A/N: So here's the beginning of the operation. I didn't want to change what happened too much but I have used the girls' perspective and put in a few...extras if you'd like to hopefully keep it fresh. Next update will likely be after Christmas so Happy Holidays and hope you enjoy the chapter.
Infiltrating the school at night was something Mitsuru did not think to be as easy as Junpei had made out. She had thought of so many different approaches (most of them were very elaborate) that she had skimmed over the simple task of leaving a door unlocked. Well, she supposed it wasn't that simple. One had to make sure that the door was in a convenient and easily accessible location, somewhere in which the school's security guards would not even think twice to check.
She guessed it was only natural that she hadn't thought, in this case, within the box for she was the Student Council President. From her upbringing, breaking rules was forbidden unless the situation called for otherwise. And now that she did break them, Mitsuru felt a little guilty. The leader of the student body, gallivanting around the school after hours with her posse of S.E.E.S. members? It was totally unacceptable and the very thought made her want to call off the operation. She was glad the lights were off. It prevented the others from seeing how uncomfortable she was.
She now wondered if this plan really was the best way to rescue Fuuka. Akihiko's proposal of entering Tartarus the same way Fuuka did by waiting in the gym till the Dark Hour struck was logical but risky. They had not entered Tartarus in this manner before and with the daily change in the floor's structure, there was no way of knowing where they would end up, let alone end up where Fuuka would be. It was a huge gamble. But considering that every minute passed was one more Fuuka spent in peril, there was no other choice. They could not just leave her there. And Akihiko had already made it clear that he would not idly stand by; everyone else agreeing with him.
It was a gamble they had to take.
They continued to walk through the hallways in silence, fearing that any unnecessary noise made might attract the attention of the patrolling security guards. The school's interior at night presented an eerie vibe, with the sound of their recurring footsteps echoing in the warm silence. The hallways with no windows were the most daunting to walk through and it felt as though they were exploring a haunted house. Without flashlights.
After passing through another hallway, Mitsuru stopped in front of the Student Council headquarters and sliding the door open, she stepped in, the others following suit.
"Can we turn on the lights?" Yukari asked as Mitsuru slid the door shut.
"Aww, you afraid of the dark Yuka-tan?" Junpei said.
"What? No! Stupei."
"Stop calling me that!"
"Quiet you two," Akihiko said, his sharp tone silencing them. "It's better if we leave them off. They cut the power at night anyway." He then turned to Mitsuru. "Alright, so what's the plan?"
"First, we have to find the key to the gym," Mitsuru replied. "You and I will check the janitor's room. Arisato, take Takeba and Iori with you to the Faculty Office. After that, we'll meet in the foyer downstairs. Understand?"
Both Minato and Yukari nodded in response but Mitsuru noticed Junpei and Akihiko trade glances. What are they planning now?
"The Faculty Office?" Junpei said, grinning. "Hey, maybe we'll find some test questions. Then I'll never have to be the laughing stock of the class again."
"Maybe I should go there too," Akihiko said. "Sounds interesting."
Mitsuru suppressed a sigh. She had a feeling that one of them, Junpei in particular, would attempt to try something. The fact that Akihiko of all people also wanted to caught her by surprise. Out of all the years she had known him, she did not think that he would be the type to cheat.
"Are you planning something unscrupulous under my supervision?" Mitsuru asked with a glare that could level a mountain. "If so, then expect to be severely punished."
"It-It was a joke," Junpei said, waving his hands. "I'd never do something like that." He chuckled nervously.
"Come on Mitsuru, lighten up a little," Akihiko said.
Mitsuru took a few moments to consider her decision, glancing at Akihiko before letting her eyes rest on Junpei. I know that one will try something. I had better keep a watch on him.
"Fine. But Iori, you're coming with us," Mitsuru said. Ignoring Junpei's protests, she turned to Minato and Yukari. "I can trust that you two won't do anything foolish, right?"
He wouldn't do such a thing. I know he won't.
Minato nodded and smiled. Although it was dark, she could see it was not a smirk. It was a genuine smile, one that reminded her of when he was younger. When he still remembered who she was. Could it be that–
"Don't worry Mitsuru-senpai," Minato assured. "Finding the key will be our priority."
"Excellent," she replied, a mixed feeling of relief and disappointment overcoming her. He wouldn't remember. Not after what had happened ten years ago. "Now you two, come with me."
