Author's Note!

At long last…Chapter 2!

Eiikichi makes his awesome debut this chapter, so you can expect some action and stuff. :D

Also…I'm crazy psyched to see that there are a bunch of wonderful P2 fics out there now! Yaay! Let's keep spreading the luv!

Lastly, I'm very much thankful to MadeULook for the review! :D Remember peeps, if you have anything to say about this here story, feel free to leave a review. :)

Chapter 2: Sea of Thy Soul

"Wait a second Tatsuya-kun!" Lisa called following the boy, "You're not going alone, are you?"

Tatsuya said nothing.

"Well, I'm not going to let you," the blonde said resolutely, catching up with him. "I'm going with you."

The boy frowned slightly in annoyance, but knew better than to protest. Lisa was the stubborn type, and once she made up her mind, very little could be done about it.

In silence, the two pushed the door leading outside, where Tatsuya immediately stepped to his motorcycle. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed a letter placed on the seat.

"What's that? A letter?" Lisa asked, taking it from his hands just as he picked it up. After unfolding it, she read its contents aloud:

"'Dear Tatsuya Sou,

We've kidnapped a girl from your school. If you value her life, come to the abandoned Sumaru prison alone.

-Michael, Boss of Kasugayama.

"Aiyah!" Lisa exclaimed as the boy beside her crumpled the note and stuffed it in his pocket, "A challenge note? That's old-school!"

Tatsuya mounted his bike and was about to set off, but was stopped by Lisa.

"Wait Tatsuya-kun, you don't know how to get to the prison right? I can show you where it is."

Tatsuya paused to retrieve a zippo lighter from his pocket, flicking open the top before placing it back and nodding slightly.

"Alright then!" Lisa exclaimed enthusiastically as she swung her leg over the seat and clasped her arms around the irritated Tatsuya's waist, "Let's get going!"

Sumaru prison had been abandoned for almost two decades. In its lifetime, it had undergone drastic changes in purpose and appearance, rather like the one who now unofficially claimed the building in the name of his soon-to-be-formed band, and as he and his three friends stood around a rather portly purple-haired girl who had introduced herself as Cozy, gaping at the sheer amount of soda and snacks she was busily consuming, even his own father might have not recognized him right away.

"Whew," the girl sighed with a satisfied belch, "Thanks for the food."

The quartet stared at her in collective disbelief until their leader, the boy with striking blue and white hair and unusual make-up could no longer hold in his confusion. "Dudes!" he cried, whirling around to face his group, "Are you serious? This chick is seriously one of my fans?"

Cozy looked up with a frown. "Fan? What are you talking about?" She turned to the three behind who she assumed was the 'boss'. "You guys said you'd give me the scoop on the emblem curse…Was that a lie?"

"Wait a second! What's she talking about?"

The boy closest to him spoke first. "Umm, well, to tell you the truth Michael, she isn't exactly a fan…"

Before Michael could respond, the entire party jumped upon hearing what they all believed to be a war cry of some sort. In perfect heroic fashion, Lisa barged into the room, zipped down the stairs and assumed a threatening kung-fu stance, Tatsuya running up beside her, slightly embarrassed.

"Wai! You losers had better hand over Hanakouji-san right now, before Tatsuya-kun and I kick your stupid asses!" Lisa emphasized her demand with a few air punches.

Michael and the others were momentarily stunned by Lisa's sudden and noisy entrance before the boss shook his head in a futile effort to make sense of the bizarre situation. "Will someone tell me what the hell's going on here?"

Lisa, taking no heed, pointed an accusing finger at the now terribly confounded boy. "Are you Michael, the 'boss' of Cuss High?"

Michael perked up when he heard his title spoken and quickly pulled himself together, his expression seamlessly turning from frustrated frown to charming smile. "That's right; I'm Michael, the best around, whose mission is to spread love to all the girls through my music. Do I got you babe?"

Everyone was silent for a moment before Lisa spoke up. "What… are you smoking?"

Michael practically deflated as his friends and cozy tried to hold in their laughter. "Hey, you'd better shut your mouth. You should know what happens to idiots who mess with the Death Boss of Kasugayama!"

Tatsuya sighed quietly in annoyance as he took out his lighter and flicked open the lid a few times before putting it back as Lisa began to chuckle.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Michael demanded, by now becoming aggravated.

"So you're that Death Boss? Of course I've heard of you. You're the one who gets revenge by pantsing people!" Lisa said, smirking, "Death Boss? More like Undie Boss!"

Just as the insult registered in Michael's brain, something in it snapped like a split guitar string. His friends came to his side and tried to reassure him that it wasn't anything to get worked up about, an anxious look on their faces as he stared at the ground. The blue and white haired boy spoke quietly: "Mishina."

Tatsuya and Lisa felt it first: the air suddenly felt much heavier, a feeling of impending danger emanating from the boy in front of them. "Wh-What?" Lisa choked out, finding it difficult to breathe in this atmosphere.

The boy whipped his head up, glaring at the two viciously. "My name is Eiikichi Mishina!" He shouted in fury, "NOT Undie! Eiikichi! MISHINA!" At once a flurry of misty blue energy surrounded the Death Boss, knocking his friends backwards, startling both Lisa and Tatsuya as they watched a bizarre creature materialize before him.

The creature was humanoid with skin like armor and fins in place of ears, as well as below its elbows, lending it an aquatic appearance, carrying a glinting sword. At last it spoke in an authoritative voice: "I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Radamanthus, here to slay all foes with my Blade of Judgment!"

"Go death spirit!" Eiikichi commanded as the creature slashed through the air with its weapon, causing a powerful jet of water to shoot at Lisa.

The blonde flinched, then hesitated and looked up and gasped. Protecting her was a creature like the one Eiikichi had summoned, though it looked nothing like it, instead being in the shape of a woman cupid, dressed in a red and pink bodysuit cuffed in fluffy white clouds. "Thou art I," it said in a soothing voice, "and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Eros, with all my power devoted to protecting hearts from harm."

"What the?" Eiikichi exclaimed incredulously, "You have one too?"

"Haime...what…" Lisa muttered in shock as she fainted, falling to the floor.

Without a moment's thought, Tatsuya stepped in front of Lisa, determined not to let her get hurt, despite knowing that he stood no chance against the monster on Eiikichi's side.

"Ah, whatever!" Eiikichi growled, as he threw a punch into the air, "Radamanthus! Get him!"

Just before the attack could collide with the brunette, he felt an incredible surge of emotion and strength flow through his body, a feeling new but familiar, as if the word spoke itself: "Persona!"

The unearthly mist-like energy sparked into life around Tatsuya, swaying like brilliant blue flames as a strange mechanized figure covered in pressure valves emerged from violent snap of red fire. "I am thou," it spoke, "and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh, the one whose flame burns away impurities! Vulcanus!

Instinctively, Tatsuya raised his arm, Vulcanus' moving in synch. The boy heard another word welling up with in him, saying it as easily as his own name: "Agi!"

Vulcanus' yellow eyes flashed bright red as a searing flare engulfed Radamanthus, its scream in time with that of Eiikichi's, whom, it seemed, shared its pain. The two endured what they could until Radamanthus faded away, and Eiikichi collapsed.

Tatsuya lowered his arm, breathing heavily as Vulcanus too faded before joining the two other combatants in unconsciousness.