Hi, I went back and made an important clarification in the previous chapter about Pharos and his abilities, particularly in relation to his Persona. It will make some of the events here make slightly more sense, but it's not necessary. Enjoy!

The three SEES members ran down what felt like an unending series of streets and alleyways, rarely stopping for breath. Someone's life was at stake, and Junpei's emergency had unfortunately taken up valuable time. If they got there and the person had died because they had taken too long, Akihiko would never forgive them.

"Did this guy have to pick somewhere half way across the city to get hurt?" Minato said in between heavy breaths. "Couldn't he have just shown up on our doorway and said, 'Hey, I can summon a Persona, I'd love to help you guys get rid of the Dark Hour, mind if I join?'"

"That's wishful thinking, Minato-kun," Yukari said, a hint of sarcasm evident. "And way too optimistic. You've seen our luck lately, right?"

"So? A man can dream, can't he?" Despite his joking tone, he had a shadow of a grimace on his face. If only she knew how bad it had actually gotten.

"Quiet, you two," Mitsuru said, a slight edge to her tone, "And stay alert. Something doesn't feel right about this…"

Unfortunately, Mitsuru was right. A minute later, when the three rounded the last corner to turn onto the street to Nagasaki Shrine, a heavy, dark fog suddenly enshrouded the entire street. It was so thick that it prevented Minato from seeing 5 feet in front of him, not to mention the already terrible lighting. He grimaced. Now his gut was doing somersaults too.

"…the hell is this?" Minato said warily, scanning around him. "What do you guys think?"

Unfortunately, he got no response. He turned around. There was no sign of his team. "Guys? Yukari? Mitsuru?" Still no response. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, attempting to calm himself. There was no way that this fog was natural. He'd been right behind Yukari and Mitsuru, and now they couldn't even hear him?

Beware the agents of my enemy…

He shook his head after a moment, putting his worry aside. In the end, the two girls could take care of themselves if it came down to it: someone else needed his help right now. But how to get to them?

"I can help," Pharos said lightly. "I can sense death approaching someone somewhere around…here."

As he said, "Here," a bright light shone through the fog, giving Minato a point to work towards. He smiled lightly, his anxiety taming a bit as he started to walk towards the light. "Thanks, Pharos. This is a lot more handy than some cryptic crap that you say in my dreams."

Pharos however, didn't respond right away. "Pharos? Where are you?"

There was still no response and the cold pinprick at the back of his mind was gone too. That left Minato to walk through the fog alone. He kept his hand close to the hilt of his rapier as he began walking towards the light, keeping his eyes and ears open for any sign of life. As he drew closer and closer to the light, the fog began to visibly clear, allowing him to relax slightly. A few moments later, just when Minato thought that he could start to make out the shrine, that's when Pharos suddenly came back.

"Minato, you need to hurry!" He said, his voice panicked.

"Yeah, I'm almost there, Pharos, but there could be-"

"You don't understand!" Pharos said, frustration evident in his voice. "The wounded person, I've felt their presence before! It's-"

The dark fog finally cleared as he took another step forward, showing the form of a teen wearing a red blazer over a Gekkoukan uniform lying on the pavement in front of the shrine. He wore a white belt with an empty holster on it, and he was currently gurgling for breath, blood visibly pouring from a hole his chest.

Minato's gut felt like it tore open. His heart sank into his feet, and he screamed, "Akihiko!" as he ran as fast as he could to his friend's side, setting down the first aid kit right next to him and flipping it open. "I'm right here, buddy," He said, his voice trembling as he turned back to Akihiko's gasping form, "Don't you worry. I'll get you fixed up in no time."

"Min…ato…" He gurgled, grasping Minato's hand tightly. "T…tra…" he managed to get out before his eyes slipped closed. He was slipping into shock!

"Hey, Akihiko!" Minato said, slapping him across the face lightly. Unfortunately, he'd already slipped into unconsciousness. He didn't have long left to live at this rate. Minato had to do something, now!

"Minato, I'm sensing something else around here…"

"Not now!"

"But Minato, I-!"

"Not now, Pharos!" Minato said angrily, shoving the boy's presence out of his mind. He couldn't afford the distraction right now. He did a quick momentary assessment of Akihiko's injuries. He was unconscious, but alive, although barely breathing. There was a single point of trauma; a deep incision in between his second and third rib on his right side, right where the lung was located. However, there was no blood pooling from his back, which meant that it had been a short blade that had caused the wound. That meant that he had a collapsed lung, a grave diagnosis. He quickly rooted around in the open first aid kit before yelling in frustration. Nothing in the kit would help him with a punctured lung. There had to be some other way…

His eyes lit up. Of course! His Persona! He snapped his hand to the side of his head and pulled the "trigger".

"Jehuty! Mediarama!"

The Persona shimmered into existence behind him, and emitted his tell-tale green healing glow, sending a wash of energy over both teens. Minato watched with bated breath as the hole in between Akihiko's ribs began to close, leaving only a small surface cut in its place. Still, Akihiko had evidently bled a lot into his lungs, as he began to cough blood up violently from his re-inflated lung. Minato quickly turned him onto his side, then held him down, getting him to expel as much as he could.

After several agonizing moments, Akihiko had coughed up what looked like a pint of blood before finally stopping. His breathing became raspy and heavy, but steady. Minato sighed in relief. He wouldn't drown in his own blood at least, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He had to get Akihiko out of here, now. Whoever had done this was probably still out and about.

"Shit, you're heavy…" he said as he picked up Akihiko's prone form, "Thank god you've been making me work out… Might just save your life…"

"Shame," an even-toned voice said from behind, startling him, "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't have been able to save him. It would have been great to see how torn up you would have been."

Minato spun around slowly, his friend's unconscious form still in his arms, coming face to face with a blue haired teen. He was approximately the same height as Minato, had glasses, and was wearing a bloodstained green windbreaker. Akihiko's Evoker peeked out from his waistband. He also had a gun in his hand, pointed straight at Minato's head.

"Still," the teen said cruelly, "Not like it matters much." He gave Minato a malicious grin. "You're both going to die tonight."

"So," Minato said conversationally, anger boiling in his stomach "You're the one that did this to my friend?"

"Yup." The teen said genially, as if he were just discussing the weather. "Surprised?"

