~~Author's Note~~

I should add this… It is June 16th the day this takes place. Fuuka's been in SEES only a few days, and Kanji's been saved. Rise has yet to disappear. Yeah, that works.

Oh, and here's your favorite Messianic Archetype here to do the disclaimer.

Minato: …

Any time now.

Minato:

**Steals headphones**

Minato: GRRR! Nicole doesn't own Persona!

Good boy. Here you go. **Tosses headphones back**

Chapter 2

A- Am I going crazy…? I shook my head. Did I open a door to another dimension? Did I die and go to Hell? Grandpa always did say my hacking would catch up to me. Random and disjointed thoughts flowed around my head like a swarm of angry bees. I squeezed my eyes shut and cradled my head in my hand. My breathing quickened until it could have probably been considered hyperventilating.

What the hell is going on here? Tears flowing down my cheeks shocked me out of my stupor. No, none of that. You're stronger than that, Kasumi. I forced myself to take a deep breath; reminding me of times I'd tell my sister to calm down and breathe. Assessing the situation, I decided I was most likely not dead, and the probability of entering another dimension was slim to none. On the crazy front, however, I couldn't be sure.

Right, the first thing to do is get off this street. But, where should I go? Again, the giant tower in the distance drew my eye. There, maybe? It seemed to be the center of this strange version of my town. I figured the odds of finding someone would be higher there, and finding someone would be high up on my list to find out if I was crazy or not. Having a plan helped calm my still frayed nerves. I took my helmet off my head, and then shed my riding-jacket. I stored the jacket in my bag, checking to make sure my computer was still in one piece. It hadn't sustained any noticeable damage. I lifted the heavy motorcycle upright again.

Time to start pushing. I didn't know how long I'd have to hike to reach that tower, but it seemed it was in the area of Gekkoukan High. That wasn't too terribly far away, within walking distance, at least. I passed more creepy coffins just standing there. A little voice in my head wanted me to crack one open and see what was inside, but common sense ruled out that whim.

"…Hello?" I called as I walked, wondering if someone else might be awake around here. No one answered.

"God damn it. What's going on?"

Time seemed to flow differently, so I didn't have a solid grasp on how long I'd spent walking. Finally, I reached that mysterious tower.

Huh? This is… "This is where Gekkoukan should be. Is this tower… the High School?"

It rose higher than any building I'd ever seen, looking like if I stood on the top, I'd be able reach out and pluck the moon from the sky. Not only was it tall, but also it wasn't built like your typical building, and I didn't think any sort of architect would be able to replicate the spazzmatic and impossible construction. The tower itself seemed to glow. It practically oozed maliciousness.

I hesitantly propped my motorcycle against the gate, leaving it there. It's not like there was anyone there to steal it… Unless a vampire popped out of one of those coffins, cracked my pass code, and rode off into the night.

Haha… Vampires… What was that one book Naoto told me not to read because it was 'an insult to literature and decent authors everywhere?' Daylight? Sunset? The trail of thought my mind had taken shocked me. Was I just dissolving into hysterics, or was I seriously contemplating vampires at a time like this?

Shaking away the random, disjointed thoughts, I pushed open the huge gate and entered the foyer. Inside, it was huge. It could easily eat my tiny house. In the center of the room rose a giant staircase leading to a clock-shaped door.

"Hello…? Anyone home?" The only reply I got was the echo of my own nervous voice. Even in the absolute emptiness, I couldn't shake the feeling of thousands of eyes watching me, scorching my skin with only their gazes.

I started to head for the staircase, the only place it seemed I could go, when a soft green glow among the black dragged my attention to a remote corner near the entrance. The device I saw… It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. A shining green platform supported a gold arch.

I nimbly jumped down the two steps I had climbed to go investigate. Clumsy me then proceeded to rear her ugly head and screw me over, something she had a horrible habit of doing. I tripped over air and fell towards the strange device. My hands flew out to catch myself, wrapping around the only thing they could – the golden arch. Before I could entirely process what had happened, a green aura covered my vision, my stomach flipped inside out, and I was sent skidding across a puddle of blood for the second time that night.

Okay… Oww! I pushed myself into a sitting position, brushing my now sticky hair out of my face. The violet combined with the red made a strange combination.

