Chapter Eight: Elizabeth's Requests

April 27, 2009, After School

Student Council Room – Minato's POV

MONDAY

"Everyone, this is Minato Arisato." Mitsuru-senpai introduced me in front of the council members. "He'll be joining us in the council."

One of the members sized me up."Minato-kun, huh..." He had long slightly gray hair and a stern face. "I'm Hidetoshi Odagiri, I supervise the Disciplinary Committee."

I nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Chihiro Fushimi, the Treasurer." A timid-looking girl with long hair and glasses said. "I'm a sophomore, and um... I'm still learning the ropes, so... please be patient with me, Minato-san."

"I'll be on my best behavior." I smiled at her.

"I certainly hope so." Hidetoshi laughed. "You must be talented if the President hand-picked you. I must give the rumors some credit, after all."

The world blinked white and a card floated on front of me again. The card had a regal looking figure on a purple background. "Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Persona's of the Emperor Arcana..."

"Minato-kun? Are you okay?" Chihiro asked me.

I blinked. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Another one... hmm.. I'm on a roll!

"Today, we'll just do introductions." Mitsuru-senpai said, drawing the attention back to her. "It'll be your job to help us, Arisato. From now on, you have my permission to enter the Student Council room whenever you need to."

I nodded. "Got it, senpai."

"That includes after school too." She continued. "We have meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, but we don't meet before tests. Thank you for joining us today, Arisato." She said, effectively ending the discussion.

Iwatodai Dorm, Evening

Junpei greeted me when I got back to the dorm. "Yo! I heard Mitsuru-senpai asked you to join the Student Council!"

"You heard about that already?" I asked him. "The grapevine is as fast as usual I see." I muttered.

"Senpai, are you sure you wanna let this slacker in?" He asked Mitsuru who was reading a report of some sort.

She looked up from reading her report. "I need some assistance, that's all. I won't let the responsibilities stack up too high." Then she looked at Junpei with a smug look. "Are you interested in helping out, Iori?"

"U-uh no. I'll pass." He looked away. "But, thanks for the offer." I chuckled at Junpei's reaction and sat down beside him. After I got tired of reading my book, I excused myself and went to my room, studying the night away.

May 1, 2009, Early Morning

Gekkoukan Entrance

FRIDAY

The days passed by without incident. We spent most of the nights exploring Tartarus, eventually reaching the 16th floor. I spent the days either training or hanging out with Kenji. Amidst the busy schedule, I managed to squeeze in enough time to study and even established a Social Link while playing an Online game Junpei gave me.

"Hey, Minato-kun." Yukari fell in step beside me. "Morning."

"Good Morning." I greeted.

"Time passes quickly, huh? It's already May." She said.

"It's even faster for me." I pointed out. "I spent an entire week in coma after all."

Yukari looked down. "I hope we never see a shadow that strong again."

I nodded. "Yeah. But with our luck we might encounter an even stronger one tomorrow."

"Don't jinx things!" Yukari punched me on the arm. "Speaking of shadows, how's your shoulder?" The guardian shadow of the 14th floor, Rampage Drive, pinned me to a wall yesterday.

I shrugged. "I'm okay. It's still sore though."

"Do you want me to heal it?" She offered. I shook my head. "Nah, it's not worth the trouble. Been through worse without the power of Persona."

Yukari shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then she fell silent for a moment. "A lot's been happening lately. More and more people get affected by the Apathy Syndrome and we're the only ones who know what's really happening..."

"The only thing we can do is keep training." I said firmly. "I don't think Tartarus only consists of fifteen floors, so we should resume exploring when we find a way to get through that seal of some sort."

She nodded with a smile on her face. "Aye aye, leader!"

I laughed and shook my head. "You've got it wrong."

After School

Just a normal school day, nice change. I took a deep breath and stretched in my seat.

"Hey, man." Junpei slapped my desk. I glared at him , annoyed at being disturbed. "Did you hear, Akihiko-san's getting a checkup at the hospital."

