Disclaimer:

Given- Nicole is not rich

Prove- Nicole does not own Persona

Suppose Nicole is rich. Then, by the theorem that states that owners of big gaming companies have lots of money, Nicole is rich. However, this goes against the given that Nicole is not, indeed, rich. Therefore, the supposition that Nicole owns Persona is false. Nicole does not own Persona.

Oh yeah, disclaimer with an indirect proof! …I've been studying too much geometry.


Chapter 12

June 29th

I jerked awake, images of horrible creatures – shinigami – still fresh in my mind. My arms and legs flailed wildly, tangling in the blanket previously draped over my body. Almost incoherent words, such as 'Naoto,' 'Kira,' and 'notebook' spewed from my mouth at a dizzying speed. Adrenaline still left over from the nightmare pumped through my veins.

"Kasumi?" Someone's shocked voice brought me back to reality. I sat up and turned my head slightly to see every other member of the dorm sitting around the breakfast table. All eyes were on me and my pitiable display.

"K-Kasumi? Are you all right?" said Yukari. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm my erratic heartbeat, before answering.

"Yeah… That was the craziest dream… Naoto was L! The world's greatest detective, working on the Kira case! And Souji was there! You guys don't know Souji, but that's okay… Anyway, he was Light! Which means he was Kira, and no one suspected a thing but Naoto, who knew the truth!" At this point, I think everyone was thoroughly confused. "And you guys were there! You were all members of the Task Force. I'm not even going to go into how confusing that was! And we were all trying to solve the case! And then… And then…" My voice stuck in my throat. I'd like to blame it on the leftover effects of my illness, but I had just blurted out a lot without any protest from my throat.

"And then what happened?" Shy Fuuka inquired softly.

"…Episode twenty-five happened…" With that, I fell silent, adjusting my position on the couch.

"I think the dream was just an effect of the fever." Mitsuru commented after a while. I sighed. Of course it had just been a fever dream.

What, did you think it was something else? Like a psychic premonition?

Well… Maybe! I mean, Naoto did play the part of the World's Greatest Detective. And Souji was Kira…

And you think that because of that, Naoto's suspicions are correct? Get real! It was probably just your subconscious, because you've been hearing your sister's accusations for so long!

What about that part about my dorm mates being the Task Force? Does that mean they're somehow involved with the incidents in Inaba?

Kasumi! You're analyzing a dream brought on by an extremely high fever! You are completely insane!

"You're just a voice in my head, so shut up!"

"Uhmm… Kasumi-chan?"

Fantastic! Now they all think I'm crazy! My cheeks burned with shame at my outburst. "Um… I'm just gonna... go back to sleep now… and, um, sleep off the rest of this… fever. Yeah… Goodnight." I slowly sunk back into the couch, blanket covering my head in embarrassment. I could hear muffled laughter from several people.


It was about noon.

I was bored.

Oh, so bored.

Now, what does one Kasumi do when she finds herself in a position where there is absolutely nothing to do? Well, naturally, she calls her younger sister to bug the crap out of her!

"Is this important, Kasumi?" Were the first words out of the blue haired Shirogane's mouth when she answered the phone.

"Um… Define important."

Naoto sighed. "I don't have times for your antics."

"Wait! I just wanted to know if you've made any progress on the case! I'm just finishing up with an illness, and I couldn't be more bored! I almost want to go to school!"

"Although I appreciate your eagerness to continue your studies, I regret to inform you that no particularly important discoveries have been made." The girl hesitated. "Actually, it's been unusually quiet around here."

It was my turn to sigh. "I know what you mean. It's been absolutely dull in Port Island, too… You should come for a visit sometime. I think you'd like my dorm mates."

Naoto gave a small laugh. "Perhaps I should… After, of course, we make more progress on the case."

With a groan, I leaned back on the couch, setting comfortably on the cushions. "Someone shoot me now, before I die of boredom. I wish I had my laptop…"


Dinner was a quiet affair that night, and the group disbanded without many words shared between them. That was fine with Yukari. She had something she needed to do that night, involving the teal haired girl standing across from her. Lights from the computer monitors that filled the command room illuminated their meeting.

