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: Well. I've started writing Chapter 27, but given the fact that I'm going on a road trip to Disneyland I doubt I'll update these last few days (so close!). This challenge was a fun little way to start this project, though, even though I didn't make the thirty days. Still, I'll likely take a little break but get back to updating this soon enough, so don't you guys worry about me abandoning it! I want to see this thing through as much as you guys do. All I ask is that you'll have to be a little more patient now for the next update—if I had the brainpower and energy I would keep up the daily updates, but I fear the quality would just further degrade over time, haha.

Regardless, it's been fun and I'll see you all in the next update! Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating!

Symbiosis

Chapter Twenty-Six

No.

No. No, this couldn't be happening!

How had—No, Shadow skills weren't supposed to work like that. It was all in their head. It wasn't supposed to leave a mark like that! It wasn't supposed to cause an injury!

Minato stared at his friend's fallen body, a scream bubbling up in his throat as he stared at the spreading blood. Frantically, he fell to his knees at his friend's side, pressing his hands against the wound. His hands were stained when he pulled them away, and as he looked at them, his mind flashed back to his parents' deaths.

It was the same.

The blood on his hands—it was the same!

He felt more than heard himself scream, the sound echoing throughout the chamber.

It was the same! He was helpless then and he was just as useless now! He failed!

"Minato-kun!" he heard the navigator call worriedly. "Snap out of it! Please!"

Run, his instincts whispered to him, overriding Fuuka's voice. Run. Run now. Run now before they realize how badly he'd failed them. Some leader he was. Run!

And he obeyed, turning on his heel and trying to flee, desperate to escape the people he had so blatantly let down.

"Minato-kun!?" Yukari shouted after him, Io gathering a healing light between her palms. He ignored her, sprinting past with everything he had.

"Yamagishi, send in the others!" Mitsuru ordered. "Takeba, stay and support them. I'll deal with Arisato."

"But what happened!?" the archer yelled in concern, and if Minato hadn't been so preoccupied with trying to find an exit before the Kirijo heiress could make good on her word, he would have yelled at her.

What happened? What happened!? Junpei was dead, that's what happened!

Distantly, he heard Aigis and Akihiko run into the chamber and join the fray, bullets firing from the android's fingertips while Akihiko summoned Polydeuces and sent him rushing forward to tackle the Arcana Chariot. Minato fixated on the area they had entered from—of course!—and ran for it.

He was nearly there, nearly free, but then Penthesilea flew in front of him, blocking his path. His heart stopped and it was all he could do to keep a whine from escaping his throat.

Tamamo, he thought desperately. What do I do?

But she didn't respond. Of course she wouldn't. He got his friend injured badly. She must have been so disgusted by his incompetence.

"Kirijo-senpai…" he whimpered, turning around to find her slowly approaching him, rapier glinting wickedly. "Let me through. Please. I…!"

"Calm down, Arisato," she spoke over him, voice shockingly calm despite the chaos erupting behind her. "You were hit by the Shadow's spell. Whatever you saw that made you run isn't real."

It wasn't…? No, that couldn't be right. He saw it. He felt it. How was that not real!?

"Junpei…" he croaked. He looked down at his free hand, the blood still stained on his palm. It felt real. How could she say otherwise? Couldn't she see it? "He…"

He got hurt because of him. Because Minato wasn't paying attention and didn't warn him. Didn't push him out of the way. And now he was… was…

"Iori's fine," Mitsuru stressed. She stopped a few feet away from him, dropping her combative stance. His eyes followed her rapier warily, though she kept it hanging at her side. "He was knocked down by the Shadow's attack, but is otherwise unscathed. Takeba's healed him and he's back in action even as we speak."

"She's right, Minato-kun," Fuuka urged. "Junpei-kun is fine. Please, you have to see that!"

They were lying. They had to be, his instincts crooned. They just wanted to lure him in and trap him so they could deal with him later. He had to run away. He had to get out of there!

Run, useless little boy, something insidious whispered from deep inside him. Run.

He took a step back. Blood rushed from his face as he saw Penthesilea's form in the corners of his eyes. Trapped.

"Arisato," the Kirijo heiress said warningly. She took a step forward and he took another one back, watching as she reached into the small supply pouch on her belt to pull out a small, gleaming stone. She displayed it to him openly in her palm before rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. "Stay still."

When she lifted her arm to throw it, he flinched. But the stone hit the ground with a crack and burst open, enveloping him in bright light. He covered his eyes.

