"Mom!" The boy moaned, causing a sigh of annoyance from everyone else in the car.
"What, Mina?" His mother responded, careful to keep her growing frustration out of her voice.
"Why does Mako get all the candy?!" This caused a small chuckle from the boy in question, who turned to face his younger sibling.
"'Cuz I'm older! Which makes me better than you!" Mina glared at the older boy, and turned to his father for support.
"Well, he's got you there, Minato." The younger boy's eyes widened when he realized nobody in this car was on his side.
"Don't encourage him!" His mother snapped at his father, who only chuckled in response. "Mako, share some of your candy with your brother."
"But Mom…!" Makoto's eyes widened at his mother, who only held a hand up to signal him to stop talking.
"Don't argue with me, Mako." Said boy simply sighed in response before chucking a few pieces of candy at his younger brother, who let out a victorious laugh. Their parents both let out a small chuckle at the boys' behavior.
His mother turned to face him, and gave him a warm, yet mischievous smirk. "Since you got some of Mako's candy, Mina, he gets first hour on the PlayStation tomorrow." Makoto let out a laugh and stuck his tongue out at Minato, who simply looked shocked.
"Whaa?" Was all that he could muster with three pieces of candy in his mouth.
His father was saying… something, but it was as if he was hearing him while underwater. His words were distorted, and everything around him slowed to a crawl. Minato looked around the car. His brother was still laughing, his father was still talking, and his mother was still shaking her head, but everything looked… off.
Yes, he thought, of course everything would look off. This was the last time he had seen his parents. His father's disheveled black hair and caring eyes. His mother's smile and warmth. This was the last moment before…
In a moment, an explosion could be heard, followed by the shattering of glass and a skid of tires. Everything after that was hazy, as if he were underwater again. His vision went black, but he could make out bits and pieces of noises. An inhuman screech, followed by a metallic clang, followed by… gunfire?
Minato tried to open his eyes; to see his parents again. To hear his mother's voice. To see his father's smile, but everything was gone. He felt a sensation of vertigo, and he felt himself slipping away towards a chasm; an abyss of nothingness. He tried to look up towards the light. He tried to reach his hand out to grasp the last remnant of his old life. The life he loved so dearly, the life that held his parents' love and Makoto's happiness. The life that he was robbed of.
But as he reached towards the light, it closed, and he felt a cold chill work its way up his body, and before he could scream in anguish, everything went black.
Minato jolted out of bed. His breath was shaky and his throat was hoarse. He opened his eyes, but was greeted by a blinding white light. His head was pounding, and he was certain this was what a hangover must've felt like. He collapsed back into the bed and groaned. He pulled the covers over his head, and tried to open his eyes once again.
From the sliver of light out from under the covers, he could see pink, and he became aware that he wasn't alone. With a final groan, he pushed the covers off him, and blinked his eyes a couple of times. He wasn't in his dorm room, he could tell that much, his room was never this bright. He looked towards the side of the bed to a familiar face.
"You're awake!" Yukari smiled at the blue haired boy. "You've been sleeping for a week!" Her smile quickly turned into a concerned frown. "Are you okay? It… looked like you were having a nightmare…" She averted her gaze.
Minato grimaced. "I'm fine." Was all that he could think of. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his troubled past with a girl he hardly knew.
"To be honest… I'm sorta like you." Yukari looked up. Her eyes indicated sadness and her lips quivered slightly. "My dad died when I was little. My mom… she wasn't there for me. My dad was working in a Kirijo Lab before the accident here ten years ago. He… didn't survive." Her voice shook even more. "You're all alone too, right? I read your background when you were admitted here, I'm sorry for that. It probably wasn't my place-"
Minato put his hand up to stop her. "Don't apologize. It's fine. I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to grow up like that. It sucks." He swallowed, and winced at the pain in his throat before he continued, "What did you mean when you said "admitted here", and what happened before that?" Yukari took the hint, and sighed.
"Do you remember what happened before you woke up today?" Minato nodded. Images of fire and power rushed through his mind. "We call that 'Persona', and that monster you fought? We call them shadows. Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai will tell you more when you get back, but that's the short version." Minato nodded once more, and turned his head to scan the room. His eyes landed on the IV strip in his arm, and turned once again to Yukari with a raised eyebrow.
"Doctors said you were dehydrated." An amused smile tugged at her lips. "You gave us quite a scare. Nobody could find anything wrong with you." Minato hummed in response.
"Sorry for the inconvenience that must've been." Yukari let out a chuckle at his apology.