"A checkup, huh?" I thought. "For a couple of broken ribs, I'm guessing it's his last."

Junpei ignored my comment. "He called me earlier, and asked me to bring him the class roster for 2-E." He beamed. "Oh, yeah! He at least knows who the reliable one is."

Before I could reply, Yukari butted in. "He only asked you coz you're the only who doesn't have anything to do after school." She said. Man, talk about harsh. I inwardly chuckled.

"H-hey, I resent that." He muttered. Yukari giggled. "I was just kidding, Junpei. What does he want the roster for?" Junpei shrugged. "Well, I don't have practice today, so I'll come with you."

Junpei blinked. "What? He asked me, remember?" Yukari ignored him and turned to me. "You're coming too, right?"

"Today's a Friday, which means Kendo practice and council meeting after that." I said. "So, sorry I'll pass."

Junpei blinked. "You're starting to sound like Mitsuru-senpai, man."

"Come on, now." Yukari urged. "Must be important, if he called Junpei all the way out to the hospital... Don't you think?" Junpei sighed. "Hey, I told you. He asked ME." Yukari ignored him. Again. "If it's important, we should all go together."

Seems like you're being forced, Master. Duh. The male is right anyway, you are starting to sound like the female with the red hair. I sighed inwardly. Call them by their names. As my subconscious, you should know their names and thus, call them so. See what I mean?

Oh just shut up...

"All right, fine. If you put it that way." I reluctantly agreed.

Tatsumi Memorial Hospital

"How many times do you think we'll visit this place?" I asked the other two after we found out Akihiko-senpai's room number.

"Not much?" Junpei offered. "Why d'ya ask?"

"No reason." I shrugged. "I mean, with the dangers we face at night and a Dia spell can't heal everything..."

Junpei laughed. "You worry too much. But I guess you're right. We just have to be careful then."

Yukari scoffed. "Careful? You?" Junpei glared at her. "I resent that!"

"Quiet!" I said, quietly but firmly. "We're in a hospital." Junpei and Yukari stopped their arguing long enough for us to reach Akihiko-senpai's room.

We came across an unfamiliar teenager in Akihiko-senpai's room. Senpai himself was nowhere to be found. The teenager was male and wore a beanie and a purple trench coat. He looked rough, obviously not someone you want to mess with. Junpei blinked. "Umm..." He cleared his throat. "Er.. is Akihiko-senpai...?"

The tough-looking teenager looked up. Noticing us for the first time. "Huh?"

Junpei managed a nervous grin and finished his sentence. "In this room? By any chance?" As if on cue, the boxer walked in. "What are all of you doing here?"

"We came to see you." Yukari blurted, her nervousness getting the better of her. "It doesn't look like anything's wrong with you."

"Should there be?" The boxer asked. "I'm just here for a checkup."

The teenager stood, drawing attention to himself. "Is that it, Aki?" He asked calmly. Senpai nodded. "Yeah, thanks." The teenager grunted. "Tch... I don't have time for this shit." He started to make his way to the dorm but he stopped in front of me. "You..." He said, looking at me. I looked at him square in the eyes as well. "Never mind..." He said and he walked out.

What was that about? Hmm... He looked like he had some 'baggage', Master. Baggage indeed. "Who was that?" I asked.

"A friend from school... sort of." The boxer said. "You know how the number of Apathy Syndrome has been increasing?" He paused. "Well, he knows a few people who are suffering from it, so I asked him about it." Senpai turned to Junpei. "Did you bring the roster?"

"Of course!" Junpei took the class roster from his pocket and gave it to the boxer. "Sorry for the trouble." Akihiko said. "Let's get going, guys!"

"Senpai! You shouldn't be moving your arm." Yukari said.

"It's nothing." He said. "I wasted too much time. I need to get back to training."

"By the way, senpai." I said. "Why did you choose boxing?"

