April 19, 2009

Takeharu Kirijo skimmed through the file on his desk for what felt like the hundredth time. He looked at the picture included in the file, then scanned his remaining eye over the name attached to it.

Minato Arisato

Takeharu let out a weary sigh, and massaged his temple. He then flipped the front page over, and felt his breath catch.

Known relatives:

Chiharu Arisato – STATUS – DECEASED

Naoya Arisato – STATUS – DECEASED

Makoto Arisato – STATUS - ALIVE

He locked his jaw and ran his hand through his brown hair. Images of a blue haired woman flashed through his mind, and he felt a familiar feeling flow through his chest. Guilt.

The teen in the file looked so much like her, yet so different. His hair was a few shades darker than hers, most likely his genes coming into play. His eyes were a familiar shade of grey, yet they lacked her radiance, her happiness. The teen hardly looked like the seven-year-old boy he had met all those years ago, but he supposed that was only natural.

Takeharu turned his attention to the second name in the list, and he let out a wry, humorless chuckle. Years ago, before the birth of his own daughter, he hated him. Jealousy was a powerful emotion, and it frequently fueled The Kirijo CEO's younger years. If there was one thing he was aware of, is that aristocrats hardly ever chose their significant others. Arranged marriages and alliances came with the position, yet she had the ability to choose, and he supposed a part of him was angry she chose him. It was a silly, irrational thought, and over the years, Takeharu regretted his ignorance. After Mitsuru, he never once felt that selfish sensation again.

Even still, it hurt. On certain days, he could still hear Chiharu's voice. He would remember their frequent games of hide and seek when they were children, and all the feelings he buried years ago would resurface, but then he would turn his attention to the red haired girl whose picture occupied his desk, and those feelings would be squashed once again.

Takeharu was brought out of his thoughts by a beeping sound emanating from the computer in front of him. He cleared his throat and clicked 'ACCEPT' on the video call, knowing exactly who it was. The monitor flickered to life and a red haired woman came into view.

"Hello, Father." Takeharu nodded.

"Hello, Mitsuru. It's been awhile. What do you have to report?" Mitsuru cleared her throat and shuffled the papers in front of her.

"Last night, we made our first expedition into Tartarus. Arisato, Takeba, and Iori performed exceptionally well. Arisato especially. " Takeharu's eye darted to the file on his desk before returning to the monitor. "They managed to clear the first floor, and Takeba managed to summon her Persona. Unfortunately, our progress was cut short by an ambush by The Reaper. Arisato, who acted as field leader in Akihiko's stead, managed to lead the team to safety." Mitsuru's voice was business-like in its presentation as she concluded her report. Takeharu leaned back in his chair and chuckled at her formal attitude.

"Speaking of Arisato," he began, "how is he?"

"He's exceptional in combat, he seems to have the trust of Takeba and Iori, and he has made fast friends with Akihiko." Takeharu sighed at that before his mouth turned into an amused smile.

"I didn't mean as a comrade, Mitsuru. I meant how is he to you." Mitsuru's eyebrow rose quizzically before realization dawned on her face. Her eyes widened a fraction before narrowing back down.

"He doesn't seem to hold any animosity towards you or me, and he seems to hold some sort of disdain for company politics." Takeharu nodded along at that. Not like he expected the teen to care all that much. If Kirijo Group spies were to be believed, the younger Arisato wasn't even interested in training for a company position. His eye glanced once again back at the file. First Takeba, now Arisato. Fate was truly a cruel mistress.

He let another sigh escape his lips before turning towards the monitor once more. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Mitsuru simply shook her head.

"No Father. I'll send you a report if anything comes up." With a final goodbye, they both turned off their respective devices.

Takeharu reached into his pocket and took out a lighter and a cigar. Things were becoming very… interesting.

Minato loved Sundays. No classes, no stuffy uniforms, but more importantly, no designated wake up time, which meant he could spend all day sleeping in, which he happily did. He only exited his room once around noon, and that was only to get a bottle of water. It's not like he had anything else to do, after all. If there was one benefit to living in a dorm, it was the lack of chores.

