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: It occurs to me that I should warn you guys that this will be very canon-oriented—at least for a while (the Full Moon Operations, for instance, are a necessary evil). I do have some ideas in mind to twist a few things around, though. And a somewhat important hint/spoiler that I can give is to keep in mind these two tropes: You Can't Fight Fate and Screw Destiny. Which one will win out, however, is to be determined.

Symbiosis

Chapter Nine

The rest of the preliminary run through Tartarus involved a little splitting up to search for the Access Point, which they took to return to the entrance. It was a bit strange utilizing the warp point, it felt a little like walking while fully submerged in water, but as it returned them safely Minato couldn't really complain.

Mitsuru greeted them as they appeared, congratulating them on a job well done. Which, Minato supposed, was rather true. Even his initial condition for a successful run was met, as other than a few scares and bumps and bruises, they were all relatively unscathed, if exhausted.

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour," Mitsuru informed them as they all reported their status. "You'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt." She sent them a slight smile. "There were a few… hurdles that you all had to overcome, but you got across them admirably. I imagine that you'll only get stronger from here."

"After this, I won't be able to join you guys until my injury heals," Akihiko added, "but I think you'll do okay."

And with that last boost of encouragement, the members of SEES agreed to head back to the dorm.

They were far from a truly cohesive unit at this point in time. But, at least, their first operation was a success.

Although she mostly expected Minato to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow upon returning from Tartarus, Tamamo wasn't surprised when he dove into his mind instead, appearing before her with his usual unfailing accuracy. She paused in the midst of repairing her hand—she figured she would work on that first—and beckoned him over to her seat.

"I'm surprised you're still conscious," she said, carding her still intact hand through his hair as he leaned back. His body there may have been nothing more than a mental construct like her own, but he'd told her once that the action was comforting and that he could feel it, in an abstract way.

"I'm slipping off," he admitted. "But I wanted to talk to you before I forgot. I wanted to know what Igor meant earlier."

"About what?" she asked. She had heard many inquiries in Minato's mind during that last visit to the Velvet Room. She prepared answers according to what snippets she heard, but there was no telling which questions he wanted answered now and which he chose to find out later.

"About my ability," Minato clarified, "and why I can use multiple Personas when the others can't."

Tamamo hummed. "Well, I believe it's mostly that contract you signed that truly changed your potential to summon a Persona into summoning multiple Personas, but that's something even I'm not too sure about."

Had the protagonist of Persona 4—one Seta Souji or Yu Narukami or other—signed a contract? She couldn't remember. She had barely played the game, tapering off midway before she even got the teen idol girl when she had jumped back to Persona 3 FES and Portable. Then, college happened and she had no time for anything anymore.

"I think you had been chosen even before then, though," she continued eventually. Even before Aigis sealed Death inside of him. It was the only reason she could think of that allowed her soul to coexist alongside his, at any rate. "There are just some people bestowed the Wild Card while others are not."

"Wild Card?"

"Ah." She blinked. "Yeah, that's the term for it, I believe. It goes along with how Igor described it. The number zero. The Persona system is tied into the abstract, like the mind and concepts of fate. The tarot card system plays a big role with Personas. You were bestowed the arcana of The Fool, which, among the tarot cards, is the first, labeled zero." She smiled. "The ability of the Wild Card is just like in any card game: your influence can be unpredictable and uncertain. Which explains the need for the contract, I guess."

Empty, yet full of possibility. The need to take responsibility for one's actions was great indeed.

"…I'll have to look into tarot cards, then," Minato muttered.

Tamamo chuckled. "You should. It might give you clues on how to deal with certain people."

"So then what about Igor's 'true purpose' or whatever? He said you could explain that, too." He shot her a look that wasn't quite skeptical, but perhaps a little wondering. He'd given that look to her a lot in his childhood. It told her that he was trying to figure her out, only to come up short and not know why. It was amusing.

And a bit sad.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that for now. Igor's probably still preparing, so it'd be best to just let him explain it when the Velvet Room is ready. I can clarify anything later if you still need it. For now, just focus on adjusting to being a part of SEES and balancing it with your school life."

Minato groaned. "School… That's right. I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow…" He rubbed his face as Tamamo laughed. "What is our life right now, even? It all got so complicated so quickly…"

"Yep," she agreed, feeling a little sorry since she had at least known the punches were coming whereas he didn't. Not for the first time, she found herself rethinking her decision to withhold certain information from him.

"Are you doing okay?" Minato asked, making her freeze a little in surprise.

