Hi guys! I'm truly sorry for the delay. I had some issues on the past month and kept me from working on the fic. Hope this update makes up for it.
Questions time!
KO: Yup. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions. As for Labrys, I really find her a neat character so I really wanted to add her.
ReachingOutFES: Hopefully soon. Job and some other issues kept me from working as much as I wanted.
Snake King: Hopefully soon. Works keep piling up
13TheAce: Harsh as it was, Teddie clearly deserved it. ^^;;
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 18: Bonds and Rivalries
"Is everybody here?" Souji questioned as he scanned the faces of his teammates. They agreed last night to meet up at Dojima's house the next morning, and reminded them to bring their summer assignments. The only ones who didn't protest at this were Yukiko, Naoto, and surprisingly Yosuke. Satisfied that none were absent, he smiled to Nanako standing beside him. "Alright, everyone's here. Did you bring all your stuff?" He proceeded to lock the door.
The little girl smiled and nodded. "Yup! I brought all my homework I couldn't finish yesterday."
"Why did we have to bring our homework with us?" Kanji mumbled unhappily. "I thought we were just helping them arrange their furniture…"
"Yeah," Chie agreed. "Why are we having another study session like we did at Junes, or at your house? I mean, the last time we did that, all of us ended up not studying. I blame the animal crackers."
"Hey!" Kanji and Rise protested in unison.
"Chie, I'm pretty sure you won't get everything done with the amount of time we have left. School starts in a week," Yukiko reminded her. She knew her best friend was rather slow when it came to academic matters, and with her pace she'll never finish her assignments by herself on time.
Souji walked ahead holding Nanako's hand. The others trailed behind him, chatting excitedly. Yasogami High would sure to become more colorful after this.
"So partner, what's the plan for today, anyway?" Yosuke asked.
"After I got home yesterday, I talked with Aneki and Aniki," Souji said. "Turns out those transferring to school with us also have a lot of homework to do…"
…Flashback…
"I wonder what kind of homework Nanako-chan is given," Minato wondered aloud as he fiddled with his MP3 player. They were walking back to the Dojima Residence after the twins offered to help him with Nanako's summer homework.
Souji blew out a warm breath against the cold night air, a small wisp of mist condensing in front of his face. "Last year she mostly had essays and reading assignments, along with a crafts project. Kanji helped her with that. But my favorite was the picture diary."
"Picture diary, huh?" Minako mused. "I remember helping Maiko-chan with that one. We had a lot of fun!"
Minato then proceeded to explain who Maiko was before Souji could even ask, including the Arcana of her social link. "And she moved away with her mother after her parents' divorce," he concluded. They already reached their destination without even realizing.
"We're back!" Souji announced, taking off his shoes after opening the door. The twins followed, and were greeted by Dojima who was sitting at the dinner table, reading the newspaper.
The older man grunted, and turned his gaze from the miniscule texts. "Oh, Souji. I was wondering when you were getting back." He bent down and placed four brown paper-wrapped packages on the table, that were previously beside his chair. One was rather thin, but the other three were thicker. "These came to my office while you were away. It's from your previous school."
Souji raised an eyebrow. "From Gekkoukan High?"
"It's not just for you. It's also for you two –" Dojima pointed to the twins, "– and Aragaki. I'm pretty sure they sent it to me all at once because they knew you lot were coming here."
Nanako came rushing down the stairs, excited when she heard the voices of her cousin and his surrogate siblings. "Aniki, Aneki!" she squealed, glomping them in record speed. Minako almost fell over from the force of the hug. "Easy there, Nanako-chan," she giggled, patting her hair. "We came today to help you with your homework. Souji-kun said it was a lot."
"Un," Nanako nodded. "We'll start after dinner. Dad just brought back some really delicious side dishes. I cooked enough rice for all of us!"
Dojima laughed light-heartedly. "You guys can stay for dinner. If I'm right about those," he nudged his chin towards the wrapped packages in their arms, "you'll need to be starting soon."
"Alright, I'll go put these in my room while you guys set the table," Souji said. Minato helped him carry half while his twin helped Nanako.
After a wonderful family dinner, Dojima continued to read the paper as Souji, the twins and Nanako sat around the short table in the living room, their books and stationary strewn all over the surface. They had opened their packages earlier and found that the teachers from Gekkoukan had mailed them their homework, including those the twins had missed during their coma, plus some exam sheets and tests. Souji and Minato browsed through what they had to do in the next seven days, while Minako was happily helping Nanako with her essay.
Minato grabbed a fistful of his hair and let out an exhausted sigh. "How are we gonna finish these in a matter of weeks?" he groaned. "I don't mind the extra work, but this is too much…"
Souji could understand his frustration, but he dared not complain since his workload was much, much lighter. "Don't worry, Aniki. I can tutor you with the lessons that you missed for the previous semester, and I'm pretty sure Yukiko could help too."
Minato nodded. Perhaps Yukari could also help him with his studies. He grinned at the thought. 'I'll be looking forward to that.'
"It looks like Shinjiro-san's pile is the highest," Souji sweatdropped. "I'm guessing it's because he missed nearly two years of high school, and this is the teachers' punishment. He's not going to be happy…"
"Then why don't we have a group study session starting from tomorrow?" Minako interrupted as Nanako was distracted with her work. "I'm pretty sure there are more people who need help with their homework. After all, two heads are better than one, right?"
Souji sighed. "Tell that to my team. The last time we gathered for a group study, we didn't get any work done. All because Kanji and Rise were arguing over animal crackers, trying to find the elusive penguin."
"Yeah, I can totally see that happening with Junpei," Minato snorted.
"Then it's a good thing Mitsuru-senpai will be there," Minako beamed. "She's a real discipline enforcer, so I'm sure all of us can finish on time. After all, she isn't the only one who wants to see Shinji-kun graduate."
Souji and Minato sweatdropped, but they couldn't refute what she said either. They took turns helping Nanako and discussing how to manage their time during the last stretch of the holidays.
Dojima offered to send the twins back to the inn in his car along with their piles of assignments, after Souji had put Nanako to bed.
…End flashback…
"So, do you think the study session this time will work?" Naoto asked, looking a bit skeptical.