When he reentered his room, he slid back into his chair and turned his attention towards the laptop on his desk. He had been spending the day researching mythology in order to get a better grasp of his Persona and the Dark Hour, thinking that he could perhaps find some reference to shadows in the hundreds of stories about heroes and gods, but alas, nothing stood out, which annoyed him.

He did, however, find some interesting bits of information regarding Orpheus, but most of it unsettled the teen more than it made him comfortable. He sincerely hoped that Orpheus was connected to him based on their shared interest in music and NOT the tragic loss of his loved one or the mythological poet's uncomfortable love of young boys.

Minato pinched his nose as he read through the page again. There was something stirring beneath his heart. It was almost like he could feel Orpheus crawling around inside him, and something seemed to ignite the Persona's drive whenever he read the story of Eurydice and the poet's death. Almost as if it was reacting to the page itself. It made him wonder even more about the nature of Personas. Did they retain any knowledge of their mythological selves, or did they simply take up the memories of their user? Did they each have a mind and opinion of their own, or did they simply mimic the personality and thoughts of the wielder? If they truly represented their user, surely the latter would be true, so then why did it feel like he had such a large connection to the story of Orpheus, despite not even knowing it a couple of hours ago?

These thoughts made the blue haired teen's head spin, which prompted him to shut the laptop off, frustrated with having even more questions with less answers. He made a mental note to ask either Mitsuru or Akihiko later on everything known about the nature of Personas.

Minato was brought out of his thoughts by the vibration from his phone. Flipping it open, he sighed at the caller ID.

MAKOTO – ANSWER?

YES/NO

Deciding that it was probably better to stay on his brother's unexpected good side, he chose to answer.

"Before you ask, yes, I did visit Mom and Dad, Makoto." This triggered a hum in response from his older brother.

"Good. That means we can finally begin." Minato raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Makoto simply huffed in response.

"Don't worry about that. Are you free in the coming weeks?" Minato swiveled his chair around to look at the calendar on the wall.

"I'm free most days, but I have school and… extracurricular activities at night." Minato heard a sigh escape from his brother's mouth at his horrid lie, but he would be damned if he told his brother about SEES or the Dark Hour or any of the nonsense associated with it.

"I swear if it's something illegal, Minato, I'll – "Makoto began his rant.

"It's not! I'm just busy at nights, is all." Minato was eager to stop his brother, lest he was hear listening to him all day.

Makoto sighed wearily once again. "I can't meet with you this month, so how does sometime in May sound?" Minato checked his calendar again.

"Yeah, that works, but I'm going to need a more specific date than just 'sometime in May'." The phone went silent for a bit.

"How does May 9th sound? Should give you plenty of time to clear your schedule and finish your… 'Extracurricular Activities'." Minato rolled his eyes at his brother's attitude, but let the jab slide.

"Yeah, that'll work. Anything else?" The phone went silent for a moment, once again.

"No, that'll be all. I have a meeting in a bit, so I'll see you then." With that final goodbye, the phone clicked, signaling the end of the call.

"Could've at least allowed me to say goodbye." Minato muttered under his breath before returning to his laptop. He clipped on his headphones and resumed his music, letting the bass and guitar of the current song rock him into a sense of bliss as a smirk tugged at his lips.

'Yep,' he thought, 'it's definitely the love of music.'

April 21, 2009

Minato sometimes wondered how half the teachers at Gekkoukan even got their jobs. From Samurai-obsessed history teachers to unprofessional composition teachers, it legitimately seemed like the Kirijo Group were hiring whomever was first to send in a résumé. Today, however, he had the displeasure of sitting through the one sane teacher in the building, which just so happened to also be, in his opinion, a complete hard-ass. Mr. Ekoda, the Classic Literature teacher, was dreadfully boring; so much so, in fact, that Minato had managed to find sleep a much better alternative to whatever Ekoda was passing off as an 'essential part of Japanese Culture'.

He managed to sleep through the entire period, but was awoken by the sound of the bell signaling the end of the day.