"Well.." He thought for a moment. "It's not the sport itself I like; I just wanted to learn how to fight." Learn how to fight... The boxer looked down. "I know what it's like to feel powerless..."

"Don't we all?" I muttered, looking away.

"And I don't want to feel that way again." Akihiko-senpai said with determination. "Sides' I'm curious to see how strong I can get. It's like a game, only I'm competing against myself."

Junpei scratched his chin. "That's an interesting way of looking at it." Then he smiled his mega-watt grin. "You do know I'm into games too..."

"Yeah." Yukari and I said in unison. "Video Games." Junpei however was unfazed. "Oh, but I like fighting games too!"

Iwatodai Dorm, Evening

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted the three of us when we got back. "A long weekend is coming up so normally, I would suggest that we explore Tartarus."

"Yeah, but there's that seal..." I said, sitting down on one of the couches.

"But it may take some time for Akihiko to fully heal. And I don't want anything like that to happen again." She pursued. "Besides, the number of victims keep on increasing. That sounds like a bad omen to me."

I nodded. "I suppose we can train on the lower levels for now." I turned to Junpei and Yukari with a smile on my face. "What about it guys? You up for some exploring?"

"Hell yeah!" Junpei said with a grin plastered on his face. Yukari agreed as well. I turned back to Mitsuru-senpai. "Guess there's your answer. We'll go to Tartarus tonight."

Tartarus Entrance, Dark Hour

"So we have to start over from the second floor?" Yukari asked as we prepared our equipment. "We can if you want to. But there's always the teleporter. I think it would be better if we start from a higher floor. Like maybe, 10th or 5th." I answered.

"Well, its all up to you, Arisato." Senpai interrupted. We resumed preparing our equipment. I decided to enter the Velvet Room and ask Elizabeth how she got my number.

Velvet Room

"I'm sorry to bother you." Elizabeth told me as I entered the room. "But I have a big favor to ask." I remained silent. "I have been looking for someone with exceptional strength. If you don't mind, will you accept my requests?" She asked. "Of course, once each request is completed, I will have a reward for you."

"Why not?" I interrupted.

Elizabeth beamed. "Then I anxiously await your cooperation."

I nodded. "More importantly, how did you get my number?"

She smiled coyly. "We all have our secrets, Minato." That doesn't make me feel any better... I decided to accept a request that asked me to 'retrieve the first old document'. The first old document... I found that on the 16th floor.

Elizabeth gave me a Bead Chain as a reward. I decided to fuse Apsaras and Pixie together to create Nekomata. I saw some Apsaras and Pixie cards lying around last time... Nekomata turned out to be some sort of cat-woman hybrid with a black mask on her face. Was this the inspiration for 'Catwoman'?

I guess I have no choice but to protect you. Don't be like that. It'll be fun. Hmph. Just let me burn those things to ashes.

6TH FLOOR

There were no shadows to confront us on the fifth floor so we quickly made it to the sixth. I decided to try Nekomata out as we encountered two cupids. Show me what you got! "Nekomata!" I ordered the persona to cast an Agi at one cupid, killing it instantly. I saw the surprised looks of my teammates. "Don't let your guard down! Yukari, shoot it!" I ordered as the shadow shot an arrow aimed at Yukari.

Yukari dodged but was a second too late, the arrow grazing her arm. "You'll pay for that!" She yelled as she shot the shadow three times, ending its existence. Afterwards, she summoned Io and healed herself.

"Another Persona?" Junpei asked. I nodded. "Something tells me I wouldn't understand where you got it..." He said.

I blinked. "You're... right. I guess you wont." After all, no one but me can see the Velvet Room door anyway... Junpei shrugged. "You are special after all." I heard him mutter as he walked away. "Hey! Junpei?" I was confused by his reaction. Did I say something?

We explored Tartarus for a while longer reaching the eighth floor again. On the way, I managed to regain Apsaras and Pixie. Wonder what persona I'll get if I fuse them again... While exploring, we ran into a lone shadow called the Grave Beetle.

