Today was officially one of the worst days of Fuuka Yamagishi's life, and she'd had a few. First, she'd been locked in the gym by Moriyama-san. Then she'd been transported to this strange place. Then she had been stuck for hours, constantly watching and waiting for something to jump out at her. Then something had and she had nearly lost her head, literally.

She had been momentarily granted a reprieve, when it turned out that she had nearly lost her head to the person who had come to save her.

Junpei Iori and Akihiko Sanada had known about this strange place for some time apparently, and had come to find and save her. Things were looking up at that point. Then they had revealed a friend of theirs they'd come with was missing. They had searched around until she felt a large set of what they called Shadows start attacking their friends downstairs. They had searched for and found a teleporter pad before teleporting down to the lobby.

The two monsters had already defeated Mitsuru Kirijo and Yukari Takeba by the time they'd arrived, and had seen the newcomers as fresh opponents. The two boys had rushed forwards to protect their friends, but had no luck when attacking the creatures. All of their attacks seemed to just slide off without doing any damage.

They were quickly defeated within a few minutes.

In the midst of the fight, Moriyama-san of all people stumbled into the lobby, looking dazed and confused. Fuuka had darted from her hiding place and grabbed her as she stumbled towards the Shadows. Fuuka took a moment to convince Moriyama-san to run, but her eyes were glazed over and she didn't seem to register anything that Fuuka said. At that point, one of the monsters had started to lumber toward the two of them, as if drawn to their presence.

Fuuka looked for anything she could use to protect her friend, anything at all. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one of the silver handguns that the two boys had been carrying. She had snatched it up, and felt a strange calling coming from within herself. It became an instinctive movement as she put the gun against her temple and pulled the trigger.

A burst of power had erupted from inside her. She felt a warm cocoon form around her as her Persona, Lucia, came forth. When she did so, the feelings that she had been experiencing all evening lit up like a bonfire. She could see everything; the other Persona-users' status, their strengths and weaknesses, and, more importantly, the strengths and weaknesses of the Shadows in front of her. Apparently, they had a special ability that allowed them to switch their resistances on the fly. Unfortunately for them, she could see and predict it. With this, she could help win this battle.

Fuuka had just one problem: she had no way to capitalize on this. Her Persona was just like her, sensitive and not inclined to violence. She couldn't even tell the others how to defeat them, as they were in no state to fight. The Shadow in front of her, stunned by the sudden appearance of the Persona, started to lumber toward her again.

That was when a flash of green light had occurred in the corner of the lobby. Two identically looking teens with blue hair stood next to the teleporter pad. The only noticeable difference between them she could see were the color of their eyes. One had ocean blue, the other had bright yellow. The blue eyed one talked to the other one for a moment, then raised his sword and rushed the Shadow attacking his comrades.

She could not warn him in time.

He thrust the sword towards the leg of the Shadow, obviously intending to cripple it. The sword bent and broke as the Shadow's skin resisted and deflected the blow. The Shadow quickly spun around and kicked the boy, sending him careening toward the wall. He had impacted the wall with a sickening crack, slumping to the ground.

With that, her last hope burned away. She closed her eyes. The Shadow was almost upon her. It didn't matter. The Shadow would not get Moriyama-san, not while she still drew breath.

Suddenly, she felt something: a massive reading that just popped into existence. Her eyes shot open and snapped to the source. After a moment of shock, she quickly analyzed the blue haired teen that was getting to his feet. She had been sure that he hadn't had a Persona a second ago. What she felt emanating from him now was powerful. She stared wide-eyed as the teen taunted the Shadow that had hit him. The Shadow turned to him, raised its sword and swung.

The boy raised his hand in the shape of a gun to his temple. His thumb snapped down like the hammer of a pistol, and he shouted, "Persona!"

That was when everything changed.

Minato heard his Persona speak to him as it shimmered into view.

I am thou… thou art I... From the sea of thy soul, I come… I am the force of arbitration, the balance on the scales of the universe, the guardian of the once-and-future king... Jehuty!

