Author's Notes: Something I didn't mean for to happen is that apparently, the operations are spaced out every 4 chapters. Funny how that turned out... Oh well.

~2 AUGUST 2009~

"We pledge… to complete fairly and uphold the ideals of good sportsmanship!" The voices of every competitor rang throughout the field.

Minato stretched his legs and watched the various events pass. Soon, it was going to be his turn. Kaz turned to the blue-haired boy beside him. "Hey, you're almost up, Minato! You ready to do this!?"

The SEES leader felt his stomach flip a little in anticipation. "I'm a little nervous," he admitted.

"Yeah," Kaz nodded. "I thought you might be. But don't worry, man! Everyone's like that in the beginning. Let me give you some advice, since this is your first time…" He smiled widely and let out a roar, making Minato jump a bit. "Just give it everything you've got! It takes guts to win! Don't give in to fear!"

"Kaz, leave him alone!" Yuko sighed as she gave Minato a smile. "Just leave the cheering to me! Oh, yeah…" She reached into her sports bag and took out a bottle. "Here, take this, Minato. It's my Special Drink. If you use it, you won't be tired anymore."

"Ugh, that nasty stuff you make me drink?" Kaz made a face. "Dude, I don't think you should take it. It tastes awful."

Yuko glared at him. "But it works!"

Minato didn't even get a chance to check was in the drink when the coach called for him. "Well, thanks anyways, Yuko."

"Alright, dude!" Kaz cheered him on. "Go for it!"

Minato prepared himself on the starting line. He looked to his side and noticed the popular tan runner everyone was going on about. So that's Mamoru Hayase. He looks fast… Minato focused his blue eyes on the track in front of him. But I'll be faster… The boy watched for the smoke from the starting gun and quickly took off.

Yuko squealed as Minato was in the lead. "Wow, he's good! Keep it up, Minato!"

"Whoa! Dude!" Kaz smirked triumphantly as his friend kept up his lead.

The race ended and Minato quickly leaned over, his hands on his knees. He wore a satisfied smirk as he returned to his two friends. "So? What'd you think?" he asked as he tried to regain his breath.

"Minato! You did it!" Yuko was excited for him.

"You did great, dude!" Kaz smirked with his arms crossed. "Looks like all your hard work paid off."

"But…" Yuko looked over towards the track. "It's too bad HE won again."

Kaz's eyes widened as even he was impressed. "They say Hayase annihilates his opponents. I thought people were just exaggerating, but man, he's insane!"

"No kidding," Minato shook his head. "I almost didn't even see him as he crept up behind me."

"We could sure use someone like him on our team…" Kaz sighed. When he realized what he was suggesting though, the injured runner let out a frustrated yell. "Next time, we won't lose!"

Minato took a swig of Yuko's vegetable juice and noticed the tan runner coming towards them. Yuko tapped on Minato's arm. "Hey, isn't that him?"

Mamoru smiled at Minato. "Hey, what's up? Dude… you were good."

"I've been practicing," Minato nodded.

"Yeah, I can tell. You put up a good fight." Mamoru crossed his arms and looked the boy over. "Hey, I was thinking… Maybe we could hang out sometimes…"

Minato gave him a curious frown. "Why?"

"You still need to work on your technique, but if you keep at it, you could be really great," Mamoru's smirk widened. "I think you might help me push me to test my limits. That's why." He turned around as his own team was calling for him. "I usually grab a bite to eat at the strip mall in Iwatodai after school… Stop by sometime if you feel like it. My name's Mamoru… Nice to meet you."

"Minato," the blue-haired boy nodded. "I guess we'll see each other soon then."

"See ya around," Mamoru nodded as he left.

"Wow, Minato!" Yuko's eyes widened. "He must really be impressed with you!"

"Hmph!" Kaz crossed his arms. "If you see him again… tell him this… Next time, I'll kick his ass!"

"Calm down, Kaz," Yuko sighed. "Good job today, Minato!"

"Let's get outta here," Kaz smirked as he pointed to the locker rooms. "Think we have time for one last dip in the bath, Minato?"

"I hope so," the blue-haired boy shrugged. "That race was a lot harder than I thought."

"Well," Rio addressed both teams. "Thanks a bunch for all your help. We'll remember what we learned here and keep trying our hardest." She led the Gekkoukan team in their bow.

"Thank you very much!"