"Why are you sorry? Not your fault. If I fought that shadow like you had, I'd be tired too!" Minato permitted himself to let out a small smile, despite the pain that shot through his face while doing so. "Well, I have to get going! I'll tell the nurses you woke up. Hopefully they'll release you soon!" With that, Yukari gave a small wave and exited the room, leaving Minato to search for his belongings.
He found his MP3 and his phone on the bedside next to him. He adorned the old device and flipped open his phone. He mentally cursed when he read the first notification.
8 missed calls – MAKOTO
Minato sighed. This was going to be a tense conversation. He dialed the number and mentally prepared for the verbal bashing that was probably going to ensue.
The phone rang once, twice, and then thrice before a small click could be heard, followed by a sigh.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Makoto's voiced boomed over the speaker, but Minato didn't seem to notice the pain it caused. The words spoken were still processing.
"You were… worried?" Another sigh came from the phone.
"Of course I was! Why wouldn't I be?" Minato swallowed a new-found lump in his throat. Don't question it. He thought.
"Sorry. I'm just… tired. I lost my phone, you see, and I was preoccupied with… things." Minato prayed that his voice didn't give away the pitiful excuse for a lie he gave.
"You? Preoccupied?" A snort from the phone almost made Minato chuck it across the room in frustration.
"Yeah, I do have a life, y'know." Minato could almost feel the eye roll Makoto was probably giving at this moment.
"Anyways, have you done what I asked?" Minato face palmed. Crap! He thought.
"Uh, no. Sorry. As I said, I was preoccupied." Minato heard the frustrated sigh from his brother. "Don't worry; I'll visit them as soon as an opportunity arises." A growl of annoyance sounded from the other end.
"Do not put this off, Minato. This is far too important. We don't have time to waste." This caused the younger brother to raise an eyebrow.
"If it's so important, why don't you tell me now?" Minato heard another frustrated sigh from his brother.
"You won't believe me, if I just told you. Listen Minato, I got to go. Let me know once you visited Mom and Dad. Then we can talk." With another click, Makoto hung up, leaving Minato to speculate once again on his brother's behavior.
The teen sighed. It seems a normal high school year was too much to ask for. He stretched his arms and laid his head back onto the hospital bed.
The doctors spared no sympathy when they were checking Minato's health. He hated needles, and it was as if the doctors were determined to make the process involve as many of the blasted things as humanly possible. He was certain most of the blood tests weren't standard procedure, no matter how many times he was assured that it was.
He was released later that day, much to the doctors' annoyance. Mitsuru sent a limo to pick him up, and he made a mental note to thank her later. He may have stretched the truth a little bit when it came to how much pain he was experiencing.
The ride back to the dorm had been pleasant enough. Once he arrived, he found the first floor completely empty, with a small note beside the sign-in sheet.
Come to the fourth floor – Mitsuru
He was greeted by the Kirijo Heiress herself when he made it to the fourth floor. She seemed pleased with how quickly he had arrived, but her smile fell once she saw the difficulty he had walking up the stairs.
"Are you sure you've recovered, Minato-san?" The blue haired teen flashed a smile in her direction and used his hand to wave off the question.
"I'm fine. A day's rest in a bed that isn't hospital-issue and I'll be fine." She seemed to except this response, but didn't seem wholly satisfied with it, as if she knew when someone was exaggerating their condition, Minato thought.
When they entered, he noticed that Yukari and Akihiko, who both gave him a smile and a nod, which he returned, were already present, along with the Chairman, Ikutsuki.
"Alright, now that we're all here, we can get down to business." The Chairman gestured toward an empty seat, which Minato took, "Say, Minato-kun, would you believe me if I said that there were more than twenty-four hours in a day?" The blue haired aristocrat noticed that Yukari had tuned them out, and instead seemed to be focused on a silver briefcase on the center table. He also noticed the large computer that took up most of the left wall.
"Normally I'd say you were crazy, but I don't believe there's anything normal about our situation." Minato let out a sigh. "A twenty-fifth hour, eh? I never thought about that world like that, but I supposed that makes sense." This seemed to confuse everyone, except the Chairman, Minato noted, who simply gave him a knowing smile. So, Minato thought, He knows.
"I've known of this twenty-fifth hour for a few years now. Nobody believed me when I told them; they simply told me it was a nightmare." Everyone, except the Chairman, he noted again, seemed to grimace at that.
"Well, they wouldn't be that far off, honestly. We call it the Dark Hour," Akihiko explained, "It's a time that only those with the potential of Persona can experience. In it, creatures called 'shadows' come out. They prey on unsuspecting victims, leaving them in a vegetative state. You've probably seen the victims. The public calls it 'Apathy Syndrome'." Minato nodded. It made sense, but there was still something bothering him.
