July 20th, 2009

Minato awoke the next morning to the sound of knocking on his door. He shook himself awake and answered it. It was one of the maids from the previous day. She bowed to him. "I apologize for disturbing your sleep, Master Arisato. However, Master Kirijo would like to speak with you, before your meeting with Master Shirogane."

Minato raised an eyebrow. Takeharu wanted to talk to him, without his grandfather there? As happy as he was he had a connection to his past in his godfather, he still had no idea what the man wanted with him, personally.

However, judging by the story he had told Minato the previous day, Takeharu Kirijo was a dangerous man, with obvious Yakuza connections. He hoped his nervousness didn't show as he responded. "Ok. Can I have a few minutes to become presentable?"

She smiled and nodded. "Of course. I will wait out here."

Minato smiled politely and shut the door. He quickly changed and stepped out a few minutes later. The maid bowed to him again, and led him to Takeharu's office. Takeharu looked as presentable as always, with a lighter color grey suit instead of the dark grey one he had been wearing yesterday.

As Minato stepped in at the maid's invitation, Takeharu stood and smiled at Minato. "Ah, it's good to see you feeling better, Minato-kun. Thank you, Yuki."

The maid bowed to the both of them, and closed the door as she left. Takeharu gestured for Minato to sit across from him. Minato smiled at his godfather as he sat. "I am sorry for losing my temper yesterday. I was just…"

Takeharu shook his head. "No need to apologize. Your grandfather has been keeping this secret from you for a long time. It is understandable. However, yesterday's conversation is not why I asked you here. We will continue that when your grandfather arrives."

Minato frowned in confusion. "Then, why am I here, sir?"

Takeharu smirked. It reminded Minato of a predator, circling his prey. "My daughter's behavior concerning you was very strange, yesterday. She has never interrupted a private meeting between me and an associate before, and I don't think that it was simply out of some misplaced concern."

Minato's eyes widened as Takeharu's grin grew. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

Minato's heart rate increased dramatically. Oh god, he knows. There isn't any way he can't know, with that grin on his face... If so, why is he playing with me? Minato decided to test the waters. "W-well, sir, I'm not sure as to what you are referring to. Could you be a little more specific?"

Takeharu chuckled. "No need to play coy. You know what I am talking about, Minato. She told me everything."

Minato nodded and sighed. "I figured. So are you here to give me the scary father speech, then?"

Takeharu smiled. "No. You know who I am, and where I come from. Threatening you would be…unnecessary. Besides, if you hurt my daughter, I suspect the first person to hurt you would be her. I merely wanted to ask you: Are you happy with her? Otherwise…" A frown came across his features at the thought.

Minato nodded reassuringly, a small, genuine smile on his face. "Yes. More so than I ever thought I'd be, after… well…" He hesitated.

He didn't want to tell Takeharu about the case 2 years ago, but it was the only way to truly convince him that he was serious with Mitsuru. Fortunately, Takeharu beat him to the punch. "I know about Haruya, Minato, and what she did to you. I understand what it means to you, opening yourself to another like this."

Minato's face shuttered. "So, grandfather can hide his secrets from me for years, but when it comes to mine, he just gives them out like calling cards?"

Takeharu shook his head. "No. That incident is part of what we are going to talk about today."

As if on cue, the door opened again, and Kyohei stepped in. He sat down without a word, and looked away from Minato. This behavior confused Minato. He had expected anger at his behavior in the main hall yesterday. His grandfather had never hesitated to yell at him, or berate him in front of others before. However, it seemed as if he were…ashamed.

Takeharu nodded in greeting to Kyohei and sighed. "Shall we start?"

Kyohei nodded and spoke. "Minato, when you came to live with me, I resented you. You reminded me of my daughter so much, that you also constantly reminded me of my own failures as a father. As a grandfather, I hate to say that I haven't improved much."

Minato stared at Kyohei in disbelief. "What…?"

Kyohei ignored the question and continued. "However, even as I resented how much you reminded me of Akane, you were all I had left of her. That is why it broke my heart to see how utterly and completely broken you were, the first time I met you. I hated that you looked like you wished for death, that my daughter's son could be so weak and powerless. I made a vow, then and there, to do whatever it took to fix your heart."

