Pairings: Shinjiro/Yuuki. Yukari/Ren. Minato/Fuuka.

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 Eleven: A New Ally

~August 6, Ren and Minato's Room, Night~

The light clacking of keys on the keyboard were the only sounds that could be heard in the dormitory room of Ishigawa Ren and Hariyama Minato.

The room was plain but simple, being one of several rooms in the dormitory building shared by students that attends Yasoinaba High or Yasaogami High. The small rustic town of Inaba tends to get students that come from far away just to attend school here, and get allotted dorm rooms by the school administrative staff.

The room that Ren and Minato shared was plain, decorated with only simple things. The walls were painted a light peach colour, with light blue curtains hanging at the windows to keep the sunlight out during afternoons or mornings. Two similar looking white beds were pressed with their headboards against the wall. There was even a long wooden desk that the two boys shared, with each of them taking one side, though it is rather obvious which side belongs to whom.

Minato's was much more organised, with his books and files in proper order, and there is even a picture of him and his twin sister together sitting on the desk, dressed in their middle school uniforms. Ren's side of the desk was cluttered with papers and books, yet he could somehow always manage to find his things even with all the clutter.

There is even a small mini-refrigerator in a corner near the windows where there is a small coffee table and two comfy chairs where Ren and Minato always sat in to enjoy a small coffee break from their studies.

Right now, Ren was tapping away on his laptop furiously as Minato opened the fridge to take out a disposal juice box, sipping from the straw. The blue haired boy then walked towards his best friend, looking over his shoulder at the monitor.

"How is it?" asked Minato with concern.

"Well, something is definitely up with Iwatodai," said Ren, pulling up some newspaper reports on the screen. He pointed at it with his thumb. "People going missing. The Apathy Syndrome… Victims of the Apathy Syndrome turning up in pairs… You know, the usual?" He glanced at his best friend who frowned. "Your sister attends school in Iwatodai, right? Didn't she mention something about this to you?"

"No, she never said anything about this," said Minato with a shake of his head. He then frowned. "But it seems like it's the work of Shadows."

Ren nodded with a sigh. "And if it's Shadows, it means that Tartarus is somehow included in the equation. And if Tartarus is involved, it means that they are involved too," he said. "Also, I have news from some of my contacts about some weird medicine that's been going around."

Minato sighed. "Let me guess, Persona suppressants?" he interrupted, and Ren nodded solemnly. "I knew it." He growled.

Ren sighed, shutting down the lid of his laptop and turning around in his swivel chair to face Minato. "What should we do, Minato?" he asked seriously. "It seems like they have their focus on Iwatodai now. And didn't your sister have a Persona too? If Yuuki has one, and if she has been fighting Shadows like how we have been doing, then it is only a matter of time before she bumps into them. And the Kirijo Group…" He trailed off. "I don't know about you, but something tells me that there's something fishy about them. Their name pops up with everything that has to do with Shadows."

"And now the heiress of the group is one of my sister's dorm mates." Minato interrupted.

Ren looked surprised. "You serious?" Minato nodded, and Ren frowned. "Huh…"

The room was blanketed in an eerie green glow just then, and the lights of the room went out. Ren sighed. "Here it is, the Dark Hour," he muttered. He glanced at Minato. "So what now?"

Minato frowned. "It seems like I might have to pay a visit to Iwatodai soon," he stated. "With Yuuki there, and all the incidents happening of late…" He trailed off. "I'm worried. I know that Yuuki can take care of herself. We both have to learn how to after the accident ten years ago. But… Something just isn't right." He frowned. "We might have to pay a visit to Iwatodai. Both of us."

XXXXXX

~August 8, Daytime~

"I'm tired…" Yuuki sighed as she stretched before entering the bathroom with her wash towel with her. "Yesterday is one hell of a night though…" She frowned.

It was another full moon night the previous night, and that means another major battle against one of those Arcana Shadows.

SEES had also had a run-in with two Persona users that called themselves 'Strega'. Shinjiro seems to know them however, and nearly had a fit when they called SEES hypocrites. But they didn't have the time to talk, as they were attacked almost immediately by the Shadows that they were there for in the first place. Akihiko nearly got zapped alive by using Zio attacks on the Shadows, but thankfully, he had some resistance against them.

