Author's Notes: And we finally get thrown into our first Social Link. I'm not really gonna focus on them, but I'll throw in updates from time to time on what everyone's doing. I really wish there was a tutorial on Social Links since the game doesn't really explain much. It just throws you into it, expecting friendship to suddenly happen. Granted that sometimes works in real life, but... I'm not one to actively reach out to strangers unless necessary... And given how antisocial Minato is... I don't think he'd do that either. Then again, Minato gets pulled along into weird things all the time since he's pretty passive in the game.

~22 APRIL 2009~

Minato arrived at the school gate, alone once again. The only difference today was that he was in a lot better mood than yesterday. With things falling into place within his mind, he was ready to face whatever challenges the year would bring. It also helped that he just sent a package to his grandfather to let the family know he and Hamuko were adjusting well to Iwatodai. It'll be a while before the twins get a response, but this was a start.

"What's up, Minato?" Kenji came up from behind him. "Huh…? You're all by yourself? Dude, I thought the rumor about you and Yukari-san was true…"

"It is what it is," Minato shrugged. Are those rumors still circulating? That means the ones about Hamuko and I dating are still… Wow, people really have nothing to do with their lives.

Kenji gave Minato an impressed smile, happy that the boy wasn't fazed by the school's infamous rumor-mill. "Oh yeah? Well, it's not like I care of anything. But, you've sure had some bad luck since you transferred here. You know, dude, all the weird stuff that's been happening… How everyone's been saying they're hearing strange voices… Well, I guess since you're always listening to your headphones, you probably haven't heard anything."

"Well, yeah," Minato said. "I don't like noise."

The brunet laughed. "Yeah, you're pretty cool," he smirked at the blue-haired boy.

After class Hamuko came up to his desk and poked her brother's face. "Did you sleep well?"

"I'm surprised I can here," Minato said as he stretched his neck.

"Yukari and I are going to Paulownia Mall. Wanna come with?"

Minato was about to comply but Kenji came up to his desk. "Hey, man!" He eyed Hamuko and smirked at the blue-haired boy. "So if you're not dating Yukari-san, does that mean you're dating Hamuko-san?"

"No," the blue-eyed boy frowned. "That's just wrong."

Hamuko laughed. "That's an interesting thought, but sorry, Tomochika-kun. Minato isn't really my type."

"That's a shame," Kenji gave Minato a sympathetic smile. "Shot down like a plane."

The older twin gave the girl a stern glare. "Hey, don't give him any weird ideas. I have enough to deal with whenever Junpei's around."

The girl only stuck her tongue out. "Well, I guess I'll tell Yukari you're busy then," Hamuko said as he launched herself off his desk.

"W-wha? Hey, wait!" Minato cried out after her but his younger sister quickly disappeared from the classroom.

Kenji let out an impressed whistle. "I get it. You're dating them both! You've got some balls, man." He shook his head before remembering what he came up to the boy for. "Hey, man, I'm gonna get some ramen after school. You wanna come?"

"Why are you asking me?" Minato asked, considering he's seen Kenji spending time with Junpei and other more sociable guys in the class.

"No reason, really," he smirked back. "I just don't have anything to do later… and I thought we could finish our conversation from this morning. So whaddya say, man? Let's get some ramen and talk."

"Whatever," Minato replied as he picked up his bag. "Where are we going?"

Kenji ended up taking him to a restaurant near the Iwatodai station. Minato was dubious about the place first since there seemed to be a lot of sketchy figures around, particularly a tall man with a beanie and long coat sitting at the counter, but when he tried the ramen, he understood why all these ruffians would come here. The soup was extremely rich, but not completely saturated with oil and the noodles were the perfect consistency.

"Oh wow," Minato couldn't help but say before digging into his bowl.

Beside him, Kenji was loudly slurping his noodles and was nearly finished. The brunet lifted his bowl and made short work of the soup. "Whew! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Well, was I right, or was I right?" He winked at his friend. "This ramen tastes great, doesn't it? I bet they put a special ingredient in it—something no other ramen shop uses. It's probably some sort of secret spice…" Kenji suddenly became red. "Oh, sorry. My bad. I get all geeked up when I eat here."

