Author's Notes: Another slow chapter, sort of. Maybe I'm just really impatient. I would speed things along, but then it'd feel choppy. Like parts of the movie. I should really stop ragging on the movie though... I did enjoy parts of it... But it really felt like I was watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. Eva's not bad, but it's not particularly good either... Baka Shinji is one of the worst protagonists ever... And watching Makoto was weird because he was sorta like Baka Shinji but with Kaworu's beautiful voice... Sort of... I mean, if Kaworu died inside...

~20 JUNE 2009~

Mitsuru walked down the halls, in a hurry. She stopped in front of Classroom 2-F to check the sign before going in. As she entered the classroom, the senior spotted the juniors of SEES having lunch together and she smirked to herself as Fuuka was also there. Good. I won't have to stop in Class 2-E after all. Hamuko noticed her come in and quickly tapped her brother's arm. The group of five looked up to Mitsuru expectantly. The redhead nodded to them. "Mind if I interrupt? I was just told by the Chairman that he'll be stopping by this evening. When you get back, come to the 4th floor meeting room."

Yukari frowned. "Oh, um… okay."

"I'll see you all later," the Student Council President said as she left.

"What do you think it's about?" The archer turned back towards the others.

"Probably nothing good," Minato mumbled, dreading the upcoming meeting. Was it just him or was the smile on Ikutsuki's laughing Reaper getting wider? It was too bad nobody else could see it, but Minato kept his thoughts to himself.

"Well, whatever it is, it should be enough to give us a better clue as to what's going on," Hamuko frowned as she noticed her brother's dark expression. "Does anyone else think the Shadows are getting rowdier with each Operation?"

Junpei groaned and tugged his cap down. "How can things get worse than the monorail? Or those two last Shadows?"

Fuuka gave Minato a questioning glance as the boy explained. "The Operation before you joined was in a monorail. A Shadow took over the train and nearly killed us."

"I think I remember reading that in the news," Fuuka frowned. "Around midnight, a train suddenly skipped a large section of track and appeared right in front of another train at the station without any explanation." She noticed how her four peers frowned at each other. "Oh, I'm sorry. I can't imagine how much pressure you all felt then."

"Still, nii-san managed to save us with his instinct!" Hamuko cracked a smile and hugged her brother from the side. "He was completely petrified, but he did it!"

"Cut it out," the boy lightly pushed her away, not in the mood for her jokes. Hamuko's smile faded into a sorry frown but the blue-eyed boy wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring at his Velvet Key as he remembered how the female Shadow tried to reach out for him that night. "That Priestess Shadow… It wanted something from me…" he muttered to himself. The red-eyed girl noticed Fuuka heard too and the two exchanged concerned glances.

Yukari and Junpei didn't notice as the archer shook her head. "Hey, let's not bring that up again. I still get nervous when riding the monorail at night."

Minato grunted in agreement, but he was only half-paying attention. Was there something about the other three Shadows that I missed?

Hamuko was careful with her brother as he was spacing out as they returned to the dorm. "Red light," she said aloud, making him stop.

"Huh?" He looked up at the crosswalk. "Oh," he replied when he realized she was right. "Okay…"

"Hey, is something the matter?" she looked at him worriedly. She reached up for his forehead. "You've been acting weird since lunch."

"Sorry, but I'm probably just thinking too much," he mumbled.

"More Reapers?" his younger sister asked.

He shook his head. "Just the same ones I've been seeing before."

"Even Fuuka-chan?" Hamuko stared at him in alarm.

"What?" Minato finally looked towards her and frowned. "Oh, uh... No, not that one..." He shook his head. "That Reaper disappeared once Fuuka summoned Lucia. I mean, she does still have a Reaper on her, but it's more in line with the cloud that follows everyone at the dorm," he stated while worriedly eyeing the constant mist trailing his sister. It wasn't as prominent during the day so he had learned to more or less ignore its presence, but that still didn't completely stop his concerns.

Hamuko must have noticed because she quickly tried to get her brother to relax. "After lunch, Fuuka-chan asked me if I knew what was bothering you. You shouldn't worry her too much, nii-san."

