A/N#2: Well, stay with me here for a second as I explain what I did. I decided based on my own reservations and the help of a review that the last chapter, which was originally titled Chapter 21: Night and Day was not my best effort. I need to admit here that I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would've liked and that led to the decrease in quality. So, I have tried to spend as much time as possible in synthesizing my ideas and put together a new chapter that is welded on to the foundation of the original chapter. Therefore, there will be parts that are repeated, but I hope that they flow better and make more sense in the overall flow of the story. I spent a lot of time thinking about where this story is going and it became evident to me that this chapter was pivotal in making the buildup make sense. In other words, what I wrote before for this chapter did not fit in well idea wise and it was necessary to rewrite the majority of it. I strayed a bit from my original intent and it's very encouraging that crymblade told me that the chapter was off. I had concerns about it before publishing and am glad that you shared some of them. All in all, it was good to take a step back and not look at this chapter alone as in a vacuum, but a larger part of the storyboard that I have drawn up so far. There was some logical fallacy and lack of explanations in points and this revised chapter is more shifting gears than addressing those concerns because it didn't make sense to address them. Basically, I couldn't explain why Fuuka would not try and return home even with an explanation because at the most basic level it didn't make any sense, aha. Therefore, it doesn't make much sense to reply to the reviews that were set up for the original chapter because of the shift and will resume that part in the next chapter. So, for now just go straight to the story. Anyhow, I think this was partly because of the lack of time thinking as thoroughly as I usually do about previous chapters due to the time crunch. And my final point to this endless author's note is that the ending of this chapter flows so much easier into the next one. Regardless, I thank you for continuing to read this story and am sincerely grateful. Thank you.
A/N: I apologize for the very long lead time between chapters. It has been rather a very long time and more than I would care to admit. Unfortunately, my brainstorming and writing time have gone down considerably since the last chapter. Therefore, my updating schedule has been thrown for a loop, and for the immediate future, infrequent updates will be the norm. I have been unable to synthesize ideas as much as I would like and the constant starting and stopping has gotten a bit on my nerves to be honest. I had to iron out a lot of awkwardness this chapter and some of it still might be there. However, I truly am still invested in this story as it nears its first anniversary. Of course, I would like to be further along, but as cliché as it sounds, it is what it is. On a personal note, I would like to thank each reader for sticking with the story all this time and for that you have my gratitude. There were quite a lot of reviews last chapter and I was shocked, in a good way. As for the content in this chapter, I found that battle scenes don't really get me as invigorated as they used to, and I am still debating whether I should quickly gloss over the imminent battle at the end. There was a lot of concern whether I spent too much time in this chapter trying to show the interactions and thoughts of the characters, but by the end I realized this is what makes the story what it is. The characters and their buildup are the driving force for the story and I will most likely continue on that route. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was that there was a major part in this chapter that was cut out because it didn't make sense, but it will be included in a future chapter. Of course, I will account for reader feedback as usual and I am always worried about pacing, aha! The chapter titles are still rather random as well. Thank you and the story is over 100,000 words with this chapter!
Note: Thank you to rEpose for going through this chapter and fixing my errors.
Reader Reviews:
Sir-Godot: I always felt cautious about how to portray Mitsuru's character. On one hand, she is one of the more intelligent characters in the game. Still, she has her own problems that appear from time to time. In the game, she seemed to have been forced to grow up rather quickly with both the responsibilities of being the Kirijo heir and in leading S.E.E.S. from the very beginning. With that being said, Mitsuru hasn't had as much time just growing up like a normal teenager and possibly improving her social skills with people outside of the upper crust of society.
There are just a lot of different avenues to explore in Minato's character, which I found surprising after the extraction of the Wild Card. I think he is becoming lost as to what his role is in this timeframe. Trying to rescue Fuuka, I think, was an extension of his desire to find some type of support, like you said, and yet as you'll see by the time this chapter ends, it just doesn't seem to work out. What Minato wants is probably not possible anyways… someone who he can confide in, yet won't question what he knows and does. I think that is why he shrinks away at the end of this chapter; because he has already interfered before and seen the aftermath and wants to see what happens when he does nothing, to a certain extent. I'm still on the fence about the flags idea because it is harder to execute properly than when I first thought about it, haha! I think this chapter shifts the focus of friction to the other characters a bit this chapter, though some of it is meant to be humorous. Thanks for the informative reviews as always!
EmD23: I agree that Minato does need his small victories, but even those seem to come with asterisks as you'll see in this chapter. Your point about Philemon is right on and explains why Hamuko has the Wild Card and Minato is left with what he has now. Thank you for the part about how Minato will never have his own Fuuka, Junpei, etc. It really gave me the background idea for the end of this chapter and sets up a nice foundation for future chapters. I do agree that Strega can be an important part of any P3 related story and I am still figuring when to have them more actively involved. This chapter got a bit unwieldy quickly because of the sheer length of it, but I'll keep Strega in mind. Thanks for the review!
kryuzei: I'm glad that you think so. It means that the last chapter did its job. Thanks for reviewing!
