Warnings: Slight violence. Suicidal implications. Lemon scenes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 Portable or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

Chapter Eight: Aigis

~July 21, Yakushima Beach, Daytime~

Aragaki Shinjiro was very annoyed.

'I woke up early in the morning just for this?' he thought, annoyed, glaring at the back of the idiot Junpei's head, trying to bore holes through it with sheer willpower alone, with the idiot saying something about 'Babe Hunt'. And judging by the exasperated look that Akihiko had shot at Junpei, even the silver haired teen was annoyed.

Junpei had all but broken his door down early that morning, along with Akihiko who had the room right next to him. And before the brunette senior even knew what is going on, he had found himself on Yakushima Beach, dressed in his swimwear.

Something near the waters of the beach caught Shinjiro's eye just then, and he turned only to see a girl with light blonde hair and equally pale blue eyes, with headphones over her ears, standing there.

Shinjiro recognised her immediately, as the mechanical robot had practically followed Yuuki around everywhere that she went the last time around, proclaiming herself as Yuuki's 'protector'. Part of Shinjiro was pissed off at her for sealing Death into Yuuki when she is a kid, but the other half, the reasonable half, can't bring himself to blame the blonde robot for it.

A muscle in Shinjiro's cheek twitched. 'Aigis…'

XXXXXX

~Jyomon Sugi Forest, Daytime~

Fuuka breathed in deeply, letting out a sigh of contentment as she exhaled out again, taking in the fresh air of the forest. All the girls have decided to go for a walk into the forest early that morning to get some 'girls' alone time'. Yuuki is the only one wise enough to leave a note behind for the boys to find before they go into panic mode.

"Ahh, the air is so fresh here…" Fuuka sighed in contentment. "I never thought that a walk in the woods could be so enjoyable. You can't do this in Iwatodai."

Silence. Deadly silence.

Yuuki nearly sweat dropped at the sudden tense atmosphere surrounding them. Even the chirping of the birds in the forest seemed to have subsided. Fuuka nearly sweat dropped at this, and giggled nervously, immediately trying to change the subject.

"Oh, so listen to this," she said. "Junpei-kun was acting like such a pervert yesterday, and I didn't know how to react. It's probably a good thing that we came out here by ourselves…"

Yukari seemed rather distracted as she glanced at Fuuka. "Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Just do what Yukari did to Junpei every single time that he annoys her." Yuuki joked, trying to break the tense atmosphere. "Just give him a good kick in the nuts."

Fuuka blushed. "Yuuki-chan!"

That seemed to do the trick, as Yukari giggled, and even Mitsuru smiled in amusement at the mental image of sweet, shy and kind Fuuka kicking Junpei like how Yukari always did whenever Junpei annoys her.

A phone rang just then, and all four girls paused in their step as Mitsuru who is taking the lead stopped, and pulled out a phone from her pocket, answering the call.

"Kirijo speaking." Mitsuru stated. Her eyes then widened when she listened to whatever that the speaker on the other end of the line has to say. "One moment. Let me switch over to speakerphone." She pressed a button on her phone and held it in her hand. "Please continue."

Ikutsuki's voice blared out from the phone, sounding rather tired and worried as he did so. "Well, I'm at the lab here on the island… And a machine that was considered inoperable suddenly left the facility on its own."

"A machine?" Yukari questioned, tilting her head to one side in question.

"What kind of machine is it?" Fuuka asked. "I need detailed information to locate anything other than Shadows."

"It's a combat vehicle – an anti-Shadow weapon, to be precise."

"Anti-Shadow weapon?" Yuuki repeated, blinking in bewilderment. Is there even such a thing?

"A combat vehicle?" Yukari squeaked at the same time as Yuuki, fear visible in her eyes. "You mean…like a tank or something? We gotta let the others know!" She started searching through her pockets. "Where's my cell…?"

"We're not currently with the others, so it might take some time for us all to assemble." Mitsuru informed Ikutsuki, watching Yukari currently searching through her pockets for her cellphone, with Yuuki doing the same next to her.

"I see… Well, regardless, I want you to handle this as soon as possible. I'm on my way there now."

Mitsuru frowned. "If the target cannot be captured, do we have permission to destroy it?" she questioned, as Yuuki let out a triumphant cry as she found her phone, and immediately punched in a number, pressing the phone to her ear.

Ikutsuki laughed nervously. "I highly doubt that you'll be able to destroy it."

"What?" Fuuka nearly freaked out. "Then how are we supposed to stop it?"

"Just do your best. I'll call you again later." Click.

Yukari sighed, hanging up her phone. "Junpei's not answering his phone, and I'm not getting through to Sanada-sempai. Yuuki, what about you?"