"I'll apologize to her, too. Thanks for letting me know," he absently replied while knitting his eyebrows together.

"That's not what I meant!" The red-eyed girl frowned. "Nii-san, you like her, right?"

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and frowned at her. "Where did that come from?"

Hamuko smirked as he was finally acting like himself again. "So, do you? It's okay if you do. I won't get jealous."

"What unnecessary things to say," Minato huffed as the light finally became green. "I don't want you to give her too much trouble, Hamuko. That's an order."

The younger twin laughed as she followed after him. "It's okay, nii-san. I'm sure Fuuka-chan likes you too. Have you seen the way she looks—?" She was interrupted when her brother shushed her. Confused as to why he did that, she looked ahead at what he was staring at before smiling at the sight.

Outside the building, Yukari and Fuuka were playing with a white dog. Fuuka knelt before it as she happily spoke to it. "Koro-chan, give me your paw!"

The dog did as asked and Yukari was surprised. "Ooh, good dog!"

Fuuka looked up and brightened as Minato came towards them. "Oh, hi."

Yukari noticed them too and smiled. "Hey, you're back!" She noticed Hamuko snickering behind her brother as the blue-haired boy groaned. Yukari raised her eyebrow at the red-eyed girl who just gave her a smirk and eyed Fuuka, who was actively blushing at the boy. The archer smiled too but the dog in front of her began barking for attention.

Minato raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "What's with the dog?" he asked, bending down to examine it. Wow, an albino. He looks like a purebred too. Pretty cool.

"He was just walking down the street," Yukari answered.

His younger twin stepped up to the dog. "Can we pet him?"

"Koro-chan," Fuuka pointed to the twins. "Go say hi!" The dog happily obliged as he approached the twins with a cheerful bark.

Wow, he's pretty smart, Minato thought as he got down to pet the white furball. He smiled as the dog leapt onto him and began licking his face. "H-hey!" The usually stoic teen couldn't help but laugh. "That tickles! Hamuko! H-help!"

His sister happily distracted the dog by rubbing its back. It rolled over as she gave him a belly rub. "I think he sensed your Hellhound instincts, nii-san," she joked. "So do you have a name?" she asked the dog.

Fuuka hid a smile behind a hand as she helped Minato up from the ground. "His name's Koromaru. I've seen him sitting by the steps of the shrine."

"Huh?" Hamuko watched as Koromaru got to his feet and bark to the girls. A light appeared behind him and Hamuko watched. A lady came up from behind her and noticed the dog.

"Oh," the lady began. "This dog still goes on walks all by himself?"

The four students looked at the lady in surprise. Yukari was the first to speak. "Whaddya mean?"

"He used to belong to the priest at Naganaki Shrine," the lady explained. Hamuko watched as the light took on the figure of a man. "Every afternoon, the two of them went this way for a walk."

"That explains it..." Fuuka nodded. She and Minato gave each other a confused glance as something was off. Where was Koro's owner?

"Well," the lady looked away sadly. "Until the priest passed away."

Hamuko nodded to Minato while eyeing the priest's ghost behind Koromaru and he immediately understood, but Fuuka's eyes widened in sad surprise. "He passed away…?"

"Oh, you haven't heard the story? It was about six months ago… The priest was hit by a car while walking his dog." The juniors frowned. "He didn't survive. Ever since then, that dog sits patiently by the site of the accident. And he goes for a walk every day, just like when his owner was still alive…" She paused to look at her watch before shaking her head. "Oh shoot, I have to get going! My son will be back soon!"

Yukari gave the dog a sympathetic glance as she pet him some more. "Aww, you're such a loyal dog! Good boy!"

Minato and Fuuka stared at Koro for a while longer before Minato noticed a faint cloud emanate from him. A Reaper cloud?

Beside him, Fuuka thought she heard something. "Huh?"

The boy's blue eyes quickly darted in her direction. Wait, did Fuuka sense it too?

Yukari looked up at the teal-haired girl. "What's wrong?"