And when the light faded, Tamamo's voice rushed into his head. "Oh, thank god! Are you all right!?"

No, no he wasn't. Minato let out a breath as his muscles relaxed from their overly-tensed state, unbidden, and he shakily lifted a hand to wipe away the cold sweat that had accumulated on the back of his neck. He took deep breaths as his heartbeat slowed to a more regular pace and he no longer felt the need to run and escape.

What happened to me…? he asked, though his thoughts felt so scattered he was unsure if she heard it.

She apparently had, for she answered, "The Arcana Chariot must've been casting a spell that targeted your fear… You were paying more attention to the Arcana Justice so I didn't see it, but you must've gotten hit. The moment you did, it clouded your senses… I'd never felt you so terrified before."

He'd never really been that terrified before. But…

He jumped when twin crashes met his ears. When he turned to look, he saw the giant form of the Arcana Chariot get engulfed by dark mist, leaving behind only the shell of the tank it had been animating. It was quickly followed by a much smaller cloud from the felled Arcana Justice. The moment they disappeared, he saw the rest of the team leave their spots around it to run to him. It took everything he had to not back away from them in response.

Until he saw Junpei, that is. Completely fine, if a little tired-looking. There was no red on his chest. No wound.

Nothing.

Minato quietly lifted his hands, letting his sword fall carelessly to the ground.

No blood.

He didn't quite fall to his knees in relief, but it was a near thing. "So I… It was a hallucination?"

"We're all fine," Mitsuru told him gently.

"Minato-kun, are you all right?" Yukari asked worriedly.

"What happened anyway?" was Akihiko's question.

Junpei only suggested, "Dude, you should sit down. You look like you're about to keel over."

And Minato laughed, somewhat hysterically, because that was said a bit too soon. It weakened to a chuckle when Yukari seemed to sense his thoughts, lifting a hand to smack Junpei on the back of his head. "I would say that to you, but it turns out it wasn't even real."

"Arisato was hit by the spell that induced fear," Mitsuru informed them in his place. There was a round of understanding voices. "It appears that it was especially potent."

"I see," Akihiko murmured. "Getting hit with one of those is never fun."

Yukari agreed, frowning. "They make you see things that are really horrible. Sometimes it's not so bad, but other times… all you want to do is find a safe place and hide." She searched Minato's face critically. "But you're okay now? It's gone?"

"I used a Patra Gem," Mitsuru confirmed. "He just needed a moment to calm the rest of the way down."

"Then let us rest in order for our leader to recuperate his lost strength," Aigis suggested, blue eyes staring unblinkingly at Minato. "He is weary. We may commence finding an exit once he is less tired."

"I think that's a good idea," Fuuka chimed in as she entered the chamber, finally joining them from where she had stationed herself outside as support. "That way, everyone can take some time to cool down as well before we return to the dorm."

Mitsuru swept her gaze over the group before nodding curtly. "Very well. I will inform the chairman of our success… as well as our encounter with Strega."

The mention of the two other Persona-users was a somber reminder of why they were trapped in the first place. As they sat down around Minato, close enough for comfort but far enough to let him breathe, he listened to them chat about the strange meeting, though he only caught bits and pieces. Though the fear had long since faded, he could still feel the small tremors in his fingers as he recalled the images it had shown him. The thought of any of his teammates—his friends—dying was something he never wanted to live through. Not until they'd lived long and fulfilling lives, and definitely not in battle where he could prevent it.

He wanted to protect the people from the horrors of the Dark Hour and Tartarus, and for his friends that sentiment doubled.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from that spell," Tamamo said softly. "They kept bombarding you guys with 'em and it kept breaking the shield… I didn't think to hold it up like last time because it would've been too draining…"

It's all right. He sighed. You shouldn't be expected to shield us from everything. What you do is enough.

He got the underlying feeling that she disagreed, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with her on the point and she didn't bring it up again. No, all he wanted to do right now was get the team out of the base as soon as possible and then collapse on his bed and sleep. So he stood, shaking out his limbs, and told them to start looking for a way out. They didn't protest and did as told, Aigis and Fuuka leading the search with their enhanced senses.

When they finally got out, they made a beeline straight back to the dorm, where Mitsuru dismissed them before they were even through the door. Thankful, Minato dragged himself up to his room, barely managing to change before flopping down on his bed. As he closed his eyes, praying for clear dreams, he felt Tamamo guide him straight down through his mind until he met oblivion.