Kyohei shuddered as he breathed in. He was scared, Minato realized. "When you came to me, speaking of a secret hour that I could not experience, I almost didn't believe you. However, I saw a spark of life in you, while you were describing it to me. You were curious. I realized then, that perhaps I could stoke the fire of that curiosity within you. Shape it into an inferno of purpose and duty, like I did with your mother."

Kyohei shook his head. "It worked for a time. You threw yourself into all the cases I assigned you, baiting you with a promise that I never intended to keep. It wasn't a solution, however. Your curiosity of the Dark Hour was something I could never understand."

Kyohei shook in anger as he clenched his fists. "Then, the kidnapping case happened."

Minato exhaled deeply, calming himself as the events of the case ran through his mind. Kyohei frowned. "I am truly sorry for that, Minato. I knew something was wrong when your reports became less and less detailed as time went on. I recognized what it meant, too late. By the time I realized what had happened to you, I had already gotten the call from Haruya's father."

Kyohei looked at Minato as he continued. "I would have done anything to save you, including paying them the ransom and allowing their escape. However, I could not pay what they asked for." Minato's eyes widened. Gramps couldn't pay? Then…

Takeharu smiled sadly. "I got a call from someone I never expected. The famous 'Iron Detective', Kyohei Shirogane, called me for help. He needed a loan."

Minato stared at his grandfather, eyes widened. He shook his head in confusion. "But, the estate…?"

His grandfather shook his head. "The estate has been in our family for years. We are detectives, not businessmen, Minato. We operate because we seek justice, not money. We are compensated well for our work, but not that well."

Minato looked between his grandfather and his godfather. "But, why? You never met me before. Why would you spend so much money to help someone you never met?"

Takeharu smiled. "I said that I never got the chance to pay your father back for saving my life. Plus, my godson was in danger, and I could help him with relatively little cost. It required little thought."

Minato smiled at Takeharu. "I suppose that thanks are in order…" Takeharu grimaced. "You are my godson. Family. You don't need to thank me."

Minato nodded in acknowledgement, then turned back to his grandfather, confusion written on his face. "What about after? When you said that you'd investigate the Dark Hour for me, even though you hadn't planned on keeping that promise. Why did you do it?"

Kyohei closed his eyes. "Because what Haruya did to you…destroyed any hope I had of giving you a new purpose in life. You were broken again, even worse than when your parents died, and I was ashamed that it was because of a case I sent you on, that it was my fault. I felt that the only way to salvage what was left, and prevent your spiral downwards, was to agree to investigate the Dark Hour, to give you a slight amount of hope again."

Minato nodded. It made sense. The mystery of the Dark Hour had been all that had sustained him over the past 2 years, until his epiphany a month ago. "So what? You just called up Takeharu-san, and he told you everything?"

Kyohei smirked and shook his head. "Yes. It was a lucky guess, considering all the circumstantial evidence surrounding your parents' death, but I was sure the Kirijo Group had been involved. This was why I kept Takeharu's identity from you for so long."

Takeharu chuckled. "I nearly dropped the phone when he told me you had been experiencing the Dark Hour for the past 10 years. I was sure that the Shadows would have tried to kill you, but apparently they can only go a certain distance from Tartarus. That is why we are safe here."

Minato nodded, a thought coming to him. "…and also why you know the Full Moon Shadows are still in Iwatodai, instead of scattered around the world."

Takeharu nodded. "Shortly after your grandfather's call, we put together a list of potential Persona users in the area, and went about recruiting them. Your grandfather put us in contact with the local police, and I brought in a mutual friend to help run the group and give it a 'public' face: Shuji Ikutsuki."

Minato inhaled sharply at the realization. He looked at his grandfather. "You helped form SEES?"

Kyohei nodded. "The Dark Hour was more dangerous than I had thought. The threat of the Shadows was too great for the general populace, and we had to move quickly to help deal with it. It wasn't just about helping my grandson anymore."

Minato nodded. His grandfather's sense of duty to the people would have forced him to take action. But something still bugged him. "Why didn't you send me there when SEES was formed? Or tell me about it at all?"