After senpai analyzed it, I found out that it was weak to Garu and strong against Zio attacks. "Yukari, spam it with Garu spells. Junpei stay out of its reach and focus on using Hermes!" I ordered them both. I dodged to the right as it attacked me with its huge horn. Then I ducked as it swung the horn around. Yukari who was just summoning Io, didn't see the horn in time however and she fell, her Evoker flying out of her grasp.

"I got your backs!" Junpei yelled as he ordered Hermes to burn the shadow with Agi spells. It was just enough for the dim-witted shadow to forget about us and focus on the fast flying Hermes. I summoned Pixie to heal Yukari then tossed her my Evoker. "End this, Yukari!"

She shot herself with my Evoker and sent a Garu spell towards the Beetle. The shadow saw it just in time and dodged its weakness. Unfortunately, Hermes was hit with the Garu spell instead, which was also Junpei's weakness.

"Argh!" He yelled. "Hey, who's side are you on?!"

"Sorry!" Yukari apologized. "Yukari, just focus on hitting the shadow!" I ordered as I ran towards what I thought was the direction where her Evoker landed, not hearing Junpei's protests. As I rounded a corner, I failed to see a Magic Hand shadow charging towards me. The charging shadow hit me with such a force that it pinned me against the wall. I broke free of its grasp and shoved the sword into its face and found the Evoker at the edge of a corner.

"Arisato, hurry! They are in trouble. Turn right at the next corner."

I decided against answering her and just kept on running until I found them again. Junpei was unconscious and Yukari was battling the now weak shadow alone.

"Pixie!" I shot myself with Yukari's Evoker and healed her with a Dia. Then I ran to Junpei and gave him a Balm of Life. "All-Out-Attack!" I yelled, once Junpei was back on his feet. The three of us rushed at once attacking the shadow with our weapons. The shadow gave its death throes and disappeared.

I put my hands on my knees and took deep breaths, catching my breath after all that running. "I wanna go home!" Junpei moaned beside me. "Why'd you run away, man?"

"Run away?" I looked at him strangely. "I didn't run away, I ran to find Yukari's Evoker. Speaking of which, here." I gave Yukari her Evoker and she gave me mine. -As if it really mattered whose we use-

"Oh yeah?" He looked dubious. "Whatever,man. I just want to go home." Yukari picked up something on the ground. "Hey, wait. I found another card." Yukari gave me the card. Angel huh? Saves me from fusing the persona... "Thanks." I said. "Great job, guys. Let's return for now." I didn't bother finding a teleporter and just used the Traesto Gem. We didn't talk much on our way back to the dorm.

May 2, 2009, After School

Gekkoukan High

SATURDAY

I found Chihiro outside the Student Council Room. I approached her, wanting to ask if there was a meeting today. "Oh, Minato-san..." She saw me. "C-can I help you?!" She nearly shouted.

Maybe she isn't in the mood... "Never mind." I said.

"W-why are you talking to me then, if you have nothing to say?!" She exclaimed, the people in the corridor starting to look at us. I blinked, surprised at her behavior. She's normally timid. Maybe she really isn't in the mood to talk.

Chihiro looked down, noticing the stares we were earning. "S-sorry about that..." she muttered. I excused myself before it got any worse. I walked down the hall and descended the stairs leading to the hallway near the clubs. I turned right to the corridor and remembered the old couple in the bookstore.

This must be the Persimmon tree the couple must be talking about... I inspected the tree and found a leaf on the ground, I decided to take it and show it to the old couple the next time I see them again.

Paulownia Mall

I ended up at Paulownia Mall in my idle walking. I looked around the place and decided to see what Personas I can fuse in the Velvet room. There were none that I thought I needed at the time. I didn't want to lose Orpheus and Nekomata just yet.

As I looked through Elizabeth's requests I saw one that caught my eye. "Why would you want to visit Paulownia Mall?" I asked her.