The Yasogami students bowed back. "Have a safe trip back."

From the side, Kaz smirked. "Guess we should go back too…" He noticed Yuko was being distracted by something. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah…" Yuko yawned. "I just didn't get any sleep… I saw… people's faces in the walls…"

"You're just exaggerating…" Kaz shrugged. "Want me to give you a piggyback ride if you're not feelin' well?"

"You moron!" Yuko scolded him. "Your leg's hurt! What're you talking about!? I'd rather give you a piggyback ride!"

Kaz laughed at that. "See? You're exaggerating again."

Minato smirked at the two as he lifted his sister's luggage. "Well, this was a fun trip," he said, bowing to Yukiko who was seeing them off. "Thank you for your hospitality, Amagi-san."

"Please come again," Yukiko bowed back.

Yuko smiled at her. "Oh, thanks for taking the time to come see us off."

Kaz pointed to his friend. "She said she saw people's faces showing up in the inn's walls."

"Ack, you idiot!" Yuko's face went red.

"Oh, you saw them too?" Yukiko paused. "There's always a few at old inns, so there's no need to worry."

"Always… a few?" Yuko's face went pale.

Yukiko chuckled. "I'm just joking."

Yuko shook her head. "That was definitely not a joke…"

Rio tugged on the girl's sleeve. "C'mon, let's go home."

"Well, then I must part here," Yukiko smiled at them as she waved. "Please have a safe trip back."

"Don't tell me…" Yuko shook her head. "She's not a ghost herself, is she!? I mean, she was real cute… Maybe she was the one!"

"Really cute girls are ghosts?" Kaz pondered this for a moment. "That's all the proof I need to know you're human."

"What?" Yuko glared at him. "Say that again to my face!"

"Hey," the boy jumped back a bit. "Stop tryin' to step on my foot!" He stopped as he remembered something. He turned towards Minato. "Oh, that reminds me. I was looking around the tournament a moment ago. I couldn't find Niimura from San High so he must have been a no-show. I had coach look into it and apparently they couldn't find him at his house, either."

"Does… that mean he's missing!?" Yuko asked in alarm. "Did he run away from home? Maybe he was freaked out about the competition?" She paused for a moment. "Or, wait… Is it because of that Apathy Syndrome thing…?" Hamuko and Minato shared a frown with each other but none of their friends noticed.

"No idea…" Kaz shook his head. "Hopefully he shows up soon. He was a great guy…"

"Yeah…" Yuko said. She shook her head to clear the thoughts. "A-anyways, let's go home! C'mon, let's do our clap and put this to bed!"

"Why're you the one leading the clap…?" Kaz frowned at her.

Minato chuckled as he followed them to the train station. He paused when he noticed Hamuko was trailing behind. "Hamuko? It's time to go."

"Yeah," she nodded as she reached his side.

"Worried about the next operation?" Her brother asked in concern. The red-eyed girl nodded. "Don't worry," he smiled. "We'll be fine. It's the same with Koromaru. He'll be fine too."

Hamuko noticed there was something different about her brother. He seems more confident… She smiled to herself as she guessed what brought about this change. Well, I should be more confident too with Fuuka-chan watching out for us.

~6 AUGUST 2009~

"Well," Ikutsuki smiled as the team gathered. "It's a full moon once again."

"Any luck, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked Fuuka.

Fuuka nodded. "Yes, I've located it… and this time, it's not just an ordinary one."

"Now, that's more like it," Akihiko smirked.

"It's by the deserted houses in the northern part of Iwatodai." Fuuka frowned as she sensed something strange. "But, there is one thing that's strange… It seems like it's underground… almost 10 meters."

Minato raised his eyebrows. "Underground?"

"It must be in some kind of basement…" Yukari thought.

Aigis shook her head. "According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria. However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military."

"The military?" Yukari's eyes widened. "Is that true?"

Ikustuki considered it. "Well, the architectural and geographical data for the area were uploaded into her memory bank. Then again, the information hasn't been updated in a decade."

"That is correct," Aigis nodded.

"Uh," Junpei's eye brows furrowed. "Wouldn't that be a good idea?"

"Well, despite that info being outdated, it sure looks like it's still gonna be useful to us now," Hamuko shrugged.

"So," Akihiko turned to Fuuka. "How should we interpret this?"

"There's no way of knowing without actually going there…" Fuuka frowned.

