Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3—or any version of the Persona series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

Other Notes: Something's occurred to me after I've had a couple of reviews addressing the matter of Tamamo breaking the fourth wall, so I'd like to take the time to explain here that this story's OC Tamamo is a "Self-Insert" in the form of "a real person reincarnating into the story/game universe". Tamamo deliberately breaks the fourth wall and references game mechanics and future events because she is meant to represent a reincarnated "me", who has played the game and knows the events and has retained the memories of said events into this "next life" in Minato's head.

I'm not sure how closely people read these stories, but I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in the first couple of chapters that Tamamo had died and was essentially stuck in Minato's head during her reincarnation-gone-wrong. But in case I was too vague and because I do admit that I just assumed that people would know what I meant by "OC SI" in the summary, this will hopefully clarify some things for any readers that needed it. Sorry!

Symbiosis

Chapter Seven

When Minato woke the next morning, he was frowning.

He swore that when he was asleep he saw the creepy little boy from before. He'd spoken about nonsensical things, talking about an end to everything.

…It was a weird dream. Little kids should not be allowed to talk about the end of the world so curiously like that, in his opinion.

As the day went on, Minato found that it just got weirder.

Minato went straight back to the dorm after school that evening, too tired to bother with anything else, and was just relaxing in his room when he got called out to the first floor. Sleepily, he made his way down the stairs to where Yukari was waiting by the front desk. As he approached, he heard someone on the other side of the door just before Akihiko entered.

"Oh, good, you're both here," Akihiko said as he stepped inside, holding the door open. "There's someone I want to introduce—" He turned, opening his mouth, only to pause when he saw no one in the doorway. He took a step back, leaning out. "Hey, hurry up!"

There was a grunt of effort made by a vaguely familiar voice. "Hold your horses… this is freaking heavy!"

Minato's eyebrows furrowed, trying to place the voice. His head tilted to the side. "…Iori?"

Yukari jerked. "What?" She glanced at Minato before looking back at Akihiko, eyes wide. "J—Junpei!? Why is he…? Wait, don't tell me he's—"

"Good, you know each other," Akihiko said as he pushed the door open wider. Junpei Iori walked in past the door, tugging a suitcase or two behind him. He stopped a few feet into the dorm lounge before setting down his bags, grinning as Akihiko closed the door. "He'll be staying here as of today."

"Wazzup?" was Junpei's cheerful greeting.

Minato kind of had to admire that ability to completely ignore the atmosphere. Yukari looked as though she was on the verge of introducing her palm to her face.

Accordingly, Akihiko had found Junpei during the Dark Hour not long ago, having just awakened to his potential. After hearing a brief explanation of the nature of SEES, Junpei had jumped on board to help despite the disorienting feeling that came with experiencing the Dark Hour.

"Yeah, I was shocked to find out about you guys," Junpei admitted. "But I have to say I'm glad I'm not the only one."

Funny. Minato still didn't quite know what to think about meeting all these people capable of staying awake during the Dark Hour at once after years of living through it with just himself and Tamamo. But he supposed he would have been feeling the same way if he had been alone, as Junpei had been before Akihiko found him.

…Yeah. Without Tamamo, living all those years as the only one able to experience the Dark Hour for the longest time would have been rough, to say the least.

Glancing back up at the upperclassman, Minato noticed that he was eyeing the three of them speculatively. When Akihiko caught his eye, the gray-haired teen straightened.

"With Iori here, our numbers should be sufficient," Akihiko said, considering. "I think we should be about ready to start exploring that place."

Minato blinked. Place? What place?

"Not just a place," Tamamo said, teasing. "That place."

Sounds ominous, he mused.

Yukari shifted. "You mean… Tartarus?"

"Tartarus…?" Junpei parroted, sounding the foreign word out slowly. "What's that?" There was a brief pause before his next words. "Sounds like toothpaste."

Minato frowned. Tartarus. That was the name of the Titans' prison in Greek mythology. As funny as Junpei's quip was, Minato had a feeling that whatever the others were talking about was as far from funny as one could get.

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there," Akihiko replied. "The chairman will be stopping by tomorrow night to give us the details, so be ready."

The upperclassman looked at each of them in turn until they agreed and confirmed they were listening before nodding himself and leaving the dorm again, dismissing them. The three juniors were left standing rather awkwardly in front of the dorm entrance.