My gaze raked the corridor I had found myself in. It was different than the entrance hall I had been in moments before, yet at the same time dripped the same evil atmosphere. Also, there was the ever-constant feeling of being watched. If that feeling weren't enough, every few feet, a giant face protruded from the wall.

I shakily traversed this floor of the tower, finding nothing of interest, besides another staircase, and decided to go higher.

I will forever regret that decision.


The teenagers worked their way across the transmogrified city. Their destination? The Tower of Demise – Tartarus. Each carried some assortment of deadly weapons, and at each one's hip was the unmistakable silver gleam of a gun.

"Ugh, Stupei!" The brunette complained. "Look, we're late. We were supposed to meet at midnight, but because of your stupid stunt, look what time it is now!"

The boy she was yelling at, who was wearing a blue baseball cap, replied. "Hey, hey, hey! I said I was sorry! Geez, what more do you want? An- and stop callin' me 'Stupei!'"

"Oh quit whining… Stupei…"
"Hey! Minato!" Stupei turned to the blue haired boy. He didn't look up. "Yo, don't you think she should stop callin' me that?"

"…" The boy was silent for a moment, then a tiny, but still present smirk turned up his lips. "…Stupei."

"Whaaat? Oh, man! That's harsh, dude!" The brunette girl laughed, and even the other, shy second year cracked a smile.

"Takeba, Iori, Arisato, please don't forget that you're currently in the midst of the Dark Hour." The redhead spoke up. "You too, Yamagishi. You haven't been here for long, but you need to remember that it's dangerous here."

"Oh, um, Y-Yes, Mitsuru-senpai." Fuuka said with a nervous bow. This was only her third expedition into Tartarus.

As they neared the Tower, all chatter ceased.

"Hey, what's that?" Takeba pointed towards the gate, where a large motorcycle leaned against the metal. "What's something like that doing here?"

Mitsuru frowned. "Nothing electronic works at this time of night…"
"Does that mean…" A silver-haired boy started, "There's someone inside Tartarus?"

Junpei shook his head. "C'mon, Akihiko-senpai! You worry too much! Some guy was probably just driving by when the Dark Hour hit! Heh… Right?"

Minato shook his head. Something was bothering the boy about the scene, and that was the lack of Transmogrified biker. "Where's the coffin?" He asked simply.

Mitsuru nodded. "He's right, if that were the case, Iori, then a coffin would be present nearby…" The redhead also had something on her mind. Where have I seen this bike before…?

"Um… If there is someone here, I'll be able to sense them, wouldn't I?" Fuuka stated.

"Fuuka's right." Yukari agreed. "We should go inside."

"Right, come on, Mitsuru." Akihiko prompted the girl into motion and together, the group of teens entered the Tower.

"I don't see anyone here…" Yukari stated. "Does that mean they've gone higher up?"

"Just a moment, please." Yamagishi requested. She pulled out her gun, putting the cold metal to her temple. Nobody found this sight of a girl about to shoot herself in the head strange.

"Lucia!" She whispered as she pulled the trigger." At once, there was the sound of shattering glass as a glittering figure of a woman appeared around her. The dress of the woman formed a dome around the girl.

"I definitely sense someone here…" She stated. "Give me a minute and I'll tell you exactly where…"

Everyone exchanged nervous glances.

"There! The person's really high up… and there are Shadows everywhere! We have to help them!"

"Right, Arisato, you take the lead like always!" Mitsuru ordered.

Minato nodded and called for Yukari, Akihiko, and the Kirijo to join him. The blue-haired boy clutched his short sword tightly, running toward the teleporter. His party followed, being sent to a floor high up in the Tower.


I watched in horror as all around me, dark blobs emerged from the shadows and surrounded me. A strangled sob escaped my mouth. I spun around to go back downstairs to the safe floor, only to find the staircase had disappeared.

"Oh what the crap!" I wailed, turning back to face the glowing red eyes of the monsters, only to find the blobs were forming different shapes. Some of the stranger ones were snakes that twirled around male and female symbols, overly buff men wearing only Speedos and weird cupid thing that fluttered to and fro.

I blinked, trying to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Apparently, they weren't.

I shoved my way through the crowd of monsters and headed down a random corridor. This served not only to get me hopelessly lost, but also put me in a dead end, with no choice but to turn and face the monsters slithering, stalking, and flying towards me.