"I'd taken an interest in your world." She smiled. "Especially the place where you let your passions flow!"

Passions flow? Does she mean... Escapade? "Can you escort me now?" Elizabeth asked me. She looked like a child so much that I was tempted to refuse, just to see her reaction.

Can I? I don't see why not. I heard a voice not unlike my own in my head. Orpheus? It's your first time talking to me. I didn't have a reason to before, I just felt like it... A change of surroundings for her might be nice. True, wonder what it feels like to be in a room of never ending blue?

I smiled. "Sure." I took her hand and led her outside.

BACK TO PAULOWNIA MALL

"Ahh, yes.. An intimate encounter with one of your world's rarities!" She was saying as we walked around. She talks like an adult but she's as excited as a child... I couldn't help but smile. "The fountain?" I asked.

"Yes... the 'fountain'" She said. "It makes a sport of water, well known to all to be the fountain of life... How wicked!"

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

She ignored me. "It's rumored that its enchanting nature grants wishes to those who sacrifice a few coins..."

"That's just a superstition, Elizabeth." I told her. She looked at me sharply. "...Is that so? Is it possible that the worth of the coins wasn't sufficient to pique the fountain spirit's interest...?"

"Fountain spirit?" I muttered. She nodded. "Fortunately, I anticipated this, and brought a good supply of coins. 2,000 of your 500-yen coins to be exact."

I did a quick mental calculation. "You brought one million yen here?" I asked, disbelief in my voice. "Oh, yes. It shall suffice as an opening bid." She took a bulging coin purse from who knows where.

Elizabeth poured the torrent of coins like a waterfall. I recovered from the shock just in time to stop her from pouring the entire content. "Elizabeth!"

"What's the matter?" Elizabeth asked. "What do you mean what's the matter?" I nearly yelled. "You just- just..." I smacked my forehead. "Ah. You must mean my wish!" She beamed.

"I was so caught up in the excitement that I forgot to think of a wish." She thought for a moment. "I shall give it more consideration before I come in the near future..." She walked away.

I stared at her retreating back as a crowd of people clawed the fountain in hopes of getting some of the money Elizabeth thrown away. I looked at the bag now in my hand. Judging from the weight it was more than half empty. I sighed and followed Elizabeth to the police station.

"What is this facility here?" She asked,peering inside. "There are some stern-looking men inside... and these photographs displayed so prominently..." She looked closer at the photos. "Most Wanted... Reward." She read. "Am I correct in thinking of these as your version of my subjugation requests?"

"No." I answered. "You don't kill them..."

Elizabeth nodded. "So they must be captured alive. You've sated my curiosity." She walked away in the direction of Escapade.

"What is this facility? It can't be... Is this... a club?!" She gasped. "Dancers, dictated by the sway of inner passions... A subterranean garden of uninhibited spectacle..." Elizabeth touched the signage at the door. "It's closed for business?.. Such a pity. I had hoped to join in on the wild ritual..." Refusing to be dissuaded, Elizabeth began an elaborate dance. "Wooooo."

"Elizabeth. What. Are. You. Doing." I stared at her. She chuckled. "That was quite statisfying. But this is all so overwhelming. Everywhere I look, something catches my eye."

I nodded. "This is very different from a big blue elevator, huh?"

"Oh yes. Very much!" She agreed. "Can you recommend our next activity?" I nodded and looked around.Either the Karaoke or the Arcade.

"How about the Arcade?" I offered. "This 'arcade'... I have heard of it before..." Elizabeth pondered. "It's the playground where one plays with electric fairies in exchange for magic tokens..." Then something caught her eye. Another fountain. "Would you mind waiting for a moment?"

"No no no!" I grabbed her arm. "You see in the arcade, they have this machine where you can control a bird in order to grab cute prizes! I'm sure the... er...fountain spirit would understand..." I led her to the arcade before she could unleash her torrent of coins...