Kyohei looked away. "I did it for selfish reasons. I did not want you involved with the Shadows, at first. I felt that it was too dangerous for you to join in your emotional state at the time. However, as time went on, you seemed to heal, to the point that I felt confident in sending you. Takeharu agreed and we decided to send you to Iwatodai, to join SEES. As for not telling you about it, you know why."

Minato felt ashamed as the plan to kill himself ran through his head again. He hadn't been exactly subtle, when he'd told his grandfather what would happen if he didn't investigate the Dark Hour. He shuddered. "Ok, good point. So what was the point in telling me all of this? Explaining about my father, and how SEES formed, I mean."

Takeharu smirked. "Ikutsuki told me that you and Yukari Takeba convinced Mitsuru to tell you the truth about the origins of the Dark Hour. We are here to give you all the rest of the story. About Persona, the Shadows, everything we know."

Minato gaped. There was more? "But I thought that…"

Takeharu frowned. "There are things that I don't tell my daughter, just as your grandfather does not tell you things. Either way, we will continue this conversation tonight, with the rest of SEES."

Kyohei nodded to the both of them, then stood up to leave. Minato called out. "Grandfather!"

Kyohei stopped and turned back. Minato looked at the ground, tension in his frame. "I…don't know if I can forgive you for the lies. There is simply too much you've hidden from me over the years."

Minato looked up, regret in his eyes. "But I understand. And I know that I still care about you, Gramps. So I guess I'm just trying to say…thanks."

Kyohei smiled at him, a rare sight. "There's no need to thank me. I haven't made your life any easier, you know."

Minato smiled back. "That doesn't matter. I have a new purpose in life. You succeeded."

Kyohei nodded, tears coming to his eyes. "I'm glad."

Minato got up and hugged his grandfather. Kyohei sniffed and attempted to hide his tears, unsuccessfully. "T-that's enough, boy. Not in front of others."

Minato laughed as he pulled away. "Of course, grandfather. Of course."

Takeharu smiled as he looked at the two of them. "We'll see you all tonight. Enjoy the rest of your day, Minato-kun."

After the meeting, Minato walked out into the main hall to see the entire group waiting for him. They all had on summer clothes and had bags on their shoulders. At the sound of the door opening, they turned around to see him. Junpei waved. "Hey, boss! Good morning!"

Minato smiled. "Good morning, everyone. What's with the bags? Heading somewhere?"

Yukari nodded. "Yup. There's a nice spot that Mitsuru mentioned that had a fantastic view of the ocean. We got a bunch of food together and are gonna head over there for a picnic! Wanna come?"

Minato smiled. "Of course. I just need to get some stuff, put on some sunscreen, you know..."

At the mention of sunscreen, Akihiko blushed and turned away. Mitsuru noticed and smirked at Minato, remembering the previous day. "Actually, I have some sunscreen in my bag. You can put some on when we get there."

Minato looked at her in confusion, then smiled in recognition. "Oh, right. Ok, sure."

Akihiko grumbled under his breath, and turned to walk out the door. "Two against one is hardly fair…"

Minato started, but then noticed a distinct lack of dark blue hair. "Uh, where's Naoto?"

Fuuka shrugged. "She said that she needed to do something today. Something about a 'practical solution'?"

Minato groaned in realization. "Oh, great. Let's get out of here before I find out what she has in store for me."

After a few minutes of walking, Minato felt a strange feeling. It felt like he was being watched. He stopped and looked around, surveying the countryside. All he saw were trees and bushes. He shook his head as the feeling passed. Fuuka walked up next to him. "You felt that too?"

Minato nodded. "I'm kind of wishing I'd brought my rapier on this trip."

Fuuka nodded in agreement. "Well, whatever that was, we'd better keep an eye out for anything strange."

Minato nodded, then sighed. "You know, this vacation is turning out to be a lot more stressful than I thought it would."

Fuuka smiled in sympathy. "I feel for you, Minato-senpai. I really do."

Minato smiled. "Thanks, Fuuka. Well, are you enjoying yourself?"