Oh God… Why did I go into this stupid tower in the first place? Now I'm going to die without ever getting to do anything with my life. I'm never going to get to see Nao again, or Grandpa. I- I'm nev- I'm never- It was then that I realized I was crying. No, not crying, I was sobbing, tears flowing freely down my face, but this time, I did nothing to stop them.

Suddenly, one of the body builder monsters struck me in the gut with his fist. I crashed painfully into the wall. Before I could recover, I received a painful blast of wind to the face, which succeeded in reuniting my bruised back and the wall.

Wait, wind? Okaaaay, so they're monsters that use magic. Why am I surprised?

A bubble of hysterical laugher broke from my lips despite my tears, along with a splattering of blood. A small, rational part of my brain knew that I should get a hold of myself. Did I mention that it was a very small part of my brain? That voice of reason was overcome by my panic and I laughed again.

"Why are you laughing, Kas?"
"Because it's
funny!"

"In what way does your getting beat up by those guys strike you as amusing?"
"Ahaha! Oh wow, Nao! You really sounded like an old man there for a second! Look, it's just funny because I was just complaining yesterday that nothing entertaining happens to me and now something actually happens to me! It's just the irony!"

"I didn't think getting punched in the face would be something that would be entertaining to you. Come on, Kasumi. Snap out of it.

Snap out of it.

SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Burning pain in my right shoulder brought me home from memory lane. One of those weird snake things had actually bitten me. Numbly, I brought my left hand up against it to stop the blood-flow. And then I realized –

There was nothing funny about what was occurring.

The pain was all encompassing, and any traces of hysterical laugher that may have remained with me disappeared, leaving only the tears that had started flowing before.

I screamed.


"Did you hear that?" Akihiko asked.

"Yeah, it sounded like someone screamed…" Yukari trailed off. "We have to find that person!"
"…Mm." That was all Minato had to say in response, but that was to be expected. The day he said a sentence longer than six or seven words was the day he gave his headphones up and started paying attention in class.

"Everyone!" Fuuka's voice floated through the air. "The human is on the next floor, but the Shadows have begun to attack! You have to hurry!"

"Right, we understand. Thank you, Yamagishi. Arisato, let's go!" Mitsuru didn't mean to snap at Minato, but something about that bike they found and the owner still nagged on her conscious. She had a sinking suspicion of who might be locked up here.

"Okay." The four high school students dashed down the hallway and up the stairs.

"There are way more Shadows on this floor than normal." Fuuka informed everybody. "They all seem centered around the area to your left."
"Then that must be where the person we're looking for is." Akihiko reached the same conclusion Fuuka had.

"Then there's no time to waste!" The Kirijo heiress snapped.

"Let's go." The boy with the blue hair nodded. He led them forward, following the ever increasing sounds of a girl crying.

As they arrived, the sight they saw shocked all of them and they let out a cumulative gasp.

A girl with strange violet hair was slumped against the wall, clutching her bleeding shoulders as again and again the Shadows attacked her. Tears were leaking out of her green eyes, and a bruise had already begun forming on her cheek.

"Ge-Get b-b-back Hic Go to- Go to hell!" Even in her state, she managed to kick out at one of the Lustful Snakes that had attempted to attack her again.

"Shirogane?" Mitsuru gasped. Minato let out a small noise or recognition as he identified the waitress from Chagall earlier that day.

Akihiko was the first to react after seeing the girl, 'Shirogane.' He proceeded to strike a Gigas multiple times in the back, causing the Shadow to dissolve.


I blinked when one of the body builder monsters dissolved into a red and black cloud before my eyes. Standing behind where it used to be was a boy with silver hair, fists raised and adorned with brass knuckles.

"Um… Thanks." It was embarrassing for someone, especially a complete stranger, to see me cry. I wiped my eyes to get rid of the stinging. There was no need to cry anymore; I was saved.

Before I could get too happy, another cupid fired an arrow my way. I scrambled to the side desperately, so the arrow of death cracked the stone where my head had been. In retaliation, a girl with brown hair raised a bow of her own and shot the offending creature. Then, two more people, joined the fight. With a jolt, I recognized them as Kirijo-san and the blue haired boy from work.