We sat on the benches after we played in the arcade. Elizabeth used up all the money I stopped her from pouring into the fountain. She went to and fro, leaving one game machine before she even lost.

"Thank you for the wonderful time today. I experienced many invaluable things with you today." She thanked me. "I consider this mission fully accomplished." Elizabeth looked down but I could see the smile on her face. "T-this may sound forward, but I'd like to do this again sometime."

I laughed. "Only as long as you leave the bulging coin purse." We headed back to the Velvet Room. Elizabeth expressed her disappointment on Igor's refusal to turn the Velvet Room into a club. Elizabeth's reward made me able to fuse the persona, Hua Po. I accepted another request which involved obtaining a pine resin.

"You know, Igor. Making the Velvet Room a club won't be so bad." I told him on my way out. "It truly is better than a giant elevator."

Iwatodai Dorm, Evening

Once I got back, Mitsuru reminded us that we still had mid-terms coming up. I excused myself and went straight to my room. I decided to sleep early, confident that I studied enough to pass the test already. Of course, just passing isn't enough...

Dark Hour

I felt someone's presence as I slept, forcing me to wake up. "Hi, how have you been?" The mysterious boy from before asked.

"You again?" I moaned, putting my pillow over my head as I lied back down. "It's been a while, are you well? One week from now, there will be a full moon..." His voice turned grave. "Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

"Full moon?" I asked through the pillow. "Yes, on such days you will face your greatest challenges." The boy answered. "You must prepare for the ordeal. But remember, time is of the essence." He chuckled. "I'm sure you're aware of that, of course. Goodbye for now."

I felt his presence disappear. I removed the pillow from my face and huffed. Nerve of that kid... Still he sounds like he knows what he's talking about... To tired to comprehend, I tried to go back to sleep but made a mental note to look into that 'full moon' thing...

Golden Week – May 4, 2009

Iwatodai Dorm, Minato's Room

MONDAY

I was woken up by the soft light streaming through my windows. "Haah..." I yawned as I stretched on my bed. Today was the first day of Golden Week, the last being tomorrow. Sweeping a lazy gaze through my room, my eyes stopped to where Demon's Bane leaned by the corner.

I haven't really got a chance to use it since I got here... Unless you count that 'incident' on the roof. I shook my head and sighed. Hmm... but maybe I can get it fixed today. Not a bad idea since there's no school tomorrow too.

1st floor, Lounge

As I descended the stairs, I realized that the 1st floor of the dorm was unaturally quiet. It was almost peaceful with the soft light coming from the windows. No one was in sight and for once, the TV was turned off. "Hmm... I wonder where everybody is?" I murmured, as I craned my neck and looked around.

"Going somewhere, Arisato?"

"Gah!" I yelped. I turned around to see Mitsuru holding a cup (of tea, I presume), she was standing by the doorway to the kitchen. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" I said.

Mitsuru walked over to the couches and chuckled. "I hardly think that qualifies as 'sneaking up'." She laid the cup on the table and looked at me. "You seem pretty tense this morning, Arisato." She raised her eyebrows.

I sighed (inwardly, mind you.) Leave it to a Kirijo to add all sorts of meanings to things. "Not really." I shrugged. "I guess I'm just not used to the dorm being quiet."

"You can blame Iorifor that." She said as she picked up a book on the table and started reading.

I just stood there for a moment then decided to go the kitchen to avoid looking like an idiot.

How on earth am I supposed to get my sword fixed now? With Miss Ice Queen reading in the Lounge, I can't get to the door with my sword without her asking all sorts of questions. I opened the fridge absently and sighed. And what's wrong with 'questions'? Nekomata asked.

Nothing. But if it's asked by miss Kirijo, then I'll be a little wary. Call me secretive if you wish but...

I wouldn't call you secretive, boy. I'd call you Paranoid.

I scoffed. Whatever. At any rate, I guess I won't be fixing the sword today...