Fuuka nodded. "Yes, very much so. I feel like I belong with all of you, and that is something I haven't really experienced before."

Minato smirked. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way. The group makes it pretty easy to like them." He grimaced as he made a caveat. "Although, Junpei is a bit hard to get along with sometimes, isn't he?"

Fuuka shook her head. "No, he's been very kind to me."

Minato smiled at her. "Ah… Yeah, he's got a good heart, but his brain doesn't always catch up sometimes."

Fuuka smiled. "That's what makes him charming."

Minato chuckled. "Well, Fuuka, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you had a crush on him."

Fuuka blushed as she sputtered. "W-what?"

Minato laughed. "Oh, you do? Well, now…"

Fuuka blushed more, and a frown appeared across her face. "S-senpai, please stop teasing me."

Minato chuckled. "Ok. I'll stop. But in all seriousness, don't be afraid to try it out. You two might be pleasantly surprised." He mumbled as he walked away. "I know I was…"

Fuuka stared at her friend as he shoved his hands into his pockets and called after the group. Thoughts raced through her head furiously. What did he mean by that? Why is he trying to set me up with Junpei-kun? Did Junpei-kun ask him to say something? The thoughts buzzed around through her head like a million insects, all stinging and biting her as she ran to catch up with the group.

The picnic ended up being a great idea. The SEES members all chatted about silly stories or cracked jokes as they ate, and a jovial atmosphere settled over them. The cliff that they were on had one of the best views that Minato had ever seen. The sun reflected prettily off of the ocean's surface, and the wind blowing off of the ocean cooled and invigorated the group. They finally had a moment to themselves, without having to worry about the Shadows or the Dark Hour. They could finally relax after all their hard work so far.

However, time waits for no one, especially those who deserve it. The sun went down, and night started to fall. Minato called the team's attention when he noticed the time. "Hey, listen up, guys."

The team looked to their leader, alert and ready. He smiled proudly at that, then spoke. "So, Takeharu-san and my grandfather filled me in to the real reason we are here."

Junpei grimaced. "Oh, great. Are there Shadows are here too?"

Minato shook his head. "No. Ikutsuki-san must have told them that Mitsuru-san revealed the truth about the Dark Hour to us. They want to give us the rest of the story."

Mitsuru shook her head in disbelief. "The rest of the story? But I thought that I knew the whole story?"

Minato smirked humorlessly. "That's something our families have in common, it seems: parental figures that keep things from their charges."

Yukari scoffed. "So, when are they planning on doing this?"

Minato smiled challengingly. "Tonight. That's why I brought it up."

Fuuka nodded. "Right, we should probably head back then."

The rest of the team nodded at Fuuka's words, and they quickly packed up their things. By the time that they had gotten back to the estate, the sun had set, and dinner was served. The time for rest had passed, and life reared its head once again.

After dinner, the SEES members followed the maids into the family theater. Sitting on the middle couch in the room was Takeharu and Kyohei. Both of them nodded in greeting to the team as they filed in. Takeharu smiled as he spoke. "Hello, everyone. Allow me to introduce us both. I am Takeharu Kirijo, Mitsuru's father. This is Kyohei Shirogane, Minato-kun's Grandfather."

Junpei scoffed at the mention of Kyohei. He looked to Minato. "So this is the guy who raised you, huh?"

Minato nodded. "Yeah, this is him." Junpei walked up and stared Kyohei in the eyes. "You got a lot of nerve, man, treating Minato like that."

Minato smirked at Junpei's honest, if foolhardy, attempt to intimidate his grandfather. "Junpei, I appreciate it, but it's not necessary. He explained himself, and while I don't like it, I do understand."

Junpei looked back to him, and nodded. "Ok, boss. Whatever you say." Despite his words, he continued to glare at Kyohei as he took his seat.

Kyohei smirked at Junpei's antics, then straightened as the rest of the SEES members sat down. "Thank you all for coming. Now, we apologize for the deception, but it was necessary for a time. Knowing that the Dark Hour was manmade from the beginning could have been disastrous. We needed for all of you to see the dangers that the Shadows presented before we felt that it was time to reveal these secrets to you."