Surprisingly, Minato woke up early the next morning despite his prior exhaustion. At first, he believed it had been Tamamo to wake him, but she expressed her own disbelief that he had awakened so soon, given that she had ensured he would have a deep sleep all through the night. When he inquired about Pharos, she told him that she had not seen the striped pajama-clad boy since their last talk about a week ago, when Minato had been too tired from practicing for the kendo tournament to stay up with them.

"I suspect we'll see him soon, though," she mused. "For his routine 'after-the-full-moon' check."

Minato agreed, noting that it meant he was awake for no reason other than his own body deciding to wake up. With a sigh, he left his bed and changed into comfortable clothes for the summer, then left his room to look for something to eat downstairs.

As he neared the bottom steps leading into the lounge, he heard the sound of a program on the television going on, though it was different from the usual news channels that he occasionally heard when passing through. It was far livelier and sounded like an action movie or something similar. Curious, he touched down to the first floor, rounding the corner to the kitchen area, and saw Ken Amada changing the channel from his spot on the couch.

"G—Good morning, ah…" the boy called almost timidly. "Minato-san, right?"

Minato nodded. "Morning."

He went into the dorm building's small kitchen to fetch himself some breakfast. From the shared food items available, he made himself a simple sandwich before carrying it back out, forgoing eating at the dining table to sit across from the boy in the main lounge. The action made Ken shift awkwardly from what Minato could see through his bangs, but Tamamo's warning about the boy stuck with him, making him curious as to what the boy was like. Enough to stick around to observe him discreetly from up close.

He watched the news drone on for a bit, wondering why the boy had changed the channel to something that was, quite frankly, either boring or depressing. He glanced up as he ate, eyeing the remote controller on the coffee table between them.

"Mind if I change the channel?" he asked.

Ken shook his head. "Go ahead."

"Change it to Phoenix Ranger Featherman," Tamamo suggested. "It won't be the latest episode, but they should probably be showing reruns at this time."

Minato flipped through the channels before finding the show and settling on it. Returning the controller to its place on the table, he listened to the sounds of the show and realized that it was what had been playing before Ken changed the channel.

Is he embarrassed about liking the show? he wondered. I thought it's popular with kids.

"Exactly," his Other drawled. "Ken's mature for his age, but he's still a kid despite that in terms of the things he likes. It embarrasses him, especially now that he's dorming with a bunch of older students. He doesn't want to be seen as immature."

Huh. Minato finished off his breakfast, absently wiping away any crumbs on his lap as he continued watching the episode. He had no real idea of what was going on, but he remembered watching a little of the older versions when he was a kid. The formula certainly hadn't changed over time—just the gadgets and special effects. …This is actually pretty good.

Tamamo snorted, but she was sincere when she said, "When you get past the cheesy lines and exaggerated effects, yeah. It's the adventures of a team saving the world, one bad guy at a time. Some would say it's idealistic, but I think the world likes a reminder that there are people out there to fight for it."

As the episode, which had been halfway through by the time Minato came downstairs, ended, Minato stuck around as the next one aired. A small glance told him that Ken was looking at him oddly, and the boy flushed when he was caught.

"Um, do you like this show, Minato-san?" Ken asked. He sounded like he was trying hard to keep the surprise from his voice.

Minato shrugged, watching the opening sequence and smiling faintly at the familiar tune. It was vastly remixed from the one he remembered, but it was still the same. "I watched it before," he said vaguely. "Seems good enough to watch again."

It must have been the right thing to say, as Ken resumed watching with him for the remainder of the morning. Even as the others came down for some reason or another, the most Ken did was look up at their arrival, glance briefly at the television screen and then the remote, before sitting still.

Later, after the last rerun episode aired before moving on to a different series, Minato returned to his room, deciding he would try to wake up earlier some days to watch the show with Ken while he was at the dorm with them. And that maybe he would buy a Feather Swan figurine. Or a mask. The guy was pretty cool.

True to their predictions, Pharos showed up later that night. Minato found himself blinking at the fake star field and pushed himself up to see Tamamo and Pharos on a swing set. An empty seat hung beside them and he stood to claim it.

Once he was situated, pushing lightly on the conjured tanbark so his swing swayed. Pharos's legs dangled in the air beside him and Minato was once more struck at the sight of the boy looking more like a boy and not some unknown entity in his head. Especially after spending a good amount of time watching shows with Ken earlier.

"Sorry I couldn't talk last time you visited," Minato said.