DeathChaos25: Yup, been 1 month since this update too. I think the answer to your question is somewhere in the middle. Minato is still trying to find out who he is in this world and I think until he can definitively answer one way or another he will just continue to tread water around the other members. Hamuko spends a lot of time worrying about others so she may be blowing things out of proportion. With regard to Yukari, I think Minato was just speaking his mind and she was just on edge because of the topic involved. I would say that Ikutsuki was following Mitsuru's orders possibly. The last part of your review was a great coincidence. Once I read up on it I did burst out laughing as well, since it is rather a hilarious inadvertent reference. I was glad to see your review.
crymblade: I always did find the Hanged Man characters to be a bit crazy as well. It turns out in this chapter that Minato had to fudge his way around Tartarus a bit as you'll see since Take-Minakata is a bit lacking. He actually doesn't leave a note, partly out of spite perhaps!
The Fool: Hmm, the Tower or even Judgment Arcana were definitely possibilities when I first thought up the story, but at the time it seemed to me like there was more potential in the Hanged Man. Regardless, I do appreciate the different perspective that you brought up.
RomanceDagger: Good to see you again! And yeah there's quite a bit of Fuuka in this chapter since well, it is when we first meet her. I'm glad you're liking the development of Minato's character. It really is a work in progress, aha.
Yoshikunitsu: I'm glad you think that! There are just so many layers that such a drastic change could have on someone. I think that it will become even more pertinent over time as to why the Hanged Man seemingly chose Minato versus all of the other Arcana and why his personality seems to become what it is with each passing chapter. S.E.E.S., and in particular Mitsuru, are just unsure what they are dealing with. In general, people tend to be afraid of things that are different and when Minato seems to be a bit omniscient that isn't exactly going to alleviate their concerns. Hamuko gets a slight taste of what it feels like to be Minato in this chapter, so maybe a better understanding between them will eventually happen. Thanks for the compliment about the chapter!
Guest: Glad you like the story so far and hope you stay for the rest!
rotkrotk: Thank you!
Yami-no-Majou077: Oh, it has been a while, Yami! Yeah, it was time Minato tried to do something on his own. The team structure just isn't working out for him so far, but there's always going to be positives and negatives no matter what he chooses. Who knows maybe he'll grow from the experience and end up a better person for it in the long-run.
The-Master-Warlord: Definitely a double-edged type of choice. He wants to get back at Mitsuru for what she did, but at the same time where does that really leave him in the end? I think going off on his own is partly driven by ego, but also just a level of curiosity to see what he can achieve on his own without a structure in place. Of course, rescuing Fuuka was his main objective and finding someone he can hang his hat on, so to speak. I think near the end of the chapter below he goes through an epiphany and truly starts to realize that things just aren't what they used to be like.
Spisant: Reading all twenty chapters at once is a lot to digest, so good job getting through all of that. Character development is something I try to focus on and try to make sure I explain the thinking that goes on between the lines. I'm glad you love the story.
FallenRaindrops: I wish I had progressed a little more, but it is always an exercise in improvement, which is why I like this story since it is such a long project. Finding that balance in pacing has always been one of my major challenges and not deluging readers in detail saturation. Character integration is a big part of that I believe so here's to hoping that with each new one added that the story continues well.
Chapter 21: Concern
June 7th, Sunday (Gekkoukan High Entrance, Late Night)
Minato P.O.V.
A tranquil quiet extended itself on the majority of Tatsumi Port Island as a sleepy Sunday wound down and the locals prepared for the start of another work week. However, a certain blue-haired figure stood in stark contrast to this reality as he moved hurriedly in the direction of Gekkoukan High, encumbered by what he carried. Minato tried his best to hide the short sword from the dorm armory that dangled near his right pant leg while also carrying a crinkled blue rucksack filled with Trafuri gems, his Persona card, an evoker, and other miscellaneous materials. After pacing back and forth by the front of the school a couple of times, it seemed that no one was around, so Minato decided to enter. Getting over the fence with all of his supplies was a daunting task in itself. On the other hand, gaining access into the main building was a breeze as Minato had left a classroom window unlocked, a trick he learned from Junpei before. Once inside, Minato groped his way to the teacher's lounge and, after hurriedly digging through drawers, found the gym key that he sought. As he entered the gym, he noticed it was brighter than the other parts of the school because of the moonlight shining in from the windows and skylight. He checked his cellphone, saw it was still ten more minutes until the Dark Hour, and sat down against a wall for support.
Time seemed to dawdle by slowly as Minato was left to his own muddled thoughts about what he was doing and the implausible nature of his actions. Wild scenarios played out in his head as he wondered what would happen if he was found missing or dead. It made him chuckle a bit that he thought of death as something that was so omnipresent, yet so easy to joke about. Either way, he made it hard for the others to find out what he had been up to, as he registered under a false name in a rather shady looking hotel, which didn't even bother to check for identification once they saw the money. The plan was to rescue Fuuka, and he wasn't sure about the rest of it, but not letting Fuuka be seen for a while was probably a good idea. Reason being that if Fuuka was seen by someone who knew she was missing then all hell would break loose. He could imagine the uproar that would occur, and having to explain himself out of that would be close to impossible. It didn't really occur to him that S.E.E.S. may need help against the pair of full moon Shadows.
Finally, midnight struck and the world became inundated with dark hues of green and black. The gym around him rumbled slowly, melting away as windows, bleachers, and chairs all seemed to liquefy into black molasses that covered his shoes. Walls shook and the cacophony of noises was unbearable as his head kept on ringing like a bell from the discordance. Minato eventually blacked out, noticing how metallic the blood smelled as his body splashed on top of a puddle.
