Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
May 10, 2009, Sunday, Early Morning
Seth was sleeping in considering the tiring night that happened mere hours ago, completely conked out and in deep slumber. However, that bliss was rudely interrupted by his phone going off on the nightstand next to his bed. He reluctantly reached for the phone without lifting up any other part of his body and answered it.
"Hello?" Seth asked after turning his head so his voice wouldn't get muffled by the pillow.
"Hello, Mr. Carter?" Theo's voice came from the other line. "This is Theodore. I am just calling to inform you that there has just been a change in Tartarus. The barrier on the sixteenth floor has just been lifted. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I had to let you know."
"Thanks for the consideration…" Seth groggily responded. "I'll see you next time I'm in the Velvet Room."
Seth hung up, placed his phone back on the nightstand and went back to sleep.
May 10, 2009, Sunday, Daytime
Seth had some time to kill before he and his friends would have to meet with Minato and Mitsuru's group at the Iwatodai dorm, so he decided to just kick back for the rest of the day. As he lied down on his beg playing his handheld video game when someone knocked on the door.
"Seth, are you awake?" Homura asked from the other side. "That's all I wanted to check."
"I'm awake." Seth answered. "Just kicking back after a hard night's work."
"Um, Seth… Have you studied at all?" Homura inquired.
"It should be what we've covered in homework, right?"
"Did you read your notes at all?"
"Not really."
"… Did you take notes?"
"W-well… I go in and out at times."
"Seth, are you dressed in there?"
"Yes, but what does this have to do with-"
Homura barged through the door and stomped toward Seth with an angry look on her face.
"Seth, don't you want to pass your classes?" She questioned.
"Well, yes, but-"
"But nothing! You need to get your priorities straight! You're smarter than you think! Do you think employers will hire you if you keep this up?! They'll either think you're dumb, lazy, or both! And I know you're neither of those things!"
"At least admit that I'm lazy."
"Starting today and throughout the week, I'm going to make sure you study so you can do well on the midterms!"
"Do I at least get brea-"
"Only for eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom!"
"You're being rather ruthless, aren't you?"
"You dug this hole yourself, so now you have to face the consequences. So turn off that game and get your books and notes out while I get mine and we can start the tutoring."
Homura left the room and Seth groaned.
"I guess she's right… I bring this on myself…"
May 10, 2009, Sunday, Evening
Seth, Homura, Daichi, Nobuo and Emi had arrived at the Iwatodai Dorm and took seats in the command room on the fourth floor, where Minato, Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru, Akihiko and their advisor, Shuji Ikutsuki, were waiting for them.
"Shall we begin?" Seth asked Mitsuru. "You said you wanted us to talk in a more discrete location. Or did you just want to get alone with me?" Seth raised his eyebrow, implying something a bit more suggestive.
"Nothing of the sort." Mitsuru replied without even flinching. "But yes, let us begin. I've been speaking with Arisato, my father and Ikutsuki here about this for several days now, but after last night I have finally made a decision. I believe it would be best for us to form an alliance between SEES and Heiwa."
"Excuse me, 'SEES'?" Seth inquired.
"It's short for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad." Ikutsuki answered. "We're listed as a school club, but you already know about our true goal of fighting Shadows."
"We would still operate as two separate units, but should another one of those large Shadows show up, we need all the help we can get." Mitsuru stated. "Last night was too close for comfort. If we join forces, then our odds of surviving greatly increase."
"It's that simple, huh?" Seth asked.
"It's more than that." Mitsuru said. "You've proven yourselves to be trustworthy and reliable. Were it not for your leader confessing to me, I would still be suspicious of you all right now."
"Looks like you guys owe me an apology." Seth crossed his arms and puffed out his chest boastfully.
Homura, Daichi, Nobuo and Emi didn't find Seth's comment amusing and just sighed in unison.
"… That hurts, you know?" Seth retorted.
"Another factor was Arisato." Mitsuru added. "His opinion of you also played a major part of my decision."
"Well, thank you, Minato." Seth said as he turned to Minato.
"You didn't seem like bad people." Minato said without any sort of expression. "Plus, if you're friends with Junpei, then there's nothing to worry about."
"Didn't doubt ya for a minute, buddy." Junpei said.
"Is that why you looked so sullen when you found out the truth?" Seth questioned.
Junpei lowered his cap to cover his eyes. "Let's… just forget that part…"
"In any case…" Mitsuru interrupted. "Are you willing to accept our olive branch?"
"Well… It wouldn't feel right making another on the spot decision without consulting the rest of my team." Seth responded before turning to his friends. "What do you guys think?"
"I know we were supposed to keep ourselves secret…" Homura replied. "But you never know if something might be too strong for us to handle, like our first excursion into Tartarus. So… Whatever you choose, I'll stand by your decision."
"You're really impulsive." Daichi said. "But so am I. What Homura said."
"An alliance with other Persona users is very tempting." Nobuo said. "As our leader, it's ultimately your decision."
Seth was going to turn to Emi, but then looked back at Mitsuru.
"It's settled." Seth said. "Heiwa and SEES will join forces."
"Wait, what about me?!" Emi questioned.
