AN: Tatsuya is *not* Tatsuya from P2. Just thought I'd say that now.

Chapter 14: Blood & Roses

Both Shinjiro's and Ken's bodies are still moving but...no...Ken is okay, It's Shinji's blood Ken is covered in…

"Another one? My lucky day." Takaya point his gun up at me.

"Minako! RUN!" Shinjiro's voice is weak and I can see the energy it takes to speak to me. I pull my evoker to my head all I can see is red...I'm sick of those I care about dying while I do nothing and stand there...I can understand Yukari's frustration now.

"PERSONA!" I don't care who comes out.

[KILL KILL KILL DEVOUR DEVOUR DEVOUR HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!]

You're the one from the station?

[YES! LET ME DEVOUR HIM!]

A giant Persona appears in front of me just as Takaya's gun goes off. The bullet flies directly into the Persona's mouth and it gives a triumphant roar. My…my head-!

I fall screaming as the Persona opens its mouth to devour Takaya.

[Cowardly human! Come back here and fight me!]

The Persona bellows in anger…urgh…my…my…head.

[Damn it Abaddon! Are you trying to kill us all?]

That's not Orpheus either…AH-!

[Cease! Your target is gone! You can fight him the next time you meet him, now cease!]

I whimpered the second voice sounds powerful and ancient and sane…

[NO I MUST DEVOUR-] He suddenly screams. [IT HURTS!]

[CEASE I don't carry about the human but at the rate you're going you'll kill us all!]

[NO!]

[Urgh. Pain in my ass-!]

A strange black blue orb that reminds me of the Megido orbs appears in Abaddon's eye, Abaddon howls in sheer agony before vanishing. The other voice sighs in irritation.

[Foolish weak human girl! Of all the Personas you allow him? Are you mad?]

I…I didn't-

[Silence! Fool child! What would you have done if Abaddon had decided to devour your friends?]

He…wouldn't have….

[Fool! Of course he would have! He is not under your control!]

With another snort of disgust its presence fades as well.

I quiver falling to the ground all of my strength is gone…

"Shinji!" So Akihiko's finally caught up has he?

"Shinjiro-senpai!" Yukari now…

"SENPAI!" And there's Junpei…I force myself to my feet and stumble over to the two of them. Shinjiro was shot three times in the chest. It's…a wonder he's still standing.

"Ah…"

"Shinji!"

"Aki…" Shinji looks up at him. "Take…care of Ken for me…"

Aki nods gravely. "I will."

Ken bursts into loud wailing. "Why? Why did this happen?"

"Ken…you're…just a kid…" his begins cough loudly and I grab my evoker "Seiryuu!" Seiryuu appears and I try vainly to use Diarama but as fast as I can heal his wounds they just get worse! Why won't they close! That damn gun Takaya shot him with wasn't magical! Close damn it! Close! He's saying more words to both Ken and Akihiko but I won't listen! I won't listen to him as he prepares to die damn it!

"Minako…"

My vision is blurred by tears and all I know is that I'm sobbing and I keep feeling my Persona being used uselessly, why? Why won't the wounds go away? They always do!

[…Minako…]

It's Messiah…but no! NO! I refuse!

[…I am sorry…]

No! You said I could heal people!

[…but the price is one that you are unable to pay…]

No! Whatever the price is I'll pay it- please Messiah! Help me!

[…I am truly sorry. I can not…]

NO!

"PERSONA!" The others just watch in silence. My evoker hit's the ground with a clatter. "Why won't it work?"

Shinjiro gives me a shaky smile. And slowly wipes away my tears. "Minako…this is just the way it's meant to be."

Meant to be? I…all I can do is shake my head in denial. I know I should be more like Akihiko willing to respect Shinji's wishes but…

Shinji begins coughing. "Shinji!" I reach for him but he shakes his head. Why is he attempting to stand? "Stop! You're injured-!"

"Let him be Minako." Akihiko shakes his head. Shinji doesn't take three steps before he collapses in a heap this time utterly still.

Fuuka walks over to him. "He's…smiling…" I just can't move. I stay on the ground tears still running down my face. "He's dea-"

"There's no need to say it Fuuka." Akihiko sounds pained.

"We should…go. The Dark Hour will be over soon." I glare at Mitsuru.

"Go? And leave him behind?"

"We wouldn't be able to explain how we-"

"Fuck explanations! He was your friend damn it-!"

"Minako…enough." Akihiko's cold tone silences me. "We…should get going."

I turn around and head to the dorm refusing to look back, my tears still cascading down my face. I go into my bedroom and throw myself under the covers.

10/5/09

I force myself to go to school, staying in the dorm just serves to remind me more of Shinjiro...

Gekkoukan High School Auditorium...

The students were gathered for Shinjiro's funeral...I feel...so empty..

"No words can express the sense of loss we feel as a result of this terrible tragedy." The principal is giving the speech. "He had a lifetime of opportunity ahead of him...as educators, we are to blame for ignoring his silent calls for help. We lost him to violence before we had a chance to help him realize his true potential..." I smile bitterly. Cries for help? ...Takaya is going to pay for this...if they hadn't stopped me my revenge would already be sated but now...he'll pay for this.

"Forgive us...forgive us for our negligence..." empty meaningless words. He continues with his bullshit eulogy and I sit back scowling. My eyes are no longer hidden behind my bangs, I want the world to see them. My mother always said my eyes were like roses, I wonder why she never mentioned they were roses the color of blood.

Junpei is sniffling and I hear a group of morons talking in front of me.

"Will this speech ever end...? I don't even know who this Aragaki guy was..."

"I heard he never came to school. ...Prolly just some punk." How...dare they? "Anyway, I gotta get home...I have to study for my mock-exam."

He turns to me and whispers. "Hey, you guys know who Aragaki is?"

"Shut up."

"Damn...what's your problem."

"I said shut up!" I'm just loud enough for him to ear. He must've got a good look at my eyes because he flinches and turns away hastily he and his goon friend are silent for the rest of the eulogy.

Junpei and Yukari watch this exchange and I notice Junpei's trembling with anger. Where he's like fire mine feels more like ice.

"Hey...have you seen Akihiko-senpai today?"

I shake my head.

"He was absent this morning...I wonder if he'll show up at all. I hope he's okay..."

With that we sit in silence for the rest of the eulogy.

After School, Homeroom...

The tell tale sound of Mitsuru's boots come into the room.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah." I'm aware of how dull my voice sounds.

"When you get back today, please meet me in the lounge. You know what it's regarding...I don't expect you to have collected your thoughts. In fact, I am still at a loss myself...I'll see you then." for once her quick exit is a blessing.

"Minako-" before Yukari finishes I head out the door. I don't want to be reminded of last night...not right now. I go to the arcade and play some mind numbing fighting games until it starts getting dark.

Dorm, Evening...

"You all know the reason we're gathered here. We need to discuss how to deal with Amada..." I don't want to think about him either. Instead of leaving however I gaze blankly at the wall. Mitsuru's words mean nothing to me Fuuka and Akihiko say something to one another and then everyone looks at me.

"I don't care." I stand up and head for my room. I hear grim silence behind me, even Fuuka who was shrieking a moment ago has finally shut the fuck up. I don't. Why is it everything that I love someone comes and takes away? Everything that I have for my own always ends being destroyed and then discarded. I run into Shinji's room and crawl into his bed, maybe if I sleep I'll wake up and it'll all have been a nightmare.

10/6/09

Turns out it wasn't…I force myself to go to class. I have a training session today, with that in mind I head back for the Dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

A unfamiliar man is talking to Mitsuru and getting ready to leave. His hair is a reddish brown and he has brown eyes. He's attractive enough I guess…he doesn't look much older than 27.

"Arisato…"

"Is he my trainer?"

Mitsuru nods. "But given the circumstances-"

"I want to train today." Mitsuru looks a little taken back.

"Are you certain?"

I nod. "It would take my mind of other things."

"Very well…" Mitsuru turns to the man. "Thank you for your help."

The man nods. "It's no problem Kirijo-san." He turns to me. "Your name is Minako Arisato correct?"

"Yes. You are to be my sword instructor?"

"Yes. My name is Tatsuya Sudo. Are you ready to go?"

I nod and the two of us begin walking. We walk until he reach where his car seems to be parked.

"How much training with a sword have you had?"

"None really. Not with an actual instructor actually. I mostly just teach myself." He nods.

"I see. Well then we'll have a practice session when we reach the training grounds.."

With that he drives me to some abandoned area into this large warehouse.

Abandoned Warehouse…

Opening the lock I'm amazed to see various kinds of weapons on the wall.

"You…can use all of these?"

He gives chuckles. "Yes. I'm somewhat of a jack-of-all trades myself. Now then let's get started."

With that he begins teaching me. I lost to him of course and was impressed by his skill. He spent the next few hours teaching me not only sword techniques but mediation, and how to concentrate, the two of us went well into the night.

"We should stop…it will be the Dark Hour soon."

Ah…the Dark Hour. I nod.

"I'll drive you back now…I should be able to get home before it hits." with that he drove me back to the dorm.

"If you ever want more training sessions just call me." He gave me his number. "It was rather fun teaching you. You pick up things quite quickly."

"Thank you." He nods.

"Alright then…be safe."

"You too. Tatsuya-san." I hoped that was right…he didn't seem to mind if it was because he left.

As soon as he was gone my phone began ringing I picked it up. "Hello? This is Theodore. I sense intense power deep within Tartarus. It seems a path that was blocked is now open…Please be careful…Have a nice day." …why do I get the sense that either him or Igor are behind those blocks? There's no logical reason for them to be there. I place my phone back into my pocket with a sigh. I might as well head to Tartarus.

I enter the dorm but Fuuka's biting her lip too worried about Ken.

"Let's go to Tartarus tonight."

Mitsuru frowns. "I don't believe that is wise many of us are still on edge." I sigh, I guess she's right. Forcing them into battle like this would just get us all killed.

"Alright then. I'm going to bed." with that I head upstairs to Shinji's room. Once again I crawl under his covers. I know I shouldn't be in here but…I don't know how much time passes when the door opens up.

"So you were in here huh?" Akihiko? What's he doing here?

"Did something happen?"

"Ken came back."

"Oh. I see." I lay back down to sleep.

"…so. The two of you were…close." Something seems off in his tone but I nod sadly. "Shinji…he wasn't the type to like dwelling on the past."

"I know…" I curled up deeper in the bed. "…Just…leave me be for now. Please." Akihiko looks like he wants to say something else but sighs.

"Alright…if you ever need to talk though…" With that he leaves shutting the door behind him. I smile bitterly, Akihiko was strong enough to face Shinji's death and accept it after a mere day…I…I'm not that strong. I close my eyes tightly and fall back asleep.

Dark Hour, Shinji's Bedroom…

Pharos is here?

"Hello." He leans over me. "Hm…it's cold tonight don't you think?" He still has that smile. "Can you believe it's already autumn? It'll be winter before you know it. You seem tired."

I do?

"…Did something happen?"

"I lost someone dear to me…"

"Is that so?" he frowns. "In this world, people die every day. Until recently, this was the same to me as the blowing of the wind. But now, I see things differently…for the first time, I have a friend." He pauses before looking up at the ceiling a thoughtful expression on his face. "Lately, I've become more certain of something…You know the end I've spoken of? Some people refer to it as "the Fall." but regardless…" the fall? "…It's drawing near. Don 't you sense it…?" No actually. I give him a confused look.

"We are kindred spirits, you and I, so why is it that only I can remember? …This is a heartrending matter. Is my existence something you are unable to accept?" What? What is he talking about? Kindred spirits…and what is it that he remembers?

"What are you talking about Pharos? …I don't understand."

"Forgive me if I have said anything peculiar today. …Perhaps it is the change of seasons." Change of seasons? I can't even work up any anger about him lying to me. I just sigh and sink back into the bed. Laughably enough I felt my inner strength increase during our exchange. "Of course, our friendship remains steadfast. Well…I shall bid you farewell for now. Good night. I'll always be by your side…" what bittersweet irony that the only one I can count on to always be with me is the Death Arcana. He vanishes then and I close my eyes and go back to sleep.

10/7/09

Early Morning….

…Hm? Shinjiro…he left his equipment in this box…hm? It's a skill card. I pick it up and pocket it. That done I go ahead and finish preparing for school. As my mind wanders to Shinjiro I find myself fighting tears. I will never be so weak as to do nothing while those I should protect are hurt.

After School…

Huh…exams start next Tuesday. I decide to call up Tatsuya and ask him if he's willing to meet with me every day this week. He happily agrees and thus I wait for him to pick me up. As usual I train as hard as I can, I feel myself learning basic defense techniques.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Fuuka. We're heading to Tartarus tonight."

Fuuka nods and with that we head out…it's nearly midnight anyways.

Tartarus…

I take Akihiko, Aeon and Yukari with me. I train, train until I'm completely and utterly exhausted. When those three can't take anymore I rotate them for Junpei, Koromaru and Mitsuru. I fuse Taraka and Dominion to create Parvati a priestess of the Priestess Arcana. Ha. There's a mouthful. He's just a woman in a pink dress holding a rose. I fuse Thoth and Dionysus to create Suzaku of the Temperance Arcana. He's a bright red peacock like bird. I then fuse Succubus and Seiryuu to create Mot. Some…strange horned purple creature in a golden Egyptian coffin. 160th floor had one strong Shadow as did the 146th floor. It was a long fight but that was mostly because we were on the defensive for the majority of the time. After the battle I found a Soma and two magic mirrors. On floor 167 we reached the top. I fused Titiana, Decarbia and Narcissus to make Odin. Who was holding something within himself. I re-extracted Narcissus from the compendium. Then I fused Lilim, Pixie, Nata Taishi and Narcissus to make Alice. A small blond girl in a purple dress of the Death Arcana. She's formidable. There wasn't much to do…I swear the enemies are threatening until we learn their weaknesses then they're just pushovers. Since we reached the top we went ahead and went back to the dorm.