"It seems war's scars may be deeper than we think…" Mitsuru said with arms crossed. "The situation is still unclear at this time. Therefore, we will wait until we arrive to determine who should be deployed."

"Agreed," Akihiko nodded.

"Understood," Aigis responded.

Minato lifted his blade and rested it over his shoulder. "Leave it to me," he calmly stated, ignoring the feeling of the pill bottle pressed against him.

Mitsuru chuckled at the boy. "Dependable as ever." She nodded to the team. "Then, let's go."

It took them a while to find the location, but using Aigis's sensor and Fuuka's guidance, they finally managed to locate an entrance into the underground facility Fuuka sensed earlier. Minato was the first down as he quickly checked for danger. "It's clear," he called out. "Come down slowly though." He turned around and watched everyone slide down after him. He paused as Fuuka had trouble getting into the bunker so immediately went to assist her.

She gave him a grateful smile before looking around. "The target should be around here…"

Minato suddenly pulled her behind him as he saw two Reapers appear. Them again… He held his sword out at the entrance they just came in from.

"Well done…" a mysterious voice said.

Fuuka shook her head. "Who are these guys!? Lucia didn't sense a thing 'til now!" She looked at Minato in confusion and her eyes widened as she realized how the boy noticed them. Do they have Reapers?

The solemn glare on the blue-haired boy's face gave her an answer as the two figures revealed themselves before him. The shirtless young man smiled at the entire team. "This is the first time we've met in person. My name is Takaya. This is Jin." He cast his gaze over to Minato and smiled. "We are known to some as Strega. We've been keeping an eye on you… From what we hear, you've undertaken a 'righteous' battle to save the world. But, we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream."

Akihiko glared at them. "What!?"

"You've gained new allies," Takaya looked towards Aigis, "yet this land still crawls with sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always…"

Hamuko stood closer to her brother as she noticed how tense he was. "Why are you doing this?" she asked them with a frown.

Jin glared at her. "Simple… If the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen, now can we?" His eyes went back to Minato as he studied the leader's face.

"Power…?" Mitsuru frowned. "Don't tell me you're Persona-users as well!"

"Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change?" Takaya frowned at the senior. He pointed to Minato. "He's already figured it out… Only a select few wield the power of a Persona… And the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore… just like the Tower of Demise…"

Yukari shook her head. "THAT's your reason!? Are you crazy!?" She tightened her grip on her bow as she remembered the role her father had in this mess. "There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

"What difference does it make…?" Takaya shrugged, studying Minato's rather calm face. "There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly." Minato's eyes narrowed. "No one can predict the future, anyway. But, that is beside the point…" His golden eyes gleamed as his smile grew bigger, hoping Minato would understand what he was getting at. "Surely you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

Disturbed by how much attention he was giving her brother, Hamuko shook her head. "Not at all!" Minato lowered his head in agreement with her.

"Is it not so?" Takaya tilted his head, disturbed by the fire in the girl's eyes. "How about the rest of you…?" He looked at the rest of the team. "Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

Junpei faltered a bit. "Huh?"

Beside him, Yukari glared at Takaya. "You think I like this!?"

Akihiko's gaze lowered as he too faltered. Fuuka stared at Minato's back and frowned. "I don't enjoy this one single bit," she softly said.

Minato slightly turned his head back towards her. Fuuka…

Jin looked at them all with disgust. "You've each got your own reason for fighting. 'Justice' is only an excuse… And that makes you all hypocrites! So I say, to hell with you!"

"We never said we were fighting for justice," Minato coolly said.

"So you finally speak, Minato Yuki," Takaya smirked.

The entire team looked to the blue-haired boy in surprise. Out of them all, Hamuko felt a bit betrayed as she stared at her brother in worry. "Nii-san?"

The SEES leader ignored her as he took a step towards Strega. Minato calmly stared back towards Takaya as the shirtless boy scanned his eyes. Takaya shook his head as Minato's blue eyes burned with the same fire as Hamuko's. "Your eyes have changed from the last time. Have you come to a decision?"

"Yeah," Minato reached into his pocket and took out the pill bottle. "You can take this back. I don't need it."

Takaya quickly caught the bottle and frowned. "You truly are a fool…" he said with great disappointment.

"You don't even know the truth behind that statement," Minato smirked back, his hand absently fiddling with his Evoker.

