurt? Where should I massage you?"

"Oh, anywhere you like, Fuuka-chan ~ " His tone was subtly lecherous, blushing in a way that didn't look innocent at all. After hesitating another moment, Fuuka placed her hands just below Teddie's head and began making light, circular motions with her fingertips. She looked quite uncomfortable at doing that though.

"Ooooo, Fuuka-chan… This is even better than that chair at Junes!" he purred, eyes closed in content, not before taking a glance at Yukiko. "Say, it's kinda warm in here… Cool me, Yuki-chan."

"Fine…" Yukiko drew her fan and started fanning Teddie. In her mind she was scheming several ways to get back at him for this. 'When I get my hands around his little neck…!'

"Ah… This is the life…" he sighed contently, enjoying the cool breeze before turning his attention to Chie and Mitsuru. "The King now wants some petting! Can you and Mitsu-chan do the honors, Chie-chan?"

Chie cracked her knuckles, an evil grin on her face. "It'll be my pleasure…"

Mitsuru was confused at Chie's real intentions, but stepped up nonetheless.

Both girls started stroking his fur, Chie harder than Mitsuru, but Teddie didn't seem to mind at all. "Oh, Chie-chan, Mitsu-chan, you have angel hands…" he cooed. 'Good thing I got my suit on before being petted,' he silently added.

Chie growled in frustration. 'Grrr… When this is over, you're so gonna get it, Teddie!'

Souji, Minato and Shinjiro returned with a tray of sandwiches, a bowl of grapes and strawberries and a glass of smoothie. They sweatdropped at the scene before them. 'On the bright side, Ryoji isn't here to screw things up even further…' Minato thought with a sigh.

Souji cleared his throat to get Teddie's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but your meal has arrived, Your Majesty."

"Good timing. Thank you, Sensei!" He looked at the girls surrounding him. "You may stop for now. Just sit beside me and look pretty like you always do." He giggled like a little kid. "I feel like a hot stud already!"

Fuuka blushed deeply, Chie and Yukiko growled, and Mitsuru held back a frustrated groan and the bubbling desire to execute the blue-furred creature for his behavior before they all sat down close to him.

Teddie looked at Aigis and Metis. "After a good massage, the King's fur must be brushed to become extra shiny and fuzzy! Ai-chan, Metis-chan, brush me!"

Without saying a word, both sisters obeyed and gently brushed Teddie's fur. None of them seemed annoyed at doing such a task.

"Ah… This is even better than those spas they show on TV…" He closed his eyes. "Bring me my meal!"

The three guys walked up to him, but were rudely halted. "Not you!" Teddie pointed to Minako and Naoto. "Them! I want Nao-chan to serve me my drink and Mina-chan to feed me!"

Naoto fought the urge to shoot Teddie point-blank while Minako tensed. "I knew we wouldn't be let off the hook so easily, huh?" the latter said. "C'mon, Naoto-chan, let's feed His Majesty."

"Fine…" Naoto let out an exasperated sigh and took the tray with the glass from Minato's hands.

Minako took the tray of sandwiches and bowl of fruits from Shinjiro. "It's okay, it won't take long," she whispered to him and winked.

Her cheerful attitude managed to calm Shinjiro a bit, though he wasn't comfortable with their situation at all.

The two girls then made their way to Teddie to feed him, but he was having trouble getting in a comfortable position. "Ngh… This isn't working…" He fidgeted around in his seat. "Sir Akihiko, come here!"

Disgruntled, Akihiko did so. "Yes?"

"On fours!"

He blinked dumbly, confused. "What?"

"I said, on fours!" Teddie repeated, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of him.

Akihiko clenched his fists, clearly pissed, but got on his hands and knees. Next thing he knew, some weight landed on his back. His eyes widened– Teddie was using him as a foot stool! "You gotta be kidding me!" Humiliation flooded his cheeks. "If it was Mitsuru, I wouldn't be complaining that much…" he grumbled under his breath.

The guys felt awful for Akihiko. Their situation was bad, but his was so degrading that not even Junpei found it funny.

"Ah, that's better…" Teddie sighed, ignoring Akihiko's predicament. "Please ladies, my meal."

Minako decided that she didn't like this game anymore, but was powerless to stop it. She frowned as she handed a sandwich to Teddie's hungry mouth, while Naoto held up the straw for the smoothie. He slurped noisily.

"Is it just me, or does the food taste even better when you're feeding me, Mina-chan?" He winked at her. "Ooooh, I'd like some grapes now."

Not far, a certain butler was trying his hardest to suppress the need to strangle the human Shadow as he watched his girlfriend serve fruit to the stupid bear.

"Nao-chan, lift the straw higher. A king of my importance need not bend down like a petty commoner!"

Kanji was seeing red. 'One of these days, I'm going to dress that fuzz ball in a maid outfit and see how he likes it!' he promised himself. He smirked when an image of Teddie cross-dressing as a French maid being surrounded by hormonal teenage boys came to mind.

"Ahhh, this is the life! A bear can sure get used to this!" Teddie grinned, crossing his short legs on Akihiko's back. "Ladies, be a dear and sit quietly like Fuuka-chan, Mitsu-chan, Yuki-chan and Chie-chan. Let the boys take away the dirty dishes." He waved a hand in a lazy fashion to emphasize his order.

Souji, Minato and Shinjiro growled, but complied. They took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen and returned a minute later.

Teddie got to his feet, relieving Akihiko of his shame. "Now, for the highlight of the hour!" He went behind his 'throne' and pulled out more bags. "My faithful subjects, you have proven yourselves worthy of the great King Teddie. In order to prove yourselves even further, all of you are to put on a fashion show in my honor!"