"…Here, let me help you with that," Minato offered, stepping forward to handle one of Junpei's many bags.

"Huh? Oh, uh, right. Thanks, man." Junpei shuffled through his belongings, as if trying to decide which to hand over, before handing one of the larger ones to Minato.

Yukari quietly stole away by then, mumbling excuses about classwork, so it was just both boys left to make their way up to the second floor. Akihiko had apparently handed over the key to Junpei's room only to neglect to say which one it was, so there was a bit of trial and error as they tested the doors one by one until the key fit.

When they finally found the room, they settled the bags down, Junpei muttering about plans on how to set the room up. Minato was just about to leave him to it when Junpei stopped him halfway through the door.

"Hey, I heard that something crazy went on around here a while ago," Junpei said, fiddling with the zipper of one of his bags. "Akihiko-senpai said that was the real reason why you were out for, like, a week."

Minato shoved his hands in his pockets so the other teen wouldn't see them clench into fists. "…Yeah. It was…" How had Igor described it? "…an ordeal."

"I heard you kicked ass, though."

There was something weighted in those words, but Minato could only scoff. "I didn't know what was going on half the time and I didn't even fight."

Junpei blinked, as if he'd expected to hear otherwise. "Akihiko-senpai said you managed to summon, uh… those things. Personas?"

"For half a second," Minato said. "And if they said anything about what happened after being mine, then they were sorely mistaken."

"Huh."

Both boys lapsed into silence, lost in their own thoughts, until Junpei broke it again. "We got pulled into some crazy stuff, didn't we?"

Minato thought back to the Shadow and its many hands and knives, the splitting pain in his head, and Tamamo's mangled body. "You have no idea."

That night, Minato dove into his mind, pinpointing Tamamo's location and heading straight for her.

"You know, you're getting scarily accurate about that," was her greeting when he appeared. She looked better, to his relief, the cracks and fissures along her skin gone or otherwise smoothed over. The missing limbs were still unfortunately missing, however, which she was probably remaking a little at a time. She'd also covered her right eye with a bandage eyepatch, which told him that was still missing, too. "One day, you'll just pop in right on top of me and crush me."

"Are you calling me fat?" he shot, offended, though his lips quirked in betrayal of his amusement. "And I think I can handle not crushing you."

"Hmph. We'll see about that." Tamamo sat sideways on her chaise longue, inviting him to sit by her legs as before. He noticed that she didn't answer his question. "So, what brings you here?"

"Tartarus," he said simply as he sat. As he half-expected, she looked neither surprised nor confused by the name. Merely expectant. "You know about it, don't you? Just like how you knew about Personas and Shadows."

She nodded. "What would you like to know?"

Everything, he didn't say. Truthfully, he didn't know where to begin or what she was allowed to divulge before it became too much. Information was power, certainly, but even he knew that too much could be more of a hindrance than a boon so early on. He only had a tenuous bond with SEES at best and would rather not alienate these other people capable of walking the Dark Hour like himself if he let slip something beyond their current knowledge.

"…What it basically is, I guess, and why they think we can learn about the Dark Hour there," was what he eventually came up with.

Tamamo hummed. "Well, the plainest way of putting things is that Tartarus is a tower. It is also a labyrinth, whose floors change from night to night because of the way it forms. Tartarus also only appeared when the Dark Hour first began ten years ago, give or take a few months, so it was neatly assumed that the two went hand in hand." She raised one shoulder in a shrug. "They're not wrong."

"What do you mean by 'the way it forms'?"

"Tartarus doesn't exist during the day or other times of the night, but it certainly comes from somewhere. Specifically, it turns up from the spot your school sits." Tamamo smiled when his head snapped up in surprise. "We haven't been going out late at night and the first night we were here we didn't do much sightseeing, so I'm not surprised you didn't notice. But yes, that's where it is. And because it essentially grows every night from the buildings that make up your school, its internal structure can't be mapped conventionally."

"And the reason why we need an exploration team of Persona-users?" He already knew the answer to this question, but a part of him was hoping she would deny it.

She didn't. "Shadows, of course. Despite the fact that Shadows only ever show up during the Dark Hour, it is generally unheard of for them to be found wandering the streets normally, right?"