After some time had passed, Minato came around and wiped the blood off his face with his shirt sleeve. Getting unsteadily to his feet, he saw familiar dark purple corridors emitting purple ooze, inscrutable faces protruding from the walls, and his favorite puddles of blood. This was definitely part of the Arqa block, he didn't need Mitsuru here to tell him that. Out of caution, Minato unsheathed his short sword and gripped it firmly with his right hand, feeling anxious. He reminded himself that the goal of this trip was not to butcher everything, but instead to save Fuuka, and tried to calm down for a bit.
Suddenly, a rustling noise from around the corner caught his attention and held it. A Haughty Maya appeared from around the corner and Minato charged at it, not even bothering to use Take-Minakata. Unfortunately, he stumbled on the uneven flooring and had to hastily dodge a Zio from the Shadow by doing a barrel roll on the ground. It would've been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. His ego coming down a few levels, Minato decided to wait for an opening, adopting a defensive posture. There was a sliver of indecision on the Shadow's part when it saw him take his stance, and Minato didn't hesitate to thrust the short sword with aplomb. The blade impaled his foe right across the roman numerals on its mask, making a satisfying crunching noise as the Shadow collapsed. Overall, not the greatest first battle ever, but he would take it.
The journey through Tartarus became a bit easier after that first encounter, as he remembered the nuances of battle and acted accordingly to what his opponents did. Minato avoided the battles where he could and continued to shout Fuuka's name into the night. Unfortunately, this led to some battles where he was attacked unprepared. Regardless, the grinding did help alleviate any nerves that he had, and he had better command of his Persona, Take-Minakata than ever before. They moved together in unison and dispatched Shadows not through brute strength, but a steady diet of cunning and their wits.
Minato wiped the sweat from his forehead. He didn't recall how many floors he had ascended and was quickly tiring as his soaked clothes could clearly attest. Time was slowly ticking away and he couldn't afford to sit on his laurels, so he resumed his search. What would happen if he didn't find Fuuka in time? The flow of time wasn't congruent between the world outside of Tartarus, but being in the tower during its transformation seemed like a bad proposition. On the verge of losing hope, Minato finally caught a break shortly after he threw one of his last Trafuri gems to avoid engaging a red Shadow that tried to surprise him.
"Is someone there?" a meek voice whispered from somewhere to the northeast. "Please answer!"
Minato couldn't help but crack a smile, the fruits of his labor realized as he replied, "Yes, I'm over here. You must be Fuuka Yamagishi, correct?"
"Y-yes!" she replied uncertainly, "Who are you?" Fuuka emerged into his line of sight, not looking much worse for wear. Though, her black school uniform did look a bit dirty in some spots and her short turquoise hair a bit matted. Minato didn't mind, he was just glad that he had found her… it was a miracle they found each other.
"Fuuka, don't you remember me?" Minato said in some disappointment, "We met each other at the hospital a while back. You were there because you weren't feeling well and I was there because of my arm."
"Now I remember!" Fuuka replied affirmatively and her voice steady, "I thought you looked familiar, but with everything that's happened I didn't recognize you right away. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Minato said, "I'm just glad you remembered me in the end. Let's get going before anything else shows up."
"I understand," she replied.
"Hold on to me," Minato said as he pulled out a translucent gem that shined radiantly in the dim light. Fuuka did as she was told and Minato crushed the Traesto gem. The pair shielded their eyes as a blinding white light transported them back to the entrance of Tartarus.
The clock on the pedestal indicated there was still some time before the Dark Hour ended, so he thought that it was important to get some things out of the way, namely getting Fuuka to summon her Persona, Lucia. Minato was fairly certain that Mitsuru lacked the power to sense things that were going on in Tartarus from such a long distance, so he chased that thought out of his mind.
"Where are we?" Fuuka inquired in wonder as she got up from the tiled floor and looked around at the pedestal to the entrance of the first floor of Tartarus. She stared intently at the ticking clock that led to the first floor of Tartarus. Next, she moved on to examining the green access point and jumped in surprise when it whirled to life at her touch.
Inwardly, Minato smiled as he remembered that Fuuka was a mechanical whiz who didn't properly appreciate the depth of her talents in the field. If only she stayed away from cooking concoctions and using him as a guinea pig. He shuddered at the memories of the nights awake with severe stomach cramps.
"We're safe here, Fuuka, but we need to leave soon," Minato intoned, as the Dark Hour would end somewhat soon. "So, I'll keep this to the minimum. This is the base of the tower that is known as Tartarus, in which you and I were deep in the second block until a moment ago. It's where the monsters known as Shadows originate from. I'm sure you could sense them while you were alone."
"So, those things were monsters?!" Fuuka gasped, looking rather perturbed. "Yes, I tried my best to avoid them."
"A smart decision," Minato said, "But they aren't particularly easy to avoid. How did you manage to survive?"
"Well, it's sort of hard to explain," Fuuka said, her right arm holding the back of her left. It was one of her trademark gestures. "I could kind of sense where they were."
"I see," Minato replied and trying his best to look surprised. "Do you have any burning questions that you want to get off your chest?"
"What happened to me?" Fuuka said, "One moment, I was in the school gym and next I was in that place you call Tartarus."
"At midnight every day of the week the school transforms into Tartarus during the time known as the Dark Hour. It's basically a 25th hour of the day that isn't experienced by most of the population, but you and I are an exception to that rule."
"The Dark Hour?" Fuuka replied, wringing her hands together nervously. "That sounds rather ominous."