"Minato," he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Akihiko slinging a jacket behind him as he gathered his schoolwork, "are you free this afternoon? I have something I want to show you and Junpei, since you two are aren't in a club or anything." The blue haired teen nodded and stretched his arms and legs, which fought against him due to their lack of movement.

"Sure, I'm free. Where are we going?" Akihiko signaled him to follow him to the second floor, which was where they met Junpei.

"Yo! Akihiko-Senpai! Minato-san! What's up!" Junpei waved his hands in the air comically, drawing the attention of passing students. Minato could hear murmurs and annoyed hisses from some of the students he passed, but brushed it off.

"Hey, Junpei. You free today?" The cap wearing teen smirked in response and gave a thumbs-up.

"For you? I'm always free Senpai! What did you have in mind?" Junpei's eyes lit up at the thought of spending time with the most popular guy in school.

"It's for 'work'. We need to go to Paulownia Mall." Minato raised his eyebrow in confusion while Junpei seemed to deflate a little bit.

"You mean… we're not hanging out with those cuties over there?" Both Minato and Akihiko turned around to see six crazed eyed girls staring at them with little regard for how much space they took up in the hallway or the deathly glare Minato was directing at them.

"Them?" Akihiko turned back to Junpei. "I don't even know their names. They just follow me around and give me a headache." Junpei's eyes widened in shock. "Anyways, I gotta let the boxing team know why I won't be at practice. See you guys there." With that, the silver haired boxer left with his fan girls in tow.

"How could he even say that!? Those chicks are hot and he's just blowing them off like they're nothing!" Junpei looked at Minato incredulously. "You have to think that's bullshit too, right Senpai?" Minato gave him a sideways glance before sighing.

"You don't want those girls," before Junpei could interrupt, he put up a hand to stop his outburst, "trust me." Junpei didn't seem to buy it however, and shook his head in anger before turning towards the staircase.

"Whatever man. The next train arrives soon, so we should get to the station before we miss it." With that, the two teens departed towards the mall.

Paulownia Mall highlighted the exact reason Minato hated the shopping centers of Shibuya. From the rush of high school students meandering about from shop to shop, to angry business men and women pushing through the crowds of people in order to reach their destination. If there was one thing he didn't miss from Tokyo, this would've been it. Junpei had dragged him to the arcade while they waited for Akihiko, and Minato swore that the arcade was somehow more packed than the ones in Shibuya.

Akihiko arrived to the mall a few moments later, and led the trio to a police station located within the plaza.

"Uh…" Junpei looked at the door leading into the station wearily. "Why are we here?"

Akihiko chuckled and turned to face the rookie members. "That's life's greatest question isn't it?" He pushed the door open and signaled for Minato and Junpei to follow suit.

The trio were greeted by a stern looking individual behind the counter, who nodded at Akihiko before turning his gaze towards Minato. His stare hardened ever so slightly before he turned his attention back to Akihiko.

"Are these the guys?" The officer's voice was low and gruff. Akihiko nodded in response.

"Yeah." The boxer outstretched a hand. "Minato, Junpei, this is Office Kurosawa, our contact in the Police Force, and our 'supplier'." Minato cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"Supplier?" Junpei muttered something unintelligible while Akihiko nodded in confirmation.

"He gets us the equipment we need for our explorations." Kurosawa cleared his throat, clearly indicating that he would take over the conversation.

"I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out something is wrong around here. I have some old contacts in the Kirijo Group that informed me of your… unique situation." Minato nodded to show that he understood. The less they mentioned the Dark Hour in public, the better. "Give me one sec, I'll bring out what I have." Kurosawa nodded to Akihiko, who locked the entrance to the station. When Kurosawa reappeared, he was carrying three boxes with him. Slowly and carefully, he undid the latches, revealing the contents to be weapons of all types, as well as body armor.

Minato let out a low whistle as he eyed a bulletproof vest. "This doesn't seem legal."

Kurosawa snorted and directed an unreadable look at the blue haired teen. "Your family would know all about that, wouldn't they?" This caused Akihiko and Junpei to blink in confusion, but Minato only smirked.