"I agree with you," Minato said as he flagged a waitress to order another two bowls, one for here and another for takeout.

Kenji did the same thing and looked to the boy in surprise. "You do? Really? I mean, you can appreciate the subtle yet distinct flavor of the soup? Wow, you don't look like the type of guy I'd normally hang around with… But I guess looks aren't everything."

Their bowls were quickly served up and eager to continue, Minato picked up his chopsticks. "Just shut up and eat."

"Yeah, man, you're right," Kenji nodded. "If we talk too much, the noodles will get soggy. It's just that by the way you're savoring your soup, it seems like you really appreciate its flavor." The two sat in semi-silence as they quickly slurped their noodles. When he was half done, Kenji looked over to the blue-haired boy. "By the way, man, I hear you and Yukari are close. Damn, boy, you move fast! I mean, you just transferred here. I can't blame you, though. A man's gotta be aggressive nowadays. Hey, let's hang out after school again sometime. We'll get some food and I'll tell you about my secret plan…" The brunet shook in excitement. "Wait 'til you hear it, dude. You're gonna flip!"

Minato frowned as he didn't know whether to look forward to that or not, but he paused when a tarot card flashed before his eyes. And much like he experienced before with the Fool Arcana, a mysterious voice began to ring in his head. "Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..."

Huh… I guess this makes us friends then? Minato felt his Personas stir within him as if confirming that fact. He looked over towards Kenji who was still finishing up his meal. "I guess I don't mind doing this again," he shrugged. "This was actually pretty fun."

"Sweet," Kenji smiled. "I'll let you know whenever I'm free, yeah?" Minato nodded as the two paid for their meals. When they were ready to leave, Kenji looked up at the darkening sky. "What, it's already nighttime?" He frowned at himself. "Damn, I missed my favorite TV show! Man, you're one serious dude… Oh well, let's get going."

As Minato returned to the dorm, he saw Hamuko was staring at the fridge. "I got you dinner," he said, raising the bag he was carrying for her to see.

"Oh, thanks!" Hamuko gratefully took the ramen from him. "It smells great!"

Minato heard someone coming down the stairs and saw it was Mitsuru. He noticed it was a habit for her to be in the lounge reading during the evenings. "Kirijo-senpai," he greeted her with a nod.

"Welcome back." She looked at the twins before asking, "Yuki, Arisato, have you been monitoring your conditions? Exploring Tartarus can be exhausting, especially since you must do so late at night. You may find that you need a great deal of rest to recuperate. The other's conditions will vary as well, so make sure you take that into consideration before you begin exploring. If you want my evaluation of everyone's condition, don't hesitate to ask."

Minato looked towards his sister and noticed she seemed tired. He was too for that matter. "Understood," he replied to the senior. "I suppose I'll go to bed now. Good night."

Hamuko watched her older brother in surprise. He's actually going to sleep? I guess Tartarus took a lot more out of him than I thought.

~23 APRIL 2009~

Hamuko smiled when she saw her brother waiting in the kitchen for her. "Morning, Minato!"

"I made breakfast," he said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

She took a seat next to him and lifted up the bowl of rice. "Itadakimasu!" she gratefully rang out before lifting a small portion of natto up into her bowl.

Minato silently ate and as he finished he looked over to the younger girl. "So how was yesterday? Did you get anything at the mall?"

Hamuko nodded. "There was a sale at the CD store so I checked it out. I found a Lotus Juice album you didn't have and got it for you."

"Thanks," Minato nodded as he took the dishes to the sink.

"How about you? Did you have ramen with Tomochika-kun?"

"Yeah, Kenji took me to the ramen place in the strip mall." He set the wet dishes on the drying rack and looked over to his sister. "I made a Social Link with him. He's the Magician, like Junpei's Persona."

Hamuko's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't know there would be more."

Minato paused to think about it. "The Personas are based on tarot Arcanas and there's… twenty-one?"

His sister shook her head. "Twenty-two. You forgot to count the Fool." She smiled at her brother as she pointed to her hair clips. Minato stare at the XXII pattern she always wore them in. "The Fool can count as zero or twenty-two."