Exiting the room, Mitsuru led Junpei and Akihiko up a flight of stairs. As soon as they reached the next floor, there was a flash of light and she immediately pulled back. Her sudden halt startled Junpei and he almost tripped down the stairs. Akihiko caught him just in time, before pushing past them to take a peek around the corner.
"The guard's turned around," he whispered after a few moments, hearing the footsteps fade into the far end of the floor.
Nodding, Mitsuru took the lead once again, taking slow steps to ensure that her heeled boots did not click and clack loudly on the floor. Being so accustomed to heeled footwear (something that her family's stylist recommended for her to wear all the time because of how attractive she looked in them), but more because her attention was focused on finding Fuuka and worrying about the risks of entering Tartarus this way, Mitsuru had forgotten to change into the standard school loafers. She sighed as they continued forward, flinching every time her heels made the sharp noise, and was relieved when they finally reached their destination.
"Say, isn't the Faculty Office larger than the Janitor's room?" Junpei asked, still keeping a watch on their surroundings.
"What's your point Iori?" Mitsuru replied. "Don't tell me that's supposed to be an excuse–"
"It's not. I'm just sayin' since the Faculty Office is larger, shouldn't we have had more people search there instead of here?"
"No. And here's why."
Mitsuru opened the door to the janitor's room and Junpei's jaw dropped.
Yukari followed Minato in the darkness.
They had left the room shortly after Mitsuru and the others did, turning right instead of left and heading downstairs instead of up. Needless to say, sneaking around made her uncomfortable. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark, like that idiot Junpei had presumed. No, she was much more mature than that. But with only her eyes and Minato leading the way, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Gekkoukan High School was not by any means a small place and even though she knew the school's layout like the back of her hand, wandering around at night was completely different. And completely wrong.
As she continued to follow Minato, whom somehow knew the route to any room albeit only having attended Gekkoukan for less than two months, she wondered how he always kept a calm head. Yukari was no stranger to seeing calm people but Minato was an exception. From the way he had acted when held at gunpoint on the day of his arrival, to the way he fought back the toughest Shadows in Tartarus and stopped the monorail with relative ease, to casually strolling around the school right now. It was as if nothing fazed him.
Perhaps it has something to do with him hanging out with Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai.
She had noticed over the last few weeks that Minato had been spending a considerable amount of time with both of them (outside of Student Council, Akihiko's daily jogging sessions and their visits to Tartarus), always talking in quiet tones and quickly changing the subject whenever she or Junpei got too near. Was it possible that he knew something? About the Shadows? About the Kirijo Group? It seemed likely enough and she did get the feeling that Minato was hiding something ever since she had questioned him in the hospital. No. Not a feeling. She was certain of it. Why else would he refuse to share his knowledge with anyone but their senpai?
She shook the thoughts aside, telling herself that her suspicions would only slow down their task of finding Fuuka, and stopped in her tracks when Minato stopped. Looking around, she noticed they were in the lobby, which was a much welcome sight after the claustrophobic hallways. The moon's glow glimmered through the front door windows, creating a sea of light that covered the shoe racks and reached up to the receptionist desk. Yukari was relieved that she could finally pinpoint where they were but why had they stopped moving? Leaning closer to whisper, she was about to ask just that when she heard it.
Footsteps.
Which were growing louder.
Her muscles tensed and she held her breath as Minato suddenly seized her arm and pulled her back towards the stairwell. She clasped a hand over her mouth to prevent a squeal of surprise as they retreated to a position on the stairs that enabled a view of the lobby without being seen. And sure enough, the flashlight beam she was expecting cut through the night a few seconds later, its' owner emerging from the hallway to the left.
They watched in silence as the security guard flashed his torch around the lobby several times before deciding to throw in the towel. It was hard to tell from this distance but Yukari swore she saw a look of disappointment on the guard's face, as if he was expecting to find something or someone to be lurking around. Yukari sighed at just how close he was to finding them, before a look of disappointment crossed her face.
The guard had moved out of the lobby but unfortunately, he had not gone back the way he came from. Instead, he continued forward into the hallway on Yukari's right. Which, of course, was the direction they needed to go.
"Great," she whispered. "Now how are we gonna get to the office?"
"We'll follow him," Minato replied, still in that calm voice. "He's already searched the lobby so there's no reason for him to come back. Unless you'd rather distract him or have another plan up your sleeve."
