"SEES?" Minato snickered as he hung his MP3 player around his neck. "Idiots… they'll get themselves killed sooner than later."
He opened the door of his room and walked out. Last night he had joined the 'stupid little club' as he had dubbed it. It was "Dedicated to fight the Shadows," Minato mocked using Mitsuru's voice, "My ass." Once he had walked down the steps, he was instantly greeted by Hamuko.
"Minato-kun!" Hamuko cheered, running towards Minato as soon as he had stepped onto the ground floor. He tried to bite back the urge to smile at her. He had to control it! Lately he was being so out of character…
"Thanks for joining us! I know you'll help us protect the city!" Hamuko gave a bright smile while Minato's eye twitched. 'Save the city? It's the same fucking city where I lost everything!' He screamed inside his mind.
"I ain't gonna do that," Minato spoke up, "I only joined because you might get yourself killed you careless woman." He had done it. He'd finally given a snarky comment to Hamuko which he couldn't do since the day they had met. Hamuko frowned for a moment but then cheered.
"So you're going to be my knight?" Minato's mind was blown again. She again did the complete opposite of what he had expected.
"Wha…?" Minato was dumbfounded.
Hamuko began jumping in joy, "Thank you!" She leaned closer to Minato who shivered. "That makes me really… happy…" She whispered into his ear. Minato's cheeks flushed when he felt her soft lips on his cheek, Hamuko planting an equally gentle kiss on Minato's cheek.
"Thank you for saving me that night and for helping us." She gave a warm smile to the still awe-struck Minato who nodded dumbly, making Hamuko giggle.
"Let's go!" She grabbed Minato's wrist and dragged him out of the dorm. The two sat at the monotail, ignoring the stares of their respective fanclubs. Hamuko and Minato talked about random things. Well… mostly just Hamuko. Minato only nodded and gave curt responses to whatever she said.
The train stopped and both teens walked towards the school and were greeted by Junpei who looked extremely happy, making Minato's blood boil. He walked forward, leaving Hamuko and Junpei behind.
"So classic lit…" Ekoda trailed off as his eyes darted across the room and fixed onto Minato. Dropping the current topic he clapped, "You the blue haired boy. Wake up." Minato didn't budge even an inch and kept on sleeping.
"Wake him up!" He ordered to Hamuko who nodded. She gently shook Minato who slowly but surely, began to wake up. He groaned and raised his head up groggily. Ekoda's eyes widened as he realised that Minato was the same student that insulted him in the previous class. "You!" He yelled, making Minato turn towards him.
Minato looked at him with his cold, silver gaze, almost making Ekoda think twice about what he was going to say. Nevertheless, after shrugging it off he pushed onwards. "You're the same rascal that insulted me! I'll let you know you aren't safe! I'm filing a complaint against you, and you are going to be expelled from this institution!"
Minato merely looked on at him as he continued to spout his garbage before snickering as Ekoda finished. "Oh really?" Minato stood up and walked towards him. He stopped just in front of him before bursting out in laughter. "Really? Really!? You're going to file a complaint to get me, of all people, expelled!?"
"Alright, let's review things shall we? Wouldn't the school rather have me? Who has topped scores countless times in schools across London? Someone who was offered a full scholarship? Someone who is from abroad and finally, someone who doesn't give a flying fuck if he gets expelled?" Ekoda's eyes widened, only to have Minato continue his spiel.
"Now you… the most ignorant teacher in the whole school, teaching hot garbage that I'm sure no-one will be taking next year. You're a complete and utter son of a bitch with a complex." Minato cursed, spitting out his words as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.
Ekoda paled a ghostly white. What Minato said was actually the truth. "So go on," Minato shoved Ekoda, making him stumble back. "I dare you." He continued taunting.
"I…" Ekoda stammered.
"I double dare you good for nothing bastard," Minato sneered. He turned towards the class. "Attention you good for nothing punks, who here wants to see me kick the ever loving crap out of his monkey ass!?" Everyone in the classroom cheered, and Ekoda instantly skedaddled out of the room.
Minato shook his head. "Another one." He turned around to see the students cheering for him with the girls blowing him kisses and the boys bowing before his feet.
"Shut up!" Minato yelled at them, but the students only began to cheer even more at his bad boy attitude.
"Hmph." Minato stepped away from the podium as the students continued to cheer. Walking towards his desk Minato dropped his head on it, getting ready to sleep again.
…Until he felt a soft hand on his head. He tilted his head to find Hamuko petting him gently on his head. Minato blushed as he quickly shook his head. "Don't do that again… am I some kind of puppy?" Minato growled and Hamuko giggled in response.
"Yup, a cute one!" She smiled. Minato just couldn't retaliate to a smile like that.
He rose from his seat. "I-I'm going to buy lunch." It was already lunchtime and she was hungry. Hamuko nodded back.
"Can you bring me some melon bread please?" Her voice was layered with every layer of sweetness, making Minato obey her.
"O-okay…" Shortly after he replied, he walked out of the classroom.
"Do you honestly expect him to bring that for you?" Yukari rolled her eyed at Hamuko who simply nodded.
"You'll see." She smiled knowingly.
Yukari shook her head. "I don't think so, didn't you see him? He's a total jerk," She curled her hands into fists. "He openly said he didn't give a crap about what happened to my parents."
"Did you say something… that offended him?" Hamuko asked.
Yukari thought about it before coming up with a possible answer. "Well, I did say he was alone like me…"
"That's what you did wrong." Hamuko replied.