"Yes. From what Aneki and Aniki said, Mitsuru-san can be quite…forceful…when it comes to academics. And you already saw what happens when someone gets her annoyed." Souji received sweatdrops and shivers. "So guys, no fooling around this time. You got that?"
Everybody nodded. That's when Kanji noticed someone heading their way. "Huh? Ain't that Shinjiro-senpai and Koro-chan?"
The group looked up ahead and indeed Shinjiro was walking Koromaru. Judging from the look on the senior's face, anyone could tell he was in a foul mood. "Damn asshole teachers and their shitload of schoolwork!" he complained, loud enough for anyone to hear. "I oughta shove their assignments up into their asses and *$^#-+^%*!" He kept spewing obscenities until he bumped into Souji, who was covering Nanako's ears for obvious reasons. "Oh…hey," he greeted nonchalantly.
"Hello, Shinjiro-san…" Souji greeted back with a tight smile as he purposely summoned Lucifer from his psyche. The rest of his team and Koromaru instinctively backed off, feeling the murderous vibe radiating from the silverette. "I know you're upset about your workload, but I must ask you to refrain from cursing, especially in front of Nanako." His left iris almost turned black as he released his cousin, who rushed up to the Shiba Inu. With long strides, he came face-to-face with Shinjiro, and whispered something in his ear. "Do I make myself clear?!"
Shinjiro gulped. He wasn't stupid and immediately knew that this guy wasn't kidding around. "Yeah, yeah… I get the point…" He looked at Nanako, who was busy playing with Koromaru, and then back at Souji. "My bad."
The youngest leader smiled with satisfaction. "I knew you'd understand." He dismissed Lucifer instantly, a huge smile on his face. "Then, shall we get going?"
No one dared to object as they moved on. Shinjiro was at the back of the group, trying to remain calm despite the fact his heart was racing. Although he wasn't wearing his coat for a change, he was sweating even more than usual for a summer's day. 'Damn Wild Card's ability… Another close call like that and I'm done for…'
Nanako was impressed with the size of the dorm building, especially the front yard where she played fetch and a few other games with Koromaru. SPIES got to work, arranging the furniture and putting everything in their proper places. After assisting with the new dorm, it was starting to look like a proper dwelling minus the personal touches, but that would be added with time. The former SEES members had already checked out of the Amagi Inn first thing in the morning and brought all their stuff in.
A short break and an icy glare from Mitsuru later, SPIES gathered in the meeting room, seating themselves around the large meeting table and piling their books on it. They broke into small groups to assist each other with their homework.
"Okay, this is the part where you really need to be careful guys. No Chie, we're not taking a break until we finish this page! Now, as I was saying, you multiply it with this specific trigonometric identity and then it becomes easier to solve because…Yosuke, 'sec' is short for secant, and not pronounced as 'sex'!" He threw a book at his friend's face. "Get your brain out of the gutter!"
While Souji was having slight difficulty tutoring his friends, Yukiko wasn't having any problems with the Arisato twins. She went through snippets of the revision subjects, making sure to go slow. It was overwhelming at first, but the twins caught up and the lessons became much easier.
As expected, Shinjiro wasn't happy with the amount of work assigned by his former teachers. Since nobody but Minako and Koromaru could handle him in a bad mood, Akihiko bravely took up the challenge to prompt his best friend into studying. "Come on, Shinji. You can totally do this. Long division isn't that hard! You just have to hit the variable with the highest degree first, and knock them down by order until you obtain the smallest nominator. See?" Akihiko began scribbling onto a piece of paper, showing Shinjiro the steps to solve one math problem for his homework.
Shinjiro could only roll his eyes, bored out of his mind. 'Typical Aki. Always with the boxing jargons...' Despite not wanting to, he sucked it up and listened. A huge part of him wanted to impress his girlfriend and make her proud. And if he didn't graduate, Mitsuru would murder him for sure.
On the other side of the table, Naoto was going through English with Kanji and Rise. Kanji seemed serious, but if one paid enough attention, they could see his eyes were starting to swirl while reading the literature text. Halfway, Rise got bored and started flipping through a teen magazine. It was only when Teddie, who sat beside her, made perverted comments about the models did she slap him with the magazine and continued to study. Yukari decided to step in and tutor her instead. The two Lovers soon found a comfortable rhythm. Rise didn't even complain once about the difficulties of the lessons; Yukari's perspective made it easier to understand. Teddie, who was ignored completely, wallowed in sorrow behind his textbooks. "The wind of society is a cold breeze…" he kept mumbling.
Aigis was going over everything with Metis, her patience knowing no bounds to quench her sister's insatiable curiosity. Fuuka was also patiently watching over Junpei doing math, correctly him gently whenever he made some missteps. The capped young man was sincerely trying his best, but everyone could see how much he was struggling. Yukari and Rise were making silent bets on when his brain would finally explode.
At the other end of the table, Ken was helping Nanako since he was the only one free and capable to do so. The little girl was trying hard not to squeal or blush at being so close to her crush, nodding furiously every time he asked her if she understood or had any questions. Souji was too busy with Yosuke and Chie to notice this though.
Watching over them was Mitsuru, who was sitting at one corner of the room with her laptop on a foldable desk, typing a report of some sort. Anyone who dared to complain or whine would answer to her. Fortunately, everybody behaved to avoid her wrath. Koromaru, being the only one who didn't have to study, snoozed contently at her feet.
It was early evening when the gang had enough and demanded a break. "Now would be a good time for tea," Minako said, stretching her back. "I think there are enough ingredients in the kitchen to bake some sugar cookies."
"Let me help you," Yukiko offered.
"And I'll make some sandwiches. I don't think cookies are enough," Fuuka said. As she followed the two to the kitchen, she failed to notice how everyone's faces turned pale aside from Nanako. Even Koromaru had woken up and started to whimper. He nuzzled against Nanako's leg, hoping she could save him from the impending doom. She could only pet him, puzzled by his behavior.
Akihiko nudged Shinjiro's ribs. "Shinji, go keep an eye on them!" he hissed. "Who knows what those two will come up with without you backing Minako up!" Shinjiro wasn't concerned at first, but when he remembered Yosuke's comment regarding Yukiko's cooking and Fuuka's destructive tendency with utensils, he worried for his pristine kitchen and made a dash towards it, leaving the others exhaling in relief.