"You would've just said 'no' because you have a grudge against Yukari and Mitsuru." Seth explained. "Clearly, your say would've been incredibly biased."
"Tch…" Emi scoffed and turned her head away. "I'll go along with it, but that doesn't mean I'll like it."
Seth stood up and shook hands with Mitsuru, who just smiled.
"Très bien." Mitsuru said.
"Wait, did you just speak Spanish?" Seth asked.
"It's French." Mitsuru answered.
"Oh right…" Seth nervously rubbed the back of his head. "The Spanish term is 'muy bien'. Eh, wasn't that far off."
Mitsuru then turned to face the other members of SEES. "Thank you all for coming, but I would like to speak with Mr. Carter alone to discuss the terms of our alliance."
"Wait, why didn't you just make them before this meeting?" Yukari questioned.
"There are probably some nuances to our group that she might not be aware of, but is trying to be considerate about them." Seth surmised and turned back to his comrades. "You guys should head back to the dorm. I'll be back later and tell you the details tomorrow morning."
Everyone except for Mitsuru, Seth and Ikutsuki left the command room. Once those three were left, Mitsuru and Ikutsuki took their seats by a monitor while Seth sat on the couch across from them.
"Let's discuss Tartarus exploration, first." Mitsuru said.
"That sounds like a good place to start." Seth said. "I was thinking that we alternate between days in order to keep both of our teams in fighting shape."
"Good thinking." Mitsuru nodded. "Also, any information about Shadows, how many floors climbed and barriers should also be reported to the other team."
"This way we can maintain and improve our combat abilities while gaining some intel on Tartarus." Seth said. "Even though the floor layouts are constantly changing, the types of enemies don't. As long as we keep constant communication, we should be good on the Tartarus front. Is that all?"
"Perhaps this is asking too much, but I would also appreciate it if you would relay all of your secrets to SEES."
"Huh?!"
"If we are to be allies, it would be best not to keep secrets from each other. In return for your honesty, we'll also let you in on our secrets. Does that sound fair?"
"Well, we're not a secret organization anymore to you guys, so I guess I don't have that much of a choice."
"I only have one other request."
"What's that?"
Mitsuru stood up with a serious look on her face. "If anyone in SEES is in danger, vow that you'll lay down your life to protect them."
Seth wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but he completely understood and believed what she was saying. He just stood up and smiled.
"No problem." He said. "I got my arm cut off trying to protect my friends last month."
"Glad to hear it." Mitsuru's stern expression was now replaced with a calm smile. "That ends the terms of our agreement."
"Can I just say something before I go?" Seth asked. "Just now, I realized how similar we are. We're both the leaders of our teams and want to see them make it through these ordeals okay. So, to add to our agreement, if either of us has any problems or questions about leading, the other should come to talk."
Mitsuru just looked at him and lightly chuckled. "I never met anyone like you. You kind of remind me of Arisato."
"Heh, I'm nothing like Minato. If anything, he's probably better than me, even if he is socially awkward."
"So… Can I weigh in on anything?" Ikutsuki asked, clearly feeling ignored by everyone.
May 11, 2009, Monday, After School
Seth wanted to find a quiet place to study on his own for a bit before heading back to his dorm, so he figured he would go to Tatsumi Port Island cemetery. When he finally found a bench to sit on, there was only one other person in the cemetery, standing in front of one of the memorials. It was a skinny young man with long black hair that fell past his shoulders, green eyes and wearing a Gekkoukan uniform. After Seth pulled out his notes and a textbook, the young man walked over to him.
"Excuse me, you're from Gekkoukan as well, right?" He asked.
Seth looked up and saw the guy. "Yes, and I really hate to be rude, but I came here so I could study in peace. I mean no disrespect to you. It's just that a friend of mine is really making me hunker down before midterms."
"You know, if you said that outside of the week before finals, people would take offense to that."
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just tense right now. Usually, I'm a lot friendlier."
"You don't look Japanese. Are you by chance the American transfer student, Seth Carter?"
"That's me."
"I'm a new transfer student. The name's Makoto Shinigakure (Age 16)."
"Well, you picked a hell of a time to transfer." Seth chuckled. "You must be cramming like mad."
"It's rather taxing, I admit."
Seth looked around Makoto to where he had seen him standing a minute ago. "You don't have to answer to this question, but did you come here to visit a lost friend or relative?"
"I came to pay respects to my father."
"Well, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Well, I shouldn't keep you from your studies, so I'll be heading off. Perhaps I'll see you after class sometime."
May 18, 2009, Monday, Early Morning
From Tuesday to Sunday, Homura was busy tutoring Seth in his studies and it was incredibly exhausting for him, especially since his only means of relaxing were eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom. When the midterms started the following Monday, he was a little nervous. He could feel his heart shaking and quietly and quickly bouncing his leg in his seat. When the first test was handed out, Seth examined the questions on the paper and smirked.
*Thanks, Homura!*
As soon as Ms. Toriumi gave the students the signal to start, Seth immediately read each question and he felt like he answered most of them with ease.
May 23, 2009, Saturday, After School
With the last of the midterms concluded, Seth stretched in his seat to the point where he could feel cracking in his back.