"I see," Minato nodded. "That makes twenty-two Social Links then and we've unlocked only two."

"Well, I guess these things take time," Hamuko shrugged. She looked at the time and quickly stood up. "Thanks for breakfast, but we'd better get going."

The pair finally reached campus and Minato overheard two students talking about Apathy Syndrome. He motioned to his sister and pointed at the two. "That sounds interesting."

"My neighbor has that… He grosses me out. Sometimes I think I might have it too, and it depresses me."

The other student frowned. "Maybe you just need some exercise. Hey, the male athletic teams are accepting new members. Maybe I should join!"

Minato stopped walking at that. "A sports team, huh?"

Hamuko looked over at him. "You should join one," she encouraged him. "It would probably help you improve your stamina."

"I suppose it doesn't hurt to check it out after school." He looked over to his sister and curiously tilted his head to the side. "What about you? Are you interested in joining a team?"

She shook her head. "Not today. Volleyball tryouts are tomorrow. I'll make sure dinner is ready for whenever you get back, okay?"

"Thanks," Minato smiled as they hurried to class.

"Good luck," Hamuko waved to her brother as he made his way to the gym. She looked down at her things and slowly packed them away. The red-eyed girl picked up her bag and smiled when she saw Junpei approach her. "Hey."

"Hey!" he smirked back. "You busy? Let's get something to eat."

"Let's go to Hagakure's," Hamuko suggested, wanting to see the restaurant for herself.

"Oh, wow," Junpei said wide-eyed. "I was gonna suggest the same thing. Well," he threw his bag over his shoulder. "Let's get going then!"

Hamuko knew it was going to be crowded but she didn't expect the place to be so packed. But given the quality of its food, she understood why so many people would visit. She and Junpei took a seat at a table and Junpei smiled up at the waiter in charge of their table. "Um… Alright! We'll have two specials!"

The waiter nodded as he went back to the kitchen. Hamuko looked at Junpei in confusion. "The special?"

Junpei eagerly nodded. "The normal meals are good, too, but the special…? Pure. Awesome."

Soon, the waiter returned and set the bowls of ramen before them. Hamuko noticed the smell of this bowl was different from the one Minato had brought back for her last night.

Junpei picked up his chopsticks and smiled at her reassuringly. "C'mon, try it."

Hamuko tried the soup before trying it with the noodles and was completely surprised. If she had thought the ramen last night was amazing, the one she was having today was completely outstanding. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed as she continued to eat.

Junpei laughed at her surprised response. "Good, right? Well then," he prepared his chopsticks. "I'm digging in too. Chow time!" He winced as the hot soup touched his tongue. "Ahh, hot hot hot… Man, this is great!"

Hamuko giggled. "Minato came here yesterday with Tomochika-kun and brought an order back, but it doesn't even compare to this."

"He didn't order the special?" The capped boy shook his head. "For shame…"

"It was his first time," the girl defended her brother. "I'll just order a special for takeout and quickly rectify his mistake."

"You guys really do look out for each other, huh?" Junpei said as he slowed down. He smiled before giving the girl a worried look. "Hey… Do you feel okay now? I heard that while you were out for a while, you were in the hospital. You seemed full of energy at school… but I was kind of worried."

Hamuko paused. "Thanks…"

"Huh?" The boy was slightly surprised. "Oh, um… No need to thank me… I had some problems myself when I transferred here, too, so I get why your brother acts like he does. In your cases, you've got all the fighting stuff on top of that… I was wondering if you weren't accustomed to school or whatever… Then again, I think you'll both do just fine." Junpei looked embarrassed but quickly laughed it off. "Still… Girls and guys livin' in the same dorm, huh? That can't be good."

Hamuko tried to frown at him the way she expected Yukari would if their friend was present. "Stop smirking like that."

"Aww… I can't help it." Junpei's smile didn't waver before he tried to be serious. "Oh, but I don't drag love into my work." He couldn't keep it together though so chuckled. "Then again, I can't guarantee that I won't fall for somebody," he laughed.