"How did you know I had the potential? I don't recall telling anyone besides my Uncle and a couple doctors about it…" He trailed off, deep in thought about how he would end up here, which obviously wasn't an accident. Ikutsuki seemed to chuckle at his behavior.
"The Kirijo Group's influence extends far. In truth, they fund our operations here. They provide us with information and student files on potential Persona users. You just happened to stick out, Minato-kun." This seemed to unsettle the blue haired teen even more, which seemed to worry both Yukari and Mitsuru, the latter of which was quick to attempt to dispel his misgivings.
"We apologize for any discomfort this may have caused, but surely you can see the importance in keeping our operation a secret from new arrivals. We asked you here today because we have a proposition for you." She slid the briefcase towards Minato. "Go on." Minato obliged.
Inside the case were three items: a white holster, a red armband, and finally, a gun, no, not a gun. An object; a key. A key that would unlock his Persona. He took the silver object out of the case and examined it closer. It was definitely the oddest looking gun he had ever seen. Its grip glowed with a dull blue and the barrel was round at the end, giving it an alien look. Along the side of the gun, engraved on the slide, was 'SEES'.
"We call it an Evoker. It allows the user to summon their Persona. Please, don't be put off by their appearance. They're completely harmless, well, as long as the owner has a Persona, of course." Ikutsuki assured him. Minato sat the object down on the table, and picked up the armband in the case. It, too, had 'SEES' written across it
Is this really happening? Minato thought. This is so... surreal.
"I understand this is a lot to take in. Perhaps you need some more time befo-"
"I'll do it." Minato looked at the armband again, before turning towards the Chairman. "If these shadows really do pose a threat, and this," he gestured towards the Evoker, "is the only way to stop them, I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't help." Everyone in the room smiled, and Yukari breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was worried you'd say no." She let out a nervous chuckle. Akihiko moved from his seat and slapped Minato on the back.
"Welcome aboard." The boxer gave him a smile. Mitsuru gave him a nod of approval and the Chairman smiled enthusiastically. Mitsuru stood up and cleared her throat.
"If that's it, I think it would be best if we all retire early tonight. Minato-san," he turned to face her, "welcome to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."
The next morning, Minato found himself walking alongside Yukari on their way to school. The trip was filled with mostly pointless small talk. It didn't seem smart to mention anything about SEES when in public, so they avoided that topic entirely.
When they reached the school gates, they were stopped by a cap-wearing teen with a goatee.
"Yo! Yuka-tan! Didn't expect you to shack up with the transfer student so soon! Damn, you move fast!" This elicited a gasp and a growl from the pink-clad girl, who glared angrily at the accuser.
"It's not like that! We just live in the same dorm is all!" The cap-wearing teen let out a laugh in response.
"Really? 'Cuz if you look around you right now, nobody else sees it that way." He was right. It seemed everyone was stopping to cast glances at the "couple". Some were envious, while others were angry. The former came from the girls while the latter came from the guys.
Yukari let out another annoying growl at the passing students. "Why are people even talking about it?!"
Minato turned away from the curious students and turned to the hat-wearing boy. "Pardon my rudeness, but who are you?" The teen looked at Minato with a hurt expression, but it was quickly undermined by his grin.
"The name's Junpei Iori, nice to meet ya!" Junpei extended his hand towards the blue haired teen, who took it politely.
"I'm Minato Arisato. It's a pleasure to meet you, Iori-san." Junpei's eyes widened and his grin grew wider.
"Just call me Junpei, man, no need for the formalities." Minato gave him a smile and a nod before turning to Yukari.
"I have to get to class, so I'll catch you back at the dorm. Later, Yukari-san." With a wave and a goodbye, Minato made his way into the school, but not before catching small bits of the conversations around him. Some ranged from simple "oohs" and "ahs" as Minato passed them, but some were more hostile, with promises of threats if he ever got closer to Yukari. Minato was more than aware that this would happen, but that didn't mean that it didn't annoy him.
The rest of the day had been rather standard. He got a mountain of make-up work, and a few concerned classmates seemed relieve that he overcame "the flu", which he figured was the excuse Akihiko probably gave them over his week's absence. After class had ended, Akihiko tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Minato," said teen turned around to face the boxer, "I have an announcement for the team tonight, so be at the dorm around 8 P.M., okay?" Minato gave a nod towards the boxer, which seemed to satisfy him enough, and with a final pat on the back, he left the room, leaving Minato to walk home alone.