Koromaru decided to continue on his walk and Fuuka looked around in confusion. When she didn't notice anything out of place, she looked back at the other three who were watching her in worry. "Oh, nothing… Sorry." She gave them an apologetic smile before remembering something. Wait, isn't the Chariman coming today? Then, we should go get ready."

"Oh, that's right." Hamuko got back up as she opened the front door. "The command room, right?"

"Yeah, as usual," Yukari followed after her.

Fuuka was about to go in too but Minato reached out for her. "Fuuka?"

"Minato-kun?" The girl turned around and saw a strange expression on his face. It wasn't quite one of his worried scowls, but the concern was still present. "Is something wrong?"

Minato looked towards Koromaru. "Did you sense something strange just now?"

Fuuka watch him stare at the white dog and shook her head. "I just thought I heard something, but it doesn't look it was anything."

"So around Ikutsuki-san, you don't sense anything… odd?"

"Minato-kun, are you okay?" His questions were rather confusing and the girl frowned at him with worry.

"So it's not…" Minato muttered to himself. "Yeah," he nodded to himself. "Koromaru is safe." He realized he just said those words aloud so quickly let out a nervous laugh. "S-sorry. I was just thinking about something. We should hurry to the command room too. Never mind what I asked before."

Fuuka nodded her head as the boy followed her into the dorm. Minato-kun… Are you hiding something?

Everyone was already in the meeting room. They all waited as Ikutsuki finally entered. "Hello, everyone. I wanted to let you know how my research has been going. This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during full moons. I want you to listen closely; it might be hard to follow. Shadows can be divided into 12 categories, according to their characteristics. This, we've known for a while. It's like their class or order. Now, I've classified the special Shadows we've seen so far, and… It's simply fascinating!" He paused as he became lost in thought.

Yukari frowned as she snapped him back to the meeting. "And…?"

"Oh, sorry." Ikutsuki nodded as he cleared his throat. He took a seat at the control panel and pulled up the data on the Shadows. "Those four Shadows belong to categories I through IV, in order of their appearance! They may have looked different than the more common ones, but the classification scheme still applies."

Minato's eyes widened as he immediately understood. Junpei on the other hand crossed his arms with a frown. "Is that something we should be excited about?"

"Oh, I get it…" Fuuka nodded. "There's 12 in all… Eight we haven't seen yet."

"That's exactly right, Fuuka!" Ikutsuki smiled. "You're quite sharp."

Junpei finally understood. "Oh, uh, okay… But, what are they after?"

"That's a good question," Ikutsuki nodded. "And that's what we haven't figured out yet: their motive. They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole…" Minato shifted as he didn't like the giddy tone in the man's voice. "That's what we need to consider."

Akihiko smirked. "This is interesting. But, no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of 'em."

"I agree," Mitsuru nodded. "That's about all we can do at this point."

"Eight more, huh?" Yukari considered their situation. "Lucky us."

"According to the data," Fuuka pointed at the screen, "each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training harder…"

"We'll manage," Akihiko eagerly smirked. "We've got plenty of time."

"What about Tartarus?" Yukari frowned. "Why does it even exist…?" The brunette watched as Mitsuru lowered her head, deep in thought. Just what is she hiding?

~21 JUNE 2009~

Minato stared at his ceiling for quite a while before he felt the need to get up. He didn't bother changing out of his sleeping clothes as he walked over to his desk, yawning. He paused when he saw one of his case folders underneath his schoolwork so pulled it out.

"Oh, that's right," Minato said aloud. "I never filed a closing report for last month's operation." He frowned as this was unlike him. This was the first time he had neglected to conclude an investigation. The boy placed the folder over his laptop and carried them outside with him. Well, it doesn't sound like anyone's here today. This'll probably take all day so I'd better work downstairs where coffee is more accessible. As he walked down the stairs, he began humming the beginning of his favorite song to himself. "Dreamless dorm~ Ticking clock~ I walk away~ From a soundless room~" He managed get to the first floor without problems. "Windless—" He yelped as he saw someone sitting in the lounge. "Fuuka!?"