The Investigation Team girls stood up, clearly wary at that idea. "You're not gonna pull anything like the Beauty Pageant last year, are you Teddie?" Chie asked, ready to give him a good punt.

"Nonsense, Chie-chan!" Teddie was nonchalant as he handed out the bags to the girls. "Aren't we going to the beach tomorrow? I can wait, you know. You're gonna be in swimsuits there all day long!"

As perverted as that sounded, he did have a point. 'Well, it can't get worse than maid outfits…' the girls assumed, exchanging suspicious glances with each other.

"While you ladies go get ready, they will set the catwalk for your glorious show." Teddie turned to the guys. "Get to work, peasants! Chop-chop!"

Muttering curses and angry growls, the guys got to work moving the carpets and couches to create a stage for the fashion show. The girls sighed and left to change their clothes.

"Now, Sir Junpei, as my champion knight, you are also my wing man." Teddie got back on his 'royal' seat. "That means you must announce each girl as they walk in, got it?"

"Alright! This is gonna be awesome!" Junpei cheered.

"How come he gets the easy work?" Yosuke complained as he and the guys moved furniture around.

"Because he's as dirty-minded as that overgrown stuffed animal!" Shinjiro grunted.

"When I get my hands on that spoiled brat…" Akihiko hissed, his fists itching to destroy something.

"Not if the girls get to him first, Senpai," Minato reminded slyly.

"If he survives that, I'll take care of the leftovers," Souji said with a dark undertone. "You have my word."

Kanji shuddered. "When Souji-senpai says he'll do it, he'll do it alright. Teddie's really gonna get it this time…"

Soon enough the improvised catwalk was ready. Several carpets were joined together as the runway and rows of chairs on both sides were placed so the audience could watch the girls walking. "It's show time!" Teddie cheered. He turned to door of the room where the girls were. "Are you girls ready?"

"Like we had a choice!" Naoto shouted from the changing room.

"Sir Junpei?"

Junpei nodded with a grin, a hairbrush in his hand as a pretend-microphone. "Ready when you are." He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentleman, King Teddie's very first Yakushima Fashion Show is about start. Tonight, we feature the most beautiful, elegant and amazing girls from both Iwatodai and Yasoinaba! So fellas, open your eyes wide, get your cameras ready and prepare yourselves for one heck of a show!"

Junpei's enthusiasm regarding the whole thing was perplexing as the guys took their places at the front rows. Then again, Junpei wasn't the jokester of SEES for nothing.

"And now, for our first lady to walk in… Say hello to Chie Satonaka!" Junpei announced as the door opened. "Looks like Christmas came early this year!"

Everybody's eyes turned to the door as Chie walked in. She was wearing a red mid-thigh length dress which covered her decently, red high heel boots and a Christmas Santa's hat. Her walking was rather stiff and a tad clumsy, since she had no real experience with high-heeled footwear, but she managed to keep a feminine pose and pass through the entire catwalk without stumbling.

"What do ya think, Yosuke? Chie can pack one heck of a kick with that outfit or what?" Junpei wagged his eyebrows at his fellow Magician.

Said Magician was too busy staring at Chie to reply. 'Man, she looks so hot in that outfit… I mean, just look at those nice, smooth legs…!' he thought, but kept both hands on his mouth so he wouldn't blurt out anything stupid and bring forth her wrath upon him later.

Chie knew everybody was staring at her, but Yosuke's gaze was all she could think about. 'I hope he likes what he's seeing, because I'm not doing this ever again!' Somehow, her desires were contradicting her thoughts.

"Oh, Chie-chan, you look marvelous! If I be a good bear will you give me a nice present?" Teddie winked at her, bouncing on his seat.

Chie and Yosuke glared. 'Hell no, you sneaky little fur ball!'

Thinking fast, Junpei acted. "Thanks, Chie! Now for our next model…" He glanced at the door and grinned. "Ooohh yeah! Looks like we've got a double performance now! Say hello to our dear scanners FuukaYamagishi and Rise 'Risette' Kujikawa!"

Fuuka and Rise walked in. Fuuka wore a long red gown with a red Christmas shawl and a white jasmine flower adorning her teal-blue hair. Rise's dress had short sleeves with an even shorter skirt and a big bow on her bust, paired with thigh high pink and white stripped socks and ballerina flats. Her pigtails were tied with two identical ribbons. It was quite the contrast seeing the two walking side by side: Fuuka was shy so she was fidgeting a bit as she walked. Rise had a more flamboyant style since she was used to being on stage, so it came naturally for her.

"Whoa… you two look so… so… nice! Fuuka and Risette! What a great combo! You girls should wear this more often!"

Fuuka blushed and quickly hid behind Rise.

"Junpei! One more bad comment and I'm telling Chidori on you!" Yukari's voice hollered from behind the door.

Junpei gulped. "Anything but that!" His panicked plea earned some snickers from the guys.

Rise giggled and winked at him. "Don't worry, Senpai. I get that a lot, anyway." She turned to Fuuka. "She does look great, huh?"

"R-Rise-chan!" Fuuka squeaked. 'I really didn't want any attention wearing these clothes…even if they are beautiful…I thought if Rise-chan came with me they'd focus more on her rather than me…'

"C'mon Fuuka-chan, don't be shy. You look smashing!" the 'King' assured her. "And so does Rise-chan. This is such a treat! It's even better than last year's Beauty Pageant!"