"We'll be fine, Junpei," Hamuko laughed alongside him. "I mean, we'd be really hopeless if Minato found someone before us." The two remained there for the rest of the afternoon before Hamuko asked the waiter to prepare a takeout for her when they finished. "Thanks for inviting me out, Junpei. It was pretty fun." A voice rang her head as she saw the Magician Arcana flash in her mind.

Chariot, huh? Minato thought as he gave the Team Manager his clothing size so she could order his track uniform. He waved goodbye to Kaz as he left. This is a lot easier than I thought. As long as I take this slowly, I think I can make it to the end of the year.

He returned to the dorm and saw Junpei smirking at him. "S'up, dude?" The capped boy pointed to the bag of ramen he was keeping guard of. "Your sister got that for you."

"Thanks," he muttered as he noticed it was different from what he had yesterday. "Itadakimasu."

Done with his job, Junpei went over to the lounge and turned on the TV. "Hey, I hear you're friends with Kenji now… He said you're a pretty cool guy…"

"Of course," Minato lightly joked.

"Don't get too cocky, man… But yeah, I'm sure you two will get along just fine."

"Are you two friends too?" Minato curiously asked.

Junpei shrugged. "Well, sort of… I've known him for a long time, even though we don't usually hang out. He's a good guy… and, man, he has no fear when it comes to the ladies," he smirked. He sat up straight and seriously looked at Minato. "By the way, let's go to Tartarus tonight… I hear the Lost are increasing, so we better kick some Shadow ass. Your sister wanted to get your opinion once you got back, so if you're up for it, let's all go."

"Yeah, I'll tell her after I finish."

"I sense three Shadows guarding this floor," Mitsuru notified them as they reached the tenth floor of the tower.

"Got it," Hamuko said as they scouted the area. She saw some hand Shadows waiting for them and signaled for Yukari to fire an arrow.

The junior pulled her bowstring back and released it, glad that her shot met its mark. The Shadows, alarmed to their presence, crawled towards them, but Minato and Junpei were ready. The two swung their swords in unison and managed to trip one over. The other two Dancing Hands fell over it and they turned into a total mess.

"Mitsuru-senpai, please scan the enemy!" Hamuko put her Evoker to her head and called for Orpheus. Flames erupted on the pile of Shadows, but the hands brushed it off as they got back up.

Yukari jumped back as one tried to attack and fired her own Evoker. "Io!" A gust of wind pushed the Dancing Hand back, but other than that, it didn't seem bothered by the spell at all. "Wind's not working either!"

"It doesn't look like spells affect them," Minato noted as Forneus tried to use an ice attack to no effect.

"Then we'll just bash 'em!" Junpei grunted as he summoned Hermes to use Cleave. Hamuko followed up by slicing it with her naginata but the Dancing Hand wasn't finished. Yukari fired at it with her bow before their leader could be harmed.

"Thanks for that!" Hamuko put a hand to her headset. "Senpai? Any luck?"

"Sorry, Arisato. These Guardian Shadows take much longer to scan. I've just finished. It's weak to Strike!"

"In that case," Minato put his Evoker to his head. "Ara Mitama!" A floating red stone with an angry face charged towards the Shadow closest to him. "Again!" This time, Ara Mitama downed the Dancing Hand Junpei was fending off. Minato was about to fire again once more, but Hamuko called out to him.

"Leave the last one to me! Yukari cast Dia on him and whoever else needs it! Junpei, cover them!"

"Roger!" Yukari fired and quickly refreshed the blue-haired boy.

Hamuko took out her own Evoker. "Orpheus!" The orange-haired Orpheus removed the heart-shaped lyre from her back and slammed it down on the last Dancing Hand. "Let's wipe them all out!" Hamuko looked around to see the rest of her team ready to go for an All-Out Attack. "It's time for the Kiss of Death!" The four quickly barraged the downed Shadows relentlessly and when they jumped back, all three Dancing Hands were defeated. Hamuko straightened up and gave a thumb up to her team. "We did it!"

"Well done, all of you," Mitsuru complimented. "The next Guardian is four floors above you and beyond that is the barricade. We still have some time left, but will you be returning now?"

Hamuko turned to the rest of the team. Besides a few scratches here and there, the juniors looked at each other before shaking their heads. Hamuko returned her attention to her headset. "We'll continue, Senpai. If anything goes wrong, we'll return immediately."