"I suppose they would." He let out a low chuckle while he fished out his wallet. "I don't suppose any of this is free, so how much for all of this?" Junpei suddenly got giddy and started pointing at a great sword that he really, really, wanted, but Akihiko stayed silent.

Kurosawa shook his head. "I don't accept cards, kid." Minato bit his lip before cursing to himself.

'Of course you don't.' He sighed and put his wallet back into his pocket while Junpei whined in frustration.

"Don't worry, I got you covered." Akihiko pulled out two 5,000 yen notes and handed them to the two teens. "Courtesy of the Chairman." Junpei snatched his note quickly, and let out a victory whoop, which caused both Minato and Akihiko to let out an annoyed sigh.

In the end, Minato bought a new sabre which featured an odd cross guard as well as a light armored shirt to wear under his uniform while Junpei blew most of his money on his great sword. They bid their goodbyes to Kurosawa, who was making the necessary preparations to have the equipment delivered to the dorm, as they left the station.

"Couldn't the Chairman give us a little bit more than just 5,000 yen? I mean, that's chump change, man!" Minato and Akihiko both made an attempt to ignore the cap wearing teen's whining, but were finding it extremely hard. "By the way, Minato-senpai, why did Office Kurosawa seem like he knew you, or something." Minato stopped in his tracks and let a wry, but restrained smile tug at his lips.

"Think about it, Junpei. My family's company practically owns Tokyo. Besides amazing food and busy streets, what more do you know about the city?" Junpei's eyes widened in confusion, but then a mischievous grin graced his face. Minato rolled his eyes and put up a hand to stop him. "Don't say anything about women, Junpei." The cap wearing teen deflated a bit.

"You're referring to the Yakuza, aren't you?" Akihiko glanced at Minato out of the corner of his eyes. The blue haired teen's smirk turned into a grimace.

"Yep. Just so happens that my family happens to be connected to multiple crime syndicates." Junpei and Akihiko's eyes widened in shock.

"So, like, does that make you a member of the Yakuza?" Minato rolled his eyes again and directed an exasperated look at the goofy teen.

"No, Junpei, I'm not a member of the Yakuza. My family simply does business with them." Junpei let out a nervous chuckle while Akihiko simply shook his head. "Look, if it means anything to you guys, I don't like it any more than you do. Can we just drop this, please?" Junpei and Akihiko both nodded in confirmation. "Alright, with that out of the way, who's up for some ramen? My treat." At that, his two companions lit up, and they dragged him back to the train station.

April 23, 2009

"Junpei, on your left!" Minato called out as he dodged the talons of a bird-like shadow.

"Gotcha!" Junpei steadied his arms and entered a sloppy fighting stance. Another bird-like shadow swooped down, hoping to claw his eyes out, but he was prepared. He ducked under the attack and retaliated with his own swing. "Home Run!" He called as his new sword sliced the beast in two.

Minato smirked at his companion's attitude, but was quickly brought out of his thoughts by a loud screeching noise coming from behind him. He spun around, and felt a force hit his shoulder. If not for the armor underneath, his arm might've been dislocated. The remaining beast circled back around and prepared for another strike. Counting his blessings, Minato prepared to retaliate. The beast closed in, but was knocked out of the air by an arrow hitting it square in the chest.

"You're getting reckless, Senpai!" Yukari scolded, but it was ruined by the grin on her face.

"Nonsense! We have to let the shadows get a couple hits in, otherwise they'll stop playing fair!" Minato quipped back, earning an eye roll from the brunette.

"Excellent work, you three. You should return for the night." Mitsuru's voice resonated in Minato's mind, and he found himself humming in agreement while he observed his teammates struggling to catch their breath.

"I agree. We'll finish this floor and head out." Junpei and Yukari gave him looks of gratitude and relief.

When they returned to the bottom floor, Mitsuru and Akihiko were already at the entrance, eager to return to the dorm after the extensive night in Tartarus. Minato passed by them, giving both a cursory glance and a nod as he staggered out of the tower. Junpei and Yukari followed suit, leaving the two seniors to discuss amongst themselves.