Fuuka turned redder than possible. Rise threw a dirty look at Teddie. She wouldn't admit out loud that she liked the outfit, but him taking advantage of them was unforgivable.

"Alright! Thank you, ladies. On with the show!"Junpei continued after Fuuka and Rise sat down. "Our next girl is our gracious host, so let's welcome the one and only…Mitsuru Kirijo!"

Mitsuru walked in with a confident yet arrogant stride, her hips swaying gracefully. She was wearing a strapless red knee-length gown with red high heels and the Santa hat.

"Gosh, Senpai… You look so graceful!" Junpei turned to Akihiko. "Don't you think so Akihiko-senpai?"

The boxing-champ said nothing as he stared. Though it wasn't the first time he saw her wearing that outfit, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

'This is so embarrassing…' Mitsuru was trying hard not to blush with the way Akihiko was staring at her. 'Quit staring at me like that!'

"My, my, Mitsu-chan, you really are a beauty queen. I must be in heaven because I'm surrounded by angels ~ " Teddie purred.

"Hmph!" Mitsuru looked away, her face red as she took her seat. 'The nerve of that bear! When this is over, I'll give him the worst execution ever!'

Akihiko glared daggers at him, ready to pummel if needed. 'If he thinks he can get away with flirting with MY girl, he's sorely mistaken!'

Junpei and the others gulped, feeling the temperature begin to drop, and the slight tingle of electricity in the air. "Ehehe… Next model is…" He looked at the door. "Alright, another double feature! I'm happy to announce our favorite Anti-Shadow Suppression weapon sisters, Aigis and Metis!"

Metis got hit by stage fright as she stood by the door. Not only she didn't know what a fashion show was, she also felt rather out of place and intimidated of being stared at. "I… I don't know if I can do this…" she whispered, feeling like crying. Aigis gently grasped her hand. "Sister?"

"It's okay. We can do this together."

Metis nodded and smiled back at her, now feeling more confident. "H-hai!"

Aigis calmly pulled and guided her through the runway, showing off their outfits. Aigis had on a red knee-length long sleeved dress with a white puffy headband, while Metis' dress was a shorter, sleeveless version, with red gloves and red and white earmuffs. Though they still had a robotic-like walk, it was done with grace and charm.

Junpei grinned. "Wow… you two look so cute. Especially you, Met-chan."

Said android blinked at the nickname. She didn't dislike it, but it gave her a weird, warm feeling inside. The same feeling she had whenever she was with Aigis, or playing with Nanako, or spending time with the Arisatos and Souji. It was the feeling of belonging, of true friendship. "T-Thank you, Junpei-san…"

Teddie clapped his hands. "I agree with Sir Junpei! You two are heavenly beautiful! Truly wonderful! I feel like I could stare at you two all day long…"

Aigis narrowed her eyes in mild annoyance. The bear was acting too much like a certain person and she didn't like how he was flirting with her sister. 'Do all Shadows with human appearance behave like this, I wonder?'

"This just keeps getting better and better!" the 'appointed' MC Junpei said. "Next girl to do the walk is our number one detective! Welcome…Naoto Shirogane!"

Everybody's eyes turned to the door but no one came out, causing slight confusion. "Huh? Naoto-chan?" Junpei called.

"I'm not doing this! I'm not walking out wearing….wearing THIS!" she screeched from the changing room.

"Oh great, she's trying to bail out on us like last year," Chie groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Naoto-kun, the sooner we get this over with the better it is for everybody!" Yukiko argued back.

"NO!"

"Don't make me get Kanji-kun to drag you out!" Minako threatened.

"What the hell?!" Kanji stood up, not knowing what to do.

"Ugh…! Fine! FINE! Stop pushing me!" Naoto said, defeated. "I'm coming…!"

"Oh man…" Kanji started to sweat, shivers running down his spine.

"Kanji, sit down," Souji ordered, taking something out of his pocket. It was a handkerchief. "Here."

He sat back down and took the item, knowing what his upperclassman meant. "Th-thanks, Senpai…"

"What's with the handkerchief?" Shinjiro asked. The other guys, minus Yosuke and Minato, wondered that as well.

"He's gonna need it. Trust me."

Everybody's eyes turned to the door as the shy figure of Naoto finally walked in. She wore a short spaghetti-strap top which exposed her belly and arms, red denim shorts which showed off most of her legs, knee-high boots, long gloves and a Santa hat. She was walking rather stiffly and awkward, her face a dark shade of crimson.

"Wow Naoto-chan, what a bold choice of an outfit! I like that!" Junpei cat-called.

The amount of skin Naoto exposed was too much for Kanji as his nose started bleeding. Luckily for him, Souji had anticipated that. Using the handkerchief, he quickly covered his nose before anybody noticed. 'Dammit, Naoto… Why do ya have to be so… so…so cute!'

Naoto quickly glimpsed at Kanji before looking down, her blush deepening. 'K-Kanji-kun, don't stare at me like that… I-I must look horrible…'

"Whoa Naoto-kun… Never thought you'd look so hot!" Yosuke said in awe. Souji and the other guys only nodded in agreement.

Naoto only blushed harder. Kanji glared at him as if saying "Quit staring at my girl or I'll kick your ass!"

Yosuke quickly got the message and shut up.

"My my, Nao-chan… You're certainly worthy of the title Miss Yasogami 2011. I feel like a VIP for being able to see you like this!" Teddie cheered.

Naoto pulled her hat down with both hands, trying not to scream out in frustration. 'When I'm done with this, you'll be punished severely!' was what she wanted to scream aloud, but kept it inside.

