Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
July 21, 2009, Tuesday, Daytime
Seth, Homura, Nobuo, Emi and Kasumi were all enjoying themselves at a secluded area of the beach surrounded by large rocks. Daichi was left with the guys in SEES in the normal beach area.
"It's a shame Kirijo-san and the others didn't want to join us." Homura said as she swam.
"After Junpei and Daichi's antics yesterday, I'd be surprised if they wanted to go swimming with them again." Seth commented.
"Come to think of it, Nobuo's never done or said anything pervy." Homura said. "Not even once."
"Well-Maybe I'm just a gentleman who knows how to address a lady." Nobuo replied quickly.
"I know why…" Emi said while sitting underneath a small cliff.
Nobuo looked at Emi in worry as everyone else looked at her in confusion and curiosity.
"But I'm not going to divulge the details." Emi said.
Nobuo sighed with relief.
"Seeeeeeth!"
They looked in the direction of the voice and saw Luke approaching them in his casual attire.
"Luke!" Seth smiled. "Finally decided to get up, sleepyhead?"
"Yes, but we've got an emergency!" Luke panted from the running he had just done. "Apparently, there's a lab on this island and one of its weapons is on the loose!"
"Why didn't you call us?!" Seth questioned.
Luke then brought up his brother's phone.
"… Never mind." Seth simply said before turning around to face the rest of his team. "Listen up! I know we're half-naked, but we've got no time to lose! Capturing this weapon is of the utmost priority!"
BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!
Seth took his phone from Luke, saw that it was Mitsuru calling and answered it.
"Mitsuru, Luke just came by and told us the situation." Seth said. "We're going to conduct a search of the island immediately."
"Actually, Carter, we've already found the weapon." Mitsuru stated.
"What?! Really?!" Seth asked. "Is anyone hurt?!"
"Nobody's injured. Well, it didn't even attack anybody. When Ikutsuki-san showed up, he said that the weapon was found. Sorry for the interruption. Please, resume your activities."
Mitsuru ended the call and Seth handed his phone back to Luke.
"Change of plans, let's keep swimming." Seth said.
"What about the weapon?" Nobuo asked.
"Mitsuru says things have been taken care of." Seth replied. "I don't know any details, but I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later."
July 21, 2009, Tuesday, Evening
In the same room they had met in the previous night, all members of SEES and Heiwa had gathered to meet with Ikutsuki.
"I apologize for all of the trouble." Ikutsuki said. "Everything is under control now."
"What exactly was that weapon, anyway?" Seth inquired.
"I'll show you." Ikutsuki then turned to behind him. "Come here, Aigis."
Approaching from the direction Ikutsuki was looking in was what appeared to be a girl with short blonde hair, but her body looked like it was completely mechanical despite some clothing and a red bow by her neck. The sight of her appearance seemed to have caught everyone by surprise.
"This is Aigis." Ikutsuki stated. "As you can see, she is an android."
"I am Aigis." She spoke in a tone that further drove home that she was not human. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."
"No way…" Yukari gasped. "It's like… she's alive…"
"I d-didn't think we HAD that technology yet…" Luke muttered.
"Man, she's cute, but…" Junpei blushed, but then sighed in disappointment. "She's a robot…"
Both Junpei and Akihiko lowered their heads, which confused everyone a bit.
"She may be a robot, but…" Daichi's eyes began to shimmer with joy. "She's still so fascinating! If she's designed to destroy Shadows, then she must be powered by a Plume of Dusk!"
"That's correct." Ikutsuki said to Daichi. "Anti-Shadow weapons were designed ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows. Aigis is the last one to be made, and the only one still in operation."
"But if she's made to fight Shadows, then does that mean…" Mitsuru wondered aloud.
"Yes." Aigis responded to Mitsuru. "I am capable of operating the Persona, Palladion."
Another collective air of surprise had risen among the teens.
"She's been in the lab for several years due to severe damage from combat." Ikutsuki stated. "But somehow, she managed to reactivate herself earlier this morning. Well, I hope you all get along."
Both Fuuka and Daichi walked up to Aigis and examined her.
"An anti-Shadow weapon with a will of its own…" Fuuka said. "Amazing!"
"Daichi, you better not be perving out over her!" Homura scolded.