10/8/09

After School…

I feel stronger after my battle in Tartarus. I'm tired…but I still call up Tatsuya and set up a meeting. Again he trains me until the sun has set. He asks me if I'm not feeling well because my movements are slower than usual. I bring up the point that I might not always have the luxury of fighting in peak condition so he allows me to train. I am utterly exhausted when I head back to the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…Oh, hey" Yukari…I can see why she's so quiet. I haven't been the most…sensible lately.

"Hi." She notices the sword I'm carrying since Tatsuya did drop me off right in front of the dorm I saw no reason to hide it.

"How's training going?"

"Pretty well…I'm really exhausted though."

She nods. "Yeah…especially with Tartarus and all…" she frowns. "We only have one Shadow left though…so I guess that's some good news."

I simply "hm" noncommittally.

"I'll see you later Yukari…"

"All…alright." I go upstairs and wait for the Dark Hour…when I hear everyone's in their rooms I start sneaking out to Tartarus.

Dark Hour, Dorm 1st floor lounge…

There's the door…just a bit further-

"Where are you going?" I freeze of all the people to catch me! I turn and there's Aeon.

"To Tartarus."

"Alone?" he arches a brow.

"Yes, alone. Now if you don't mind-" he grabs my wrist before I can leave.

"Your pulse is accelerated, your breathing is quicker than usual and your reflexes have decreased by 42 percent." Eh? "You are in no condition to go to Tartarus at all much less alone."

"I…I need to get stronger Aeon."

"In that case you can simply spar against me. It will be more efficient then simply fighting mindless Shadows as well as safer."

"Look I'm going to go-"

"I will report you to Mitsuru if you do not cease your actions."

I glare at him. "Fine. So where do you want to spar then?"

He frowns at this. "…a abandoned area would be best. How about Naganaki Shrine?"

"Fine. Let's go."

Naganaki Shrine…

"Are you ready Aeon?" My sword feels heavier than usual but I won't back down.

"Let's go." Aeon charges at me…what? When did he become so - uh! My stomach…he…uh!

Bedroom…

My eyes flutter open and I cringe gently lifting up my shirt to check my stomach, non surprisingly there's a dark bruise when Aeon hit me. How the hell did he move so fast? Was I really that weak? Talk about a curb stomp battle…

"Minako…I already told you that your functions are nearly half what they would be on a normal day and only one fourth of what they would be on a good day. Granted I doubt you'd be able to keep up with me even on a good day but…"

Jeez. That makes me feel just great Aeon.

"You are…unbalanced. Your heart rate and emotions seem to be fluctuating at far too great a rate. Perhaps if you rested you would feel better." He places his hand against my head. "It seems you are likely to catch a cold as well." Just then I shiver. Frowning Aeon turns and goes rummaging through my closet.

"What are you doing-"

He takes out one of my spare blankets. …Do I even want to know how he knew it was there? With that he bundles me up.

"You are liable to get sick if you continue exerting yourself in your present condition." Huh. So he's a mother hen. Who'd thought? "You should rest tomorrow we shall re-explore Tartarus…if you must have a challenge it shall be only you and I." I look up at him yawning…I am tired. "I shall stay out of the way for the most part. But we will only go if you are feeling better."

The last thing I see is his concerned face leaning over me…

10/9/09

I feel a lot better from yesterday. It probably helps that I ended up sleeping in class. Still…I should meet up with Tatsuya. I meet up with him and we train until sundown. I'm no master swordsman by far but I have picked up a couple of useful techniques from under Tatsuya's instruction.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

It's silent when I walk up Ken looks up to me and opens his mouth in greeting but before he gets a word out I turn to Akihiko.

"May I have a word?"

"…sure."

With that I head upstairs. "I'm…sorry about the way I acted before." …I envy Akihiko's strength…I wish one day I'd be that strong.

He nods. "It's fine. …Is there…anything you wanted to talk about?"

I shake my head. "No…I think…I'll be okay. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to continue sparring with me." I force myself not to think about how I was planning on asking Shinjiro to spar with me as well.

"Of course."

"Thanks." There's an awkward silence now, thankfully we're the only ones and due to our proximity to the stairs anyone would be quickly spotted but…

"I should go study…you should too. Exams are on Tuesday after all." With that Akihiko heads towards his bedroom. Exams…I want to head to Tartarus though…Aeon did say we could go together didn't he? I go to my room and rest for a while.

Dark Hour…

Everyone has left already so I head downstairs Aeon was waiting for me, so the two of us head for Tartarus.

Tartarus…

Thanks to Odin most battles are a breeze even with only two of us. We don't have any real problems until we end up on the 133rd floor…which….is filled with those powerful Shadows…but…thanks to Odin's Maziodyne they're no trouble. On the 141st floor we ran into the same problem…though I'm starting to run out of SP and have to start using Chewing Souls. I have also awakened a few new personas Hokuto Seikun a man who seems to be entrapped within ice or crystal…or maybe the crystal is his body? Either way he is trapped in some green crystal and has a sword. Yaksini a strange woman wearing a skirt and duel wielding swords, Kurama Tengu - some winged man blowing something…an instrument perhaps? And Barong- some strange dog/sheep animal with a crown. So we go ahead onto the 145th floor…

"What- I can't see anything!" Grand. It's pitch black. Just what I needed.

"It would be best if we stayed very close together Minako." I feel Aeon's hand grab mine, despite its mechanical feel there is something comforting about his grip. The two of us walk through the pitch black room holding hands. "Minako…I sense a presence…several in fact."

"Seriously?" Not now of all times.

"Please watch your back."

Just then I hear a charging before I can blink I've been shoved onto the floor. OW! What the hell!

"TYR!" There's a flash of light and I see his Persona. "NOW!"

What the-! Suddenly Tyr spins around throws something in the air. I'm not too sure what it is but suddenly there's a sound of several thuds as if the Shadows had all been knocked over.

"Aeon! Do that again!"

"TYR!" This time there's loud screams of dying Shadows before there's absolute silence.

"…" incredible. His accuracy was that perfect in the pitch black? Or was that Personas in general?

"We should get going…we don't want to run into any more Shadows."

"Right…" I fumble for his hand in the darkness and feel a small touch of relief when I catch it. We end up finding a teleporter out of there and take it. It beats staying in the dark anyways.

"Aeon…give me a moment?"

He just nods and I head into the Velvet Room.

Once there I hand over 2 Red Armor Plates per Theo's request. He looks pleased and hands me a pair of Spirit Bracers in return.

With this I fuse Barong and Kurama Tengu to create Kali of the Strength Arcana. She is a red skinned woman with six arms, three on each side and each hand has a sword grasped within it. I then fuse Odin and Alice to create Chenrobog…I think it's a human man wearing a cloak but he has some sort of plants growing at his/its feet. It doesn't help that the head is like a mushroom…though the sword is pretty cool looking. It is of the Moon Arcana…and apparently it's holding something.

Shinjiro…Akihiko told me that Shinjiro wasn't the type to dwell on the past and wouldn't want me to do so either…I know I shouldn't…Shinji had told me himself that he wanted me to always smile…but…

…I…I'll try…but first I have to make sure that something like that will never happen again. Takaya will not just hurt someone I care about and not suffer any consequences.

That in mind I fuse Hokuto Seikun and Yaksini to create Kikuri-Hime. A dark skinned woman wearing a red cloak…and a red and white skirt? It's hard to tell.

Frowning I go ahead and fuse her with Ubellrius and Kingu to create Loki a male with long blond hair, bat wings and wearing a tight black leather like outfit. …I don't think I want to know.

That done I head back to the entrance. Aeon is frowning and waving his hands in front of my face when I come out.

"…Minako? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh…I'm fine."

He frowns. "Perhaps we should return…if you are zoning out-"

I shake my head. "I'm fine. How much time do we have left?"

"Not much…"

"Okay then! No time to waste! Let's get going!" I grab him and drag him towards the transporter. I take it to the 136th floor and we head back up. The 145th floor is pitch black again but this time we manage to find the stairs in short order, on the 157th floor I find another attack mirror, and receive the Persona Ubelluris back. With that in mind I see Aeon's concerned glance on my back and head for the entrance.

"So we are leaving now?"

"Yeah. How'd I do?" I smirk at him I don't think I did half bad. Most of time I was the one who significantly weakened our enemies thanks in no small part to Odin.

"Your skills have increased significantly. Though, it would be best if we left now. The Dark Hour will soon be over, I would prefer not getting trapped here."

With that we left.

10/10/09

Once again I ended up sleeping in class before training with Tatsuya, he dropped me off at the dorm of course.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Where have you been?" Akihiko looks up at me when I walk in.

"Training."

He nods. "You wouldn't mind sparring some time right?"

"Sure."

"I would ask for spar on Monday since we have the next days off, but…well I have to study for exams. Though the fact that there's only one Shadow left makes me a little nervous. But…we've come to far to lose so make sure you're prepared."

"Oh…yeah. Exams…" I have practically forgotten about them.

He shakes his head. "If this is because of what happened with Shinji well, he'd probably think you're all acting like a bunch of little kids. So, you have tonight and two days. Might as well start now."

Nodding I head upstairs. I want to go to Tartarus again tonight but…I decide to study instead.

10/11/09

There's no school today…though today's one of my training days. I end up training with Tatsuya until mid-afternoon since we started so early. He drops me off at the dorm but since the sun is still up I decide to go visit Akinari.

Naganaki Shrine…

"Hey, you…" he starts coughing fiercely. …He's gotten worse? A few moments go by while he coughs and pants. I can do nothing but stand there sadly. I'm completely incapable of helping him…just like Shinji…

"If you…don't mind…please stay…until I've recovered my breath…" I sit next to him, after all it's the only thing I can do. A few more moments of coughing. "It's…starting to settle down, I think…Thank you for coming." he gives me a small smile at this. "It's better when I'm not alone." He looks away from me and stares straight ahead a sad faraway look in his eyes. Fall's leaves are falling around us and a gentle breeze blows. "Why do I have to face this alone? …Other people don't have to deal with this sickness. I won't ever walk through a sunny field again because my legs and heart can't handle it." He sighs deeply and I still don't know what to say.

"…All that's left is to draw my sheets around me and count the beats of my heart until they stop forever." His fist clenches tightly in his lap. "…Why is this only happening to me?" It's not just him though…there are many people dying slowly in this world. Many people that wish for death to end their suffering to mention that though…seems callous.

"I don't know."

All the anger dissipates from him and his shoulders sag. "Of course not. No one knows. I don't even know. I mean, I understand why I'm dying, but "why" am I dying?" I don't know either…it seems to just be a cruel twist of fate. "There isn't any meaning to life that I can find, so perhaps I'm not missing all that much." He looks up at the leaves falling down around us. " …I wish I could run away. But if my body was capable of that, I wouldn't be here anyway…no matter what I do, my body is there to remind me…I'm going to die." He scowls, his anger returning "…And there's nothing I can do!" Instantly afterwards he goes into another coughing fit. When he finishes he sighs heavily turning towards me.

"Please don't leave…just yet…when I'm alone…it feels like it could end at any second."

"There's no need to torture yourself. I won't go anywhere." How could I? I'm not so heartless as to leave someone suffering alone. …Even if there's nothing I can do to save him. I don't seem to be able to save anyone.

He nods. "Thank you…I…I can accept my fate…" Accept his death…what else can he do? Fighting…will get him nowhere. Perhaps…I should do the same…I shouldn't fight against the fate that Shinjiro had but…accept it.'Sounds like you're enjoying your days. You look best when you laugh. So don't cry, got it…?' his voice echoes in my ears. …I know he wanted me to be happy, to laugh and live…I should respect his wishes. I hurts…but I want to be able to look back with a smile and remember the times we shared…not only his death. "I am feeling…a little better…so thank you." Akinari smiles at me gently. He's thin, sickly and pale but…even though he knows he's going to die soon…he still enjoys my company. I'm glad…that if nothing else, my presence is a comfort to him. With that thought my inner strength increases.

"…It's starting to get dark." He frowns looking up towards the setting sun before turning back to me. "Don't worry, I'll be fine now…" he coughs. "It was good seeing you."

"Alright." I stand he smiles shakily at me as I turn and walk back to the dorm. As I walk away I can't help but feeling grateful towards Akinari. I expected pity…but no. I respect him, and I'm glad that I could be by his side. I may not be able to stop his death, but maybe I can make his life a little better by easing some of his pain…even if it's only temporary.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…Hello!" Ken greets me when I walk in. I nod once in his direction. Koromaru trots over to me and I scratch him behind the ears. He walks towards the door so I suppose he wants to go for a walk.

"Minako-chan? Do you mind if I come?" It's Fuuka.

"Yeah sure." the two of us head out.

Naganaki Shrine…

Koromaru barks in excitement before taking off."