"Thank you, Naoto. The next model is…" Junpei paused to the beat of an imaginary drumroll. "Alright! Let's hear it for my good friend, Yukari Takeba!"

Yukari walked in wearing an off-shoulder red dress paired with a red tank top underneath, short gloves, high heels and a Santa hat. She walked in with the grace and confidence of a catwalk model.

"Gosh, Yuka-tan, you're looking too pretty…" Junpei grinned, hoping not to anger her. "I'm sure Minato agrees with me, right buddy?"

Minato couldn't help but smile as he stared. 'She's even prettier than usual…' he thought, clapping in approval.

Yukari noticed him and blushed. 'Oh… Why do you have to smile at me like that, Minato-kun…I mean, the clothes are nice, but I'm not fond of wearing these in public…' She gasped. 'What am I thinking?! I'm not fond of wearing these at all!'

"Bravo, Yuka-chan! You're a natural! Such attitude, such poise, such beauty and grace! Oh, how talented you are and how delightful it is to stare at you!"

Yukari wanted to stomp on Teddie right then and there. 'Gah, and I thought Junpei was a pervert! He's so gonna get it!' She sat down beside the other girls, fuming with rage.

Minato was displeased with Teddie's innuendos, to put it lightly. 'Enjoy it while you can, bear… for when this is over, you're in so much trouble!'

"Thanks, Yuka-tan. This is quite a show, huh guys? Let's keep going," Junpei egged on. "Our next model is quite a refined young lady. Say hello to Yukiko Amagi!"

Yukiko's outfit was a red plain halter-neck dress with a big bow on the front, black stockings, red high heels, gloves and her trademark red headband. Being raised to wear a kimono so often gave her an elegant and natural balance so she had no trouble walking along the runway.

"Wow Yukiko, you're a natural at this!" Junpei praised her. "Hey, Souji, am I right or am I right?"

Souji wouldn't admit it out loud, but Junpei was indeed, right. 'Red never looked this good…' he smiled. 'Then again, everything she wears looks good on her.'

Yukiko's face was redder than her headband as Souji's gaze on her was so intense. 'Gee, Souji-kun… Why do you have to stare at me like that? I mean, it is a pretty outfit, but… Oh… this is so embarrassing…'

"Yay! Yuki-chan, you're so, so, so, sooooo pretty! So hot! Whoohoo! I'm having the best time ever!" Teddie almost fell off his chair in excitement.

"Eeeek!" she shrieked at that, clearly disturbed by Teddie's behavior as she rushed to her seat.

Souji wasn't happy with Teddie at all. He gritted his teeth. 'Even if you're drunk, I can't forgive you for taking advantage of us. Sorry, but I'll have to teach you a lesson when this is over.'

"Now for the cherry on the cake! The last girl to walk in!" Junpei announced. "She's one of our leaders and everybody's best friend! Give it up for…Minako Arisato!"

Minako walked in wearing a strapless mini dress with red long gloves and matching high-heel boots, and a pair of furry white earmuffs. She was walking like usual with a bright smile on her face.

"Mina-tan ~ looking good as ever!"Junpei smirked at Shinjiro. "Wouldn't you agree, Senpai?"

Shinjiro had never seen his girlfriend wearing that outfit since he was in a coma by the time she had found it. 'Where the hell did those come from? And why does it have to show so much skin?!' He mentally admonished the attire. 'But then again, she does look pretty damn cute…'

Minako noticed him ogling her and blushed. She gave him a little wave. 'Shinji-kun, I hope you like it…' She was too busy staring at him to watch where she's going. At the end of the catwalk, she tripped on one of the carpets and stumbled. "Whoa…!"

Souji and Minato quickly jumped out of their seats to catch her. The others gasped.

Shinjiro beat them to it and grabbed her before she could hit the ground and end up with a broken nose.

Minako kept her eyes closed tightly, waiting to hit the floor…but it never happened. She felt a strong arm around her waist, supporting her and pulling her up. Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shinjiro staring back at her as he held her gently. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" she blushed, getting back on her feet. "Thanks to you…"

"Tch…What am I gonna do with you?" He tried to sound stern, but the pink hue on his cheeks betrayed him. Minako giggled at that.

Minato and Souji smiled. This was one of the reasons why they approved of Minako's relationship with Shinjiro; he really knew how to look after her.

"Awww Mina-chan, why does a pretty girl like you have to hug him, but not the King?!" Teddie whined. "I'm two times fuzzier than he is!"

Minako stuck her tongue out at him and she buried her face into Shinjiro's chest, her face red as her outfit.

Shinjiro on the other hand gave the Shadow bear a murderous glare. He was about to tell the pervo off, but bit his tongue when he felt Minako cuddling him. "Tch…whatever…"

"Hmph! Oh well, I'll let this pass," Teddie pouted. "Thank you, ladies, for the delightful performance! Now, for the second act…"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yukari stood up, pointing an angry finger at the guys. "How come only us girls have to go through this? Why can't they cosplay too?!"

The girls were in agreement and glared at Teddie, who stroked his chin in thought. "Hm…? Glad you brought that up, Yuka-chan!" A sneaky grin appeared on his face, giving the guys a bad feeling.

"Don't think all of you are out of the woods just yet! The show must go on!" Teddie announced dramatically. "My next order is for the men to walk on the runway wearing..." He rushed behind his chair and pulled out the outfit of choice for all to see. "This!"

It was a Shirt of Chivalry. The men of SEES (except for Junpei of course) groaned. The girls tittered – at least Teddie was being fair. "I was saving these for Sensei and the others to wear tomorrow at the beach, but I think you girls deserve a little treat!" he said, grabbing yet more bags.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Yosuke hung his head in shame. "You guys actually wore those?"