"Okay, but don't push yourselves too hard."

"Let's go then," Minato said as he pulled out a couple of Chewing Souls from a chest.

They quickly made their way up and avoided fighting wherever they could. It was best if they could preserve whatever stamina they had left for whatever was awaiting them, after all.

Minato frowned as he ducked behind a pillar as the Guardian Shadow of the fourteenth floor patrolled past them. He glanced over at Hamuko who was quickly trying to rework their previous plan of surrounded the enemy and ambushing it.

"Senpai," he muttered into his comm. "Can you start scanning the Shadow? We're still coming up with a plan of attack, but it'd help if you could tell us what its weaknesses were."

"Understood. Don't act too quickly but if you do decide to engage it, try to hang on for as long as you can," the older girl instructed him.

"Got it." The boy signaled to his sister that he already notified Mitsuru.

Hamuko nodded and turned towards Yukari and Junpei. "Mitsuru-senpai is working on her scan, but that still leaves us with figuring out how to approach that thing. It looks pretty sturdy."

"The sooner we attack it, the sooner it goes down. I say we go for it," Junpei said, standing up.

Yukari pulled him down. "Stupei!" she hissed. "Don't get us killed! We still don't know what's most effective against it. Something tells me this one isn't like the others."

"Yeah," Minato stealthily rolled to where they were gathered. "Yukari's right about that. The other floors had three Shadows while there's only one here."

"What do you think, nii-san?"

"We still have the element of surprise. Instead of surrounding it, we could wait for it to turn its back on us and jump it then." Minato carefully maneuvered around the pillar and examined the area they were in. "These pillars can give us cover for guerilla tactics. Junpei, you and I will lure it out here with our Personas. Don't do anything too crazy. Kirijo wants us to hold out for as long as we can until she gets a good reading."

Hamuko nodded. "That's a good plan, but Yukari should go with you. You'll need healing support if that thing charges you. I'll support Junpei with Alp."

"I'll be fine. I still have Pixie with me, remember?"

"But you won't be able to use her while you're moving about and attacking," Hamuko pointed out.

Minato looked over towards Yukari and she only nodded. "Fine," the boy said. "Keep your distance though." Checking to make sure the Shadow wasn't around, he rolled back to where he was initially.

Yukari stealthily chased after him, keeping her footsteps light. Junpei peered out from behind the pillar and nodded to Minato. The two boys made their way towards the unaware Shadow. Junpei tugged his cap down to signal to the blue-haired boy that he was in position. Minato nodded and pulled out his Evoker. The two suddenly sprang out from the columns and simultaneously yelled. "Persona!"

Hermes and Ara Mitama appeared and charged towards the Rampage Drive. Junpei's Persona didn't even make a scratch on the Shadow while Minato watched with wide eyes as Ara Mitama's attack returned back to him. The blue-haired boy flew backwards from the impact and slammed into the pillar a meter behind him. "Oof!" The air was knocked out of his lungs as he collapsed to the floor.

"Nii-san!" Hamuko shakily took out her Evoker as she called for Orpheus. "A-Agi!"

A weak fire tried to engulf the Shadow, but the Rampage Drive ignored it as it went after Junpei. The capped boy dodged out of the way and swung his sword, only to have it do nothing to the enemy. "Oh, come on!" He slipped behind a pillar and tried to use Hermes again, to no avail.

"Io!" Yukari cast Dia on Minato as the boy struggled to get up. Giving up on chasing Junpei, the Rampage Drive sparked with electricity and dropped a bolt of lightning on their healer. "Agh!"

"What's going on!? Arisato, status report!"

"We tried to catch the Shadow while it was off guard, but Minato was suddenly thrown back by his own attack!" Hamuko watched as Minato knocked Yukari out of the way of an attack and took the brunt of it himself. When Yukari could move again, she quickly fired her bow but the Shadow ignored the arrow that dully bounced off it. She and Junpei tried to attack the Shadow at once, but it violently spun in a circle, knocking them both away.

"This isn't good. Everyone, it has no weaknesses! Physical attacks are useless!"

