Chapter Five: Tartarus, the Nest of Shadows

April 18, 2009, Dark Hour

Minato's Room – Minato's POV

SATURDAY

I was startled awake when I sensed something was amiss. A quick mental check told me that it was the Dark Hour. Not wanting to go through another Shadow attack unarmed, I reached out for my sword as I opened my eyes. What I saw at the foot of my bed was even more unexpected than a Shadow.

"The End will soon come." The ghost boy who greeted me when I first came to the dorm said. "I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"W-what?" I asked while rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"The end of everything… But even I'm sure what it is." The boy chuckled. "Oh, you've awakened to your power and it's unusual at that."

Wha! How did this toddler know that?!

Then as if he heard or rather read my mind, a flicker of annoyance showed through the boy's features. "It is a power that takes many forms but is bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation you know, depending on where you end up…"

Which means? Is this kid Igor's son or something?

"How did you get in here?" I asked, deciding to ignore his eerie warning.

"Do you remember when we first met? I'm expecting you to honor the contract." He said, completely ignoring my question. "I'll be watching over you, Minato. Even if you forget about me…" His voice said as he faded into the darkness.

I guess that's how he entered. Hmm… I wonder if this dorm is haunted…

April 19, 2009, Afternoon

Iwatodai Dorm, 1st Floor

SUNDAY

I have the whole day to myself now, not to mention it's my first Sunday morning that I spent awake. What to do. What to do… There's no sense in wandering around town aimlessly though. But I don't want to spend the entire day inside… Hmm… how about that Hagakure place? People say they have the best ramen in town, might as well.

"Hey, Minato." Akihiko-senpai called me. "Planning to spend the day outside?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking of trying out that Hagakure place."

"Do you mind some company?" The senior asked. "I was getting bored. Besides, I want to know more about you and that sword of yours."

I accepted his company and we went to the strip mall.

Iwatodai Dorm, Evening

Akihiko Sanada proved to be more than an adrenaline junkie. He may like action a lot but from what I heard and eating with him this afternoon, he has more on his mind than just fights. He also suggested that I join the Kendo or the Fencing club based on my skill with the sword. Turns out that I'm the only one in our dorm who isn't engaged in a club activity.

Yukari is on the Archery team and she's one of the best archers the school has. Akihiko is the boxing champ and Mitsuru is on the Fencing club and she's also the Student Council president. I missed a lot sleeping in a hospital bed for a week… How do these guys balance it all? Especially with the SEES thing and all the Shadows to fight…

"I'd like to introduce someone to you guys." Said the boxer, interrupting my train of thought. Yukari and I exchanged glances, both of us wondering who it could be. Akihiko turned to someone outside. "Hey, hurry it up!"

"Hold your horses, dude. This is freakin' heavy!" A voice from outside said. The high pile of luggage the guy was carrying made it impossible for us to see his face. But both Yukari and I knew the owner of the voice all too well…

"It can't be." Yukari muttered to herself. "It can't be!"

"Maybe it's not who we're thinking it is." I said.

Yeah, right.

"Wazzup." The owner of the voice said. Yukari and I could only stare at him with horrified faces. The goatee, the baseball cap and the Gekkoukan uniform. It could only be… Junpei Iori.

"What's he doing here?" Yukari blurted, unable to contain her shock.

"I guess introductions are unnecessary. Seeing as the three of you are in the same homeroom after all." Akihiko said.

After checking that the person in front of really was Junpei, I turned to Akihiko. "Does this mean... that he's staying here?"

"O c'mon!" Junpei exclaimed. "It's like the two of you don't want to see me."

We don't.

"As of today, he will be staying with us." The senior confirmed. "I ran into him the other night. He has the potential. It's a good thing I found him before the shadows did."

Of all the people… why Junpei?

"You?!" Yukari exclaimed, facing Junpei. "You have the potential?"

"For real?" I asked. We didn't really mean it in a bad way, it was just so unbelievable.

"Hey!" Junpei protested. "If I didn't know better I'd think the two of you really don't want me here."

Akihiko laughed at our reactions. "I already told him about SEES. And he agreed to join us."

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed.

"Oh, well." I sighed. "It's not like we can do anything about it…"

"Ya know senpai found me cryin' like a baby in the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't really remember much but man, that's embarrassing." Junpei said while he seated himself in the middle of me and Yukari. "But that's normal right? Senpai said so. Being confused, forgetting things, stuff like that."