Minato nodded. He had never even seen a Shadow before coming to Iwatodai, despite having experienced the Dark Hour for nearly his entire life. Even the sparse memories he had of the Dark Hour as a child living in Tatsumi Port Island never featured one.

"That's because they congregate in Tartarus. It is their home base, you could say." Tamamo hummed again. "Of course, there are variants. Shadows do go out to 'feed', preying on the minds of the people and turning them into the Lost—Apathy Syndrome victims. Your SEES does its best to cut those guys down before they can do too much damage, but some still slip by under the radar."

"I see. Thanks."

He took a moment to compile the information she'd given him, noting certain key points that may become relevant later on. As he filed it all away, Tamamo made a wondering sound.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask much more. I would've thought you'd for sure ask about Tartarus and the Dark Hour starting ten years ago, but you overlooked it so easily." She tilted her head at him, making him wonder briefly if he'd gotten that habit from her or vice versa. "Any reason why?"

"…Aunt Tomoe," he replied after a pause. "Remember her?"

Aunt Tomoe. One of the many aunts he had lived with while growing up, who walked in on him once while he was talking to Tamamo. At the time, he had no qualms about speaking to his Other aloud, not realizing how concerning it would be for an adult to hear, especially so soon after the death of his parents.

For days after, Aunt Tomoe had hounded him about who he was talking to and why, and it was only by listening to Tamamo and answering in a way that merely suggested he'd had an imaginary friend that he avoided full sessions of therapy. And by the skin of his teeth, he was sure.

"That's… surprising. That's not quite the situation I would think of firsthand."

"Maybe not," he agreed. "But whenever I think about knowing things that I want to know but shouldn't, I think about that. I want to know what I'm getting into, but I also want to avoid knowing too much so I don't end up outing myself."

The less he knew at a time, the less chance he had of screwing up when he spoke.

Tamamo chuckled. "Good call. It's good that at least one of us knows the meaning of restraint."

"It comes with the territory of living with an actual voice in my head," he said mildly, ignoring the pleasure he felt at being praised. She laughed, though, so he didn't manage that as well as he thought.

The next day during lunch break, Mitsuru briefly visited class 2-F to inform the trio of juniors to meet at the dorm lounge once school ended. And Minato did mean "brief", as the upperclassman swept away almost as soon as she gave the orders.

"Wow," Junpei piped up, still staring at the door that had closed with the redhead's departure. "She didn't waste any time leaving."

Minato could just hear the words "I'm almost offended" being left unsaid. Unwittingly, his eyes trailed to the brunette that sat in front of him. Because she would have certainly said such a thing, but instead all he felt from her was an almost bitter silence.

Yukari rolled her eyes—but, for once, it didn't appear to be at Junpei's expense. "She's probably busy with things like student council… unlike us."

There was a low whistle. "Whoa, Yuka-tan, do I sense some hostility there?"

The brunette pulled a face that spoke volumes of how it clearly was, but that she didn't want to admit it out loud. "It's not that I don't like her… She's just…"

As she floundered for an answer, Minato wondered what it said for the future of SEES for two members to be at odds already, for all that it was one-sided.

That evening, Minato returned to the dorm with his fellow juniors, climbing the steps to the fourth floor and entering the command room where the chairman sat, already waiting with Mitsuru and Akihiko seated on either side of him. He motioned for them to sit and began speaking once they were settled.

"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had, but that number recently jumped to five," Ikutsuki began, looking at each of them in turn. "Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

Junpei raised his hand. "Uh, sorry, I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?"

Minato waited, half-tuned into the conversation as he compared it to what Tamamo had told him the night before. There was a small mention of it only showing during the Dark Hour and being a Shadow nest, but little else.

"As for gear, you will need a means of defending yourself while in Tartarus outside of using your Persona," Mitsuru said, standing. "The Evokers, as you know, are only meant for summoning your Persona and can't be used as a weapon. As such, you will need a different weapon to help beat back Shadows." She walked to a corner of the command room, rolling out a small stand where two swords of different sizes rested. "We only have these two at the moment for either of you to use, but Akihiko will show you where to get other weapons if you prefer at a later time."

She turned, looking at them expectantly. Junpei jumped up, Minato rising to his feet soon after, and they both headed over to choose which one would suit them for now.

"Which d'ya think you'll use?" Junpei asked, pulling both from the stand by their hilts.