"That was a close call…" Junpei said, slumped tiredly against the table surface. "If not, it would've had a double whammy of sore brains and an upset stomach."
"Do you even have a brain, Junpei?" Yukari teased.
"Hey, it's rude to call Sir Junpei brainless!" Teddie protested.
"You're still calling him that?" Kanji sweatdropped. Light teasing and laughter soon followed.
While the girls and Shinjiro worked on the snacks, Souji headed for the garden to get some fresh air. He was rubbing his temples and sighing, with light groans between intervals. Most assumed he was just tired from all the studying and tutoring, but Minato knew better and decided to follow him.
At the garden, Souji sat beneath one of the trees near the swing and sighed. Minato joined him. "Izanagi again?" he asked softly.
Souji nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with him …" he sighed. "In the middle of the tutoring, he started getting agitated again. It took a lot to keep my focus so it wouldn't interfere with the study session."
Minato crossed his arms. "I wonder why that keeps happening to you, but not to me or Minako…" he pondered.
"I'm not sure. It all started after we met that masked man…" Souji leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes. The two sat in silence for a long while before he spoke again. "I can't help but feeling there's a connection there."
"Maybe there is," Minako said as she approached them, balancing a tray with sandwiches, three cups of tea and a plateful of cookies. "It's strange, but after meeting that man, I felt something different with Eurydice and my other Personas." She placed the tray on the grass and sat next to her brothers. "I don't know how to put it, but they kinda feel like they're more in tune with myself, like… ya know, in complete harmony." She emphasized the last word by pressing her right palm above her heart.
"Now that you mentioned that, I do feel the same regarding Orpheus and the rest," Minato said thoughtfully as he took a bite of a sandwich. "At first I thought it was because our Shadows getting defeated, but I felt they became more…complete after we met that man."
"So, he had a hand on your Persona's power becoming more stable?" Souji questioned, taking a sip of tea.
"That I can't be sure, but it seems like it." Minako munched on another cookie. "When Izanagi gets agitated, does anything come to your mind, Banchou-kun?"
Souji closed his eyes in thought. "Well, sometimes there are these images flashing through my mind and when that happens, he starts pounding inside my head like crazy." He massaged his temples. "They go too fast. I see men in white clothes, my parents, black blobs… I can't really make out anything else."
"Hmm…That's really odd," Minato said. "There's gotta be a connection between those images, Izanagi's behavior and your headache."
"Yes, but what is that connection?" Souji ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, pulling at the dark silver strands. "And why does this keeps happening? Is it connected to my parents? Or is it related to that chairman? Gah! I just don't know anymore!"
The twins frowned, not knowing what to say to comfort their surrogate younger brother, who continued eating their light meal and dealing with Izanagi's constant hammering. They knew that he was finally pain-free when his tense shoulders relaxed, and his eyebrows weren't scrunched up together. They continued to sit in silence, listening to the birds singing.
The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps. Chie and Akihiko were walking up to them. From the looks of it, they were in a good mood.
Akihiko smirked at her. "Alright, ready to go Satonaka?"
"You bet, Senpai!" Chie grinned back at him, overflowing with enthusiasm.
Whatever they were talking about, it got the trio curious. Forgetting their concerns, the Wild Cards stood up and approached to them. "Hey, what are you two up to?" Minako asked.
"We're gonna train!" Chie replied excitedly.
Souji raised an eyebrow. "First Yosuke, and now Akihiko-san?"
"What can I say? Satonaka is the best sparring partner I've had in a while." Akihiko punched the air before grinning back at Chie. "Besides, I need to get back at her for our first match."
"Your first match? Wait, so you sparred before and lost, Senpai?" Minato was rather surprised. Whatever challenge that involved physical strength, Akihiko never lost.
"Yeah…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "That was a little while before you guys arrived in Inaba."
"Oh yeah, we had just dropped off Nanako-chan home and were heading back," Chie said. "It wasn't dark yet so I wanted to train a bit since we didn't get any action after visiting the TV World."
…Flashback…
Ever since his group reached Inaba and met the younger group of Persona users, even getting to know them a little, Akihiko often wondered how this group of youngsters fought and trained, despite living in a remote area far away from the proper training facilities in the city. He himself was lucky that he at least had a coach when he was in Gekkoukan High boxing club, and Officer Kurosawa supplied them with some of the best weapons available.
Akihiko looked around. This small town didn't have anything he was accustomed to having back when he and SEES fought Shadows. Just hours ago, the Investigation Team introduced them to Old Man Daidara, the person responsible for crafting weapons the team used when they were venturing into the TV World. It wasn't a big shop, and the whole town knew what the old man did for a living. The shop had a mysterious air about it, nothing sinister of the sort but still he wondered. Even the general store where the younger group bought their supplies of medicinal and restorative items gave off the same, mystifying vibe. Not that Akihiko minded; dealing with Personas and Shadows tend to have that effect on you.
"Yosuke, how about you and me go and get some training done at our usual place?" Chie asked her companion-in-training when the entire group was walking home after leaving Nanako at the Dojima Residence.
Yosuke only shook his head. "Sorry Chie, not today. My dad asked me to come back early and pitch in restocking duty," he answered, followed by a groan. Out of all the chores he had to do, that was the one he hated most.
The word 'training' made Akihiko's ears twitch. Ever since he graduated from high school and started college, he hadn't been able to keep up with his regimen as much as he wanted to, thanks to various assignments and tight deadlines. He also wanted to see how well these younger teens could fight. It'll be killing two birds with one stone. His next words flew out of his mouth. "Instead of Hanamura, why don't you train with me, Satonaka?"
Every head around turned to the three. The conversation just got a tad interesting.
Chie was taken by surprise. Never in her lifetime had somebody volunteered to train with her. Even if Yosuke was her training buddy, she was the one who had to drag him along. "Are you alright with that, Sanada-san? I mean…an amateur like me…"
"All the better to start training, right?" Akihiko gave Chie a small smile. "Besides, ever since I entered college I think I've gotten soft. I couldn't keep up with my training as much as I would like to."