Takeharu smiled. "However, I underestimated how far some of you would go to find the truth. I knew that Mitsuru would not share the information about our family's involvement in the Dark Hour's creation willingly, even though I have told her time and again that it is not her fault." Mitsuru turned away from him in embarrassment. This had been an argument between them for years, with neither side relenting in their belief.

Takeharu continued. "However, the bread crumbs were always there, and some of you knew where to look. When Mitsuru shared the information with you all, and you showed that you understood the dangers of the Dark Hour, we decided to reveal everything."

Takeharu looked at Mitsuru. "I am sorry I hid this from you, but it was necessary. Some of what we are about to tell you is potentially dangerous knowledge."

Mitsuru nodded, gesturing for him to continue. He nodded, a frown on his face. "We know that Shadows are strange, mysterious beings, but where do they come from? Who created them? Those were answers we needed, and we found it in some early religious texts. Many early tales tell of monsters that preyed on the minds of humans, and that these monsters had many strange abilities. However, all of these 'monsters' seemed to represent a particular fear or hatred that the person telling the story exhibited. Therefore, we theorized that Shadows were actually created by human emotion, a concept made manifest."

Junpei shook his head in confusion. "I don't get it. How can a concept be real?"

Minato smiled. "Just because it's something you can't see, doesn't make it not real, Junpei. Either way, it explains why the Shadows look the way they do. We assign specific shapes and designs to certain concepts, like a heart for love, for example. The Shadows then take those forms and use them as physical representations of what they are."

Takeharu nodded. "Correct. Now, we knew that much, but still had not seen a Shadow. They were very much outside of our reality. We had no way of studying them without a live subject. Then, after 2 years, we had a breakthrough. A brilliant scientist joined the research team, and gave a new theory: perhaps the Shadows were attracted to certain people, more so than others. Maybe they were attracted to certain emotions, such as despair and hate. They looked through the employee records and found a man who fit the emotional profile that they needed. My father quickly sent for him, and they placed him in the containment room. What happened next changed everything we knew."

Takeharu swallowed. "You see, the man we had found was going through a particularly rough period in his life. His five year old daughter had been diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer, and he was struggling to keep hope that she would survive. The Shadow seemed to be attracted to that despair and hopelessness, and we saw one for the first time, that day. It appeared within the containment chamber and attacked the man."

Minato swallowed. "And you still continued the experiments after it killed him?"

Takeharu snorted in amusement. "I didn't say it killed him. The man reacted instinctively as soon as he saw the Shadow. He dodged the attack, and put his hand up to his head in the shape of a gun."

Everyone's eyes widened. Minato inhaled sharply. "But, that's…"

Takeharu smiled at Minato. "Your father summoned a Persona, and destroyed the Shadow, right in front of my eyes. He was the first Persona-user we ever saw."

Minato barked a surprised laugh. "How?"

Takeharu chuckled. "Remember how I said that my father found a part of your father's heritage he didn't like? Saburo, and you, are descended from one of the oldest known Ainu families in Japan."

Yukari shook her head. "The Ainu? What does that have to do with anything?"

Takeharu smirked. "Everything. You see, the Ainu shamans were said to be able to summon their gods to help them in battle against evil forces. It was only under times of extreme duress that these gods manifested and slew their enemies. Sound familiar?"

Mitsuru nodded. "It explains why our Persona's all take the forms of gods and heroes, and why Minato can summon without an Evoker. But what about the rest of us?"

Takeharu shook his head. "I do not know. Saburo's genealogy made explaining his ability easy, but otherwise, the potential for Persona has so far eluded all attempts to explain it. All we have been able to figure out is who has it, not why they have it."

Takeharu grimaced as he got back on track. "Either way, those few moments in the containment lab provided justification for research that almost everyone else considered trash. We had proven that Shadows were real, and that there were ways to control them if they escaped. Unfortunately, Saburo was taken away and forced to become an experiment himself, as my father wanted to replicate the power he had shown."

Takeharu's face grimaced in pain. "I argued with my father for weeks after, attempting to get him released to his family. It wasn't right, I said, to do this to a man who had shown us such loyalty. He refused, saying I was too young and naïve to understand what had to be done, for the sake of the project and the group."