"Shit… How are we supposed to beat it then!?" Junpei called out as he gave up on his sword. "I can't even hurt it!"

Minato was still catching his breath as he stood back up. He quickly reached into his pocket for some medicine and chugged it down before throwing his sword aside and grabbing his Evoker. "Persona!" He let out a roar as Apsaras emerged and struck the Shadow with ice. The Rampage Drive turned to face the blue-haired boy and prepared its Assault Dive attack. "Come and get it!" the boy challenged it as he fired his Evoker again. "Bufu!"

Seeing that Minato was using himself as bait, Yukari quickly ran to where Junpei and Hamuko were. "Let's go, Io!"

Hamuko was the first up and she pulled Junpei to his feet. "New plan," she began. "Junpei, you'll have to support us from the back. If someone gets knocked down, make sure Hermes gets them up again. Yukari, try to attack as often with Io as you can. If you need to cast Dia, make sure you're not anywhere near that thing!" She turned back towards the Shadow and pointed her Evoker to her head. "Nii-san, hang in there!" Lilim quickly charged up an electricity spell.

Yukari cast Garu and the Rampage Drive turned towards her before releasing another Mazio in her direction. The girl fell down and Junpei immediately did as he was told and cast Re Patra. Hamuko continued forward and barraged the Shadow with Lilim's attack.

Minato noticed the Shadow was preparing another Assault Dive and his eyes widened as his sister was too focused on attacking. "You idiot! Stop attacking and get out of the way! What do you think you're doing!?" He willed his battered body to move and tackled the Shadow with his own body. Surprised by the boy's outlandish attack, it spun around to throw him off before ramming into the persistent human. "Kkgh!" Minato slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Seeing as the boy was close to being finished off, the Rampage Drive approached him. There was no time for Minato to swap Personas, so he lifted his Evoker once more and prayed Apsaras would be able to freeze it long enough for him to get away.

Hamuko panicked and switched her Persona to one that knew Dia. The cards flashed through her eyes and she mentally reached out for another female Persona. Both twins fired at once and Hamuko stared in disbelief as she had mistaken Orpheus for Alp. Looking over at her brother, she saw Minato had summoned Apsaras and the two Personas seemed to resonate with each other. Orpheus quickly took out her lyre and played a song as Apsaras danced to it. The blue nymph gestured to her summoner to rise and Minato did. Minato felt his body regain its strength as the broken bones he knew he had suddenly repaired themselves. He also noticed an extra spring in his step but he didn't question it. Instead, he flipped to the side as the large Shadow rammed into the wall.

Junpei and Yukari felt their injuries heal and looked to their leader in confusion. Even Mitsuru seemed surprised by the sudden turn in battle. "Arisato! Are you all okay? What happened?"

"We're fine, but I don't know how! Minato and I just summoned our Personas at the same time," Hamuko replied as she looked back to her brother.

Minato leaped backwards as bolts of lightning tried to catch him. He put his gun to his head and looked over to Hamuko. The girl nodded and did the same thing before the two simultaneously pulled their triggers. "Persona!"

Again, both Personas interacted with each other and the entire team was now fully recovered. Minato returned to his sister's side and caught his breath. "It looks like that spell also raises our evasion and speed. Let's hurry up and take care of the Shadow before it wears off."

Hamuko nodded as she returned to using Lilim. "Junpei, cover us."

"You got it."

The four charged forward towards the Shadow. They managed to surround it and before the Shadow realized it, it was being barraged by all sides by ice, wind, and electricity spells. Confused, it didn't know who to target first so tried to go for Junpei. Junpei laughed as he dodged with ease. He distracted it long enough for the other three to continue their onslaught of attacks.

As Mitsuru watched the battle she smiled proudly to herself. They've gotten much stronger, she thought as the Rampage Drive finally fell. "Well done, everyone. I was beginning to worry that I'd have to order a retreat, but you all managed to take down such a strong Shadow. There are only two more floors left until the barricade, but given how exhausting that fight must have been, I understand if you wish to return."

"No, we can keep going, Senpai," Minato answered.

"No, I think you should head back, nii-san." Hamuko sternly looked at him. "That Shadow would've killed you if we didn't pull off that miracle."