"Indeed. If you don't mind, I'd like to respond in kind." He closed his eyes as he went over the facts aloud. "I'm guessing by your demeanor that you've wanted to kill us for a while now, since you took the time to set up this trap. It was smart, using a Shadow to lure us in. Meticulously planned too. I'm guessing that since you knew we'd even be watching for Shadow activity in the first place, you must know a fair bit about us and our abilities, and given that you're up and about during the Dark Hour, you must have a Persona. Otherwise you'd be Shadow food."

He didn't bother waiting for a response from the boy before continuing. "I'm also assuming that this fog was your way of separating us? It certainly isn't natural, so that means one of two things: either you're alone, and want to finish us off one by one; or you have friends who can take care of the others."

He opened his eyes, glaring at the teen in front of him. "I can tell all of that just by your presence. The only thing I don't know is, why? Why attack us?"

What he'd just done was an age old intimidation tactic. Weak-minded criminals usually cracked at this point, scared stiff after having their best laid plans deduced and deconstructed in a few seconds. Unfortunately for him, this guy wasn't weak minded.

The teen gazed at him for a moment, stunned, then gave out a bark of laughter. "Wow, you are a good detective. I almost didn't believe the files I got on you," he said, shaking his head in mock disbelief, "But man, you are the real deal."

Minato felt his stomach sink. This guy knew about his past too? How much else did he know? "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," Minato said genially, refusing to allow his anger to surface visibly, "You know about me, it seems, but I can't say the same about you."

"Well," the teen said, tilting his head in thought, "I guess it doesn't matter that much if you know my name." He took a small theatrical bow, his gun hand going under his stomach. "My name is Jin."

"More like 'Dogmeat', asshole…" Pharos growled in the back of Minato's mind. "Sooner or later, this guy's going to practice what he preaches, so what are we gonna do?"

"Maybe I can trick this Jin into launching into a monologue," Minato thought back. "You know, keep him talking long enough for Yukari and Mitsuru to arrive. I swear, if he had a mustache, I bet he'd be twirling it right about now."

"Well, Jin, you keep saying that you're going to kill me," Minato said, keeping his tone conversational. "But in the past, I usually knew who wanted to kill me beforehand, and their reasons as well. You, I know I've never met before, so what have I done to you that makes you want to kill me and my friends?"

"You never even saw me coming," Jin said, training his gun back on Minato's head, "Mostly because I wanted it that way. Knowing that, what makes you think I'd really tell you why?" He shook his head. "Honestly, do most of the criminals you face really play this theatrical game with you, making sure that you know why before they try to kill you?" He scoffed. "No wonder none of them have succeeded."

Minato shrugged. "You'd be surprised how many criminals want others to know about the crimes they commit. Most of the sickos I've met used killing as a form of self-validation, a way to make themselves feel more significant by stamping out the lives of others. As such, they seek attention for the things that they do, hoping that someone will recognize their genius." He scowled as he looked at Jin. "…Some psychos, however, just do it for the hell of it. Because they think it's fun."

"So, Jin," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Which one are you?"

Somehow, Jin's grin became more creepy and malicious than before. "Little bit from column A…" he said as he rotated the gun to rest against his own temple, "…Little bit from column B."

"Minato, I'm sensing something… something bad…" Pharos said, fear creeping into his tone.

Before Minato could respond, Jin pulled the trigger, causing a blackish-red flash of light, and sending the sound of cracking glass echoing down the street. The flash felt evil, wrong… unnatural. The smile that Jin gave while the blackish light swirled around him only added to the feeling.

"Moros!"

Both Minato and Pharos had the same thing to say.

"Oh…"

"…crap."

"Minato!" Mitsuru said, her voice barely below a yell, "Where are you?!"

"It's hopeless, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said with a shake of her head, "We've been searching for 5 minutes now. Whatever this fog is, it's too thick to see through, and if he hasn't responded by now, I don't think he will."

"How the hell did we lose him?" Mitsuru bit out, her voice worried. "He was right behind us!"

"Easy," an unknown feminine voice said, causing both girls to jump, "No one can get through this fog unless I want them to. Once the three of you stepped foot in it, you were mine."

The two girls leapt back towards each other, going back to back. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, echoing up and down the street at full volume. The two rotated around in a circle, keeping their backs to one another, trying to locate the source of the voice. Whoever they were, it was fairly obvious that their intentions were hostile.

"Who's there?" Mitsuru snarled after a moment. "Show yourself!"

"Mmm, nah," the voice replied with a tone of amusement. "I'm fine where I am, watching you two idiots stumble about. It's hilarious."

"Bet you wouldn't say that if I could see you!" Yukari said angrily. "I know for a fact that you'd get an arrow between the eyes faster than you could blink!"

"Ooh, big words coming from the party girl!" the voice said mockingly. "Are you sure you know how to use that bow properly? You wouldn't want to break a nail, would you?"

"I'll break a nail on your goddamn face if I get the opportunity!" Yukari yelled back, her face turning red. She made a movement to charge through the fog, but Mitsuru held her back, snatching hold of her wrist.

"Wait, Takeba. Whoever she is, she wants us to separate in this fog, making us easier to finish off." Mitsuru said warningly.

"Oh, ruin my fun, why don't you?" the voice said, disappointment evident in her tone. "Typical stuck up control freak. So tell me, how does it feel knowing I hold all the cards right now?"

Mitsuru's gaze turned icy, and her face became red with anger. "It takes a coward to sit where no one can find you and sling insults around all day. Show yourself… If you have any spine at all."

"Hmm… I dunno," the voice said in a sing-song tone, "I wouldn't want to take orders from a prissy little bitch like you. Might make you think I'm one of your peons on Student Council."

Mitsuru's eyes widened. This person knew who she was? How?

"Shut the hell up!" Yukari said before Mitsuru ask. "You don't know a damn thing about her, much less me, so either man up and face us or leave us the hell alone!"

"Oh, but I know all about you, Yukari," the voice said with a hint of malice behind her amusement, "which is why I don't understand why you take orders from such a stick-up-her-ass queen like her. You don't come from money like her, so what could you two possibly have in common?"

"We're teammates, working to remove the Dark Hour," Mitsuru bit out, her patience at its end. "That's all that's needed in the end."

"That's what I don't get," the voice said conversationally, "When you two get rid of the Dark Hour, what will you have in common then?"