Yukari took a deep breath – she had to start somewhere. She only hoped Fuuka would agree to help her. "Sorry to bother you, Fuuka…"

"It's okay. What's on your mind?"

"Well, um…" The brunette fidgeted. "I was hoping you could do me a favor with your skill." The small girl didn't interrupt, so Yukari kept going. "I was doing some research on our school, and I came across something strange… Ten years ago, a lot of students missed school for some reason. They were reported as absent, but I found some records that suggest it was something serious. Do you know anything about it, Fuuka?"

"Me? Um… Not really."

"I know it was a long time ago, but...doesn't it seem suspicious to you? From what I've heard, this isn't the first time Shadows have appeared."

"Wait, are you saying…" Fuuka trailed off, apparently not sure how to continue.

"I don't know, but I wonder… and I'm not trying to make trouble, but… Mitsuru-senpai acts kinda weird whenever someone asks questions about Tartarus." What Yukari had noticed was not as obvious to the other girl.

"Does she?"

I have to know…

"I just wanna know what happened back then. If it doesn't have anything to do with the Shadows, then fine."

"…I understand. Okay, I'll see what I can do."

At that moment, had either girl looked back, they would have noticed a pair of forest green eyes gleaming curiously from behind a cracked open door.


July 3rd

Days had passed since I overheard Yukari and Fuuka's conversation in the Command Room. As I walked to school with Minato, I replayed the events. After dinner, I noticed the brunette get Fuuka's attention and slip upstairs. Curiosity had gotten the best of me, so, as any good not-really-a-detective detective would do, I followed them! The conversation that came after was quite interesting, as was Yukari's favor. Over the weeks I had been staying in the dorm, I learned that Fuuka had a good amount of skill with the computer, not unlike myself. It makes sense that she would be the first person Yukari turned to – She had known her longer, and, if I'm being honest, Fuuka is much more trustworthy than I. Even so, it hurt that my skills were not enlisted for this task. It was at that end that I promised to help Fuuka however I could while remaining anonymous.

Minato grabbing my shoulder brought me back to reality.

"What?" I asked, wanting to know why we had stopped in front of the gate. He took one headphone off his ear and angled his head towards a pair of gossiping girls.

"Last time I was out with my boyfriend, he was heading towards Shirakawa Boulevard!" One proclaimed loudly.

"Whoa, Shirakawa Boulevard? Eww… I know what was on his mind!" Her friend chimed. Wait, what was so bad about Shirakawa Boulevard? I've been living here for three years, and I don't know about this place! I was now curious to hear their conversation, though I still couldn't figure out for the life of me why my companion would be interested in a conversation such as this.

"We just started dating, but I'm already kind of disgusted. He's got such a dirty mind... Maybe I should dump him. I don't want to be the subject of one of those rumors that goes, 'A couple was found unconscious...'"

The friend laughed again, then the two girls disappeared.

I shot my own friend a confused look before heading off to class.


June 6th

Well, this has reached a whole new level of 'Awkward.' I sighed, drumming my fingers on the linoleum table of the Sweet Shop. The blue haired boy across from me sipped his drink with an air of being completely at ease with the situation.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat, ready to make another jab at a conversation. "The moon'll be full tomorrow…"

The only reaction I got was a nod. Angrily, I mutilated bits of my brownie with my index finger. "I honestly don't what to expect…"

A shrug. "The usual."

"The usual? Elaborate on that." Why'd he even ask me to come here?

"Giant Shadows outside of Tartarus."

"And that's it? D'ya think it'll be hard? We've been training for a while now…"

Another shrug. "We're prepared."

And with that, the silence encroached on us again. Minato seemed perfectly content to just sit there and sip his damn chocolate milkshake, while I was plagued with feelings of awkwardness. I wondered idly why people always asked to go places with the silent boy. It couldn't be the stimulating conversation he has to offer. I slumped in my seat, before a sly idea crept into my head. A mischievous smirk stretched across my face as I rose from my chair without a word.