"Got a problem with that, dude? Those are awesome!" Junpei pumped a fist in the air. "Kicking Shadow butt had never been so cool!"

"Speak for yourself…" Shinjiro muttered.

"Aw c'mon guys, you looked really good wearing those." Minako smiled at the memory. "I bet Souji-kun and his friends would look great in it too."

"I agree with Minako. Besides..." Mitsuru glowered at them threateningly. "It wouldn't be fair that you all sat back and watch us expose ourselves now, would it?"

The girls' united murderous stares sent shivers down their spines. Unless they were crazy, or had a death wish, they didn't dare say no.

"Okay… Okay… You girls win. We'll do it…" Minato sighed in defeat as he took a bag.

Souji sighed and took another. "C'mon guys. Let's get ready…"

The rest grabbed the remaining bags and headed to the makeshift dressing room to get dressed. Shinjiro and Kanji were muttering curses all the way. Yosuke and Akihiko were just plain embarrassed.

"Mwahaha! This is gonna be good!" Teddie crowed.

The others waited for about 10 minutes. "C'mon! We don't have all night, you know!" Chie called out.

"We're coming already! Jeez…" Yosuke replied.

Rise suddenly had an idea. She stood up and walked up to the front of the catwalk and stood beside Teddie. She took the hairbrush Junpei left behind and used it in the same manner. "Okay ladies, I'm taking the host role now!" she announced. "The mistress of ceremony is in the house!"

The girls clapped politely, impressed with Rise's enthusiasm. Teddie's eyes sparkled at being so close to her, especially in that short skirt.

"Alright! Now for our man-only fashion exhibition. Exhibit number one, we have our blue-haired, music savvy leader…I'm happy to announce Minato Arisato-senpai!"

Finally, the guys started coming out. As announced, Minato came first, wearing the traditional Japanese shirt for men, shorts, sandals and hachimaki. He walked casually with his hands in his pockets, MP3 player and headphones swinging from his neck, not bothered by the outfit at all.

"Oh, Yukari-senpai… You're blushing!" Rise giggled. Yukari squeaked in embarrassment. "You like what you're seeing, huh? I certainly do."

Hearing that, Minato took a quick glance at his girlfriend and felt his own cheeks heating up. 'Sheesh, now I know how models feel…'

"It seems like the Iwatodai guys are walking in first. Not that we would have a problem with that. Isn't that right, girls?"

The girls hooted and cheered, clapping in excitement. Minato quickly took his previous seat, extremely glad that his turn was over.

"Our next exhibit is a hunk of man-flesh. Too bad he's already taken, ladies. Give it up for one of Japan's hottest future law enforcer, Akihiko Sanada!"

Akihiko walked in. He had a neutral face plastered on. It seems that he's so used to girls staring at him that he didn't want to waste energy expressing his displeasure. He couldn't help but grin when he caught Mitsuru staring at him unabashedly, inflating his ego a bit.

"Mmm…I can see why he's Gekkoukan's golden boy. He's such a knock-out!" Rise fanned herself with her hand."Here comes our next contender. Let's welcome the yankee of Gekkoukan…or should I say Yasogami now…Shinjiro Aragaki-senpai!"

The moment Shinjiro stepped out, he scowled at everyone present. Unlike the previous two, he wore a bandana to hold back his long hair instead of a hachimaki. He groaned when the others stared at him: one thing he hated most was drawing attention to himself. He spotted the object of his loathing…the human Shadow in a bear suit. With a purposeful stride, Shinjiro really did intend to strangle him this time, but was intercepted by Rise. "What are you doing, Senpai? This is a fashion show! You're supposed to walk slower so everyone can admire you in your outfit!" she scolded, hands on her hips.

"I don't have to do anything you say!" he retorted, a huge red mark ticking above his head.

"Not if she has anything to say about it." Rise pointed to Minako, who was watching Shinjiro unblinkingly with her mouth slightly open. "Now go back and start over!"

'Wait, is she…is she drooling?!' Shinjiro thought, not sure how to feel about the way his girlfriend stared at him. Reluctantly, he turned around. 'I'm doing this for Minako, and no one else!' he told himself.

Rise looked at Shinjiro as he walked back. "Wow, now I know why Minako-senpai can't take her eyes off him. He's got such a nice ass!"

Minako's cheeks burned in mortification as she was caught red-handed. "R-Rise-chan!"

Shinjiro hastily finished and took his seat, clearly uncomfortable at the attention after Rise said that.

The teen idol resumed her commentary. "Okie-dokie, the next guy we're about to see is King Teddie's wing man and ultimate class clown, Junpei Iori!"

Junpei stepped out onto the runway with all the confidence in the world, a stupid grin on his face and his usual baseball cap on. Halfway, he struck a pose like a bodybuilder's, and a few more ridiculous ones after that, all the way to the end. He was clearly enjoying making a fool of himself on stage.

Yukari captured every single one in her phone for future use. She needed some ammo if Junpei annoyed her again.

"Well… That certainly was…interesting..." Rise said, sweatdropping. She cleared her throat once more. "So we have seen what Port Island has to offer, and it wasn't disappointing! And now for the delight of us girls, our first contender from Yasoinaba is…" She looked at the door, but there was no one there. "Huh? I said our next contender is…"

The audience could hear three Inaba boys arguing in the changing room.

"You go first, Kanji!" Yosuke said. "I went first the last time!"

"Hell no! Don't blame me for you screwing up last year!" Kanji retorted.