"Can you stand?" The boy offered me his hand, gray eyes revealing no emotion.

"Y-yeah." I took it and he pulled me to his feet. A traitorous blush tainted my cheeks slightly pink. I imagined it looked really dumb with my bruised face.
"Stay behind me." He ordered. I realized with half a laugh that he had said more to me here in this God-forsaken tower than he had when I took his order. He then pulled out a gun.

"How did you-" I started to ask when the boy twirled it around his fingers like a show-off, then proceeded point it at his head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! I know the situation is bleak, but is suicide really the answer here?" He just turned his head slightly to smirk at me, the only emotion I'd seen on his face yet.

Ironically, it was a monster that, in my eyes, saved the boy. Before he could pull the trigger, he was blasted back by a jet of fire. He skidded to the ground where he lay stunned. The gun skidded to a stop by my feet. Hesitantly, I picked it up and pointed it at one of the monsters. Firing, I soon discovered that this gun didn't fire bullets. In fact, nothing came out of the barrel.

Suddenly, a realization hit me – The boy hadn't been trying to commit suicide. I had no basis for such an assumption, other than the fact that nothing came out of the gun when I tried shooting it. I could hear my sister's scathing voice as I put the illegal device to my temple

"Don't be so reckless! Are you really going to risk your life all on the assumption that the gun isn't loaded? Maybe it was just a misfire!" Or maybe those were my own inner thoughts, and I just gave them Nao's voice to make myself feel less crazy. Either way, I couldn't back down. The blue haired boy was still struggling to stand. Well, so was I, but I hadn't just taken a blast of fire to the face.

My heartbeat drowned out all noise of the battle taking place in front of me. My hand trembled as my finger found the trigger.

Thou art I… And I am thou…

I shut my eyes… and pulled the trigger.

The sound of shattering glass rang out as bits of light floated around me as a voice in my head spoke, louder than before.

Thou art I… And I am thou…


"Shirogane!" Mitsuru gasped as the girl fired the Evoker. Kasumi's eyes glowed eerily and a smile crept up her face with the realization that she wasn't, in fact, dead, and had her brains had not gone flying across the floor. Yukari was reminded of Minato's awakening and shot a glance at the boy. Arisato was still sprawled on the floor, watching with barely present shock on his face. A shadowy shape appeared above the violet haired girl. It slowly became more distinct.

A woman with long, braided brown hair floated above the girl's head. The Persona wore a brown cloak with the hood pulled up, and for eyes it had glowing gold orbs. In it's hand was a kettle, which seemed odd.

"A Persona-user?"

"Oh, wow!"
"…Hm."

"Hestia!" Kasumi shouted the name of her Persona as lightning struck ever single Shadow present. The force of the blast destroyed the Shadows weak to Zio skills, while wounding the others. The SEES members rushed in to finish the battle. Kasumi, on the other hand, fell to the ground, the Awakening of her Persona using every last bit of her strength. Everyone gathered around the soon-to-be unconscious girl.

"Is everyone okay?" Fuuka asked.

"We're all fine, but Shirogane is hurt pretty badly." Mitsuru informed her.

"Shirogane, is that her name?" Yukari asked. "Another Persona-user, right after we found Fuuka, huh?"

"We should get her out of here." Minato surprised everyone by speaking up. He bent down to pick up the quickly weakening Kasumi.

"I 'an walk…" She started to protest when the Arisato picked her up bridal style.

"Hey…" Kasumi summoned ever last ounce of energy she had left to mutter one last sentence. "Those monsters owe me a new laptop…"

~~Author's Note~~

ANNNNND Scene. This chapter, especially Kasumi's awakening just did not want to be written. I couldn't find a way to write the whole first appearance of her Persona thing in 1st person, so I switched to SEES's perspective. After that, added the other 3rd person scenes. I'm still not happy with the result, but hey. And thanks to anyone who's read this so far, and the favorite and review I've gotten. They make me smile like an idiot, really. Feel free to criticize. Also, sorry if I portrayed the block of Tartarus, or any of the Shadows wrong. I tried to remember their names and failed miserable.

For anyone who knows Greek mythology, you know Hestia is the goddess of Hearth and Home, older (and younger) sister of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. I chose her for symbolic reasons. Kasumi's left her 'home' and is Naoto's older sister. Yeah.