…Okay, so my idea wasn't the best in the world, and was sure not going to make Minato like me any more, but I couldn't resist! The opportunity was perfect! His only reaction to my sudden appearance behind him was a questioning tilt of his head. The one eye I could see gleamed curiously at me.

"Oh, just ignore me… I'm only… STEALING YOUR HEADPHONES!" And with that, I was gone, my prize – silver clip-on headphones and an attached MP3 player, dangling in my fists.

"H-Hey!" It was too late, of course. I was already out the door. I sprinted down the spiral staircase of the strip mall, not stopping until I had reached the bottom level. I quickly slipped the phones over my own ears and jammed my finger onto the play button. At once, familiar, peppy music started playing.

Really peppy.

Like, really peppy.

I couldn't help it. I just started laughing. The song that had begun to play was just so not what you would expect from the silent Minato Arisato.

"Ahaha! HAHA! Hah! Ahaha...! Haha… Hah… Oh, hi…" I stared at the hand that was outstretched to me for a few seconds before promptly giving it a high-five. "I approve of your music selection."

"My headphones, please."

I pouted. "But I don't wanna…"

"Kasumi…" His piercing gray gaze practically screamed 'murder.'

"Ugh… Fine."

I don't care how awkward today started out to be. It was totally worth those few seconds of pure amazing-ness.


July 7th

"Any luck, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked. We were currently standing around the teal haired girl and her large Persona as she scanned the area. I was practically bouncing in excitement at my first Full Moon assignment.

"…Just a moment… I found it! I sense a strong presence!"

Junpei seemed impressed. "Hey, we were right!"

Our Chairman, who I haven't seen much of lately, mused. "Or so it would seem."

"It's located in Iwatodai… Inside a building in Shirakawa Boulevard."

That name again… My curiosity was piqued, and so, apparently, was Ikutsuki's.

"Hmm… Shirakawa Boulevard. They've been finding the Lost in pairs recently. Now I understand why."

"In pairs…" Mitsuru's voice started out inquisitive, then switched to distain as she made some sort of connection. "Oh, I get it."

Fuuka dismissed her Persona, tilting her head. "Why? What's in Shirakawa Boulevard? I'm not familiar with the area."

I nodded. "Yeah, I've lived here for a long while, and I have no clue what's so special about this place."

Yukari sighed. "I've heard about it, but…"

"That's where THOSE hotels are! That explains a lot." That was Junpei, our resident pervert. When he said that, my eyes widened. A silent 'Oh' formed on my lips. Fuuka, however didn't seem to get it, so the hat wearing boy elaborated. "You've heard about 'em, right, Fuuka? Where people go to … you know…" The hand motions he used to try and display the 'you know' didn't help me from falling into a laughing fit as Fuuka turned beet red.

"Nonsense." Ikutsuki stepped up. "They're no different than ordinary hotels. The rooms are just a bit fancier, that's all."

"Aw man, that's it?"

"Ahahah, why do you sound so disappointed, Junpei?" I cleared my throat, and then turned to Mitsuru. "Creepy hotels or not, I wanna go! I have to go! You can't make me not go! I demand to be on the party!"

"All right, you can go."

"YESH!"

"So, who's going to take the lead?" Yukari asked.

"Arisato. I see no reasons to change leaders now. And Yamagishi, I want you to handle support during the operation."

"I'll do my best!"

Akihiko nodded. "All right, then we'll let Minato decide on the rest of the team. Let's do this."

Minato summoned for Yukari and Akihiko, and we were off.

The hotel we arrived at gave off an evil air that could rival Tartarus, but maybe that's because it was currently occupied by some dark, demented Shadow. The plush carpets lining the floors of the hall would've seemed really inviting, had they not been covered with blood, and the creatures crawling around the area didn't help with the impression.

"I sense a powerful presence on the third floor! Please head there immediately." Our leader nodded, taking us through a route that avoided the lesser Shadows. Before I knew it, we were standing outside of the large, elaborate double doors of some fancy suite.

"I sense a large Shadow behind that door. Are you ready?"

As a response, Minato pushed open the door, and in we went.