There was a knock on the bathroom door just then, and Yuuki answered it only to see Mitsuru standing outside it.

"Oh. Kirijo-sempai? What is it? Do you need to use the bathroom?" Yuuki asked, a toothbrush filled with toothpaste in one hand.

"No," said Mitsuru with a smile, looking at Yuuki's 'bed hair' with some amusement. It doesn't seem to matter that Yuuki never seem to move when she sleeps. Her hair always ends up sticking at the ends whenever she woke up. "It's just that there's something that I need to tell everyone. But I think it would be best if you saw it for yourself. Come to the fourth floor meeting room when you get back tonight, okay?"

"Okay…" Yuuki said unsurely as Mitsuru left, before heading back into the bathroom.

~Evening, Command Room~

Everyone but Mitsuru were seated on the couches in the command room when Shinjiro and Yuuki entered, looking at each other in confusion. Apparently, the redhead senior had also asked for them to head to the command room that evening.

"Does that mean we have a new mission?" asked Aigis.

"I dunno," said Junpei with a shrug. "The alarm's not ringing though."

Yukari was about to say something when Mitsuru entered the room, a silver dog walking at her heels, tail wagging happily as he saw everyone present. A black leather collar with a blue bulb on the side and cute angel wings on it's back could be seen around the dog's neck.

"Huh?" Yukari blinked in confusion.

"Koro-chan?"

Koromaru gave a happy excited bark before bounding over towards Shinjiro, barking excitedly at being able to see his old friend again.

"Kirijo, what is this?" Shinjiro asked, patting the excited dog on the head. "And this collar is…" He trailed off, glancing at the collar around Koromaru's neck that had enabled the dog to help them with their battles the last time around.

"Well, as you can probably tell, that collar is designed to help him control his Persona." Mitsuru explained. "In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs."

"What? Wait, does that mean that he'll be going into battle as well?" Yukari asked, shocked.

"It was a surprise for me as well." Mitsuru admitted, watching Fuuka fuss over the silver Shiba-Inu. "But according to the tests, it's quite possible. In fact, it was the Chairman's suggestion. We'll be looking after him here in the dorm." She missed Shinjiro's frown at this.

"And where is he going to sleep?" Akihiko asked, seemingly quite amused at seeing the dog so excited to see his best friend.

Silence.

Shinjiro almost groaned at seeing the dog's pleading eyes on him. When did the dog learn the dreaded 'Puppy Dog Eyes' technique? "In my room, I guess. Unless he prefers sleeping in the lounge."

Koromaru barked.

Junpei grinned. "Hey, make yourself at home," he said. "The more the merrier, right? Who cares if you're a dog?" He then stretched. "Alright, I'll take him for a walk. It's summer break after all!"

"Yes, it is. Enjoy your vacation while you can. Summer classes start next week." Mitsuru told them. "I'll see to it that you graduate."

Shinjiro had a sinking feeling that she is speaking to him directly.

Junpei looked nervous. "H-Hey, good one, sempai. You almost had me there."

"Oh, it's no joke." Mitsuru assured him. "We'll be taking intensive courses. I've already applied for all of us. I know how difficult it's been balancing school and our late night excursions. You haven't had time to study. I apologise for that. That's why the Chairman agrees that it's a good idea. I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi?" She asked, turning to the two girls.

The two after mentioned girls grinned guiltily.

Junpei on the other hand, looked as if someone had just told him Christmas was cancelled. "Are you serious?" he whined. "This is the first time I've heard of it."

"Umm, sorry. I forgot to mention it." Fuuka apologised, and Junpei groaned.

"Hey, with your grades, you should be thanking her!" Yukari joked. "Tell me, when's the last time when you've actually passed a test?" She took a dig at Junpei.

It is common knowledge in their class that nearly every single teacher had given up on Junpei as a lost cause. They'll be lucky if the cap wearing boy actually stays awake in their class as it is.

Junpei sighed, and Fuuka giggled nervously. "W-Well, it's only for a few weeks, so let's make the most of it," she said, trying to cheer Junpei up.

"Me too?" Shinjiro pointed at himself, not looking pleased.