Yuuki hung up her phone and shook her head as well, and Yukari sighed. Mitsuru rubbed her temples. "Don't worry about it. Let's go back and get our equipment. Then we can have Yamagishi's Persona scan the area…" She trailed off uneasily. "Though this island is quite large." She added helpfully.

Yuuki sighed inwardly. 'Oh great.'

Yukari frowned as she took off after Mitsuru who led the way back to the Kirijo Mansion. "Geez! That idiot Junpei is so useless at a time like this!" she frowned. "Where could they be?"

XXXXXX

Birds chirping…

Wind blowing…

Leaves rustling…

And Hariyama Yuuki is totally lost.

Yuuki sighed, looking in several directions at once, wondering just how in the world could she even get herself lost in a forest like this when she'd never gotten herself lost once whenever they entered the labyrinth called Tartarus. And then again, they dohave Fuuka's help during all their explorations.

Yuuki took in a deep breath, inhaling. "YUKARI! FUUKA! KIRIJO-SEMPAI! ARE YOU ANYWHERE ABOUT?"

Flocks of birds immediately took flight from the surrounding trees in fright. But apart from the squawking of the frightened birds, there wasn't a single peep to be heard. The brunette girl sighed to herself. "What should I do?" she murmured. She then stiffened, and turned around, as she sensed a strong gaze on her back.

Ever since getting to the island, Yuuki has been sensing a strange presence around always staring at her, and she is seriously starting to get crept out. Sure, she knew that she's popular and all. But she didn't expect for herself to be sopopular that she'll get stalkers.

All the hairs on the back of her neck stood just then, and for no reason at all, Yuuki found her muscles tensing. The brunette knew the signs; this happens frequently during their excursions in Tartarus – whenever there is some Shadow lurking around that escaped Fuuka's notice. It happened, but not often, as there are very few Shadows that can escape Fuuka's notice.

Yuuki immediately turned around, her left hand unconsciously going to the back of her waist where she always kept her naginata, but found herself grasping at empty air instead. She then blinked in surprise when she saw a blonde girl standing behind her, staring back at her.

For several moments, neither one of them said anything, before the blonde girl broke the silence first and ran over, hugging Yuuki tightly. Yuuki stiffened at the sudden body contact.

When she was little, her twin brother had often held her when she was feeling scared and lonely in the orphanage where they both grew up in, or even during a terrible thunderstorm. Minato-nii had always been warm and comforting, radiating a gentle and warm radiance. When they have grown up, those contacts have been minimized, but Minato-nii had always made her feel safe.

But this girl… Her body feels weird somehow…like she's made out of metal or something…

"I was correct. Now I have found you." She stated, speaking in a mechanical-like tone. "I have been searching for you. My highest priority is to be with you!"

"Huh?" Yuuki practically had several question marks floating above her head. And on that note, why in the world is she speaking like she's some kind of robot? "What are you talking about?"

Before the blonde could answer however, they were interrupted in the form of a certain cap-wearing teen.

"There she is!" Junpei shouted, appearing on the scene, with both Akihiko and Shinjiro close behind him. His eyes then nearly bugged out of it's sockets at the current scene. "Wait… What? W-W-What's going on here?" He pointed a shaking finger at Yuuki and the blonde girl who doesn't seem to want to let go of her.

"I see." Akihiko nodded to himself thoughtfully. "So that's her preference. That explains why we got the cold shoulder."

Shinjiro glared at his best friend, and Yuuki looked at the silver haired senior with confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?" she asked. "More importantly, can you please let go of me?" She asked the blonde girl politely.

Before the blonde could reply, the girls turned up just then, with Yukari taking the lead. "There you are, Yuuki!" she said. "Huh?" Yukari blinked when she saw the boys. "Junpei? What are you doing here? We've been looking all over for you!"

"Umm…" Fuuka trailed off, sweat dropping when she took in the current states of the three boys who were currently all in their swimsuits. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the woods, in your swimsuits?"

Yukari sighed. "You have no idea what we've—" Yukari then blinked in confusion, seeing what she's missed earlier. Namely, the blonde girl hugging Yuuki. "Huh? Yuuki, why is she hugging you?"

"I wonder why myself." Yuuki smiled weakly, still trying to unlatch the girl's hold from around her. Shinjiro finally stepped forward, and easily pried the blonde girl's grip from around his girlfriend.

"…What?" Yukari seemed more interested in Shinjiro's action, and a devilish smirk lit up her features when she saw the way that both Shinjiro and her best friend lookedat each other, making a mental note to introduce Yuuki to a crash course on Interrogation 101 once they get back to Iwatodai.

Mitsuru interrupted just then. "Listen, we've encountered a problem," she stated. "I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle."