Neither Yukari or Mitsuru answered, causing the voice to start laughing. "You guys are such hypocrites! You claim that you're friends, but in reality, you can't stand each other! This is freaking hilarious!"

"Shut the hell up!" Mitsuru screamed, her hand becoming white from the death grip she had on her rapier's hilt. "I respect the hell out of Yukari, as well as anyone else who fights against the Dark Hour! You, however, are set to cower behind your parlor tricks and insults! I may not have much in common with Yukari, but I would die to protect her. That's more than I can say of you, coward!"

"Senpai…" Yukari said, blinking rapidly at her senpai's outburst. "I-"

A sudden twinge at the back of Mitsuru's mind warned her of incoming danger. "Takeba, down!"

She and Yukari both flung themselves away from each other, barely avoiding the slashes that would have slit both of their throats. When the two of them hit the ground, the fog suddenly lifted in a 25 meter area around them, revealing a pretty brunette woman standing off to their left. She looked like she was slightly older than them, was wearing a brown leather jacket and holding a pair of long bladed stilettos in her hands, twirling them theatrically.

"You say you would die for her…" The woman sang with a nasty grin on her face. "Care to put that to the test, Kirijo?"

"Ugh…" Junpei moaned, holding his stomach while simultaneously leaning on Fuuka. "I wish I had another one of those syringes right about now."

His energy had been off the charts after he'd been injected with adrenaline back at the dorm, but that hadn't lasted long. Soon, he'd felt his breathing become shorter and shorter as the two of them had gotten closer to the hospital, with him eventually needing assistance in order to walk. Luckily, Fuuka had been all too willing to help, despite weighing around 20 pounds less than him.

"Come…on, Junpei-kun… just a little more to go…" She said, sweat visibly dripping from her bangs.

Junpei looked down at her and cringed. "I'm sorry for making you worry earlier, Fuuka-chan… and for making you carry me."

To Fuuka's credit, she simply smiled back up at him. "Don't worry about it… I think that you've suffered enough for your mistake, don't you think? As for carrying you, I think that you can return the favor later."

He laughed then grimaced as his stomach did another flip-flop. "Yeah, I guess so…"

The two of them stumbled down a couple more alleyways in companionable silence, until Fuuka began to feel a strange presence nearby. She stopped suddenly, causing Junpei to lurch to a stop himself. "Fuuka, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly. "Is it a Shadow?"

"I…don't know…" She said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I can't quite make out what it-"

She suddenly flung herself (and by extension, Junpei,) to the floor of the alley, drawing a pained groan from Junpei as he hit the ground.

"Fuuka, what the hell?" he wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath. "Why'd you do that?"

In response, she pointed above his head, and his eyes widened as he followed her finger. A hatchet with a chain connected to the hilt was buried in the wall right where his head had been a second ago. The chain suddenly pulled taut, and the hatchet snapped out of the wall, returning to the hand that threw it.

The two teens scrambled to their feet just in time to see a girl in a white gothic dress snatch the hatchet out of the air, then wrapping the chain around her hand in a spiral. She had blood-red hair, a necklace with what looked like a silver medallion and a small decorative sword on the chain, and a blank expression on her face, despite the fact she'd just attempted to murder Junpei.

"What the hell was that for, lady!?" Junpei said angrily.

"Hmm, interesting," She said, her eyes fixed on Fuuka. "I've never seen anyone who could sense me before I killed them. Congratulations, you're a first for me."

"Why are you doing this?" Fuuka said, a tremor beginning to form in her voice. "Why try to kill us?"

The girl shrugged. "It's what I was told to do."

"What?!" Junpei exclaimed before wincing, his stomach rolling in pain. "You're willing to kill someone just because they told you to?"

The girl gave it a moment of thought, then nodded. "Jin told me to kill you two tonight, so that's what I'm doing. I'm on bad terms with him and the harlot already, so I'd rather not piss them off any more than I can get away with. If it's any consolation, it's nothing personal, at least for me." With that, she began spinning the hatchet and chain around, preparing to throw it again.

Junpei's eyes widened. He needed to get Fuuka out of here! He snatched his Evoker out of its holster, put it against his head, and pulled the trigger. "Hermes!"

His winged Persona shimmered into existence, but only momentarily. The moment the summon had finished, white hot pain flared up all throughout Junpei's body, the trauma of summoning his Persona finally purging the rest of the epinephrine from his system. He fell to the ground, his breath short and rapid. He turned back to look at Fuuka, whose eyes were wide with fear.

"Fuuka… run!" he managed to wheeze.

"Ha!" The girl said, a small smile forming on her lips. "Pathetic heroics. You should be more worried about yourself than her." Her smile disappeared as her hatchet picked up speed, becoming a blur as she rotated it around and around, faster and faster. She turned to Fuuka. "Well, are you going to run or not?"

Fuuka didn't make a sound. She didn't move. She didn't breathe. All she could do was stare at Junpei's writhing body. "Run, dammit!" He screamed at her. She didn't react. He couldn't watch this. The sight of her standing there, frozen in terror, broke Junpei's heart.

Unfortunately, her hesitation had no such effect on their red-headed attacker. She shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just makes my job easier." And then she flung the ax as hard as she could, straight at Junpei. He closed his eyes, refusing to watch.

I'm sorry, Fuuka… that you have to watch me die…

He waited for the pain that signaled that he'd been killed, but it never came. The sudden sound of glass cracking made him force his eyes open… and what he saw both gave him hope and filled him with terror.

Fuuka stood inside Lucia, her Evoker pointed at her head, a determined glare aimed right at their attacker. Lucia's normally calm, serene expression was now a mask of anger, and her normally clasped hands were now extended. The ax that had been thrown was gripped inside one of them, and, with a gesture from Fuuka, it was crushed into splinters a moment later.

"You…" Fuuka said, her voice trembling, not with terror, but with anger, "You don't get to touch him… you bitch!"

The girl, to her own credit, simply blinked in surprise as she dropped the chain and pulled out her own Evoker from a pocket on her side.

"How interesting… He said you couldn't fight…" She said as she leveled the gun with her temple. She pulled the trigger a moment later and said, "Mnemosyne."