Then, forcing herself to relax, she snorted. "I'm coping just fine. It's you that we need to be worried about, since you'll be doing all the fighting and grunt work." She poked his forehead. "Speaking of which, you just went through a whole bunch of fighting tonight. Go to sleep, Minato."

He grumbled a little, but didn't fight it even as his mental body began to fade, sinking deeper into his mind as it steadily shut down for the night.

Tamamo smiled and guided his consciousness along, the movements as familiar to her as breathing had been once upon a time. As he drifted off, she murmured, "I will do my best, though. To protect you, too, in the ways that I can."

"Symbiosis", he often called their relationship.

She knew better, but she couldn't help but hold up her end anyway. Even if all she could do right now was guard his mind as he slept or monitor his Social Links, she would gladly do so. And maybe, as his skill with Personas increased, she could learn a few new tricks, too.

There were infinite possibilities, after all.

Going to school the next morning was a chore, but somehow Minato managed to drag himself out of bed, get changed, and get on the monorail route to the campus before he could think to skip. He mildly suspected Tamamo had something to do with it, but the thought had barely crossed his mind when she told him that it was all his impressive willpower.

He cursed his willpower for depriving him of sleep. Especially during the morning assembly, where the teachers eyed them like hawks.

Beside him, Junpei let out a truly impressive yawn.

Minato nodded. "I know, right?"

A student behind him let out a warning shush—for what reason he had no clue, as the usual announcements were boring as hell. He heard Yukari sigh from her place in the row in front of them.

"Idiots," she muttered.

The highlight of the morning assembly came when Mitsuru was called up to give a speech in honor of her winning the election for Student Council President. Said election and voting period had apparently happened while Minato was asleep for a week, as Junpei informed him.

Yukari was less than impressed. "So. She did get elected. Well, I guess she is the most popular girl in school."

Minato heard Tamamo make a catty mreowr! and resisted the urge to laugh as Junpei replied, "You can say that again! There's, like, some kinda aura around her…" Then, after a pause of almost dreamy contemplation, he continued, "Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

Yukari gave a quiet huff. "Yeah, I try not to think about that…"

Before Minato could ponder about the ever-expanding ill feelings Yukari displayed regarding Mitsuru, his attention was brought to the stage as the red-haired senior began her speech.

"As I begin my term as Student Council President," Mitsuru began, voice firm and authoritative, "I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal."

Tamamo gave a surprised hum as Mitsuru continued, imploring the student body to search within themselves for a level of commitment they probably weren't ready for.

What is it?

"No, it's…" Tamamo trailed off, tone thoughtful. "I think we should just remember these words. Not just for the school year, but from today onwards, in regards to the world." In his mind's eye, he could imagine the wan smile that accompanied her next words, though whether that was just his imagination or a projection directly from her, he couldn't tell. "They might give you hope in the coming months."

Her words were foreboding and cryptic—as they have steadily been becoming more and more of as of late—but, try as he might, Minato couldn't persuade her to say much more.

The days that followed blended together from Tamamo's point of view in Minato's head. It was a familiar routine that the two had gone through in his life, moving from place to place, relative to relative. The role of the "new kid" was not a foreign one and Minato spent much of his days acclimating to his new environment, observing student life and faculty schedules and habits. The only difference now was the fact that Minato had come to live in a dorm in Iwatodai of his own accord, so there was little threat of another spontaneous move snatching him away before he had a chance to settle down.

Well, that, and the fact that he was now involved in a rather dangerous "extracurricular activity".

Still, the members of SEES had all gathered around the next evening for a more in-depth discussion about their short foray into Tartarus. It was generally agreed that they would move however quickly they wished, taking the time to get used to fighting at night amidst school days and other daily excursions. Mitsuru would be off the field in order to give outside support via her Persona, and Akihiko wouldn't be joining them again until he was fully healed.

From there, the juniors were left to give approximations of their schedules, so they could plan as a group what nights would be best to go to Tartarus. Yukari's was the most stable, with Junpei's varying but mostly predictable. Minato's schedule was the only one left up to debate, given that he was new to the area and didn't have the time to establish any set routines. Thus, they ultimately decided to play it by ear, where Mitsuru would inform them all of what nights to stay at the dorm when it was convenient for all of them.

And, as Tamamo expected, both Mitsuru and Akihiko agreed to appoint Minato as the current field leader, given that he had done rather well in the position despite the few slip-ups that occurred.

There had actually been some debate about that, to her surprise. She wasn't surprised at all by Junpei's rather sore complaints, but rather than simply speaking over him or leaving it at their statement, both seniors had opened the floor for communication.