"That won't be necessary, Kirijo-kun." Ikutsuki interrupted, approaching them, a relieved expression on his face as he laid eyes on the blonde girl. Shinjiro scowled inwardly when he spotted that glint in his eyes. "We've already found what we were looking for."

"What do you mean?" Yukari questioned, confused.

"You had me worried. You don't have permission to leave the lab on your own, Aigis." Ikutsuki scolded.

"…I know." Aigis answered, not looking away from Yuuki who was half-hiding behind Shinjiro.

~Reception Room, Kirijo Mansion, Evening~

Everyone was gathered in the reception room of the Kirijo Mansion, waiting for Ikutsuki and his 'explanation' regarding the little scare earlier that day regarding a 'runaway anti-Shadow weapon'.

"I apologise for all the trouble." Ikutsuki apologised sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of his head. "Everything is under control now."

"So what happened to capturing the tank?" Fuuka asked.

"Oh, that's already been taken care of." Ikutsuki said cheerfully. "Come here, Aigis."

"Coming."

Aigis, the blonde girl from earlier walked in, wearing different clothes from the afternoon, standing next to Ikutsuki. "This is Aigis." Ikutsuki introduced the blonde to the rest of SEES. "As you can see, she's a 'mechanical maiden'."

"I am Aigis. My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

"No way…" Yukari stated, fascinated. "It's like she's…alive."

"This is unbelievable."

Shinjiro and Yuuki exchanged looks, deciding not to voice their opinions regarding this affair. Junpei sighed. "She's so cute, but…she's a robot…"

Yuuki twitched. "Is that all that you can say?" she huffed. "I'm starting to think that Yukari is right when she asked if there is any girl that you wouldn't hit on."

Fuuka giggled.

Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "Anti-Shadow weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows," he explained. "Aigis was the last to be made…and she's the only one that still remains today."

"An anti-Shadow weapon…" Mitsuru mused, before her eyes widened in realisation. "Does that mean that she…?"

"Yes." Aigis responded. "I am capable of operating the Persona 'Palladion'."

"She suffered major damage in combat, and has remained in the lab ever since." Ikutsuki explained. "It's still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning…" He trailed off. "Well, I hope that you will all get along."

"An anti-Shadow weapon with a will of her own…" Fuuka mused. "This is amazing!"

"Umm…" Yukari looked from Aigis to Yuuki and back again. "By the way, when I saw you earlier, it seemed like you knew her." Yukari gestured towards Yuuki.

"Yes, it is very important for me to be by her side." Aigis responded.

"Huh?" Yuuki was confused.

"Hmm…" Ikutsuki frowned to himself. "Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning or something. Or maybe she's still half asleep. Hmm… This is quite interesting…" He mumbled to himself.

Yukari sweat dropped. "I don't think it's that…" she sighed.

"Well, I can ponder on this later," said Ikutsuki cheerfully. "Oh, I forgot to tell you all. You can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table, and even a karaoke machine." He grinned. "Would you care to hear me sing?" He offered.

Junpei sweat dropped. "Uhh…"

XXXXXX

~July 22, Yakushima Beach, Daytime~

It's the last day of SEES's vacation, and everyone have agreed to head to the beach for the last time to have some fun before going back to Iwatodai the next day, returning to their usual routine of school, work, and Shadow hunting at Tartarus.

"Man, it's already the third day of our trip." Junpei sighed. "It's too bad that we have to go home tomorrow. I'd totally stay longer if I could."

Shinjiro sighed. "Spare me," he grumbled. "I had enough of babysitting you and Aki both during our trip."

"Sempai, you're mean." Junpei whined, and Shinjiro nearly sweat dropped.

'What is he? Five?' Shinjiro thought to himself.

"But I can't complain." Junpei perked up. "A lot of cool things happened while we were here."

Akihiko who was standing next to Shinjiro sighed, wearing his usual Speedos, but thankfully, along with a white T-shirt on as well, much to Yukari's relief. "How can he be so full of energy?" He wanted to know. "Where did all the energy come from? And we were all up so late last night as well."

All of SEES have stayed up pretty late the previous night, playing pool, and even engaging in some karaoke. Yukari and Yuuki were both pretty good singers, and surprisingly, so was Fuuka. Mitsuru had declined singing, though all of SEES could do without Ikutsuki's 'singing' that nearly deafened them all. As such, they were all pretty relieved when Ikutsuki had to excuse himself, retiring to bed. As all of SEES were still too wide awake after their karaoke session, Shinjiro had produced a pack of cards from out of nowhere, and they have then played Blackjack.

Aigis who was also with them at the beach that day was looking around. "Do we have a mission at the beach today?" she asked.

"Nah, it's nothing like that." Junpei grinned. "We just came here to have some fun."