"What wrong about that?" Yukari retorted.
"You didn't have to remind him of that horrible truth," Hamuko sighed.
"But that's the same thing I said to you." Hamuko nodded at Yukari's words in agreement.
"Yes… but he's different. My parents died but I got to see them… but he didn't," Hamuko tried to fight back tears, "I read his file… his car burst into flames and he barely survived. Everywhere he went, whether it was a twist of fate… everyone close to him died."
Yukari had her mouth open in shock. "I didn't know that…
"I guess that's why he took it so badly." Hamuko said.
The door slid open and Minato walked in. "Here's your bread…" Yukari's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. He actually bought a dozen melon breads for Hamuko.
"Thanks!" Hamuko cheered before she began munching on them. Yukari cleared her throat.
"Minato-kun… I'm…" She couldn't complete that sentence, as Minato walked out of the room, not in the mood to listen to her. Walking out side he bumped into Mitsuru.
Without a word, Minato started to walk away but Mitsuru ran up to him and informed him, "Come to the fourth floor after you get back. I have something to tell everyone." Minato nodded curtly and footed away from the scene.
School ended and Hamuko practically dragged Minato back to the dorm. They opened the door to see everyone, including Yukari already there. Akihiko waved at them. "Oh good, you're here," He walked towards the door. "There's someone I wanna introduce."
"Hey, hurry up!" He shouted to someone outside.
"Hold your horses, this is freaking heavy." A voice yelled back. Hamuko and Yukaru gasped while Minato's eyes widened slightly. Slightly. The door opened and in came a familiar cap wearing teen.
Junpei grinned. "Wassup?"
Yukari and Hamuko exchanged glances, obviously very surprised that Junpei was here.
Minato sighed. Getting up wordlessly, he walked straight up the stairs. "Call me if it's something actually important." He hissed with emphasis on 'important' and climbed up the remaining steps.
He was promptly dragged back by Hamuko who forced him to shake Junpei's hand, which he did so begrudgingly and with a scowl on his face.
Alright. I believe we're ready." Akihiko grinned. The door opened once more and Minato's rage increased as he saw the chairman walking towards them with a huge bulge on his face.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Junpei asked. Ikutsuki threw a glance to Minato's hate-filled face before chuckling.
"Oh, I fell off some steps. Silly me," The chairman cleared his throat. "Okay. I would your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru, Akihiko and Hamuko were the only Persona users that we had."
Minato's eyebrow twitched. 'Huh, I wonder why.' He thought sarcastically. With this ditzy chairman, he wouldn't see why anyone would want to join anyways.
"However, that number has recently jumped to six. So starting tonight at twelve AM I would like to announce the beginning of the exploration of Tartarus." Ikutsuki explained.
"Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei gave his thoughts, making everyone sigh. Except for the chairman.
"Tartarus? That's known as Hell in Greek mythology." Minato mused.
Everyone turned to him. "Really?" Hamuko asked.
Minato shook his head. "You didn't know?"
"Alright. Let's meet at the place before twelve." The juniors nodded at Akihiko's words.
Minato stepped up to his room, wondering what the hell he was going to see. The juniors took the train with Akihiko and they stopped near Gekkoukan. Akihiko led them, stopping in front of the school where Mitsuru was already waiting.
"This… is the place?" Junpei asked with a stunned expression. "But why here?"
Akihiko flipped his cell phone open. "Just wait a few seconds. It's almost midnight."
"Tick… tock."
"Tick… tock."
"Tick… tock."
"Stop it." Minato snarled to which Hamuko giggled.
"Sorry." She replied, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Minato gave a small smile in front of everyone. "Hmph. Crazy woman."
Hamuko pouted. "I top the whole class just so you know!"
Minato's smile widened. "Let's see if you can do that when I'm around."
"Is that a challenge?" Hamuko asked with a competitive grin.
Minato nodded. "Yes. It is."
"Well you can bet your ass I'm gonna win it!" Hamuko replied with a determined face.
Minato laughed. "Let's see about that!" In those few moments, he had forgotten all about the hate inside him and the fact that everyone was staring at them.
"Whoa… he smiled…" Yukari blushed, looking at the small smile on Minato's face. "He looks so cute…"
'Hamu-tan's pretty close with him…' Junpei thought. But all thoughts stopped as that blasted hour hit the world. Their surroundings shifted into the green and iron-filled air that permeated the Dark Hour flowed in. Pools of blood appeared on the ground and the enlarged moon that stood behind the buildings with an eerie yellow glow.
However, the members of SEES ignored that. Instead their attention was all focused on the school. The form of the building rose, twisted and turned while several other structures stuck out of the abomination of a tower that just formed. They were the kind that looked like they were not structurally sound at all and that they would collapse on each other and tumble down at any given moment. Like the world around it, it was that murky green. It rose higher and higher into the sky, standing in front of the unnerving gaze of the moon behind it.
"This is Tartarus." Mitsuru announced as the juniors sans Hamuko stared at the monster of an obelisk that towered in front of them.
Minato's mouth curled up into a devilish grin as a familiar voice inside him spoke. "Home."
Hoshi: Whoo, this chapter had a lot more happening in it so that's some good stuff! There was more chewing out of Ekoda, more character development and much, much more! Hopefully the grammar and spelling is alright in this one. Because if there is anything wrong, like I said it's probably my fault. But, I do my best! XD
Anyways, hope you guys catch the next chapter! Plz review and no flames!