"It is," Minato said and took out the evoker from his pocket. "Here, this is yours for the time being."
Fuuka looked at the evoker in Minato's hand with dismay. "But, this is a…"
"Don't worry, it isn't a real gun," Minato reassured her. "It's a tool to help you harness your powers. You know, the one that allowed you to figure out where the Shadows were."
"R-really?" Fuuka's expression changed to one of wonder, but she still seemed hesitant to take the evoker from his outstretched hand.
"Hmm, I'll prove it to you with a demonstration then," Minato said sheepishly and putting the evoker to the right side of his head. "Persona!"
The blue shards of his psyche exploded after he pulled the trigger and they reanimated themselves back together in the form of Take-Minakata, who hovered above them with a blank expression.
"Wow…" Fuuka looked up at his glowing Persona in wonder, "I-I can do that too?"
"Of course," Minato replied and waved off his Persona carelessly with his hand, who vanished. He handed her the evoker gently into her palms. "Fair warning, you'll be exhausted after the first time you summon your Persona."
"O-okay," she stuttered, and closed her eyes as she brought the evoker to her head. Her hand trembled as it reached for the trigger.
"Don't be afraid," Minato encouraged. "I'm here with you just in case something happens."
With that Fuuka slowly pulled the trigger and Minato braced himself as a whirling wind encircled Fuuka, pushing him back to the outer boundaries of the lobby.
A large, female Persona encased Fuuka near its translucent glass-like abdomen, which had the shape of a human eye. The persona's flowing locks of pale blonde hair and billowing white and pink dress gently danced in the breeze. Its eyes and the entirety of its neck were wrapped in thick opaque bandages. Fuuka had her hands clasped together as if in prayer and slowly opened her eyes to look at Minato.
"I can sense so many things," she began.
Minato replied with a proud smile on his face and said, "This is your own unique ability. You could only use it to a certain extent before."
"I see," Fuuka answered. "Her name is Lucia."
Minato nodded and watched as Fuuka's persona slowly vanished and she emerged from Lucia's body.
"You were right, Minato-kun," Fuuka said. "I feel… exhausted. I think I can still go on though."
Fuuka looked really out of it and Minato was tired as well from his journey up the tower. Still, he felt a responsibility to see this through until the end.
"W-what are you doing, Minato-kun?" her voice squeaked in embarrassment as Minato picked her up on his back.
"Don't worry, I don't mind."
Fuuka told him which direction to head towards to get to her house, and they didn't discuss much else since Minato had trouble carrying Fuuka and talking at the same time. Eventually, Minato's breathing began to get ragged after they had gone a considerable distance.
"Minato-kun, you can let me down now," she said. "I can walk the rest of the way."
Minato obliged and set her down on her feet, landing with a soft tap.
"Fuuka, please don't tell anyone that I rescued you tonight."
"Um… can I ask why?" Fuuka said.
"Not really, but that's the only thing I ask in return," Minato replied.
"Okay," Fuuka said with a tone of finality in her voice. "Um… my house is only around the corner so. Thank you so much for what you've done for me."
"Well you be in school tomorrow?" Minato blurted out before she could go.
"Yes, I'll see you then," Fuuka replied and quickly walked off.
June 8th, Monday (Gekkoukan High, Early Morning)
Minato P.O.V.
He was back at school like he had promised beforehand, but felt distracted enough that he absentmindedly bumped into a couple of people as his body automatically headed towards the classroom upstairs. He took his seat in class and noticed that no one from his dorm had arrived to class, which wasn't too surprising considering there were only a few students this early. Minato had dumped all of his belongings in his room, hastily gotten ready, and left for school without eating anything. As things stood now, all he could do was wait and see how his actions would impact the present. He felt at a loss on what to do next. His solo crusade had put a lot at stake, but he didn't feel like he accomplished much at all. Fuuka would've been saved anyways, right? The worst part was in the end, she didn't even trust him enough to see her off all the way to her house. Maybe he was overanalyzing things, but his gut instinct told him that this whole experience had not been worth the effort. Not wanting to sit and think anymore, he left his belongings and started to walk towards the stairs to buy something from the school store.
"Hey, Minato! Been a while," a cheerful voice said from behind him.
"Hi," he replied, without bothering to look and hoping he would be let off the hook as he continued to walk. The only person with that level of energy and enthusiasm this early in the morning could only be Hamuko.
"How was your weekend?" she added. "It was sort of a surprise that you suddenly left. I guess I could say that I even sort of missed you, haha. There was this lack of stoic and brooding energy in the dorm."
"I was only away for a day Hamuko," Minato said, "It isn't like I have much to do these days."
"That's only because you choose not to do anything," Hamuko replied. "And how long are you going to walk and talk without looking at me?!"
Minato stopped turned to face her and saw she wore her summer uniform with a white collared shirt with red ribbon tie, black school skirt, and her red MP3 player. "Are you satisfied?" he mumbled.
"Yeah, definitely," she answered sarcastically. "Why are you so moody today? It's only the start of the week."
"No reason, Hamuko." He was just drained both physically and mentally and didn't want to play this game with her. "Where are the others?"
"Junpei wouldn't wake up and Yukari said she needed to do something before class," Hamuko said. "I do worry about both of them though. Junpei is always playing games and not much else, while Yukari seems moodier than even you are. Oh well, I guess you could say that I spend too much time concerned about others, right?"