"Especially you." Mitsuru told Shinjiro severely. "It's nice to see that you've gone back to school at last. I've lost count of the number of times when Akihiko or myself have asked you to go back to school only for you to refuse." She muttered the last part beneath her breath, glancing at Yuuki who is sitting next to Shinjiro. "But your grades are still not satisfactory enough."

Shinjiro almost groaned. Akihiko chuckled. "Tough luck, Shinji," he teased.

Shinjiro threw a cushion at Akihiko's head who dodged it easily. "My grades are better than yours at least!" he retorted.

Akihiko sweat dropped. "G-Good point," he muttered.

XXXXXX

~August 11, Daytime~

"Yuuki… Can we go back now?" Yukari almost groaned as she was dragged into yet another shop at the Paulownia Mall. "We've been here for hours already!"

Next to her, Fuuka giggled.

"Just a little more," said Yuuki, walking down the aisle and looking at the various displays of costume jewellery on the shelves.

Yukari groaned. "I can't believe this. It always takes so much to make you do something like stand still for at least five minutes whenever we drag you shopping with us. Yet when it comes to buying a birthday gift for your boyfriend, you can drag us all over Tatsumi Port Island for hours." She grumbled. "You must really love that guy."

Yuuki paused in her step. "…is this really love?" she asked quietly.

"Isn't it?" Yukari asked with a secret smile. "You're the only one whom he even talks to voluntarily. And I've never seen him smile at anyone but you whenever you have one of your 'talks' in the kitchen." She made quote marks in the air, and Fuuka smiled. Whenever Shinjiro and Yuuki are both in the kitchen, everyone in SEES knew enough to stay out of it unless they wants a frying pan or something similar in their faces. "And I've never seen you smile at anyone but him like you do. I mean, sure, you smile at me, Junpei, Sanada-sempai, Fuuka, and some of our friends, but the way you smile at Aragaki-sempai is just…different." She added.

Fuuka nodded. "Yuuki-chan, you might act the way you did at school to everyone, but I'm not SEES's analyzer just for our battles, you know?" She smiled a small secret smile at Yuuki. "You rarely talk about yourself the way that me, Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun did, even in the dorm."

Yuuki was silent. She didn't realise that her two closest female friends noticed that. "I'm just…"

"Afraid?" Yukari smiled at Yuuki in understanding. "I saw a counsellor for some years when my dad died." She looked sad. "I acted that way too during the first few years after his death, and when my mom…" She coughed before turning back towards Yuuki. "You don't want to let anyone in. You don't want to get hurt, right?" Yuuki bit on her lip. "Aragaki-sempai might be a tad bit…intimidating, but he's a good guy. He will protect you. He won't hurt you." Yukari smiled. "That's why, you can be yourself around him. I've never seen you smile or laugh the way you did when you are with him."

Yuuki was silent for a long time. "I know that," she said at last. "But…"

"Force of habit?" Yukari guessed, and Yuuki nodded. She laughed. "It takes time." She said encouragingly. "But I do think that he is good for you." Fuuka nodded in agreement.

Yuuki smiled. "I think I've decided," she said, lifting a silver male bracelet from the shelf that she is currently browsing through. It is one of those bracelets rather like that of a chain, and different charms could be added to it. "This will do."

XXXXXX

~Hagakure Ramen, Night~

"Not with your girlfriend today, kid?" The chef asked his regular customer as Aragaki Shinjiro slurped up a bowl of beef ramen without saying anything.

"Girls' day out." Shinjiro grunted as the door to the shop slid opened, and he heard someone sat on the seat beside him.

"Knew that I'll find you here," said a cheerful voice, and Shinjiro turned only to see a smiling Yuuki. Yuuki who had stated that she's having a 'girls' day out' with her friends that she hadn't been spending the time with lately.

"I'm just having a meal here. You'll see me once I head back to the dorm," said Shinjiro, hiding a small smile.

"Then I'll have to face a firing squad for Interrogation 101 as I give you this," said Yuuki with a roll of her eyes as she gave Shinjiro a small black box.

"What's this?" Shinjiro asked, examining the box carefully.