The walk to the station had been enough time for Minato to weigh his options. He could return directly to the dorm, or he could stop to visit his parents. Glancing at his watch, he decided he had enough time to kill before he was required back, so he stopped at a flower shop located at the station before setting his sights towards the inconspicuous graveyard found deep in the city. It was about time, he thought, that he visited them. Perhaps it would make up for all the years away.
The graveyard was, unsurprisingly, empty. There was something peaceful about the sea of gravestones that lined the field before Minato. Every single one had an intricate design. This was the higher end part of the graveyard, after all, which meant that the further back one went, the fewer gravestones appeared. In their place stood giant stone monoliths for long lines of rich families with excess amounts of cash to burn. Minato's parents weren't like that, though. They always preferred a quieter life, one that hardly involved gaudy decorations. If he remembered correctly, the only thing that separated their graves from those of normal birth was the Arisato Family Crest that would adorn the top of the gravestones.
It didn't take long to find them among the other graves. The crest was rather unique, after all. A simple English 'A' surrounded by a Crescent Moon that started at the top of the letter and extended down past the bottom that then crossed through the middle to complete the shape. It was a simple design, but it soon became known throughout all of Japan.
He dusted off the leaves that had fallen on the graves and set the two bouquets of flowers he brought with him down. His eyes studied both graves and the names attached to them.
'Here lies: Naoya Arisato' Adorned the one to the left with 'Father, brother, and Loving Husband' Following below the name.
The other one: 'Here lies: Chiharu Arisato, Mother, Sister, and Loyal Wife'
He grazed his hand across the names etched into the stone. They seemed so… foreign; so ancient, yet so familiar. Seeing them here, again, after all this time, made his gut tighten. He felt the guilt, the sadness, and the empty void in his heart. He remembered that night, the night his life was robbed from him. The night that haunted his dreams ever since, and he remembered that there was nothing he could do about it.
"Hey, guys." He swallowed, but his mouth was already dry. "I'm sorry I haven't visited you in a while. I've been… busy. My life's been, well, different without you two here. Makoto and I haven't been getting along. I don't really know what I want to do with my life, but I'm sure you'd both tell me that's for me to find out. Uncle Kazuhira is doing fine, and is training Makoto to take over the company. He'll be the CEO soon, just like you were, Mom." He swallowed again, and steadied his breath.
"I still haven't figured out what kind of man I am, Dad. Makoto says I'm still a child, which is half true. I haven't been the best example of a son, I know that, but I promise you that the next time I visit, I'll have my answer. Anyways, I have something that I have to do. Take care guys," He unclenched his fist, which he didn't realize was currently bone white, "Love you." He sighed heavily, and, with some reluctance, turned around and left the cemetery.
The rest of the walk to the dorm had been spent in sober reflection. He drowned out the world around him with his MP3, which he spent most of the trip back fiddling with. He ran his finger over the buttons for the hundredth time, and felt every little scratch that adorned its worn surface.
When he entered, he was greeted by Yukari and Mitsuru, who were both still waiting for Akihiko to show up.
"Oh, hey Minato-senpai! Where've you been? We've been waiting for you!" Yukari was her normal, cheery self. Mitsuru hummed in agreement with her statement, but didn't outwardly voice her curiosity beyond that.
"My apologies. I had some business to take care of." Was the only non-committal answer he could think of at that moment. Something that would satiate their curiosity while keeping details vague.
They didn't have to wait long for Akihiko, as he seemed to be quite keen on his 8 P.M. target time. As soon as Minato's watch sounded with a few small beeps, Akihiko walked in, but he wasn't alone. Behind him was a familiar hat-wearing boy, who was still sporting the goofy smile from earlier.
"Wait! Why is Junpei here!?" Yukari practically shouted at the boxer, who simply seemed to ignore her outburst. He turned to Minato and Mitsuru, who were both perplexed by Yukari's behavior, and began explaining Junpei's situation.
"This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F. I found him in the nearby convenience store during the Dark Hour." Minato raised his eyebrow at this, intrigued.
"I was crying like a baby when he found me!" Junpei let out a sheepish laugh. "To be honest, I was surprised when I found out about you guys. I actually thought I had dirt on Yuka-tan and Minato-senpai…" Yukari shrieked at Junpei, and it was loud enough to make Minato flinch.
'Note to self: Do not make her mad.'
"Junpei if you don't stop mentioning that, I'll kick your teeth in!" Junpei simply laughed the threat off.
Akihiko turned to Mitsuru, who nodded at the boxer in silent confirmation. "Alright," he began, "I think we finally have enough people to explore Tartarus." The two juniors stopped their bickering, and turned towards the boxer.