Yosuke let out a big chuckle. "Haha, good luck with that. There are two things in the entire world that our Chie is passionate about: meat and training."
"Why you little –"
"So it seems that Akihiko isn't the only one who has the same train of thought," Mitsuru cut her off. "And to think meeting such a person who happens to be a Persona user as well, I must say the odds of that are close to zero." She covered a delicate chuckle with her right hand. "Today is just full of surprises."
Akihiko's ears turned red. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you're serious about that, then you're gonna need safety pads," Kanji chipped in. "I still have some at my house if you wanna borrow 'em."
'Is that fear in his eyes?' Akihiko thought, noticing how the other Emperor, despite his size, seemed to shrink whenever Chie turned to look at him. 'What exactly happened between those two?'
"Don't worry about that, dudes," Junpei interjected. "Akihiko-senpai used to be a boxing champion back in high school. But I would sure love to see his ass get kicked, especially by a girl."
A nerve on Akihiko's forehead was throbbing. "Junpei…" he said in a warning tone.
Fuuka decided it was her time to speak up. "Um…I think it's a good idea to wear safety pads for protection, even if it is for training. What do you say, Senpai?"
Before Akihiko could speak, Chie cheered with renewed vigor. "Awesome, then let's start the training immediately!" She started to throw some jabs into the air, almost hitting Teddie square in the jaw.
"Watch it, Chie-chan! I can't let you hit my bear-ry beautiful face," Teddie said as he threw some of his sparkles at Yukari and Yukiko. They both felt disturbed.
Yosuke let out a sigh. "YOU are helping me since we both work there, Ted. No excuses this time."
"But that's not fair!" he complained.
Yosuke crossed his arms against his chest. "Then why don't you go train with Chie instead?"
Teddie started to sweat. He didn't like where this was going. "Uh…I change my mind. I'll help you!"
The blonde's swift change of behavior from whiny to compliant had the other SEES members bewildered. Yosuke and Teddie took their leave after bidding everyone goodbye.
"Yosh! Kanji, you go get those safety pads. Meet us at the riverside, where Yosuke and I often train!" Chie pointed to Kanji with a dictative tone.
"Good luck… Ya gonna need it…" Kanji mumbled under his breath and sauntered off to the direction of his house. His ramblings were loud enough for Akihiko to hear.
As they were walking towards the flood plain, everybody's curiosity was at its peak. Akihiko wondered time and time again just how strong this Satonaka girl really was. For someone like Kanji (who reminded him strongly of his foul-mouthed, punk-ass best friend) to be scared of training with her, she must be really strong indeed, and maybe a bit violent. He couldn't help but smile at this newly awaited challenge.
When they reached their destination, it was Ken who finally broke the silence. "How come Yosuke-san is the only one willing to train with Chie-san? Kanji-san looked more suitable if you ask me."
"Errr…he had a bad experience with Chie last year. I don't really think he'll like it if I told any of you," Yukiko chuckled.
"Aww…come on Yukiko-senpai. I always wanted to know about that. Kanji never tells me anything!" Rise whined.
"While it is true that Kanji-kun is strong, I do think that Chie-senpai has too much stamina for her own good," Naoto said. "She should cut back on the beef bowls and steaks."
Everyone laughed at that statement. Akihiko turned red again.
'Now why does that sound so familiar?'
"Don't let Senpai hear that, Naoto. You know how she feels about that particular food group," Kanji warned her in a low whisper. Fortunately for them, Chie ran ahead and couldn't hear. He was panting, trying to catch his breath after making it back from his house. He carried two sets of safety equipment in his arms, and handed one to Akihiko.
"What kind weapon do you use, Chie-san?" Aigis asked.
"My kicks of course," Chie said, eyes sparkling. "Hwa-taaaaa!" She doubled back and did a round-house kick like Bruce Lee.
"Then this fight is fair, to say the least." Mitsuru sweatdropped as she watched Chie begin to shadow-box. The red-head didn't know what to say. As far as she knew, Akihiko never fought with a girl before, let alone a kung-fu movie addict. Then she grinned mischievously.
'This will be good entertainment.'
"I suggest we let Aigis be the referee," Fuuka piped in. Koromaru voiced his agreement in barks.
"A sound suggestion, Fuuka. Do you have any objections, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked the boxer.
"Nope, sounds good to me," Akihiko said as he donned on boxing gloves.
"Then I suggest that two out of three hits are necessary to determine the winner," Aigis stated. "What do you think?"
Chie didn't hesitate to agree. "No problem. That's what Souji-kun and I used to do all the time before he left."
"Yeah, I think that's fair," Akihiko said.
As both fighters prepped themselves for the training / fight, the other spectators kept their distance.
'Any fight with Chie/Akihiko in it is going to get messy,' they thought.
Aigis stepped forward. "Then let the battle commence!" Both Chie and Akihiko took their stances. The blonde robot took out a pink handkerchief from her pocket, held it above her head, and gave the starting signal. "Begin!"
Both Chie and Akihiko stepped forward, eager to start. Chie scanned the tall boxer, her brain doing some serious calculation, and decided to aim for Akihiko's ribs from the get-go because she was shorter than him. She wanted to get a feel of his fighting style before hitting any other targets on his body.
At first, Akihiko was nervous because he never fought a girl before. He wasn't thinking when he accepted Chie's challenge. But he realized from Chie's fighting stance that the girl wasn't just a martial arts enthusiast, merely copying fighting styles from movies. There was a spark in her eyes that told him she was out to prove something, and he immediately understood. He threw his nervousness away, and gave 100% focus to the fight before him, just like in the boxing ring.
Chie successfully dodged Akihiko's punches. She side-stepped to his left when he tried to give her a right hook, leaving his right side wide open. Chie stooped down and spun around, the momentum collected in her right leg hitting Akihiko's side with a good amount of force.
Wincing in pain, Akihiko retreated and put up a guarding stance.
'This girl is better than I thought.'
Junpei was filming the fight with his digital camera. "Ouch, that has gotta hurt. Haha, Senpai is getting owned!"
"It was a good thing you suggested the safety pads, Kanji-kun. Those are some dangerous legs," Yukari commented.