He shook his head. "I switched fields after. I joined the research team looking into Saburo's Persona, hoping that a friendly face would help placate him long enough for us to do the research my father wanted, and to finish it as quickly as possible. I quickly realized, after talking with him about it, that his power was a part of himself, a piece of his personality. Thus the term Persona was born. We then theorized that it was the threat of extreme stress that enabled him to use his Persona ability. In response, we designed a piece of equipment to replicate the process he described feeling at the time of the attack, as well as breaking free the power from those with the ability: The Evoker."

As Takeharu continued, Minato felt his head swirl with the knowledge. Dad was the original Persona-user? But how did they even start something like this? He shook his head in confusion, and held up a hand. "Takeharu-san, all this makes sense, except for one thing: How did your father know to start the research into the Shadows in the first place? What could have possibly given him such an outlandish idea?"

Takeharu glanced at the floor. "My father somehow came into possession of an artifact of great power. He called it a 'Plume of Dusk'. These Plumes have the ability to warp time and space, and have a strange material quality to them as well. These objects convinced him that the Shadows were real, and that they could be exploited for more of these Plumes. He was right, of course. The more Shadows we gathered in one place, the more Plumes we could harvest from them. These items are what allow all of our technology to function during the Dark Hour, as well as being what powers your Evokers. That should give you an idea of how powerful, and valuable, they are."

Takeharu shook his head. "Over time, my father realized that the Shadows themselves had the ability to control time and space, not just the Plumes. So 3 years into the project, the goal switched from creating Plumes of Dusk to creating a time-manipulation device, with Shadows as the power source."

Minato's eyes widened. "That's insane! Does no one read what happens when you mess with time? Bad stuff happens!" Fuuka and Mitsuru both nodded in response to Minato's outburst, both thinking along similar lines.

Takeharu smiled, not unkindly, at his reaction. "But imagine if you could control the flow of time, eliminating unwanted events before they occur. That would be almost unimaginable power, don't you think?"

Minato shook his head. "It would be too dangerous. Paradoxes and other world-ending things could just as easily occur. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that power corrupts. The capacity to abuse it would be too great."

Kyohei nodded. "Then it is fortunate that he did not succeed, correct?"

Minato nodded at his grandfather as Takeharu continued. "However, in his later years, my father seemed to embrace nihilism. He cared less and less for the people around him, even letting Saburo go after the Evokers had been developed. Something happened to him several months before the experiment's completion, and he no longer allowed me access to the experiment files and personnel. I knew something was wrong, and so I warned Saburo to get his family out of Iwatodai."

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter, in the end."

Takeharu then grabbed a remote and hit a button on it. The lights dimmed, and the projector came on. A static-y and corrupted video was on the screen. It showed a man in a lab coat with light brown hair and a fearful expression on his face. Yukari gasped at who was on the screen.

The man spoke. "I hope this video reaches safe hands. Please listen carefully. My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should never have been conceived."

Minato looked at Takeharu. "What is this?"

Takeharu looked at Yukari. "This was recorded moments before the incident occurred, by the head scientist at the time, Eiichiro Takeba." The team gasped at the realization. Yukari's eyes filled with tears as her father's last words played out before her.

"I'm afraid that what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster. But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price for my mistakes." He shook his head. "Please listen carefully. The Shadows that have been amassed here will be scattered due to the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must destroy all of them!"

Minato looked at Yukari. She was crying at the realization of her father's actions. He reached over to grasp her shoulder, and she reached back and grasped his hand. Eiichiro swallowed and looked to the camera with a sad grin on his face. "I…am to blame for all of this. I knew the risks, but with the promise of success so close…I was blinded to the manipulations of my employer. It is all my fault…" A large explosion happened in the background as he closed his eyes. The video stopped.

Yukari sank to the floor, letting go of Minato's hand. She sobbed. "It was true…everything they said about him…" She stood up angrily, and whirled on Mitsuru. "You knew, didn't you?!"