A loud clang of metal on metal sounded throughout the lobby as his Persona intercepted the Shadow's blade. At a glance, Jehuty appeared to be a damaged and scarred bipedal robot. He was almost skeletal in appearance with a blade extending backwards from his right arm, pulsing with light. He had an angular, skeletal face with a hint of a beak, suggesting a bird like appearance. Jets of flame shot from exhausts on its back, forming what looked like wings.

The members of SEES stared in shock at their blue-haired comrade. He had just summoned a Persona, something that he'd not even had a second ago, without an Evoker!

With an almost contemptuous shove, Jehuty pushed back against the Shadow's blade, sending the Shadow tumbling. The immediate threat dealt with, he turned to the other Shadow. It had also raised its weapon, prepared to smash Fuuka into the floor. He raised his arm in her direction, and Jehuty responded, blinking out of existence and reappearing in front of the Shadow just as suddenly to catch the Shadow's arm. With one quick movement, Jehuty head butted the Shadow, knocking it back. It tumbled backwards into its partner, sending them both sprawling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Now Minato had some room to work with. He quickly consulted with his Persona, finding out what it was good at. Surprisingly, it had just what they needed. He smiled as he felt the spell build then convulse within him.

"Media!"

A wave of green light burst from his Persona, washing over the group. They felt the pain of their injuries fade as their wounds closed. They staggered to their feet as their comrade walked over to them, a cocky smile on his face. He looked as if he had come alive for the first time in months, a fire burning brightly behind his eyes.

"So is this what you guys feel like all the time?" He asked with a chuckle. "I'm jealous!"

They stared at him incredulously for a moment before Junpei laughed in exhilaration, breaking the tension. "You're such a show off! Had to save all that for the most dramatic moment, huh, you bastard!?"

Minato laughed. It felt foreign to his ears. He hadn't laughed in a long time. "Well, if you're gonna do something, do it in style!"

An inhuman screech interrupted their banter. The Shadows had gotten back on their feet, and they were pissed. Minato grimaced as SEES turned to face them. "Ok, what's the battle plan?"

"Nothing we try works," Mitsuru said with a shake of her head. "Arrows, blades, fists… You saw the way it shattered your sword. None of our elemental attacks seem to have any effect either."

"And you can't locate a weakness?"

She shook her head as she sadly regarded her destroyed motorbike. "Not without my equipment, and that's all destroyed."

A girl's voice rang out through the hall. "I can!" Fuuka said excitedly. "They rotate their weaknesses around, to keep you guessing! I can predict it, though!"

Minato looked over at Fuuka. She was still in the entrance hall, but he had heard her as if she was right next to him. He glanced at Akihiko, who nodded back. "She has the same ability as Mitsuru," he explained, "But hers is much stronger."

"Ok, Fuuka-san," He said with a nod, "You keep us updated. Let us know what they're weak to when they change." Fuuka sent a wave of affirmation through the link in response. Minato looked back at his comrades and a sad look came across his face. "Hey, before all this starts… I want you all to know that I'm sorry." That drew a set of surprised looks. He shook his head. "I've been such an asshole to you all. It was…" He swallowed back his tears. "I know what it is I want now. I know that doesn't mean much right now, but-"

"Arisato," Mitsuru interrupted, holding up her hand. A small smile crept on her face, and for the first time, Minato's heart soared, not recoiled, at the sight. "…Save this for after the fight. We'll have time for apologies later."

He nodded. She was right. Fight now, talk later. "Alright… Fuuka-san, what are they weak to right now?"

"Fire and Lightning!" She said determinedly.

"Ok, Junpei, Akihiko, You're up!" The two boys nodded as they pulled out their Evokers and fired.

"Hermes! Agi!"

"Polydeuces! Zio!"

A blast of fire impacted the more feminine of the Shadows and it started to burn away some of its armor. Lightning struck the other more masculine one, causing it to convulse violently. A moment later, a wave of energy emitted from the two Shadows as they switched resistances.

"Ice, Fire!"

Stepping forward, Mitsuru yanked out her Evoker and pulled the trigger. "Penthesilea! Bufu!" A hail of ice shards shredded the feminine shadow, puncturing her armor. Fire burned the masculine one as Junpei switched targets.