Minato had no real opinion and so opted to stay out of it, while Yukari had gracefully backed down, likely still embarrassed by her inability to summon her Persona on her own. Junpei only wished to know why Minato was chosen after only one trip, since they hadn't all had the chance to try to prove themselves.

Mitsuru admitted that was a rather unfair reason on their part, but added that part of it was due to Minato's unique ability. "Being able to use multiple Personas puts him at an advantage… While we don't know the exact nature of this ability or its limitations, we can't deny that it's quite useful. Allowing Arisato to lead would ensure some level of reassurance, as he can change and adapt to just about any situation against the Shadows, which is invaluable at this point."

And thus, though Junpei grumbled a bit more, leadership was decided and plans to enter Tartarus once more were made, though the exact dates were pending. Until Mitsuru called them to gather at the dorm, they were mostly left to their own devices.

Minato spent his free time mostly exploring, generally alone but sometimes with others—namely Junpei or Yukari when their schedules allowed. It had been a bit stunning to see, if Tamamo were being honest, because during each initial outing, she watched as a new Social Link thread wove its way through Minato's mindscape. They were still thin and only faintly glowing, like the SEES Link had been not long before, but they were there.

But then again, she supposed, real life didn't work like a game. There was no limit to the amount of bonds one could make based on the arcana and stats like Charm or Intelligence or Courage had no bearing there.

When she got bored of watching Minato's life, Tamamo turned her focus to Minato's mindscape and fiddled around with things there.

Like his Personas.

As it turned out, those that were currently called forth by Minato were easier to reach from the surface of his mind. Tamamo could contact and pull them through, which she found to be something of a blessing. Even though she lost contact with the outside world while Minato slept, she was quickly gaining something of an awareness of it as his power grew. If her growth continued to mimic his, it was entirely possible that she could eventually assess the danger level around him even while unconscious and forcefully send his Personas out to protect him.

Of course, that was a work in progress. She had no honest clue of what the limitations of her growth would be in relation to Minato's, but she liked the idea of it. There was, no pun intended, potential there and it would be remiss of her to ignore it.

…Plus, being able to contact Minato's Personas gave her roommates, now.

Minato's amusement was almost tangible when she told him. Roommates, huh?

"Yep!" Tamamo chirped, cheery, as she spun around with Apsaras while Orpheus floated off to the side, playing a soundless tune on his lyre. "For manifestations of the psyche in the form of mythological people and creatures, they're pretty fun to hang out with."

She smiled when the blue dancer reached out and tapped her nose, taking that as a silent agreement.

Minato's mind hummed, still bright with laughter. Glad that you're having fun, then.

It was about a week after SEES's second jump into Tartarus, during which Minato reentered the Velvet Room and was taught about fusing Personas, that Tamamo truly realized what she could possibly do from Minato's mind.

She had always known that her presence changed some things. Even on a minute level. The fact that Minato was not quite the stoic badass that she felt was often portrayed in the game was one thing. She had unintentionally given him a companion throughout his life—a constant he could depend on, however unhealthily—and he had latched onto that. She gave him some form of attachment to life and so he feared death in the same way all humans did, if the way he thought twice about using the Evoker said anything.

But even though these changes were staring at her in the face, she could easily dismiss them. Because this Minato was an unknown. He was real whereas his game counterpart was not, with his own personality and past beyond a few bit pieces of information and dialogue choices. She knew him in a deeply personal way than just as a gaming avatar, and that made him appear as a completely different person.

When Minato was pulled along by his two classmates to the hospital to come face to face with Shinjiro Aragaki, however, Tamamo felt as though she had been plunged into a well of cold water. This was a man whose fate could change. Even within one game, with just a chance finding of an old watch, Shinjiro had gone from being outright killed to falling into a months-long coma.

If she gave Minato the right direction, could they save him completely?

"Hey, Orpheus," Tamamo began quietly, careful to not project the question out to Minato as he spoke with his dormmates in the hospital room. "If you had had the chance to go back in time to save Eurydice, knowing what you know now and what you knew then… do you think you could have saved her?"

It was a cruel question, and one that she was unsure if she should even be asking. As a Persona, would he remember the life he was said to have lived in the myth?

The Persona in question looked at her with his unblinking eyes. Then, "I would like to think so." It was so interesting, hearing him or any Persona speak. His voice echoed in a haunting way. "However, when I ventured into the underworld, I realize now that it was in spite of the gods and of fate. I fear what would have awaited her had I succeeded… what miserable death would have befallen her, befallen us, as punishment for defying their will."