"Don't waste your time with him, Takaya," Jin shook his head.

Takaya nodded in agreement and began backing away from them as he glared at Minato. "It really is a shame that our opinions differ on this. You would have been a remarkable addition…"

Minato watched them carefully before noticing something strange about the ground. "Hey, wait!" He charged forward as a loud impact echoed through the room.

Akihiko looked around in confusion as the large metal walls began to shift. "Wha…!?"

Minato watched as the partition to the underground facility was beginning to close. He tried to keep it open, but Jin smirked at him before tossing out a flash grenade towards the SEES leader. "Have fun in there," he sneered as Minato flinched from the bright light that erupted right in front of him.

Akihiko hurried to their leader's side and banged a fist against the metal partition as it finally sealed shut. "Dammit… They locked us in!"

"We will be alright," Aigis said. "Rather than wasting our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first."

Yukari nodded. "You're right. If we lose our cool, then they win."

Blinking the dazzling lights from his vision, Minato reluctantly backed away from the partition. "Sorry, everyone. I should have been aware of a trap."

"You have a lot of explaining to do later, Minato Yuki," Hamuko scolded him, her hands on her waist.

"Yeah," the boy nodded before turning to their navigator. "But what's the situation right now, Fuuka? Is the Shadow here?"

The teal-haired girl nodded to him. "The Shadow's moving! I think it's noticed us!"

"Alright," Mitsuru gathered the team. "Let's concentrate on our original goal. We can look for a way out after we've won." She sternly glanced at Minato who only nodded in response. "Everyone, prepare for battle."

Minato pointed to Aigis. "We're scouting ahead. I want to know what kind of enemy we're dealing with here."

"Understood," Aigis followed him down the tunnel. Minato studied the ground for a while before noticing fresh tread marks. Aigis noticed him kneeling so scanned the ground. "These seem to belong to a military vehicle," she informed him.

"Then I know exactly who to bring," Minato nodded. He called out towards the entrance. "Hamuko, Kirijo-senpai! You're coming along. Everyone else, protect Fuuka! Also, if you can, look for a way to get the partition opened!"

"Roger!" Akihiko called back. He crossed his arms at Yukari and Junpei. "You heard him. Let's get started."

Minato waited for the two girls to catch up before moving onto the next area. Fuuka relayed to him where the Shadow was. "I sense the target two blocks ahead of you! It's moving slowly downward. Chase after it!"

"On it!" Minato replied as he carefully kept his footing on the slope. He nearly slipped but was glad when Hamuko grabbed his arm. "Thanks, Hamuko."

"We're so used to climbing up that downhill slopes are a problem," the red-eyed girl smirked.

"No matter, we must continue our pursuit," Mitsuru nodded.

"Whoa… This place seems to have been some kind of weapons depot. I've never seen so many weapons before… All designed to kill… But, I guess that's the reality of war… It's hard to believe that a time like that actually existed…"

"Maybe after we're done, I can pull a few of these and add them onto Aigis," Minato quipped. "Would that be fine, Aigis?"

"If it would improve my functionality, then I approve, Minato-san," Aigis nodded.

"Sweet, I get to work on an actual robot!" Minato jumped forward and slid down the slope a little.

"The target is gaining speed! It's continuing down the tunnel. Chase after it!"

Minato's eyes widened. "Everyone, let's hurry!"

They continued onward for a little while longer before Fuuka frowned. "The target has stopped! It's waiting in the next area! Be careful!"

Minato checked to see if his team was okay. "Let's go!" He pointed his sword out and rushed forward to see a tank-like Shadow. "Fuuka, start scanning! It looks pretty dangerous!"

"This explains the tread marks… It's using the tank as armor!"

As Minato studied the large Shadow, he scowled. He turned to Aigis after coming up with a quick plan. "Take the first shots, Aigis. Senpai, back her up with magic. Hamuko, let's do our stuff!"

"Right!" Hamuko nodded as she took off to the right. Her brother took off to the left and they flanked the large tank. Aigis leapt into the air and fired a hail of bullets to get its attention. As she landed, Penthesilea cast an ice spell. Hamuko and Minato quickly followed up with the Fusion Spell King and I.

The Shadow reared onto its tire treads. It then quickly drove in a wide circle, throwing the team back. Minato was the closest to the tank and Aigis quickly pulled him out of the way, taking the hit herself.