Worry started to form in Minato's gut as the battle progressed. They were doing damage now at least, but it wasn't nearly enough. The Shadows would start taking this fight seriously pretty soon…

As if they had been reading his mind, the two Shadows suddenly swung their weapons. A gust of wind blew Junpei off his feet and a blast of fire nearly took out Mitsuru. Luckily, she threw herself to the side a moment before, barely managing to dodge in time. The two teens shook themselves off as both got back on their feet.

Minato grimaced. He'd been afraid of this. They were on even footing now with Fuuka by their side, but the Shadows were starting this fight fresh. SEES were all still wounded and nearly tanked on energy, having burned most of it earlier in the fight. They wouldn't be able to keep up this pace for much longer. Minato racked his brain, looking for a solution.

Come on, think! If only my arm weren't busted, I might be able to help…!

He mentally smacked himself in realization. He was forgetting; he had a Persona now. He could still help, even with his busted arm. He mentally ran through his Persona's skills, searching for one that might help. Eventually he found one, causing a deadly smirk to form on his face.

If we aren't doing enough damage, we just need to up the firepower.

He put his hand-gun to his head again. "Jehuty! Matarukaja!" His Persona appeared behind him, making a low screech as it emitted a wave of red energy. The wave of energy had no noticeable effects on the people it washed over, but their Personas' gained a bright red aura around them, the spell that Minato performed having boosted their power tenfold.

"Wind and Ice!" Fuuka called out. Yukari quickly stepped up, a determined look on her face as she pulled out her Evoker and fired.

"Io! Garu!"

"Penthesilea! Bufu!"

A blast of wind as powerful as a hurricane blew out from the giant bull's head of her Persona, knocking the feminine Shadow over. Ice spikes the size of small logs formed around Penthesilea before shooting forward, perforating the armor of the masculine Shadow and forcing it to raise its hands in defense. "Keep it up!" Minato encouraged. "Press the attack! Don't give them room to breathe!" Yukari and Mitsuru nodded, each casting their attacks again, pushing the Shadows back even further.

The masculine Shadow looked at its fallen partner as it was pressed back. The wind was blowing so hard against it that it was literally being blown apart. A few moments later, it let out a keen howl before disintegrating into a puddle of shadowy gore, causing the remaining Shadow to howl at the loss of its partner. A wave of energy burst out of the Shadow a moment before swinging its sword, flinging a bolt of lightning straight at Yukari.

"Yukari!" Minato yelled in warning, but it was too late. Yukari cried out in pain as the bolt struck her, energy beginning to course through her body. He watched in horror as she convulsed uncontrollably for what felt like an eternity before she finally collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Minato quickly ran to her side, put his ear next to her mouth, and grabbed her wrist, checking her vitals. She was alive and breathing, thankfully, just knocked unconscious by the attack. He sighed in momentary relief before his face contorted in anger.

"That's it…!" he growled under his breath. This thing had caused enough pain today. It was dying right now.

Another burst of energy shot out from the masculine Persona as it switched resistances again. "What?" Fuuka said, surprised. "It's weak to… Dark? But none of us have that!" Minato rose to his feet in response, raising his hand-gun to his head.

"I do."

He pulled the trigger. His Persona appeared behind him, raising its hand as a pool of darkness began to form underneath the Shadow's feet. Minato smirked. "Mudo!"

The pool of darkness suddenly leapt up from the ground, its tendrils of darkness grasping at the Shadow's torso and limbs. Once the pool had a hold on the Shadow, it began pulling the Shadow into itself. The Shadow screeched as it was slowly dragged into the pool, devoured by the darkness. After a moment's struggle, the Shadow ceased to exist.

They had won.

Minato huffed in exhaustion. It had been a close fight, but they'd made it.

"Alright!" Junpei yelled as he jumped in the air, pumping his fist. "We did it! Screw those guys!"

"Careful, Iori," Mitsuru warned, smirking at his enthusiasm, "You don't want to aggravate your injuries."

He turned and grinned at her. "Aw, it's ok Senpai! I feel like a million bucks right now!" As if on cue, he suddenly grasped his side in pain. "Ow! God!"