Fuuka chuckles as she watches him run about. "Koro-chan looks happy, like always. …Huh? Isn't that girl the same year…" It's Rio. Out for a evening jog I suppose.

"Huh? Oh, what a coincidence. Are you walking the dog?"

"Yeah…"

"…Fuuka-san's here, too?"

"Oh, g-good evening." she looks a bit startled Rio talked to her.

"Oh yeah, you live in the same dorm, don't you?" Ah yes. Freaks Dorm.

"What are you doing?" Fuuka asks.

"I'm going for a run. It's that perfect time of year; not too hot or too cold."

"I see. You're working pretty hard."

Rio turns to me. "Thanks…for before." Oh. She's talking about last club meeting.

"It was no problem Rio. We're friends after all."

She smiles at that. "Yeah. Remember Yuko on the club trip-!" she goes into details about how the lights randomly went off while laughing at Yuko being scared of ghosts. Fuuka's pretty curious herself and muses on how the lights could have went off.

Koromaru trots back over to us. I guess he's done.

"Oh, we should get going soon. Koro-chan looks bored." I'm pretty sure if Koromaru can sit through Professor Ono's ramblings he can sit through anything. "Goodbye, Rio-san."

"See you later Rio!" I wave and we part ways. Fuuka, Koromaru and I head back to the dorm. As soon as I get back I crawl into bed.

10/12/09

There's no school today either…for a lack of anything else to do I head to Paulownia Mall to do some shopping. Luckily Officer Kurosawa's got some new stuff in so I buy equipment for myself, Aeon, Akihiko and Yukari. Curious I go ahead and try to win the Jack Frost doll in arcade. …Yes! I got it! I now have enough to complete Theo's request! That done I head to the Velvet Room.

I hand it over to him and he stares at it in astonishment. He's that surprised?

"That must be…yes, it's a Jack Frost Doll!" Three of them actually but… "Just to be sure…I-I'm going to touch it…" Oh…okay? "…so soft, so smooth…" he's practically caressing it! "This wonderful texture…what is it about Jack Frost that makes him so alluring? …I-I can't stop touching this doll!" He's right about that. Not once has he stopped…this…is mildly disturbing. Maybe I shouldn't have given them to him. "Wh-What's happening to me?" He frowns looking the doll over…while still caressing it. "This must be some kind of psychological trap inherent in its construction…I'm sure of it! Its charm is in complete contrast to the horrors of what this doll actually does to me…" way too much information Theo. "V-Very well." He manages to finally stop touching the doll. "My reward this time is also a dreadful doll that is in complete contrast with its appearance." …I do not want a freaky mind doll that's going to force me to touch it. He hands me a pair of gloves…hm? They're in the form of Jack Frost and Pyro Jack. Maybe I'll give it to Akihiko.

With that finished I go back to the dorm and wait for Tatsuya to pick me up it's still early but that just means more training. I feel a bit bad acting like I did last week.

Abandoned Warehouse…

"Um…Tatsuya?" I'm placing away the sword I used during training.

He turns to me. He's really young now that I think about it. "Is something wrong?"

"I want to apologize for last week…I sort of forced you to train me every day without thinking about you. It was…selfish and childish of me and I'm sorry."

He gives me an amused smile at that. "I didn't mind. It was nice to have a sparring partner."

"Thanks." with that I get in his car and the two of us drive back.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Hello Minako." Oh. It's Aeon. "The exams start tomorrow…it seems that many of you desire to do well. Personally, I am not concerned, our final battle against the last Full Moon Shadow takes precedence. Thus if you desire to go to Tartarus tonight do not hesitate to take me with you." Was that his way of saying he wouldn't mind going to Tartarus with just me again?

Still…I guess I might as well study. Going to Tartarus with just Aeon and I was foolhardy and reckless. If something had happened…I head to my room and start taking studying the material though is all really familiar…

10/13/09 - 10/16/09

I go to school and rest the second I come back. My training sessions go on like normal.

10/17/09

After School

Those tests were pathetic! Just too easy! Even with my sleeping in class lately I think I aced it! Since no one's in school I head for Bookworms

Iwatodai Strip Mall, Bookworms Used Books…

"Welcome, Minako-chan. I've been waiting for you." Waiting? "I wanted to tell you the good news as soon as possible. It's about a customer who came by earlier…Who do you think it was? Here's a hint: "signature."."

Must've been a petitioner.

"A petitioner?"

He laughs. "Wow! I'm impressed!" …I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. "I thought that hint was too vague…but yeah, it was one of the organizers of the campaign to save the persimmon tree." He's cheerful not that I blame him. It's really good news. "…And he's gotten a lot of signatures from students who where in our son's class."

"That's good."

"Many people want to honor his memory…He was loved by everyone…" Mitsuko…

"Of course! He was our proud son!"

"I'm sure he's just as happy as we are…"

Bunkichi nods at Mitsuko's words before turning to me. "Alright! Minako-chan, let's go to Gekkoukan right now!" Eh? "I have to tell my son the good news!"

"N-now?"

"What are you talking about? It's all your doing!" How do you know that? "You have to come!" I sigh lightly in resignation.

"Alright. Let's go."

He's practically bouncing now. "I've never been so excited about a walk before! Let's race to the persimmon tree from here! I won't lose, not even to a youngster like you!" Ha! He can't seriously think he'll win? He turns to Mitsuko. "Alright, dear, we'll be back. Thanks for watching the store." with that the two of us head to the Persimmon tree. As we walk there Bunkichi tells me about his son and my inner strength increases. I go home afterwards.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

The Chairman's here…

"…S'up dude?" Junpei waves to me when I walk in. "Phew!" He throws himself back into his chair. "It's finally over…" oh course Junpei would be happy about exams being done with. "Dude, wanna go to Tartarus today?"

"Sure."

"Awesome! I don't even wanna think about school anymore!"

Since there's plenty of time I decide to take Koromaru to Naganaki Shrine.

"Hey wait up Minako-tan!" Junpei practically jumps out of his seat. "I'll go too." with that the three of us head for the Shrine.

Naganaki Shrine…

Koromaru takes off as usual.

"Man, going on a jog on a day like this just feels right. It makes me forget all the tests I failed!" I can't help but chuckle while shaking my head. Trust Junpei to bounce back so quickly. Koromaru's running around now, tail wagging and barking. …He's really energetic. "Look at that. Koromaru's so worked up. I'm sure he has stuff to think about too, like…recent events." …Shinji in other words. I still feel a stab of pain at his name…but…I won't run away anymore. I close my eyes. Shinji's dead…and there's nothing to change that fact. No matter how much I wish it wasn't so. The two of us share a moment of silence, I want…to be stronger. Not just for Shinji or myself but…I felt so powerless…I couldn't even hurt Takaya…

"Dogs are just so honest, y'know? When he looks at me…I get embarrassed, like he can see right through all the lies I tell myself…" That's…unexpectedly deep coming from Junpei. "…You just can't lie to Koromaru. Heh, that dog."

Koromaru trots over and barks. I suppose that's his way of saying he's finished.

"Oh, and here comes The Dawgster himself. Guess it's time to head back, huh?"

So…the three of us head back. As soon as we get back I ask Fuuka to get ready for us to go to Tartarus.

Tartarus…

I decide to go with Akihiko, Koromaru and Junpei. I head to the 135th floor using the transporter and we go ahead and start training.

I fuse Koumokuten, Hecatoncheires and Alice to make Anubis of the Judgement Arcana. It's a man with a jackal's head with a set of scales in his hand. I then re buy Alice from the Compendium and head back into Tartarus. It's more of a challenge with all four of them in the group then it was with just Aeon and I. …That said Aeon is…well…Aeon. There are times I doubt everyone else in SEES could take him down. I head back up to the 135th floor.

I fuse Mothman and Black Frost to create Ganga…another mermaid like Persona but female with…wings for arms? Creepy. She's of the Priestess Arcana apparently and is strengthened by my bond with Fuuka.

I then fuse her, Taraka and Lachesis to create Jatayu. Some bird Persona wearing a crown…he's of the Sun Arcana and as such is strengthened by my bond with Akinari…and apparently is holding something within himself. With that I head back to Tartarus but I teleport to the 146th floor this time. We continue fighting and both Koromaru and Junpei have made a good amount of improvement. With that we leave.

10/18/09

It's Sunday again so I head to training first thing in the morning. Tatsuya's really nice about helping me out. After training is over I head for Naganaki Shrine. My muscles are really sore…

Naganaki Shrine…

"…Oh, it's you." Akinari looks up at me as I walk close to him. …as usual he doesn't look good. But…at least he's better than yesterday. It's something at least. "Why don't you have a seat? This bench is too big for me alone." with that I sit down next to him he smiles. "Then, this bench shall be our meeting place. I'm doing better today." he frowns "I know it probably looked bad last time, right?" I just nod. It did look bad. "…I had been reading a book before we met that day. I got so absorbed in the reading that I forgot to close the window, and I didn't realize how chilly it was." Oh. Must've been a good book. "…Do you read many books?"

"Depends on the book really."

He laughs. "I can definitely relate to that." Its odd…but just making him laugh makes me feel a bit better. "A bad book is really a big waste of time because you have to get so far into it before you write it off…" he shakes his head. "I read a lot of books these days. I find that they're the easiest ways to spend my time…since I can get lost in a book's private world." He's silent for a moment. "…Do you read books all the way to the end?"

"Sometimes. If the book's too dull I just stop reading."

He smiles again. "I don't read the endings either, though I think our reasons for doing so are different. I really get into the story and usually reach the end quickly, but…I never want to finish it. …Because if I finish the story, I'll be stuck here, again. Alone in my room. …As Akinari, the person who can't escape his fate." He looks down. "Stories about hope or heroism…Those're the kinds of books I read. So hopefully, if I do decide to finish reading them, I'll feel happy at the end when I come back here." he smiles weakly at the last sentence and I feel my inner strength increase. "Time is ruthless…It looks like the sun is already setting. I hope we have another chance to talk." I nod and start heading back to the dorm. …I don't want to say goodbye to him…not yet.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

As I walk up to my room I hear Akihiko sigh. "Is the command room mechanism still busted?" He's talking to Mitsuru I guess.

"Yes. It hasn't been repaired yet." Still? Hasn't that thing been "broken" for half the year?

"Well, we can't fix it if we don't know how it's malfunctioning." …but it's not. It's recording you lot.

"I'll check it out later. If you have time, can you check it too, Minako-chan?" Oh no! I don't want Fuuka finding the videos!

"Uh…that's okay Fuuka! I'll check it!" with that I run up the stairs.

Dorm, Command Room…

And yup there's a new recording.

10/12/2009 14:56:22 Beginning playback

Hm? Oh…I think it's Yukari's room.

"I guess…it goes like this?" Huh? She's trying on the maid outfit. Odd considering how vehemently she protested against wearing it… "Welcome!" …that was a little too cheery Yukari. You just gave me diabetes. "'Are you ready to order?' Hmmm, kinda sucks that the school festival got canceled…maybe I could just wear this around the dorm for the day? "'Sup, Yuka-tan?" …that's a horrible impression of Junpei. "'Hey, does that mean you gotta call me Master?' 'What's going on, Yukari? You're planning to work at Mitsuru's mansion or something?'…ugh…forget it." she has a sour look on her face. "I haven't had a chance to return this yet, but now that I look at it, it's a real uniform, not just a costume. Hey…I should take a picture before I give it back to Senpai."

"Yukari-chan, are you there?" is that Fuuka? "I need your help with something…"

"Sure, one sec. Yeah…I should drag Fuuka into this, too! Wouldn't wanna be the only one in the picture looking this way…" with that Yukari opens the door and invites Fuuka in.

"Yukari-chan…those clothes-!"

"I've got a couple spare outfits, if you wanna try one on. How about it?"

"Huh? W-Wait a second…!" Yukari begins pulling at Fuuka's clothes.

"Don't worry. Just hold still. This is a little tricky to put on, so it'll be faster if I help."

"Uh, wait…Yukari-chan! Oh…!" with that the recording ends. …I am never going into Yukari's room.

I do have plenty of time left…and I don't feel like going to Tartarus today…so I head to Paulownia Mall.

Paulownia Mall…

I head for Game Panic again and win another Jack Frost Doll. That done I head to Escapade to see Mutatsu.

Club Escapade…

"…Oh, it's you…" Nice to see you too old man. "Hey, can ya help me out, kid…? I don't feel so good…" He doesn't look good either now that I look at him… He sighs heavily. "Damn it. I can't believe I let this happen…ugh…I'm in bad shape."

"You should get home." What ever is wrong with him it's probably best if he rests.

"Yeah, you're right, kid…I should go home and sleep…" he nods before rowing. "But, even if I go home…" he stops for a moment before shaking his head. "I completely forgot I have a memorial service to conduct….Reciting the Heart Sutra with a hangover…ugh…" I sigh. He really shouldn't be drinking in the first place. What kind of monk drinks? "Before, no matter how much I drank, all I needed was a cold shower to snap outta it. Guess I'm getting' old, heh…It's times like these I wish I didn't live alone…" Live alone? Doesn't he live with other monks?

"What about the others?"