"Not this time." Daichi said before continuing his examination of Aigis. "I wonder what went into making her… I hope you wouldn't mind if I studied your inner machinations, would you?"
"Um, by the way, Aigis…" Yukari spoke up. "When we met you earlier, it seemed like you knew Minato."
Aigis nodded. "Yes, it is very important for me to be by his side."
That statement confused everyone in the room, considering it was highly doubtful that Minato and Aigis had encountered each other before today.
"Sounds to me she's taken a liking to you, Minato." Seth grinned and nudged Minato.
"She DID turn down Akihiko-senpai, Junpei and Daichi-kun." Minato guessed.
"Hmm…" Ikutsuki pondered Aigis's comment. "Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning… Or she might still be half asleep… Veeery peculiar…"
"Or maybe, considering she has a Persona and thus a human heart, it's possible that she may have developed a crush." Daichi surmised before muttering to himself. "Perhaps it's tied to that Plume of Dusk… Or maybe something else…"
"Well, in any case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aigis." Seth walked up to her and held out his hand.
Aigis looked at his hand somewhat perplexingly.
"Come on, you should know what a handshake is." Seth giggled.
Aigis moved her hand right near Seth's and he grabbed and shook it.
"There we go…" Seth said.
July 23, 2009, Thursday, Daytime
With their stay at Yakushima officially over, everyone had to leave on the ship back to Tatsumi Port Island. Seth was at the edge of the ship, looking out at the clear blue sea, when Mitsuru walked up to him.
"I know the last thing you want to talk about right now is business, but I've noticed that your team has yet to explore Tartarus since the last full moon." Mitsuru said.
"Yeah…" Seth sighed. "Those finals really affected our training regimen. I bet your team hasn't trained for at least a week and a half."
"If that's the case, until the next full moon we should explore Tartarus together every night." Mitsuru suggested. "However, we shouldn't push ourselves to the point of exhaustion."
"Right, won't do us any good if someone gets sick. Anything else?"
"Nothing important, although…" Mitsuru rested her arms against the ship's railing. "I AM curious as to why you're out here instead of inside with the others."
"Just admiring the waves… It's been a long time since I've had a chance. Last I remember, it was when I was flown here from America, but… The more I think about it, this trip marks the first time I've seen them close up. The sight's… almost mesmerizing…"
July 24, 2009, Friday, Lunchtime
With only a day and a half of classes left before summer break, Seth knew that the scores for finals would be posted soon. He felt like he did well, but there was always that sense of doubt looming over him like a reaper. The tension was broken when a student barged into the classroom.
"The test scores are up!"
Everyone got out of their seats and went out to the hallway to see how everyone was ranked on their finals. When Seth saw his ranking, he was legitimately surprised.
"I… I came in sixth?!" Seth exclaimed.
He had to double check and slapped himself to make sure he wasn't seeing things and he, in fact, had the sixth highest score.
"Unbelievable!" Seth said.
"Congratulations, Seth!" Homura walked up behind him and smiled before looking for her name. "Where… am… I… There!"
Seth looked to where Homura was pointing and saw that she was ranked fourth.
"Wow, even better than last time!" Seth said.
"At this rate, you'll have a higher score than me on the next exams…" Homura sulked a little.
"This isn't a competition… Though who came in first?"
They both looked at where the number one student was listed and were surprised at the name next to it.
"Minato?!" Seth exclaimed again. "HE got the highest score! Man, he's something else…"
July 24, 2009, Friday, After School
While Seth was walking through the hallway after classes, someone ran up to him.
"Seth!"
Seth turned around and saw Leliana stop in front of him.
"Congratulations on doing well on the finals!" Leliana said.
"Thanks." Seth said. "How'd you do, Leliana?"
"Thanks to you, I managed to pass…" Leliana answered. "Barely… Anyway, want to hang out?"
"Yeah, where do you want to go?"
Seth and Leliana had just entered Paulownia Mall and the latter became particularly excited.
*She's not doing what I think she's-* Seth thought.
"After passing my finals, I should get myself a reward." Leliana said. "To the clothing stores!"
*Too late… Now I'm stuck in a cliché…*
"Seth, would you mind evaluating for me?"
"Huh?"
"I used to have a boyfriend when I was in middle school who would always come clothes shopping with me, but we broke up, then I moved to Japan. It's a long story. Anyway, don't get the wrong idea and think this is a date."