Minato laughed as he knelt down next to Yukari. "Hey there sleepyhead," He said, shaking her lightly, "It's time to wake up."

As if she had heard him, Yukari stirred. "Ugh…"

Minato smirked at her. "You're alive! You feeling alright?"

"I don't know…" She smirked back at him. "Did you catch the name of the truck that hit me? Did it look familiar?"

Remembering his own joke at the hospital a few months ago, he laughed before holding out a hand. Taking it, she pulled herself up with his help, stumbling to her feet. He put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "You sure you're good?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Her smirk widened. "So… so much for not giving a shit, huh?"

He gave her a small sad smirk before turning to look at Fuuka. The teal-haired girl was kneeling in front of Natsuki, who was crying and apologizing profusely. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, Fuuka!" Natsuki cried, "I'm so, so sorry! I-I feel horrible f-for what I've done to you! P-P-Please forgive me!"

Fuuka just smiled at her, tears filling her eyes. "Of course I forgive you. You're my friend, Moriyama-san…" With that, Fuuka wrapped her arms around Natsuki, holding her as she cried on her shoulder. The scene struck a chord in Minato. Tears pricked at his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Fuuka had been tortured by this girl constantly for the past month. She'd been abused and disrespected. Yet, she held no hatred for the offender. She had forgiven her, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He knew why speaking to Natsuki earlier had been so natural for him: he was just like her. He had betrayed the trust of the people close to him in pursuit of his own selfish desires. And just like her, he desired forgiveness more than anything else in the world, even more than that his own life.

He turned to them, the people that he had hurt constantly over the past few months.

Minato wiped his face and cleared his throat, willing himself not to cry. "Um…I don't really know how to start," He choked out, "So I'll guess I'll just s-start with this… I'm sorry. I'm so s-sorry for what I've said and done over the past few months. I've pushed you all away, for selfish reasons. I-I've betrayed your trust, and I've said things that were wrong and definitely untrue."

He took a shuddering breath. "It's due to all of you that I was able to awaken my Persona," he said, a small smile forming on his face. "It's because of all of you that I was finally able to face myself. I finally realized, that, despite myself… I do give a shit… about all of you." He bowed deeply to all of them. "Please forgive my foolishness."

A tear hit the ground as he stared at the ground, waiting for their response. A few moments passed without a sound being made. He screwed his eyes shut, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill.

Of course they wouldn't just forgive you. You've destroyed any of the trust they had in you, you goddamn-

A hand touched his shoulder, gently pushing him upright. His eyes shot open in surprise as he straightened. The hand's owner… was Mitsuru. She had unshed tears in her eyes, but a large, genuine smile on her face. "Apology accepted." She then pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Consider us even," She whispered with a hint of humor in her tone.

With that, he broke. A sob wracked his form as he wrapped his arms around Mitsuru and finally, finally let his tears spill.

This time, however, they were tears of joy.

He wept for what felt like a couple of minutes, but Mitsuru's arms never left for a moment. Once he'd cried himself out, she pulled away from him, smiling gently. He felt a small sense of disappointment at the absence, but smiled inwardly at the feeling. He wasn't going to deny what he felt anymore.

He wiped his eyes then looked around at the SEES members. Junpei was smirking, his eyes shining happily. Akihiko had a big smile on his face, relief and joy written in his features. Yukari had tears running down her face as well, but her smile betrayed her happiness. He smiled around him at all of his friends.

The thought surprised him for a second before he nodded to himself, confirming it.

Yeah. Friends.

Junpei stretched with a slight grimace before looking around, a big grin on his face. "So, who's hungry?"

"C'mon, Stupei!" Yukari groaned exasperatedly. "We just got our asses kicked, Minato's arm is busted, and you are worried about food?! Be considerate for once, will you?"

"Oh, come on, Yuka-tan!" Junpei said, floundering. "I realize that! I meant that we should get some food together after we get checked out, you know, as a team!"

Minato laughed in joy at the banter. He felt alive, for the first time in years.

It won't last. You know that.

He quashed that feeling with satisfied vindictiveness.