A large, beautiful woman appeared behind her, dressed in a toga with a belt wrapped around her midsection, a short sword sheathed on her hip. Her face was covered by a screaming mask meant to represent a crying woman. Real tears flowed from the eye holes. The red-headed girl shook her head in admonishment. "You should have run when you had the chance."

The darkness suddenly parted to reveal Jin's Persona, a robot that looked like a cross between a pendulum and a satellite dish. The teen's malicious grin grew. "Come, Arisato! Show me what you're made of!"

Things weren't looking good. If there was one skill that Minato prided himself on, it was the ability to read people and their intentions. Granted, he'd been fooled before (nobody was perfect), but he liked to think that he was pretty good at it. Right now, he knew that fighting Jin would mean a fight to the death, either his or Jin's.

Now a normal fight to the death was messy, if his past experience with violent crime was anything to go by. A fight to the death between Persona users? It would be downright destructive. Destruction on that kind of scale would be impossible to explain, which would lead to a whole host of other issues, chief among them, a city wide panic.

Even if that wasn't an issue, Minato still couldn't fight with Akihiko in his arms, and without an Evoker, Pharos and Anubis couldn't help. He couldn't just drop Akihiko on the ground and fight either; he might get caught in the crossfire. That left him with just one option.

He ran.

He turned and bolted into the fog as fast as he could run, but not before hearing a grunt of surprise from his attacker. The surprise didn't last long however. A heat wave from a fireball washed over him, then impacted a wall to Minato's left, barely missing him.

"Coward!" Jin yelled, his voice echoing behind Minato as he dashed even further into the fog, Akihiko flopping limply in his arms.

"What are you doing?!" Pharos said angrily. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"Why do you think he had the fog cleared up back there? He can't see in this either!" Minato said under his breath. "I figure that we can play cat and mouse in this crap for a while until the Dark Hour is over."

"What then? What's to stop him from killing us after the Dark Hour's over?"

"Did you notice the way he shut me down when I asked him why he wanted to kill me? How he only told me his first name?" Minato said, keeping his eyes peeled despite not being able to see more than a few feet in front of him. "It's pretty obvious that he values anonymity. More than that, I think that he prides himself on it. I think he won't do anything to jeopardize that, unless he thinks he's already won." That explanation was stretching it, but he was grasping at straws here.

"It was clever, running into the fog like that," Jin yelled from somewhere behind him, "but it won't help you, Arisato!"

"Shit!" Minato spun around, but couldn't see where the voice had come from. It had been close, but he obviously wasn't within visual range. That was both a good and a bad sign. He didn't know where Jin was, but the same was true for him. Still, he couldn't continue in the same direction. Jin could outrun him, and with Akihiko still unconscious, he couldn't fight back without risking both of their lives.

But maybe he wouldn't have to fight…

After a silent moment, a plan entered his head. It was an extreme risk, one that could end very poorly, but he didn't have that many options currently. Still, that fact didn't stop his guest from voicing his concerns.

"Are you nuts? This plan is insane!"

"I know, but it's the best shot we've got. Besides, I don't see you coming up with a better plan."

"Right. Well, before you do this, I just wanna say 'I told you so' preemptively, just in case you, you know, die, and I can't tell you later."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, smartass. Just be ready."

Minato quickly hoisted Akihiko over his shoulder, giving his arms a break, and allowing him access to his left hand. He took a calming breath, then yelled, "You think so, huh? Try this on for size!" He then brought his hand up to his head and released his Persona. "Jehuty, Hama!"

His Persona appeared in front of him, and raised its hand into the air, releasing a ball of bright light. Minato closed his eyes and turned away, anticipating the flash. For a moment, the night became day, illuminating the hellish night. His gamble was rewarded with a yell of surprise emanating from down the street, and Minato took the opportunity. He bolted down the street, away from where the voice had originated.

Fortunately, this turned out to be the exact wrong thing to do.

"Moros! Now!"

"Minato, look out!"

Minato summoned Jehuty instinctively, just in time to stop a sudden fire blast from impacting into his side. Still, Minato let out a hiss of pain as he felt a sudden blast of heat crawl over his chest, as vicious as it would have been if he'd been the one who stopped it. His Persona gave a croon of pain as he crashed into the side of a building, then disappeared a moment later.

He quickly shook off the phantom pain from his Persona and ran in the opposite direction from where the attack had come from, just in time to hear a bolt of lightning impact where he'd been standing a moment before. He ran towards where he thought an alleyway was, before leaping backward several steps as he felt the temperature drop suddenly. He watched in horror as the fog in front of him crystallized into a solid wall of ice, blocking his attempted escape. He turned around just in time to see a dark figure standing in the fog, its hand outstretched.

A sudden, violent gust of wind blew Minato off his feet, sending Akihiko sprawling to the ground and slamming Minato against the ice wall behind him. Minato felt his skull bounce off of the ice, his vision becoming blurry. The cold pinprick that signified Pharos' presence began to feel faint, almost as if he'd been affected by the blow just as much as Minato had been.

As his head started to clear and his ears stopped ringing a few moments later, he could hear the sound of applause. Jin was mocking him. The sound steadily began to get closer and closer as a form began to materialize out of the fog, one that could not be mistaken for anyone else. Minato tried to raise his hand to his head, but before he could, Jin suddenly lunged into view, his foot coming down hard on Minato's left hand, trapping it against the pavement. He screamed as he felt his wrist break.

"Wow," Jin said, snorting in amusement as he ground his foot against Minato's wrist, causing him to gasp in pain, "I thought that you were pretty smart. But that flash of light? That was pretty stupid. I mean, not only did you give away your location, but that attack, or whatever it was didn't even affect me."

He shook his head. "If the others are as stupid as you, then Inari and Chidori should have no problems taking care of the rest of your little club." A vicious gleam appeared in Jin's eyes. "You know, this was way too easy. Before you die, I think I'll have some fun with you."

With that, Jin swung his gun around, clocking Minato against the side of his head. The force of the blow sent the rest of his body away from his trapped wrist, sending another round of shooting pain up his arm. Stars danced in his vision, and he felt his already fragile connection to Pharos slip away. Apparently, the connection was something that required both of them concentrating on it, or it didn't work.

Something to file away for later… if there is a later…

The next few minutes were an unintelligible mass of pain for Minato as Jin began to beat him mercilessly. With his hand trapped, he couldn't summon Jehuty, and he'd never be able to draw his rapier at this angle.