"Well, Akihiko, what's your read on them now?" Mitsuru asked, glancing at her companion, who was smirking.

"I think they're more than capable. Minato especially. I'm thinking of letting him take over as field leader permanently." Mitsuru raised her eyebrow.

"Really? Are you sure about that?" Akihiko turned to look at her fully, and frowned slightly.

"What? You think he's not good enough or something?" Mitsuru shook her head.

"It's not that. I just didn't think you would give up the chance of such an active combat role." This garnered a chuckle from the boxer.

"Him being field leader means I don't have to worry about leading the team, which means I can focus on what I'm good at: fighting." Mitsuru hummed in amusement.

"Always the one with the one track mind. And the others? What do you think of Iori and Takeba?" Akihiko cupped his chin with his right hand, deep in thought.

"Yukari's getting used to the evoker now, I can tell. She doesn't hesitate much. Junpei seems to have adapted well, but he still needs work when it comes to sword fighting." Mitsuru nodded in agreement. The cap wearing teen's wide swings and poor footwork were beginning to make him a liability in close combat.

"Perhaps we should make it mandatory for members to join a club related to their respective fighting capabilities. Iori could learn a thing or two from Kendo." Akihiko hummed slightly.

"I agree. Besides," the boxer turned his attention to the three new members. Yukari was arguing with Junpei, while Minato was shaking his head in exasperation. "you could use a new sparring partner." Mitsuru raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then allowed a challenging smirk tug at her lips.

"Arisato seems rather capable with a sabre. I, too, wonder how he would fare on the fencing mat." With that, the two seniors quickened their pace to catch up with the other members.

April 24, 2009

Minato stifled a yawn as Mr. Ekoda ranted about the modern youth and their apparent lack of enthusiasm for classic literature. The day had been boring, and he found himself fixated on his watch, waiting for the chiming of the bell that would end the incessant torture that was being forced upon him.

"And don't even get me started on today's youth and the obsession with phones!" Before Ekoda could continue, however, he was cut off by a ringing noise resonating from the hallway. "Wha- already?!" The teacher let out a grumble of annoyance. "Class dismissed!"

Minato quickly gathered his school materials and made a move for the door, but he was intercepted by a silver haired boxer.

"Minato, are you free this afternoon?" He turned towards Akihiko, and gave the boxer a deadpan look.

"You know I'm always free, Akihiko. What do you need?" Akihiko smiled.

"Mitsuru and I decided that it was important that all members practice regularly." Akihiko lowered his voice to a whisper and dragged Minato out of the way of oncoming students. "While training in Tartarus is good, it isn't enough. That's why we've made the decision to make it mandatory that all of you join a club relating to your weapon of choice." Minato grimaced.

"Is that really necessary? I mean, for Junpei, I get it. He swings wider than an infant with a toy sword, but I'm more than capable of handling my way around a sabre." Akihiko gave him a stern look.

"Listen, I know you don't want to, but it's the best way to train our bodies on days in which we can't all go to Tartarus. It also gives us a good cover in case someone sees us lugging our equipment to the school when we do go to Tartarus. Look," he cut Minato off before he could protest, "if you don't like it, or it doesn't benefit you in any way, you can quit, but at least give it a shot." Minato sighed and bit his tongue in anger.

"Okay, sure, what do I have to do?" Akihiko smiled again.

"Great! Don't worry, you don't have to do anything. Mitsuru already signed you up this morning." Minato's face deadpanned. "Now, you should get going. I'm going to be late for practice myself!" Akihiko ran off, leaving Minato to glare where the boxer had been standing in annoyance.

The sound of steel rang out and through the halls as Minato closed in on the gym. When he entered, he was met with twelve or so white-clad fencers practicing on six mats sprung out around the gym floor. To say Minato was surprised would be an understatement. He knew Gekkoukan was well funded, but he didn't expect to see such a large and robust team of fencers dancing around the room with such high-grade level equipment. It actually brought a smirk to his face as he wondered how his old team would react to such a difference in quality.