Oh, hush you. You don't get a say in things anymore.

He reached up to his injured arm and began feeling his shoulder with his hand, attempting to gauge the damage. "Well," he said with a slight grunt of pain, "I think that the Media got rid of some of the damage at least. I can feel it, but it isn't too bad. Besides, I could go for some food. When you don't really eat for a month, you build up quite an appetite."

"No," Mitsuru said with a shake of her head, "You are going to the hospital and getting checked out." She glared at Junpei. "-As are the rest of us."

Junpei froze under her icy glare. "B-but Senpai…The food at the hospital sucks!"

"Oh, is that so?" Mitsuru said icily, her glare dropping a few degrees in temperature. "In that case, would you like me to force a visit, perhaps for the next week or so?"

Junpei backed away, putting his hands up in defense. "U-uh, no thanks, Senpai! I can stomach that hospital food for tonight, no problem."

"That's what I thought," Mitsuru said with a nod. A small smirk formed on her face. "Alright, let's gather the other two and get moving."

At the mention of them, Minato looked over at Natsuki and Fuuka. "Uh, Mitsuru-san… What about Natsuki?" He asked her, a worried note in his tone. "Are we going to have to explain all of this to her?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I doubt it. The events will probably feel like a dream to her." She looked at the girl hugging Fuuka, crying onto her shoulder. "The emotions, however, will feel quite real."

It was ironic, Minato realized. He'd hated Natsuki a few hours ago, hating how she'd abused and betrayed Fuuka's trust. Now, he felt a strange form of kinship with her. He closed his eyes, a smirk on his face.

Maybe it's 'cause we both want to be redeemed.

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei said, suddenly punching Minato in the shoulder. Unfortunately, it was his injured shoulder he'd hit, the sudden, unexpected contact sending a wave of pain through Minato's body.

"God…damn it!" Minato hissed as he recoiled away from the pain.

"Oh, shit, sorry, Senpai! It was an accident!" Junpei apologized, backing away. A look of fear came over him. "Uh, are you OK?" He said in a timid voice.

"I was," Minato said, glaring at Junpei with a look of both anger and amused annoyance, "That was 'till some dunce I know hit my clearly broken arm!" Junpei started to babble with incoherent apologies for a second before Minato raised his hand, cutting him off. "Look, I'll take that as my due punishment for the past month, ok? Just don't do it again please?"

Junpei began nodding so fast he looked like a bobble head. "You got it… Anyways," He pointed over his shoulder, "Mitsuru-san said I should walk you to the hospital right now to get your arm checked. You ok with that?"

"Sure," Minato said with a nod. Junpei smiled brightly before turning away. Minato watched him walk away, then turned and looked at the others. It was funny. As much as he had mistrusted them, as hard as he had tried to distance himself from them, as much as he'd mistreated and abused them… In the end, it was them who had saved him, who enabled him to see the dark path he'd been on and gave him the strength to choose a different one.

"Hey!" Junpei yelled over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Minato said, taking a deep breath before taking his first steps forward into his new life.

June 9th, 2009

Yamagishi had collapsed from exhaustion soon after leaving Tartarus and the Dark Hour. She had spent nearly 10 hours in a place that increased how fatigued you became astronomically. Add in using her Persona, and all the turmoil she had been through, and her exhaustion was understandable. She would spend a few days in the hospital, while the doctors observed her to see if there were any abnormal effects.

Moriyama had fallen asleep as soon as the Dark Hour ended. She had been placed in a hospital bed to rest. She would be told that she had been found unconscious on the street, and a stranger had brought her in. She would hopefully not remember the details of the Dark Hour, but instead remember what she had felt. It would be the best for her.

Arisato's arm, surprisingly, had shown no sign of breakage on X-ray. This was odd, because he had said his arm was definitely broken at the time. He claimed this was due to his Persona's Media spell, which he said targeted major wounds. It did not, however, deal with the sprained wrist he had gotten when his Rapier had shattered. Something to do with the distinction between major and minor injuries, he said. He'd been prescribed a brace, one he would have to wear for about week.