Fuuka smiled at Aigis. "Do you understand what it means to 'have fun', Aigis?"

"Of course." Aigis nodded. "Recreation is the refreshment of one's mind and body."

Akihiko and Shinjiro nearly sweat dropped at this reply.

"Exactly!" Junpei grinned. "Wow, you sure know a lot about us humans. Alright, let's take one last dip before we leave!"

And he then took off towards the waters with a loud war cry, dragging Aigis with him as he did so. Fuuka, Yuuki, Shinjiro and Akihiko watched him go, speechless. "Uh, hold on, Junpei-kun…" Fuuka trailed off. "Is it okay for Aigis to go into the ocean?" She wondered.

"Oh, I'm sure that she's waterproof." Yukari approached them just then.

Aigis returned just then, with no Junpei with her.

Fuuka tilted her head to one side. "What's wrong, Aigis?"

"It is best that we all engage in this activity together. An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal method to 'have fun'."

Yukari sighed. "Do we have to?" she grumbled. But despite her complaining, she still followed Aigis into the water, before being followed by Fuuka and Mitsuru, leaving only Yuuki, Shinjiro and Akihiko behind.

Ikutsuki arrived at the beach just then, looking extremely out of place in his usual outfit, instead of the beach wear that all the teens have wore, sans for Aigis. "Are you enjoying yourself?" Ikutsuki asked, beaming. "We've been quite busy during our time here, but it looks as if we could relax a bit together."

Akihiko nodded. "I hope so," he agreed. "Things have been so hectic lately."

"We've been so busy lately with Tartarus and the Shadows. Having fun like this every now and then is a change." Yuuki nodded.

Junpei shouted from the water just then. "Hey, Sanada-sempai, c'mon! It's your turn!"

"My turn?" Akihiko was confused. "What are they doing?"

Shinjiro grunted. "Knowing Iori, nothing good, I bet."

Ikutsuki laughed. "Well, I'm glad to see that everyone is having so much fun," he said. "I've already told you what time that the ship will be arriving tomorrow, yes?" He looked at Akihiko as he said so, and the silver haired boxer nodded. "Well then, I'll most likely head over to the port early, so don't be late."

Yuuki sighed. "Someone has to wake Junpei up then," she stated. "That guy is hard to wake up once he sleeps."

Akihiko chuckled. "I'll let everyone know," he told Ikutsuki.

The Chairman nodded. "We can get back down to business once we're all back at the dorm." Akihiko, Shinjiro and Yuuki all nodded.

"Hey~! Yuuki-tan! Sanada-sempai! Aragaki-sempai!" Junpei shouted from the water, amidst the laughs and giggles from the others, as the girls splashed water at each other. Fuuka actually squeaked in surprise when a particularly large wave from Yukari drenched her completely.

Akihiko sighed. "This again?" he murmured. "I guess we should go too." He stated as he walked towards the water, but not before removing his shirt. Shinjiro and Yuuki followed him.

In the water, Junpei's eyes bulged at seeing 'guns' form from Aigis's hands. "Aigis, wait! That's not what 'water gun' means! Aaaaaaaaack!" He went under immediately from Aigis's 'attack'.

Fuuka laughed. "Junpei-kun is down!"

"Alright!" Yukari cheered. "Here's our chance for an All-Out Attack!"

"ATTACK!"

Junpei spluttered as his head broke the surface of the water, choking and spluttering as he'd swallowed some seawater by mistake. "Whoa! Whoa! Time out! Sanada-sempai! Aragaki-sempai! Save me!"

"Do not drag me into this." Shinjiro grunted, looking away.

"Same here. I'll rather not be the one getting 'attacked' next." Akihiko smiled.

"Traitors!" Junpei cried fake tears. "Spare me! I can't take much more of this…!" His eyes then bulged out. "Gyaaaaaaah!"

Shinjiro chuckled as he looked at the juniors all having fun in the water, playing just like how normal high school students are doing, with none of the world's burdens on their shoulders, like the burden of the Dark Hour and the Personas.

Shinjiro then frowned, looking at Aigis. 'So she's joined SEES as well,' he mused to himself. 'The chain is set in motion. I have to talk to Theodore about this. About an alternate way to seal Nyx without killing Yuuki.'

A/N: Sorry for the late update, people! Schoolwork has been piling up like crazy recently, and I still have another two reports to write, along with a 5,000 word essay waiting for me to tear my hair out over.

Anyway, I'm thinking of the Ken situation. I'm pretty sure that lots of Shinjiro fans hate him. I kind of did too when he'd nearly gotten Shinjiro killed in the game. So I'm going to ask this: do you want Ken to die in this story or not? I won't spoil you what fate I have in store for him if majority votes yes.

Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review!