"Tartarus? Sounds like toothpaste…" Minato chuckled slightly at Junpei's comment.
"I believe what he's referring to is probably something closer to the Greek Mythological Dungeon of Torment, Junpei-san." Mitsuru and Akihiko gave the blue haired teen impressed looks, while Yukari's eyes went wide with fear, and Junpei stared at him in confusion.
"Man, I'm not even gonna ask how you know that." Minato sighed at Junpei's ignorance, but decided to let it slide in favor of getting the conversation back on track. "What is it about this Tartarus, Akihiko-san? Where is it located?" Both Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to appreciate the refocus on the topic at hand.
"Tartarus is where all the shadows originate from. Think of it as their nest. We don't know much about it besides that. We'll go there tonight, so do whatever you have to in order to prepare." Akihiko then turned to Mitsuru, who took it as her queue to finish the topic.
"Follow me. I have something to show you." She led the group to the fourth floor and to a mahogany double door in the back. She fished a key out of her skirt pocket and turned the lock, revealing a small room filled to the brim with weapons. Swords of various origins and sizes lined the walls, with bows lined together in racks along with entire quivers of arrows on the right wall. To the left, there were axes and brass knuckles sitting on a counter top.
Junpei was the first to make an audible response. He let out a yelp of excitement and quickly rushed over to pick up the largest katana he could find. Minato, on the other hand, stayed in place and studied the wall of swords in front of him.
"If I didn't already know of the power the Kirijo Group held, I'd wonder how you managed to sneak an army's worth of equipment in here." Mitsuru chuckled at his comment. He walked into the room and approached the first weapon that caught his eye. A cavalry sabre with a black hilt and steel guard. He unsheathed it, and found it to be immaculately sharp. He tested the weight and balance of the sword before sheathing it.
"I think this," he lifted the sword, "will be perfect." He heard another chuckle escape Mitsuru.
"I prefer epees, myself." She took another sword off the wall and inspected it.
"Do you fence, Mitsuru-san?" She nodded in response.
"Yes, I do, though I admit that my skill with sabres is quite limited." This earned a small hum from the Arisato heir.
"They have their advantages, but even the most skilled sabre user can't really match the precision of a skilled epee user, since it relies on more slashing maneuvers." Mitsuru nodded at his response.
"It's almost time." Their conversation was interrupted by Akihiko, who was checking his watch with a smirk.
"Very well," Mitsuru cleared her throat, "if everyone is ready, we can now proceed towards Tartarus."
Out of all the places Minato expected Tartarus to be, the school was not one of them. It was almost midnight, which meant that the Dark Hour was soon approaching. Junpei was the first to audibly voice his concerns.
"Um… Akihiko-senpai, why're we at school?" The boxer looked at his watch again.
"Hold on, Junpei. It's almost midnight."
Minato's watch's beep was cut short by a sudden shift in the world. The sky turned a sickly green and the moon turned a pale yellow. As for the school itself, well, it could only be described as majestic. The school transmogrified into a gigantic tower with uneven edges and jagged bits protruding from the sides. Minato couldn't even being to rationalize how the tower didn't just collapse on itself.
'How did I miss this when I first arrived here? More importantly…"
"What the hell happened to our school?!"
'My thoughts exactly, Junpei.' Minato thought. He turned to the two veteran members. "Do we know why or how this occurred?" Akihiko gave a simple shake of his head, while Mitsuru's eyes widened a small fraction before regaining their original calm state as she, too, shook her head.
"We don't know." Was all she offered, but Minato caught the small uptick in the speed of her words. It was too quick for someone who was being genuine.
'She probably doesn't trust us enough with that information,' Minato thought, 'If I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn't either.'
The inside of Tartarus was just as odd as the outside, with a checkered floor and a staircase leading up to a round door. It was, thankfully, empty of shadows.
"This is the ground floor of Tartarus, considering it our staging area." Akihiko explained. "We'll only be exploring the first floor beyond here today, but first, we need to pick a field leader." Junpei instantly shot up at this.
"Ooh, ooh, me, me, pick me, pick me please!" He was practically bouncing with excitement, which Minato found exhausting.
'They seriously wouldn't consider him, would they? Yukari doesn't seem very much interested in the position either, so that means…"
"Arisato," Mitsuru began, "why don't you lead the team?" The blue haired teen felt like sinking into the ground.
'Shit.'
"It would only be temporary, of course." Akihiko put his hand on the teen aristocrat's shoulder, "Just until I can get back in the field."
"You won't be joining us, Senpai?" Yukari looked even more worried than she did before. Mitsuru was the one to respond.