Minato shrugged. "You can choose first." It wasn't like he had experience with any type of sword to make a real choice, anyway.

Junpei nodded absently, weighing both swords in his hands. After a short inspection, he went with the larger, two-handed one. He lifted it and gave a slow swing, careful not to hit anything. "Yeah, this one's okay to me. Feels kinda like a bat. Only, y'know… it isn't."

Minato took the lighter blade, nodding to Mitsuru.

Their upperclassman nodded in return. "Good. Now, we'll be heading to Tartarus later before the Dark Hour hits, so gather in the dorm lounge beforehand so we can depart as soon as possible. Be sure to be ready by then."

With that, they were dismissed to spend the evening hours away and wait for midnight to draw near.

Jittery and anxious about their first actions as part of the squad, the trio ended up sitting in the lounge, chatting about the upcoming "mission".

"So, Yuka-tan, you've seen this Tartarus thing before?"

"A little," Yukari said. "Mostly from the outside. Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are the only ones who've actually gone in before."

It's unexplored territory, then, Minato concluded. With no telling of what actually lies behind enemy lines except "Shadows" and maybe "more Shadows".

"Basically," Tamamo replied. "But don't worry. The Kirijo Group backs you guys as much as possible and offers support where it can. Although no teams have been deployed recently as far as I know, they have created certain tools to help make exploring easier. Like Access Points."

The Kirijo Group does? So they know about the Dark Hour, too? That would explain why Mitsuru Kirijo was part of their team. Or would it be the opposite way around?

Tamamo hummed. "To atone for past mistakes."

"…don't you think?"

The background conversation quieted and Minato blinked when he realized it had been directed to him. "What? Sorry, I was thinking."

"Junpei and I were just talking about how we were going to explore Tartarus," Yukari supplied. "He said Akihiko-senpai might be able to guide us or something, but with his injury, wouldn't he have to stay back?"

"I've always wondered about that," Tamamo said, sounding doubtful. Her wording seemed off, but before he could point it out, she continued, "Whether it's his arm or his ribs, he can still move around fine, it seems. And if this is just a preliminary exploration to see how you guys do, then he can supervise and just summon his Persona if necessary to back you guys up. Like on that first night."

That was… a good point.

Minato relayed it to the other two. Yukari blinked.

"Oh, that's right… Using our Personas' powers takes up some energy, but it's possible…"

"We can do the main fighting," Junpei offered. "Y'know. Keep Shadows off him."

Yukari nodded. "And if something goes wrong or we get overwhelmed, we'll at least have someone with more experience to give us orders." She looked between the two of them. "Should we tell them?"

"It's still pretty faulty," Tamamo noted. "Mitsuru will probably shoot it down."

Junpei shrugged. "There's no harm in tryin'."

"I don't think so," Mitsuru said after a moment's thought.

Akihiko straightened. "Why not? I think that's a good plan."

"You just want to get in on the action somehow," Mitsuru shot back. "If you did go, would you be able to refrain from jumping in? This is as much a test of their abilities as it is the start of exploration, you know."

"I know," Akihiko insisted, sounding annoyed. "But you have to admit they raise a good point. None of them have any actual battle experience. Even if I'm limited to having Polydeuces fight for me, I at least have that much to go on. If they freeze, I won't."

Mitsuru glared, but Akihiko stood firm.

The three juniors stared with an air of terrified fascination like children watching their mother and father fight.

They held their breaths as Mitsuru reluctantly backed down. "…Fine. We're only going on a run through the first floor anyway, so there shouldn't be anything too tough. You are to only use your Persona and only if an emergency arises where they cannot respond, understood?"

Akihiko smirked. "Understood, Mitsuru."

Decision thus made, Mitsuru looked at their captive audience. A slight frown crossed her face. "It's getting late, so we'll be heading out soon. Are you three prepared?"

Yukari stammered her way through what was partially a confirmation and mostly excuses to leave. Junpei was apparently reduced to the same state under the force of Mitsuru's lessened but no less fierce glare.

Minato said nothing and simply followed them out as they fled.

With Ikutsuki staying back at the dorm to await news of their first excursion, the rest of the SEES members made their way through the streets until they pulled up in front of a familiar building. Junpei looked between them all confusedly as he took in Gekkoukan High School, the front gates closed and the windows dark. Minato, even with the forewarning by Tamamo, couldn't help but feel the same way as he stared at the school building.