Still, he felt a burning desire to do… something, anything to stop him. Jin had caused his friend pain, was causing him pain, and probably would cause pain to others, given half a chance. He wanted to act, to punish this person who held such a blatant disregard for life. However, his grandfather's voice sounded in his head before he could act on this impulse.

Patience, my boy… A trap must be set before it can be sprung...

After he'd finally had his fun, Jin shrugged and pulled a bullet out of his pocket, sliding it into his gun's open cylinder. He snapped the cylinder closed, then leaned in and placed the Evoker/gun against the side of Minato's head.

"Time to let your little friend out," he whispered into Minato's ear. "He's got work to do." Jin chuckled humorlessly as he stood back up, his foot still on Minato's wrist. "This world's not going to fix itself after all..."

Minato's shoulders bounced up and down as he began to laugh heartily, drawing a confused look from Jin. "What the hell are you laughing for!?" the teen said angrily, leaning down and slamming the butt of his gun against Minato's head again.

The pain did nothing to slow Minato's chuckling. "I can't... believe... how easy that was..." He managed between pained groans and ecstatic laughter.

"How easy what was?" Jin asked, worry creeping into his tone. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, you should really keep a closer eye on your things, Jin." Minato said, a large grin on his face as he brought his other, unsecured hand up to his head.

A silver Evoker was in his right hand.

Jin glanced down at his empty waistband, then back at Minato, his eyes wide with panic.

"You never know when someone unscrupulous might pick your pocket." Minato said triumphantly as he pulled the trigger.

A blue flash blinded both teens momentarily before a metal leg appeared in the corner of Minato's vision. With a small gesture of his head, the leg suddenly snapped forward, catching Jin square in the chest and sending him flying backwards, his body disappearing into the fog. A loud crash echoed from down the street, signaling Jin's impact with one of the opposing buildings.

Anubis floated right next to Minato's head, his arms crossed in his normal arrogant pose. A snarl of disgust emitted from his long snout. "What a waste of flesh. Ammit would devour his heart in a moment, if given the opportunity…"

"Ha!" Minato chuckled as he pulled himself to his feet gingerly. "Thanks for the save, Anubis. I don't think he's coming back from that for a while."

"My pleasure."

"Hey, tell Pharos 'I told you so' when he wakes up for me, ok?"

The Persona gave a noncommittal nod before vanishing in a shimmer of light. Minato moved to pick up Akihiko again when his foot brushed against something. The revolver/Evoker that Jin had been using lay on the ground next to Minato's foot. He'd apparently dropped it when Anubis had hit him. Being careful of his injured wrist, he picked it up with a slight groan of pain and pocketed it. He could stop to examine it later, once Akihiko was safe.

Moving to Akihiko's prone form, he did a quick check up. The silver haired teen's breathing was still steady, although still watery in tone. His pulse was strong though. He'd probably have to have his lung drained, in addition to a blood transfusion, but he would be alright until he reached the hospital.

As he moved to pick Akihiko back up, Minato blanched as a sudden thought came to him. Jin had mentioned other people, others who could take out the others. Jin had surprised him, and had even come very close to killing him…

He quickly shoved Akihiko's Evoker into his waistband and picked up Akihiko, ignoring the pain in his wrist as he slid his arms underneath the teen's frame. He then flipped him back over into a fireman's carry, and ran down the street towards where he'd lost his teammates. He needed to find them, now!

"I know that Jin said that I was just supposed to keep you two busy while he dealt with the Detective," The woman said as the two girls picked themselves up, "But I think I've earned myself a little fun time with you two."

Once Yukari had picked herself up, she immediately drew an arrow from her quiver and shot it straight at the woman's head without a word. The arrow was straight and true, but before it could impact with the woman's face, a blur of motion snatched it out of the air.

The arrow had replaced one of the knives in her hand, and was now being spun around in the woman's hand lazily. Her mouth twisted into a grin. "That was your best shot, Yukari? What happened to putting it right in between my eyes?"

Mitsuru frowned as she assessed the situation. The woman in front of them was the source of this fog, by her own admission, so that made her a priority target. Akihiko and Minato were still missing in action, as well as the mystery Persona user that had drawn them here. Finding them was her top priority, and this woman was standing directly in her path. What she'd said earlier only made it easier to justify.

"Takeba, attack conservatively," she whispered to her comrade. "She's obviously boosting her speed with a Persona of some kind, so only attack when you think you can hit. I'll stick close to provide protection, you try to harry her at range. When I give the signal, that's when we move."

"Roger." Yukari whispered back, her teeth gritted angrily.

"Hey!" The woman said, her grin disappearing. "What's the big idea? I'm not important enough to share in your plans now?" She scoffed. "Rude."

"Why are you doing this?" Mitsuru called out, ignoring the question, "What have we done to you to anger you so?"

"Ha! You want a list, Kirijo?" The woman said angrily. "Jin wants you dead because you guys are an obstacle to his plans." She scoffed. "Personally though, I could give a shit about Jin and his 'higher cause'. That's a bonus. I just want to kill every last one of you Kirijo assholes." She pointed her stiletto at Mitsuru. "Hell, I want you dead more than anyone else, even the Detective!"

"What do you mean?" Mitsuru said, her eyes narrowing. "What have I done to you?"

"My father!" The woman all but yelled. "Your family killed my father, and nearly killed me! I'm only returning the favor. An eye for an eye..."

"What?!" Mitsuru said, taken aback. "We would never-"

"Bullshit! I know what I saw, and if it hadn't been for Shu-" She stopped suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "No, I'm not saying another word to you, bitch. You know what you've done, and now, you're gonna pay for it!"

With a blur of her arm, the knife in her left hand disappeared, and a silver revolver appeared in its place. Before either teen could react, the woman had already placed the barrel against her head and pulled the trigger.

"Aglaope! Siren Song!"

A beautiful woman, with skin the color of alabaster appeared behind her. Her features were distinctly monstrous, however, offsetting her beauty with a row of viciously sharp teeth and the remnants of white feathers hanging from her arms. The mouth of the Persona opened, releasing a melodic screech.

Mitsuru and Yukari fell to the ground, clutching their heads. The song was both beautiful and horrifying. The sound seemed to seep straight into their minds, rattling and reverberating throughout. The fog around them enveloped them, blinding them to everything around them, making the sound somehow even more intense. Mitsuru shut her eyes, trying to block out the pain. It seemed like her skull wanted to burst, the pressure was so intense.