"She's right, you know." Yukari was still catching her breath. "Come on, I'll head back with you. Lightning spells aren't really my strong suit so I think I've had enough for tonight."

"Yeah, no worries, dude." Junpei gave the boy a reassuring smirk. "I'll make sure Hamuko comes back safe."

"You'd better, Junpei. Although… I think it might be the other way around, right, Minato?"

"What!? Come on, Yuka-tan. I can be responsible!"

"Alright," Mitsuru said, breaking it up. "Yuki, Takeba, I expect you two back down. Arisato, Iori, finish up the remaining two floors and return."

"Understood," Minato sighed in defeat as he couldn't argue against the red-haired navigator's orders.

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

"What's with the rumors at this school?" Minato asked as he noticed some girls pointing at him on as he walked to school.

Yukari sighed. "You learn to ignore them."

"Well, yeah, but I never remembered any school Hamuko and I went to before being this bad. Well, maybe there was the school we went to last year, but there was something wrong with the city. The students here just talk nonstop. Don't these people have anything better to do with their lives?"

"People love to talk," Hamuko shrugged. "They can't help it. At least it's not as bad as Sumaru City." She turned to Yukari and explained. "There was a myth about the last place we lived at. They say that any rumor that spreads instantly comes true there. A lot of weird things happen there because of it. The relative in charge of taking care us was a detective working at an agency there and had to deal with strange cases dealing with them."

"Isn't that all urban legend stuff?" Yukari asked.

"A part of the deal living there was that I had to help with cases," Minato grumbled. "One case required me to look into my own medical records because a rumor was being spread that I was the love child between a police officer-in-training and a student teacher we had, both of whom were male by the way."

"What?" Yukari's face went red at the implications of that rumor. "But that's impossible."

"Like Hamuko said, Sumaru City had a lot of weird things happen there," Minato shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if it did come true considering all the weirdos who live there. It didn't help that my therapist knew a lot of interesting people…"

"Hey, the only reason that rumor spread is because you resembled Mr. Kashihara and reminded a lot of the locals of Mr. Suou when he was younger. Even Ms. Amano and Mrs. Saeko thought so! Given that you and Mr. Kashihara are bishie—"

"That's enough out of you," Minato cut her off as his face became red. "Cut it out before another rumor starts."

They finally reached their classroom, but as soon as they arrived, Junpei and Kenji smirked at Minato. "Hey, dude, did you hear the news?"

"What now?" Minato groaned.

Kenji winked at him. "Everyone's stopped saying that you're dating Hamuko and Yukari."

"Well, that's good," Hamuko noted.

"There's more." Junpei hid his smirk behind a textbook. "They say it's because Minato is actually a Minako." The capped boy burst out into laughter but stopped when Minato reached for his neck, only to be restrained by the two girls.

Minato's eyes glowed with bloodlust as he struggled against Hamuko's grip. "When I find whoever comes up with these rumors, I'm going to take my sword and shove it so far up their—" he stopped when he noticed Toriumi enter.

The teacher shot him a dirty look before turning to the rest of the class. "Everyone, take your seats. Class is about to begin. Those who don't in the next minute will be spending time after school cleaning the classroom with Minako—I mean, Minato."

Minato groaned as he sat in his desk and slammed his face into it as hard as he could. Just kill me now…

Final Notes: So that's going to be the last of the Tartarus explorations since Tartarus doesn't really offer much to me story-wise. I will include some Tartarus exploration in some bonus scenes, but those are more for humor and how I imagine the mess that is SEES would act on their nightly excursions. Fusion Spells are so cool... I never used them much in Portable because they're items, but in FES, they're lifesavers. Especially Cadenza... Don't know how I feel about the offensive ones. They're expensive to cast and I'd rather save SP... Healing is a different story... Health is important... I'll blow all my SP if it means not getting a game over... Hrm... In FES, I imagine Minato gets his ability to use Fusion Spells because he's relying on Hamuko's spirit... Of course, in that world, Hamuko died ten years ago... In Portable, I can see Hamuko relying on Minato in the same way, but she's not as close to Death as Minato is so relies on items to channel her brother.