Those three had been Mitsuru's only major concerns, the others having only relatively minor wounds due to Minato's healing. They were nothing that wouldn't heal over the next couple of days. The rest of SEES had gone to sleep already, but she was still up writing a report on the operation to give to Ikutsuki, since he'd missed out on the entire operation. She looked out the window. The sky was beginning to brighten as the sun got ready to rise. She smiled at the sight.

They had lived for another day.

Akihiko entered the hallway where Mitsuru was watching the morning sun rise into the sky. He cleared his throat, shaking Mitsuru from her thoughts. He sat down in front of her. "How're you doing?"

"Good," She said with a smile. It was true; she felt better than she had in a long while, minor cuts and bruises notwithstanding. "You?"

"Same," he replied with a smirk, "Which is odd, considering we almost died last night."

She nodded. "It was rather close. If Arisato or Yamagishi hadn't woken to their Persona…" They both looked at the ground. Realizing how close it had been was sobering.

Akihiko looked up. "Anyway, I wanted to run something by you. It's about Minato's weird mood swings."

"He obviously figured out what was wrong with himself, given by how he acted last night," She said lightly. "Whatever caused his realization must have also awoken his Persona."

"Yeah, but there's something else, something that Junpei and I were discussing: You know how Ikutsuki says that the Shadows are affected by the phases of the moon?"

"Yes, I've heard mention of it. You think that it's connected to Minato somehow?"

"Well, we know that, at some level, Personae and Shadows are connected," Akihiko said matter-of-factly. "It's why they attack us instead of trying to eat us, after all… Anyways, here's the thing: Junpei told me that he acted just like that weird Reaper Persona that came out of him a couple of months ago."

Mitsuru froze. "When?"

"During the train operation, apparently."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Mitsuru said with a hint of anger. She sighed in resignation. It was in the past, so there was no sense getting angry about it. "So you think that this Persona was affecting him somehow?"

Akihiko nodded. "We know that Persona can sometimes be unpredictable. I think that Persona was made from his anger and distrust, you know, the side he hid from all of us. That's probably why he couldn't control it."

"I can see that, but why did it end up affecting him in that way? How did it gain that kind of power over him?"

"I have a theory: the Evoker." At Mitsuru's confused glance, he shrugged. "It breaks loose your true personality from your mind, right? Well, based on what we know about him now, he obviously didn't trust anyone to know the true him. Therefore, if someone hell-bent on hiding that side from the world uses an Evoker…"

"…It split his personality," Mitsuru said, her tone sad. After a moment's reflection, she nodded. "It fits. He seemed fine for a while. He even seemed like he was opening up for a while. Then all of a sudden, he deteriorated, withdrawing more and more." She shook her head. "What could have caused it, though?"

"I don't know," Akihiko said, shaking his head. "Maybe something happened to trigger that side of him. What could he have gone through that would make him distrust everyone that much, though?"

Mitsuru glanced at the ground. He had been going through a lot more than they had thought. She was glad that it was over… or was it? At that thought, she glanced up at Akihiko worriedly. "Do you think that he could revert back to that state if something triggers it again?"

Akihiko tilted his head in thought. "Maybe… Or maybe whatever happened to him in there re-forged his personality. I mean, he said that we're the reason why he has a Persona now, when he said he didn't before. I don't think he would have told us that if he still mistrusted us. Not to mention his new Persona is different from that one on that he summoned on the roof, though that brings up a whole other host of questions…" He shrugged. "Either way, this is all speculation. Personas are hardly an exact science, after all."

She nodded. Hopefully he would come to them for help before it happened again.

If. If it happens.

"Oh well," Akihiko said with a shrug, "There's no sense in dwelling on that right now. Short term; we have 2 more Persona users, both of which seem invaluable."

"True," Mitsuru said, nodding. "Arisato's ability to heal is surprising, and will be infinitely useful." She sighed. "Hopefully Yamagishi recovers soon; her power will be invaluable as well."

A smirk popped on Akihiko's face. "That eager to get back into the field, are we?"

"Tonight was a painful reminder that we, me especially, have been out of the field for too long," She said harshly. "We were lucky to survive tonight. We cannot count on being so lucky again."