"It is, huh?" I said, my voice even. Come to think of it... why didn't I react to the Dark Hour like everybody did? Not to mention the second persona. Judging from everybody's reactions, things like that are rare.

"But hey, I was surprised to know about you guys." Junpei said. "I had no idea. But I'm glad I ain't the only one. I bet you're stoked to have me join you!"

Stoked?

"Right, stupei." Yukari said, sarcastically.

"All right." said the senior, drawing our attention back to him. "I think we're ready."

Yukari and I exchanged glances. Junpei however was oblivious. "Awesome! What're we gonna do?"

"With this many people, we can finally start exploring that place." Akihiko said.

"Oh, you mean Tartarus?" Yukari suggested.

Akihiko frowned at this. He was purposely leaving out the name for suspense. "Yes. Tartarus."

"What's that? Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei said. I didn't know if he was joking or if he really thought that Tartarus was toothpaste.

Hold on a sec. I'm seeing a pattern here, all the Greek Myth references... Orpheus, Thanatos, and now Tartarus...

"You'll see for yourself tomorrow night." Akihiko promised. "The chairman will give us more details tomorrow." He said, dismissing the three of us. Then he turned to Junpei. "Oh and Junpei, the third floor is for girls okay? You can have your pick of rooms at the second floor, except for mine and Minato's."

"Aw." The newcomer sighed. "So close."

April 20, 2009, Lunchtime

Gekkoukan High

MONDAY

"Oh, I thought I was gonna fall asleep there." Yukari yawned.

"Yeah, same here." I said, stretching in my seat. "Junpei over there is knocked out, though."

"Can I have a minute?" Mitsuru-senpai said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, thus surprising Yukari and me. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone." Without waiting for a reply, she left the classroom.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"She's probably busy with Student Council. Unlike us." Yukari said. Is there a hint of hostility there? Envy maybe?

"Hey, Yuka-tan. Do I hear some hostility there?" Junpei said. Apparently awakened by our senpai's arrival.

"No. It's just..." She trailed off. "She's so... you know..." She waved her hands in a circular manner, unable to find the proper word.

While I agree that senpai isn't the touchy-feely kind of person, it must have had something to do with her upbringing. Born the heir to the Kirijo Group, she must have been calculating the average profit she would make from this and that at the age she should have been playing with dolls. Then now she also has SEES to worry about... When you think of it that way, I guess you can actually pity her. But I guess that's because I can actually relate to what she's going through...

"Hey! Earth to Minato." Junpei shook my shoulder, interrupting my train of thought. "Thinking deep are we?" He came closer, standing near my chair. "Getting romantic ideas about a certain senpai are we?"

I stared at him, not getting what he meant. "But isn't senpai a little out of your league?" He asked. "Besides, two-timing doesn't sit well with Yuka-tan..."

Yukari glared at him with ferocious intensity. "What was that?" I asked him, glaring at him with a glare that rivaled Yukari's.

Junpei stepped back. "Hey, I was just..."

"Kidding?" I finished for him, with a daring hint to my voice.

"Y-yeah!" He gulped. I stopped glaring at him and saw Yukari's concerned face. She probably thought I was going to hit Junpei. I waited for a moment, then shook my head. I slapped his shoulder and smirked. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"That wasn't nice man!" Junpei sighed. "You looked like you wanted to eat me. I'm used to that kind of treatment from Yukari but not from you, ya know."

"Geez. I thought you we're going to hit him." Yukari told me. "Speaking of eat, I'm hungry."

Iwatodai Dorm, Evening

Junpei, Yukari and I sat on the couches in the lounge as Ikutsuki explained to us the fundamentals of the place called Tartarus with the two seniors adding some information at times.

The chairman continued with his explanation -but to me it was more of a speech. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to five. Therefore, starting tonight, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

"So, what is this place?" I was asking.

Mitsuru-senpai chuckled. "You'll see. It's almost time, after all."

I sighed at the lack of information. Honestly, I know suspense is a good way to get people hyped up, but this 'mysterious aura' is really getting old.

She chuckled again, as if she knew what I was thinking. "It's no surprise that you haven't seen it. It only appears during the Dark Hour, after all."

"What? Why?" Yukari asked.

"We don't know either. It's quite hard to explore that place when we only have three persona-users. And one has to remain outside." Akihiko said.