"Aigis!" Minato swapped his Persona. "Yatagarasu!"

Aigis was quickly repaired and she returned to the rest of the team. "It seems as though it can raise its power," the robot observed.

"So how's the scan coming along, Fuuka?" Minato frowned as the team scattered to avoid the shot coming from the tank's turret.

"Its Arcana is Justice…" Fuuka became confused as she was getting mixed signals. "Wait, it's Chariot? What the—Why am I sensing two entities…? It doesn't make sense!"

"Is there two of them?" Minato asked.

Mitsuru fired her Evoker again and Penthesilea succeeded in freezing the Shadow. "Yuki! You might be right!"

Minato looked up and saw the Shadow shaking before the turret removed itself from the tank. He quickly studied the two before directing his team towards the tank. "You three handle the tank! I'll take on the turret! Fuuka, weaknesses?"

"They're both immune to light and dark!" she informed them. "Be careful of the Justice Shadow! It can use Hama skills!"

"Thanks!" Minato called out before pulling up his Evoker. "Ragh! Persona!" Yatagarasu appeared again and both the turret and tank visibly slowed.

With the three girls barraging the Chariot Shadow behind him, it didn't take long before the tank fell. "One enemy left!" Fuuka informed him. "No, wait! Minato-kun! The Chariot is getting up again!" The Justice Arcana danced in the air triumphantly as it successfully cast Samarecarm.

"Why don't you stay down!?" Minato scowled as he prepared an attack. He slashed at the turret and saw it fall to the ground only to have it completely revive again. As soon as it was ready, it took aim at him. The boy was about to dodge out of the way, but he noticed Mitsuru and Hamuko behind him. He grit his teeth as he prepared to take the hit himself. "Kgh!"

Sensing that his team was his weakness, the Justice Shadow began purposefully taking aim at the other girls. It fired twice towards Hamuko and Minato quickly intercepted the shots.

"Minato-kun! What are you doing?" Fuuka noticed as the leader purposefully entered the enemy's line of fire.

"Don't worry about me!" he called as he summoned Sarasvati to cast Bufula. "Make sure the others take down the Chariot!"

"B-but—!"

"The sooner they do that, the sooner they can assist me!" Minato cut her off. He winced as he took another shot, this time aimed for Mitsuru.

Fuuka shook her head. "Hamuko-chan! The Justice Shadow is purposefully aiming towards you three! Minato-kun is taking every shot he can!"

"Nii-san, you idiot!" Hamuko frowned as she summoned Sati. "Senpai, Ai-chan! Go around the side! Make sure the Chariot Shadow is between us and the Justice Shadow!" she ordered.

Minato heard his sister and smirked. With more room to maneuver, Minato quickly charged towards the turret. His eyes widened as a seal of light appeared in the air. Is that—!?

"Minato-kun!?" Fuuka's voice echoed as the boy was hit by the Hama spell.

"Nii-san?" Hamuko watched as Minato fell to the ground.

Although he switched to Yatagarasu at the last second, the aftermath of being hit by the attack left Minato stunned. His body was still lagging behind from nearly having his spirit torn out of him. His thoughts rapidly came and went as he tried to regain his bearings but the Justice Shadow laughed at him as it recombined with the tank body. Everything moved around him in slow motion as he prepared for the worst.

Hamuko was frozen in place too as there was nothing she could do to quickly get to his side and pull him to safety. The brunette was about to make an attempt when from the corner of her eye, she noticed Aigis quickly taking action.

"Activating Orgia Mode!" Aigis's joints began to glow as her internal machinery increased her power output. Using all her might, she launched herself towards the combined Shadows, knocking it over before pulling Minato to safety.

As she did so, Minato barely registered what was happening and his head began to hurt as a bright light flashed in his eyes. This feels familiar… Did this happen to me before?

In his mind, he heard his younger self screaming. "Hamuko!? I'm coming to get you!" His small body scrambled back to the car and he pulled his younger sister out from the wreckage.

This memory… Why am I seeing this now? Minato wondered as Aigis finally stopped pulling on him.

"Rescue successful," Aigis reported to Hamuko before fully assaulting the enemy with Mitsuru's support.

Hamuko quickly cast a healing spell on the boy and Minato bolted up, taking a deep breath of air. He fell into a coughing fit as Hamuko knelt by his side. "Nii-san!"