The girl looked up at him, startled. "Oh! Minato-kun!" She set her laptop aside as she started to get up. "Is something wrong?"

Minato calmed his heart rate as his face grew red. "I thought I was the only one in the dorm today."

Fuuka realized he was just embarrassed that she had been listening to him sing. "Oh! Um… I'm sorry… I…" She didn't really know what else to say to him.

"N-no, it's fine." Minato set his laptop down on the coffee table.

They stood in awkward silence before Fuuka nervously laughed as she noticed how quiet the building was. "Wow, no one's here… Everyone must have left…"

"Um, don't you go out?" Minato asked. "It must be boring to stay in the dorm all day."

"Hm? Don't I go out?" Fuuka's face slightly went pink as she looked back at her laptop. "Well, if there's a computer around, I usually stay inside. Why don't you go ahead, Minato-kun? I'll be fine by myself."

"N-no, I don't really have plans to leave the dorm today either," he smiled at her. "I actually have a report to work on. If you want, I can keep you company while I work."

"Okay…" Seeing as the boy already set his things down before going into the kitchen, Fuuka nodded. Curious, the girl stared at the file on his laptop. "What is it for?"

"It's not actually for school. It's a case file regarding…" Minato blinked as he realized who exactly it was he was talking to. "Um…" He turned away as he filled the coffee pot with water.

The girl's brown eyes widened. "Oh! So it's about…"

"Yeah," Minato looked away from her. "I usually write up a final report for myself for future reference. I've put this one off long enough."

"I see," Fuuka giggled at his hobby. "I can see why people call you the Hellhound at school. You're just like a detective, Minato-kun."

The boy smiled at that. "Y-yeah? Well, my parents were detectives and I picked up a lot of their habits." He waited for his coffee to brew. "In fact, a lot of my relatives are investigators of some sort. I find it pretty fascinating, but Hamuko and I can't really see ourselves becoming detectives in the future."

"Then what do you want to do when you're older, Minato-kun?"

"Hamuko wants to be a nurse or doctor while I…" Minato thought about it. He frowned when he realized he never considered what he wanted to do in the future. I always thought I'd be dead before that time comes. Either that or in an asylum somewhere. "I don't actually know. Hamuko says that with my skills and hobbies, I can do anything I want. It's just that I'm not particularly too interested in one subject. I guess I can be an investigator like the rest of our family, but I wouldn't say I'd want to." He shook his head as he probably wasn't making any sense. "What about you, Fuuka? Is there anything you have planned?"

"My parents want me to become a doctor," the girl replied with a sad frown. Minato looked up from pouring himself a mug of coffee and noticed. "All of my relatives are doctors except my parents, so they expect me to study hard and do whatever I can to become one."

"I see," Minato hid his own frown as he sipped his coffee. "But is there anything you'd want to do?"

"If I tell you, promise you won't laugh?" The girl looked up at him shyly. Minato nodded as he returned to the lounge and set his mug on a coaster. Fuuka smiled as she stared at her laptop. "I would like to be an engineer. I'm actually very good with computers and electronics."

"That's right," Minato brightly smiled. "You even modified your own camera. It was very impressive, Fuuka."

"But it's not very feminine," she frowned to herself.

"A lot of my hobbies aren't really masculine," the boy shrugged, setting his file to his side and turning on his laptop. "I'll let you in on a secret the others in the dorm don't actually know about me. Well, Hamuko knows, but she doesn't really count. I really like fortune telling. It's pretty fun. It's not masculine, but I like it."

Fuuka giggled at him. "That's actually very surprising. I never would have guessed, Minato-kun."

"See?" The boy smiled as he opened up a word processor. "There's a lot more to you than you know, Fuuka. It's okay to do things on your own terms. It's your life and you should live it. I'm not saying you should ignore your parents. I'm just saying you shouldn't just let others dictate your future. It's yours after all."

The brown-eyed girl smiled gratefully at the boy as he began typing. "You're very kind, Minato-kun. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"H-hey… I'm not really that great," he said, face slowly becoming pink. He glanced around him and took out a few documents from his folder.