Rise shook her head. "You should see the special attack she uses on Shadows. Two words: NOT. PRETTY."
Seeing Akihiko's focus waver, Chie attacked him with a frenzy of kicks. He did his best to block them.
'What is with this girl? Her kicks are so hard my arms feel like they're gonna break!' Nonetheless, Akihiko continued to block her attacks, waiting for a chance to strike. It finally downed on him that Chie was aiming for his ribs, most probably because of her height. 'So she's playing it like that, huh? Guess it's time to show her I'm serious too.'
Akihiko's footwork set into motion. Instead of blocking Chie's attacks, this time he dodged them. After all, winning a fight doesn't consist of brute strength alone. However, side-stepping and ducking Chie's high kicks proved to be difficult because she was still shorter than he was. Any sloppy evasions would mean a direct hit to the head causing massive concussion. An opening presented itself when Chie aimed one of her kicks directly to Akihiko's left rib. He used his left hand to slap the leg away, and aimed his right punch toward her stomach. Fist made contact with gut, knocking the air out of her. The force was enough to get her stumbling backwards, but not enough to send her down. Chie stood her ground.
"One point for Chie-san, one point for Akihiko-san," Aigis announced.
"That was friggin' awesome!" Junpei half-squealed, half-shouted, still recording the fight. "Never thought Senpai had it in him to hit a girl though."
"Akihiko-san isn't holding back," Ken commented. "He usually holds back a bit when training with the freshman boxers back in school. I've seen him do so."
"Chie wouldn't be happy if he was either. That means he's taking her seriously," Yukiko smiled. After all, she knows Chie the best.
The martial-arts enthusiast couldn't help but feel excited. Adrenalin rushed to her head. She clutched her sore stomach and grinned at her now silver-haired rival.
'If he thinks that little punch was enough to take me down, he's got another thing coming!'
'The stubborn type, huh?' Akihiko thought, grinning back. 'Then it's a good thing I'm not holding back.'
This time, Chie decided to change tactics. Instead of just kicking, she used a mix of kicking and punching, something she learned while watching a Thai kick-boxing movie (which one of her classmates kindly lend to her). Although she hadn't practiced any of its moves, now was a good chance to start. She blocked and swiped Akihiko's fists with forceful palm thrusts, just like what he did to her kicks earlier. It was tough, because his punches were much stronger than her own, so she had to focus really hard in order to redirect them.
Akihiko became suspicious when Chie changed tactics.
'She's up to something…' He kept his jabs short but fast in order to thwart her into creating an opening, never taking his eyes off her.
Training with Yosuke had its advantages. Thanks to him, Chie's footwork improved and her evasion speed increased. Yosuke's specialty in battle was his high evasion and hit rate, compensating for his lack of strength. Chie used this to her advantage to dodge the boxer's swift jabs. Timing was important, her brain calculating furiously. In order to pull of this off successfully, she needed the full use of her lower body strength.
The boxer was starting to become impatient, seeing his opponent focusing solely on dodging.
'Time to finish this,' he thought. 'However, dropping my guard would mean I'll be open to her kicks,' his reason rationalized. Impatience was battling with reason, and impatience won. He drew his left arm back a bit further, intending to land a harder hit and making it much more difficult for her to swipe away his attacks.
Of course, Chie saw this, so it was now or never. As one of Akihiko's punches came flying her way, she side-stepped to her right as swiftly as possible. Quick as a flash, she used her Galactic Punt and aimed for Akihiko's stomach.
It surprised him, but he didn't have time to dodge or guard himself as the kick hit his abdomen. Akihiko cursed himself for being too brash as he was sent flying backwards and landed on his back, luckily missed hitting a tree. It took ten seconds for the adrenalin rush to go away before he started coughing and wincing in pain. Mitsuru was by his side in an instant.
"And the winner is Chie-san!" Aigis announced. "Congratulations."
"That was too awesome to describe in words!" Junpei jumped up and down in excitement. "Former boxing champion got his ass handed to him on a silver platter by a martial-arts wannabe, and I got it all on recording!"
"Stupei, keep your voice down!" Yukari scolded.
The Investigation Team were crowding Chie, patting her back and congratulating her.
"That was amazing, Chie-senpai!" Kanji and Rise exclaimed. The amount of respect (and fear) they had for their upperclassman shot up tremendously.
"I knew you could do it, Chie!" Yukiko beamed at her best friend.
"Souji-senpai would be proud!" Naoto added, smiling.
Junpei came to join them. "You totally kicked ass back there. I'm sure Yosuke and that Teddie dude would be happy to watch, since I got it all on video." He held up his digital camera for Chie to see.
Meanwhile Mitsuru, Ken and Koromaru surrounded Akihiko. They sat him up against a nearby tree, making sure he was comfortable.
"Here Akihiko, drink this." Mitsuru opened a bottle of medicine she purchased earlier at Shiroku Store and held it to his mouth. Akihiko drank without objection.
"You got impatient, Senpai," Ken said calmly. "She used that against you." Koromaru panted as if in agreement.
Akihiko coughed twice. "Yeah, I know. If Shinji was here he'd hit me and scold me about that," he chuckled.
Chie made her way to her new rival. "Are you okay? I'm really very sorry if I hit you too hard." She held out her hand to help him stand up.
"Don't worry about it". He took her hand, and with some help from Mitsuru managed to get back on his feet. "Where did you learn that, though? It hurt like hell."
"That's Chie-senpai's special attack, Galactic Punt," Naoto explained. "She made it up along the way during our fights with Shadows in the TV World. At least the full effect of that attack was toned way down since we're not able to use our Personas in the real world." Akihiko gulped. Now he was afraid to know what happened to the Shadows she used that move on.
"The way her face was screwing up during the entire fight, it looked just like the one during math class," Yukiko giggled.
Chie rolled her eyes. "If only my brain is that good for class though," she sighed.
"Looks like I need to double my training in order to keep up with you, Satonaka." Akihiko smiled painfully, his hand poised for a handshake. Not only was his body injured, but his pride was hurt as well.
Chie shook his hand and smiled. "You were pretty awesome yourself. I look forward to another training session with you."