"Others? Heh, you mean other monks?" I nod. "My temple's small, and I don't depend on nobody but myself. So, I'm the only one there." he smiles bitterly at this. "…If ya think about it, livin' alone's probably the best thing a person could do…You don't hafta wait for someone else to get outta the bathroom when ya need to go. My son took forever in there. …Yeah, livin' alone is the way to achieve peace and serenity!" …then why does it sound like you're trying to convince yourself that's true? "…All things visible are bound to change and disappear…all things in this world are not singular. They're all smaller parts of a bigger picture. And yet, they're all different from each other. All things in this world are unique. To put it simply…no matter how hard you try to live your life right, someone else can always mess it up." …I can't help but be reminded of Strega…Takaya in particular. "All things are unique, yet they are not singular…maybe you've messed up my life a bit, too." he chuckles at this. I guess in his own way…he's kind. It's still odd advice though.

I yawn.

"I-I'm going home, kid…my head's killin' me."

"Need some help?"

He scoffs. "I'm not that far gone kid! Go home!" Nodding I stand.

"Oh…by the way." I turn back Mutatsu has a troubled look on his face. "The memorial service…the kid was only 19...a random murder victim. What a harsh world we live in…You be careful on your way home, okay, kid?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." with that I head back to the dorm.

10/19/09

Lunchtime…

…hm…I scored the highest in my class. I should be more excited but…eh.

After School…

I might as well go see Rio. With that in mind I head for the field.

Gekkoukan High, field…

As usual Rio and I are practicing alone. Hm? Is that Ms. Kanou? What's she doing here? …Oh. The other club members apparently are with her.

"Okay, stop practicing! I head you all got into a fight?" and it took you this long to realize it? "I can't have this kind of thing going on in my club, you know? Who started it? Just hurry up and apologize already."

Rio stares at her feet silently. Ugh. What a pain.

"I don't think anyone in particular started it…" a short haired girl speaks up. "But I do think our attitudes did make things worse."

Rio is still silent.

A girl with glasses steps forward. "I feel like I said too much to you, after we forced you to be our club leader and all…"

"…U-Um…I also…" Rio murmurs.

Ms. Kanou smiles brightly. "Well, you guys sort this stuff out." with that she leaves. Ugh.

…Awkward…

…

…

…

What the fuck? Is this a staring contest?

"Go ahead Rio." Seriously I'm sick of the damn staring.

She nods. "Um…I'm sorry, everyone. Things were said that shouldn't have been. But more importantly than what happened that day, I feel like I've been forcing my opinions on you all this time…" Her voice while soft is sincere.

"Rio…" the girl with glasses again.

"We're supposed to be a team…sorry."

"…Have you, like, changed?" the short haired girl looks Rio over curiously.

"…You think so?" Rio's still speaking softer than usual. She glances in the direction that Ms. Kanou has just left. "I'm sorry that I said things like relationships were stupid. I didn't understand what I was talking about. …It's tough being in love."

"Wait, WHAT?" I cringe. Did she really have to scream? I mean honestly totally unnecessary-

"You're in love?" The girl with glasses is screaming too. I swear the next person to scream…

"Are you serious?" The girl with buns is screeching too.

"CAN YOU ALL STOP YELLING? SHE'S THREE FEET IN FRONT OF YOU!" I bellow. Oh. Didn't know I could yell that loud…

There's silence for a few moments while everyone gapes at me.

"Minako! You know who it is, right? Tell us!" …I just told this girl to stop yelling…

I look at her before sighing. "The hell if I know."

"Minako…" Rio gives me a grateful smile.

"You totally know, don't you! Tell us!" The whole lot of them start screeching at me. …I swear I'm in inch away from summoning a Persona to scare the shit out of them-

"I-I'll say it!" Rio stammers stepping in front of me. "Um…" the girls are stare at her. "It's…K-Kenji…" she's blushing now.

"KENJI!" EH! I jump as Yuko runs up to us. How the hell had she heard?

"Y-Yuko! When did you get here?" Rio stares at her in shock.

"I mean, KENJI! Seriously, no way!" …I really want to scream.

"How in the world did you end up liking Kenji?"

And even more damn screaming.

"Still, getting him to love you would be pretty simple." the short haired girl says knowingly.

Yuko chuckles. "I bet all Rio would have to do is push him around a little."

"I-It's okay! I'm not pushing anyone! Or saying anything! …I don't want to do anything to hurt the relationship I have with him right now! We're childhood friends…" she looks down at this. "As long as we stay that way, we'll never have to break up. …I don't have a chance with him anyway. I'd hate to confess it to him and have to stop being his friend…"

"Well…If that's how you feel, then it's none of my business to say otherwise…" …My stomach growls. …Well that explains my crankiness.

"Hey, as long as we're all here…why don't we practice?" Rio smiles weakly at this. …I'm too hungry for practice.

Though…she probably wants to get her mind and ours off of Kenji. "Sure let's go."

"C'mon, let's start off with some running!" with that practice goes on except with the whole team. As we practice together I feel my inner strength increase. Right afterwards I head to the dorm entrance to meet up with Tatsuya.

Training goes pretty smoothly…and Tatsuya's a lot better than I expected. As soon as I think I can beat him he surprises me with more techniques.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

Ken greets me when I walk in. …I haven't been fair to the kid have I? Completely ignoring him…not caring if he ended up dead…I simply say hi back before taking Koromaru to Naganaki Shrine. It's just the two of us today.

Naganaki Shrine…

Koromaru barks happily as we walk there before growling. Huh?

"What's wrong?" …He's growling towards the shrine so I move closer…hm? Is someone talking?

"Damn it, it's locked…Guess we'll have to break down the door." Seriously? What kind of idiot desecrates a shrine? With that Koromaru darts towards them. Damn it! At least warn me damn it! I chase after him.

"Gah, what's with this dog?" The guy has a really bad tan…he's pretty ugly too. Koromaru just growls. "Where's the cops and the pound? It's their job to kill of stray dogs!" …he really wants the cops here? Not the sharpest knife in the rack is he?

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh? Stay outta this, ya brat!" …granted it's an improvement over bitch but still…

"You wanna start something?" I glare at him.

"Wh-What?" He takes a few steps back. Ha! My intimidation has improved!

"…What's her problem?" It's some woman. "C'mon, let's just go." with that she leaves.

"Huh? Hey, wait…!" the man chases after her.

Koromaru's still growling at their retreating backs.

"They're gone now." Koromaru barks happily, tail wagging and nuzzles me. I guess…he's saying thanks? I suppose he must've been because my inner strength increases. With that he gently pushes my leg and I guess he wants to keep going. I walk him and then we go back to the dorm.

10/20/09

Lunchtime, Gekkoukan High School rooftop…

Yukari and Junpei started bugging me earlier about where Fuuka was. Why we need to find her I don't know but they dragged me here.

"There you are!" Yukari runs forward. For some reason Fuuka's staring off into space muttering something to herself…

"…why, did something happen?"

"…I did not think you would be on the rooftop." Aeon frowns.

"Nah, we were just wondering what you were up to…" Damn it Junpei! So you all dragged me here because you were being nosy? Oh come on!

Fuuka just smiles. "Everything's okay now."

Eh? What?

"Huh?"

"…I've made up my mind. I'll do as much as I can with my power." …okay… "…For my sake, as well as the sake of others."

"Okaaayyy…" Yukari gives Fuuka a strange look.

Fuuka just giggles. "Sorry. I guess that was sort of random, wasn't it?" No sort of about it. With that we head off.

After School…

"Junpei…you wanna walk home together?" I haven't talked to him out of the dorm in a while come to think of it.

"Ah. Sure. Let's go out to eat." So we head to Hagakure.

Iwatodai Strip Mall, Hagakure Ramen…

"You okay with the special? If you wan, they can put an extra egg on top. C'mon eat up!" I narrow my eyes in suspicion. Junpei's being a little too nice.

"What are you up to?"

"Whaa? C'mon," he sighs "it's nothing like that." Yeah right. I shrug and start guzzling down my food. "…You look like you're in high spirits…that's good." Hm? …I guess I wasn't being awfully nice after Shinji's death. He looks relieved.

"Were you worried about me?"

"Uh, yeah. Does that mean you know about it, too?" Huh? This isn't about Shinjiro?

"What? What are you talking about Junpei?"

"Uh, well…" he hesitates. "You know…how a lot of stuff's happened." Yeah. "On top of that," he looks away from me "if something stupid like this happened, you might be tired. I was kind of worried." Worried?

"What is it Junpei."

"So you haven't heard?" he sighs. "Guess I shouldn't have brought it up…"

"Well you did so spill it! Now!"

He cringes. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you! I swear sometimes you're worse than Yuka-tan." I glare at him in response. "Just…don't get mad at me okay? …Supposedly, there are these photos of you going around." I frown. Photos? "They aren't weird pictures or anything! They're of you in your gym clothes…There are other girls in them, too," Oh. He's probably must overreacting. "but you're right up there in the center, so…I think whoever took the pictures was aiming specifically at you."

"How did you find out?" Hell I didn't have a clue.

"One of the guys in a different class found it. He came over to me and was like, "Isn't this the girl in your dorm?" I took that copy of it away from him," he sighs "but the original's still out there…" Hm…Eh. No worries it's just a photo. "Still, you must really be popular. This kind of thing isn't normal." …and trust Junpei to go from troubled to grinning in a second. "I wonder if I'll be in danger of having a picture of me taken with you." Oh please no. The last thing I need is more of those rumors of me dating Junpei going around. "I'd have to find who it was and kick his ass if that happened," he laughs. And again he goes right back to being serious. "But seriously…be careful, alright?"

"Sure." with that my inner strength increases.

"Now, how to go about retrieving that picture…Well, I'll think about it. Don't let it bother you too much." I shrug. "Not that you're bothered anyways. Jeez you're such a tomboy. A normal girl would be worried about this kind of thing you know." I can't resist laughing at him.

"You should know that neither of us are exactly "normal"."

"True…but still…"

"Though…photos? What in the world would anyone use that fo-" I just look at him. "OH." He turns a little red.

"Let's head back." I stand Junpei pays for the meals and the two of us head back to the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

I'm heading upstairs when Ken walks up to me. "…Minako-san…"

"Hm? Is something wrong Ken?"

Ken is silent for several moments. "Um…could…you come with me? Please…?" He looks so lost and helpless.

"Sure Ken."

He smiles in relief. "Thank you."

With that I follow him out of the dorm.

Tatsumi Port Island, back alley…

…here. I can picture that night clearly in my mind. …Though I can still remember Shinji's words…to smile.

"I'm sorry. I was too scared to come here by myself." I look at Ken, and all I can see is a scared lonely kid. None of what happened was his fault…it was wrong of me to take it out on him.

Ken is quiet for a long moment…is he crying?

"Ken…I'm here for you."

He brightens somewhat at that.

"Thank you very much…" he smiles sadly…and he's still so formal with me. "It's…hard to live, isn't it?" He looks down at the spot where Shinji died. "Living…is painful…" Ken… "Minako-san…" He's sobbing but no tears are flowing. I just stand there and let it all out. I look up at the sky while he pulls himself together. Always…look towards the future huh? When he finished crying I just smiled at him.

"Ready to head back?"

"Y-yeah." we walk back together in silence.

10/21/09

Early Morning…

Uh. Why the hell must Theo call so damn early! "Good morning. This is Theodore. Two more have wandered into Tartarus. Please carry out a search and rescue. Goodbye."

GAH! I resist the urge to fling the phone at the wall and instead go shower.

Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…

"Good morning!" Huh. Fuuka's awfully cheerful today. "…Well, we're almost done." I'm not sure about that. "It feels like it went so fast. …So many things happened, but…I'm glad that I was able to become friends with everyone. …What about you?"

"Me too." For all our faults…we still are there for one another.

"…I'm glad to hear that. I will do my best until the very end." Huh. I remember Akihiko saying something similar. With that we head to class.

After School…

I head to the Home Economics Room…Bebe is probably finished with his Kimono already and I want to finish Akihiko's scarf.

Gekkoukan high School, Home Economics Room…

"Zeeeere we goooooo!" I chuckle at Bebe's enthusiasm. "I am finished!" …and yup. The kimono's gorgeous. If nothing else he has a very promising career as a fashion designer.

"Nice!"

"Very nice! I 'ave no complaints!" Bebe smiles pleased at the kimono. "When my uncle sees zis, he will surely let me come back to Nihon! It eez time for 'im to concede! I must 'urry up and go see 'im! …So I 'ave to say goodbye for a little while…Sayonora…But, I'll be back! I will not give in to my uncle!" Bebe nods in determination. "Minako-sama…" he reaches in his bag for something. "Please, take zis!"

Hm? A money pouch?

"I made it from ze leftover material. It eez a sign of our friendship! Onegaishimasu…please…wait for my return, Minako-sama. My favorite memories from Nihon…are all ze times we hung out togezer."]

"I'll wait for you."

"Z-Zank you so-" Bebe's lower lip trembles. "…Uw-Uwaaaa…!" He bursts into tears. …he's smiling though…

Thou art I…

And I am thou…

Thou hast established a genuine bond…

The innermost power of the Temperance Arcana hath been set free.

We bestow upon thee the ability to create Yurlungur, the ultimate form of the Temperance Arcana…

…The warmth again.

"Kanashii…it makes me sad, but…Tomorrow, I must go…"

"Tomorrow?" I didn't know he'd leave so soon. Bebe nods.

"Minako-sama…Mata ne!" I nod.