"Oh, you must be the one Mitsuru-san was talking about." Minato turned his attention towards his side to find a blonde haired man walking towards him. His haired was parted to the right, giving him a distinguished look. Blue orbs studied Minato intently, and he scratched the stubble dotting his cheeks as he looked him up and down. He wasn't full blooded Japanese, Minato guessed. The eyes and hair were a pretty dead giveaway. Finally, he flashed Minato a friendly smile as he fastened his epee into its sheath. "Welcome to the Fencing Team of Gekkoukan! I'm Shuhei Isaacs! Pleasure to meet you!" He outstretched a hand towards Minato, who graciously excepted.

"Minato Arisato. Pleasure to meet you, Isaacs-san." Shuhei's grin grew wider.

"I knew we were getting a new member, but I didn't really expect it to be you Arisato-san!" Minato raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You're the talk of the entire school. A ladies' man and a close confidant to the school's boxing champ, if the rumors are to be believed, of course." Shuhei winked slyly and chuckled at Minato's grimace. After a firm handshake, the blonde teen turned his attention towards the other fencers on the mats. "Attention! We have a new member! This is Minato Arisato, handpicked by Kirijo-san herself!" Shuhei let a mischievous grin tug at his lips as many of the fencers gave Minato looks of disdain while some gave him looks of admiration. Minato directed a glare towards Shuhei, who laughed it off. The blonde put a hand on Minato's shoulder. "No pressure!" With that, Shuhei left the gymnasium.

Minato attempted to ignore the stares and glances as he changed into protective gear and fastened a sabre to his waist, hoping that they would forget about him within a couple of weeks. He glanced around the room, and noticed that Mitsuru didn't seem to be present at the moment, which made him a little mad, considering she was the one who signed him up and all. He strode over into one of the lines for the practice mat designated for sabre users, and observed a couple of matches.

Most of them ended quickly, which disappointed him to some extent. Minato knew that fencing wasn't exactly the most 'fun' sport to watch. It was a lot of slow movements and defense testing. Any clashes would end within seconds, and a match between two seasoned fencers could take upwards of ten minutes if they were good enough. It was definitely a sport that was best enjoyed while participating.

After a few quick bouts, it was Minato's turn. The team seem to focus on king of the hill-type matches, with the winner challenging the next opponent while the loser moved to the back of the line. The longest streak since Minato joined was two consecutive wins, and he was determined to break that record if at all possible.

His first opponent was left handed, which already threw Minato off slightly. He only fought a handful of left handed opponents on his old team. He smirked at the threat of challenge, and, with a salute for his opponent, charged forward with the vigor he thought he had lost long ago.

Mitsuru let out an annoyed sigh as she made her way through the empty halls of the school. The Student Council had met for the first time of the school year, and so much needed to be done that she almost wanted to skip Fencing Practice entirely. She may have actually done it, too, if not for her dragging Arisato into the club that morning. She reasoned that it was rude to sign him up yet not be there to introduce him, though she suspected Isaacs had taken care of that. She could at least spar with him a bit before heading back to the dorm.

She was suspicious by the quietness that permeated through the normally rowdy hallway as she entered the gymnasium. Her suspicious were confirmed when she saw the entire team observing a single match, all gathered around the mat as if it was a theater screen. She observed the two figures locked in a duel. One moved gracefully around the mat, easily deflecting blows and retaliating with their own. The other was pushed back into a defensive stance, only able to attack once their opponent backed off, but was quickly thrown off balance whenever they were parried. After a series of mistakes, the clearly better fencer ended the match with a clean hit on the chest.

The winner pulled off their protective mask, revealing a familiar blue haired teen with a look of indifference and boredom across his face. A few beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead. He saluted his opponent, who returned one in kind. Mitsuru smiled to herself. He was even better than she thought, which renewed her spirit. She waded her way through the mass of fencers and grabbed her equipment to join the fray.

Minato sighed heavily after yet another victory. He expected that he was more skilled than some of the members, but he didn't expect to go multiple rounds against the entire team. Most of his potential opponents seemed to be just as tired as him, and many had already left when he noticed a new challenger enter the mat. Their face was shrouded behind a protective mask, but the curve of their body and their rather well-endowed chest (he swore he wasn't a pervert) gave away the fact that his new opponent was female.