"What?! You were the one that agreed with it, numbskull!"

"And you were the one that got us into that mess in the first place!"

"Will you two shut up already?!" Souji yelled, startling both guys and everybody else outside. His patience seemed to be running out. "Listen, I'll go first, Yosuke is second and Kanji is third! Got that?!"

"Yes, sir!" they squeaked, not wanting to anger him any further.

Souji sighed and regained his cool composure before he started walking. Like Minato, he wasn't bothered by the outfit at all.

"Ooooh, Senpai! You look so cool!" Rise fan-girled at the sight. "Right, Yukiko-senpai?"

The other girls nodded in agreement. Yukiko couldn't help but admire how the outfit highlighted Souji's well-toned physique. It looked like every muscle in his abdomen rippled beneath the singlet he wore under the Japanese shirt. It was so impressive she ended up letting out a small squeal, embarrassing herself and Souji.

"Bravo, Sensei! You're the man!" Teddie clapped. "As expected of the 'Amagi Challenge' winner."

Souji smiled at him, but there was something frightening about it, which caused his friends to shudder. Except Teddie, who felt invincible as the King.

"Alright, our next male model is our number one clumsy jokester and future owner of Junes... Give it up for Yosuke-senpai!"

Yosuke walked in. He looked awkward and self-conscious.

"C'mon Senpai, you don't look bad at all," Rise winked. "It could be worse, ya know…"

'Well, this certainly beats cross-dressing anytime,' Yosuke thought, pondering over Rise's words.

"C'mon, dude, this is a hero's armor!" Junpei tried to encourage him. "Gotta look good for Chie, right?"

Yosuke turned his attention to Chie, who seemed to be gawking at him. "Heh, this isn't so bad after all…" he smirked. "Alright, Chie, this one's for you!" At the end of the catwalk, he struck a pose making a peace sign, a cheeky grin and a wink at her. While most rolled their eyes, thinking that he was being his silly and cheesy self, Chie smiled back at him, knowing it was his way to show affection.

Rise giggled. "Alright, next one to do the walk is our favorite badass and doll maker! Let's hear it for Kanji-kun!"

Kanji dragged his feet lazily, since he clearly wasn't wholeheartedly into the whole fashion thing. Like Shinjiro, he kept his shirt open so his bare chest was exposed.

"Wow, Kanji-kun, you clean up nice after all…" Rise teased him. He glared at her. "Aww, c'mon, ya know it's true. Right, Naoto-kun?"

Kanji blinked when he realized that Naoto was in fact staring at him with such intensity that he could feel the heat of her blushing cheeks burning his skin. Millions of thoughts crossed his mind as he tried to figure out what she was thinking about him, until he felt something warm ran down his nose. "Oh, shi….!" He made a dash to the nearest bathroom.

"Jeez… again?" Yosuke said exasperatedly.

"Does Kanji-kun have some sort of circulatory condition that makes his nose bleed so easily?" Naoto questioned, blissfully unaware of the real reason for his nosebleeds.

Rise snickered. "Oh Naoto-kun, you're so naïve."

"What's that supposed to mean? Do you know something that I don't?"

"Hehehe, not at all!" Rise said slyly, trying to change to subject.

Naoto, however, was unconvinced. Before she could further question Rise, Kanji came back, blowing his nose with some toilet paper. "Damn nosebleeds…" he muttered.

"Are you okay, Kanji-kun?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah… J-just a stupid nosebleed. N-no big d-deal…"

"Are you sure?" Naoto moved closer to him. "Perhaps you should have that checked by a doctor."

Kanji's eyes bugged out as she came closer, and got an eyeful of her outfit, including everything else it didn't cover. Thinking fast, he stuffed more napkins up his nose before he bled to death. "R-Really, I'm fine now!"

Before things could get awkward, Metis spoke up. "Umm… Can I ask you guys something?" The guys tensed, like a string about to snap. "What are the symbols on your backs? They all look different."

The guys eased up and the girls giggled. Metis' curiosity and innocence were quite adorable.

"Those symbols are called kanji, Metis, characters used in Japanese writing along with hiragana, katakana, Indo-Arabic numerals and occasionally the Latin alphabet," Aigis explained. "Each kanji has a different meaning."

"Yeah, like Minato-kun's for example," Yukari pointed at her boyfriend. "The kanji on his shirt means 'honorable man'. Very fitting if you ask me."

Minato blushed at that but got back at Yukari by hugging her.

"Oh, oh! What does mine mean?" Junpei asked, an arm flailing in the air.

"Well, if I'm right, yours mean 'color', Junpei-kun," Fuuka started. "But…"

"Alright!" he cheered. "Wait 'til Chidorita hears that!"

"But it can also mean 'dirty-minded'…"

Minako laughed. "That's Junpei-kun alright!"

The others laughed at Junpei's embarrassment. "Eh… let's keep that just between us, okay?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Chidori doesn't need to know that… Please?"

"Don't worry, Junpei. It's not like Chidori doesn't know that side of you anyway," Yukari teased.

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Back to Metis' question, Akihiko's symbol is 'fight'. Needless to say it's perfect for him," Mitsuru stated with pride. "Although his hot-headedness in another thing altogether…" she trailed off.

"He only seems to mature when Mitsuru-senpai is by his side. So that's a good thing, I guess," Minako added with a giggle.

Shinjiro smirked. "You got that right."

"Shut it, Shinji!" Akihiko hissed. "What does yours mean anyway?"

"It means 'life'," Minako answered for him. "Makes sense when you think about how much of an impact he had on our lives, especially Ken-kun's and Akihiko-senpai's."