He knew it would undergo some sort of transformation from what she told him, but how?

"This is it?" Junpei exclaimed by the gate. "This is the place? Why here?"

Akihiko shushed him, pulling out his watch. "Just wait a few minutes… It's almost midnight."

Junpei quieted down, looking back to where Mitsuru and Yukari stood a small distance away, the latter looking ill at ease. Then, he looked to Minato, who could only offer a bewildered shrug in return.

And so they waited, Akihiko watching the digital numbers tick by with avid interest.

When midnight struck, as the world bled over to green, the five Gekkoukan High School students watched as their school shuddered and lifted, the buildings shifting together as they rose. Higher and higher it went, reaching to the sky beneath the eerie moon, before slowing. When it finally stopped, a series of echoing thumps reached them, like locks falling into place.

"For all its eeriness," Tamamo commented, "Tartarus is rather beautiful."

"This is Tartarus—the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru revealed. There was something weary in her tone; a sort of resigned air that Minato could not quite understand.

"Labyrinth?" Junpei sputtered. "What are you talking about? What happened to our school!? Why'd it turn into a giant tower!?"

Mitsuru had no answer.

Junpei slumped. "You don't know, either?"

After a suspicious pause, Mitsuru shook her head. "No."

Yukari shifted and when Minato looked over, he found that she didn't look quite convinced by Mitsuru's lackluster answer either. "I'm sure it's complicated." The brunette shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Who cares, anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

"Well, maybe now we'll find out," Akihiko interjected reasonably. "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it." He smirked. "Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour, and we'll be the ones to find it."

Mitsuru recovered admirably at this, slanting a cool glance his way. "I respect your enthusiasm, Akihiko, but remember that you won't be joining in on much of the excitement. Backup only."

The gray-haired teen groaned. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

Mitsuru looked sorely tempted to roll her eyes, but she refrained somehow. Instead, she turned on her heel, walking down the now open pathway to the grand entrance. Yukari followed with a snickering Junpei. Minato trailed after them with Akihiko, who grumbled incoherently under his breath.

"What was that?" Mitsuru's voice trailed back to them from her place in front.

Akihiko straightened—reflex? Minato wondered—and immediately set about looking innocent. "Nothing, Mitsuru."

The rest of the short walk to the main entrance was quiet, broken only by Junpei's awed exclamation when they crossed the threshold.

Mitsuru waited until Minato and Akihiko were through the open doorway before speaking. "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs." She gestured to the grand staircase leading to another entrance at the top, just barely visible from their current position.

Akihiko nodded. "This trip is just to have you three get a feel for this place, so we won't be going very far. I'll basically just supervise this time and hang back for any fights that come up." He looked disappointed at that, for all that it had been set in stone before they arrived. "I'll only step in with my Persona if things get too hot for you guys to handle. Otherwise, it'll be up to you."

"As dangerous as it can be, this will be a good way to get you three accustomed to using the Evokers to summon your Personas in as safe an environment as we can get you," Mitsuru explained. "I admit that simply telling you to practice will not be the same as in actual battle… So Akihiko will be there as support should any difficulties arise."

Yukari looked down, looking notably flushed and ashamed. Even Junpei appeared discomfited, shifting and looking down at his Evoker where it was strapped in its holster.

Minato, thoughts full of Orpheus and Thanatos and pain, felt like his was a particularly heavy weight.

Mitsuru dipped her head before going to stand by one side of the staircase. "I'll be providing audio backup from here." She glanced in Akihiko's direction. "Whenever you're ready."

Akihiko nodded before turning to the underclassmen. "I'll give you another minute to get yourselves together. Come to me when you're ready and we'll head out."

They agreed and almost immediately Yukari and Junpei moved off to a side, sharing a hushed conversation. Minato could catch snippets regarding Evokers and "Why'd it have to be guns?" He moved to join them, but a flash in the corner of his eyes stopped him short and he turned to find a blue door sitting innocently off to the side.

After a quick glance at the others, which told him that they took no notice of the door appearing, he approached it slowly, feeling a familiar weight settle in his pocket. He paused to fish it out, and an ornate silver key glinted up at him in the dim lighting.

Curiosity trickling through, he stepped forward, slipping the key in without fanfare.