Yukari shook her head. "In that case, lead the way."
They descended the stairs and entered the lobby once again. As they passed the reception desk and progressed through the hallway that contained the Faculty Office, a sudden chime ripped the silence apart. Yukari squealed as she saw the figure with the flashlight up ahead stop walking and her heart sank.
Oh no! Quick, find somewhere to hide!
Without giving Minato any warning, she darted into the first open doorway she laid her eyes on. The girls' washroom. It was not the best of hiding spots but she supposed it would have to do. Minato followed suit shortly after and Yukari saw the blinding light of the guard's torch shine the area they were standing in seconds before.
"Wh-Who's there?" the guard called.
Yukari's heart thumped in her chest even faster as she heard the footsteps approach even closer and she put a hand over her mouth when the guard shone his torch into the open doorway of the girls' washroom. She just wanted to scream. She really did. And she was about to until her eyes rested on Minato, who was standing opposite her and behind a wall. He raised a finger to his lips and mouthed what looked to be the words 'Just wait a little longer'. It seemed as though he was ready to take action should the guard try to do something but soon enough, the ray of light retreated.
Yukari took a peek and saw that the guard was making his way back to the foyer yawning and mumbling about how this job could freak the hell out of him. She supposed it was natural. Hearing a squeal in an empty corridor during the middle of the night would freak her out too.
Once they felt that the guard was out of earshot, Yukari reached into her skirt pocket to see her cell phone blinking. She flipped it on and sighed.
"Of course it's spam," she said, deleting the email and seeing Minato approach her. "I'm so sorry about that. It took me by surprise." She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, and when Minato attempted to speak, her reflexes kicked in and the words tumbled out of her mouth. "Don't even think about saying I got scared!"
"I wasn't going to," Minato said.
"Sorry. I thought you were Stupei for a second," Yukari whispered, already imagining the needling she would receive if Junpei was here.
"What made you think that?"
"I don't know. Come on, let's find that key. We've wasted enough time already."
"How did you– You know what? Never mind. I'm not even gonna ask," Junpei said as he entered the janitor's room.
Beside all the shelves filled with bottled chemicals and soaps, a vacuum cleaner that rested near a wall and a yellow sign saying 'Caution! Wet floor', were their weapons; three sheathed blades sleeping in their stands, a bow and quiver of arrows leaning beneath another shelf that housed a pair of gauntlets. It was a bizarre sight to see their weapons in a room such as this and Mitsuru couldn't help but be amused by Junpei's reaction.
"So lemme get this straight," Junpei said as Akihiko handed him his katana, "you're sayin' the key isn't here?
Strapping her rapier to her belt, Mitsuru shook her head. "I just needed some assistance to carry all these. Since you were so keen on finding test papers, I had thought it better you help Akihiko and I."
"C'mon, I was only kidding," Junpei said. When Mitsuru raised her eyebrow, he groaned. "Man, you're really not buyin' it huh?"
"Don't try to push her Junpei," Akihiko said, equipping his gauntlets. "Unless of course you want to be next in line for her 'execution'. Like Ekoda-sensei."
Mitsuru stifled a smile as Junpei gulped. She had seen the look of admiration on Junpei's face earlier this afternoon when she had told off Ekoda for attributing Fuuka's absence as illness. And while that was fine, Akihiko knew just as well as she did that Junpei would not want to witness the punishment Ekoda was going to receive. Or his own if he really did find those test papers he was so eager to see.
Closing the door to the room, they quietly (as quiet as Mitsuru's boots would allow) retraced their steps. They made their way down the corridor and back down the stairs when a high-pitched scream caused them to freeze. It was not muffled and its clarity indicated it had emanated from somewhere downstairs. As Akihiko gestured for them to back up against the staircase wall, doubts began to cloud Mitsuru's mind. The Dark Hour hadn't arrived yet which meant that no Shadow could have ambushed Minato and Yukari. So that left the possibility of them being caught by a security guard.
No, they can't be that careless, Mitsuru thought.
They waited a few moments, frozen like statues in a museum, trying to hear the shuffling of footsteps or shouts from the guards. But there was neither. Mitsuru shot a look at Akihiko, who nodded, and the three of them descended down the stairs leading to the foyer.
Upon their arrival, they noticed two figures emerge from the right hallway. Minato and Yukari.
"Are you two alright?" Mitsuru asked as they regrouped. "We heard a scream and thought you were seen."