"It's all right. She told me why and it was only to remind you of the upcoming full moon." Pharos smiled. "That last battle seemed to have taken its toll on you. Are you well?"

Minato grimaced at the reminder of the Shadow's spell and the absolute havoc it had caused on his mind. "Better than before," he answered carefully. Then, remembering something, he peered over Pharos's head to where Tamamo was enthusiastically swinging. "Hey, what happened to you while I was affected? I didn't hear your voice again until the very end."

His Other must have manipulated gravity in that moment, for she swung back slowly as she thought. "Well, different things happen in here when you feel strong emotions. Most of the time, negative emotions like anger and sadness show up like a kind of mist. Your fear is generally a black fog," she explained. "When that Shadow's spell hit you, it ramped up your fear levels to maximum and pretty much flooded your mind with that fog. It was a lot heavier than usual and was actually weirdly solid… Basically, it just about bowled me over. I was pinned down underneath it practically the whole time, trying to get back up… Fear is heavy."

Pharos nodded along. "Then it is good that you have your companions to help you."

"Yeah… Otherwise I would've had to wait for it to fade off on his own," Minato agreed, wincing at the thought. The idea of staying in that state was an unpleasant one. He wouldn't wish that on even his worst enemies. Shaking his head, he looked back down to Pharos. "So are you just here to check up on us or…?"

"No, actually," the boy said, sounding pleased to have something else to share. "I remembered something else."

Minato suppressed the urge to groan. The things the boy remembered tended to be rather depressing. Or disturbing. Or both. "And what's that?"

"The end won't be brought about by anyone in particular," Pharos recited. "It's coming because there are many people who wish for it. As if it was destined from the start." He tilted his head. "But doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

Tamamo stopped her swinging entirely. When Minato glanced at her over Pharos's dark curls, he found her staring at the boy with an indecipherable expression.

"There are a lot of different people in the world," Minato said slowly, not taking his eyes off of his Other. "Some people might, but not everyone."

Pharos hummed. "To choose death over suffering in an attempt to find peace… but is it truly peace, in the end?"

"That depends on what they've suffered," Tamamo said quietly. She drew her bicolored eyes away from them and to the space above. "And if it was truly suffering or merely self-pity. But those things are subjective. What one person calls acting out is another's truly desperate cry for help." When she lowered her gaze again, she sent them a sad smile. "In other words, Minato's right. There are too many people in this world with too many complicated emotions between them about every little thing. To try to pick out a single wish amongst the majority would be difficult. Especially if you take the time to ask the reasons why."

"I see…" Pharos kicked his feet out before drawing them in again, clearly mimicking what Tamamo had been doing earlier but with less results. "Every time I think I knew more about humans, I learn something else, it seems."

Tamamo grinned. "Welcome to life, Pharos! Where people are complicated messes but somehow manage to pull themselves together and survive each day." She pumped her fist in the air, reminiscent of Junpei celebrating a victory. "Go, humanity!"

Shaking his head, Minato turned to the boy at his side. "Need a push? It's easy to get once you've gotten some momentum going." And, without waiting for an answer, he reached out to push lightly at the boy's back. "Kick your legs out… and then pull them in… and again."

As the night went on, Tamamo conjured up an entire playground and the three played, Minato revisiting a childhood he'd never really had and Pharos experiencing it all for the first time.

(Minato's only complaint would be when she used the merry-go-round to send them flying, claiming that it wasn't meant to be used that quickly. Tamamo would tell him he had no sense of adventure and Pharos, the little traitor, would giggle in agreement.)

"He's doing well," Pharos commented long after Minato fell asleep after their odd playtime.

Tamamo stared at the barrier she'd set up around Minato's mind, the one that helped filter his negative emotions. It only worked when they were minor things—the types that piled up over time and only then became dangerous. The stronger emotions always broke through because it wasn't like she could just stop him from feeling. And she didn't want to do something like that, though she would prefer to prevent him from falling into that awful terror from before.

It had been manufactured by the Shadow's spell, sure, but it was still his fear. The spell had simply drawn it out, igniting it by showing him what he was most afraid of. The death of a friend, right in front of him. And unable to hear her to boot.

"He always manages somehow," she said softly, staring at the glimmering barrier. The fake stars shined even more brightly than usual. She wasn't surprised. They only gleamed like that when the barrier felt pressure.

"With your help, you mean?"

She looked over and found an almost bland smile on Pharos's face. She looked away. "I do some of the work, yeah." And she left it at that, simply staring ahead. Then, after a long silence, she asked, "Pharos?"