"You don't need to take everything I say seriously, Hamuko," Minato sighed and relaxed his shoulders a bit. "What you do is up to you and it would be rude if I just kept lecturing you, one way or another. There's a reason you were chosen as the field leader after all. It isn't just because of your powers, but the ability to keep everyone together. We aren't exactly the greatest collection of people ever put together."
"Aww, that's like the best compliment you ever gave me." She put both of her hands on the sides of her face and had a weird twinkle in her eye.
"Hmm, maybe I should take back what I said," Minato joked.
"Hmph, and I thought you were being nice for a change." Hamuko fiddled with the ribbon around her neck for a while and redid the knot so it appeared neater than before. "Now that you mention it though it seems like most of us are orphans or victims of absentee parenting."
"Does that bother you at all?" Minato noted the change in the tone of her voice and adjusted accordingly. He wasn't comfortable discussing this topic with her, since it would most likely dredge up the past and that would lead to trouble.
"Nope, in fact I think it helps us," she replied. "Since it's something that we all share in common and have to deal with. I wonder sometimes why things happened the way they did to me, but dwelling on it isn't really going to change anything long-term. That's part of the reason why I always seem so optimistic and air-headed, because I just want to enjoy things as they come. I can't even remember the night that my adopted parents died, which is strange because I was right there to see it, from what I was told."
Minato didn't have anything to say to her comments and wondered why she was suddenly blurting out such personal information.
"What about you though, Minato?" Hamuko looked at him with a piercing gaze and seeming rather adamant. "You always seem lost in your own world and sometimes I envy that. No matter what's going on, you seem to know what to do and keep calm. I mean, with the incident at the rail station I don't think anyone else could've done what you did. And even recently, I know I would've had a hard time keeping my temper in check if Mitsuru did that to me. You don't have to tell me, I was just wondering, that's all."
It was more than a little ironic that Hamuko was saying this now. Of course, she couldn't know the tempest that brewed inside his head with what he had done yesterday and generally so far in his second journey. The only reason he remained calm on the outside was because of how powerless he was. Minato had gotten used to the fact that he couldn't summon an army of Persona to do his bidding. Honestly, he wanted to kick and scream about how unfair everything was, but there wasn't really anyone that he could confide in. Talking to Hamuko, he remembered what he had said at the hospital and that truly bothered him. None of this was meant to happen to her. This was his sin.
"Well, I just keep it bottled up inside, Hamuko," he began. "I'm not someone who's really worth any amount of praise. I guess you could say that I don't really know what to say or do so I just pretend to act sage-like and usually say little to nothing. When I open my mouth, things usually turn out badly as you've seen, so I just try to keep to myself."
"But, that's a horrible way to live," Hamuko exclaimed. "If you keep bottling things up inside, eventually bad things will happen. They say the quiet types are way more dangerous than the loud and rambunctious types. Not that I'm calling you an emo or anything like that. Why don't you tell anyone about what's bothering you?"
"Very funny," Minato said casually, but this seemed to light a fire in the redhead.
"I'm being serious here!" She put her right index finger squarely in his chest, around the sling that he no longer needed. "This isn't a joke, Minato!"
This wasn't a battle that would end any time soon, so Minato decided to let Hamuko have the last word and stalked off, ignoring her incessant bickering as he went to buy some bread.
Hamuko P.O.V.
Hamuko shot a couple of nasty glances at Minato as students settled down for the first session of the day, but he seemed as stoic as ever. She couldn't really fathom how he enjoyed being alone so much. That was probably one of her worst fears, and not having friends to support her and just interacting with them would leave her in a dark place. It was somewhere she had hoped to never return to, maybe that was why she continued to meddle with Minato, even though he clearly seemed content to ignore her when she was winning an argument. If this was anyone else, Hamuko would've probably let things go, but he was a special case. Though, could she even really call him a friend at this point? She tried to think of events in Minato's shoes and it was clear to Hamuko that he was treated unfairly, considering what he had sacrificed. Mitsuru always seemed to take the best possible decision without ever considering the feelings of others. Sure, it made sense to suspend Minato, considering how reckless he was, but it didn't feel right at all. She had been through this before, why was she going over it again?
Still, it wasn't like Minato was the only thing on her mind, as she remembered that today was the day she had been warned about by that strange boy who seemed to stalk her constantly. The strange thing was that she still didn't know what his name was, maybe she would ask next time. She still hadn't confided in anyone that there might be another Shadow attack today because she had been preoccupied with the story Shinjiro had divulged to the junior members of S.E.E.S. If the story was true, then it was really disconcerting that Fuuka had been missing for over a week in Tartarus alone. Personally, she felt nauseous that she had not taken this case seriously at the beginning and merely put it off as some childish urban legend. Class was set to begin and Hamuko tried to push away the guilty feelings that lingered in the pit of her stomach.
A boring set of lectures droned through Hamuko's brain and it was only through rote muscle memory that she took some barely legible notes. Her scribbles in the margins filled up the pages in her notebook with myriad arrows and bubbles pointing to nothing in particular. With Ms. Toriumi going through a passionless lecture about elementary sentence composition, Hamuko began to shake her leg in boredom. Apparently, it got so bad that Yukari poked her hard with the eraser on the back of her pencil.
"Ow, Yukari," Hamuko snapped, at her friend. "What was that for?"
"Knock it off," she retorted. "You're causing an earthquake."
"As if," Hamuko said.
"Oh, what's going on you guys?"