What for? Backup? Why would you prefer reinforcements to someone who is actually inside with you? But then again, if you get stuck, that backup could free you... but that doesn't always happen. Either way, two is too few to explore Tartarus. Whatever this 'Tartarus' is.

"But what we do know is that it is their nest." Akihiko explained. "The shadows' nest. Exciting isn't it?"

"We all appreciate your enthusiasm, Akihiko. But you won't be exploring with us."

"I know, I know." The boxer grimaced.

A few minutes before Dark Hour

Gekkoukan High, School Entrance – Mitsuru's POV

"Uh... What are we doing here?" Iori asked. Obviously not happy to see the school again.

"It is almost time." said Akihiko, not even bothering to look up from his wristwatch. "Just wait."

Akihiko and I waited patiently, knowing what would come. Takeba on the other hand, was anxiously biting her lip and flexing her fingers. Iori had a smile that made me suspicious, but maybe he was just excited. But the person who made me curious was Arisato, he looked bored but his eyes moved slightly as if he was calculating some possibility. I looked at my watch. Only a few minutes left...

Just what goes inside that mind of yours Arisato? If your name is Arisato... There is certainly more to you than you let on.

I confirmed this when I checked his sword again on the pretense of cleaning it while he was in the hospital. On closer inspection, it was not an ordinary sword. It was made of silver not merely coated with it as I previously thought. The sword was of average weight and the hilt wasn't long, which means it was meant to be used with one-hand. But what really gave it away was the blade was sharp and clean.

The blade of a sword meant for decoration must be dull and dusty, since removal of the sheath is not encouraged. Why have a sword meant for battle with you? Unless of course you know how to use it. Which also proves that he wasn't merely 'lucky' at the fight with the shadow. After contemplating this, I double checked his file.

There was nothing there that suggested any training in sword fighting. Not to mention his comment when he was recruited. "It's not like you have cameras in every nook and cranny..." Could he have spotted the well-hidden cameras in his room?

Dark Hour

Minato's POV

I looked around me when the moon glowed green. Suddenly, I heard a grinding sound quickly becoming louder. The earth lurched and rumbled. Junpei who was unprepared, stumbled and cried out. Yukari took hold of the nearest object -which was my arm- to steady herself. While surprised myself, I managed to keep balanced and calm. My attention however, was soon taken from the rumbling floor. The school started to rise all the while forming impossible formations, joining and breaking with numerous walls. It continued to rise even at the height I was so sure it would fall. Statues appeared near the top -or rather the 'top' I could see. Who knows how high this thing is? My mind continued to calculate endless possibilities while my eyes took in everything.

Even at a moment like this... I keep on thinking of stuff people my age shouldn't be thinking about. And no, it wasn't the dirty kind. My mind just won't let me rest... wonder if it's in the blood. Or maybe... *sigh*

"So, this is Tartarus." I said calmly, as the tower continued to rise.

Mitsuru-senpai looked at me strangely. I was startled to see annoyance in her eyes. "You didn't react as I though you would, Arisato."

"Was there a specific way to react?" I asked sincerely. But she might have thought I was being sarcastic and instead shifted her eyes to the other juniors. I looked at Yukari -who was still holding my arm- and Junpei. They were both looking up with a somewhat shocked expression. Junpei's mouth was hanging open though.

I scoffed a bit inwardly. Did she think I wasn't surprised? Well I was, but I just don't do the whole I'm-so-surprised-and-my-mouth-is-hanging act. So I just shrugged.

"This is Tartarus." The Kirijo heiress explained once the earth stopped rumbling. "As Akihiko said, this is the nest of shadows. A labyrinth that only appears during the Dark Hour and after that it goes back to normal."

Normal is overrated.

"Labyrinth?" Junpei asked once he picked his mouth from the floor. "What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?"

I looked at the redhead expecting an answer. Neither she nor the boxer answered Junpei's question. No answer huh? Hmm... something tells me otherwise.

"It doesn't matter." I said. "Not like knowing it would change anything."

"True." Yukari agreed.

Junpei decided to drop it and focus on the exploration. That solves that... For a while at least. I just hope she realizes she has to trust us with information. But I better take my own advice. 'It doesn't matter.' The boxer then knelt to unzip a bag we brought here.

"What's in the bag?"

"Here." Akihiko said as he gave a long sword to Junpei. "We can't let you guys fight without weapons. The long sword is for you, the bow Yukari's and the short sword Minato's." He said giving Yukari and me the weapons.