"Then I suggest we all head back for some well deserved rest," Mitsuru said. "Akihiko will need some treatment for his injuries. It has been a long day after all." She turned around and faced Chie. "Congratulations, Satonaka. I believe this fight will be a lesson to him as well."
Chie blushed. "Ahahaha, no problem. So I guess we'll see you guys later."
And with that, the Investigation Team (save for Yukiko) and the former SEES parted ways back to their homes.
…End Flashback…
"And that's pretty much what happened," Akihiko explained. "Hurt my pride, but it also gave me back my drive to train."
"I take it Junpei didn't leave you alone for a while after that," Minato snickered.
"You don't know half of it… He bugged me all the way back to the Inn until I challenged him to a fight. That effectively shut him up."
Minako giggled. "That's Junpei-kun alright."
Akihiko suddenly remembered something. "Hey, do you guys mind not telling Shinji about this? Junpei was bad enough," he pleaded. "If he finds out, I'll never hear the end of it…"
"Too late." Shinjiro appeared from behind a nearby tree, walking up to them with a smirk on his face. "You've really gotten soft, Aki."
His childhood friend just groaned in response. "C'mon Shinji-kun, cut him some slack," Minako scolded him in Akihiko's defense.
"Meh, fine. Satonaka isn't a girl to be messed with anyway, so I'm not gonna tease Aki." Shinjiro shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "For now."
Akihiko ignored his best friend and turned his attention to Chie. "Let's get started. You know what they say, a strong mind and a strong body makes a strong soul." He looked at the Wild Cards. "Wanna join us? Some workout should do you guys some good."
The twins exchanged glances at each other and then at Souji. Both had trained with Akihiko before, and knew how hard it was to keep up with him – Minato was often asked to be his sparring partner, and picked up boxing skills along the way; his sister often jogged with their overzealous senpai. The silverette on the other hand, trained with Chie enough to know that she could give anyone a run for their money with her swift moves and nearly endless stamina.
"I'll pass. I get tired just watching you guys go over and over," Shinjiro said, picking up the empty tray and cups the three leaders had left. "Just a piece of advice: don't mess with the garden, or Mitsuru will have your heads for it." With that, he went back to the kitchen, smirking as he could tell his warning had left a strong impact.
"Shinjiro-senpai does have a point though," Minato stated, scratching his cheek. "Also, if the neighbors or any passers-by spot us training, it'll attract attention. Mostly unwanted for sure."
"Yeah, you're right." Chie pouted, but perked up instantly. "Oh! Maybe there's a more hidden place around here we could train…like a secret garden or forbidden training ground!"
"You watch too many movies, Chie-chan," Minako giggled. "But you do have a point. We haven't looked around the area that much when we moved in, so that's possible. Let's explore!"
The small group walked out of the compound, exploring the area around the nearby foothills. After a while, they stumbled across a rather secluded path which lead uphill, located at the back of the mansion. They climbed until they arrived at a rather flat plateau, surrounded by lush trees, bamboos and bushes. There was a tiny old shrine nearby – judging by the looks of it; it's been neglected for ages. They could see the entire neighboring area, but no one could see them.
Chie spoke up first. "Wow, it reminds me of those old training grounds the master would take their pupils for the final part of their training. So cool!"
"This place is perfect," Souji said. "We can make as much noise as we like without bothering people." He grinned at Akihiko. "Is your training offer still up, Akihiko-san?"
"Of course it is Souji. You guys are amazing in a fight with your weapons, but you should learn some basic hand-to-hand combat too. You never know what you may run into, after all. I said it earlier, a strong mind and a strong body makes a strong soul."
Souji mulled on Akihiko's words for a bit. 'Maybe he's right. By strengthening my body and my mind, my soul will get stronger… and that should keep Izanagi calm and my other Personas under control…' With a small nod to himself, he returned his attention to the former boxing champion. "If you and Chie agree, then I'd like to train with you two whenever possible."
Everybody blinked in surprise the request. "There's a lot going on right now…not only the case of the Dark Hour and the Fog, Shadows and that chairman…" Souji looked at the setting sun. "My parents' disappearance…the pressures of school life as a senior…as one of the field leaders. Anything I can do to help me handle all this stress and grow stronger to protect what's important to me…can only be a good thing, right?"
Akihiko couldn't help but admire the youngest leader's words. His reasons for fighting and to get stronger were truly selfless, because he was putting others before himself above all things. But in order to do that, he was aware that he also needed to improve himself without going overboard. "No wonder Satonaka looks up to you. You're a true fighter, Souji." He gave him a sincere smile, holding out a hand. "It's a deal. Don't expect me to take you lightly just because you're younger. As one of the leaders, you always gotta do your best!"
"Deal." Souji smiled back. They shook hands, feeling a bond forming with Akihiko when a familiar card flashed as the familiar voice echoed.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Emperor Arcana…
As that happened, Souji felt Izanagi calming down, gently buzzing off to the back of his mind. 'Phew… That feels a lot better!'
As the two talked about planning a training regiment, Chie and the twins smiled. "I think this will be really good for Souji-kun," Minako chirped.
"Yeah…" Chie then turned to the twins. "Why don't you two join us?" She looked down, scratching one foot on the ground. "W-well, ya know… Just to make sure you guys don't overdo it either. It's a bad habit of you three…" She paused, trying to find the words. "When I saw your memories in your dungeons, I realized how tough being a leader was… Not just for you two, but for Souji-kun as well. Always putting others before yourself, pushing your limits to make sure everybody is safe, often hiding things trying not to worry them. It is kinda noble, but really reckless too..." She looked at them straight in the eyes. "As team mates… No, as friends," she corrected, "we gotta trust each other and stick together during the good times and the bad ones too, right?"
The twins were surprised. Chie had barely known them and yet here she was, concerned about their well-being as if they had been friends forever. "You've got a point there, Chie," Minato smiled. "I see why Souji-kun, Yosuke and Yukiko rely on you so much."
"Yeah! Thanks for looking out for us, Chie-chan!" Minako beamed warmly. "You're a great friend!"
Chie blushed, a goofy smile on her face. "No problem, guys! You can count on me!"
The twins nodded, forming a bond with the kung-fu fan. A familiar card flashed and the otherworldly voice echoed:
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana…
The Arisato twins smiled at each other.