May 6, 2009, After School

Student Council room

WEDNESDAY

On Sunday, I decided to check out the TV shopping show people were talking about. I was tempted to turn the TV off when I heard the annoying song. I mean, what kind of shopping network has a song like that? But my curiosity took the better of me.

I ordered a Yawn B-Gone and 2 Muscle Drinks, but I ordered them to test the quality of the show's products rather than need. You never know when a competitor might show up... Since mid-terms was coming up, I decided to study for the whole day.

Golden Week gave us the opportunity to have Monday and Tuesday off. On Monday, I decided to play the MMORPG Junpei gave me. I ran into Maya, the one who welcomed me into the game, while I was playing. At night, I asked Yukari if she knew where to find pine resin. Turned out that she had some pine resin in her room, she gave some to me, wondering what I would use it for.

Tuesday came and so did the things I ordered from Tanaka's show. The quality of their products seemed to be on par with those found in local stores. I hung out with Kenji for the entire day in the Iwatodai Strip Mall, talking about food and whatnot. When I got back to the dorm, I agreed to have a study session with Yukari. Hearing this, Junpei ran to the safe corners of his room before we could urge him to study with us.

Wednesday was unsurprisingly greeted with groans and moans. After classes, I decided to attend the council meeting to make up for my absence last Friday. The hours flew by as I worked with the other council members on tasks assigned to us. I was reading some papers when Hidetoshi started to talk to me.

"I'd like to hear your opinion on something." Hidetoshi was saying. "It's nothing serious, but... some students feel that the school uniforms should be abolished and they're recruiting supporters..."

"That's just ridiculous." I scoffed. "It's just a waste of time."

Hidetoshi smiled. "You're right. They think life without rules is freedom. Without rules, the whole system crumbles. They're mistaking selfishness for freedom." He paused. "Sorry, I may have overreacted."

"I hate people without common sense." Hidetoshi continued. "I just can't believe some of what they say sometimes..." He glanced at me. "I don't mean you of course. I just want you to understand where I'm coming from."

I nodded. "I hear you." Hidetoshi offered to clean up so I could go home once we finished our work. I politely refused and cleaned up with him.

May 7, 2009, After School

Gekkoukan Gym

THURSDAY

Kazushi and I were practicing along with the rest of the team. Kazushi was definitely on fire, shouting words of encouragement to the rest of the team. He and I were squaring off at the center of the Gym when he suddenly twitched.

"Dammit, y-you serious...!?" He exclaimed as he fell to the ground.

"Kazushi!" The rest of the Kendo team looked at him with concerned faces. The team captain, another teammate and I took Kazushi to the Nurse's Office despite his protests.

"Alright! Get back to training people!" I heard Yuko yell as we carried Kaz off.

Nurse's Office

"Anemia?" The captain asked. "C'mon Kaz, were counting on you to replace me next year." The other teammate agreed. "The big meet is next year, but don't push yourself too hard." I remained quiet, not wishing to join the bandwagon. There's obviously something wrong with him. Chastising certainly won't help.

The captain sighed. "Minato, can you take him home?" I nodded as Kazushi muttered his apologies. I crossed my arms and glared at Kaz when the others left. "Spill it."

"W-what are you talking about?" He stammered. "I-I'm fine... The anemia's just acting up." I intensified the glare by a notch.

"C'mon man. It's just a dizzy spell..." He faltered and sighed. "Argh! I can't lie to you!" Kazushi looked down. "My knee hasn't felt right. Since that day you came to practice... No matter what I do, the pain won't go away. I tried to put medicines and ointments but they don't work."

"Kazushi. This could be serious." I told him. "Will it heal?"

"Of course. But, I can't afford to stop training, so I'll work through the pain!" He beamed. "Next year, there's a national competition. Participants will come from all over Japan. The regional meet pales in comparison. I have to win that meet! I can't afford to put my training on hold!" Hearing him like this, you'd think he was taking lessons from Akihiko-senpai...