"Akihiko almost broke an arm during our last encounter, so he'll be staying back with me while I provide support." The boxer grimaced at her order.
"I know." He frowned.
"B-but why him?!" Junpei gave an incredulous look at Minato. "He doesn't look like a leader!"
'Oh, and you do?' Minato wanted to say that out loud, but that certainly wouldn't have earned him any favors with the team he was expected to lead.
"He HAS fought them before…" Yukari stated, causing the cap wearing teen to recoil in surprise.
"He has? Man, here I thought that we were all a bunch of newbies." Minato wanted to say that fighting one shadow and then passing out hardly counted as experience, but Akihiko beat him to it.
"That's part of the reason, but there's another." The boxer pulled out his evoker and pointed it to his head. "Can you two summon your Personas as easily as he can?" This made both the juniors hesitate for a moment, but Yukari was the first to recover.
"Yeah…. I can do it." Her comment seemed to be less of an answer and more of self-reassurance. Junpei, on the other hand, gave the boxer a shaky thumbs-up.
"You can count on me, Senpai!" Junpei seemed enthusiastic, but the boxer wasn't buying it.
"This isn't a game. Without your Persona, you're screwed." This sent a chill down Minato's spine. Sure, he didn't really have a problem with summoning, but it was a sobering reminder that this wasn't a joke. He could very well die. The worst part, however? Knowing that he had the lives of two others in his hands as well.
Junpei and Yukari followed Akihiko up the staircase, but Minato stayed back.
"Arisato," a voice broke him out of his thoughts, "are you confident that you can do this?" Minato suppressed a sigh.
'Not like I had much of a choice, but…" His left hand instinctively clutched his MP3.
"Yes, Mitsuru-san." He looked up from the ground and towards the staircase. "I can do this." She gave him a reassuring smile.
He ascended the staircase to meet up with his new team. Junpei looked like he was going to burst from either excitement or nervousness, while Yukari looked like she had just seen a ghost.
"Alright," Akihiko smirked, "good luck, guys!" With that, the three SEES members entered through the giant door, and found themselves in a completely different area. The floor retained its checkered appearance, but it was like they were in a maze.
"It's Mitsuru," a voice rung out in his head, "can you hear me?" It felt odd, to say the least. It was like he had a transceiver in his ear.
"Woah! Senpai, is that you?" Junpei looked around as if expecting her to magically appear from behind a wall.
"It's my Persona's ability. The layout of Tartarus changes daily, so it's important that we have a support specialist on the outside at all times." Minato nodded his head and sighed in relief.
"Good, because I detest mazes." A chuckle sounded off in his mind.
"The shadows here should be fairly easy to handle with the three of you. I'm not asking you to go very far today. Just clear this floor of shadows." The teen nodded his head and turned to face his teammates.
"Alright, we need a strategy." Both juniors raised their eyebrows at him. "Junpei-san, since you favor a Katana, I suggest taking a position in the back and relying on your Persona for ranged attacks. As for you," he pointed at Yukari, "It would probably best that you take the position between me and Junpei-san. That way, we can avoid enemies getting too close for you to use your bow." Yukari seemed relieved at his plan, but Junpei didn't seem convinced at all.
"Uh, dude, I can't use my katana from all the way back here!" His voice was almost a growl. "You have a sabre, which has even less range than a katana, so why don't you get the back." Minato pinched his nose in annoyance.
"Someone has to take point. Tell me, Junpei-san, do you practice Kendo, or any other form or martial art that involves sword play?" As expected, Junpei shook his head and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Then don't take this as an offense, but it would be best that you stay back. I've fenced enough to be comfortable with a sabre, but you haven't." This seemed to deflate Junpei's ego, which, admittedly, wasn't exactly what he was going for. The last thing he needed was the only ecstatic one in the group thinking they weren't good enough.
"Hey, if it's any consolation, once you get used to your weapon, I'll let you take point. Seem fair?" Junpei chuckled at that and nodded his head.
"Yeah, thanks Senpai!" With that, the group began scouring the floor for danger. It didn't take long for Minato to hear a scraping noise coming from his right. He motioned for the group to stop while he peaked around the corner. Sure enough, a black mass was crawling along the floor, oblivious to the intruders inside its home.
"Alright, remember the plan, guys." Minato steadied his breath and unsheathed his weapon. Checking one last time that the rest of the team was ready, he pushed off the wall and charged at the shadow. He pulled back with his arm and thrust forward when he came into range. The metal sank into the black mass' back, and ichor spurted out onto his shirt.