The two remained silent as Fuuka returned to her own laptop. She glanced up at the boy and noticed him furrow his eyebrows as he typed up his concluding report. She smiled as he seemed so focused on his work. I think you'd make a great investigator, Minato-kun. You always seem to know when someone is in trouble and are the first to save them. Even in Tartarus… Fuuka left him to his work, letting the oddly soothing sound of the boy's clacking keyboard fill the silence of the dorm.

Minato's eyes scanned his laptop, oblivious to his surroundings as he began furiously typing. So as it turns out, 'Makoto' was indeed Fuuka Yamagishi. She had been the victim to bullying in Ekoda's Class 2-E and an incident occurred where the first victim of the 'ghost' locked her in the gymnasium, resulting in Fuuka's following disappearance. Ekoda purposefully tampered with her school records to hide all traces of the bullying as well as her disappearance in order to protect himself and the class. This only made the matter worse as more students began disappearing from the school. These victims had planned to return to the campus in the middle of the night to free Fuuka from the gym, but they fell prey to the Shadows of Tartarus following a Voice they heard calling them.

As for Fuuka herself, she already had the Potential so when she accidentally wandered into Tartarus, she was safe. The victims on the other hand were not meant to be pulled into the Dark Hour, so ended up in the hospital. Following this case, I'm sure they will have no memories of exactly what they went through, and although this means I can no longer question them about the events they went through, this is for the best. One girl in particular, Natsuki Moriyama, nearly fell victim to the Voice, but on the night of the Full Moon, Fuuka saved her from the two Shadows that appeared then. Moriyama-san might not remember, but the events of that night must still resonate within her because she and Fuuka seem to be good friends now.

This case turned out to be rather simple but there were many details I overlooked. One major point was the fact that I did not realize who Fuuka was sooner. The clues were rather obvious in hindsight, but it was my own immaturity that made me turn my back on the truth. The Reaper was the biggest giveaway but my panic nearly put Fuuka in greater danger. After all, she was willing to speak with me at that point, but I pushed her away. Perhaps if I braved the Reaper, I would have gotten her to join SEES that following Friday, preventing her from ever being trapped in Tartarus for ten days.

Speaking of which, the nature of Fuuka's powers is amazing. Much like Kirijo-senpai, Fuuka has the ability to scan Shadows. There is a clear difference in quality between when Senpai filled the role of support though. This much is obvious given Fuuka was trapped in Tartarus for an equivalent of ten Dark Hours. Compared to Senpai, Fuuka is much faster, more accurate, and actually a hundredfold more powerful. The difference in speed of information transfer may be accounted for by Fuuka's telepathy, but her accuracy and strength must be due to her Persona. Sanada-senpai reassured me that Kirijo-senpai was meant for the frontlines and after seeing her on the battlefield, I understand why he thinks so. Penthesilea may have served well supporting us, but her power is clearly meant for battle. So from now on, Fuuka's Lucia will be our supporting Persona. I do have some concerns about this though.

During operations and Tartarus explorations, I have some qualms about having Fuuka exposed to danger. Lucia is rather open to attack, but not entirely defenseless. Fuuka is completely safe within Lucia's protective bubble, but if a powerful Shadow were to attack her, she'd have no means of fighting back. Kirijo-senpai agreed to me having only a max team of five going into Tartarus. This gives me a chance to delegate someone to sit with Fuuka in case a stray Shadow leaves the labyrinth for the lobby.

During actual operations, I may reduce the number to four; this way the threat of a more powerful Shadow is stopped by two fighters instead of one. My reasoning for this is completely rational as Hamuko and I have been noticing that the Shadows are growing more and more unruly. Even Pharos thinks so as his nightly visits seem to be more than just to warn us of danger. As Fuuka pointed out during Ikutsuki's last visit, we have eight more Shadows to face. Already, we've defeated the Magician, Priestess, Empress, and Emperor but we have yet to face the Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Fortune, Strength, and Hanged Man. How odd that we stop right before Death.