"Hm?"

"What have you done to me?"

Silence so complete swallowed them. The cliché deafening kind that somehow managed to ring through her ears even though there was no sound.

"I helped you," Pharos said.

"By doing what?" she pressed.

Whatever he had done after that last full moon battle, when she felt herself burn inside out, had changed her. She knew it. She could feel it. Literally.

When the Arcana Chariot and Justice fell, she felt it. The rush of their power. It didn't burn, but it certainly felt warm and she recognized the feeling.

She had been Death, then, but she believed she would never forget anything she had experienced looking through its eyes, when its will consumed her and nearly didn't let her go.

"What have you done to me?" she asked again. She felt a foolish bit of pride knowing that her voice didn't falter. Didn't shake.

Pharos only smiled innocently, turning his blue, blue gaze up to the starry barrier. "When we first met, we agreed that we were the same and yet very different. Right?"

"Right," she said slowly, drawing the word out.

She saw his smile widen. "It seems we are now more alike than before."

It was midafternoon the next day that Minato met Mitsuru walking down the second floor's hall on his way out. She had stopped him for a quick word, telling him that she was holding a small meeting for SEES later in the evening. She didn't tell him what it was about, citing only that it would be best for him to see it with his own eyes rather than hear it from her. He agreed, a little dumbfounded, but set out for the day anyway, pushing the thoughts to some corner of his mind for later.

After spending the day out wandering around and shopping for random odds and ends, he returned to the dorm, meeting his fellow juniors on the way in along with Aigis. They decided wordlessly to climb up to the meeting room together, chatting about what Mitsuru could possibly want them to see.

When they entered, Minato was sure none of them expected that it was Koromaru. Hell, even he didn't see it coming.

Tamamo…

"You never asked!"

Which was… true. Minato supposed that after learning he could summon a Persona just as they could, it would be reasonable for them recruit Koromaru to lend a hand—paw?—to their cause.

But still… they were really going to add a dog to the team?

As they gathered around the table where their seniors stood with the canine, they took in his appearance. He was evidently all healed up, though he was sporting some rather flashy accessories now, including a winged collar.

"That collar is designed to help control his Persona," Mitsuru informed them when asked. Because apparently they seriously were going to add a dog to the team. "In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs."

"Wait…" Yukari paused. "Does that mean he'll be going into battle?"

Mitsuru nodded, glancing at the canine sitting before them. "It was a surprise for me as well. But according to the tests, it's quite possible. In fact, it was the chairman's suggestion…" She tilted her head, managing to make the move look elegant. "We'll be looking after him here in the dorm."

Fuuka crouched down. "Is that okay with you, Koro-chan?"

Koromaru barked.

Aigis, standing beside them, translated, "He says, 'I'll return the favor'."

"Man," Yukari laughed, "you're one loyal dog."

Koromaru barked again, tail wagging. Minato had limited experience with dogs despite being quite a fan of them, but he could easily guess that he was pleased.

"Hey, make yourself at home," Junpei said, his customary easy grin fixed on his face. "The more the merrier, right? Who cares if you're a dog?" He bent over, patting Koromaru neatly on his head. Straightening, he added, "All right, I'll take him for a walk. It's summer break, after all!"

"Yes, it is," Mitsuru agreed. Her next words made them all freeze. "Enjoy your vacation while you can; summer classes start next week. I'll see to it that you graduate."

Junpei's smile melted right off his face, but he attempted to paste it back on. "H—Hey… Good one, Senpai." He let out a nervous chuckle. "You almost had me there."

Gekkoukan's Student Council President merely smiled in response. "Oh, it's no joke. We'll be taking intensive courses. I've already applied for all of us." If she noticed the suddenly uneasy atmosphere floating about the room, she gave no indication. "I know how difficult it's been balancing school and our late night excursions. You haven't had much time to study, and I apologize for that. That's why the chairman agrees that this is a good idea." She paused, looking thoughtful. "I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi."

"Are you serious!?" Junpei gaped. "This is the first I've heard of it!"

"Um, sorry…" their navigator said meekly. "I forgot to mention it."

He groaned. "Aw, man!"

"Well, your grade's gone up a bit since the last exams," Yukari pointed out. "This can only boost them higher."

"Yeah, right," Junpei muttered. He sighed. "This sucks!"

Minato said nothing, but he wholeheartedly agreed.

Fuuka, bless her heart, tried to salvage the situation as always. "W—Well, it's only for a few weeks. So let's make the most of it…?"