Kazushi paused. "There are a lot of nosy people on the team, Minato. If they find out, they'll keep bugging me about it. Please, keep it a secret!'

"Alright. I'll keep at a secret, for now." Then I looked him in the eyes. "But if this gets worse, I'm going to stop you myself, okay?"

"Alright. Deal." He smiled. "Thanks man, I knew I could count on you. If I take it easy, I can make it home alone. So, don't worry about me."

"You won't listen to me anyway, no matter what I say." I smiled. I said goodbye to him and found Yuko by the shoe lockers. "Hey, Minato-kun. Is Kaz okay?"

I nodded. "He insisted he could go home by himself. But still..."

Yuko sighed. "He's so stubborn like that. But yeah, I think he can handle himself."

"Anyway, I'll see you at our next practice." I told her and walked away. "Er.. Minato-kun! Wait." Yuko called.

"Is there a problem?" I faced her. "Uh..." Yuko opened her mouth but no words came out, she blinked. "Um... Do you want to walk home together?" She blurted.

"Walk home?" I said. "Sure, why not?" Yuko let out a sigh of relief. "I-Is it okay if we stop somewhere along the way?" I shrugged.

Paulownia Mall, Chagall Cafe

The rich aroma of coffee filled the air as Yuko and I entered the Cafe. "It's tough being a team manager." Yuko complained. "You don't get any respect. The guys on the team all act like little kids."

"Sorry?" I said, not knowing what to say.

"Oh no, I didn't mean you and Kaz. But the rest all say 'Where's my towel?' or 'Can you wash this for me?'" She sighed. "I'm not their mother. But at least don't have to worry about gaining weight, since I'm always running around tending to them."

"But you enjoy it?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I enjoy being the team manager." Yuko laughed. "How about you?" I smiled. "I'm not a team manager."

"Silly. Being a member of the Kendo team!" I laughed. "Yeah, it's a lot of fun."

"That's good." She nodded. "I actually thought you might be bored, since you're so much better than everyone else... You've got your own style and you don't waste much energy."

I scratched the back of my neck. "I guess..."

"If you have any questions you can just ask Kaz or the captain." She paused. "I guess you can ask me too, since I'm the team manager."

The world flashed white again. Another card floated in front of me as the voice spoke. Strength... This is quite convenient... I wonder how many I can get? Yuko excused herself when she saw the time. After ordering a cup of Cappuccino, I went back to the dorm.

Author's Note: This is my longest chapter to date, 5672 words. Usually my chapters just take 3-4 thousand words. I'm not exactly happy with the ending of this chapter. Too bland. At this point, I'm not even sure what pairing I'll use, Yukari's is just too overused and I don't like Aigis as a GF. Which just leaves Mitsuru, Fuuka, Chihiro and Yuko. Elizabeth, Maiko and Ms. Toriumi are out of the question. But I might consider Elizabeth... Oh yeah, have you guys been wondering why Minato and the team keeps getting beat up by weak shadows(in the game)? That's because the fanfic is on HARD DIFFICULTY. Anyway, Please REVIEW!

Team Status

Minato Arisato: Lvl 8

Yukari Takeba: Lvl 6

Junpei Iori: Lvl 6

Minato's Personas

Orpheus: Lvl 6

Apsaras: Lvl 5

Pixie: Lvl 5

Nekomata: Lvl 7

Angel: Lvl 4

S-Links

Fool: Sees, Rank 2

Magician: Kenji, Rank 2

Emperor: Student Council, Rank 2

Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 3

Hermit: Maya, Rank 2

Strength: Yuko, Rank 1

Author's Note: Wooh! Alright guys, this is my longest chapter yet with 6,000 words more or less. And for my effort, don't you think I deserve a Review? And this goes to the 'Read and Run' guys too. Tell me anything. Ask me anything (Related to the story) and constructive criticism is appreciated too.

Thanks for Reviewing! :D