The thing that stood before me was almost impossible to describe. It was just that hideous. Here I was thinking some of the normal Shadows were bad. This… This was a monstrosity, plain and simple. Its body was that of an excessively fat man wearing priest robes of some assortment. On either side of it stood two ivory crosses, which seemed kind of superfluous. Behind the fat man was what really made my skin craw. A naked woman, with some sort of twisted tree- antenna- sea sponge thing as a head, stood there, rubbing the main Shadow's face.

"Ugh…"

"Why here of all places?" I honestly couldn't understand Yukari's strong distaste for our current location. I mean, sure, it was creepy, and had a – ahem – bad reputation, but still! "Well, let's get this over with!"

We were launched into battle immediately. Minato started out by summoning one of his many Personae to shoot an arrow at the thing, which, by the way, did next to no damage. Yukari followed up with a blast of wind to the face, also doing little damage. I ran forward myself and put my Evoker to my temple. I thought it would be a good idea to cast Zio on the Hierophant. It wasn't.

The arc of lightning issuing from my hooded Persona reflected off the fat Shadow and back at me, doing minimal damage. "Ow, Electricity… Bad idea." I was still tingling from the static shock, so I almost missed Akihiko using his Persona to punch the thing in the face.

The thing laughed, a high-pitched squeal from the woman, and a low chortle from the man, morphing into a horrible combination, and lighting struck the four of us. Now, Minato apparently blocked it, and Akihiko and I both were strong against the spell, but Yukari took a lot of damage, being knocked to her feet. Minato promptly responded with a mass-healing spell. Invigorated, Yukari rose to her feet, but was unable to attack.

The battle went on like that. Akihiko and I ended up doing the most damage, as we could withstand the electrical attacks thrown at us, while Minato focused on keeping Yukari alive. It probably had been a mistake to bring her. However, it was too late now, and there had been no way for us to know that the enemy would use Zio attacks.

It seemed like only a few minutes – and several critical hits from Akihiko – when we had worn the Hierophant down. It slumped over; looking like a few good, solid hits would be enough to finish it off. I pulled out my Evoker, palms sweating slightly as I put the cool metal to my temple. A blast of fire issued out of Hestia's lantern, smacking the Shadow in the gut.

"Sweet! Almost there."

Another creepy laugh from the enemy, and the hotel room was filled with fog. The place became like a cemetery, coffins and dead trees and the like. It was, I will freely admit, horrifying. I felt my throat close with fear. I couldn't move. My sword slipped from my hands with a metallic clatter. The rest of the fight was a blur to me, and before I knew it, the Hierophant was dissolving into red and black shadows – the normal kind, not the kind that want to eat our souls.

I blinked as the last of my fear evaporated. "That was our Full Moon battle I've been dreading all this week? Kinda anti-climactic."

"Good job." Fuuka congratulated us as a disembodied voice. "You succeeded once again. I'll be waiting for you outside."

We turned to follow Minato as he put his hand on the doorknob and gave a sharp push. When nothing happened, he tried again.

"It won't budge…" He muttered, as if the door had done him a personal offense.

"…Huh? I still sense a Shadow in that room! It's not the same one you defeated, but… Where is it hiding?"

I take back that whole 'anti-climactic' thing… Stupid Universe.

With those cheerful thoughts, the four of us spread throughout the large suite, looking in closets, behind curtains… I even went so far as to look underneath the bed, like a child checking for monsters.

"Guys…" Minato started. I turned, to find him peering at a large mirror on the wall. Cautiously, I approached him and it, staring at my slightly pink-tinted reflection.

"Does anyone else think this mirror's really, really weird?" I asked. I immediately began to regret saying that, because as soon as the words escaped my lips, my head started to become foggy. The room blurred, white creeping around my vision.


Has Minato ever mentioned that he hated dreams? Even now, in this reality, it had a dreamlike air that clouded his thoughts and made his mind feel fuzzy. Not the newborn kitten fuzzy, but the I-don't-know-what-that-person-slipped-into-my-drink fuzzy. He loathed the feeling.

His gray eyes opened to find himself in one of the hotel's many luxurious bedrooms, on the bed, with the steady sound of a shower running in the bathroom.