"I'll see you when you come back Bebe. I promise." He nods smiling. With that I head back to the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…S'up, dude?" Junpei greets me when I walk in. "The number of The Lost has been increasing lately…But, there's only one Shadow left. Once we destroy 'im, it'll be all over." I really hope it's that easy. "We need to save this town."

"Yeah. We'll do it."

He nods. "…Gotcha. Let's put a smile on everyone's face!" I head upstairs and see Fuuka and Ken talking about something.

"Fuuka. We're going to Tartarus tonight."

She nods and close to midnight we head for school.

Tartarus…

I head for the Velvet Room…according to Theo one of the people are between the floors 145 and 150.

Since I'm only trying to save someone I take Mitsuru, Yukari and Junpei with me. 1st person was a young girl on the 149th floor. Theo said the 2nd person was between the 151st floor and the 156th. They ended up being on the 152nd floor.

As we searched for the second person on the floor Fuuka's spoke up.

"Wow! My Persona has a new ability!" Huh? "I can now bring you back o the entrance instantly!" Oh good. That'll be useful. I won't have to worry about Traesto Gems anymore. And maybe if we get in trouble outside she can warp us to her side - "However, I can only use this ability inside Tartarus." Damn it. With that we save the man and head back to the entrance. How the hell do all these people wander into Tartarus? I can understand the students but…with that thought I head back to the dorm.

10/22/09

At lunch Fuuka approaches me. I might as well go to cooking club.

Gekkoukan High School, Home Economics Room…

"Is it okay if I watch you cook today?" Hm? She just wants to watch me? "I think I'll learn some things by watching you cook. …Like with Shinjiro-senpai…" her voice is soft and sad as she mentions him. I noticed everyone's grades seemed to be lower…even though Mitsuru had gotten the top score it wasn't by a very large margin.

"Sure." I give her a warm smile.

"Have you decided what you're going to make today?" Hm…

"I'll make chocolate truffles." I've had a craving for chocolate lately.

It doesn't take me long to make them and Fuuka's quiet as she observes me…

"Wow…you even washed the utensils while you were cooking. It's like you have extra hands or something…Oh, I should write that down too…" …Didn't Shinji tell her not to bother? But…I guess if that's how she learns… "Now…"Minako-chan has a lot of hands"…" Okaaaayyy….I look over her shoulder at the notebook…jeez that's a lot of notes!

Fuuka notices my observations and blushes. "Oh…it's kinda embarrassing to show this. I took notes on everything you did. All the steps you took to prepare the ingredients." Huh. She was so quiet I didn't notice. "…I think I'm good at observing and analyzing things." Most likely, Fuuka's Persona specializes in that after all. "So I thought that it might work if I attempted cooking from an angle that I'm good at. Up until now, all I did was try harder." she pauses her pen hovering above the notebook paper. "But saying that I'll try harder each time is tiring. I'm not actually putting any thought into it…That's why…I've stopped thinking of attacking everything with that mindset…and I've begun trying to find ways that I can do the things I'm not good at…when I begun to think of it that way, it felt much better and I started enjoying what I was doing. I needed to understand the situation, instead of just being overwhelmed by trying to do my best. So, I hope that by taking notes, I'll be more likely to succeed." She closes the notebook gently. "I couldn't accept the bad parts of me this whole time. But you saw all the things that were bad about me while you were here cooking with me…and you always encouraged me even when I messed up…That's why…I thought I should also try to like myself for who I am." she smiles at me. With her words I felt my inner strength increase. "Oh, it's almost time for us to leave. Next time, I'll make something too."

"Okay. I'll look forward to it."

She nods. "I'll do my best! …Oh, umm…I'll do what I can, and try my best later!" I can't help but chuckle.

"Let's just clean up."

"Y-Yes!" with that we finish up cleaning the home economics room. On the way home Fuuka tells me what kinds of food she thinks she can make properly now. I can't help but be amused that the first thing she lists is rice balls.

I don't have long to train only a few hours but I meet Tatsuya and we train. He decides due to time constraints to focus more on mind relaxation techniques.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…S'up, dude?" I wave to Junpei on my way in and head over to Ken.

"Ken…do you want to go out to eat?" His smile says it all. As I walk to Wakatusu I can't help but feel a fondness for Ken. He really is like a kid brother.

Iwatodai Strip Mall, Wakatusu Restaurant…

Ken's ordered a ginger pork meal but he's just playing with it. Once in a while he'll take a bite but for the most part he's just pushing it around.

"You gonna eat that?" Hell if he doesn't want it-

"Ah, n-no, you can't!" he shouts. Sheesh. I was just asking! With that he begins shoving the food in his mouth. He burps and looks down. "I…had some snacks a little while ago…" hm? Oh. "Is it true that…you won't get big and strong if you don't eat right?" I frown.

"Don't force yourself." I don't want him making himself sick.

"I'm not forcing myself." he mutters still looking down. "I'm still growing, so I need to eat more…" He continues forcing the food down his throat. This is painful.

"Why do you want to be bigger?" Is someone bullying him?

""Why…?" Because I'm small…" he looks embarrassed about that. …I wonder what put that idea in his head. "Um…It'd be nice if I could be like Akihiko-san…" Akihiko? "Um…Minako-san…Y-You'd prefer someone like Akihiko-san too, right…?"

Eh? Akihiko? …I sigh. Frankly I'd prefer Shinji…but…that might not be the best thing to bring up.

"I don't know about that…" I trail off still me and Akihiko? Why would Ken think I liked Akihiko? Even while eating Ken keeps sneaking glances at me.

"I…want to hurry and become an adult." I keep eating I can understand his feelings a little bit and with that understanding comes an increase to my inner strength. "Oh, you can't eat any more, Minako-san!" My fork stops halfway to my mouth. Why the hell not? "If you get any bigger…" he looks down. "…I won't be able to catch up to you." with that he starts wolfing down the rice. It's hard but I force myself not to eat a second helping. I don't want Ken trying to outdo me and make himself throw up. After we finish our meal (well more like Ken wolf down vast amounts of food while I watch in envy) we head back to the dorm.

10/23/09

After School…

I should train with Akihiko today…my muscles aren't sore due to the fact that the exercises yesterday were mental rather than physical.

"You mind coming with me?" Akihiko looks troubled about something.

"Sure." with that we leave the school.

Naganaki Shrine…

I wonder why we're here?

"Thanks for coming out today…"

"No problem Akihiko. You can count on me." I smile. I had given my word to Shinji to look after Akihiko…and I'll keep it. "I enjoy hanging out with you." Honestly I do.

"I-I see…why're you so…?" Hm? If anything he looks pained. Should I not have said anything? He looks down at the ground. "If…If you don't mind, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure."

"I haven't been able to get it all arranged in my head, though…" with that he turns to me the pained expression is gone now. "I've told you a little before about…Miki. My younger sister, who I couldn't save…" he takes a few seconds before speaking again. "I was the only person she had. There weren't any kids around her age at the orphanage," wait…Shinji told me about this…He stole a doll, I believe…for Miki because she couldn't make any friends. "so she didn't have any friends. She's always tag along after me, and call me "big bro" all the time…" he looks down and bites on his lip. "Why…did she have to die?" …strange. He recovers from Shinji's death in just a day but…I suppose there's a difference. Shinji for instance, knew he was going to die and didn't want Akihiko to have any regrets. I suppose Miki never had the same opportunity. "She was so small…she never knew her parents' faces, or had good food to eat, or got to have any toys…she had nothing…"

He looks up at me and there's anger in his eyes. "Isn't there some saying…like about how being alive is a kind of sin?" he's shaking.

"You can't get over her death?" It just slipped out.

" "Get over it…".." Yeesh. Real sensitive Minako. "What does that even mean? Am I supposed to forget that it ever happened…?" His voice is quivering. "She's dead and gone…I understand that, and I've accepted it."

Have you Akihiko? The only thing that stops me would be the hypocrisy in my words. I say that I've accepted Shinji's death…but…if I had the opportunity to go back in time it would be the first thing I change. It doesn't matter that he died protecting Ken, or teaching Ken that revenge wasn't the answer I would still…go back in time and save him if I could. I'm no longer angry at Ken…but I know if the opportunity rose I wouldn't hesitate to hurt Takaya. Perhaps…I'm just fooling myself as well.

"But…I can't do anything about the anger and sadness that I feel…I have to live with that for the rest of my life…" he looks back up at me. "Here's what I wanted to tell you…I thought…I wanted you to help me bear that burden. I know that it's terrible of me to ask this of you…" he looks down. "I'm sorry…" with his words my inner strength increases. "I…might be seeing Miki in you." Well at least that explains why he treats me like a kid. "But if that's not what it is, then these feelings I have…" he stops speaking and shakes his head. Feelings? "Why don't we start heading back home?" he looks down a pained expression on his face. "…We should get back." with that he starts leaving the shrine. As I watch him go I can't help but sigh and look up at the setting sun. 'Why is life so painful?' I smile bitterly. How many people have mentioned that to me.

"Minako?" Akihiko looks back at me. He still has that sad , tormented expression on his face.

"Oh…sorry. I was lost in thought." I run down the stairs and side by side we walk back to the dorm together.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…Oh, hey. The Lost are increasing, huh…That makes me think that a Shadow is coming…" …Yeah not too long now. "But this will be the last one, right?"

"Yeah."

"…So let's do our best!" I nod and head for bed…I'm kind of worn out today.

10/24/09

I feel great today. …Oh my reward for my test scores. I head down to the Faculty Office as usual Mitsuru is standing across from it. Ooh. I got another card set and a…how the hell did she get a skill card? It's for the skill Bufudyne. I give her an odd look. That done I head for Paulownia Mall's police station. Officer Kurosawa gives me the rewards for the two people I saved, one is a felt doll from the girl and a high counter skill card. I call up Tatsuya and…odd…it's like he's never busy. Kind of strange but whatever. I meet him outside the school and go train. The training as usual is fun and I feel stronger…that done I head back to the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Minako." Aeon greets me when I come in.

"Oh. Hey Aeon…" he gaze is a bit unnerving. It's as though he's searching for something. A few more seconds of intense staring pass before he looks away. …What was that about? I decide to walk Koromaru before heading back to the dorm and going to bed.

10/25/09

Ah another Sunday. I get out of bed and start getting ready to meet Tatsuya. I doesn't take me long to get prepared and meet him. Today we work on both techniques, stances and mental exercises. As usual he drops me off at the dorm and I head to see Akinari.

Naganaki Shrine…

"Hey, you…!" Akinari has a fit of coughing. …I can do nothing but watch him in concern. "Sorry…" He's panting now. "If you…don't mind…please stay…until I've recovered my breath…" Saying nothing I simply sit next to him on the bench. "Thank you…" he gives me a smile before falling into another fit. It takes a while before this one's done…I feel so helpless watching him. "I got really into reading last night and never went to sleep…I thought I'd be fine since I have many nights when I'm unable to sleep because of my illness, but…" he coughs again. "…I guess my condition won't improve if I keep taking chances, though."

"You should rest Akinari."

He chuckles at that. "Don't worry, I know my body's limits….and how to convince it that it's still doing fine." …Seems a valuable skill to have. "I came all this way because I was hoping to find you…remember how I talked about reading upbeat stories?" I nod. "There are plenty of stories, but I don't think reading them will ever be able to make me feel better…" he looks down at his lap. "The problem is, all those stories were written for someone else." He sighs "I guess what I'm saying is selfish…" He looks up at me sadly. "…I'm being selfish about you, too. You're always coming to see me, and I take up a lot of your time. How much of your valuable time have you used on visiting me?" I want to say something…anything but the words won't come out. "…I don't deserve it. You're spoiling me, I'm afraid." he smiles at me weakly then. "That's why I like you, though." with his words I feel my inner strength increase. With that he falls into another coughing fit, I can do nothing but sit beside him and wait it out.

"Sorry…It seems I used too many words today. I'd like us to be able to speak here again some time…"

I just smile at him. The sun's setting again so I stand. "I'll see you next Sunday, Akinari."

He gives me another weak smile. "Alright. I look forward to it." with that I head back to the dorm. I can't help the shiver that goes down my spine at the sheer amount of Apathy Syndrome victims…the number hasn't decreased at all since we defeated the last Shadow…I don't have a good feeling about that…

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

Koromaru wants to go for a walk again so I go ahead and take him.

"Minako?" Aeon's at the door waiting for me. Jeez! He didn't even bother asking!

"Fine. Let's go!"

Naganaki Shrine…

Koromaru as usual takes off the second we get to the shrine.

Aeon chuckles. "Koromaru seems to enjoy the walks you take him on." as we watch Koromaru run around Aeon turns to me frowning. "Fuuka seems to have changed, I analyzed her to be sure…and while nothing physical seems to be different she has become more self-aware and determined. ….According to Junpei she can "smile clearly"…I do not understand."

"It means she's really happy. Without anything weighing her down"

"…Weighing her down? Had Fuuka put on weight?"

"Uh…no. It's an expression. It means to be…troubled about something."

"…I see…" Aeon frowns. "Humans have so many abstract phrases…it can be quite confusing."

I resist the urge to chuckle. Who ever programmed Aeon was confusing themselves. He can understand fun, sadness and basic human emotions but he doesn't know what a school was…of course this is easily explained by the fact that as a battle machine he wouldn't need to know what a school was but still…

Koromaru comes trotting back.

"There you are. Minako…Koromaru has requested a bath." …you've gots to be kidding. In response Koromaru barks happily.