All of a sudden, the noise stopped. What replaced it, however, was much more haunting.

"Hello, Mitsu-chan."

Mitsuru's eyes shot open as she recognized the voice that addressed her. Only one man had been brazen enough to refer to her so casually, and he hadn't been a part of her life for 2 years now. She was trembling as she turned to face her former love.

"J-Jubei-kun…?"

The red-haired woman let out a yell as her Persona drew its weapon and charged at Fuuka. Despite her posturing earlier, Fuuka knew that nothing had changed in this situation.

She knew that she was afraid. She knew that she was still the same timid girl that had walked into this alley. She knew that she couldn't fight back on the same level as Junpei and the rest. She knew that this woman would probably kill her, and Junpei as well. She knew all of this.

More than that, however, she knew that she wouldn't let her fear stop her. She knew that she would never stand by and let Junpei, or Minato-senpai, or anyone else be killed in front of her, not when she could do something about it, no matter how scared she might be.

Fear would not paralyze her any longer. Fear had dictated everything that she had done for most of her life. Her parents, her classmates, her teachers… all of them intimidated her. Unlocking her Persona had been a catalyst, an opportunity for her to change, but her friends? They were her strength. They were what changed her, what made it possible for her to be standing here, willing to face certain doom.

Now, at her final moments, even though she couldn't fight in a normal sense, she would still fight for her friends. Despite the fear, despite the danger, despite everything, she would fight.

As the crying Persona got closer and closer, a feeling of burning determination filled Fuuka. She was going to die, but she would die fighting. A determined smile came onto her face, and she let out her own yell of anger and defiance. She would not be intimidated any longer!

Time stopped.

A voice, ancient and masculine filled her mind. "Well done, Fuuka Yamagishi. Through the strength of heart required to face your fears, the sea of your soul has changed..."

As if in response to the voice's words, she felt Lucia shimmer and contort around her. Her round friendly body shrunk around Fuuka, her curves twisting and contorting to Fuuka's own before hardening into plates of thick armor. The watery dome that normally surrounded her entire body shrunk, becoming a thin clear visor that encapsulated her face. Streams of information about the slowly approaching Persona scrawled across it. A set of blades shaped like feathers sprouted from her forearms, and Lucia's head contorted to encapsulate Fuuka's head, becoming a winged helm. A set of rocket boosters shaped like wings sprouted from her back.

"Your resolution to fight for your friends has been reflected within you, and given rise to a new power..." the voice said, excitement obvious in its tone. "Rise, young one, and call upon Iset! Rise, and fight!"

Time resumed as Fuuka said the name of her new Persona out loud.

"Iset!"

Mnemosyne attempted to bring its gladius down on Fuuka's head, but Fuuka, with a speed she didn't think possible, brought her arms together, intercepting the blade with her own.

"F-Fuuka…" Junpei said, awed at what he was seeing.

With a heave of effort, Fuuka pushed Mnemosyne away from her and swung her arms around, bringing her blades to bear.

"Tempest Slash!"

Fuuka and Iset moved as one, slashing their blades back and forth across the enemy Persona's body, then, with minimal effort, she leapt into the air and kicked the Persona away from her and Junpei, before flipping and landing on her feet gracefully.

Before Mnemosyne could hit the wall, it shimmered out of existence. Fuuka landed, ready for another attack, but was surprised to see her redheaded attacker staring off into space, before giving her opponent a small smile.

"It seems that I am not the only one who has run into unexpected problems. As such, I am needed elsewhere. Farewell." She turned to leave, leaving Fuuka stunned. Fortunately, Junpei had no such problem.

"Wait!" He said angrily as he stumbled to his feet, his breathing shallow. The girl turned back, a questioning look on her face. "That's it? You try to kill us, then just leave? What gives?"

The girl shrugged. "Like I said before, this wasn't personal. Besides, it's clear from the look on your friend's face," she said, nodding at Fuuka, "That she's perfectly willing to fight me to the death before you come to harm. I can respect that. Unfortunately, I am not so willing to throw my life away on someone as unimportant as you." That made Fuuka's teeth clench in anger, but she did nothing. If this woman no longer wished to fight, then neither did she.

The redhead shrugged again. "Anyway, I have someone that I must now pull out of the fire, so you are no longer my priority." She turned to look at Fuuka and gave her a brilliant smile. "Yamagishi, is it? That determination that you've found… Keep ahold of it. It will be important in the coming days. Good luck." With those last words, the woman turned and began walking away, her dress billowing behind her.

The two teens stared in shock at their assailant's retreating form. She'd attacked them with the intention of killing them, then, when the first sign of resistance came, she'd given up? And what was up with that advice she'd given? It was all so strange…

A cough from Junpei broke Fuuka out of her thoughtful fugue, and she turned to him, concerned. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better," He croaked, "But I better not try and summon my Persona again…" He shook his head. "Anyways, we should probably get to the hospital. We can tell the others about this later." He gave her a grin. "You know, this battle armor Persona makes you look pretty hot. I like it."

That comment made Fuuka was glad that the visor was polarized.

His face hadn't changed much in 2 years. He was still handsome to the point of being beautiful, but instead possessing a youthful visage, his face had gained a sense of maturity and wisdom. More than that, he carried himself with a confidence that simply oozed masculinity.

She found her heart beating faster as she gazed at him, which was surprising to her. Despite all that he had done to her, she still found him attractive. Why? He'd left her heart-broken and embarrassed when he'd left the way he did. Despite all his sweet words and promises of love, he'd turned out to be childish and weak-minded. He hadn't even bothered to check on her in the 2 years that he'd been absent. She knew all of this, so why in the world would she still find him attractive?

His voice, a deep tenor, broke her out of her thoughts. "You know, Mitsu-chan, I am so glad that I'm here right now."

Her heart skipped a beat. "R-really?" She asked hesitantly. It was like her mouth was speaking on its own now. Why was she acting like this?

He smiled, sending a shiver down her spine. "Of course. I'm ecstatic." He sighed happily. "I mean, look at you! You were beautiful 2 years ago, but now?" He whistled. "I'm actually having a hard time looking at you now."