"So you wouldn't have tried, knowing that?" she asked.

Orpheus turned away. "I did not say that."

Distantly, Tamamo supposed there was a reason that Orpheus was a Persona of the Fool Arcana.

The Dark Hour, May 2nd, marked the second night since coming to Iwatodai (third, if one counted the encounter in the dorm lounge) that Minato was visited by the creepy, blue-eyed boy.

Said creepy boy sat on the edge of his bed near Minato's legs, peering at him with a small smile on his face. Minato kind of wished he wouldn't smile, as it seemed to lack emotion. But he couldn't tell which would be worse—a creepy emotionless boy or a creepy boy giving an emotionless smile—so he didn't say anything.

Belatedly, Minato realized that he seemed to be waiting for a response. But as his mind had yet to wake up, all he could manage was a flat, "…Hey."

This seemed to amuse the boy, for he chuckled. "It's been a while. Are you well?"

Minato pushed himself up to a sitting position, uncomfortable with lying down with the boy innocently leaning over him. "Can't complain, I guess."

"I see." The boy's smile widened, as if he knew something Minato didn't. "One week from now, there will be a full moon… Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

Ordeal…

That was how Igor had described that first disastrous night. And this boy's mention of the full moon reminded Minato of Tamamo's own warning—to protect himself every full moon night from that point on…

"You must prepare for the ordeal," the mysterious boy continued when Minato didn't reply, "but time is of the essence. I'm sure you're aware of that, of course."

The boy faded from view, his light weight disappearing only for him to reappear, standing, at the foot of Minato's bed.

"I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now…"

When he faded away once more, Minato stared, contemplative, at the empty space he'd occupied. With a blink, he dove into his mind, the curtain of Tamamo's yet-to-be-vanished private space rustling with his appearance.

"What do you think of him?" he asked in lieu of a greeting.

Tamamo looked up at him from her now usual seat. Her body was mostly restored, thankfully, save for her right eye which she still kept hidden under a patch. Sometime ago, she had changed her outfit to that of the female's Gekkoukan High School uniform, claiming that she felt left out of SEES in other attire, much to his amusement. "Him?"

He raised a brow at her obviously feigned innocence. "Yes, him. That boy. I would've thought you'd be the only person in my head, but there he is, competing for my attention. What do you think of him?"

His Other scoffed. "I don't have to compete for your attention." And wasn't that the truth. "And anyway, I don't have much of an opinion. His existence is… necessary."

Minato felt his other brow join the first. "'Necessary'? That's it?" When she shrugged, he decided to pursue another line of thought. It probably wouldn't lead to anything more fruitful, but he had to at least try asking. "Okay, then these ordeals he mentioned. You know something about those. The full moon is important, I know that. But why are they connected and why do we have to go through them?"

"…The moon is often an important symbol in mythology," Tamamo admitted after a moment of thought. It seemed like a non sequitur until she continued, "The moon is often depicted with a feminine presence in literature—the mother of the night and all that. Shadows probably react to it more when it's full because of that…"

"Probably?"

"I think so. Sorry, I'm actually just considering this myself." Her head tilted to the side. "It does make sense… but anyway, the truth behind these… 'Full Moon Ordeals' is one of the secrets I'm uncertain you would want to know ahead of time. The weight of the knowledge could be quite a heavy burden for you to carry outside."

Minato huffed, crossing over to flop onto her seat, ignoring her yelp as he slouched heavily on her legs. "Damn. I had a feeling it would be something like that." He glanced her way. "It's the kind that would be bad if I were to let it slip, wouldn't it?"

Tamamo nodded, looking apologetic.

Sighing loudly and exaggeratedly, Minato glared at the dark space above them, noting idly that the threads of his Social Links were woven elegantly along the top before hanging loose.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Give me several nights."

"Huh?"

"Give me several of these ordeals," he clarified, sitting back up. "I'll go through some of them and I'll ask again later if I still want to know. Tell me then, no matter what."

His Other looked surprised at the declaration, but nodded. "…Okay."

"Promise?"

That wrung a smile out of her. She dipped her head again, lower this time in more of a pseudo bow. "I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Minato nodded as well. "Okay."

He felt a little better. There was still so much he was learning and yet even more he seemed to have to know. It was getting a little overwhelming, if he were being honest, but there was a certain level of comfort he felt in knowing that he wasn't alone. Whether mentally, with Tamamo and her mysterious knowledge backing him, or physically, with SEES following his steps into the unknown monstrosity that was Tartarus.

It was… nice.