"Oh fine. I'll give you a bath. Just don't splash water all over me or I won't do it again!" with that we headed back to the dorm. I give Koromaru a bath (relatively splash free) before going to bed.

10/26/09

I head for Tennis Team practice after school.

Gekkoukan High, field…

Hm? Is something wrong with Rio…she looks dazed.

"You want us to start practicing our serves next?" It's the short haired girl.

Rio is gazing off into space. "Oh…sorry, what was that?"

"Geez…you haven't been concentrating at all, Rio!" The girl with glasses shakes her head in exasperation.

"Huh…? S-Sorry…"

"We're not getting anything done like this." the short haired girl sighs. …Talk about a role reversal. "…I mean, if you're not gonna act like your normal self, this might be the worst club at this school."

"Look who's talking." The girl with glasses looks at the short haired girl pointedly.

"C-C'mon, don't fight…" Rio stammers.

"We're not fighting, you dope! Pay attention!" The short haired girl snaps. "It's because of Kenji, isn't it? You haven't gotten over him."

"Yeah, she's right." glasses girl nods in agreement. "C'mon! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? It's got to be better than moping around."

"You mean…I should go tell him that I like him…?" Rio looks towards me she looks a little confused.

"This is your choice Rio." I'm not going to make it for her.

"My choice…" she mutters. "I…I feel like I'm stuck in one place…and I can't move an inch….I hate that about myself, too. But I don't know what to do about it. …I know that I'm going to be hurt, and it scares me…but it has to be better than where I am right now. I'm sure it won't be as bad as drowning in these feelings I have…I'm…gonna go tell him!"

"You are?"

"Hey, this is your idea in the first place!" Huh? I just said for her to make her own decision. Aw…she's pouting! "Well then…I'll be back!"

"Huh? You're going now?" short haired girl is just as surprised as the rest of us I'm sure with that Rio runs off. Everyone sort of stands there staring at each other for several moments.

"Hi," hm? Is that Yuko? "I'm here about the club's funding forms, but…what's the matter?"

"Uh…Rio went to confess her love to Kenji."

"S-Seriously? …You think she'll be okay?"

I shrug. "We might as well go see." Not like I want to stay here and be stared at for the next ten minutes.

"R-right!" with that we go to the corridor leading to the school.

"So…Wh-What do you think about me?" Rio…she and Kenji are talking. Not wanting Rio to lose her nerve I stay behind the door.

"Uh…like family?" smooth Kenji. Really smooth.

"D-do you like me?" …as dense as this guy is Rio the only way he's going to get it is if you wear a neon sign.

"huh? Yeah?"

"That guy's hopeless…" the short haired girl shakes her head.

"Hang in there, Rio…!" Yuko's squished up to the door too. I shake my head they're packed like a bunch of sardines.

"H-how much do you like me?"

"Uh…about as much as ramen?" Huh? Ouch.

Yuko yanks the door open. "RAMEN? Are you serious?" So much for subtly.

"Whoa, what the-!" Kenji jumps.

"You've got some nerve, Kenji!" Says the people that were eavesdropping on his conversation. Granted I'm not innocent either but I'm not yelling at the dude.

"Huh?" Kenji just looks baffled.

"What the hell are you telling her? I'm going to smack that goofy look off your face!" Glasses girl yells.

Kenji laughs uncomfortably. "Uhh...I-I've got some business to take care of! Ladies…" with that he's gone. Huh. He's pretty quick on his feet.

"Seriously…That moron!" Yuko sighs.

"Y-You guys…you were listening." Rio looks down.

"Ugh…sorry. We were all worried about you! Try and cheer up. But, sheesh! What the hell was that idiot thinking, comparing you to something like a bowl of noodles!"

Rio shakes her head. "No, you don't get it…Ramen is his favorite thing in the world."

"No kidding…?"

She giggles. "If he likes me as much as he likes ramen, I'll be happy."

"Geez…you dope!"

"Huh? Why do you look like you're about to cry, Yuko?"

"I don't know!"

"Minako…thanks for giving me that extra push I needed." she laughs and she does look a lot happier now. With her joy I feel my inner strength increase. "Well, why don't we call today's practice over and go to Duck?"

"Sounds like a plan. Tell you what. Rio: I'm buyin' you a milkshake."

She laughs. "Awesome!" with that we headed to Duck Duck Burger, I ate a quick meal because I had to meet up with Tatsuya. After training I headed into the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"…Hello!" Ken greets me again. I wave to him before going straight to bed. While I wasn't completely exhausted from training I was tired enough that going to Tartarus wouldn't have been smart.

10/27/09

Yukari invited me to go shopping with her today so after school we headed to Paulownia Mall.

Paulownia Mall…

"Hm…I want to check out some earrings, too. Oh, I know. How 'bout you pick a pair for me, Minako?"

"Sure." All I have to do is make sure they're heart shaped.

"Something simple but cute would be nice. Oh, and it's got to be made of silver and shaped like…" a heart? Way too predictable Yukari. "Oh, wait…am I being too specific?" Hm? Her phone's ringing. "Hang on, I have a phone call." she takes out her phone and answers it. "Hello?" she gasps softly. Hm? Who's on the phone? "Uh-huh…What! You're not? You want me to forgive you…? Wait! Don't do that! Do what you wanna do!" …yikes. Sounds like a nasty conversation. "But, that's not what I meant…If that's what you want, then go ahead…I don't care, so…well, you don't have to worry about me…huh? You want to get together and talk about it? …S-stop, don't cry!" I'm not surprised whoever is on the phone would cry. Yukari's tone was downright nasty. "I'll call you later, okay? …Alright. Bye." she hangs up shaking her head.

"…who-"

"That was my mom." Oh. She talks like that to her mother? "She apologized for everything that's happened. She said she won't get remarried until I forgive her…Oh crap, I can't stop shaking."

"Sit." I point to the bench in front of the fountain. She takes a seat and I sit next to her.

"She wants to see me…but I'm really nervous…"

"Do you want to see her?" Frankly I know I'd want to see my mother but that's probably due to me not having one.

"Well, I'm not the one who asked to meet. I'm afraid it might get ugly." she smiles slightly. "We haven't seen each other in almost 10 years…so it's not going to be easy. When I see her. I might get angry and say something cruel. But…It's probably about time I talked to her….nothing will change if I just run away." She bites her lip. "Deep down inside, I think she still misses Dad. She couldn't handle it…losing someone so important to her. That's why she needed someone to lean on…I think…that losing someone you love and having to be alone is really hard. It's hard to explain, but I realized this when you and I started going out, Minako. I was afraid of losing someone close to me…So I tried to avoid becoming close to anyone. My mom just wanted to forget that fear. She's weak, but I won't look down on her…" she smiles at this. "My mom and I are the same after all." At Yukari's words I felt my inner strength increase.

She stands up and picks up the bags we already have. "…Well then! Let's go look at some accessories." I keep my groan to a minimum. I don't mind shopping but Yukari has a tendency to go overboard. "Hey, wanna get some friendship rings?" I nod. "I'll buy yours, and you buy mine. …Make sure you get a guy to buy you the one that goes on your ring finger though!" Marriage? A small pang of sadness passes me before I make gagging sounds.

"I'm way too young!"

Yukari giggles at that. "C'mon let's go then." We ended up buying a matching set of silver rings, they're plain and inexpensive but they're perfect.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Where have you been?" Akihiko looks curiously at the bags in Yukari's and I hands.

"Shopping." I say simply I go upstairs and drop the bags in my room before climbing into bed.

Bedroom, Dark Hour…

I sense Pharos. I sit up in bed and as usual he's sitting right besides me.

"Good evening. It'll be a full moon again in just another week." He smiles down at me "At last, the 12th one. …Are you ready?" with that he turns away looking at my door with a strange expression on his face. "Regardless of how long it's been, a lot has happened, hasn't it? But, it's a bit soon to be reminiscing." he looks back down at me with a sad smile. "How about I come see you once it's over? …Be careful now." With that Pharos disappears.

10/28/09

At lunch Rio asks if I'm going to practice so…I might as well go.

Gekkoukan High School, field…

Practice is pretty bland now that there's more of us.

"Okay, I'm gonna start tossing balls! Hit them back, and aim as close as you can to the inside of the lines! You get ten tries, then you move to the back of the line! The rest of you, practice your swings while you wait!" Leave it to Rio to bounce back so quickly.

"Rio's made such a sudden comeback. We should call her a phoenix…" the girl with glasses whispers.

"Phoenix Rio…" the short haired girl ponders. "Why not just call her Rinix?" Because Rinix sounds retarded. I keep my words to myself though.

"Phoenwasaki sounds good, too. Thought it does sound like some kind of monster."

"Hey, if you don't stop flapping your jaws my next serve is going straight for your face!" Yikes. Rio's not pleased.

"Ooh, bring it on!" short haired girl laughs. "I'll smack it right back at you!"

"Fine then!" with that Rio gives an impressive serve-! Wow. Short haired girl wasn't lying she returns it. The two of them have an impromptu match right there.

"I guess in the end, I realized that Rio is a teenaged girl, just like us. Maybe we should ask her if she wants to join us on a group date…when it isn't during practice." Glasses girl beats some of the dirt out of her shoe with the tennis racket.

"You want to invite Rio to a group date?"

"Not a good idea. She's gonna steal all the men away." The short haired girl points out.

"Hey, you three! Shut it before I make you do more squats!" …damn it.

After practice I help clean up, Rio's helping me. "I think it helped to pair up people who have the same weaknesses today. I never would've had that idea myself. Someone else recommended it to me…" a small chuckle escapes her. "I really think everyone's committed to the team now. …Well, no…I know they were all committed to each other the whole time. I guess I only just now saw what we were missing. I didn't take the time to see who excelled in what… Minako…from the looks of it, you're good at bringing a team together. You've seriously got an eye for details. Seriously, you're a much better leader than I am." Huh.

"Thanks…" I guess my leadership abilities come from having to fight for my life every so often.

"Let's keep doing our best." as Rio laughs I feel my inner strength increase.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

I head upstairs for my room and study. There's really nothing else to do.

10/29/09

I left straight away for training. I feel like I'm learning so much under Tatsuya's instruction.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Hello!" Ken greets me when I walk in. "The next full moon will be on November 3rd. That gives us five more days…"

"Alright." No sooner had I said this then I saw Koromaru looking at me tail wagging. He probably wants to play. I was getting ready to take him for a walk when Fuuka frowns.

"Huh? You haven't eaten your food? But it's good mean, with the bone still in." …I don't blame him for not eating it if you prepared it, Fuuka.

"Did you cook it?"

"Hey, that's mean! Hmph, as if my food's so bad he won't eat it all." …it is that bad Fuuka. "I bought his dinner today, but…Koro-chan, are you not going to eat this?" she holds out the meat to Koromaru. He looks at it for a moment before taking it. But…he's still not eating it, holding it still in his mouth he heads towards the door. What could he be up to?

Shrugging I go ahead and take him out. …even when we leave the dorm he's still carrying the meat. If he was only trying to spare Fuuka's feelings he could have dumped it by now.

"This on purpose?" He doesn't say anything…oh yeah. If he does do anything the meat'll fall. "Alrighty then. Let's go."

Naganaki Shrine…

No one's here not that it's surprising. Koromaru's nose twitches and there's a high pitched whine…huh? Is that a dog? Koromaru starts walking towards the sound, I follow him behind the bench and see him drop the meat in front of a puppy who tears into it. Oh. So this is why…Koromaru watches the puppy and I can't help but think he was protecting it as much as he could.

"How long has it been here?" Koromaru doesn't answer and just looks at me…oh…he did not just use puppy dog eyes on me! Dog is too clever for his own good. "Alright…he needs water." I give him some…hm? Is that a collar? I pick it up and head for the Police Station Koromaru follows m.

Paulownia Mall, Police box…

"Officer Kurosawa…I have a lost puppy that I wanted to return if possible."

"A lost dog?" I held the puppy out to him pointing towards the thin collar. "There haven't been any reported." …really? My shoulders sag. So what are we going to do with him? "Do you take on jobs like that too?" he laughs. "No matter how much manpower you have, it won't be enough…all right. Might as well give you some direct help for once. Wait right here." with that he begins making calls. "Yes, that is correct…I see, thank you very much." he dials another number. "Hello, is this the pet shop "bow-wow"? My name is Kurosawa at the Tatsumi East Police Box…" Oh…he's calling animal hospitals and pet shops. "That's correct, a black puppy…breed? I have no idea…Huh? There is? Their puppy is missing…Yes. Koyama-san…I see, the house on the corner of 2nd street…I'll ask them. Thanks very much." he cheerfully ends the call. The little puppy is squirming in my arms and I scratch it gently behind the eras. "It seems I might've found them…Don't' look so worried." he picks up the phone again dialing another number.

"…Hello, is this the Koyama residence? My name is…" he brightens. I guess they own the puppy. "We've found them. I'll take the puppy from here. It's dark out, so you should head on back. You should be fine. You've a fine bodyguard with you." Officer Kurosawa pets Koromaru's head and he barks happily.

Naganaki Shrine…

We came back here on our way to the dorm. Koromaru's tail is wagging happily.

"Good thing we found his owner." another affirmative bark and he nuzzles me in thanks. With that I feel my inner strength increase once more. With that we head back to the dorm.