"There's more to it," Shinjiro added, surprising everybody. "Before, I could only wish for death." He looked into Minako's eyes, his stare gentle. "But now I have more reasons to live." She held his hand and gave an understanding smile.

"Heh, that's pretty deep…" Yosuke hummed. "I wonder what mine means."

"If I'm not mistaken, that one stands for 'swift'," Souji said.

"It does fit you since you're the fastest among us and skilled using wind spells," Chie pointed out.

"Now, the symbol on Kanji-kun's outfit stands for 'manly', 'hero' or 'superior','" Naoto stated.

"Do I sense some irony here, or is it just me?" Yosuke joked. This earned him a punch in the shoulder by Kanji. "Ow!"

"You were saying, Senpai?" he growled, ready to do it again.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Yosuke whimpered.

"That answers your question, Yosuke-senpai," Naoto drawled.

"Souji-kun's means 'truth' or 'reality'," Yukiko said with a small smile. "It really suits him, after what we've gone through."

Further discussion was interrupted when exuberant music filled the air, confusing the group. Half of the lights in the lounge were turned off, highlighting the stage closest to the changing room. The Persona-users couldn't help but focus their attention there.

The door slammed open, revealing Teddie dressed in a Shirt of Chivalry over his bear suit. He walked with pomp and grandiose, nose in the air as he strode along the runway, reveling in the attention he was attracting.

They face-palmed at the display. One word came to mind – Desperate.

As Teddie turned around to strike a pose, the kanji on his shirt was visible for all to see. Everyone but Metis sweatdropped. "And that one? What does it mean?" she asked in naïve curiosity.

"That one means 'predator'…" Rise said flatly. "No comment…"

"…"

"Yes, yes, I know I'm marvelous, no need for further words!" Teddie boasted, misunderstanding the silence in the room. "And now, for the final act of tonight's fashion show, all girls must wear one last outfit!"

"What?! Aren't we over this?" Chie protested.

"Actually, Teddie-san still has ten more minutes of reign..." Aigis said, depressed.

"Yes, I'm still the King and that's an order! The outfits are already in the changing room. C'mon, this is gonna be the best part!"

Sighing, the girls headed inside for one last change.

"Can somebody tell me who comes up with this stuff, anyway?" Kanji asked. "As weird as they are, it's really high quality clothing."

"Beats me. We often found them lying around in rare treasure chests in Tartarus," Akihiko said.

"Tartarus is similar to the TV World where we often find peculiar outfits…" Souji crossed his arms in thought. "If the other side represents mankind's heart, could those outfits and the other items we found represent some hidden desires from mankind?"

"If that's the case I can name at least two sources for those outfits." Shinjiro glared at Junpei and Teddie, who were too distracted waiting for the girls to come out to listen.

"How many outfits are there anyway?" Yosuke asked Minato.

"Well, for us guys there were the butler suits and the Shirts of Chivalry," he replied, ticking off his fingers. "While the girls had the maids set, the Christmas dresses and the – " He was cut off by girlish screams, Naoto's easily the loudest.

"Yay! The girls loved my surprise!" Teddie beamed.

"The hell?! Naoto!" Kanji shouted, running towards the room in panic.

Minato tried to stop him, having an idea of what was going on. "Kanji, wait! Don't go in there!"

Kanji paid no mind to Minato. As he was about to open the door, it swung open revealing a very flustered Naoto.

"That does it! I can't take this anymore!" She dashed out, only to crash into Kanji and sending them sprawling on the floor.

"Naoto-chan, wait!" Minako shouted as she and the other girls rushed out.

If things could get more awkward, they did now. The guys' eyes were wider than saucers and the girls started blushing madly.

Teddie's choice for the last set of outfits was the infamous High-cut armors, the women's armor that resembled a bikini! Minako's was white, Yukari's red, Mitsuru's black, Fuuka's teal, Yukiko's magenta, Chie's aqua-green, Rise's pink and Naoto's navy blue. Not even Aigis and Metis were spared as Teddie had managed to find black and white mechanical parts that resembled the bikini armor for both androids to wear.

Without knowing, Souji and Yosuke got minor nosebleeds. Kanji nearly passed out as his nose squirted a red waterfall.

Minato, Akihiko and Shinjiro could only gape. Junpei and Teddie drooled, their imaginations going haywire.

"Oh, no, I've had enough of this… this tomfoolery!" Naoto huffed.

"Me too! I should have known that the last outfit is going to be worse than the others!" Yukiko added.

"I'm tired of making a fool of myself for your own little fun!" Chie stomped her foot. Yosuke could swear he saw some cracks forming on the ground and backed away.

"I… I'm sorry… But I don't feel comfortable with this anymore either…" Fuuka shyly protested.

"Your fun is over, 'King'! We rebel!" Rise put her hands on her hips as an act of defiance.

Teddie's next reaction was unsurprising. He sat on the ground and burst into tears, real ones this time. "Wahahhhhhhh! This was meant to be my best night ever….!" He sobbed. "After all the pretty outfits I found for you all… You guys are so mean! Wahhhhhh!"

While most covered their ears trying to block out his crying rant, Minako and Metis felt sympathy for him. "There, there… It's okay…. Don't cry… Please…." Metis said gently, stroking his fur.

"The ending is always the best part they say," Minako tried to cheer him up. "Don't cry, Teddie-kun, we'll do it."

"Minako, are you serious?!" Mitsuru questioned, the others staring at her in disbelief.

Teddie sniffed and whipped some tears away. "You mean it, Mina-chan?" he asked with sparkling eyes.