Junpei's overly enthusiastic and loud voice caught the ire of Ms. Toriumi. "Is there something the three of you would like to share with the rest of the class?" Her face became stern and Hamuko could see more than a few wrinkles furrow into her teacher's forehead.
Yukari P.O.V.
After an uncomfortable time during the rest of class, the junior S.E.E.S. walked down the stairs together.
"Thanks a lot, Junpei," Yukari muttered and giving Junpei a sullen look. "I'm sure Ms. Toriumi gave us extra homework because of you. You're always so tactless."
"Oh come on, Yuka-tan," Junpei cheerfully said. "If you didn't want me to be curious, you guys should have talked louder so I could hear what was going on."
"Maybe, that's because it was none of your business," she sneered and quickly shifted her attention to Hamuko. "This is your fault too!"
"I'm sure Minato would be happy to help you with your homework Yukari," Hamuko said hopefully, to which Minato turned ghastly.
"Let's just go see what Fuuka's teacher knows, dudes," Junpei said in an obvious attempt to change the topic.
Yukari led the way, as the others seemed hesitant to be in front of her at the moment. She knocked on the door twice to the teacher's lounge and slowly pulled the sliding door across to her left. When she entered, Yukari saw a mass of red hair and realized it was one of her least favorite people. Mitsuru was already here and, judging by the emotional state of the bumbling teacher and terrified student, the interrogation was under full swing.
"Um, are we interrupting something?" Yukari gave a false cheerful tone that she used whenever Mitsuru was around.
"No, not at all," Mitsuru replied. "I am assuming you are here because of what happened to Fuuka Yamagishi?"
Hamuko barged in behind Yukari and said, "Yeah, we heard a story that she hasn't shown up to school for over a week now."
"No! Not Fuuka," the overemotional girl said, looking up when Fuuka's name was mentioned.
Now that Yukari could take a good look at the girl's face she realized it was that girl who had talked about bullying someone before. It was when Yukari had dragged Minato away because she didn't want to hear the details of the incident. The puzzle pieces started to come together, and Yukari could feel the embers of her temper beginning to ignite.
"You're that girl!" Yukari said, and pointing an accusatory finger at her. "I heard you talking about bullying someone with that other girl near the archery fields."
"I-I'm sorry," the girl replied aghast. "I didn't think it would turn out this way!"
"Scum like you is what's wrong with this world," Yukari snarled. "You should end up the same way!"
Yukari's words hung in the air for a bit and she began to realize the awkward silence was because she seemed to have overdone it. What was her problem these days? First it was at the seedy alleyway where they ran into that group of thugs, and now her temper ran amuck again.
"Takeba, that is enough," Mitsuru warned her sternly. "Antagonizing her will not do any good."
"Mitsuru, this isn't an interrogation. Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Ekoda was trying his best to massage the situation, but this caused the exact opposite effect.
He ended up getting the tongue-lashing of a lifetime and Yukari begrudgingly admired how Mitsuru cut the impertinent teacher down to size and stomped the remaining pieces to rubble. After much cajoling, Natsuki revealed how Fuuka had been trapped in the school gym, how she went missing the day after, and how each of Natsuki's friends never came back after going to search for Fuuka during the night.
"Do you guys think she's still alive?" Junpei said out loud once the team had gathered together.
"That is hard to ascertain at this point, Iori," Mitsuru replied. "However, we will not know unless we try, and I for one will not give up on her so easily. Ekoda shall be punished for dereliction of his basic duties as a teacher, but that can be dealt with later."
"I feel sort of bad for Natsuki," Hamuko chimed in.
"Are you being serious, Hamuko?" Yukari said in disbelief resisting the urge to throw her hands up in the air.
"Well, yeah," Hamuko said, standing her ground. "Sure, she's a bully, but she has a lot of blood on her hands now and I don't think she meant for it to go this far."
This gave Yukari some pause and she wondered what made Hamuko seem so grounded all the time. It almost seemed like nothing got to her and she seemed to see the best in people even though Yukari thought those same people were worthless. In a way, she felt a bit envious of her friend. It had only been a short couple of months since she had arrived, but Hamuko was on the verge of usurping her position as the most popular girl in the school. The biggest issue for Yukari was that she couldn't really find a problem with that at this point. Hamuko was as caring a person as she had ever met, perhaps a bit too much. She was overthinking things too much and she really needed to eat something before lunch break was over, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Minato P.O.V.
"Everyone except for Arisato-kun will rendezvous in the Student Council Room after classes to discuss tonight's operation," Mitsuru said as she saw them off with lunch ending. "Do not be late."
"The operation is going to be a waste of time," Minato responded out of the blue, causing everyone else to look at him, expressions ranging from cluelessness to borderline outrage.
"And why is that?" Mitsuru responded curtly.
"Don't you find it odd that Fuuka's parents consented to Ekoda's unsavory explanation?" Minato answered. "Why would her parents agree to lie about her disappearance? To uphold some archaic notions of family honor? No, it can't be that simple. Remember, I'm the only one who has talked to her personally before at the hospital. And I'm sorry I didn't mention this before, but she definitely had the ability to sense Shadows during the Dark Hour, based on what she told me."
His words seemed to take some time to sink in and Minato's mind furiously worked in trying to continue his explanation and was saved by a question.
"If that's true, Minato, then do you think she made it out on her own?" Yukari asked, sounding rather skeptical.