10/30/09

Early Morning…

…Ugh. One of these days Theo…I open up my phone.

"Good morning. This is Theodore. There is a human-1 of them, I think-wandering around Tartarus. Please carry out a search and rescue. Goodbye now." Gah.

After school I end up going to tennis club but nothing important happens.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Fuuka…we need to head for Tartarus." Yay another missing person. Fortunately we find the person on the 158th floor. I headed quickly for the Velvet Room and fused Lachesis, Titania and Parvati to create Pazuzu. A bird, lion, man like creature with wings. With that done I leave.

10/31/09

Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…

Yukari approaches me. "The moon will be full soon…we're almost done." …Why do I have a bad feeling about that? "Let's give it everything we've got." Yukari despite her words looks as troubled as I feel.

"Yeah…"

"Argh! Have faith!" Huh? She sighs. "Let's celebrate when this is all over, okay?"

"Fine. Let's get going." with that the two of us head to class.

…hm? What's with Aeon…he's been really quiet lately. Granted he's still not giving me any space but…

"Aeon? Is something wrong?"

He shakes his head. "I was simply thinking."

"About what?"

"The final battle…I wonder if afterwards…" He looks down "if I can continue to be by your side."

…oh. Yeah. After the Dark Hour is done with they're probably going to decommission him for good aren't they…my stomach twists. I've been ignoring him all this time…still…I have training. Giving him one last look I head for Tatsuya's car near the front gate.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"How was training?" Akihiko greets me when I walk in.

"Oh. It was fun." Tatsuya has a way of making even the toughest lessons fun.

"We have three days left…I can go to Tartarus whenever you're ready!" Nah. No need.

"That's fine. We'll be okay."

Koromaru barks happily at me and I start to take him for a walk.

"Minako-san?"

"You wanna come?" He nods and with that the three of us head for the shrine.

Naganaki Shrine…

…Koromaru and Ken are running around. This is why he wanted to come? Oh well. I watch the two of them in amusement it looks like Ken's speed has increased…though maybe Koromaru's only playing with him.

Ken pants as he finally comes to a stop. "I…didn't…lose today!" He catches his breath before turning to me. "We're almost at the final battle…we can do it!" He gives me a bright smile.

"Mitsuru believes Strega may show up to stop us…"

Ken frowns. "I won't run away." He looks pretty determined. I'm not looking forward to this final battle. …Is it really the final one? Why haven't we reached the top of Tartarus then? Not to mention the fact that none of the Apathy Syndrome victims have recovered from the last full moon Shadow…I don't like this.

Koromaru interrupts my musings.

"Ah, he's back. Let's do our best, too. Koromaru." with that the three of us head back to the dorm.

11/1/09

It's Sunday so I head downstairs to meet Tatsuya, training is enlightening as usual so right afterwards I head back to Naganaki Shrine.

Naganaki Shrine…

Hm? What's wrong with Akinari? He doesn't look too good…not that he usually does but…I lean over him and he slowly looks up.

"…Oh, it's you." His voice is soft and I frown before sitting next to him. "Hey, how do you feel about a pink alligator?" A pink alligator?

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, sorry…I was just…thinking about something." he looks a bit embarrassed to admit it. "See, it's the main character of a story that I'm writing…" he smiles at this. "He was born in the calm forest of green, but he turned out to be pink. He's so visible that he can't hunt for food easily, so he's always especially hungry. The other animals dislike him and consider his coloration disgusting. …Almost like he's cursed." Oh, how…sad. "So, he started living alone, …but then he made a friend. His friend was a bird-but, a bird that was unable to fly. So the bird would stand on the pink alligator's back and practice its flying….It's embarrassing to talk about." he shoots me a embarrassed smile. "But, anyway…how does the story sound to you?"

"It sounds interesting…" though…the way he spoke. I wonder if it'll have a happy ending.

"…Really?" this time he gives me a bight smile that lights up his whole face. "I've never written a story before, and I'm kind of afraid it's going to suck. But, I'm writing it for myself, so that's what matters. Maybe I'll be able to show you the entire novel someday. I started thinking about it the other day, actually…" he's somber again. "I wanted to write a upbeat story of my own to cheer me up. …Maybe if I can find some meaning to life, I can put that in my story." he gives me another smile, though it's weak. "When I write…I can see you in my mind. It seems as if you're telling me not to die just yet…" with his words I feel my inner strength increase. The knowledge that I help him carrying on is somewhat comforting, though…I…I wish I could heal him. But…I can't.

"…The wind is going to start blowing soon. I can feel these kinds of things now. I hope I have enough time…Let's go home. We can talk again some other time."

I nod and stand up. "I'll see you next Sunday Akinari."

He watches me. "…Be careful." with a small smile and a wave I head back to the dorm.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greets me when I walk in. "The day after tomorrow is the day…" Yay. Mitsuru smiles in reminiscence I suppose. "It's been a long journey, but we're finally here. We're the only ones who can defeat it," her expression becomes more serious "so don't let your guard down until the very end." . With that in mind I head for bed.

11/2/09

Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…

Fuuka approaches me. "Good morning! Well, tomorrow's the day." Yeah.

"I'm ready for whatever comes."

Fuuka nods a bright smile on her face. "Good. I'll be counting on you! I'm positive a Shadow will appear tomorrow. Strega may be up to something as well…" Strega…I'll have great pleasure in ripping Takaya's head from his shoulders. The bloodthirstiness of the thought makes me pause momentarily. Ah no matter, someone like him deserves it. I walk to class.

After School…

I go shopping for some last minute supplies before meeting Tatsuya in front of the dorm. Officer Kurosawa ended up giving me an Endure skill card as a reward for saving the woman and I ended up buying new weapons and armor for the rest of the group.

Abandoned Warehouse…

"Is something wrong Minako?" Tatsuya had dropped the honorifics after I asked him too with the request I do the same. I shook my head.

"No…not really. It's just…" Tatsuya looked at me patiently. "Well. I told you about Shinjiro Aragaki's death right?"

He nods. "Yes. He was your lover and a member of SEES right?" Yeah…I couldn't help telling Tatsuya everything. He had a calm, patient aura that just made you want to spill your guts whenever he looked at you.

"Well…Strega…or more specifically Takaya…I…I want to kill him."

"There's nothing overly strange about that." Tatsuya smiled at me gently. "It is human nature to desire revenge."

"But I- after everything that happened with Ken…"

"You expected to learn a lesson?" Tatsuya shrugs. "I suppose you could have. But people are unique…and from what you told me of this Tatsuya fellow the world would not suffer his absence."

"That's true…"

"There's nothing to worry about." He smiles at me warmly. "These things have a habit of working themselves out." Frowning I nod. He chuckles at my perplexed expression. "You expected me to give you sage advice about how revenge destroys you and that you should simply forgive?"

"Well…sort of."

"In that case I expect you to be disappointed. I never was much for forgiveness." there's an undercurrent of bitter amusement to his tone.

"Regardless we should continue shouldn't we?"

"Yeah…"

With that the two of us sparred until well into the night.

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

Everyone's gathered around when I come in.

"…Well, tomorrow ill be our last operation." Fuuka's computer is on her lap as always and I take a seat between Akihiko and Aeon.

"Yeah…We've been through a lot this last six months…"

"We did what we could." Yukari nods in agreement.

"It was a lot better than doing nothing, right?" Trust Junpei to find silver lining in this… "Besides, we made some new friends."

"…Yeah, I guess." Ken mumbles.

"Well, it's all be worth it, if you ask me. It's been two and a half years since I got this power…and you don't hear me complaining."

"Sanada-san…"

Koromaru barks. I'm not too sure what that was supposed to mean…but…

Fuuka chuckles. "Don't forget, we got to meet Koro-chan too. In any case…two and a half years is a long time, right, Akihiko-senpai…? Oh wait…it's been even longer for you hasn't it?" she turns to me. I shrug.

"All I did was run from small critters, I didn't have any real problems with them."

"How 'bout you, Mitsuru-senpai? You started before Akihiko-san, right?"

"…Me? Yes, it was just me at first. Of course, back then, SEES didn't exist, and this was just a regular dorm."

"Did the Chairman recruit you?" Yukari asks…hell he recruited the rest of us.

"No…I've been aware of the Dark Hour since I was a child…" Oh so I'm not the only one. That's good to know. "One time, my father's research team was attacked by Shadows." I wince. "That's when I awakened to my Persona…when I witnessed the incident."

"That's what happened…?" Yukari frowns. Talk about having it rough.

"…It seems I was the first. …If that had never happened, perhaps none of you would have to bear this terrible burden." She looks down as she speaks.

"Senpai…"

"It would've happened to someone eventually…besides, the enemy can't just be ignored." Akihiko to the rescue I suppose.

Mitsuru sighs. "…I suppose that's true." we spend the rest of the day quietly talk amongst each other and as we talk I feel my inner strength increase. "Tomorrow is a big day…so make sure you get your rest." with that Mitsuru stands and goes to her room. With nothing better to do I do the same.

11/3/09

I laze about in bed all day reading manga. There's a FMS tonight after all.

Dark Hour, Dorm Command Room…

Fuuka's Persona seems to have changed…it's now a woman with green hair and wings and some sort of red dress. Fuuka's still inside some sort of bubble at the bottom but…

"I found it. It's currently at the south end of the Moonlight Bridge. The 12th and final Shadow."

"Hmmm. This is it…" The Chairman nods towards all of us.

"And as we expected, there are two Persona-users nearby…Strega." At the word I feel a blaze of white hot anger seize me. …I'll kill Takaya. Jin…I'll probably settle for beating the shit out of him if he stays out of my way.

"They know this is their last chance. Even though we were expecting this, we should still be careful." Mitsuru looks around at each of us.

"Those bastards…" truer words have never been spoken Ken.

"Hmph. Saves us the trouble of looking for them." Akihiko…

"You've all done a fine job up to this point. This will be our last operation. Let's all come back safely." Thanks for the jinx Mitsuru.

"Heh. We'll crush Strega and the Shadow with ease."

"That's the spirit!" with that I turn to leave.

"Akihiko, Ken, Aeon you guys are with me." With that we're off.

"Be careful!" The chairman yells out as we leave.

Moonlight Bridge, South End…

Takaya and Jin are the first things we see the bastards.

"You know the significance of today, do you not?" Urgh. "You claim you hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring…yet, countless lives are lost each day without their intervention."

"Oh shut the fuck up." I pull my evoker to my head. "PERSONA!" I summon Odin. "THUNDER REIGN!" Electricity zaps Takaya and his body begins to jerk from the shock. Good I hope that son of a bitch suffers.

"TYR!" Aeon uses a group attack that causes Takaya to collapse. He uses it again and Takaya hobbles on the ground sputtering. How pathetic. It took only 2 attacks to bring him to his knees? I suck my teeth in irritation.

"Ugh…" he pants on the ground. "So, this is the power of those whose Persona awakened naturally…" Naturally?

He shoots at me but the bullet only grazes my side. Bastard!

"Play time's over, kids. It's time for the real deal!" Jin's a damn idiot. He throws some sort of flash grenade at Aeon who barely even blinks.

"…You're not too bright are you?" Aeon looks dead at Jin as he says this.

"What the fuck-!"

"TYR!" with a another blow Aeon finishes Takaya off. Damn. I wanted to…looking at him I notice the bastard is still alive. Maybe if I'm lucky I can kick him off the bridge.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for this!" Jin snarls.

"Aw. Are you lost without your boyfriend?" I snarl. He uses Tarukaja but I just chuckle.

"ODIN!"

"Son of a bitch-!" he grunts falling to his knees.

"Oh that was just pathetic." I look down at them disdainfully.

"Damn it! Is their power THAT different than ours…?" Jin punches the ground angrily.

"Different?" Mitsuru asks in confusion.

"For us," he looks up at Mitsuru angrily "it's not that simple…it has to be forced out. Didn't your pal tell you?"

Pal?

"So it was you who was giving Shinji those pills." what? What pills?

"You guys don't have the slightest clue what will happen if the Dark Hour disappears, do you?" Huh? "It won't matter for normal people, since they don't remember anything anyway. But for us-"

"That's enough." Takaya stands shakily to his feet. I grab my evoker and prepare to pull the trigger but he just stands there. What the fuck is he doing? "Now, then…ordinarily, we'd withdraw…but not tonight."

"You want some more? I have no problem kicking your ass again!"

Takaya shakes his head. "This body, as ephemeral as it is…It is worthless without my power. Therefore, only one choice remains…I shall prove my existence here and now!" He lifts up the revolver I get ready to pull the trigger but…what the hell? He's pointing it at himself?

"Takaya!" Jin snatches the revolver out of Takaya's hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't be so reckless!"

"Jin?"

"…Sorry…but…those are your words, not mine." with that the two of them begin climbing the bridge railings. "You win…looks like you'll get your wish. Go do what you came for."

"Wait!" Why the fuck is Junpei trying to stop these idiots? "Don't tell me you're gonna jump…!"

"I'd rather die than surrender to you! Take a good look! This is how we live!" with that the two of them fall backwards into the blood-red sea below. Wangsty emo pricks.

"Let's go. The Shadow is ahead right Fuuka?"

"Uh…y-yes!"

It's not too far ahead. It's some humanoid shape with a mask on the back of its head…it's a little creepy and…ew! It's skin is stuck to some sort of propeller thing. That…looks painful.