Mitsuru shook her head emphatically. "God, no, Yukari. I had no idea." Yukari shook her head in anger and disbelief, then stormed out.

Minato stood up and glared at Takeharu after Yukari's sudden exit. "You could have warned her! It was unnecessary to just throw that on us with no explanation!"

Takeharu looked at him in shock. "I was prepared to explain…"

Minato shook his head angrily, cutting him off. "You know, this shit is exactly why I have trust issues. No one tells anyone anything! I'll be right back."

Mitsuru got up as well. "I'll come with." He nodded and the two of them chased after their distraught teammate.

The two of them ran out into the hall to see the main door close. They quickly ran outside to see Yukari slumped down on the beach, kneeling in front of the water. They both sat down in the sand next to her, and waited for her to calm down.

Yukari eventually sat down on the sand as well, tears drying on her face. She looked at Minato with a sad smile on her face. "You know how I said that my dad died in a lab explosion? I knew that he was a part of what happened there, but to find out that he caused it all…"

She shook her head, fresh tears appearing. "People didn't know what caused the incident, so a lot of vicious rumors started to spread." Minato winced as she swallowed her pain. "We had to move a few times because of them. I never believed any of them, though. I used to get into fights about it at school all the time. I'd defend my dad, saying that he would never do something to hurt someone else. But now I know, it was all his fault…"

She looked towards Mitsuru sadly. "The whole reason I came back to Iwatodai, why I joined SEES, was to prove he wasn't involved. That he was innocent. Turns out I was wrong about him…" She sobbed as the tears started to fall.

Minato shook his head angrily. "Come on, Yukari. Are you just gonna give up on him that easily?" She looked up at him, shock and anger in her eyes. "What?" Minato stood up, his anger at her driving him upward. "I can't believe that you are this selfish. I thought you were better than that!" Mitsuru stood up, shock on her features. "Minato, what are you doing?"

Minato was about to retort when Yukari stood up, her fists clenched with rage. "What the hell is your problem?! I find out that my dad is the cause for this, and you are saying I'm selfish for being distraught!?"

Minato nodded. "Yeah. Because you aren't looking at the whole picture." She looked at him in confusion. He continued. "Your dad found out that Old Man Kirijo was doing some bad shit for bad reasons. If your dad was a bad guy, he wouldn't have sabotaged the experiment! He would have kept going, regardless of what would have happened, like the rest of the schmucks who worked for Kouetsu. Instead, he sacrificed his life to make sure that the experiment wasn't completed. Sure, it had some bad side effects, like the Dark Hour and Tartarus. But the alternative…" He shuddered at the thought.

He shook his head. "I don't know if I could do what your dad did. It takes a lot of guts to make a call like that. Sacrificing his own life to save the world…?" Minato smiled at her. "It would take a real hero to do something like that."

Yukari smiled at Minato, his words sinking in. "You…think so?" Minato nodded. "Yeah. Also, look at it this way: Your dad gave us the information we need to stop the Dark Hour and Tartarus. In a way, we are continuing his legacy, finishing his work…" He stepped up to her and hugged her. "…Saving the world."

Yukari smiled and hugged him back. After a few minutes, she pulled away. "Thanks for that. You're right. My dad didn't do this to hurt people, but because he had no choice."

Minato nodded. "Yeah. He wasn't a madman, and you know that. I just pointed it out for you."

Yukari then looked to Mitsuru, regret on her face. "I'm sorry for yelling at you in there, senpai. It wasn't fair."

Mitsuru shook her head. "It's quite alright, Yukari. I don't blame you, considering the past."

Yukari shook her head in rebuttal. "No, I made a promise to give up this grudge I held against you, and I intend to keep it." She stuck out her hand. "Friends?"

Mitsuru smiled, reached out and shook. "Friends."

Minato smiled at the resolution between the two. "I'm proud of you, Yukari."

Yukari smiled brightly at him. "Good. I'm glad…Big Bro."

Minato's eyes bugged. "Oh, god, please don't call me that. It makes me feel old and crusty."

Yukari laughed heartily at his comical expression. "Oh, I have to tell Junpei that one. The look on your face is too good."