"I know, I know…" Akihiko said, brushing off her harsh tone. He stretched. "Well, I'm gonna head out. I've been looking forward to this." As he stood up, an evil smirk appeared on his face, and he chuckled darkly. "Although…"

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she glared at him. "What are you planning?"

"Oh, nothing…" He said nonchalantly. "…I was just thinking of waking Minato up for some 'training'."

Her glare intensified. "He just went to sleep restfully for the first time in days, and I'd rather you not push him right now. There will be other times to get your revenge for the…dumpster diving incident."

"But I've been waiting a month and a half…" At her continued deadly stare, Akihiko sighed in resignation. "Fine..." He scowled at her playfully. "I will get my revenge soon, however, and your blatant favoritism won't stop me."

"Oh, so he's my favorite now?" She asked, smiling icily at him. "Well, in that case, let me show you what happens to those who spurn my favor!" She lunged out of her chair, attempting to wrap her hands around his throat.

Akihiko dodged her lunge with practiced ease, smiled at her with a shit-eating grin, and ran out of the room, tail between his legs.

She sighed in amusement. Akihiko was like a little brother to her. That meant that he teased her to the point of annoyance sometimes.

She turned her thoughts back towards Minato. He'd seemed so happy on the way home. For the few months that she'd known him, he'd always had a small amount of anger and sadness behind his eyes, present even before his meltdown. Now, it seemed to be almost non-existent. Instead, his eyes now burned with a fire of fierce resolve and determination. What was that resolve to do, however?

She smirked.

I'll be happy to find out.

The first thing he felt as he entered the expanse was the feeling of a small body crashing into his. Pharos' arms wrapped around his waist as he yelled, "You did it!"

Minato looked around. He hadn't seen the expanse in quite a while. He'd almost sort of missed it. After a moment, he smiled down at the boy hugging him and patted him on the head. "Hello, Pharos. What did I do, exactly?"

"You unlocked my gift to you," He said excitedly as he pulled away. "Not only that, but you accepted who you truly are! I wasn't sure if you'd manage to do it in time before your ordeal, but you did!"

"So, my Shadow suddenly showing up in Tartarus like that… That was your gift?" Pharos nodded, causing a small smile to form on Minato's face. "Thanks, Pharos. Truly, thank you." With that, he knelt down and hugged the small boy in gratitude. After he released Pharos, a small chortle echoed from behind him, causing Minato stand and turn. His Persona, Jehuty, was floating behind him.

"Hello, Master," Jehuty said with a nod. The Persona's voice was heavily modulated, as if he were speaking through a filter, but it was unmistakable: The voice was an exact copy of his.

After a moment, Minato nodded back to his Persona. "Hello, Jehuty." It felt strange, nodding to the Persona. It was almost like he was nodding to himself through a mirror. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Jehuty made a chuffing noise. He was laughing. "I have always been a part of thyself, Master. If anything, I am glad to finally meet you."

Minato chuckled. "I guess that makes sense. Sorry it took me so long."

His Persona shook his head. "It matters not how long it took, but simply that it happened is enough."

"Huh…Thanks." Minato turned to Pharos. "So, Pharos… Why are we here today?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you," The boy replied with a smile. "I didn't get a chance to tell you how happy I was after you survived the first one, after all."

"…The first one?" Minato raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The first one of what?"

"…The harbingers, of course!" Pharos said matter of factly, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. After a moment, he tilted his head. "Well," He acquiesced, "Technically the one you killed was the second…and the third…" Pharos smirked. "I think you get the point now."

"…You're talking about the Shadows." Pharos nodded. "What did you call them?" Minato asked confusedly. "…The harbingers? The harbingers of what, exactly?"

"They're…" Pharos frowned. "…I don't exactly know. My memory is fuzzy, like yours."

"Alright," Minato sighed. "Sorry for all the questions. I'm just curious, is all."

"It's quite alright," Pharos said with a nod. "You are a detective, after all."

Minato snorted. Of course he knew that. After a moment's thought, a question occurred to him. "Hey Pharos," Minato asked. "If you wanted to congratulate me, why couldn't you contact me after the train operation?"