"Ahahaha!" Junpei laughed as he swished the sword around. "This is awesome."

"Hey, Watch it!" Akihiko yelled, dodging the incoming sword.

"Honestly, stupei. You're like a little kid." Yukari chastised. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. An ally who doesn't know how to use his weapon is sometimes more dangerous than an enemy. I better keep an eye on him.

"Sorry." He apologized but he was still giddy with excitement.

"Okay, the three of you are going to explore the first floor of Tartarus." Akihiko started.

"Huh? You're not coming senpai?" Yukari asked Mitsuru.

"No. I will stay here and provide support." She said impassively. "You'll see once you get inside." she added when she saw our confused faces. Hmm... so this is what Akihiko meant when he said one has to stay outside.

"And I can't get past the entrance." Akihiko-senpai sighed. "Besides Mitsuru can only do so many things as support. So we will appoint a temporary leader to make any quick decisions."

"Oh! Oh! Me, me, pick me!" Junpei's excitement rose. Which I thought was impossible. Akihiko slightly winced at the thought of appointing Junpei leader. Especially after his escapade with the sword... Which leaves me and Yukari.

"Minato. You're in charge." Akihiko said after some deliberation.

"Whaaat? Why him?! He doesn't look like a leader." Junpei complained.

"Uh... what?" I asked. "Why me? Yukari was a member of SEES before I was." I saw a panicked look in Yukari's eyes.

"No!" she yelled. "Er... I mean, you fought them before." I was about to remind her that she was there with me when Junpei interrupted.

"Really?" Junpei asked with... awe? "C'mon Minato. Let's get going!"

I sighed seeing that I had no choice. "Okay. I'll do my best. Let's go!"

Tartarus 1st Floor

"What the heck?" I said as we entered. "This looks nothing like the entrance!" The three of us were in a grand room with 4 enormous columns in front of us. We stood on a marble floor that reminded me of a chessboard. But just like Tartarus itself, there were uneven curving of the floors. Labyrinth indeed.

"It looks beautiful but creepy at the same time..." Yukari said, looking at the walls while she was walking around.

"Yukari, put your bow up. If something shows up, the last thing you'll want to see is the scenery." I scolded.

She grinned sheepishly and raised her bow. I was surprised to hear a voice -not inside my head- since the others jumped too. "Can you hear me?"

"Senpai!" Yukari said, edging closer to Junpei since she put her bow down to touch her ear. "Yes. We can hear you."

"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out." Senpai said. Her voice sounded a little mechanic so I presumed she used equipment to be able to do this. I looked up for some sign of a hidden camera.

"You can see us?" Junpei asked.

I could hear her chuckle inside my head. "It's my persona ability. There aren't any cameras around, so don't worry." Touche' I wonder if she can read our minds... Scary thought. "Given your current position, be prepared to encounter enemies at every corner. They shouldn't be too tough but proceed with caution."

"Aw right!" Junpei exclaimed running ahead of us. "Let's go!"

"Stupei, wait!" Yukari and I ran after him but were blocked by two small shadows that resembled... hands?

I sidestepped the one closer to me and shoved my sword sidewards into the head-like mask of the shadow. It gave a few death throes before dissipating like mist. Huh? Just one hit and... I heard Yukari scream. She was stepping back while shooting at the shadow but she was having difficulty because the abomination was so close to her. I ran toward them, intending to slash the monster from behind but it turned around and sent a fireball hurtling towards me.

I blocked just in time with my sword taking most of the hit. The tips of my sleeves were a bit burned though. Yukari took the chance and shot three arrows, making the shadow cry in pain. One more shot and it dissipated as well. "Great shooting." I complimented her.

"Thanks." she smiled. "Oh, we have to go after stupei!" I nodded and we ran after him. Soon, we found him around a corner along with two shadows that looked like blobs of black goo. He was wounded, one of the cuts he sustained was bleeding heavily. I immediately took the Evoker from it's holster and summoned Orpheus.

"Orpheus!" I yelled. It sent a fireball towards one and it burnt like fuel, screaming and eventually dissipating. Then Orpheus bashed the other but it dodged the persona and counterattacked. "Ugh." I felt like I was kicked in the shin. The shadow let out a sharp cry and suddenly we were surrounded by several shadows. I was filled with frustration. "For Pete's sake..." Orpheus summoned several fireballs and burnt three to ash. Yukari sent more shadows to their deaths as they advanced.