"Not necessarily, but I think Ekoda's explanation isn't one that I would blindly buy at face value. After all, he lied about why Fuuka was missing in the first place, right?"
"That is correct," Mitsuru said begrudgingly. "What do you suggest our next course of action would be then?"
"I think visiting the Yamagishi household would be the most logical step," he said. "Besides, if my hunch is wrong, there will still be plenty of time to set up for tonight's expedition for you guys."
Minato had wanted to go anyways and dragging along the rest of S.E.E.S. would be a good way to prevent them from entering Tartarus dangerously. He knew that they would attempt to enter the same way Fuuka had gone missing and, well, there were no guarantees on safety if you entered like that. Plus, he had managed to outwit Mitsuru once again, and it satisfied him that he managed to get under her skin a bit after she had made it a point to remind him that he would be excluded from the operation. Of course, Minato was worried about what had happened to Fuuka. Her parents would have at least let the school know if she had returned home safely if Fuuka needed the day off due to staying in Tartarus for so long. He would find out one way or another it seemed.
It turned out that Fuuka's parents were unfortunately very much into upholding an archaic sense of family honor and attempted to not let anyone see her. When S.E.E.S. had gone to Fuuka's house, along with Akihiko, they had refused to open the door even though it was fairly obvious that they were in there. Only after Mitsuru pulled some strings and had someone call inside the residence did the door open to the bland looking home where they were greeted by a rather stern looking couple. Minato was glad that Mitsuru was there to brandish her authority and the Kirijo name, otherwise it would've been a pain to get Fuuka out of there. In the end, Fuuka's parents relented to letting Fuuka stay at the dorm as long as Mitsuru would smooth out the paperwork and tell the press a bogus story about why Fuuka went missing. Minato really couldn't complain how things had turned out; it all seemed a bit too easy until the jubilant team was on the way back home as Mitsuru explained to Fuuka the basics of the Dark Hour and what S.E.E.S. hoped to achieve.
"So, Fuuka," Akihiko said. "How did you manage to get out of Tartarus on your own? It must've been a hell of a trip, right?"
"Um, not really, Akihiko-senpai," Fuuka said meekly. "I had some help."
Everyone in S.E.E.S. seemed surprised at this and Minato began to quickly panic as Fuuka must've forgotten to not mention the fact that he rescued her last night. Since he wasn't close enough to touch her, Minato attempted to send her a signal by violently swinging his head side to side as he pretended to look for oncoming traffic as the group was about to cross the street.
"What do you mean, Fuuka?" Hamuko added, leaning towards the petite girl from around Minato's arm. "You didn't get out of Tartarus by yourself?"
"My power helped me avoid the Shadows in there," Fuuka replied. "I could sense their locations since they were so close to me."
She remembered, Minato thought and exhaled slowly. For a moment he thought everything would implode. He really needed to tread more carefully, otherwise his menagerie of lies would shatter.
"That's pretty amazing, Fuuka," Yukari said in wonder. "I can't imagine how nervous you must've been alone in there."
"Yeah, I'm sure Yuka-tan would've spazzed out." Junpei grinned from ear to ear, but it was short-lived as Yukari blushed and proceeded to rant.
"We need to still be on guard tonight though," Hamuko interrupted. "Haven't you guys noticed that the powerful Shadows show up whenever the moon is full? At first I thought it was merely a coincidence, but now that I think about it, today is a full moon, right?"
"Now that you mention it," Junpei responded, "On the day of the monorail incident the moon was full."
"Oh, the day we were attacked at the dorm too!" Yukari exclaimed.
"And here I thought that we wouldn't be seeing any action today," Akihiko said, shaking with anticipation, "Your timing couldn't be any better Fuuka. A trial by fire, but I'm sure you'll be up to the task."
"I'll try my best, senpai," Fuuka said without much confidence.
"It seems that we are decided then," Mitsuru said, "I will make the necessary preparations for tonight's operation and look forward to seeing your abilities in battle, Yamagishi. I will rejoin the frontline and expect you to provide the necessary support against our enemy, which I presume will be one of the large Shadows that have been difficult to deal with."
"Aren't we rushing Fuuka into things a bit too fast, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari chimed in. "I mean, Fuuka hasn't even agreed to join S.E.E.S. yet! I think we're putting too much responsibility on her for her first fight, and that's if she even wants to join us in the first place."
Minato smirked and was glad that Yukari was acting as a voice of reason. S.E.E.S. tended to suffer a bit from groupthink at times, and it was important for everyone to not get wrapped up in one notion or another without carefully considering the options. Leaving Fuuka alone to support the team would be a bad idea that is, if she hadn't already experienced summoning her Persona.
Mitsuru seemed to struggle a bit with Yukari's words and said, "I will concede that Takeba has a legitimate concern that we need to address. Yamagishi, I am personally requesting that you join the group. I will not hide the truth that the main reason that we wanted you to move into the dorm was so that you can join S.E.E.S."
"I-I will," Fuuka answered. "It's the least I can do after learning about what is really going on at night."
"Are you sure, Fuuka?" Yukari insisted, and while others may think of this as nagging, Minato knew this was just part of who she was.
"Yes, I can do this." Fuuka caught Minato's eye for a moment and he nodded ever so slightly.
"It is agreed then," Mitsuru declared. We will all rendezvous in the control room tonight before the Dark Hour. I believe it will be best after consideration that I support Yamagishi in her first battle as it will be a dangerous enemy. Arisato-kun, I will leave Moriyama in your care. Make sure that she does not leave the dormitory during the Dark Hour."