Actually, this is rather suspicious. Why does it end with the Hanged Man? Ikutsuki explained that the Shadows fall under these twelve categories, but why do I sense there is a thirteenth category? In fact, what if I categorize the Reapers I see as Shadows? They'd perfectly fit into Death. Is Ikutsuki just ignorant of this or is he really hiding something? With as many times we've met, that laughing Reaper has been consistently following him. It's not marking Ikutsuki's death, so what exactly does it mean? Death is imminent for someone but whom?

I must be thinking about this from the wrong angle. What if it's not a person that Reaper is for? Given Ikustuki is the one directing us to destroy the Shadows, perhaps it is for them? That is rather ironic, but it's also a possibility.

This also explains the misgivings I have about the dying Priestess Shadow. She specifically looked to me and reached out for me in the same fashion Hamuko does whenever I'm suffering from the Reapers. Did the Shadow sense the Reapers haunting me, too? Did she not want to die? Actually, now that I think about it, the Magician was literally torn apart by the Reaper Persona that erupted from Orpheus. The Shadow must not have wished for Death then too.

But what about the Empress and Emperor? They must have known or at least sensed our intentions to defeat them because the Empress specifically attacked Kirijo-senpai. I was the one to deal the final blow on the Empress and it only looked to Senpai as it fell. I think it glanced towards Hamuko and me too, but I can't remember as I was completely focused on Fuuka's safety. As for the Emperor, Sanada-senpai was the one to destroy it. I'd never seen him so angry, but perhaps it was because Kirijo-senpai had been in danger. The Emperor Shadow bowed his head to Sanada-senpai though as he lost. Could this have meant something?

I really have no means of answering these questions right now. I should be vigilant of these Shadows' behaviors from now on. They have a message for us but seeing as I'm the one the Reaper haunts, only I can decipher this strange code. Just thinking about this brings about a strange mixture of curiosity and fear within me, but I must keep going. I must because I can't help but think of Pharos and his mysterious words.

He's always with me and I believe him. I also trust him. This 'end of everything' is troubling, but even he says the future has become uncertain. Whether it is due to Hamuko and me meddling, I am unsure. There may be more questions I have, but it would probably take an eternity for me to list them all. So for now, I will end here.

Minato saved the file and sighed when he finally finished. He lifted his empty mug of coffee and wondered when he finished it. His eyes focused on last few drops of the light brown liquid. "I didn't add cream to this," he said with a frown.

"No, but it was getting cold so I finished it for you," Hamuko smirked as she sat at his side.

"Oh, you've finished, Minato-kun?" Fuuka smiled at him.

"For now," Minato nodded. He looked back to his sister and shook his head. "How long have you been back?"

"A few minutes?" Hamuko shrugged. "By the way," she frowned at her brother, "do you mind explaining to us that really serious expression you had just now before you finished?"

"What expression?" Minato didn't understand the younger twin. He looked over towards Fuuka and noticed she was looking back at him with concern.

"Before Hamuko-chan returned, you were rather pale as you typed. I tried calling out to you, but you didn't answer. Are you feeling well?"

Minato tried to remember what he had been typing. Oh, it must have been the Reapers. "It's nothing too serious," the boy shook his head. He gave Hamuko an expectant glance and the red-eyed girl understood. "I was just considering whether to perform a follow-up investigation to make sure there are no loose ends." He crossed his arms. "But it's been a couple weeks already. I wonder if there's anything else I can do for this case."

Hamuko gave him a look that told him he'd had to tell her about his theories later but she gave Fuuka a sigh. "Nii-san is such a worrywart. You're doing fine in your class, right, Fuuka-chan? No one's giving you any trouble or anything?"

"That's right," the teal-haired girl nodded.

"See? No worries, nii-san. Besides, if you keep going into Ekoda's class, I'm pretty sure more rumors will be spread about you."

"Like what?" the boy rolled his eyes.

"Maybe something like the Hellhound dating Fuuka-chan!" Hamuko smiled as the two immediately blushed.

"H-hey. I told you no giving Fuuka trouble," the older boy scolded her.