It wasn't dead, however. When he pulled his sword out of the creature, its form twisted and contorted into four shapes. They were similar to the shadow he faced previously, with the same blue mask as before, but this time, they lacked the excessive amount of limbs. He felt a challenging smirk play at his lips as he switched his sword into his offhand and pulled his evoker out of its holster. With a twirl, he put the object to his head and pulled the trigger.
The euphoric sensation rushed into him once again, and he just barely managed to suppress another laughing fit. Orpheus hovered over him, waiting to be commanded.
"Burn them to ashes, Orpheus!" He outstretched his hand and Orpheus obeyed. With a few notes of his lyre, one of the creatures in front of them was burnt to a crisp. He smirked and signaled for his teammates. Yukari was up next. She inhaled sharply and brought her evoker up to her forehead. She hesitated once again before putting it back up. Instead, she opted to reach for an arrow.
Her aim was true, and soon, an arrow found its way into the mask of another creature. Two down, two more to go.
Junpei let out an excited 'whoop' and pointed his evoker at his temple. He pulled the trigger, revealing a humanoid Persona with a bird like mask and wings.
"Let's go, Hermes!" The Persona nodded at his master, and prepared to dive kick the shadow in front of it. The Persona's feet connected with the mask of another shadow, and it exploded soon after, leaving only one left.
The remaining shadow spared no time, and rushed at Minato with blinding speed. Fortunately, the teen was prepared, and brought up his sword to defend himself. He swiped and dashed away from the creature. It didn't kill it, but it sure hurt it. Deciding that summoning Orpheus would be too much, he opted to charge at the creature himself, and made a diagonal slash along the creature's mask, slicing it in two.
The last of the monsters dissolved with a screech, leaving the team in silence once more.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Junpei pumped his fist into the air, while Yukari shook her head in anger.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to summon my Persona, guys," she began, but was cut off by Minato, who gave her a reassuring smile.
"We still have more of the floor to clear, so you'll have more opportunities. Just don't hesitate. If you're not going to summon, don't, but you're lucky those guys were slow, otherwise, they might not have given you a chance to do anything else." She nodded at his words. She was going to have to do it at some point.
The next few battles went very similarly, with Minato and Junpei utilizing their swords and Personas, but with Yukari relying solely on her bow. As they were rounding the last hallway, however, something changed. The atmosphere around them, while hopelessly depressing, always held a sense of mystery around them, but that sense was gone, and in its place, there was only an impending sense of doom. The air around them seemed to be several degrees below zero, and a sound of metal rung out in the distance.
'Are those…chains?' Minato thought. As if answering his question, the sound got louder, and closer. He felt a tightening in his stomach, and the complete lack of sound other than the metal made it even worse.
"Can…..ou…..er….me?" He could hear the connection between Mitsuru and himself being severed, and it hurt. It felt like his brain was being split in two, and from the groans he heard from behind him, he wasn't the only one. All of a sudden, a gunshot rang out from the hallway in front of him. His head snapped to attention; his eyes darting from one end to another, hoping, praying, that whatever it was, wasn't close enough.
Whether it was a cruel joke or not, Minato didn't know, but as soon as he thought they were safe, a gigantic blast sent him flying a few feet away from his comrades, and he felt the sudden urge to puke, but he held it down.
"Minato-senpai!" Yukari and Junpei both helped him up, but as they did, he felt a sharp pain run across his chest. He looked down, and sure enough, there was blood leaking through his shirt.
'Damn' He thought, 'This shirt is brand new.'
He growled and shook the pain off, he turned to his comrades.
"Whatever that is, I don't think we're in a shape to fight it, we need to get out of here as soon as possible, got it?!" Both juniors nodded their heads in agreement. As if on cue, another shot rang out, and the wall behind the teens exploded in a burst of electricity.
Minato turned on his heel, and signaled for the team to follow him back the way they came. Retracing their steps, they attempted to exit through the way they came in, but in the place of the entrance, they only found a wall.
"What do we do now?!" Junpei screamed, and Minato could only curse in response.
'We can't go back the way we came…. There has to be a way out somehow…'
"Follow me." The juniors turned to look at him. "Look, standing here isn't going to get us anywhere, and that thing is hot on our trail. If we stay here, we're dead." He took a step forward, but the pain in his chest became too much, and he had to steady himself on the wall to avoid falling over.
"Are you going to be okay, Senpai?" Yukari put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"I'll be better when we're out of here." He pushed himself off the wall and started staggering his way through the hallway. The chains rattled endlessly behind them.
Another shot rang out, surprising Minato once again. The wall in front of him was set ablaze, and he had to turn his head to avoid being blinded by the sudden burst of light. They made a sharp left turn and ran into the endless abyss in front of them.