The hell? Wait, why am I here again?

Doesn't matter…

Does it? I can't remember.

The boy heard a voice, then. It wasn't the friendly voice he came to associate with Social Links, but a different one, filled with sickeningly sweet venom – If that made any sense.

Embrace your desire… I am the voice of your inner self… Enjoy the moment… That which cannot be felt is merely a dream… The present is all we have.

That… makes sense…

The future is but a fantasy, memory a fabrication… Let your desire free you from your shackles… such is my wish…

It's really tempting… But…

Pleasure is what you truly want. You stand before the doorway to bliss. You cannot deny your instincts...embrace your desire...

Wait… I had a reason for coming here. That reason was important. Now is not the time to listen to creepy voices… Even if they do make sense… Temptation filled the young boy's mind, making it hard to focus.

Why do you resist? Do not avert your eyes from the truth…!

Minato fought against the Voice, pushing it back. Piss off. His persistence won out, and his mind slowly un-fogged. As he regained control of his thoughts, the shower turned off. The doorknob turned, almost ominously. On instinct, Minato took a fighting stance. The door swung open, and out stepped…

Kasumi.

In a towel.

"Wait… What was I doing, again? Oh yeah, there was that voice, and now I'm standing out here, and Minato is right there, and I… AND WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Whatever remark the blue haired boy could possibly have made died in his mouth as Kasumi's face flushed a shade that could make cars stop. In the blink of an eye, the embarrassed girl disappeared back into the bathroom, a stream of profanities following after her.

What… just happened?

"Oh, I can finally reach you!" Fuuka's disembodied voice broke through the extremely awkward tension. "Can you two hear me? I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner...the Shadow was interfering with your thoughts, and you all got separated. The enemy is still in the same room. Please regroup and hurry there. Did you hear that, Kasumi?"

"Can't talk now! Slowly dying!" Came the violet haired girl's squeak.

"Um… Did something happen?"

"No, no! Absolutely nothing!" A fully clothed and still red-faced Kasumi reemerged. "W-Well… Let's go."

The duo advanced to the door, but just as Kasumi was about to open it, she stopped, turning around to glare at the boy.

"We never speak of this again. Agreed?"

"Agreed."


Someone shoot me now. Am I dead? Nope. Still not dead. I still want to know how I ended up in that bedroom with Minato, but the question of 'how' wasn't the most pressing in my mind. No, I was more concerned with the 'I will never be able to live this down' factor. Currently, we were running through the halls, trying to find Yukari and Akihiko. A tiny portion of my brain wondered if they had gone through the same embarrassment, and I almost laughed at the image. Then I remembered whom I was running beside, and my face flushed all over again.

"I'm sorry, I never expected there to be another Shadow." Fuuka apologized again, then informed us that the Shadow was still in that room, and we needed to haul ass up there. "Somehow it's sealed the door, so I don't think you'll be able to get in. I'll try to find out if there's a way to break the seal...please join the others. They're on the floor above you."

Sure enough, Akihiko and Yukari were waiting in the middle of the second floor.

"So, you guys were on the first floor, huh?" Akihiko greeted us without formality. "I'm surprised there was another Shadow...anyway, are you alright?"

All right, Kasumi. Play it cool. Nothing happened. "Y-yeah, of course we're fine. Why wouldn't we be fine? We're nothing but fine!" Wow, Kas. Really cool.

I don't think for a second the two bought my amazing lie, but Fuuka interrupted before they could press the issue.

"I got it! It's the mirrors! They're giving off the same energy as the Shadow! Maybe the seal will vanish if you break the mirrors..."

I nodded. "Yeah, the mirror we saw up there made me feel… really strange."

We decided to go through the hotel and smash any mirrors that seemed unusual. I was all for just breaking anything reflective out of pure spite, but something said that would be a very bad idea. One that would be difficult to explain when the dark hour ended. We ended up only smashing mirrors with a thick, oily coating that prevented us from seeing our reflection. There were two in all.

"You've broken the seal on the door" With those gone, we were able to advance. "You should be able to fight the Shadow now."