"There is a teleporter nearby! Use it to get to the entrance." The transceiver related senpai's voice.

"Yukari! Help Junpei up and find the teleporter!" I ordered as Orpheus sent more abominations to the shadow afterlife. "I'll cover you, hurry!"

Yukari nodded as she helped Junpei up. Orpheus continued to bash and burn the mass of shadows. Seeing the carnage my persona wrought, several retreated and soon only one remained. Sweat trickled down my forehead as Orpheus faded. It was getting harder to keep Orpheus around so I let him fade. I summoned up the energy I had and charged the last shadow.

Not long after it dissipated, I heard footsteps behind me. "Oh, they're gone..."

"Y-yeah. Most of them retreated." I panted. "Man, I'm beat."

"We should go before they come back." Yukari turned in what I thought was the direction of the teleporter when she picked something up. "What's this? It looks like a card."

"Some sort of reward? Or maybe it's dangerous..." I took it. The card had a picture of a girl with blue skin and a jewel on her head. "Either way, let's get back and show this to the senpais"

Tartarus Entrance

"Welcome back. How was it?" The boxer asked. I gave him a strange look.

"I'm dead tired." I sat on the ground resting against a pillar. "I'll just sit here for a while..."

"Yeah. I'm beat." Junpei said.

"That's 'cause you bounced around like a little kid."

"Bah. You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath actually..."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour. It's easier to get tired at this time period." Mitsuru-senpai explained. "But you surprised me. At this rate, they'll surpass you Akihiko."

The boxer smirked. "We'll see about that when my injury heals."

I was only half aware of this discussion however. My attention was attuned to the glowing blue door to my right. For some reason, it reminded me of the key Igor gave me. I took the key from my front pocket and it was sucked into the keyhole. The door suddenly opened of its own volition and everything went white.

Velvet Room, Tartarus Entrance

I found myself seated in front of the man with the long nose, named Igor and to his right was Elizabeth, his assistant. "It's a pleasure to see you again, my dear boy." The man said in his mysterious voice.

"About that door..." I started.

"No one but you can see it. And enter it." Igor interrupted. "Time passes differently here, no one will notice your absence. At least for a while."

"Oh, okay." If you say so... I do not want to explain this to the others. I'm not even sure how.

"I see the time has come for you to use your power." He said. "It is a mysterious one at that. It is like the number Zero. It is empty by itself, but it holds infinite possibilities. To nurture this power, you will need my help. And I shall give it to you."

"What's the catch?"

Igor chuckled. "There is no... catch, as you say it. The only thing I ask for in return is that you abide by the contract."

"I intend to do that."

"Your power is still in its beginning stage." He mused. "As I have told you before, your power will reflect your bonds with others. Now, time is running short. You have to go now. But please don't hesitate to come and visit us again."

Tartarus Entrance

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei was shaking me. He laughed as I looked up at him. "You fell asleep? You're that tired huh?"

"Oh, cut him some slack. It's your fault in the first place you know." Yukari scolded.

"Nah. The Dark Hour just took a lot out of me." I rose from the floor but winced when I put weight on my left foot.

"Is something wrong, Minato-kun?" Yukari noticed my wince.

"Last shadow must have hit me pretty hard." I knelt to check my foot. I sustained a cut to the ankle. "What are you doing?" I asked, when Yukari put her Evoker to her head.

"It's her power. She healed me with it." Junpei answered. Yukari's persona materialized in front of her. It came in the form of a woman with bright golden hair chained to a chair that looked like an animal's horned head. "Dia!" She yelled. Her persona followed the command and sent wisps the color of the sky towards my wound. Soon the pain was gone and the wound was healed with no trace.

"Thanks. Your power is pretty handy." I stood up and felt no pain at all.

"Hey, come on you three!" We heard Akihiko-senpai calling us. "You don't want to be in there when the Dark Hour ends!" Then suddenly a card manifested in front of me. "Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to make a persona of the Fool Arcana..." Then the card faded.

"Minato! Come on!"

"O-oh, right!" I ran to catch up to them.

With that the SEES members made their way back to the dorm without further incident.

Author's Note: Hi reader! If you haven't reviewed yet, please do click the review button at the bottom of the page and review. Just tell me what you think of my story, anything helps!