Soon enough, Akihiko and Chie started their training, while the three Wild Cards watched. It was amusing to see how much fun they were having muscling it out.
"Feeling better now, Banchou-kun?" Minako asked, seeing her surrogate brother wearing a calmer expression.
The silverette nodded. "Yeah. Strange…after I formed a social link with Akihiko-san, Izanagi calmed down. I wonder why…"
"Bonds are people's true power," Minato stated. "By bonding with different people, our resolve becomes stronger and we gain a new power and understanding towards our Personas."
"So, if Banchou-kun forms new bonds with our other friends, he'll get stronger and Izanagi will become more stable?" Minako wondered.
"Hm… That might work," Souji said. "I see you have also become stronger by forming new bonds. That might help prevent you guys from going through the same problems I'm facing, and makes sure your Shadows don't come back."
"That'd probably be for the best," Minato agreed.
"Let's do this!" Minako cheered, holding out her hand. "You guys with me?"
Her brothers smiled back and placed their hands over hers. "Yeah!"
For the next few days, gatherings at the SPIES dorm were becoming more frequent. While most of them were for study and homework session, they only went training inside the TV World
once. During that time, the twins discovered they could summon their Personas much easier and keep them out for longer periods of time, thus relied less on their Evokers. They spent the entire day exploring Mayonaka Tartarus, as Rise would like to call it.
Souji on the other hand, was struggling to keep his headaches under control. Izanagi still refused to communicate with him, and a few of his higher leveled Personas were showing signs of rebellion as well, such as casting the wrong spells or attacking the wrong targets. Luckily, it didn't cause any major damage and none of his friends were suspicious. They only noticed the difference in his fighting style and never questioned it. The Arisato twins kept a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't overdo it.
It turns out that Mayonaka Tartarus wasn't much different from the actual Tartarus three years ago: the items or money that were commonly scattered around were found in silver briefcases, and the golden treasure chests didn't need any golden keys to be opened (much to the surprise of the Inaba SPIES). It was worrying however, because the effects of the Dark Hour were also seeping into the TV realm, and Teddie commented that the fog inside there was starting to become denser than usual.
Overall, the final week of their summer break went off without a hitch. The only minor inconvenience was that those who went to college had to order their books and study materials in advance from the local bookstore or obtain them from Okina, since it was hard to find them in a rural area. On the final day of the break, the new uniforms had finally arrived for the transfer students. The delivery man came with five packages as they gang was gathered for yet another study session.
When Minako opened her package, she squealed and immediately dashed to her room to try it on. Metis was excited too, and asked her sister for assistance. Shinjiro held up his uniform top and scowled at it. A glare from Mitsuru got him off his chair and heading upstairs, followed by Akihiko's snickers. Ken didn't say much as he followed Shinjiro with his own uniform.
"So we're finally senior students, huh?" Minato said as he held up his own Yasogami High uniform, eyeing the third-year insignia. "At least we get to experience some of what we missed during our coma. I'm glad we were given a second chance." He then headed off to his own room.
"While I'm here, might as well make some needed adjustments," Kanji declared. "I need a break from studying anyway."
Those from Port Island looked at him with skeptical expressions. "How are ya gonna do that?" Junpei asked incredulously. "Don't tell me you brought your sewing kit with ya."
Kanji pulled out a clutch from his bag. It was constructed from brightly colored felt and had flaps that resembled bunny or fox ears which no one could be sure of. It was incredibly well-made. The girls commented how cute it was, earning a blush from the maker. Junpei was about to make a sexist joke when he was kicked hard in the knee by Yosuke. The capped teen glared at his fellow Magician, but was placated when he shook his head furiously, the panic in his eyes warning him "If you don't want to get beaten black and blue, DON'T SAY ANYTHING!"
"A wonderful idea, Tatsumi," Mitsuru praised. "At least that way, they won't be panicking about their uniforms on their first day of school."
A little while later, the new transfer students descended the stairs. Their friends were already waiting at the lounge, as if waiting for a fashion show to start. No one dared mention the disastrous event from Yakushima unless they had a death wish.
Minato was first. The dark colors went well with his hair, and the visible stitches on the uniform made him seem taller. He left the blazer open like he did with his Gekkoukan uniform, but he tucked in the collared shirt underneath unlike Souji, who preferred to leave it out. The blue MP3 player around his neck complemented his look.
His twin came next. She wore the Yasogami girl's uniform properly, along with knee-high white socks. The trademark XXII hairpins and red MP3 player remained unchanged.
Metis soon followed, accompanied by Aigis. It was surprising how well the uniform looked on her. Aigis had to remove her visor so that she wouldn't garner too much attention. Overall, the female Hierophant looked like a normal teenage girl. A blush made its way to her cheeks when she was told of this. She felt awkward not having something on her head though, and substituted a red ribbon to hold back her hair.
Ken came down soon after. The middle school uniform was different than the high school ones. The slacks were black, and the blazer was dark blue. A red tie completed the uniform, and Ken attached a pocket chain to his pants, which made a huge difference to his look. The girls whispered their complements to each other regarding this. Nanako's face was burning when Ken smirked her way.
Lastly came Shinjiro. Anyone could tell he was just anxious to get this fitting session over with, and didn't even bother to tidy up his uniform. He just wore the blazer over his black turtleneck sweater and that was it. The beanie still remained on his head. The thought of going to school wasn't making him agitated though; he choked on his spit when he saw Minako twirling around, her pleated skirt fluttering around her thighs. From a young man's point of view, the outfit looked stunning on her. It fit her nicely and emphasized her curves, especially the hips. The yellow neckerchief looked good too, though he preferred the red ribbon of the Gekkoukan uniform. However, from a protective boyfriend's point of view… "That skirt is too short, dammit!" he yelled, and turned to Kanji. "Tatsumi, I don't care what you do to that thing, just make it longer!"
The auburn-haired girl turned to smile at him. "Shinji-kun, this is the standard skirt length. It's the same as the one back in Gekkoukan, and you didn't have a problem with that," she said sweetly. It was on purpose of course. Minako knew first-hand how to get what she wanted from Shinjiro, and she happened to like the uniform just the way it is. Her boyfriend on the other hand, was having an inner conflict of protectiveness versus desire.