Minato's face twisted in mock anger. "Oh, no, you don't. Remember that thing we talked about, with hell being cold? Same goes for this too." He made a fake shiver, pretending he was cold.

Yukari blushed and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're no fun."

Mitsuru looked between the two of them in confusion. "What thing? What did you talk about?"

Both of them looked at her and blushed. They spoke simultaneously. "Nothing."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed at Minato. He felt a cold source of dread crawl down his spine. Yukari smiled. "I win this round, Minato-kun." He grumbled as he attempted to shirk away from his girlfriend's glare.

After Minato had managed to unstick himself from Mitsuru's glare, the three of them walked back in to the house. The rest of the team was there waiting for them. They crowded around, all asking how Yukari was doing. After she managed to placate them all with assurances, they said that the two older gentlemen had basically gotten all the important stuff out of the way. Akihiko had said that Takeharu-san had been very adamant that he did not blame Yukari's father for the incident, instead blaming the Kirijo Group of old for pushing him too far. They had then broken up for the night, all tired and drained with the amount of information that had been dumped on them tonight.

However, as Mitsuru stepped towards her room, she noticed that Minato was standing frozen in front of his door, staring at it intently. She frowned and walked over to him. "Something wrong?"

Minato nodded. "I haven't seen Naoto all day, except for at dinner. Then at dinner, she kept pointedly looking at me during really strange moments. All of these things point to her having done something. Since I haven't been in my room all day, this is the only place that she could be sure to have pranked me from."

Mitsuru nodded in realization. "Ah. Well, you know what they say about band-aids and duct tape."

Minato raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Just get it over with?"

She nodded. He sighed. "Alright…"

He opened the door to see nothing wrong, until he looked at the bed. Or rather, where it should have been. He sighed. "She took the bed. The whole thing. She must have been more pissed than I realized. She probably even got the maids to help her..."

Mitsuru shook her head. "Why is that so bad? The chairs can't be that bad…"

Minato chuckled. "You remember what happened the last time that I couldn't sleep? I do. I kind of yelled at a few people, said some really unkind things."

Mitsuru nodded in realization. "Ah. I see. That's bad." She thought it over, then blushed as she came up with a plan. "W-well, you could always…sleep on my bed…"

Minato's eyes widened as he turned to her. He chuckled nervously. "I don't really think I should be doing that. I-I mean, we've only been dating for a couple of weeks, and, besides, like you said, the chairs can't be that bad…"

She inhaled and looked him in the eyes, growing bolder. "Look, I am offering because I care about you, and I trust you. I know that you won't do anything. This way, you can sleep well, and I…" She trailed off.

He smiled slightly as he finished for her. "Get to sleep next to me?"

She blushed brilliantly. "I…Maybe."

He smiled disarmingly. "Alright. I trust you."

She smiled brightly and led him to her room. He silently shut the door and stood there, rubbing the back of his head, nervous. "L-listen…I…can just sleep on the floor, or something…"

She shook her head and walked over to him. She kissed him lightly, and led him over to the bed. "Honestly, you think too much."

She pushed him down on it and smiled. "I'll take the side you don't want."

He smiled at her, then picked the side closest to the wall. She slid in next to him and grasped his hand in hers. "Good night, Minato."

He smiled brightly as he looked up at the ceiling. "Good night, Mitsuru. Thank you."

She sighed happily. "You're welcome…"

.

.

.

(I'm not gonna lie: I'm not too happy with this chapter. It feels really plot-dumpy. Please let me know if you guys feel the same so I can try to rewrite it as soon as possible. If not, then I will be doing Operation: Babe Hunt, and Aigis next chapter. I hope you guys liked my explanation of how things even got started for the Kirijo group, cause that was one thing that I was very confused on in the game. Also, Minato's dad was the first Persona-user. Hmmm. Anyway, We'll stop with the plot dump stuff on the next day, and it will mainly be character development and stuff like that. Hope you maybe kinda sorta enjoyed this, and PLEASE review if you didn't. Anyways, I hope to see you all next chapter! – Dr. Ninja )

Edit: Maybe I could combine this chapter with the last one. Let me know if that would work for you guys.