"Ohhhhh!" He groaned. "Finally I can relax!"
"You definitely deserve it, Seth." Homura said. "You've been studying hard."
"All thanks to you, Homura." Seth turned to face her. "In fact, you're the one who deserves something. Tomorrow, I'll take you to wherever you want. My treat."
"M-my…" Homura blushed. "This is all so sudden…"
"It's not like I'm asking you out on a date or anything; just a little thanks for helping me out the last two weeks."
"R-right…"
After an exhausting two weeks, Seth made his way to the arcade at Paulownia Mall, Game Panic, to have a little fun. Upon entering, he went up to one of the popular fighting games to see a huge crowd gathered, watching a match going on at the moment. He could barely see past all the people huddled together, but he was tall enough to see the characters' life bars by standing on his toes. It was the last round and both players had at least one win in the current match. It was down to the wire and one of the players managed to clutch a win and take the match, causing the crowd around him to cheer. Someone got up, presumably the loser of the match, and left as another person in the crowd took his place in front of the arcade cabinets.
After several people finally left, Seth was able to make out that the person winning all of those matches was a young man around his age. He had short, dark green hair and wore a white T-shirt with some sort of video game character printed on it and dark grey pants. Once it was Seth's turn to fight, he took a seat next to the kid and fiddled with the arcade controls to make sure that the controls weren't broken. The young man examined Seth's uniform.
"You're from Gekkoukan?" He asked. "You probably just had your midterms. Feeling out of practice?"
"I might not have played this for two weeks, but my skills are anything but rusty." Seth smirked.
They started the match and it was an intense bout. It was a battle down to the last pixel of health. It ended with Seth losing the last round and he shook hands with his opponent.
"Good game." Seth said.
"You almost had me there." The young man said. "I underestimated you."
"You're pretty good. I'm Seth Carter."
"I'm Kaito Fujiwara (Age 16)."
"Are you from Gekkoukan as well?"
"No, I go to a different school. I don't have enough money to go there, so I don't have the same fancy education you do. Anyway, I have to get home. If you ever want to meet again, just come here."
Kaito left Game Panic and as Seth made his way out not far after him, he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him. His instincts told him to look around, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary or suspicious, so he just continued back to the dorm.
May 24, 2009, Sunday, Daytime
Seth was sitting on the couch on the bottom floor of his dorm, waiting for Homura to come downstairs. When she finally came down, she was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt with a neon orange circle on the chest and light blue jogging pants.
"Ready, Seth?" Homura asked.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Seth asked as he stood up.
"The rec center." Homura started stretching her arms in various ways. "Staying inside for two weeks can make you flabby, so we can really use the exercise."
As Homura stretched by bending over to touch her toes, Daichi came down the stairs and stared at her buttocks, which were fairly emphasized by her pants.
"Come on, Seth." Homura straightened herself and proceeded to leave the dorm.
Daichi walked up to Seth and pulled him in close enough for his mouth to be right next to his ear.
"You get to spend a day with Hottie Homura in that tight outfit?" Daichi whispered. "You lucky bastard!"
Seth ignored Daichi's comment and shuffled his left hand through his right sleeve to feel up his muscles.
*She's right…* He thought. *I could really use the exercise.*
When Seth and Homura arrived at the rec center, they went to the tennis court and each of them grabbed a racquet and she grabbed a tennis ball. Before heading to the court, Seth took off his jacket and tossed it by the wall. They took opposite sides of their court with Homura ready to serve. She tossed the tennis ball up, jumped and struck it with her racquet. It passed over the net, bounced off the floor and Seth moved in to send it back over to Homura.
As they continued playing, a bunch of guys and a couple of girls came by and watched the game. More precisely, they were watching Homura's breasts bounce as she jumped and ran over the course of the match.
After their game, they sat on the bench with bottles of water and towels hanging from their necks.
"Phew, nothing like a game to give a fulfilling workout." Homura said.
"You were really into it." Seth said. "Are you in any sports clubs?"
"Not really." Homura answered. "I just really love sports. Tennis, baseball, football-"
"American or European?"
"Both! It's a fun way of exercising!"
"Maybe someday, you can get Luke to come to one of these."
"Heheh, maybe. I'd really like to meet him sometime."
"Provided that our superiors station him here within the next few months."
"You know, I'm really glad they sent you here, Seth. Things have been a lot more fun since you showed up."
They spent the rest of the day chatting about themselves.
A/N: Sorry this one took so late! I was busy with studying, gaming and other things. But since I'll finish one of my summer courses by next weekend, I'll start trying better to make these updates more frequent. As to the guy who reviewed saying I need to update more, yes, I do, but I have things in life that get in the way. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time! Here are the current statuses of Seth's Social Links:
Heiwa (Fool) – Rank 3
Junpei (Magician) – Rank 2
Mitsuru (Empress) - Rank 1
Homura (Lovers) – Rank 3
Theodore (Hermit) – Rank 1
Nobuo (Fortune) – Rank 1
Daichi (Strength) – Rank 2
Makoto (Death) - Rank 1
Hardcore Gamer (Temperance) - Rank 1
Emi (Devil) – Rank 1