"This is it…I'll do everything in my power to help you. Just promise me that you'll be careful!"

"Yeah. Let's do this!"

Wait what? What the fuck? What the hell are those statues?

"I think that floating thing is your main target, but…" the only one of us that can reach that thing is Aeon. And even that's pushing it. Why the hell is it so high up? Might hurt like hell if we could manage to knock it out of the sky. "It's out of your attack range…" we totally couldn't figure that out captain obvious. "Give me a minute…I'll see what I can find out." I switch Personas to Chernobog and use Herculean Strike to get rid of all those statues. HA! That caused the damn thing to crash into the ground.

"NOW!" We charge it….damn that didn't do much damage at all!

"Akihiko! Focus on Status lowering, Ken focus on healing, Aeon use your boosting skills on us and I'll beat the shit out of it!"

With that Aeon uses some spell to boost our defense. Akihiko lowers the Shadow's defense and Ken for a lack of necessary healing just uses Zionga on it…sadly he missed. Aeon used another spell to boost everyone's speed. Ow! Damn thing used some ability that hit me twice! Ken heals Akihiko and I while Aeon boosts my attack.

Damn! Stupid creature used those dumb statues again! I take the Shadows out again and it collapses. "Guys don't charge it! Just attack it while it's down! Yes! Our attacks do more damage and it has no time to get up! …damn it managed to crawl up to its feet and OW- What the fuck was that? A giant fist just came out of nowhere and sent me flying backwards. Ow…whatever I hit is hard and…

"Are you alright?"

"Aeon?" I look up and yeah…he caught me.

"Your condition?"

"Uh…I'm fine. Thanks for catching me." He nods quickly before charging again at the Shadow.

The damn thing slams its fist again and ow…I land on my knees. That was close…I pant in exhaustion.

"TYR!" what the? Aeon can heal? I'm completely recovered and manage to stand when the damn Shadow summons a minion. Oh this thing is a right pain in the ass! I use Thunder Reign and the thing starts jerking in shock Akihiko manages to take it out with a punch to the mask. It screams a final mournful wail before dissolving into Shadow Goo.

Ick.

"…is it over?" Junpei walks forward.

"Yes. The operation was a success." Aeon though…he doesn't seem pleased at this. Maybe it has to do with his concerns from earlier.

"Yes…it's finally over…" Mitsuru looks towards where the Shadow was a small relieved smile on her lips. I don't blame her. It'll be nice to finally get rid of the Dark Hour.

"Minako…I believe at times like these humans tend to celebrate. Do they not?"

"Uh…yeah."

He nods knowingly. "So…what shall be our victory cheer?" …victory cheer? I could use some food.

"Let's eat!"

Aeon nods. "Very well. 1, 2, 3...let's eat!"

…he did not just do that. I stare at him as Yukari and Junpei burst into laughter.

"So, um, Senpai…you're gonna throw us a party tomorrow, right?" trust Junpei to latch onto that.

Mitsuru sighs. "You don't waste any time, do you?" despite her words there's a fondness in her tone. "Well, I suppose I could arrange for you."

"Ooh! In that case, how 'bout sushi?"

"Sushi, huh…it's been a while…well, I've got dibs on the halibut and sea urchin!" What? I stare at Akihiko. You can't call dibs!

"Oh, then I call the fatty tuna." Yukari adds quickly. Oh hell no. At this rate-

"Um, we're divvying it up already? In that case, save me the salmon roe." Oh come on Fuuka! You too?

"Hey, wait a minute! …You can't do that!"

"Dibs on the sweet shrimp." I add quickly last thing I need is someone calling dibs on that.

"What, you too?" he stares at me in shock.

"I shall call dibs on the shrimp, squid, scallops and sea eel." Aeon smirks at Junpei while he says this.

"You don't even eat!"

"But I called dibs-"

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, fighting over sushi." Ken chuckles and Koromaru sounds like he's barking in agreement. "Senpai, please order tamago for me. They say you can tell a chef's skill by how he prepares eggs." …what is he an old man?

"Um, how old are you again?" Yukari smiles teasingly.

"Okay, okay. I'll have the very best delivered tomorrow."

"For real? Aw man, it's great to be alive!

"Don't get too excited, Junpei. You're getting the leftovers." Ah Yukari knows how to shoot him down so well.

"What? But, it was my idea in the first place!" I can't help but laugh at the indignant expression on his face though the full moon catches my eye and I stare at it.

"…I guess it's time to say goodbye to the Dark Hour. Even though it seemed like a curse, for some reason I'm reluctant to let it go."

"Yeah…" Akihiko agrees looking up at the eerie green moon as well.

"We really did it, didn't we?" Yukari brushes the hem of her skirt as she speaks.

"Yes…we saved the world, even if no one knows it."

"…Yeah."

"We should get going Arisato." I nod and we head back to the dorm.

11/4/09

Bedroom, Early Morning…

Hm? Pharos? What the hell?

"Good morning." I stare at him blankly. If I had a bad feeling before I'm damn certain now. This is not good. "This is the first time we've talked during the daytime." he looks out the window with a small smile. "Nice weather, isn't it? This is indeed a new day. …For both of us. All the fragments of my memory…they've finally come together." Memory? "I now know my role clearly. The time has come." he turns back to me. "As difficult as it may be, I must tell you something. I am afraid this is goodbye." huh. The first time I meet him I'd give anything to hear those words…but he's grown on me…like a parasite I suppose but still…

"I want you to know…for me, our friendship was a miracle." He looks down a grimace on his face as he continues, "But, miracles don't last forever. …If only they did."

"So…you're going?" What happened to the whole "I'll always be with you." then?

He nods. "I shall treasure our conversations always. Even if today is the end," he smiles gently at me again "the bond between us can never be severed. …remember that." his eyes are shining with unshed tears as he leans over me his eyes probing into my face as if to memorize every line.

Thou art I

And I am Thou

Thou hast established a genuine bond

The innermost power of the Death Arcana hath been set free.

We bestow upon thee the ability to create Thanatos, the ultimate form of the Death Arcana

The warmth is back.

"It was fun while it lasted. …Farewell." with that he vanishes. I find myself strangely hollow with his disappearance.

Gekkoukan High School, Front Gate…

"You, Minako!" Junpei runs up to me at the front gate. "Is your stomach ready?" Oh…yeah. The feast. I had forgotten all about it… "Tonight's the big celebration! I'm gonna eat like there's no tomorrow!

"Yeah. I'm ready." Maybe good food'll brighten my mood.

"Me too! I haven't eaten anything since yesterday! You better come back right after school, man! I'll be waiting." with that we head to class after school I head straight to the dorm and end up playing Dragon Age until evening when Akihiko came up to lead me to the lounge. He's still somewhat awkward around me though…

Dorm, 1st floor lounge…

Whoa. Mitsuru really went all out!

"Whoa…nice spread." Junpei looks over the table in awe and we quickly take seats.

"The slices are huge!" Yukari looks over as well.

"Man, I'm starving…can we eat?" That's what you get for not eating yesterday.

"Hey, where are Aeon-san and Ikutsuki-san?" Ken looks around the group…actually now that I think about it…I haven't seen Aeon at all today…

"The Chairman took Aeon to the lab for a tune-up or something." Akihiko's dismissive tone doesn't reassure me though. "He said they'll join us later."

Fuuka giggles. "The Chairman just can't stay away from the lab, can he?" Hm? Is that someone from outside?

"That must be my father." Mitsuru looks towards the door and true to form her dad comes in with two men in black…his bodyguards?

"We've been waiting for you."

"So, it's over at last, huh…"

"Yes."

"Wh-who's he…?" Ken whispers to Junpei.

"Can't you tell? That's Mitsuru-senpai's dad. She looks exactly like him." …huh? What the hell Junpei?

"Y-You think so…?" Ken whispers back.

"Congratulations, everyone. You've done well. There are no words to express my gratitude. Though you will never receive the recognition you deserve, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement." …her dad's pretty cool.

"Thank you."

Yukari looks at him in silence as he turns to her.

"To you, I owe a special thanks…for lending us your power until the very end." he takes her hands and firmly clasps them.

"Oh," Aw she's blushing! "it's…it's no big deal."

He lets her hands go and turns to the rest of us. "The 12 Shadows that were the cause of all our troubles have been destroyed, thanks to your efforts. You needn't bear this burden any longer. You deserve a chance to experience the joys of youth. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be dissolved as of midnight tonight."

"…Dissolved?" Yukari whispers.

"I-I see…" Junpei mutters…I'm kind of disappointed myself.

"No longer must you put your lives on the line in battle. Tomorrow, you can triumphantly return to a normal school life." He looks over each of us and I suppose sees the disappointment on some of our faces. "…Is something the matter?"

Akihiko shakes his head. "Oh, it's nothing…"

"Alright, everyone…It's time to celebrate. Your feast awaits you. There's no need to hold back; eat as much as you'd like." Thank you Mitsuru!

"Sweet! I've been waiting for you to say that!" with that we all dig in I don't talk much because I'm too busy shoving my face. Mitsuru's father doesn't even blink. He's got a killer poker face. Ah…I'm full. I lean back in the chair and rub my now slightly pouchy belly. Luckily I have training with Sudo tomorrow so…

"Listen up, everyone…" what could Junpei want? "Well, now that we're all stuffed, how 'bout we take a picture together?"

"Huh?"

"Actually, I tried to take one last night…but I forgot it wouldn't work during the Dark Hour." And that is why you're never on the front lines Junpei.

"You mean…you brought a camera with you into battle?" Akihiko stares at Junpei in amazement.

"Well, it was our LAST battle, after all." Yes that makes all the difference. He turns to one of Mitsuru's father's bodyguards. "'Suce me, mister! Would you mind taking our picture?"

Yukari just sighs. "I feel like such a tourist. But, I have to admit…I kinda want a picture, too."

Fuuka chuckles. "I'm so glad to have a photo with Yukari-chan and our leader. I'll treasure it!"

"Oh, wait…Ikutsuki-san and Aeon aren't here. …I guess we'll have to take another one later. Alright, everyone get together." with that we move in front of the dorm door and try to get in a decent position. "C'mon, squeeze tight! Everyone come in closer to me!" Why would we want too?

"…does that include me too?" Akihiko…I bust out laughing.

"Uh, no…not you…" Junpei shakes his head quickly. Tch. Typical I shove Akihiko next to him. "Oh come on!"

"Geez, let's not keep this poor guy waiting all day to take the picture!" Yukari sighs as the bodyguard holds the camera patiently. I'd have told the lot of us to knock it off by now. "Hey, we're good to go. You can take the pictures anytime!" she gives him a bright smile.

"Time to strike a pose!"

"Ah-Hey, get your hand outta my face!" Akihiko snaps shoving Junpei who falls backwards.

Oh. HA! This photo is hilarious. Junpei's in the middle of falling his hat's in the middle of the air and everyone else is staring at him in amazement even Mitsuru's dad! I snicker while Junpei looks at the picture with a heavy sigh.

"Is it just me…or did this not get my good side? W-We're gonna take another one once Aeon and Ikutsuki-san come back, alright?"

"Sure, Junpei." I snatch the photo out of his hands. "But I'm keeping this one."

"Give that back!"

"I'll give you a copy." I tuck it into my pocket and he scowls.

"But!"

"Don't worry, we'll take another photo Iori." Mitsuru sounds amused as she says this. "I could get used to a worry-free life like this…" Koromaru barks in agreement.

"How about you, Koro-chan? Are you glad to get all this meat?" another yes bark. …I think. As we spend time talking and laughing I feel my inner strength once again increase.

"H-Hey, how come nobody's eating but Minako? Don't tell me the rest of you are full already!"

"Are you kidding? I'm stuffed." I slurp at the shrimp in my hand as Yukari shakes her head at me. "I don't know how she does it. Her stomach's probably a black hole."

"It's good!" I eat another shrimp.

"I couldn't eat another bite…" Fuuka looks down at the spread. There's still a good amount of food left.

"How 'bout you, Senpai…?"

Mitsuru just shakes her head.

"I'm good for now." Akihiko looks down at the spread briefly as he answers.

"Alright." with that he takes a piece of sushi and holds it out to Koromaru. "Wanna try some, Koromaru?" Koromaru darts forward to take it but Yukari snatches the sushi out of Junpei's hand before Koromaru can reach it.

"Don't give the dog raw fish! You'll make him sick!" Koromaru whimpers in response to that. Poor guy.

"I wonder what's taking those two so long…It's almost midnight…"

Dark Hour, 1st floor lounge…

…

…

…

This sucks.

End Chapter 14

Answering Reviews Time:

Hamujiro: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

XxXTwilight-SinXxX : This chapter should answer your questions. *ducks tomatoes* Ah yes…cliffhangers. I have decided I enjoy them thoroughly. *evil laughter*

Kisdota-The Freak Gamer: Ah yes. Minako is going to get all of the ultimate Persona. Nothing beats beating the mess out of everything with Helel and Messiah. Not to mention her getting Messiah is a plot point…

Tsuki Rae: Ah yes…Shinji. I love him too…I was tempted just to do the he ends up in a coma ending but I always felt that sort of lessened the whole sacrifice thing. (Not to mention I was irked at Atlus. Either kill him or make it so he stays on the team! Stop being so wishy washy!)

NightmareSyndrom : *seriously fails at detecting sarcasm* So…that's a good thing? Granted this chapter kind of ends on a cliffe too but…