"We-We're fine," Yukari replied. She was obviously flustered.
"Ya know, the scream sounded kinda familiar," Junpei said.
Yukari looked at the floor, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"I knew it was you," Junpei continued.
"You wanna make something of it?" Yukari snapped as she spun to face him.
Mitsuru strode through the gap between them and approached Minato. "Did you find the key?"
"Sure did," he said, reaching into his blazer pocket to show her. Mitsuru gave him a proud look and handed him his saber. "By the way, how did you get these in here?" He gestured to the weapons and saw Junpei shake his head.
"Well, there are some things in life you are better off not knowing. This is one of them," Mitsuru said. She turned to address everyone. "Now, we'll divide into teams again. Three of you will wait at the gym and enter Tartarus while one of you will remain here with me. Once the Dark Hour has begun, I'll determine Yamagishi's position."
"I'm going," Akihiko said. "Arisato should come as well. He can take the lead, like always."
Minato nodded and walked over to stand beside Akihiko.
"Okay, I guess I'll be the third–" Yukari started.
"Hey wait a second!" Junpei blurted. "Remember how I accidentally screwed up on the monorail? Gimme a chance to make up for that."
Yukari groaned. "Oh, come on! It's not always about YOU! Besides, you didn't accidentally screw up."
"It's decided then," Mitsuru said, her voice cutting through theirs. Time was running short and she would not waste any more time with their antics. "Iori, you'll go with Akihiko and Arisato."
"Alright," Junpei said, beaming. "I promise I'll make up for last time."
Once the boys disappeared down the corridor leading to the gym, Mitsuru checked her cell phone. There were ten more minutes till the Dark Hour struck. Taking her Evoker out of its holster, she glanced at Yukari. The girl had been unusually quiet since the boys' departure and was keeping her distance like she always did when they were alone together. This behavior of hers was not something Mitsuru paid close attention to but as they waited in silence, it was clear that something was wrong.
Have I done something to offend her? Thinking back to all the times they had interacted, Mitsuru knew that she had been nothing but polite and diplomatic. So why is she eyeing me like that?
Her thoughts lingered as midnight struck and she braced herself. Perhaps it was a better idea to wait outside and watch the transformation instead of being in the eye of the storm but Mitsuru knew that there was valuable information about the tower's layout to be learnt. Even if there was no telling that something might happen. Akihiko and the others were already risking it so it was only fair that she did the same.
Surprisingly, the shift was more fluid than she had anticipated. The space around her seamlessly rippled into the twisted dimensions she knew all too well, with the school's pillars transforming into Tartarus' and the staircase at the far end of the lobby dissolving into the familiar steep staircase leading to the golden clock.
"Intriguing," Mitsuru mused aloud.
"What is?" Yukari asked.
"The fact that the change is more subtle here than it is outside. Perhaps it has something to do with the composition of the air. Hmm..."
Seeing Yukari give her a sidelong glance, Mitsuru rested her Evoker to the side of her head and summoned her Persona, who materialized in a bright blue gleam and stood at her side.
"You think you can track them?" Yukari asked. She sounded doubtful.
"I'll do what I can," Mitsuru replied. She concentrated and closed her eyes, initiating the link between herself and her Persona. The world transformed into an assortment of colors as their minds became one, and her senses multiplied. The sensation was exhilarating and she could now see and hear everything within a five kilometre radius.
Now, where are they?
"Can anyone hear me?" Mitsuru voiced telepathically.
"Mitsuru? This is Akihiko. I hear you fine," he replied.
"I've confirmed your position. You're higher up than I expected and barely in communication range. Is everyone alright?"
There was a crackle, and her connection to Akihiko wavered. "...don't know...got separ..."
"Akihiko? Come in, Akihiko!" Mitsuru said before the link dissipated. She winced as her mind separated from Penthesilea and the power winked out.
"Is he out of range?" Yukari asked, a worried look on her face.
"Either that, or something is jamming my Persona," Mitsuru replied, holstering her Evoker. "It appears that we'll just have to wait for..."
Mitsuru trailed off as she noticed Yukari's face paling. She was about to ask what was wrong when she felt the lobby darken. That wasn't right. The lighting of Tartarus was always the same.
Unless...
Mitsuru turned and cried out as she was swept off her feet and seized by a gigantic hand.
That belonged to a Shadow.