"Sorry," Minato said as he got up. He winced as his body had sustained many shots trying to protect them. He glanced up towards Aigis and frowned at her sudden shift in performance. "Orgia Mode...?" He knit his eyebrows together as something about the robot's rough but agile movements were familiar. Aigis had explained to the twins the functions of Orgia Mode, but he hadn't really tested it out because he found it easier to precisely command what he needed of Aigis. Seeing it here for the first time, the field leader was at a bit of a loss on how to revise his battle strategy. He couldn't spend too much time on such thoughts though when he noticed his sister preparing to return to battle.

"Can you still fight?" she asked her brother.

"Yeah," he nodded before bringing a hand up to his headset. "Fuuka, any ideas on what we should do against them?" He kept a careful eye on Aigis and noticed smoke coming out of her joints. "Make it quick too. Aigis looks like she's about to overheat," he urgently stated.

"It looks like you can't defeat them while they're in the combined form," Fuuka told him, "but you'll still have to beat them both at once!"

"Understood," Minato nodded as he turned towards his sister.

"Nii-san, we'll have to use King and I again," Hamuko suggested.

The boy's blue eyes widened as an idea came to him. "Hold off on that spell for when Aigis overheats." When Hamuko nodded to him in understanding, Minato turned towards Aigis and Mitsuru in time to see the Shadows separate once more. He watched as Aigis focused on the Chariot and seeing he couldn't relay commands to her, he focused on calling out to Mitsuru instead. "Senpai! Change of plans, focus on supporting me against the Justice Shadow!" He started towards the fencer but looked back towards his sister. "Let me know when Aigis reaches her cooldown period!"

"On it!" Hamuko nodded as she took off towards the Chariot. She fired her Evoker a few times to help repair Aigis and support the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon's heavy attacks. It didn't take long, however, before Hamuko noticed the blonde slowing down dramatically. "Aigis!"

The blonde knew she was at her limit too but there was no time for her to evade to safety. "Initiating cooling sequence..."

"Nii-san!" Hamuko called out to her brother to warn him of Aigis's inactivity.

Minato shifted his head towards the Chariot but frowned since he and Mitsuru were still working on the second Shadow. "Just a little more..." Refocusing his attention on the Justice, he saw the turret trying to cast Hama again, but this time aimed towards the defenseless Aigis. "Oh no you don't!" The spell stopped short of him as Yatagarasu blocked it. After a quick slash, he jumped back as Mitsuru used an ice spell.

"Yuki! You've taken some damage," she informed him as she healed him too.

"Thanks, Senpai!" He smirked but frowned as the Justice Arcana was aiming somewhere else. "Just where do you think you're firing at?" He took the three shots and winced. "I won't let you harm my team!" He lifted his Evoker and fired. "Kusi Mitama!" A gust of wind attacked the turret Shadow. "Hamuko, we're finally ready!" he called out to her as he motioned for Mitsuru to back away from the Shadows or else she'd get caught in their attack.

"Black Frost!" she cried out.

"King Frost!" he roared.

"Fusion Spell: King and I!"

Minato felt the rest of his strength drain away as the spell wrapped both Shadows in ice. He hoped it would be enough to finish their opponents, but groaned when the Chariot and Justice turned towards him and his sister. Having used up all their remaining energy in their last Fusion Spell, the twins collapsed to the floor, unable to defend themselves against the Shadows.

"D-damn it..." Minato grit his teeth since there was nothing else anyone could do. He looked over towards Mitsuru and saw she had her Evoker prepared, but it seems as though Fuuka stopped her from using a single-target ice spell. If the senior took down one of the Shadows now, there was no way anyone was in a state to restart the battle over again against both. He didn't even have to look towards Hamuko to know that she was just as spent as he was. The SEES field leader clenched his eyes shut as he fervently wished there was something anyone could do in this situation.

"Ai-chan..."

"Huh?" Minato opened his eyes to stare at Hamuko and noticed his younger sister was smirking.

Beyond the two Shadows, Minato felt a presence rise before a determined cry rang out through the cavern. "Palladion!"

The Persona that was supposedly a symbolic manifestation of the Greek Goddess of War suddenly emerged, crashing into both Shadows at once. The twins watched as the Justice Shadow drifted to the ground, bowing to them, submitting itself to their team's strength. The Chariot also fell over but it attempted to get back up before Aigis towered over it, prompting it to give up. The Anti-Suppression Shadow Weapon looked around the battlefield once more to ensure all of their targets had been eliminated. Once satisfied, she hurriedly approached the twins to help them up.