At this, Pharos glared at him. "Because you let one of your extremes take hold."

Minato tilted his head in confusion. "One of my extremes? What do you mean?"

"I mean one of the extreme sides of your personality," Pharos replied. "Specifically, the negative sides of your emotions: Your anger, distrust, and hatred. If one of your extremes takes a hold of your personality like that, I can't come here. It takes all the space."

After a moment trying to understand his meaning, Minato dropped it. That sentence was better off left alone for now. He went to a different train of thought. "What about Jehuty?" he asked worriedly. "Can this sort of thing happen again? The mood swings, I mean."

Pharos shook his head. "Not to that extreme. You can always deny and obfuscate parts of yourself, but never again to that extreme. The circumstances that allowed that to happen no longer apply to you."

"What?" Minato said, raising both eyebrows in confusion. "What circumstances?"

The grip of the gun felt heavy in his hand as he raised it to his head. The trigger felt like it was made of lead with how slow it moved. In the end, though, he pulled the trigger.

"That's what caused it?" Minato asked, panting as the memory faded. "Using the Evoker?"

Pharos nodded. "It was made to break open your mind, just a bit, to let your power out. Without that power to unleash, your mind just breaks."

"That doesn't make any sense," Minato said, shaking his head. "If Jehuty is my Persona when my mind is whole, then what came out of me that night?"

Pharos paused for a moment. "Untapped power," He finally replied, "Power lying deep within you."

"Wait, what?" Minato asked, shaking his head in confusion. "So there's something else, some other Persona buried inside me? What is it? How did it get there?"

"…I don't know," Pharos said with a frown. "That makes me scared, more than anything else."

That was terrifying. Still, nothing good would come of worrying about it right now. Minato smirked as he tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, that's supposed to be my line, you know."

"True…" Pharos said, smirking in response. "Either way, please enjoy this newfound power. It will guide you quite well in the days and ordeals to come."

"I will," Minato nodded, smiling at the boy. "Thank you again, Pharos, for helping me figure all this out. I owe you."

"No, you don't," Pharos replied, shaking his head. "You can't owe me anything. I'm a figment of your imagination, remember?"

The sound of a bell ringing echoed faintly through the expanse. Pharos looked up at the sound, then smiled brightly at Minato. "It's time for you to wake up. I'll see you later." With that, the boy turned and walked away, the sight of him growing dimmer and dimmer as the bell rang louder and louder.

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Edit: This probably should have taken less time, but I wanted to extend this chapter out a bit in terms of length. As such, I (obviously) moved the Pharos scene from the old chapter 6 to here. Additionally, in parity with later chapters, I've added a small introduction to Minato's Persona down below for those who don't know or don't want to look up the mythology behind the Persona. I whole-heartedly recommend reading these in the future, as they may contain hints as to the future of the character and the story as a whole. Anyways, this was still an emotional chapter for me. I originally wrote it when I was in the midst of putting my life back together, Minato's desire for forgiveness and acceptance mirroring my own quite painfully. If anything, I hope that the emotions behind it are even more evident and impactful. As always, if you liked, hated, or have criticisms with this chapter, please let me know with a review or PM.

–PS- For a more accurate picture of what Minato's Persona looks like, look up Naked Jehuty from Zone of the Enders. It's identical. I don't know why.

Just kidding. I don't own either franchise. Just putting that out there.

Persona introduced in this chapter:

Jehuty:One of the many names of the Egyptian God known commonly as Thoth, Jehuty was the Egyptian god of Wisdom, Balance, Knowledge, and, in a lesser known role, the Moon. He is commonly represented as a man with the head of an ibis, though he was sometimes represented as a baboon. He, along with his feminine counterpart, Ma'at, was often credited as the force that held the universe together. As such, he was often thought to be a self-made god, one without whom, the other gods would not exist. In the underworld, he was instrumental in the judgement of the dead. He, along with Anubis, ran the scales that weighed the hearts of the dead against their deeds. He was also, to a lesser extent, a guide and protector for the young god Horus before his conflict with the god Set.