"Okay," he repeated, this time with feeling. "Goodnight, Tamamo."

"Goodnight, Minato."

After Minato left his mindscape and fell asleep, Tamamo stood and left her corner of his mind to approach Death's door. She stopped within a few feet, unwilling to get any closer, and simply stared at its black surface.

It was slightly ajar, always appearing more open than the last time she looked at it. She almost expected to see someone, something, looking back at her, but all that appeared in the small opening was darkness.

She had honestly been surprised that Minato went to her to learn about Pharos and the Full Moon Operations—though perhaps she shouldn't have been. He hadn't been very inquisitive as a child, merely going along with the flow, but the events that he lived through then were beyond his control. Right now, he had a right to learn more about what he was willingly getting into, so it was only natural he would go about gaining information in the ways that he could.

Perhaps she should tell him…

If she worded it right, then perhaps he would accept it. She could save him the shock and guilt and betrayal of Ikutsuki's manipulations, at least.

But what if he didn't accept it? Minato had listened to her so far, was willing to work with her, but who would listen to anyone telling them that ushering in the apocalypse was a necessary action? Or, at least, the action that at least had a chance of ending "happily".

Just about all of the events of Persona 3 connected together. The Kirijo Group brought forth Death by experimenting with countless Shadows. The incident ten years ago during said experiments tore Death apart and gave birth to the twelve Shadows. The defeat of the same twelve Shadows would complete Death once more and lead to the Appriser's rising. The Appriser called to Nyx. Nyx fell to the world.

And then Nyx would either be locked behind the Great Seal, barred from contact with Erebus, or the world would end.

If Minato rejected her words and blocked her out, warned the others and got rid of Ikutsuki somehow… What would happen? The Arcana Shadows wanted to be one. They had tried to eat one another when they were first separated, she knew. If they got enraged somehow, impatient at SEES leaving them be after reawakening… would they eventually gather together and pursue him? Alone, they could be defeated by SEES after training and with month-long intervals in between. But together…

Tamamo sighed.

She could only give him time. The time he'd asked for. Then, if he asked again, or even if he didn't, she would tell him the truth behind the ordeals. She wasn't sure what would happen later in the year, if Ryoji would still appear, if Strega would interfere, and so on. But she would tell him what she could, to prepare him and the rest of SEES for the path ahead. Regardless of what course they chose to take.

Tamamo was snapped out of her thoughts when Minato's mind shifted around her. She made the motion of taking in a deep breath. It was useless since she didn't need to breathe, but the familiar action was comforting and soothed her nervous energy.

The fanfiction she'd read so long ago made it seem so easy to change fate. With a few words, the reincarnated protagonists could influence a character enough to give up going down a wrong path, or prevent another from dying. With their actions, they could stop a town from being leveled or change the course of history entirely.

Then again, those reincarnations were born with their own bodies. They were more than a soul, limited to influencing the mind of one person.

And that was the dilemma, wasn't it? In the end, she was just a soul. The scraps of what was left of her after dying, stuck in the mind of a possibly doomed boy. She had no body of her own and, though she was steadily working on what abilities she could uncover about herself in her situation, there was little she could do to influence the outside world. What little she could do to help was limited to what she informed Minato about, and she couldn't even do that properly because she was too damn terrified of what would happen if she made educated guesses about changing things and she was wrong.

("Whatever you do, don't fail," her mother had warned her a lifetime ago, in the low, threatening tones that had Tamamo cringing reflexively. "Don't you ever fail.")

Absently, Tamamo reached up to the bandage patch she'd conjured to cover her once damaged eye. She had restored it long before, shortly after her hand, but had kept it covered because looking at it unveiled something that, quite frankly, scared her. She removed the patch now, though, perhaps as penance for her inaction.

She was deliberately trying to lead Minato down a path to the end of the world. A fight that this incarnation of SEES might not win because, as she told herself time and again, video game mechanics were nothing like reality. She was no better than Ikutsuki at this point, really. The least she could do was own up and accept the consequences of her decisions.

Constructing a mirror, Tamamo traced the bright blue eye that now stared back at her. If she concentrated, a different color would mist over it, but if she blinked it would be gone. Try as she might, the blue didn't go away, clashing with the color of her left eye, which defaulted to red.

It was a perfect match to Pharos's eyes, she noted idly. Death must have been very fond of blue. Perhaps something it inherited from Minato?

The thought made her laugh, if only because she had no idea what else to do.

She'd lost parts of herself to Death and was given a mark in return.

She wondered what Minato would think, when he knew the truth.