"You don't look so bad yourself," She replied before she could stop herself.

"Thank you!" He said, laughing slightly. "I'd certainly hope so, after 2 years. So, what's been going on with you? Have you been able to get rid of the Dark Hour yet?"

She felt a smile come unbidden onto her face, despite her mind screaming at her that something wasn't right. "No, not yet. We think we're getting close though."

"I'm glad." He said, his face relaxing. "Once you do, we'll be able to get back together."

That did the trick. She shook her head in confusion, her mind finally able to exert some control. Jubei had made his feelings perfectly clear when she'd asked him to marry her. He wouldn't want to get back together at all. Besides, he shouldn't even know about the Dark Hour.

The Dark Hour had been the source of one of the problems that the two of them had had in their relationship. SEES had just been starting back then, and it had only been her, Akihiko, and Shinjiro. They had been trying to clear the city of Shadows at the time, since they hadn't had a dedicated response team since the formation of the Dark Hour, and as a result of that, hadn't had much free time. It had caused tension between the two of them, and she'd hoped that her marriage proposal would help fix that.

Obviously, it was never meant to be between the two of them. She could see that now. Besides, Minato had opened her eyes to a world where she didn't have to pretend to be someone she wasn't, and that was what she knew she wanted. Sure, Minato had his faults, but so too did Jubei, and she knew which one of them she'd rather trust with her life.

"I don't think that is going to happen," She said coldly, "Because of two things. First, Jubei made it painfully obvious that he and I were over on that day. Secondly, I already have someone right now, so I'll have to respectfully decline."

"Wha-"

"Besides," She said, a smile coming onto her face, "I don't date women. Or people who want to kill me for that matter. So, why don't you drop the facade?"

The smile on the imposter in front of her slipped and became a familiar vicious grin. "Guess you caught me. Damn, and I was hoping that I would be able to sucker you into the good part."

"And what might that be?"

"This!" The woman said as the world around Mitsuru shimmered and disappeared in a burst of fog. A moment later, the world snapped back into focus, just in time for Mitsuru to see a dagger heading straight for her eye. "Die, Kirijo!"

Just before the dagger could hit her however, a loud bark broke the silence of the night, and a blast of fire knocked the brunette away from her, sending her attacker skidding to the ground. Rising shakily to her feet, Mitsuru stared at her savior in disbelief.

A white Shiba-Inu stood next to Yukari's prone form, his hackles raised as he stared at the brunette he'd attacked. A low growl was echoing in his throat as the woman stood back up, beating the flames off of her coat.

"Stupid mutt!" She bit out angrily, "This was my favorite jacket!" With a blur of motion, the woman practically vanished as she sprinted towards the dog, intent on revenge.

"Mabufu!" Mitsuru cried as she whipped out her Evoker and pulled the trigger. A noticeable chill filled the area around them, and the woman's erratic speed slowed considerably. She was still fast enough to surprise the dog, however, and gave a swift kick to the dog's side.

The dog whimpered as it flew back several feet and began tumbling along the sidewalk when it hit the ground. When he finally stopped tumbling, he gave a huff and struggled back to his feet. It gave another bark, but this one was different than the last. A strange warble in his tone preceded a blue flash of light as he summoned his own Persona. A giant, black, three-headed dog stood behind the white Shiba-Inu, growling with the same warbling tone as his summoner.

The woman didn't miss a beat. She quickly drew her own strange revolver/ Evoker (Revoker?) and snapped it up to her temple. "Agalaope! Zionga!"

The Siren appeared and raised her mouth to the sky, screeching loudly. Luckily, the dog and his Persona jumped out of the way right before a bolt of lightning struck. With another bark, a ball of fire began to form in the mouth of the Persona's middle head.

Seeing an opportunity, Mitsuru snapped off another shot with her Evoker. "Bufula!"

A crystal of ice formed in Penthesilea's hand before shooting off towards her target at the same time as the fireball from the dog's Persona. The woman's eyes widened visibly. A second later, the two opposing forces met with devastating results. The fireball flash-boiled the spear of ice, causing an explosion of steam. The steam billowed and swirled, obscuring the vision of their target. Had they done it?

A click to Mitsuru's side answered that question. The woman was standing over Yukari's twitching body, her revolver cocked and pointed straight at Mitsuru's teammate.

"Drop the piece," She commanded, "or your comrade dies. As for you, mutt, make a move, and I pull the trigger."

The dog gave a growl, but made no movement, evidently understanding the woman's intent. "Good boy," The woman said with a fake tenderness, before turning back to Mitsuru. "Now, drop your Evoker, princess, before I blow Takeba's brains out."

If Mitsuru complied, then she'd have no way to defend herself, and they were all dead. If she didn't, then Yukari would die for sure before either her or the mysterious dog could stop her. Mitsuru gritted her teeth. It was an impossible choice, but one that needed to be made.

With a reluctant sigh, Mitsuru dropped her Evoker, drawing a small smile from the woman. "Ha, you guys and your stupid heroics," She said, shaking her head in amusement. "Well, I'll be happy to tell your father that you went out like a hero, right before I kill him." With that, she turned the gun towards Mitsuru.

The heir to the Kirijo Group closed her eyes, and waited for the end to come.

A shot rang out through the night… But Mitsuru felt no pain.

Her eyes shot open, just in time to see her attacker drop her gun to the ground, blood pouring from her shoulder. She turned to see where the shot had come from, and what she saw made her heart soar.

Minato stood at the edge of the fog, a smoking revolver in his right hand. He had Akihiko's unconscious body over his left shoulder, and a silver Evoker in his waistband.

"Minato!" She cried happily. He was alive!

He did not respond, however. His eyes were fixated on their assailant, a cold rage emanating from him. His gun hand, Mitsuru realized, was shaking heavily.

The woman began to chuckle weakly as she grasped her shoulder, attempting to stem the blood flow. "Long...time… no see… Shu."

"You know that's not my name, Haruya." Minato bit out coldly.

Mitsuru's eyes widened. Haruya? But that was the name of the woman who- She gasped as realization struck her.

Haruya gave a bitter laugh. "Back at ya… Minato…" She shook her head in amusement. "Well, shit, this is kind of awkward, huh? Your ex shows up, wanting to kill you and all..."

"Why the fuck are you here, Haruya?" He said, his head shaking in a combination of anger, anxiety and grief. "Why are you so goddamn intent on ruining my life?"