"Yes, I do," she confirmed. Teddie began to cheer. "C'mon girls, let's get this over already." Sighing, the girls headed inside for one last walk.

Teddie danced in glee when the girls came out of the dressing room one by one, no following commentary this time. They attempted to salvage any amount of modesty they had left by covering the exposed parts with their arms, especially their chests.

'Damn bear!' the guys who weren't Junpei cursed. On the other hand, they couldn't tear their eyes away from the girls wearing such outfits that highlighted their nice bodies.

"Ugh… After this night, I swear I'll never complain about the qi paos ever again!" Chie groaned, recalling the pretty Chinese dresses Souji had given them months ago. "At least those were decent!"

"Oh yes! YES! YES! YES! This is the best night ever!" Teddie burst with happiness, running around like a kid inside a toy store.

Chie finally snapped. "That's IT! I hereby sentence you to a million kicks to the head!" She lunged at Teddie, only to be held back by Yosuke, who was holding her waist, while Junpei and Minato restrained her arms. "Let go! LET ME GO!"

Out of fear, Teddie stopped running and hid behind Minako since at the moment she and Metis were the only ones who sympathized with him.

"Chie-chan, calm down! It's not that bad. You look really nice, you know," Minako praised. "Yosuke-kun agrees with me, right?"

When she realized Yosuke was hugging her from behind, Chie stopped struggling. Junpei and Minato released her. Yosuke, afraid to receive another critical hit to a very sensitive area for males, let go of her, his face burning red.

"You two look so cute blushing like that!" Minako chuckled at the two.

"Thanks for the save, Mina-chan…" Teddie exhaled in relief, and threw himself at her for a hug.

Minako was surprised at Teddie's move, but being oblivious to his intentions, she hugged him back. "Aww, your fur is so soft. Teddie-kun." She rubbed her cheek against his fur. "It's even fuzzier than the Bunny plushy Akihiko-senpai gave me."

The others sweatdropped. Minako was too nice for her own good sometimes. However, her twin, Souji and Shinjiro weren't pleased at what they're seeing.

"He does have a soft, fuzzy coat…" Kanji mumbled earning glares from the three guys. "What?! I like plush animals, okay!"

Minako's giggles drew the trio's attention. "That tickles!" She laughed as Teddie wrapped his arms around her waist.

Metaphorical red alerts were blaring…quite loudly.

"Hehe… Mina-chan is ticklish!" Teddie taunted as his furry hands went lower… lower… until they were almost touching Minako's backside.

That was the last straw. Minato snapped. "Dammit, Ryoji! How many times do I have to tell you NOT TO TOUCH MY SISTER?!" he thundered, his calm replaced by overprotective fury.

The SEES members backed away, knowing that when Minato was like that, he was quite fearsome.

The Investigation Team didn't know who Minato was talking about, but knew that things were serious when Souji had a dark glint in his grey eyes, so they too backed away. "Teddie, remember what I told you about not hitting on Aneki and her friends for your own safety? Has it ever occurred to you that I might hurt you if you do?" His tone was low and dangerous, like a cobra ready to strike.

"Get your filthy paws off her, bear!" Shinjiro roared, wanting nothing more than to rip the fur off Teddie's costume.

Sensing their murderous vibe, Teddie started shaking and released Minako. "C-C'mon, guys. It's j-just for f-f-fun, right? I'm still the King. You can't hurt m-me…"

"Sorry to interrupt, but Teddie-san's time as King just ended now," Metis announced, pointing to the clock.

"Uh-oh… Wah!" Teddie yelled, accidentally shoving Minako to the ground. "Eeeekk! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Ow! That hurt!" Minako whined, rubbing her bottom as she stood up. "Teddie-kun, that was mean of you!"

"Now you're gonna get it!" Shinjiro cracked his knuckles, and the girls looked ready to squash him.

The bear/human/Shadow was too frightened to move as they started to close in.

"Don't just stand there!" Junpei shouted. "Run for your life!"

Suddenly Teddie perked up, seemingly even more panicked. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" He ran around in circles before making a break for the exit. "Not good! Not good! Not good! Not good at all!" he screamed.

"You're not getting away!" Akihiko yelled, about to give chase.

"Hold it!" Minato ordered, stopping Akihiko with an extended hand. "Mitsuru-senpai, aside from these armors, did you keep any of our old weapons?"

"Yes… I do," Mitsuru replied. "It's in the same room where Teddie discovered the armors."

"Good." Souji turned to his team. "Guys, better prepare yourselves."

That caught them off guard. "C'mon, dudes… Ain't that going a little too far?" Junpei asked. "I mean, sure he got carried away, but…"

"Something else is up. We were too busy to notice before, but I think Teddie-kun felt it," Minako said, her tone serious. "His punishment will have to wait. Come on!"

The Persona-users went to arm themselves before chasing after Teddie.

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Long chapter I know, but this was extremely fun to work with! I laughed while working on this chapter all along! XD Teddie will get his punishment alright. Just wait and see. XD

Ohta Suzuke's A/N: Before you guys finish, we forgot to include this request in the previous chapter. We wanna hear your interpretations of the symbolic meaning behind the design of the Arisato twins' Shadows. I helped with most of the Shadows' description, and pretty much left it a blank canvas for the readers to find out what they represent. I have my own, and so does Sea of Soul, but we wanna hear feedback from you. We really appreciate it a lot. Cyber cookies (white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisins are my faves!) for those who do! XD

From me you'll guys get chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa! X3

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Have fun and don't forget to Read and Review!