"Shadows eliminated," she simply stated with a nod.

Hamuko cheerily laughed and threw her arms around the robot. "Good job, Ai-chan. I knew you'd save us!"

Minato knit his eyebrows together and gave the strange overprotective android a grateful smile. "Thanks... Aigis."

Mitsuru also nodded in approval of the robot's work. "That was a rather close battle," she stated as the Dark Hour suddenly ended, "but we've succeeded yet again." She studied Aigis with a proud smile before turning towards the path leading to the surface. "Yamagishi just notified me we're still locked here so we'll have to contact the Chairman. Arisato, Yuki, good work as usual."

"Of course, Senpai," Minato nodded.

"No problem," Hamuko smirked. She looked over towards Aigis who was beginning to follow Mitsuru up. "And thanks again, Ai-chan, for saving us!"

"It is my duty to protect you," the robot stated.

Hamuko shook her head. "But I still want to thank you. Just accept it, Ai-chan. You deserve it." Not quite understanding the brunette, the mechanical girl nodded before going on ahead of them. Hamuko nudged her brother's side with her elbow. "I told you she's on our side."

Minato rolled his eyes and shrugged it off. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here. Besides," his tone became serious as he carefully watched Mitsuru dialing in the Chairman's number into her phone, "I want to listen to this."

Once they caught up to the senior, the twins listened carefully as Ikutsuki answered their call. "Yes?"

"This is Mitsuru," the Kirijo heiress responded. "We've neutralized the target."

"Good work." Minato imagined the man smiling. "You may return."

"Wait," Mitsuru paused. "There's more… Our mission was interrupted by an uninvited guest. He's most likely a Persona-user."

"A Persona-user!?" Ikutsuki sounded rather surprised, but Minato knew better as he heard laughter coming from the transceiver.

So he does know, Minato thought as he brought a hand over his ear.

"And he wasn't alone," Mitsuru continued explaining the situation. "They appeared quietly during the Dark Hour and seemed to be aware of our activities."

"Hmm… Did they say anything that might give us a clue?"

"Come to think of it… They said they're called 'Strega'." Mitsuru looked over to Minato. "Yuki seems have made contact with them previously too."

"Strega…?" So he's gotten that far on his own? Ikutsuki seemed pensive. "I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you," Mitsuru sighed in relief. "I have one final thing to report… I regret to inform you that we fell right into Strega's trap, and now we're locked inside here."

"Ah, I see. Since the threat has been eliminated, I'll send someone over as soon as I can."

"I'm sorry…" Mitsuru frowned to herself. "We'll be waiting."

Minato sighed as the laughter stopped ringing in his ears. He looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry for withholding this information. I had only met them once previously outside of the Dark Hour," he partially lied. "They sensed my Persona and tried to recruit me. I'm certain that they've been the ones responsible for the recent Dark Hour murders."

"Did you know about their abilities?" the senior asked him.

"I had my suspicions," the boy continued, relieved that the senior seemed to believe him. He noticed Hamuko's stern frown though as she sensed he wasn't telling the complete truth. He decided to distract Mitsuru with a few concerns of his own. "A few questions I must ask though, Senpai. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I noticed one had an Evoker." Mitsuru sharply looked back at the boy. "How was he able to get one? And also, before they awoke to their power, how did they go undetected for so long? Do you know something, Senpai?"

Minato carefully studied the senior's reaction. Mitsuru frowned but didn't notice the boy's careful gaze. "No… The Evokers are custom-made. The Chairman is the one who foresees this. Perhaps a rogue scientist…?"

"I see," Minato frowned, now certain the Chairman was responsible for Strega's existence. "I'm sorry if I brought up an unnecessary point, Senpai. There must be a reasonable explanation for all this."

"Yes," the older girl nodded to the two before looking at the rest of the team as they finally emerged from the tunnel. "The two of you did well today. I'll check on everyone else while you can relax. Keep up the good work."

"Thanks, Senpai," Hamuko nodded before sternly looking at her brother.

He avoided her gaze. "Not now," he told her. "I'll explain things to you later."