"You know damn well why!" She yelled, wincing as she did so. "The ransom! It was a trap! You sent those Yakuza thugs after me and my father as revenge for what we did to you!" She turned away, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "My father died that day!"

"I didn't do anything of the sort!" He yelled back. "I don't even have any connections with any-" He stopped suddenly as a thought came to him. His eyes, as well as Mitsuru's, widened as the two of them made the connection. Minato had no connections to Yakuza of any kind… all except for the one he'd only just found out: Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo.

"Figured it out, did you?" Haruya snarled. "I should have known that you wouldn't remember. Probably just another casualty of your family's war on crime, right?"

Minato shook his head regretfully. "Haruya, you've haunted me for the past two years. What you did to me… It's not something that I can ever forgive. But believe me when I say-"

"Spare me your pity party, Minato," She scoffed, cutting him off, "I don't care what you have to say about it. All I know is that you are going to pay, one way or another."

"What makes you think that's going to be possible?" Mitsuru said coldly. "You think we're just going to let you go?"

Haruya laughed cruelly. "Of course not." She gave Mitsuru a cold grin as she said, "But do you really think you can stop me?"

At that exact moment, the fog around them suddenly crashed together, cutting off their view of their attacker. With a curse, Mitsuru drew her rapier, and rushed towards where Haruya been standing. When she got there however, she was already gone. A moment later, the fog evaporated completely, revealing the street in its entirety. Haruya was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit!" Mitsuru said angrily. There was now a crazy, disturbed killer out there who had it out for her, Minato, and the Kirijo group. As if their life wasn't complicated enough. She sighed as she bent down to examine Yukari. She was obviously unconscious, but had evidently taken whatever Haruya had done to her pretty hard. She was twitching and mumbling, almost as if she was having a nightmare.

"Is she alright?" Minato said as he walked into view.

"I don't know," She said gravely. She nodded to the man he was carrying on his shoulder. "How about Akihiko?"

Minato gave a worried sigh. "It was close, but as long as we get him to a hospital soon, I think he'll be fine."

"Very well." Mitsuru quickly gathered Yukari into her arms, sliding the girl's bow onto her shoulder. "I'm ready."

A bark drew their attention to the albino Persona-user sitting at their feet. He looked expectantly up at them, a doggy grin on his face. Mitsuru gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your help earlier. I appreciate it."

"Wait," Minato said confusedly, "Koromaru here helped you?"

"You know him?" Minato nodded. "Ah. Well, yes, he did. Apparently, he can summon a Persona."

As if in agreeance, the dog barked, causing Minato to grin down at him. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises…" He looked up at Mitsuru. "You know, I've always wanted a dog…"

She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. "Yes, well, I suppose we can keep him. He is a Persona-user, after all."

Minato gave her a grin that quickly slid off his face. His eyes became serious. "We're going to have to have a chat with your father about this, among other things. Things are much graver than we believed, not to mention Haruya..." His face turned into a grimace. "God, I hoped I'd never see her again."

She nodded before kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I hope that my father has a good explanation for this…"

"Me too…" Minato said as they turned and began their trek to the hospital. "Me too…"

Jin's eyes opened as he finally regained consciousness. A second later, he wished he hadn't. He'd obviously broken a few ribs when that Persona had kicked him, not to mention when he'd crashed into the brick building. He gasped in pain as he turned over on the sidewalk, attempting to get some air into his lungs.

"YOU'VE FAILED ME, INSECT!"

Jin winced as the voice made its presence known. "I… tried…" He gasped.

"TRIED? THAT IS NOT ENOUGH! THE ANOMALY MUST BE DESTROYED! OTHERWISE, ALL MY PLANS ARE FOR NAUGHT! PARADISE WILL NEVER BE CONCEIVED!"

"I'm… sorry…"

"NOT YET, YOU AREN'T!" The voice cackled into his ear. Darkness swirled around Jin's body as energy began to build. A second later, Jin screamed as his bones began to forcibly knit themselves back together. The pain grew and grew until Jin's fragile hold on the world slipped, and he fell back into unconsciousness.

A few minutes later, Chidori knelt over Jin's unconscious form. She shook her head as she went over the pros and cons of leaving him here. If she left him to die, maybe he actually would, and she'd be free to leave, to live how she wanted without fear of reprisal. If she did, and he didn't die... well, then she probably wouldn't see the next sunrise.

She scowled as she hoisted him onto her shoulder and began the trek towards the base. Surviving in this world was such a hassle sometimes.

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Wow, this was a hard chapter. Writing fighting scenes isn't my greatest strength... So naturally, I decided to write three of them at the same time. :D

Man, deeper down the rabbit hole we go… and there's so much more to see, too! Anyways, we'll be taking a break from most of the drama and action in the next few chapters, cause it's mainly going to focus on the characters and the aftermath of what's happened here. We might even get to the freaking tournament, finally. Jesus.

I hope you guys liked this chapter! There's so much that happens here! Fuuka's evolved Persona, Inari's true identity, Meeting Jubei… So much going on! So many more questions are raised now! What's going to happen to Akihiko? What's up with Yukari? Will I stop asking so many questions?

Anyways, hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, please send me a PM if you have any questions or concerns that you've noticed, and please, please, please review! I want to know what you guys think of Strega and everything that's going on! If you don't like where I'm going with this, I want to know that too! Constructive criticism is always welcome!

I'd like to give a big thank you to arcticGlaciologist for helping me stay on point for this chapter. Thanks for the help, man!

Till next time!

-Dr. Ninja

Personae introduced in this chapter:

Aglaope: One of the Sirens in Greek Mythology. Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures that lead sailors to their deaths through the use of their enchanting music. Physically, they were described as being a combination of woman and bird.

Mnemosyne: The Greek Personification of Memory. A Titaness, she was also the mother of the 9 Muses. She also provided watch over a pool in the underworld, also in her name, that served as the counterpart to the river Lethe, or forgetfulness.

Iset: The name of a real Egyptian Priestess and Princess who lived sometime during the 20th dynasty in Ancient Egypt. She held the title of Divine Adoratrice of Amun, as well as God's Wife of Amun, both of which signified the position of Chief Priestess of the cult of Amun. She was the first person to ever hold both titles at the same time.