She gave him a quick salute which he returned in kind, and at the sound of the whistle, he charged forward, hoping to end the bout quickly, but his attack was expertly parried, forcing him to recover before his challenger could retaliate. She attacked quicker than he expected, forcing him to put more weight on his back foot and change to a defensive stance. She quickly stabbed in multiple different places, hoping to hit him while he attempted to parry, but Minato didn't fall for the bait, and instead leapt to the other side of the mat with a backing jab. His opponent wasted no time, however, and charged forward before he could gather his senses. He barely managed to deflect an oncoming blow and sidestep another stab, but then he saw it: an opening. She made a poor judgement and stabbed a couple of centimeters off of his current position. He smirked and prepared to retaliate with his own stab.

He pulled his arm back and jabbed forward, his target in sights. Time seemed to slow down as his sword reached its full length and skewered where his target should have been… wait… should have been.

Before he could realize what had happened, he felt an object sink into his chest. His eyes widened when he noticed his mystery opponent had quickly dashed to his right, and now had landed a clean blow on him. Needless to say, he was shocked, and found it hard to realize just how hard he had lost. An inkling of irritation found its way into his head, but was quickly overpowered by a sense of admiration for his opponent. Whoever she was, she was good. Really good.

"Good match." She said with a familiar voice.

"Yeah." Was all that he could manage in his state.

His opponent pulled off the mask, revealing long, crimson hair and a pale complexion, causing him to let out a chuckle.

"Should've known it was you, Mitsuru-san. If this is how good you are with a sabre, I can't wait to see how good you are with an epee." She hummed in response and wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead.

"You weren't bad yourself, Minato-san." She glanced at the shocked fencers around her. "You garnered quite a crowd." He chuckled at that.

"I made quite the first impression, for better or worse." Many remaining members were glaring at him out of the corner of their eyes as they cleaned their equipment and prepared to leave. "I don't know about you, Mitsuru-san, but I'm beat." She clicked her tongue in response.

"Agreed. We'll have to continue our sparring another time. Want to accompany me back to the dorm?" Minato stretched his arms and nodded in response. He watched her walk off to change and felt a smile tug at his lips. Maybe the fencing team wasn't so bad after all.

Most of the walk back to the dorm was spent with meaningless small talk and pleasantries. Minato dodge most of the questions regarding this training. Something about telling Mitsuru that most of his training came from his cold and distant brother who liked having a good reason to bruise his younger sibling seemed really tasteless, so he answered most of the questions regarding his past in fencing with vague nods to his old team and private tutors.

Despite that, Minato felt the trek back was sort of awkward. Outside of Fencing and SEES, he really didn't know how much he had in common with the Kirijo Heiress, which made any conversation difficult to continue. He berated himself for letting long strings of silence go on for longer than a couple of minutes, and if the way Mitsuru shifted was any indication, it was just as uncomfortable with her as it was for him.

His mind raced with possible topics of conversation, but all seemed to end within a couple of words spoken between the two, so he stayed silent for the most part, not really knowing whether or not small talk would liven the mood or simply make the conversation feel forced. Luckily, Mitsuru seemed to have found a better topic of interest.

"Akihiko speaks very highly of you, you know. He knows talent when he sees it, and I'm inclined to agree with him. You've proven to be a very valuable asset to the team, Minato-san. You don't know how much that means to us." Minato felt a surge of pride from that. He hated the idea of being field leader at first, but every fight in Tartarus strengthened his confidence, and now he felt pretty good about leading the team.

"I appreciate that, Mitsuru-san. Your support during our fights makes it possible, however. Without you, I doubt we would even be able to explore that labyrinth." Mitsuru smirked.

"I'm glad to know that my support is helpful." She cleared her throat and turned to face Minato fully. "Akihiko and I have been discussing the team dynamic once he rejoins you on the field, and we both decided that it would be best for you to continue your job as field leader. Are you okay with that?" Minato's smile grew.

"Sure. As long as that protein junkie follows orders, that is." Mitsuru smirked and let out an amused hum.