Teddie couldn't hold a perverted compliment from escaping his mouth any longer. "The skirt makes your really nice legs look super long, Mina-chan. Oh, you should see how Rise-chan wears hers. It's shorter than that!"
Souji beat Shinjiro to it and pulled the blonde's ear. "Teddie, what was it you promised me that you would never, ever do?" he asked in a menacing tone. Teddie shook in fear, cursing at himself for not having learned his lesson yet.
'That bear is so dead later…' the others thought.
Kanji took out a measuring tape, some pins from his clutch and approached the five, checking for any rips on their uniforms or asking them if they felt uncomfortable, whether it was too tight, too loose, or somewhere along those lines.
"Man, just look at the lovely ladies here," Junpei said good-naturally, winking at Minako and Metis. "I'm pretty sure these two will be a huge hit in school."
"Actually, there will be three new girls going to Yasogami, making it five transfer students in total," Rise chirped. "Oh, including Souji-senpai, there's gonna be six!"
"Six transfer students?!" Yosuke exclaimed. "That's a whole new record, even for schools in the city!"
"You don't know for sure if that new girl at the shopping district will be coming to our school," Kanji shot back. "It's not like Yasogami High is the only school around here."
"I agree with Kanji-kun," Naoto said. "But the new shop was very interesting. An antique store, to be precise."
The others gave her confused looks. "Well, I guess that makes sense. The shopping district is a perfect place to open up a specialty store like that," Yukiko said. "It should be a hit with the flea market crowd. Oddities in a place like Inaba attract all sorts of people."
"But I forgot what it was called…" Rise touched her forehead, trying to remember. Giving up, she turned to Kanji. "What was it called again, Kanji?"
"Uh…Sunso…No, it was…hmm…Shinsou…Shou…Arghh! I forgot!"
"Anyway, the owner has a daughter around our age!" Rise added, ignoring Kanji's futile attempts to remember the shop's name and pricking his fingers in the process. "She looked a bit withdrawn and gloomy, but I hope she goes to our school and make a lot of friends. At least I won't be the only girl living there!"
"Ohoooo! Then Teddie must try his best too!" Nobody wanted to know what he meant by that.
Mitsuru decided to steer the topic another way before the others lose focus. "Speaking of school, the ones who are attending college must also follow a strict schedule. I don't want anyone wasting their time and creating suspicion regarding our secret activities. Remember, we're suspicious enough as it is if we don't make up a believable excuse to be here, instead of studying in a proper learning facility."
Junpei grimaced slightly. "But what sort of excuse should we make? Isn't it better to hang out and relax? We can just tell people we're on a long break."
"Are you stupid, Junpei?" Yukari said. "This isn't the time of year for college students to take a break. We're supposed to be studying our butts off, plus we're already creating suspicion because we came here as a group and staying long after summer is over."
"Yukari-senpai is right," Rise said. "In a small town like Inaba, false rumors spread fast and stick in people's minds regardless of efforts trying to correct them."
"May I offer a suggestion?" Naoto piped in. By now, Kanji had finished the alterations and everyone took their seats. "How about working on something that has to do with your college majors? For example, Akihiko-san majors in criminal law, so I would recommend him to spend some time with me and Grampa solving a few cases on the pretense of completing his college thesis."
Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "Is that a job offer, Shirogane?"
The young detective smiled. "Yes, it is. Our extensive archive has more than enough material to help you with your case studies. As for the rest, it all depends on your creativity to make use of your time here. There are quite a lot of opportunities and part-time jobs if you know where to look for it, except for Ken-kun, since he's not at a legal age to be working."
"The job offer at Junes is still open," Yosuke reminded. "Just tell me about it if you're interested and I'll find a way to fit you guys in."
"The billboard at the Northern Shopping District just beside Aiya's Diner, advertises all sorts of jobs. We should check it out sometime. I'm in need of one myself," Souji said.
Kanji broke off from his little daze, a few seconds away from falling asleep. "That reminds me…Oi! Shinjiro-senpai," he called gruffly. "The old man decided to take you in as his cook starting from tomorrow. Whatever it was you made for him, he was so impressed he wouldn't shut up about it. Came all the way Ma's shop all giddy and happy, it was creepy."
"Man, you guys are always so busy. How the hell am I gonna spend my time here?" Junpei whined.
"I dunno…studying?" Yukari muttered sarcastically.
Nanako raised a timid hand, which took a while for the others to notice. Chie quickly told everyone to shut up and listen to what she has to say. "Umm…" the little girl began shyly. "I heard the teachers in my elementary school speaking about needing an assistant coach for the baseball club. Um, you're funny…" she trailed off, and hid behind Souji's chair.
Everyone laughed at the last part. "Well, that solves one problem," Mitsuru said. "But I expect all of you to try your best and fit in."
"But what about you, Mitsuru-senpai?" Fuuka questioned.
"That's a surprise. You'll know about it after the school session resumes."
Later that night…
Standing by the fishing dock was a young woman with dark hair, her sharp spectacles shining under the scarce moonlight. The black suit she wore made her almost invisible in the backdrop of the night. Judging from her foot tapping on the ground, she was waiting for someone.
A little boy with shining blue eyes appeared from behind a tree. He walked soundlessly towards the lady, hands behind his back. His loose, stripy pajamas fluttered around his little body as the wind blew against him, the rustling of fabric giving away his presence.
"Pharos, where have you been?" the woman asked sharply, not turning around to face him.
"At Nanako-chan's place. She just returned from her study session at the new dorm. Where's Ryoji?"
"He's investigating something. That playboy doesn't know how to stand still." Her eyes softened as she looked at the little boy. "How is Souji?"
Pharos looked to the ground. "Nanako-chan said that he's fine and healthy. It looks like he's hiding it better than I thought. So that means it's still under control."
"He won't be able to keep that up, no matter how strong he is. I just hope Ryoji finds something useful so that we can actually help him."
"Have faith in them, Marie. With the Arisato twins and his friends by his side, they can overcome anything." Pharos gave her a little smile. "Just you watch."
Bet ya didn't see that one coming huh? This is getting interesting. 3
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