"It's a gift," said Yuuki slowly as if speaking to a small child. "It's your birthday today, isn't it? You seriously think that I will miss your birthday? Happy birthday, sempai."

"How did you know?" asked Shinjiro, surprised.

"Well, I saw Sanada-sempai's calendar." Yuuki grinned. "There it was, written clearly in red under August 11th, 'Shinji's birthday'."

Shinjiro groaned. "Don't remind me," he said. "Aki offered to cook today as a birthday gift. I told him I'd rather not clean up the kitchen after him, and I'll also rather not suffer a heart attack on my birthday. That guy is hopeless in the kitchen!" He grunted. "Between Fuuka and Aki, I'm starting to wonder if there is anyone who can cook in SEES!"

Yuuki laughed.

"So you've never really celebrated your birthday either?" Shinjiro asked with interest as the two walked back to the dorm together, the bracelet that Yuuki had given him now hanging from his left wrist.

"Well, when my parents were alive, sure," said Yuuki with an unsure smile. "But the orphanage that Minato-nii and I went to is really poor. It is a nice and cheerful place to grow up in, but there is always a lack of funds, and too many children to care for. Thus, the orphanage made it so that we celebrate everyone's birthdays at one go near the end of the year. Nothing special. Just a group meal and a homemade cake made by one of the caretakers." She smiled wistfully. "I hadn't gone back there for a visit since graduation from middle school. Wonder how everyone is? It is a nice place to grow up in. Living there is kind of like living with many brothers and sisters at once. Extremely insane brothers and sisters. It's like a madhouse, but a nice place. Everyone is so nice to us there, but didn't treat us any differently. They wished us all good luck when Minato-nii and I have to leave to attend high school."

Shinjiro was silent as he listened to Yuuki describe her life at the orphanage that she had lived in at one time during her childhood. He doesn't really remember his own, as Akihiko and he have started living on their own after the orphanage fire that took Akihiko's sister.

"It's nice," said Shinjiro at last. "You should visit them sometime soon. They should like that." He smiled. "Where did you live before here?" Shinjiro asked curiously. Come to think of it, he never did ask Yuuki about her past the last time around.

"Sumaru City." Yuuki beamed. "It's a nice place, though it does have it's quirks. Not like Iwatodai, that's for sure." She laughed. "The police chief that took care of Minato-nii and me for a time before we went to the orphanage is a nice man. He lives with his younger brother, and they both always came to visit us every weekend when we're kids. I should call them sometime soon." She mused. "They would like to hear from us. I'm a bit surprised that they haven't started ringing me up. Katsuya-san and Tatsu-nii. Jun-san too. Tatsu-nii's best friend." She added, seeing Shinjiro's enquiring look.

"Sumaru City, huh?" Shinjiro mused. "I think I recall something about that place being mentioned in the newspapers a few years back."

"Oh." Yuuki paused as they approached the entrance of the dormitory building.

"What's wrong?" Shinjiro asked, but Yuuki didn't answer.

He then followed her line of sight only to see two teenage males sitting on the steps that leads to the entrance of the dorm. One of the males had dark blue hair and eyes, dressed in a simple white shirt with a black hoodie over it and dark jeans. He even had dark blue headphones draped around his neck in a fashion similar to Yuuki. The other guy had black midnight hair and blue eyes rather like his companion, being dressed in a long sleeved white shirt and dark jeans.

Yuuki walked towards them quickly, with Shinjiro close behind her, wondering who the two are.

"Mina-nii! Ren!" Yuuki called out to the two boys, and Shinjiro's eyes widened. Her brother and his best friend that she'd mentioned after returning from the Inaba trip? What are they doing here?

The two boys looked up and their faces brightened when they saw Yuuki, though the one with the blue hair frowned when he saw Shinjiro behind her.

"You didn't tell me that you'd be coming here." Yuuki told her brother and his friend. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, kind of." Ren coughed.

"Shinjiro-sempai, this is my brother and his best friend." Yuuki turned towards Shinjiro. "Hariyama Minato." Minato nodded to the brunette. "And Ishigawa Ren." Ren managed a small wave. "Why are you here?" She asked them.

Minato sighed as he looked at his sister. "Is there a private place where we can talk without someone overhearing us?" he asked seriously. "It's trouble."