"Akihiko may have an addiction to protein, but he's more than capable of following orders. He knows what will happen if he doesn't." This caused Minato to smirk, but one glance at her face told him she was serious, despite the smile she gave him. It seemed more like a threat than a joke. That was when another topic came to mind.

"You seem to be quite close with Akihiko. How long have you known each other?" Mitsuru clicked her tongue in thought.

"I'd say… we've been working together for two or three years now." Minato's eyes widened.

"SEES has been active for that long, and it was only you two?" Mitsuru shook her head.

"There was another… but he left." Mitsuru's response was drawn out and there was a hint of emotion behind them. Deciding not to push the topic, Minato changed the subject.

"Seems like a miracle that Yukari, Junpei, and myself appeared around the same time, then." The red headed heiress nodded in response.

"I thought gaining Takeba was a large win for SEES, but then you came along, and then Akihiko found Iori. It almost seems to perfect, but at this point, I'll take whatever we can get." That made sense to him. Years of fighting without the hope of ever finding more people to share that burden with would take a toll on even the strongest of fighters.

"I don't know if I would've been able to do what you did, Mitsuru-san. Shouldering that burden alone isn't healthy. Nobody should have to do this, or anything regarding the Dark Hour, without support." Mitsuru went quiet, causing Minato to panic. Did he say something wrong? Did he offend her in some way? Did he just make this more awkward, and better yet, why was he so bothered by it? He hardly knew this wom-

"You're absolutely right, Minato-san." He breathed a sigh of relief, which, luckily, seemed to go unnoticed by his companion. "We have the weight of the world on our shoulders, and the more people we have to help, the better." She turned to face him and smiled. "Thank you for reminding me of that. It's hard to remember that we're not alone when you face death every night." He returned her smile with one of his own, and felt a strange sensation rush through his chest.

When they returned to the dorm, it was already close to nightfall, and Minato was really feeling the dull pain aching through his muscles as he pushed himself up the staircase to his room. When he reached the second floor, he saw a familiar cap wearing teen sprawled out on the couch.

"Iori?" Mitsuru was the first to voice her confusion.

"Wha-oh, hey Mitsuru-senpai." Junpei's voice was low and weak.

"Are you alright, Junpei? You look like you've been hit by a bus?" The goatee-sporting teen rolled over and fell into the floor with a thud.

"I feel like it too." Was the only response he could muster, causing both the aristocrats to chuckle to themselves. "I joined the Kendo team today. Akihiko-senpai said I had to, and I'm really feelin' it right now."

"I didn't think you were this out of shape, Iori." Mitsuru's voice was mixed with humor and surprise.

"I'm not! Or… at least, I don't think I am…" Junpei's voice trailed off as he struggled to stand.

"You should probably go to bed, but fair warning, you won't feel much better tomorrow." Minato warned the cap wearing teen, who simply groaned in response as he shuffled along to his room.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Well, Minato-san. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for the match earlier today, and for accompanying me on the way back." Minato felt his smile returning.

"No need to thank me, Mitsuru-san. It was my pleasure." With a final wave, Minato watched Mitsuru ascend the stairs to the third floor, and he felt that unfamiliar feeling return to him. Shaking it off, however, he entered his room and fell into a deep sleep.

Author's Note: My. Good. Lord! This chapter took FOREVER to get out, and for that, I offer my deepest apologies. I got promoted recently, which means I've been getting swamped with work. On top of that, I'm lazy so… bleh.

I kinda feel like this chapter wasn't worth the wait, honestly. Besides the beginning and ending scenes, I don't really feel like this chapter holds much importance, and for that, I must apologize. Next chapter is full moon, though, so hopefully that will get the plot rolling faster. Right now, I'm going to try and hold a '2 a month' update schedule. Sadly, this means that overall plot progression is going to be very jump-y. I'm going to be skipping a lot of days up until around June or July, then that is where the meat of the story is going to kick in, and then you can expect all the crazy twists and turns to set in, it's really just a matter of getting there.

Please Review if you have time, it's what sustains me and my ego ;)