"But Fuuka-chan's so cute," Hamuko smirked at him. "And Fuuka-chan, isn't nii-san adorable when he's flustered like this?"

"H-hamuko-chan, I-I think that's enough," Fuuka hid her face but she smiled as she saw the other girl was right. Minato wasn't directly looking at her though and was busy getting away from his sister's harassment.

"There's no winning against you," Minato huffed as he picked up his things. He gave Fuuka an apologetic smile. "I should print out my last document and reorganize this. Try not to take her too seriously." He cast his sister one last glare before going upstairs.

"Aw, nii-san's upset," Hamuko pouted. When he was gone, she laughed to herself before looking at her friend seriously. "Thanks for always watching out for him though, Fuuka-chan."

"N-not at all, Hamuko-chan," the brown-eyed girl shook her head. "The two of us were the only ones here and he was the one who wanted to keep me company."

"That's not exactly what I mean," Hamuko shook her head and smiled softly. "Never mind." The girl picked up her brother's mug and brought it to the kitchen. "Can I trust you with something, Fuuka-chan?"

"What is it?" Fuuka watched as she washed the cup carefully.

"You probably already noticed this but nii-san isn't the best with directions," the red-eyed brunette crookedly smiled. "Not only that, but he always ends up lost whenever he's on his own. And I don't just mean that in the physical sense," she shook her head with a sigh.

The new navigator stared back at her with a confused but concerned frown. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well..." Hamuko seriously looked into the other girl's brown eyes. "That day on the roof when you spoke to him, he panicked, right?" The brunette didn't wait for her to answer as she continued. "If he ever loses his way like that again, I want you to navigate him out of whatever despair he's drowning himself in."

"Navigate? How do I...?"

"Just talk to him? I guess?" The younger twin tilted her head to the side and frowned at Fuuka. "I don't really understand it all myself, but you and your Persona have a really unique power. Minato and I can't emulate it at all despite the various Personas we've collected so far. That's why I want you to promise me you'll use that power to help nii-san however you can. Please?" Hamuko pleaded. "This is something I can only ask you, Fuuka-chan."

Fuuka looked into the co-leader's red eyes and noticed they glowed in the same worry and concern as Minato's did. The only difference between their gazes was that Minato often stared at Fuuka with great necessity reflected in his blue orbs. Realizing just how much the twins needed her assistance, Fuuka ended up giving the brunette a firm nod. "I'll do my best, Hamuko-chan." She frowned as she wondered where this sudden request came from though. "Can I ask why you're asking me this?"

"I have a few things I need to do that if nii-san knew about it, he'd worry himself silly," Hamuko answered, thinking about Akihiko's mysterious friend. "I might not be able to spend as much time with nii-san in the future, so I need someone he's comfortable around to watch him for me."

"Me?" Fuuka's face went red.

"Yeah," the red-eyed girl chuckled. "You like nii-san after all."

"I-I…" Her brown eyes looked away from the other junior.

"It's okay. Nii-san knows. Or he would know if he believed me," Hamuko's mischievous smirk returned. "Nii-san likes you too."

"Y-you're teasing me again, aren't you, Hamuko-chan?"

Hamuko laughed at how red Fuuka's face was. "I'll leave that up to you to decide."

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

Mitsuru winced as she gingerly pressed the wound on her arm. "Yuki? Do we have something stronger available for me to wear into battle? I don't think my current setup is feasible."

"Yukari, cast Dia," Minato ordered as he dug through his bag. "Sorry, Senpai. The only other armor I have available for you isn't very…" Minato scanned the walls as he searched for an appropriate word. "Um… Let's just say it's indecent."

Akihiko crossed his arms at the leader. "Hey. It can't be that bad. We're talking about a life-or-death situation here. If it's stronger than what she's got now, you might as well give it to her."

"No, really," Yukari nervously sided with Minato. "I don't think it's a good idea, Senpai."

Hamuko shook her head at the two other juniors. "Here, Mitsuru-senpai!" She handed the armor to the redhead. "It'll be fine! Let's go change! Yukari, you coming?"