"Yeah, I'll babysit," Minato muttered in dismay.
(Control Room, Night)
Hamuko P.O.V.
"Are we all ready?" Mitsuru asked to the group gathered in the control room.
Hamuko thought it was a bit of an ironic question, as it looked like everyone had been hours beforehand. Still, it was as relaxed as she had seen the group before a major battle. They knew that it was highly likely that a battle would occur today, and just having that knowledge put them in a better situation than the previous occasions. She hoped that the experience they had gained would serve them well in what would inevitably be another grueling battle. Though, it was sort of sad that Minato had to sit this one out yet again. Though, he would scoff at the notion of receiving any pity from her... Why did he act like such a martyr? His attitude didn't really gain him any favors with anyone else in the dorm. Hamuko didn't really understand why he didn't piss her off unlike everyone else.
"I cannot get in contact with the Chairman, but his assistance will not be necessary since we no longer need to get into the campus before it turns into Tartarus."
"Why are we going to the front of the school just before the Dark Hour starts?" Junpei questioned.
"The school is the center of the island, Junpei," Akihiko stated. "It gives us the best tactical location to meet the Shadow no matter where it appears from. Also, we don't want to have battles near the dorm while Natsuki is staying here."
"Oh… that makes sense, haha." Junpei grinned, satisfied with the reasoning.
"We'll have to be careful since we won't have the cover of darkness due to the moon," Akihiko added. "Just be careful not to let your weapons be seen by any bystanders."
"Once we have obtained the location and trajectory of the Shadow, we will react accordingly," Mitsuru said. "Akihiko, you gave Yamagishi her evoker, correct?"
"Yeah, I've had it ready since the day Minato mentioned her the first time after he came back from the hospital," Akihiko said cheekily.
"Talk about jumping the gun," Yukari whispered in Hamuko's ear to which the redhead giggled at the terrible pun.
Minato P.O.V.
On the other hand, Minato was hardly in the mood to be giggling. He was up in the spare room on the third floor and babysitting Natsuki. She was clearly uncomfortable and kept grabbing her arms, almost as if she were pinching herself to see if this was reality or not. Minato had tried to start a conversation, but there wasn't really much to talk about. He could mention Fuuka, but for some reason it felt like a bad idea since that would probably be a touchy subject for Natsuki.
Waiting around really seemed to be one of his pet peeves now. He was always waiting for the next Arcana Shadow, waiting for his friends to actually act like his friends, and waiting for The Fall. Staying in this room felt suffocating, so Minato decided to leave for a bit.
"If you need anything, feel free to ask," Minato offered lamely as he had left the door open to her room.
He wondered how this was going to work out. Natsuki was still susceptible to the Shadow's call and would probably attempt to wander out of the dorm. It probably didn't help that she was really emotional after seeing Fuuka at the dorm and crying about how sorry she was. That would probably leave her even more vulnerable. What should he do? Tagging along with Natsuki would cause Mitsuru to give him grief since he was not supposed to be participating in any S.E.E.S related activities.
On other hand, preventing Natsuki from going wouldn't do any good either since she would need to no longer passively call for death, so that she would no longer be affected by Shadows trying to lure her into the Dark Hour. And one last thing Minato had to consider was that Fuuka needed to save Natsuki so that a genuine bond could be formed there. But would that even be the case since Minato had purposefully intervened and save Fuuka? He really ended up wearing himself out over all of the different permutations that went into this delicate situation. In the end, he decided to let Natsuki go on her own because successfully forming the bond between her and Fuuka trumped all other concerns since it involved Fuuka's persona getting stronger as a result later on. He didn't feel good about it, but it was necessary to do this.
"Minato!" Hamuko came bounding down the stairs with her naginata slung over her right shoulder. "Wish me good luck so I can go beat down the Shadows."
Minato decided to ignore her again and pretended not to hear her.
The rest of the team came ambling down from the steps with Akihiko and Mitsuru with rather stern looks on their faces. Yukari seemed nervous as usual and Junpei seemed happy-go-lucky like any other time. Fuuka seemed intent on saying something to Natsuki one more time, but was unable to because of all the foot traffic.
"Don't drop your guard tonight," Minato warned. "The Shadows we've fought in Tartarus have gotten stronger the higher we go up. I think it's safe to assume that the battle tonight will be a pain, to say the least."
"No need to worry dude," Junpei chirped. "Never fear, Junpei's here!"
"That just makes me more worried," Yukari sighed.
"Indeed, even with Yamagishi in our ranks we must stay vigilant," Mitsuru concurred. "I am expecting the best out of all of you."
"Let's get going, we don't have much time," Akihiko concluded, "We need to be in front of the school before midnight."
After Minato watched the ragtag group of teenagers disappear from the end of the street he felt oddly at peace. Things would turn out alright, he needed to believe that. Fuuka was already capable of using her powers, Mitsuru and Yukari wouldn't get ambushed, and Akihiko was in prime condition for this battle. Junpei was Junpei and Hamuko was more than capable of getting things done.
That was when an annoying, but catchy ringtone filled the air as the theme song of Tanaka's infomercial played from Minato's cellphone, which was lodged in his pants pocket. Who would be calling so close to midnight? Pulling it out, he looked at the number and didn't recognize it, but elected to pick it up anyways and a cool, female voice responded.
"Hello, this is Margaret. We need to talk."