The Lovers Shadow was even more freakish than the Hierophant. It's entire body was a translucent heart, filled with some sort of smoke and adorned with spikes and other jewels. Two purple, girly wings extended from either side in the mockery of a Valentine's Day heart.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry you were ever born! …Err, created…" My fingers tightened around my short sword with anger. How dare this abomination mess with everyone's minds like that?
Yukari immediately fell into a 'heal/support" role as the battle, keeping us alive as we doled out damage. The Lovers' fire blasts were pretty much a joke to us all, but we had another problem.

"Akihiko-senpai has been charmed!"

"Not again!" Inwardly, I groaned. A charmed Akihiko was a bad Akihiko. The boxing champion ran forward to attack us, and I moved to meet him. His fist connected with the flat of my blade, knocking us both back. I darted underneath his punches to strike him with my hilt in the head. That seemed to snap him back to reality, as he rubbed his temple slightly.

"Hehe, sorry 'bout that."

And so we continued, trying desperately to avoid being charmed – which was difficult. After a while, the creature was almost dead.

Finally. I officially hate Full Moons. To deliver the final blow I advanced cautiously, and put my sword tip gently against the frail heart's flesh. With a disgusted snort, I plunged it into the Lovers' writhing body, my revenge for that … incident… finally delivered.


Outside the hotel, everyone was in a good mood. Everyone, that is, except one sulking second year by the name of Junpei Iori.

"I'm glad you're all safe." Fuuka greeted us.

"Thanks for your help. The enemy was sly, but you did well." Was Mitsuru's cut and dry response.

"I did what I could."

The redhead then turned to Minato. "And you, too. For withstanding the enemy's mental assault." Yeah… Mental assault…

As we were turning to leave, Fuuka stopped to address Yukari. "Oh, Yukari. About that thing you mentioned the other day…"

"You found out something? Cool, tell me later." Yeah, with my help. "All right, we should head back, too." Us five Second Years turned to follow our senpai, except Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass, who was still pouting for some unknown reason.

"Come on, Junpei. What are you doing?"

"So. You're the hero again, huh?" He said in an almost superior tone. "Yeah, whatever… Who cares, anyway?"

"Hey!" Junpei's attitude was really annoying me. I sauntered up to the goatee-sporting boy, putting my face close to his own. "What on Earth is your problem? Is wittle Junpei jealous of Minato?"

"Shut up!" And with that, the boy stalked off.

"Was it something I said?"


In the silence that followed the group's departure, steady, slow clapping pierced the air. "…Faster than I expected." The appearance of this trio went unnoticed by any and every living thing, as if they had just appeared out of darkness. The leader, an extremely pale man, continued to speak. "That was quite a show. They've been rather busy these last few months, including their frequent forays into the tower. Their fighting style is positively fascinating... And it seems they've gained new recruits, too." His golden eyes flickered to a dark haired boy to his right. "Well, Jin, are they our enemies?"

'Jin's' face remained passive. "Why don't we ask our 'buddy?' We'll be seeing him soon."

"Yes...that's an excellent idea. Considering that he shares our fate, it would be prudent to seek his opinion. We don't have much time left..."


~~Author's Note~~
Time skips~! Time skips~! Timey Wimey Time skips~! Yeah… Sorry about that. I really didn't want to wait another week filled with nothing before the full moon. I suppose something did happen – That being Minato trying to advance Kasumi's social link. (Think he'll be able to get very far?)

Longest chapter ever, to make up for that really short fluffy one last time… Sorry about the lacking fight scenes. They aren't my forte. At all.

Ahh, dat scene... That really awkward scene. It was awkward just for me to write.

The song on Minato's MP3? Well, I was listening to PonPonPon as I wrote this, so that's what I imagined. I lol'd.

Blargh. I don't really like this chapter, but whatever. It exists.

P.S. I passed my midterms~!

P.P.S I ran Kasumi through a Mary Sue test, and she came out clean! Victory!

P.P.P.S Both Edward Cullen and Bella Swan came out 'irredeemable Mary Sues.'

Okay. I'm done.

Until next time!