"Not once did I consider this a date."
"That's kind of rude."
After two hours of clothes shopping, Leliana was carrying a single shopping bag.
"Is that really all you're getting?" Seth asked.
"I didn't do so well that I should get more or my parents would let me get whatever I wanted." Leliana answered. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you'd think I'm just a stereotypical American teenage girl."
"Well… yeah…" Seth said. "Sadly, before coming here most girls I knew were like that and I found them really annoying."
"Every girl loves shopping, be it clothes, books or whatever, but I'm not some shallow bimbo."
"That's a relief. By the way, you mentioned that your parents were here on business. What do they do, exactly?"
"They're officers in a global car manufacturing company. I usually never see them because their schedules are always booked."
"I bet you want them to take a break in their schedule to spend some time with you."
"A little… But I know they still care about me."
"You're not just saying that to just say that, are you?"
Leliana shook her head. Every time they have free time, they give me a call to know how I'm doing, what happened today and all that jazz. Despite their incredibly busy lives, they still try to make sure I remain a part of it. Do your parents call you often, Seth?"
Seth sighed sadly. "Not really, no."
"Well, you did mention they were in the army. Not a lot of call opportunities when enemies can pick up their transmissions."
"… Yeah…"
"I'm sure your parents are fine, though." Leliana smiled.
Seth could feel genuine comfort coming from Leliana and his spirits were raised.
"Anyway, I should be heading home now." Leliana said. "Thanks again for accompanying me here."
July 24, 2009, Friday, Dark Hour
Everyone in SEES and Heiwa were inside Tartarus, with each group fighting on the same floor while exploring, but going in different directions to cover more ground in mapping out the area. Defeating the Reverse Hierophant and Lovers Shadows had dispelled the barrier blocking their path from the next block, which now sported light blue walls and floors with architecture in its design. The SEES team was comprised of Minato, Akihiko, Mitsuru and Aigis while the Heiwa team consisted of Seth, Emi, Luke and Kasumi. Luke's weapon of choice was a sword and shield and Kasumi carried with her a spear with a large blade at the end of it, but the pole was greatly shortened to the point where she was holding it like a two-handed sword. Both groups were receiving support from Fuuka, who was near the entrance scanning her friends and their surroundings with her Persona.
"Seth, do you think it's a good idea to bring both Luke and Kasumi along with us?" Homura questioned. "Neither of them have actual combat experience."
"Neither did I when I got here." Seth said.
"Carter-kun, I sense enemies heading right for you!" Fuuka spoke through her Persona.
The four off them readied their guards as they were approached by a couple of Shadows. These Shadows looked like a pair stuck together by two bars and each was wearing a black cowl.
"Finally, some action!" Kasumi pumped her fist.
"Fuuka, any weaknesses?" Seth asked.
"Give me a sec…"
The Shadows were almost on top of them and Luke stepped forward with his Evoker in hand.
"Luke!" Seth called out in worry.
"We just need to hold out until Fuuka-san finishes her analysis." Luke stated as he pointed the Evoker toward his head.
This was his first time using this particular gun, so he was hesitant to pull the trigger, but he knew that he had to keep the team alive.
"Selene!"
Luke fired the Evoker and behind him appeared a woman with skin as blue as the ocean and flowing, shining ivory hair that covered her eyes wearing a conservative white dress that was so long that it completely obscured her legs and feet. Just as the two Shadows were about to hit them with lightning magic, Selene raised a block of ice that blocked the electric bolts and protected the team.
"Great idea, Luke!" Seth exclaimed happily. "You're so smart!"
"Yeah, but that ice wall won't hold those Shadows forever." Homura stated.
"How's the scan coming, Fuuka?" Kasumi questioned.
"Alllmooost… It's weak to fire!" Fuuka stated.
"Which means it's my turn!" Kasumi charged toward the ice wall.
"Make it quick, Kasumi-san!" Luke said. "They were charging up for their next attack. If you miss, we'll be in serious trouble."
Selene waved her hand and shattered the wall of ice she had created. As Kasumi dashed toward the Shadows, she pointed her Evoker at her head and showed no reluctance in pulling the trigger.
"Ceres!"