Before they made another turn, however, Minato stopped. Junpei and Yukari went a little bit ahead before turning around to see what their leader was doing.
"Guys, what do you think this is?" It was getting harder to speak, and he felt his eyelids growing heavy.
"Senpai, we don't have time for this!" Yukari tried to grab his arm, but turned to look at what grabbed his attention.
It was a green and orange machine, that was for certain, but what it did was still a mystery. Minato walked up to it and touched the closest thing to a button the mechanism had. When he did, it lit up brightly, and the light swirled around the three teens.
"Dammit!" Akihiko turned towards Mitsuru, who was currently taking her frustration out on the device in front of her. She rarely ever cursed, which meant that something was horribly wrong.
"What happened?" Mitsuru turned to face the boxer quickly.
"I've lost contact with them! I felt something, and then my connection to all of them was gone!" She was speaking quickly, and desperately. Akihiko soon realized what this might've meant.
"Surely you don't think… shit!" Akihiko turned to start running up the staircase. Almost on cue, the teleporter located to his right opened up, revealing the three rookie SEES members.
"Akihiko-senpai! Minato-senpai needs help." She moved out of the way to reveal the field leader leaning on Junpei for support. His shirt was ripped and torn, revealing his bare chest and the giant gash across his abdomen. He was pale, and was barely awake. Akihiko helped Junpei set him down against a wall.
Minato groaned as he felt every movement his body made. His body shivered against the wall, and he had to fight off the urge to fall asleep right then and there.
"Hold on! I might be able to help." Yukari fished out her evoker and put in to her head.
"I can do this- no! I have to do this!" She steadied her breath once more and pulled the trigger, revealing a woman sitting on top of a… ox head? Minato wasn't sure due to the excessive amount of blood loss. He felt a warm sensation envelop his body, but then he felt pain. He groaned as he felt his wound forcibly being closed by a magical power, but after it was done, he instantly felt better.
"Whatever you did, Yukari-san, I highly appreciate it." She gave him a small smile.
"Arisato, are you able to stand?" He accepted the hand that he was offered, and pulled himself up. With a little more effort than normal, he steadied himself and managed a weak smile.
"Don't suppose that was part of the initial plan…" He stretched his arms, and grimaced at the pain that shot through them.
"I'm just glad you all made it back in one piece." Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief. "We call that shadow 'The Reaper'. He appears sporadically on the floors of Tartarus. We're not sure what triggers his appearance, but we're familiar with the signs. Taking him on is..." She glanced at Minato, who was still wincing from the pain, "ill advised."
"You can say that again! Damn thing almost ripped Minato-senpai to shreds!" Junpei wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Not to mention it had freaking guns!"
"Outside of the unexpected interruption, I think we can safely say that tonight's mission was a success." Akihiko cleared his throat. "Good job, guys." He turned to Minato. "You too. You're proving to be an excellent field leader."
"Thank you, Akihiko-san." Minato bowed, and ignored the pain that it caused him.
"Can we go home? I'm beat…" Yukari huffed and took off the quiver of arrows that she was carrying.
Minato sighed, and pushed himself off the wall.
"Note to self: Order more shirts." He grimaced at the horrid state of his clothing.
Minato returned to his room shortly after arriving at the dorm. He changed into his sleep wear and collapsed onto the bed, but before he could fall asleep, a knock resonated from his door.
"It's Mitsuru, are you still awake?" He pushed himself off of his bed and shuffled towards the door.
"Is there something you need Mitsuru-san?" He asked once he opened to door, not caring whether or not he looked at all presentable.
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Her eyes drifted down to where the cut had been. "It looked a lot more painful than you're letting on." He chuckled sheepishly at that.
"It'll probably leave a nasty scar." He ran a hand through his hair. "Not that that's anything new." He muttered to himself, not realizing that he said it out loud until he noticed Mitsuru's eyebrow rise.
She ignored it however, and cleared her throat. "I also wanted to commend you for your impressive handling of the situation. You managed to lead a team expertly without any issues, not to mention the quick thinking that probably saved Takeba and Iori's life." He rubbed his head sheepishly at that.
"It was nothing, Mitsuru-san." She hummed in response.
"It's late, Minato-san. I shouldn't keep you any longer. Good night." With a wave, she left to return to her own room.
Minato collapsed onto his bed once more, and let the comfortable pillows envelop him.
AN: Once again, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took to get out. I didn't plan for it to take as long as it did, but I'm sure you guys probably don't want to hear any excuses, so I'll save you the trouble. Anyways, I'd like to thank you guys for the support that this fic has been getting, it's been a huge morale booster for me! Until next time!