"N-no way!" The brunette shook her head as she sighed at what the older girl got herself into. "This won't turn out well."

Minato agreed. Akihiko frowned at them both. "Honestly, you two. Every point for defense counts. Why wouldn't you—?" The boxer's eyes went wide as Mitsuru came back, wearing barely anything.

Mitsuru held her arm as her face was slightly red. "Um… I now understand your reservations, Yuki." She noticed Akihiko gawking at her. "Is something wrong, Akihiko?"

He quickly turned around so that he wouldn't have to face her. After he regained his composure, he cleared his throat. "I think you should change back, Mitsuru. Isn't it cold wearing that?"

"I admit it's very revealing, but I'll be fine. Arisato says it takes some getting used to."

Minato glared at his sister. "Well, if you insist, Senpai."

They didn't make much progress that night as Akihiko was too distracted to fight. When they returned to the lobby, Junpei raised an eyebrow at the blue-haired boy. "That's it? Will I be able to go up now?"

"That depends," Minato said. "If you can convince Kirijo to change her armor, we'll go up. Otherwise, no."

"Why? What's she—?" Junpei looked over his shoulder and covered his nose. "Shit… She's so hot!"

Hearing him, Akihiko punched the junior. "Head in the game, Junpei!" he hissed.

"You're one to talk, Senpai," Minato sighed, remembering how their last fight ended with the boxer being downed three times for not paying attention to the Shadows. He looked around to tell Fuuka that they were done for the night but couldn't find her anywhere. He turned when a familiar yelp came from the changing area they set up.

"Hamuko-chan, I don't think this is necessary," Fuuka said as Hamuko pulled her away from the curtains.

"The extra defense might come in handy, Fuuka-chan!" The red-eyed junior snickered.

"What are you doing now?" Minato sighed in exasperation as he approached them. He froze when Fuuka stepped out wearing the dreaded Battle Panties. "F-Fuu… U-um…" He choked on his words and began coughing.

"Minato-kun!" Fuuka quickly rubbed his back. "Are you alright?"

When he calmed down enough, Minato shot his sister a death glare. The girl jumped out of his reach as he began to chase her around the lobby. "I want everyone back into what they were before! I told you! We're a team of class!" Minato managed to corner the red-eyed girl and tried to grab her but she dodged out the way, resulting in her older brother knocking himself out when he crashed into the wall.

"Junpei!" she called out, dragging her brother towards Fuuka. "You're taking nii-san's place. Get ready to move out, everyone!" Hamuko paused in front of Yukari and smiled devilishly at her as she pulled out the last armor set she had. "Yukari, get changed."

Yukari sighed as she had no choice against the co-leader. "At least I'm not the only one wearing it."

"Please take very good care of my brother, Fuuka-chan," Hamuko winked as they left the two blue-haired teens behind.

Fuuka blushed as she knelt beside the sleeping boy. Seeing as they were alone and he wouldn't be able to defend himself if a Shadow came by, Fuuka took out her Evoker and summoned Lucia. The Persona's protective dress surrounded the two of them before Fuuka returned to her job.

Minato slowly sat up and grabbed his head. "Urgh, Hamuko…" He froze when he saw that he was inside Lucia. "Um…" The girl was busy directing a fight and Minato crossed his arms as he sat on the ground. Looks like I'm trapped here for the rest of the night… He stared outside of Lucia's dress, trying to ignore Fuuka's reflection on the glass. Please let the Dark Hour end soon…

Final Notes: I really do love giving characters I like grief... Then again, I'm a bit masochistic so willingly give myself grief too. I don't mind my friends teasing me. It's all in good harmless fun and I'm the one who normally sets myself up for it. You know, I wish Fuuka had a Maid Outfit costume. I mean, even Aigis gets one, so why can't Fuuka? The Battle Panties wouldn't suit the adorable navigator, but I want to see her in a Maid Outfit. And why doesn't Minato have his own Butler Outfit for that matter? It'd suit him... Seriously, Koro gets his own pseudo-tux and the protagonist doesn't?