"You'd better, nii-san," the younger twin narrowed her eyes on him. I didn't like how Takaya was studying you… Even without the Reapers I can tell he's obsessed with Death… Nii-san… Just what did they want from you?

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

The entire team waited as Hamuko triumphantly set down her shopping bag. "Okay, everyone! I got each of you new armor!" she beamed at them. "Go get changed!"

Minato felt a shiver run down his spine. "This can't be good…"

Fuuka smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

The leader waited as everyone found their new armor and went to get changed. The blue-haired boy paused as he stood in front of the bag. After deliberating with himself whether he should, he sighed as he began to dig through it for whatever it was his sister bought for him. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"What is it?" the navigator asked curiously.

Minato showed her the pair of blue swim trunks Hamuko expected him to wear. Fuuka and him both blushed as they stared at the shorts before Minato quickly shook his head. "We are not climbing Tartarus like this!"

Hamuko, the first to finish changing, tapped the pole of her weapon on her brother's head. "And why not?" She smiled at Fuuka and twirled around in her bikini. "It's summer! We might as well have a beach party in Tartarus."

Akihiko came out in his small swimsuit and stretched. "This might actually be some good training," he smirked.

Yukari paused as she came out of the changing area. "Um…" Her face went red as she stared at the boxer. "Can he change back?"

"Come on, we need to build our tolerance to being wounded," Akihiko shook his head.

"Can I not be in the same group as him then?" Yukari sighed to Minato.

Mitsuru picked up her rapier. "Well, this armor is stronger than what we previously had before…"

Aigis nodded. "Despite its appearances, our new attire appears to have additional protective properties as well," the blonde stated while staring down at her light blue sundress.

Junpei smirked at Hamuko as he returned to the team. "Man, don't you just love summer?" He frowned when he noticed Minato was still staring at his swim trunks. "Come on, dude. Join the fun!"

"This isn't fun," the boy frowned at the capped boy. "We're fighting Shadows in a life or death situation."

"Yeah," Hamuko nodded to her brother. "Meaning you need to improve what you have on now. Go get changed." She remembered something and took out another bag. "Oh, and Fuuka-chan. I know you don't fight, but I got you some armor too."

"Stop calling it armor…" Minato groaned. "No matter how you look at it, it's not armor."

Fuuka blushed as she stared at the new bikini. "Um… Minato-kun… If I change too, will you?"

The blue-haired boy tensed up. "You're not being roped into this too, are you?"

The girl's brown eyes glowed in determination. "I don't want you to get hurt while you're in Tartarus, so I think it's a good idea."

Hamuko laughed. "Thanks, Fuuka-chan. I knew I could count on you!" She shoved both teens into the changing area. "I'm taking everyone else up then. Yukari, you can stay down here with them!"

"Thank goodness," Yukari sighed as she watched Akihiko disappear through the warp point.

Minato walked out in the sandals and frowned. "I really hate being shirtless," he complained as he uncomfortably rubbed his burn marks.

Fuuka blushed as she stared at him. "I think you look nice, Minato-kun!"

Yukari nodded as she smirked at the two. "Yeah. No one really expects you to have such good muscle tone underneath what you wear." She laughed at her classmate. "And given your posture, you look too sickly to be even wearing swim trunks."

"S-stop staring," the boy muttered, turning his back on them. "Shouldn't this be the other way around?" He frowned at himself.

"Yes, but you're too much of an older brother to actually make a move on us," Yukari snickered. "Right, Fuuka?"

Fuuka blinked as she had been staring at Minato's sculpted back. "U-um…" She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she gave the two an apologetic frown. "I should probably get back to helping the others."

"Yeah, get on that," Minato nodded to her. He shook his head before turning back to Yukari. "I wonder how they're doing up there."

"Hopefully Akihiko-senpai is doing okay," Yukari shrugged. "I wonder if his swimsuit makes it hard for him to get close to the Shadows."

Minato crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Please don't give me a mental image of that ever again…"

Final Notes: Hrm... Something I overlooked was that Black Frost shouldn't be available until halfway into September... Oh well... I'll just pretend Black Frost just needs a Triangle Spread of only King Frost, Pyro Frost, and Jack Frost... Queen Mab kinda doesn't belong there... as far as I know and think... So I have like 3-4 chapters left before I'm caught up with my game. After which, I'll be doing weekly posts, or sporadic posts to match my game progress. Well, we'll see. I have something important this week to take care of so just a heads up.