Appearing behind Kasumi was a woman with her head wrapped in her own light green hair and a dress made of wheat that completely covered her body save her arms and lower legs. Ceres clasped her hands together and the Shadows instantly combusted, the flames incinerating them into nothingness.
"Hell yeah!" Kasumi pumped her fist proudly as her Persona vanished.
Seth leaned toward Homura. "Still think it was a bad idea for me to bring them with us?"
"And what if the worst happened?" Homura asked.
"We would've jumped in and saved them, then brought them back to the entrance and switch out the team." Seth reassured her.
"You might be too optimistic for your own good." Homura whispered back.
Luke and Kasumi walked back over to Seth and Homura.
"Come on! Let's find some more Shadows and take 'em down!" Kasumi said.
"Kasumi-san, I understand we need to fight Shadows to get stronger, but you shouldn't be so eager about it." Luke said. "These things act on instinct and little else."
"Sounds to me you've really been doing your homework, Luke." Homura said.
"Th…" Luke blushed and his eyes darted at the ground. "Thank you, Homura-san…"
"Aw, does Little Luke have a crush?" Kasumi sang as she patted Luke's head.
"Don't call me that…" Luke's face was blushing even more now.
"You're just so cute!" Kasumi said. "A bit of a confidence boost and the girls'll be knocking down your door in mobs."
"Hey-hey!" Seth pointed at Kasumi. "Hey… I want Luke to have a girlfriend, but I won't condone any harems!"
"Sh-should we be just standing around talking here?" Luke questioned, his face still flushed, in an attempt to change the subject. "There might be other Shadows on this floor."
"Luke's right." Fuuka spoke up. "There are more Shadows lurking behind the next corner."
Luke quietly sighed in relief.
Some time had passed and the Dark Hour was nearly finished when everyone had gathered on the bottommost floor of Tartarus.
"We made a lot of progress today." Mitsuru said. "It was a wise decision to switch out team members so no one tires out quickly. Arisato, Carter, how are you holding up?"
"If there weren't classes tomorrow, I'd sleep in all day tomorrow." Minato replied.
"And I'm A-okay-!" Seth was about to give Mitsuru thumbs up when his legs suddenly gave out and he fell to the ground. "… Maybe not…"
"Come on, dude, stay with us." Daichi said.
Both Daichi and Nobuo took Seth by his arms and carried him over their shoulders.
"Thanks, guys…" Seth said tiredly.
Mitsuru looked around at everyone and noticed how exhausted they all were. She even took a moment to assess her own fatigue.
"Get some rest, everyone." Mitsuru said. "You all need it."
"Don't worry, Mitsuru…" Seth said. "We'll be ready to go for tomorrow."
Mitsuru closed her eyes. "About that, Carter…" She reopened her eyes. "We should rest tomorrow as well. We made enough progress in both our exploration of Tartarus and our combat abilities that we can take that break."
"You sure, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked.
Mitsuru nodded, prompting Junpei, Daichi and Yukari to let out sighs of relief.
"Man, it's times like this I wish I had a support Persona, like Fuuka." Daichi said.
Fuuka was wobbling in place and appeared incredibly dizzy.
"Fuuka-san?" Luke asked.
Fuuka then collapsed and Minato rushed over to catch her.
"Hey! Fuuka!" Minato exclaimed.
Minato checked Fuuka to see that she was still breathing and held his hand against her head.
"She's burning up!" Minato said. "We need to get her home, right away!"
A/N: That ends the chapter! I wanted to get this done sooner, but I was distracted by stuff again. Also, I finally got a job! I start in a few days, but hopefully I can get stuff done in my stories before then. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!
Heiwa (Fool) – Rank 5
Junpei (Magician) – Rank 5
Fuuka (Priestess) – Rank 2
Mitsuru (Empress) - Rank 3
Akihiko (Emperor) – Rank 3
Homura (Lovers) – Rank 5
Theodore (Hermit) – Rank 3
Nobuo (Fortune) – Rank 3
Daichi (Strength) – Rank 3
Makoto (Death) - Rank 4
Hardcore Gamer (Temperance) - Rank 3
Emi (Devil) – Rank 3
Troubled Woman (Tower) – Rank 3
Leliana (Star) - Rank 3
Luke (Moon) – Rank 1
Shy Stalker (Sun) – Rank 2
Kasumi (Aeon) – Rank 1